Here's something I'm 110 percent positive Peyton Manning will never watch: The Super Bowl XLVIII episode of NFL Network's "Sound FX."
The Seahawks come across as swaggering heroes. They entered the game loose and ended it laughing. Literally. After Percy Harvin took the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown, cornerback Richard Sherman was seen cackling to himself on the sideline.
The Seahawks had turned a hugely anticipated matchup into, well, a joke.
Here are some other notable moments from the episode:
» The fur coat-wearing Joe Namath to Seahawks and Broncos captains after his premature coin flip: "I had a quick release."
» Manning was a man with regrets after the first snap of the game whistled past his ear and into the end zone for a safety. As he walked off the field, he said to center Manny Ramirez, "I called the snap count. You didn't hear me." Once he was back on the sideline, he acknowledged that he should've trusted his gut and went with a silent snap count to start the game.
»Said Manning of the unusually loud Super Bowl crowd in the opening minutes: "I couldn't hear anything." John Fox added, "Hey, a little louder than we thought." The 12th Man is real.
» Speaking of Fox, it was interesting to track his reaction as the game quickly spun out of control. The coach said -- to no one in particular -- things like "Let's stay calm," "We gotta simmer down" and "We're not done yet." He seemed a little shellshocked.
» "Hey, we're the best damn offense to ever play this game!" -- Wes Welker, imploring Broncos teammates to wake up.
» Manning looked as stunned as anyone. While Sherman was spouting, "We about to be legendary!" and "We gotta eat their heart!" Manning was saying "I had him, too ... where the hell did he come from?" A study in contrast.
» With the lead growing, Marshawn Lynch asked Carroll multiple times, "Is it all right if we score more points?" Carroll said yes. And they did.
» Watch this episode and tell me Russell Wilson is really a second-year quarterback. The guy carries himself like a 15-year veteran at all times. He even preps a Gatorade bath like a grizzled pro. I demand a birth certificate and retinal scan.
» Late in the game, a conversation between Champ Bailey and a teammate said it all. Bailey casually stated his hope that linebacker Malcolm Smith would be named Super Bowl MVP, going so far as to run down Smith's stats in the game. "I just want to see a defensive guy get it," the cornerback said softly.
Bailey got his wish, though we don't imagine it made his day any better. The Broncos were no longer competitors in the game. They simply had a front-row seat to the coronation. This was not how it was supposed to go.
In the latest "Around The League Podcast," the guys ponder the future of the Super Bowl teams and break down the teams that intrigue them most this offseason.
