Wednesday 11 January 2017 11:50, UK
Should Cam Newton be vilified for throwing no touchdowns then refusing to take defeat gracefully? These are the top talking points from Super Bowl 50.
Newton and Peyton Manning stood toe-to-toe at the heart of the Super Bowl but neither quarterback threw a single touchdown pass - the stars of the show were the Denver defence who caused Newton such distress that he still hadn't recovered by the post-game press conference.
Sky Sports pondered the talking points from Super Bowl 50...
All season, Newton has attracted criticism for his perceived cocksure attitude and alleged over-celebrations - his response has been to emphatically drag the Panthers further and further clear of the rest of the field. That surge ended on Sunday night and one moment in the closing stages may come to define Newton's MVP season.
Carolina trailed 16-10 with four minutes on the clock when, not for the first time, Von Miller forced a fumble from Newton and the ball squirmed free. At first glance, not only did Newton not spring onto the flailing ball but he pulled out of the challenge at the sight of two Broncos players diving in. For the critics who labelled him a talented but immature young pretender, it was the ammunition they needed to compare his lack of mettle to battle-hardened quarterbacks like Manning.
He completed 18 of 41 passes for 265 yards in the defeat, suffering seven sacks. But Newton's performance in the post-game press conference has drawn more ire than his showing on the field. Hiding his face underneath a hood and slouching in front of the media, he mumbled short and sharp answers before trudging off - it brought back disappointing memories of the 26-year-old's early days in Carolina when the team was more accustomed to defeat. Far more illustrious quarterbacks have suffered ignominy on the biggest stage, Manning particularly, but have bounced back to win a Super Bowl ring.
The Panthers man has joyfully displayed his remarkable talent all season but it is the character beyond the helmet and pads that will now be scrutinised. Versace trousers and diamond slippers don't look so great on a runner-up.
But Newton does not need to grow up, nor must he be forced to eloquently describe heartbreak by those who will never contest sport where the stakes are so high. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera was quick to point out that Newton arrived in San Francisco ready to win - that is the attitude of a champion and, even if his post-game sulk wasn't in line with dignified predecessors, it proves he isn't content to wear designer clothing without a matching Super Bowl ring.
Newton had thrown to Panthers tight end Greg Olsen 124 times this season prior to the Super Bowl but the Broncos' defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips installed a plan to ruin that relationship. In effect, Phillips decided to focus on stopping the rampaging Olsen and gamble that the Panthers' Tedd Ginn and Jerricho Cotchey wouldn't have the same game-winning ability.
Aqib Talib, the Broncos corner and their most physical defensive player, was employed to keep Olsen quiet and limited him to four catches for 41 yards. Meanwhile, Ginn made one 45-yard catch and Cotchery's best moment was ruled a drop. Phillips' plan to deprive Panthers QB Newton of his favourite target had worked.
Without the option to throw to the player that he usually feeds, Newton might have fancied his chances to run the ball himself. So how did that work out?
Having claimed the NFL MVP award 24 hours earlier for his unique dynamism from the quarterback position, Newton was brutally thumped back down to Earth by a disciplined and aggressive Broncos defence. 'Superman' looked decidedly human as he spent more time on the turf than ever before this season, thanks to Von Miller, Malik Jackson and Derek Wolfe who hunted him like a pack of predators.
Miller was named the Super Bowl MVP for his relentless and ultimately successful traumatising of new NFL poster boy Newton. In 2011, Miller was No 2 Draft pick and Newton was first after winning the Heisman Trophy. At Super Bowl 50, Miller asserted himself as the top dog with 2.5 sacks of Newton including one in the opening quarter which resulted in Broncos' first touchdown. Whoever questions Miller's demands to become the best paid defensive player in the NFL is a brave man.
Carolina were held to just 118 rushing yards as Broncos shut off Newton's avenues to run the ball himself. The presence of Jackson and Wolfe made the pocket an uncomfortable zone for Newton, reflected in the seven times he hit the deck. DeMarcus Ware, for his part, racked up two sacks and four quarterback hits to further give Newton a torrid time.
The Broncos defence has held Newton, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady to a combined one touchdown pass during this season's play-offs.
Every season in sports there will be an opportunity for the perfect story, a popular player who has the chance to bow out on the grandest stage. Resembling a legendary fighter who risked stepping into the ring one time too many, Manning lined up for his fourth Super Bowl opposite the young and hungry Newton but emerged victorious to cap off his stunning career.
We don't know if the 39-year-old will ever step back onto the field because he insisted that he wouldn't make a decision based on emotion, but his previous "last rodeo" comments to Patriots HC Bill Belichick implied that he would hang up the cleats. What better way to end a 17-year NFL stint than by lifting the top prize as the oldest ever starting quarterback, and the only starting quarterback to win Super Bowls with two teams.
In the game itself, Manning's efforts were clearly outshone on the other side of the ball by his Broncos team-mates. He didn't pass for a touchdown and threw for just 141 yards but the ultimate goal was achieved despite a spate of physical problems that would have ended an ordinary player's career. The scar on his neck tells its own tale, and his depleted right arm isn't the same weapon as the cannon that first lifted the Super Bowl nine years ago with the Indianapolis Colts.
That is why Manning, who has matching Vince Lombardi Trophies for both phases of his career - Colts and Broncos, pre and post-injury - should step away in a manner so graceful that is usually reserved for Hollywood movies. His iconic career, one of the best the NFL has ever seen, has nothing left to prove.
