At the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl party early Monday morning, outspoken cornerback Richard Sherman told a reporter their secondary picked up on Peyton Manning’s hand-signal audibles.
It’s only fair. Manning, the Broncos’ quarterback, has been figuring out defensive tells and tendencies for years.
“We knew what route concepts they liked on different downs, so we jumped all the routes,” Sherman told Robert Klemko of Monday Morning Quarterback (mmqb.com). “Then we figured out the hand signals for a few of the route audibles in the first half.”
Broncos coach John Fox acknowledged Tuesday the Seahawks may have been on to something but downplayed the impact the in-game intelligence Seattle may have deciphered.
“You know, it looked like it,” Fox said. “But I think it’s more they have very good players. I don’t know that there are any mystery things. I think it was more about them executing and playing very well than any other stuff.”
So much for that idea. On Saturday night, the eve of the Super Bowl, the Broncos moved from their Jersey City Hyatt hotel they stayed in all week to a hotel near the Newark airport.
It was decided the coaches and players needed to get away from their family, friends and distractions so they could concentrate fully on the big game Sunday.
The team returned to their Jersey City hotel following their game Sunday night.
Maybe next time, the Broncos will stay with their loved ones.
Dreessen moment. In an unusual but allowable move, veteran tight end Joel Dreessen participated in the Broncos’ Super Bowl on-field warm-ups Sunday, even though he was inactive.
“If that was as close as I was going to get, I sure as heck was going to do it,” Dreessen said.
Dreessen has been bothered all season by a left knee injury.
“Obviously disappointing from my perspective, very disappointing,” Dreessen said. “For the Super Bowl … if there’s any consolation prizes, you get to go through warm-ups. I put on my eye black and I did it.”
Dreessen will have more tests on his knee in the next day or two, and there’s a good chance he will undergo a procedure in hopes of getting the problem fixed. A former Fort Morgan High School and Colorado State standout, Dreessen, 31, has already had a nice, eight-year NFL career, but he wants to keep playing.
