Storylines...

The day we were all hoping for last September is fast approaching. Some of you will not be able to sleep Saturday night. That’s because Super Bowl Sunday featuring the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos will be on a vast majority of the fans minds in the Pacific Northwest.

There are several big stories that have been brought up early in the week such as: “If Peyton Manning wins his second Super Bowl will he retire?” or “He is already a shoo-in for Hall of Fame but can he shake off the he can’t win the big games in cold weather reputation?”

There are several other scenarios on the other side of the ball: “Will Russell Wilson be able to get the Seahawk offense to explode in New Jersey” and “Will Richard Sherman blow up in an interview like he did after the NFC Championship game?”

As far as Peyton Manning is concerned it doesn’t matter if he wins or loses this game he is a great QB. Since he doesn’t play for my favorite team he isn’t my favorite player. But he is a true professional who commands respect from teammates and opponents. Winning a game of this magnitude takes a total team effort. One player cannot do it all. One player can make great plays and when that time comes it is up to one player on the offensive or defensive side of the ball to come out on top. There will be a lot of plays that will take place throughout Sunday’s game and sometimes a seemingly insignificant one-yard gain for a first down can be the play that changes the momentum.

When you talk about Russell Wilson it is true that he hasn’t been putting up gaudy offensive stats in the last few weeks, but he hasn’t been forcing the issue and throwing interceptions either. He is a smart QB that knows his strengths, as well as his limitations. He is counted on to manage the game, and utilize the legs of Marshawn Lynch and his ability to carry tacklers with him down the field.

Seattle has come from behind on several occasions and won a couple of games in overtime so being behind doesn’t seem to phase this team. A great defensive team can handle those situations and do its best to get the ball back to the offense.

The final story line is Richard Sherman. His rant to Erin Andrews in the postgame interview on the Fox Sports coverage of the NFC Championship game ran the gamut on Twitter and all of the sports programs. I’ve always cringed a little when Sherman would go into his mode after a ballgame until I read a Sports Illustrated article about him this past summer.

After reading the article, I gained a lot of respect for him as a player and as a person. In a game against Arizona this past season, I saw Sherman get leveled by Larry Fitzgerald on a clean block. Sherman turned and Fitzgerald was right on the spot and absolutely leveled the Seahawk corner. Sherman picked himself up and went over to Fitzgerald and slapped him on the butt and helmet as if to say, “Great block, man!”

To me, that showed great respect for an opponent. Unfortunately the announcers didn’t pick up on that play.

Richard Sherman believes that he is the best corner in the business and statistics are on his side. But his rant is all most people will ever know or care about this Stanford graduate. I’m happy that he is a Seattle Seahawk and hope he never leaves the Emerald City.

I was thinking about my football playing days and realized that there were several games where I did a bit of trash talking to an opponent. Not for long and only when we were winning. But football is an emotional game and when you make a big play, sometimes you want to end it with an exclamation point.

I probably didn’t need to, but emotions sometimes get the better of someone that always needs to prove himself.

The Seattle Seahawks are doing their best to prove themselves each week.

Playing with a chip on their shoulders is not easy, but is necessary for them to stay focus. We’ll see what the big storylines are this week and how each team handles those goofy interviews.

What matters most is that the best two teams are playing Sunday in the NFL’s biggest game. I’m hoping that the defense prevails.