GOLDEN OLDIE
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Peyton Manning was never going to be Phil Simms in Pasadena, or Steve Young throwing six TD passes in Super Bowl XXIX. Everyone knew that.
Old Man Manning, a 2410 survivor on Sunday in Super Bowl 50, didn’t ride off into the sunset, he was carried off into the sunset, on the shoulders of an Orange Crush defense that has the same affection for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips that the ‘85 Bears had for Buddy Ryan.
Old Man Manning should rest in peace now and retire with his two Super Bowl rings, and a legitimate case that he is Greatest of All Time, oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, first quarterback to win Super Bowls with two different franchises.
“I’ll take some time to reflect,” Old Man Manning said as the confetti swirled around him. “I’m gonna drink a lot of Budweiser tonight.”
Manning (13for23 passing, 141 yards with one interception, one lost fumble) looked 29 early in the first quarter and 39 for most of the rest of the game. And it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because Von Miller (2.5 sacks and a strip of Cam Newton against poor Mike Remmers) and friends bewitched, bothered and bewildered Newton, and all but turned him into Sham Newton.
On a stage where legends are born and made, the young lion was rendered a lamb.
The Broncos (seven total sacks) stuffed the Carolina ground game and it was NewtonAgainsttheWorld. And the World won. Defense wins championships, even with old men at quarterback.
Newton (18for41 passing for 265 yards and one interception) never faced a defense like this, a defensive coordinator like this.
The Broncos gave Newton a taste of Tom Brady’s medicine.
Newton had his chance in the fourth quarter.
And Old Man Manning, hanging on for dear life, was playing not to lose, handed off three straight times, and Newton was 76 yards and 4:51 away from the Lombardi Trophy.
And then Miller reached out with his left hand and stripped Newton, and T.J. Ward recovered at the Carolina 4. Josh Norman was flagged for holding Demaryius Thomas in the end zone after Old Man Manning unwisely passed on third down and C.J. Anderson ran it in from the 2 to make it Broncos 24, Panthers 10 with 3:08 left.
Earlier things looked bleak when, Kony Ealy, who finished with three sacks, had forced a Manning fumble that Charles Johnson recovered at midfield.
Newton marched into fieldgoal range and it was Broncos 16, Panthers 10 with 10:21 remaining.
Old Man Manning was 7:07 from his Hollywood ending that maybe only John Elway could have imagined.
On his f irst secondhalf possession, Newton fired a missile over the middle for Ted Ginn Jr. for 45 yards and then a slant for 14, but Jerricho Cotchery dropped a deep sideline throw and Graham Gano’s 44yard fieldgoal attempt hit the right upright.
Manning, 2for7 for 15 yards in the second quarter, found a fleeting fountain of youth, Emmanuel Sanders for 25 yards, then Sanders for 22 more, and then a thirddown incompletion, and soon it was Broncos 16, Panthers 7 midway through the third quarter.
Newton, blasted by Shane Ray, lofted a 42yard bomb to Corey Brown. But then he threw a Rocket Clemens bullet that deflected off Ginn and into the waiting arms of Ward, whose fumble was recovered by Danny Trevathan at the 7.
Newton awakened when the second quarter began, gashing the Broncos twice with his legs, lobbing a mis direction pass left across the formation to Greg Olsen for 19 yards, finding Brown for 13 more and soon Jonathan Stewart was hurtling into the end zone, and it was 107.
Jordan Norwood deceived Colin Jones and Fozzy Whitaker into expecting a fair catch and his 61yard punt return, longest in Super Bowl history, set up Manning at the Carolina 14.
Fourthand1, and Broncos coach Gary Kubiak was going for it. You usually don’t try to beat Newton kicking field goals. Unless you call an Anderson run and holding is called on Louis Vasquez. Field goal.
When Stewart forced a Mike Tolbert fumble that Trevathan recovered, Manning had it at his 40. Anderson slipped past Luke Kuechly on a dynamic 34yard run to the Carolina 26, but Ealy dropped into coverage and undercut Manning’s errant throw for Sanders for a onehanded interception, a terrible throw and terrible decision.
But when it ended, Old Man Manning was so happy he could have dabbed.