You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? Well, let’s just say that Seattle ran Denver off the field. In other news, check out our favorite commercial from last night:
QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK
NFL
Congrats to first-time Super Bowl Champions, the Seattle Seahawks! They brought their best, the Denver Broncos could never get it going, and the night belonged to Seattle. We can talk about the Broncos’ poor play, but we’d rather celebrate the Legion of Boom, and their dominating performance. After an awesome game, Malcolm Smith was awarded the MVP. There’s an old expression that pretty much sums it up: offense wins games, but defense wins championships. Take it all in Seattle, you deserve it! #12thman
This Super Bowl may not have gone his way, but Peyton Manning is officially the NFL’s regular season Most Valuable Player. It’s the 5th MVP of his career and a NFL record. At age 37 and despite last night’s outcome, Manning is still one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Will he be back for another season? We think so.
NBA
NBA Commissioner David Stern has officially retired and has passed the torch to Adam Silver (Deputy Commissioner since 2006). Stern’s 30 seasons at the helm led to international expansion, incorporation of media technologies and a high level of diversity in the league’s leadership ranks. Silver has been with the league since 1992, and has been Stern’s partner in taking the league forward. Look for Silver to continue taking the league to new places.
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s 10 game winning streak ends with a loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday night in DC. After a long series of road trips including a statement game over the Miami Heat last week, these things happen. Look for them to bounce back this Tuesday, when the Memphis Grizzlies come to town. What’s even more exciting? Russell Westbrook will join Kevin Durant back on the court soon and give them back that amazing one-two punch. The top-seeded team in the western conference is about to get even better.
Intriguingly, the Indiana Pacers have signed free agent center Andrew Bynum to their roster. The often-injured Bynum has been bouncing around the league for the past two seasons and has now found a new home. The Pacers already have the best record in the NBA and an all-star center in Roy Hibbert, but the key here is that now no one else can sign Bynum. Why? If Bynum is healthy, it’s better to have him on your roster than on another team. Now, will this mess up team chemistry, or will it prove to be a great decision when the NBA playoffs begin? Time will tell.
COLLEGE SPORTS
College hoop’s newest great rivalry started out with a bang. In their first match up in the ACC, #2 Syracuse defeated #17 Duke in overtime at home in one of this season’s most entertaining games. There were amazing shots, close calls and foul trouble, but what we’ll remember is the overall great play. Syracuse will rise to #1 and remains undefeated, but look for an awesome rematch when they head down to Durham to play Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 22nd. No doubt, Coach K and Coach Boeheim will have their teams ready to go. We can’t wait.
And then there were two. In a late night thriller, Cal knocked off #1 Arizona at home with Justin Cobb’s game-winning bucket. Losing a close conference game on the road isn’t the biggest deal for Arizona. But, losing one of your best players — Brandon Ashley — to a foot injury is. Expect Arizona to bounce back, but they are out of the race for an undefeated season. Syracuse and Wichita State are the last two left.
Wait, there were other games this weekend? You know that’s right. #6 Kansas fell on the road to #25 Texas while #7 Michigan State lost to Georgetown at Madison Square Garden. What does this mean? Well, the polls are about to shift. Why does this matter? As we get closer to March, the rankings matter more and more for seeding in the NCAA Tournament. March Madness is coming, can you feel it yet?
Other
One of the few sports most affected by the Winter Olympics, the NHL will take a two week break in midseason because many of their players will be competing for their own countries at the Sochi Olympics. Hence, it’s no surprise that the NHL is reevaluating whether they will let their players compete in future Olympic Games.
Speaking of Sochi... The Winter Olympics kick off this Thursday with a few events followed by the Opening Ceremonies on Friday on NBC. Stay tuned for our Winter Olympics Primer this week.
JUST FOR FUN
Take me out to the ball game
31 Reasons You Can’t Wait for Baseball Season
STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE
Love Conquers All
Read Richard Sherman’s touching tribute to Coach Carroll
Even before the Super Bowl win, Sherman made it clear that Carroll is a true leader, a great coach, and an outstanding mentor
Take Down
Carmelo Anthony tackles LeBron James during Saturday’s game
A sign of good sportsmanship — there were no hard feelings between the two superstars after the game ended
All Eyes on Sochi
With the Olympics approaching, Russia is in the spotlight
The Sochi Olympic Games are already surrounded by quite a bit of controversy
Orange is the new… Blue?
Syracuse beat Duke in a heart-stopping, high level game
“Both teams just went after it,” says Boeheim, and we agree — all of the players were totally invested, and battled it out ’til the very end
Honor and Respect
Roger Goodell claims that 9 out of 10 Native Americans support the Washington Redskins’ team name
He says it promotes strength, courage, and pride in the community… but, do you believe it should be changed?
The SportsQuip 