Elway plans for another Denver dream finish
Larry Fine, Reuters
John Elway lived the dream 17 years ago when he hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champion before riding off into the sunset of retirement after a Hall of Fame career with the Denver Broncos.
Now Elway is trying to orchestrate another happy ending for the Broncos as general manager and possibly another perfect exit for one of the game's best players, Peyton Manning, when Denver meet the Carolina Panthers in Sunday's Super Bowl 50.
Two years ago, Denver rode a high-scoring offense to the NFL title game, with Manning throwing for an NFL record 55 touchdown passes and record yardage before suffering a 43-8 shellacking at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.
"We broke all of those records that year, but we had the opportunity that offseason to get better on the defensive side with (outside linebacker) DeMarcus (Ware) coming available, (safety) T.J. Ward was out there, (cornerback) Aqib (Talib), and then (safety) Darian Stewart this year," Elway told reporters.
"Plus, we've drafted on the defensive side of the ball, and I think it's all come together."
Former Raiders quarterback suffered severe brain trauma: researchers
Scott Malone and Mark Lamport-Stokes, Reuters
A study of former Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler's brain following his July death revealed that the Super Bowl-winning athlete was suffering from moderate brain trauma, a leading specialist in the field said on Wednesday.
The 69-year-old quarterback's brain was the 90th of 94 former National Football League players studied by Boston University's CTE Center since 2008 to show signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, said Ann McKee, the center's director.
CTE is closely associated with the repeated head injuries that are commonly experienced in football, hockey and other contact sports, and can lead to aggression and dementia. It has also been a factor in the suicides of prominent NFL athletes, including Hall of Famer Junior Seau.
Stabler was among a growing number of former NFL players who asked that their brains be studied after their deaths. CTE cannot currently be diagnosed while a person is alive.
"He complained of memory difficulties, the family noticed memory difficulties for the last 10 years of his life, he was repeating himself, he was forgetful," said McKee, who also serves as the chief of neuropathology at the VA Boston Healthcare System. "We would have expected, had he lived longer, that he would have developed more severe dementia."
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Super Bowl security plan informed by Paris attacks -U.S. official
Curtis Skinner, Reuters
U.S. law enforcement officials preparing for Super Bowl 50 have worked with their French counterparts to learn from last year's deadly attacks in Paris, as they plan safety for Sunday's big game, the Secretary of Homeland Security said on Wednesday.
Secretary Jeh Johnson said he and his team have been "constantly" in contact with security officials in Paris following the Nov. 13 attacks there by gunmen linked to the Islamic State militant group.
"The threat picture is different every February," Johnson told a news conference after he toured Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the NFL championship game will be played.
"We are always informed by recent events and what we see in the world situation," he said.
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Panthers warned of sex scandal perils
Agence France-Presse
Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera has warned his team about the possible pitfalls lurking in the build-up to the Super Bowl after a Denver Broncos player was sent home for being caught in a prostitution sting operation.
Denver practice squad safety Ryan Murphy was ordered out of the team camp late Tuesday after being detained during an incident involving his brother in a motel parking lot near the Broncos' team hotel in Santa Clara.
"It's an unfortunate set of circumstances. Again, that's why we talked to our guys so we can stay ahead of something like that and prevent it from becoming a distraction," Rivera said of the Murphy case on Wednesday.
"It's something they have to deal with now. I'm hoping we can maintain and stay focused on what's happening."
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Scottish kicker relishing Super Bowl pressure
Rob Woollard
Scotland-born Graham Gano says he would relish the pressure of having to kick a Super Bowl-winning field goal after a season where rule changes made his unerring accuracy with the boot more valuable than ever.
The Carolina Panthers star is aiming to become the second Scottish kicker to win the Super Bowl in the past decade following the double success of the New York Giants' Lawrence Tynes in 2007 and 2011.
Gano spent six years in Scotland before returning as a child to the United States, where he has lived ever since.
Although his home is the United States, he continues to identify himself as a Scot and hopes to carry a Scottish flag into the Levi's Stadium on Sunday when the Panthers face the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
"I'm proud of both my Scottish and American roots and most of my team-mates know where I'm from, but not what the Scottish flag looks like, so I'll get a few questions," he told Scotland's Daily Record recently.
"Millions of people will see the Scottish flag. It'd be great to represent Scotland like that and make the country proud."
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
