I think Cam Newton isn’t getting a fair shake on the press conference thing. Who set up that press conference where he was right next to the Broncos celebrating? I imagine that he’ll be kind of embarrassed in the next few days for walking out, but he’s 26 suffering the biggest loss of his life. I’m choosing to give him a pass, no pun intended.
I found the whole thing disappointing, I thought the halftime show was pretty lame , it was this paen to diversity that was as bad as the halftime shows during the 70’s with drivel like "Up the People’ or whatever it was called (they had kids from the LA Sistema music program on stage with the conductor of the LA Phil on the stage, but they weren’t playing, they were bopping around as props). The game itself highlighted a monster defense (Wade Phillips should get the MVP as well, whereas Ron Rivera and David Schula should be looking for new jobs, talk about coaches who can’t adjust their game plan, holy cow). The commercials were pretty lame, I liked the Doritos ad with the ultrasound, and i liked the Budweiser anti drunk driving commercial with Helen Mirren, but the rest were pretty unmemorable, to say the least.
I am glad that Manning got to win his second superbowl, even though he did very little (which was true of John Elway in his last superbowl, they won, but he did little), I can imagine him singing to the tune of that insurance company jingle “Eli now I’ve won two, and I have all the records too”, but it was a disappointing game, pretty boring.
Cam Newton got shellacked and he didn’t know how to handle it, and this is probably the first time in his life where he really stunk up the joint like that (wasn’t his fault, I blame the coaches mostly), and when he didn’t try for that fumble, it came off like all he cared about was himself. The press conference was pretty sad, but it put him in pretty good company, Tom Brady had some pissy press conferences after super bowl losses.
Overall, for a golden anniversary, the NFL didn’t hit a home run, it was safe, bland and I am sure Goodell is happy that the NFL looked so wholesome or something. As far as the anti gay types, forget about it, the religious go on about how they are so put upon, how they are characterized as a bunch of knuckle draggers and such, but this is a prime reason why, it was like when they claimed that Spongebob Square pants, Bert and Ernie and the Teletubbies were all in the front to 'erode decent morals" in our kids, they see danger in everything and anything because that is how they live their lives, sadly.
I did love the introduction of the previous MVP winners before the game. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a Cowboy at the Super Bowl. 
I thought Cam Newton really blew it at the press conference. It’s not hard–there’s a simple script on what you say under those circumstances.
@hunt-
Weird Al Yankovic had a great parody of the post game press conference (it is on you tube): “Coach coached, players played, game was won or lost” lol
Not quite. Google and found this
I think Newton blew it at the press conference too, but I think he reacted very poorly before the game even ended. He wore his heart on his sleeve early. In the second half, when things did not look up, his whole demeanor reflected his defeatism amd disappointment. That doesn’t do much for the attitude of the rest of the team. The Bronco defense was strong, but the Pamthers have no chance at all when their on-field leader acts as if the game is over.
I had it wrong, it wasn’t elways last superbowl where he had subpar numbers, it was XXXII:
Super Bowl XXXII: John Elway, 51.9 passer rating
Elway’s stat line in his first Super Bowl win was nearly identical to Manning’s Sunday: 12-for-22, 123 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Elway was aided by a monster ground game, though. Terrell Davis had 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Packers.
I watched at in the backyard of a friend’s house. It was too noisy and I could not hear much to understand the commercials. Most people paid attention to eat and drink and did not seriously follow the game.
I think Cam Newton lost because he chew too much gum.
I think if these NFL stars are going to get paid millions of dollars and get fawned over and glorified in press conferences when they win, and they still get paid millions of dollars even when they lose, they should be able to step up to the table and take their medicine via facing the media. I imagine the coaches hate being accosted going into the locker room at half time, but they answer the questions even if they hurt.
I’m sure he’ll not suffer too much for his behavior, but I thought Newton acted very immaturely. I still remember after he won the National Championship for Auburn, there was a photo making the rounds of him standing in front of the Auburn fans just reveling in their hero worship. At the time, I thought that was not really a great thing for a young person to experience too often. As a professional, he has to know that you have to be present when you are the goat instead of the hero. I’m betting he’s watched his heroes meet the press after hard losses many times. Why should he be exempt simply because a loss like that hurts really bad?
I know that’s subjective, but I am amazed that anyone could not have been entertained by Bruno Mars. The dancing, though!
Bruno Mars was the halftime show in a prior superbowl, and it was kind of sad that they had to bring him and Beyonce up with Coldplay to try and make it interesting. Halftime shows are generally not all that memorable in the first place, but with some exceptions (I liked Bruno Mars’ halftime show, years ago U2 rocked the place out), it just isn’t all that special to me, I was hoping for better from Coldplay. Getting to remind me of the insipid shows back in the mid 70’s, though nothing was that bad, that was Muzak level.
People’s expectations for halftime are way too high. You have 12-15 minutes, there can be only minimal or no overhead staging, or lighting and special effects in general. All in all, considering the limitations, I thought it was pretty good. I’d be a little miffed if I was Coldplay, because they were supposed to be the “headline” act, and got overshadowed by the killer B’s.
As for the game - Carolina’s biggest flaw is a substandard set of receivers, and Denver’s D does not allow enough time for mediocre receivers to get open. And with Carolina continually keeping one or two extra blockers in to help protect Cam, it allowed Denver to continuously bltiz, and Carolina had no answer. And Cam needs to learn to take better care of the ball. Stripped twice inside the 10, that is unforgivable.
Even in John Elway’s ‘bad’ superbowl, he’s remembered for rushing and being spun in the air by the Packers trying to get a first down. He wanted to win. Peyton was just trying not to blow it.
It was a bad game on offense for both sides. Cam wasn’t really that bad, but his receivers just couldn’t get free and dropped a few. Denver receivers were MIA for the entire game. CJ Anderson did the best he could, but Carolina’s defense was pretty good too.
No excuse. Cam is in the big leagues now and getting paid handsomely. He behaved atrociously. He could have at the very least made even a semi-gracious exit statement. I am very disappointed in him. He is should be a better role model. Those NC fans adore him. They have to be a little embarrassed.
If you saw or heard the short interview he did give, I don’t really blame him. He couldn’t hear anything but the Broncos being interviewed around him. What information could he have added, what could he have said? I think it’s a little ridiculous to even interview the losers at that point.
Broncos are happy. One million people at the parade today. Beautiful day for it.
Cam goes on the defensive, says “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.”
http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/02/09/cam-newton-comments-carolina-panthers-super-bowl-50-quotes
My problem with Cam was that he started that attitude while still on the field.
I watched the game on my recording device, without knowing the result (I live overseas).
I didn’t have a strong favorite for the game, though I thought it would be interesting for Manning to go out with a win.
What surprised me, however, was Carolina’s play calling on first down. It seemed shockingly predictable: run up the middle. Even in the third quarter, when it hadn’t worked all game, they seemed to stick with it.
This invariably led to 2nd and long, and then 3rd and long. Faced with this, Denver’s defense seemed emboldened, and just attacked.
Early in the game I thought that Denver had just caught a few breaks, and that Carolina was superior, and would start scoring readily once they got in sync.
Later in the game, I thought that there was no possibility of Carolina scoring.
What he needed to do was follow the well-worn script of what a professional is supposed to say in this situation. It’s not hard. You congratulate the other team, you praise your teammates and coaches. You can say that you had some opportunities that you wish you’d been able to capitalize on. If you want to be a real star, you start by saying, “Hey, why didn’t anybody tell me that Denver had such a good defense?” And you don’t wear a hood over your head.