Superbowl XLVIII Picks
With the big game finally here, we thought we’d present our picks for Superbowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. From all of us here at Dabuzzza, stay safe and enjoy the game.
|
Writer |
Pick |
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Brett Malamud |
Denver wins this one 27-17. They say defense wins championships, but Manning torched every one of them. In a season that led to Manning’s fifth MVP award, Manning took down some of the league’s top defenses. Take the Kansas City Chiefs for example. In a week 13 matchup in Kansas City, Manning led the Broncos to a win by throwing for 403 yards and five touchdowns. All I’m saying is just because Seattle’s defense is strong doesn’t mean that Peyton Manning cannot be stronger. |
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Dan Lagnado |
I think Denver wins a close game (24-20 or 28-24), but in the end too many offensive weapons even for Seattle. Denver running backs in the passing game will have a big impact plus I think Wes Welker proves his worth. |
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Josh Halilej |
I’ll go with Seattle 23-20. There have been 15 teams to be the top defense in the regular season to go to the Super Bowl and their record is 12-3. Plus, I like Wilson’s leadership and I think Marshawn Lynch will wear down the Broncos’ front seven. |
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Eric Huberman |
Seattle 28-24. Way too many people on Denver -2 in the gambling world. Usually a good tip it will go the other way. The wind will bother Peyton throughout the game. Also believe Lynch has a huge game. |
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Josh Wicker |
Seattle wins 21-17, Wilson has a great game and Lynch has over 100 yards and a touchdown. The weather could lead to the game being won or lost with the run game and I feel that Seattle has the stronger of the two. Manning also has a good game but comes up short on a game winning drive. |
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Seth Schuster |
Seattle will pull out a win, 27-24, in a tight game that comes down to the wire. Russell Wilson, will respond to criticism, by leading the Seahawks on a game winning drive, capped off by a Hauschka field goal as time expires (Shockingly similar to another QB on his quest for the Lombardi Trophy–Tom Brady) This game will come down to the weather, as well as clock management. This game will come down to whichever team possesses the ball last–hard to bet against Peyton with the game on the line. |
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Nick Vespasiano |
Denver wins 24-21. If their run defense can contain Lynch just enough, Wilson won’t be able to take over the game. Seattle’s secondary is good, especially on the edge but Denver (specifically Manning) is all about the intermediate passing game in the seams and slot. If Peyton gets in a rhythm and works Moreno and ball into the game, the Broncos can win. |
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Sam Iryami |
Denver wins 27-23. Richard Sherman and the Seattle defense will not be able to stop the motivated Peyton Manning and his passing game. Peyton will march down the field and get completion after completion to get that Super Bowl win. Also he has Moreno, who is an incredible asset that could give them great yardage. All in all, the Broncos have a much better offense that is just unstoppable. However, Seattle has a great running game with Lynch so it will be a close one. I don’t think Wilson has the potential to own the game and do well. Manning is going to come out strong and win the game. |
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Matthew Wieselthier |
Seattle 25-21. Defense wins championships. This game may have been different had Denver still had LB Von Miller but without him, they clearly have the worse defense and Seattle still is strong on the offensive end. There is a reason that Marshawn Lynch is a top RB and Russell Wilson isn’t in the Super Bowl in his second season for no reason. Peyton Manning may be one of the best QBs of all time, but historically, he is not a great playoff quarterback. The Broncos also haven’t faced a defense near the power of Seattle and the L.O.B. (Legion of Boom). The 12th Man will be celebrating all night on Groundhog’s Day and take their lack of experience straight to a title. |
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Ben Ozur |
Seattle 27-24. Yes the Broncos have the best offense in NFL history, but none of the top five scoring offenses in NFL history have won the Super Bowl (only the 2007 Patriots even made it there). Though Peyton Manning’s offense has set numerous NFL records, their defense is nothing to get excited about. On the other side, you have Seattle with the NFL’s best defense this season. Their offense is nothing to sneeze at, however, as they have many weapons, including Percy Harvin, whom, as Denver will have a hard time planning for the receiver who’s only played in two games this season. I think Denver will dominate early and Seattle will make a comeback. And here’s my bold prediction: this will be the first Super Bowl to go into overtime. Steven Hauschka will kick a field goal in the first drive of OT and Peyton will fail to take his team down the field, as the Seahawks win their first ever Super Bowl. |
The Ultimate Guide for Following Sports on Twitter
By Greg Kantor
Twitter is a social networking website that allows you to create posts in the form of ‘tweets’. These tweets are short bursts (140 or less characters) of information that can literally be about anything. With regards to sports, Twitter has completely revolutionized sports reporting: breaking news about every major sport is posted instantly, and often before other media outlets (ESPN, newspapers, blogs etc.) can get the information out to the public.
Obviously, Twitter is an amazing tool for all types of sports fans, but the key is knowing how to get the most out of your Twitter account, and that’s where this guide will come in. This guide will give you the best sports accounts to follow and general tips to enhance your overall experience.
Must-Follow Accounts For Sports Fans
Disclaimer: the accounts are listed in no particular order.
Non-Athletes:
- Elias Sports Bureau (@EliasSports): Your go-to account for all the interesting and weird statistics about any sport
- Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell): ESPN sports business reporter; provides a fantastic look at sports from an unique angle
- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): ESPN NFL insider; reports exclusively on breaking news and rumors about all NFL teams
- Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN): ESPN the Magazine senior baseball writer; more than just news and rumors, Buster posts a daily insider blog that is free for all to read
- ESPN Stats and Info (@ESPNStatsInfo): ESPN’s twist on the Elias account; tends to tweet more general statistics
- Deadspin (@Deadspin): sports news, but often with a lot of humor
- Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay): owner of the Indianapolis Colts; gives insight into the life of an owner, but with a comedic twist
- Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie): TSN hockey insider; tweets breaking news and rumors about the NHL
- MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors): official account for their website (MlbTradeRumors.com); reports on all types of baseball information, not just trades
- Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA): NBA columnist for Yahoo; tweets breaking news and rumors about the NBA
- Chris Mortensen (@mortreport): ESPN senior NFL analyst; tweets breaking news and rumors about the NFL
- Onion Sports Network (@OnionSports): a satirical look at all things sports from The Onion
- Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS): CBSsports.com baseball writer; tweets breaking news and rumors about the MLB
- Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR): Public Relations Director for the Mets; behind the scenes look at the life of a PR guy; expert at butt-tweeting (follow to find out..)
- Erin Andrews (@ErinAndrews): Fox Sports Broadcaster; tweets all things college football, including interviews with top athletes
- J.A. Adande (@jadande): ESPN NBA writer; tweets exclusively about the NBA, but also responds to fans
- FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs): the best account for sabermetrics and the MLB (think: Moneyball)
- Eric Stangel (@EricStangel): Executive Producer/Writer for The Late Show; tweets about sports humorously, as well as the perils of rooting for the Chargers
- Peter King (@SI_PeterKing): SI senior writer; tweet about breaking news and rumors in the NFL
- Robert Raiola, CPA (@SportsTaxMan): gives an interesting look at sports, strictly from a monetary standpoint (salaries, taxes etc.)
(Staff addition: We of course cannot forget one of the funniest team accounts out there. The marketing guys over at the Los Angeles Kings organization have had some pretty good tweets over the years on their account (@LAKings). The funniest one perhaps came at the end game five of the 2013 Western Conference Finals. After losing in double overtime to the Chicago Blackhawks and officially being eliminated, the guys who run the Kings twitter account went straight to punchlines. The best being towards the then-recently eliminated Pittsburgh Penguins)
Athletes:
- Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco): former MLB player; now tweets about his crazy life post-baseball
- Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32): pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks; constantly provides great, funny tweets about the life of a MLB player
- Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson): former boxer;tweets about his family and post-boxing endeavors
- Chad Johnson (@Ochocinco): wide receiver in the NFL, currently a free agent; tweets about his life outside of football; always interacts with fans
- Kevin Love (@kevinlove): power forward/center for the Minnesota Timberwolves; behind the scenes look at the life of an NBA player
- Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0): left winger for the Phoenix Coyotes; always tweets about his life and consistently interacts with fans
- LeBron James (@KingJames): forward for the Miami Heat; everyone knows about LeBron on the court, but his Twitter account gives us a fantastic glimpse into his family life
- Roberto Luongo (?) (@strombone1): goalie for the Vancouver Canucks (possibly); this account probably belongs to Luongo (the tweets from inside the locker room/teammates attest to that assumption), but the anonymity of the account allows Luongo to tweet freely and give opinions about everything.
- Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace): forward for the New York Knicks; gives his fans a sneak peek into the life of one of the most enigmatic players ever to don a NBA uniform
- Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP): second basemen for the Cincinnati Reds; tweets about the life of a MLB player and consistently connects with fans Read More…
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Stay Tuned: Week of November 4th
By Brett Malamud
This is the first of a weekly article that will provide you with the most intriguing games in sports for the upcoming week. If yesterday’s football games proved anything, it was that this is going to be an exciting week in sports. So let’s get to it! Here is the first installment of Stay Tuned:
NBA:
With the first week in the books, the second week of the NBA season looks to be just as exciting.
Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers, Wednesday November 6th 7:00 PM EST, ESPN
Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference square off in a showdown in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Derek Rose goes head to head against Paul George and the undefeated Indiana Pacers. This one is a must watch.
LA Clippers vs. Miami Heat, Thursday November 7th 7:00 PM EST, TNT and TSN
The Clippers head into South Beach after the Heat’s rough week last week. The Heat opened up the season going 2-2, and they’ll try to pick up the pace moving forward.
The Heat will try to stop Blake Griffin and the Clippers on Thursday (Via The Smoking Section)
NHL:
Division standings are starting to take form, as we are now one month into the season.
NY Islanders vs. Washington Capitals Tuesday November 5th 7:00 PM EST, MSG+ and CSN-DC
Two of the brightest stars in the NHL will face off in this epic battle at the Verizon Center. John Tavares leads the Islanders into Washington, where Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals sit at .500 on the season. Only one point separates the teams in the standings, so it should be a good battle.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. NY Rangers, Wednesday November 6th 7:30 PM EST, NBCSN, TSN2, and RDS2
The Rangers and the Penguins have had bad blood for a while now, and Wednesday night should be no different. Watch these division rivals square off and Madison Square Garden come alive in this week’s Wednesday Night Rivalry.
Evgeni Malkin hopes to put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist in a battle at the Garden on Wednesday (Via Last Word On Sports)
Montreal Canadians vs. Ottawa Senators, Thursday November 7th 7:00 PM EST, CBC and RDS
There’s nothing as wild as a Canadian clash. The Habs head to the capital city to take on Erik Karlsson and the Senators. A must watch game in Canada.
NCAA Basketball:
This Friday marks the start of the college basketball season and there are a few games to stay updated on.
(18) UConn vs. Maryland, Friday November 8th 6:30 PM EST, ESPN2
This is sure to be a good game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. A small Maryland team took a hit, losing 7’1” center Alex Len. The Phoenix Suns selected Len fifth overall in this year’s NBA draft. Maryland will face a tough test though, going up against a much bigger UConn Huskies team.
Barclays Center will be the site for this Friday’s showdown between Maryland and UConn. (Via AP)
Georgetown vs. (19) Oregon, Friday November 8th 8:00 PM EST, ESPN
Coming off a first round loss to Cinderella story Florida Gulf Coast in last season’s NCAA tournament, it’ll be interesting to see Georgetown without Otto Porter, who was selected by the Washington Wizards as the third overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. They face number 19 ranked Oregon in the Armed Forces Classic in South Korea
NCAA Football:
(3) Oregon vs. (5) Stanford, Thursday November 7th 9:00 PM EST, ESPN
Not much needs to be said here. The Ducks take on the Cardinal in a heated rivalry matchup.
No Chip Kelly for the Ducks here, but they’ll still step up and try to take down Stanford (Via AP)
(13) LSU vs. (1) Alabama, Saturday November 9th 8:00 PM EST, CBS
The Tigers head into Tuscaloosa to go up against the Crimson Tide what should be the college football game of the week
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Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy
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