This year's Super Bowl matchup is poetic. The Master vs Grasshopper, The Old Soul vs The Young Blood, The Sheriff vs Superman. It pits two new eras, the declining and the up and coming, against one another in what should be an absolute showdown.
I embarrassingly and wrongfully thought the Panthers were overrated going into the playoffs this year.
Yes, they proved me wrong, and boy, did they really perform. They blew out the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of their 2nd round matchup going up 31-0 before halftime, and then completely decimated what many people believed to be a Super Bowl favorite, the Arizona Cardinals, by a score of 49-14, and forced seven turnovers in the process.
The Denver Broncos had a much tougher path to the Super Bowl. They barely squeaked by the Pittsburgh Steelers after forcing a fumble in the final five minutes of the game. They then had the football gods on their side when Patriots kicker and extra point robot Stephen Gostowski missed the only extra point in his entire 10 year career, and ended up winning the game by two points.
Even though their paths were different, these are two very good football teams. They both have All-Pro Quarterbacks, ferocious defenses (ranking 1st and 2nd in defensive efficiency), and great coaches. Both of these teams have definitely earned this Super Bowl berth with each being the #1 seed in their conferences.
However, this game has quite the subplot. Peyton Manning is the gold standard when it comes to NFL quarterbacks. He is the all time leader in career passing yards and touchdowns, and with a win in the Super Bowl, he would pass Brett Favre for most career wins with his 200th. This man is who every person from our generation knows as the one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Cam Newton is the perfect foil to Peyton Manning. He's the young gun that has a quarterback arm, a running back's speed and vision, all with the strength and power of a linebacker. He is an athletic freak, and it's paid off for the Panthers huge this year. The reason the Panthers are here, though, is that maturity and leadership that Cam Newton has provided them with this year. His first few years in the league were pretty rocky, and he wasn't the most ideal role model or leader, but this year he's put it all together, and the results are outstanding.
What we are going to witness on February 7th is the ushering in of a new age, and the ushering out of the old. As great and legendary as Peyton is, his career is coming to an end. This may be his final hoorah as reports have been surfacing that he plans to retire after the game win or lose. As for Cam Newton, the kid is just getting started. As a football fan, it's going to be pretty amazing seeing how the rest of his career plays out, and possibly seeing a legend be born if the Panthers win.
