SuperBowl MVP

[savvyman]

Had a chance to re-watch the Game - for the First time of what will be several.

Regarding the Superbvowl MVP.

Very Happy For Malcom Smith - he is deserving as MVP and obviously made a great impact - However after review of the game - this is the order I would choose for MVP.

(Ideally the MVP should have been given to the Seahawks Defense as a unit)

1. Kam Chancellor - Set the tone with the Hit on D. Thomas on the second play of the game - got an interception that turned into a score and had several more excellent hits throughout the game. He also broke up a 20 yard pass play to Wes Welker with a vicious tackle that would have given the Broncos a First down on the Seahawk 21 when the score was 8 - 0. Broncos ended up punting on this series.

2. Russell Wilson - Exceptional game played by Russell - anyone remember seeing the punter? Only once - Russell kept the chains moving the entire game - Both Howie Long and Troy Aikman made an excellent Point - They said Russell is not a "Game Manager" - He is a "Play Maker" - They are so right.

3. Cliff Avril - Had a monster game - Responsible for both interceptions by Manning and had several more pressures that forced manning to throw incomplete passes. By the middle of the second quarter Manning was looking over for Avril every time he dropped back to pass.

[RiverDog]

Had a chance to re-watch the Game - for the First time of what will be several.

Regarding the Superbvowl MVP.

Very Happy For Malcom Smith - he is deserving as MVP and obviously made a great impact - However after review of the game - this is the order I would choose for MVP.

(Ideally the MVP should have been given to the Seahawks Defense as a unit)

1. Kam Chancellor - Set the tone with the Hit on D. Thomas on the second play of the game - got an interception that turned into a score and had several more excellent hits throughout the game. He also broke up a 20 yard pass play to Wes Welker with a vicious tackle that would have given the Broncos a First down on the Seahawk 21 when the score was 8 - 0. Broncos ended up punting on this series.

2. Russell Wilson - Exceptional game played by Russell - anyone remember seeing the punter? Only once - Russell kept the chains moving the entire game - Both Howie Long and Troy Aikman made an excellent Point - They said Russell is not a "Game Manager" - He is a "Play Maker" - They are so right.

3. Cliff Avril - Had a monster game - Responsible for both interceptions by Manning and had several more pressures that forced manning to throw incomplete passes. By the middle of the second quarter Manning was looking over for Avril every time he dropped back to pass.

Russell's numbers were good enough to win the MVP and in a normal SB game, he would have won it hands down. 18/26, 2 TD's, and best of all, zero turnovers. But they simply had to give the MVP to someone on the defensive side of the ball, and Smith was as good of choice as anyone although there's good arguments for both Kam and Avril.

There was a SB quite some time ago that had co-MVP's, both defensive linemen, Randy White and Ed Too Tall Jones (I think). Perhaps it would have been more fitting to give the MVP to more than one recipient.

[HumanCockroach]

I was really, REALLY hoping that the MVP would be named : Seattle Seahawks defense. I know it is unrealistic ( after all they have to have their promotional chance for Chevy)... but IMHO it would have been apropos for the name of that defense to be the MVP. It fits with this teams mind set and thought process...

[monkey]

I agree completely with the OP.
But hey, I'm very happy for our 7th round draft pick Superbowl MVP! He was deserving too...the whole damned defense was!
The whole damned TEAM WAS!!

[HumanCockroach]

t is interesting to watch a SB where literally half the starters could make a valid claim on being Deserving" of the award. I mean Wilson is the FIRST QB in SB history to throw for over 200, have 2 tds and complete 70% of his passes and not be named the MVP. Can't remember the last time so many players could be named the MVP, NOT because of lackluster play across the board, but outstanding play. Hell, Clemmons forced two fumbles, and really wasn't in the discussion....

[monkey]

Yup, it was the Seattle Seahawks TEAM against the Denver Peyton Mannings...and THAT is why they lost. THAT is why we won!
They were built around one superstar player, we were built as a complete TEAM. An apex predator team! (I'm so stealing that from that FieldGulls article I linked...man that's a great line!)

[NorthHawk]

You can't pick the team because you can't divide the new vehicle up 53 ways.
Someone's got to get it and even though I thought Kam should, I was happy for Malcolm Smith.

[Hawktawk]

I would have given it to Russel and was slightly surprised he didn't get it. Smith had a great game and his pick 6 blew the lid off the game. Cam Bam set the tone and played nearly twice as many snaps as Smith. Avril had a great game. The whole D line was dominant. I thought the defensive stars cancelled each other out and that RW would win. I'm happy for smith though.

[RiverDog]

I was really, REALLY hoping that the MVP would be named : Seattle Seahawks defense. I know it is unrealistic ( after all they have to have their promotional chance for Chevy)... but IMHO it would have been apropos for the name of that defense to be the MVP. It fits with this teams mind set and thought process...

Me, too. One of the things I don't like about MVP awards is that it takes away from the team concept in a game that is more team-orientated than any other in professional sports. When was the last time an offensive lineman won any kind of MVP award?

[HumanCockroach]

You can't pick the team because you can't divide the new vehicle up 53 ways.
Someone's got to get it and even though I thought Kam should, I was happy for Malcolm Smith.

I think you would be surprised how little that vehicle means to the player who wins it. Malcolm has already given it away, most who win it have multiple vehicles that are a LOT nicer than the one that is awarded, and most don't keep it. It is the recognition of the achievement that matters, the Rozelle award ( which admittedly would have to be produced multiple times over) but they are glass, not diamonds. Like I said in my post, Chevy needs their advertisement moment, it could be done ( they did have multiple winners in previous Superbowl ( though it was 2 not 11 or 12), could it be done? Yeah, will it ever happen? No.

[Oly]

I was really, REALLY hoping that the MVP would be named : Seattle Seahawks defense. I know it is unrealistic ( after all they have to have their promotional chance for Chevy)... but IMHO it would have been apropos for the name of that defense to be the MVP. It fits with this teams mind set and thought process...

A similar option, which was both more plausible and accurate IMO, would be to give it to the DL. Other than Maxwell's FF, every one of the defense's big plays was set up by straight up owning the line of scrimmage. No fancy blitzes or looks: just the Hawks DL owning the Broncos' OL. I think a smaller unit like that was more deserving.

Other than that, I'd agree with savvy's list, except I'd flip Avril and Wilson. Kam was the most important single player on the field on Sunday.

[Zorn76]

To Smith's credit, he mentioned that he merely happened to be the recipient of the game's MVP award, and that it really reflected the defense as a whole.

You can make a good case for others as well. Personally, I would've liked it to have gone to Avril. He was the first one that came to my mind.

But Malcolm Smith, upon further review,:) did make a nice adjustment on the INT, with some nifty footwork and the forethought to cut in front of the opponent before getting the pick 6. He also was Johnny-on-the-spot on Maxwell's strip fumble on Thomas.

And I believe it's the latter that swung the case in his favor.

Had RW got it, I would've understood, and he did have a great game. But it was, just like it had been all year, really, the defense that deserved the most recognition in the SB on Sunday.

[HumanCockroach]

To Smith's credit, he mentioned that he merely happened to be the recipient of the game's MVP award, and that it really reflected the defense as a whole.

You can make a good case for others as well. Personally, I would've liked it to have gone to Avril. He was the first one that came to my mind.

But Malcolm Smith, upon further review,:) did make a nice adjustment on the INT, with some nifty footwork and the forethought to cut in front of the opponent before getting the pick 6. He also was Johnny-on-the-spot on Maxwell's strip fumble on Thomas.

And I believe it's the latter that swung the case in his favor.

Had RW got it, I would've understood, and he did have a great game. But it was, just like it had been all year, really, the defense that deserved the most recognition in the SB on Sunday.

Don't misunderstand me, Smith deserved it, as did many of the Seahawks players. Just a fantasy, that's all, nothing else.

[Eaglehawk]

Yes, I thought the same thing, why not the entire defense? But it is what it is. Glad to see it go to a defensive player since it was those guys that played their hearts out Sunday. They set what people are now calling the "new norm" in the NFL. Cardinals Rams and Niners are quickly catching up though. I give the Cardinals one more year and hope the Niners regress, they will have some people leaving the team so we shall see. Their front 7 are very good though and will continue to give our guys headaches.

[Hawkstar]

We all thought it was going to Kam. Not to take anything away from Smith, he was incredible, but we thought Kam set the tone early and the everyone responded. At the end of the day, a case could be made for a bunch of Hawks.

[NorthHawk]

You can't pick the team because you can't divide the new vehicle up 53 ways.
Someone's got to get it and even though I thought Kam should, I was happy for Malcolm Smith.

I think you would be surprised how little that vehicle means to the player who wins it. Malcolm has already given it away, most who win it have multiple vehicles that are a LOT nicer than the one that is awarded, and most don't keep it. It is the recognition of the achievement that matters, the Rozelle award ( which admittedly would have to be produced multiple times over) but they are glass, not diamonds. Like I said in my post, Chevy needs their advertisement moment, it could be done ( they did have multiple winners in previous Superbowl ( though it was 2 not 11 or 12), could it be done? Yeah, will it ever happen? No.

But who do you give the keys to and who would it be licensed to? You need the title to be transferred, I would think.
They also probably need a single individual for advertising and maybe tax purposes - and it's easier to market the award.

In any event, there was more than one player that was deserving of the MVP award.

[Eaglehawk]

Smith in interview said he was giving car to his mother. There ya go.
Of course Malcolm i stuck doing and saying what he can to support Chevy trucks.
Horrible trucks by the way. Give me a Ford 150 any day of the week.
That is what I would buy if I were in the US.
My Dad loved Chevy's, I learned to drive in his tank of a car, the impala. 1970. Crazy days in New York no less.

Malcolm deserved it. Don't forget his hustle meant that he was next to Sherman when he tipped that ball and catch that SFO int. He could have dropped it. But he didn't. He was playing very smart. Very smart. He jumped that ball just at the right time when the runner Moreno was flat footed. And he out-hustled the rest of the Bronco O-Line to the end zone!!
For a young kid, that's not bad.
So while Kam may have deserved it a bit more, I wasn't freaking out that Malcolm got it. A pick 6 off of Manning is a RARE thing to celebrate. He will take that event and MVP with him to his grave! What a happy moment for him.

[NorthHawk]

As a 7th round pick, how much is he making? It's not like he's on a multi million dollar contract.
I would suspect a new vehicle from out of the blue would be welcome - even if he gave it to his mom.

I'm happy for him - he has played great the last few weeks and deserved a special bonus.

[RiverDog]

As a 7th round pick, how much is he making? It's not like he's on a multi million dollar contract.
I would suspect a new vehicle from out of the blue would be welcome - even if he gave it to his mom.

I'm happy for him - he has played great the last few weeks and deserved a special bonus.

So with Smith playing so well in the biggest event on the planet, where does this leave Bruce Irvin? Did anyone else notice that he completely disappeared last Sunday?

[Hawktawk]

Having watched the game for the second time without the beer goggles on I think Wilson would have been an excellent choice. Many defensive players contributed and Smith was certainly near the top of that list. But when your QB throws for 2 TD's puts up 240 of the 340 yards of offense with his arm and feet, and does not make a single mistake, he should have been the guy. His QBR was well over 100.And beyond his scrambles for yardage he made so many other great plays avoiding pressure and buying time, also bailing out the team on the doomed throwback play. As dominant as that defense was it was very important that Wilson was able to move the ball and take time off the clock in the first half to keep those guys fresh. Again I'm happy for Smith, he has been a big play guy for the last 6 games and made a couple of huge plays including the one that blew the game open. But If Wilson had been say, Manning(either one), Brees, Brady, Luck, Rodgers and had had similar circumstances he'd have been headed to Disney world. Just saying............

[monkey]

Malcolm deserved it. Don't forget his hustle meant that he was next to Sherman when he tipped that ball and catch that SFO int.

Actually, that right there is why, even though I don't think he was the most deserving (I still think Kam was personally), it didn't bother me even slightly that he got the award.

He made the pick the week before, and because of Sherman's rant, no one seemed to even notice that his hustle JUST AS MUCH as Sherman's outstanding individual play on the ball, sealed the victory.
Since his efforts there sort of got overshadowed by Shermans, I felt that it was justice in a way that Smith got it.

I also felt like, if there was one guy who exemplified this defense especially throughout the playoffs, it might just be Malcolm Smith. A 7th rounder who isn't even a starter, but who has done a remarkable job filling in when there were injuries, and playing a part time role, though a very important part time role. The guy has carried the water so to speak, and in so many ways just perfectly exemplifies this defense.
So yeah I was totally cool with the choice even if i didn't think he was the best player that game. He earned it through HUSTLE.
You'll notice too that I believe the defense feels the exact same way, the way they've all rallied around him constantly pointing out that he's the Superbowl's MVP.

Man I love this team!

[Oly]

Odd factoid: in the MMQB, Peter King says he voted for Avril. Maybe he knows more about football than I gave him credit for...

[obiken]

If you wanted to stretch it you could say Lynch. What did it profit them to sell out to stop the beast and lose their whole soul.
Harvin, made it a moot point. Then when they went back to Lynch he gashed them.
You have to go with one of 3. Smith, 10 tackles, fumble recovery and the pick 6; Harvin, the end arounds and the KO return; and the kid. NO picks. Sal Paolantonio, hit on the head, the Kid played like an old vet, and the old vet played like a kid.


obi

[NorthHawk]

"Postby monkey » Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:58 pm

Eaglehawk wrote:Malcolm deserved it. Don't forget his hustle meant that he was next to Sherman when he tipped that ball and catch that SFO int.


Actually, that right there is why, even though I don't think he was the most deserving (I still think Kam was personally), it didn't bother me even slightly that he got the award.

He made the pick the week before, and because of Sherman's rant, no one seemed to even notice that his hustle JUST AS MUCH as Sherman's outstanding individual play on the ball, sealed the victory.
Since his efforts there sort of got overshadowed by Shermans, I felt that it was justice in a way that Smith got it."

Pretty much sums it up for me, too.
He also is the perfect player to describe this Defense with all of the lower round picks excelling as a single great unit.

[Eaglehawk]

Plus one more thing:

Did any of you hear the sounds from the game Champ Bailey predict that Number 53 should be MVP?
And he said , he recovered the fumble and got the pick six. He's the MVP! Then when no one said anything he said: it would be nice to have a defensive player win MVP. I am shocked, Bailey has a WAY HIGHER football IQ than I thought.

Also, I like this switch by the NFL. Where you see an outstanding defensive performance give the MVP to someone on the defense. Where offense prevails then give it to the offense qb or a WR or even an OL(yeah right). By the way, I don't think any WR has won MVP in the SB since Deion Branch (Of course when he played for the Pats, but still).

[RiverDog]

Plus one more thing:

Did any of you hear the sounds from the game Champ Bailey predict that Number 53 should be MVP?
And he said , he recovered the fumble and got the pick six. He's the MVP! Then when no one said anything he said: it would be nice to have a defensive player win MVP. I am shocked, Bailey has a WAY HIGHER football IQ than I thought.

Also, I like this switch by the NFL. Where you see an outstanding defensive performance give the MVP to someone on the defense. Where offense prevails then give it to the offense qb or a WR or even an OL(yeah right). By the way, I don't think any WR has won MVP in the SB since Deion Branch (Of course when he played for the Pats, but still).

The pick 6 was the play that for all intents and purposes put the game away. Denver was driving and looking to score. It changed the entire mindset of the Broncos as the next time they had the ball, they opted to go for it on 4th and 2 rather than take a very make-able field goal.

But on the same grounds, you can also make an argument for Kam Chancellor. That big hit he put on Thomas set the tone, and he made an interception of his own in the first quarter that led to a score.

Or how about Cliff Avril? It was his hit on Manning that made Smith's pick 6 possible. You can make an argument for Percy Harvin, too. There's at least half a dozen players you could make a reasonable argument for.

I don't like MVP awards in football for this very reason. It's the ultimate team game, which is one of the attributes that draws me to it.

[I-5]

Plus one more thing:

Did any of you hear the sounds from the game Champ Bailey predict that Number 53 should be MVP?
And he said , he recovered the fumble and got the pick six. He's the MVP! Then when no one said anything he said: it would be nice to have a defensive player win MVP. I am shocked, Bailey has a WAY HIGHER football IQ than I thought.

Bailey is just a great person, and in his prime he was a great player, too. I know he plans to continue playing another year or two, but clearly he is in his twilight years. Of all the Broncos, he is the only one I felt bad for. And I guess Peyton a little, since they are both classy human beings. It's cool that Bailey said that to Malcolm at the end, too.