Welker: ‘We didn’t prepare very well’ for noise

The Broncos trailed 12 seconds into Super Bowl XLVIII, as they let up a botched snap for a safety that center Manny Ramirez attributed to miscommunication caused by the noise level, and the Seahawks never looked back, leading for 59 minutes, 48 seconds of the game. After the 438 beating at the Seahawks’ hands, Denver wide receiver Wes Welker said the Broncos were not prepared for the noise and it cost them.

“That’s the way the start of any Super Bowl is going to be. It’s going to be loud,” Welker said. “Fans are going to be yelling. I don’t think they even know why they’re yelling. It’s just the start of the Super Bowl. We didn’t prepare very well for that and it showed.”

So much for that No. 1 defense versus No. 1 offense showdown. All the hype was merely hot air, the most lopsided Super Bowl in 21 years.

Seattle’s 438 rout of Denver was the most onesided Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, when the Cowboys dismantled the Bills, 5217. It was also a replica of the Seahawks’ 4010 beatdown of the Broncos during the preseason on Aug. 17.

Super Bowl teams have met seven times in the preseason since 1994 and the preseason winner has won six of the seven games.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown the two longest picksixes in Super Bowl history, as his record dropped to 12 in The Big Game. Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith took a Manning pass 69 yards to the house with 3:36 left in the first half.

In Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, Saints safety Tracy Porter took a Manning pass 74 yards for a touchdown.

Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw did not take part in the network’s Super Bowl coverage after the death of his father on Thursday.