SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Broncos QB Peyton Manning and DE DeMarcus Ware gave emotional speeches at their team meeting Saturday night before Super Bowl 50. "Both were very emotional and near tears," team president Joe Ellis told ESPN.
Coach Gary Kubiak addressed the team first, laying out what he believed was a winning game plan against the Panthers on Sunday in all phases of the game. Then Manning addressed the team.
"Peyton told a few jokes to lighten the mood," Ellis said, "but then he got very emotional (talking about what the game meant to him). And so did DeMarcus. The room was silent. It was a very emotional gathering."
Denver won 24-10.
MUST BE THE SHOES: Panthers QB Cam Newton is known for his feats afoot, and he drew attention to his footwear before the game with a pair of gold Under Armour cleats with "MVP" written on them. He also donned a black shirt with a gold Superman symbol on the chest.
Under Armour said it sold out of the gold MVP cleats at $500 a pair in 11/2 hours Saturday night, ESPN said. The cleats were available for preorder Sunday on Under Armour's website, underarmour.com, at $299.99 a pair. Fifty percent of the proceeds go to Newton's foundation.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Former Bucs S Dexter Jackson has fond memories of California, where he had two interceptions in the Bucs' 48-21 win over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII at San Diego and was named the game's most valuable player.
Jackson was at Levi's Stadium on Sunday and introduced in a pregame ceremony honoring all previous Super Bowl MVPs.
Jackson's two picks came early in the game. He actually edged Bucs DE Simeon Rice, who had five tackles and two sacks, for the award. His margin of victory was the "fan vote" in which he gained four votes based on internet polling. Jackson was the first defensive player to win a Super Bowl MVP award since Dolphins S Jake Scott in Super Bowl VII and only the third defensive back overall (also the Cowboys' Larry Brown in Super Bowl XXX).
HE'S GOT THE BEAT: Reigning NBA MVP and lifelong Panthers fan Stephen Curry banged Carolina's "Keep Pounding" drum before the game. The Warriors guard, who was a star at Charlotte (N.C.) Christian and Davidson, also had his No. 30 jersey in an honorary locker in the Panthers' room. The Panthers also watched a video message from Curry on Saturday morning, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Trivia time: The Broncos had four of their six sacks in the first half, tied for the most first-half sacks in Super Bowl history. The Broncos had four in Super Bowl XII versus the Cowboys. … Jordan Norwood's 61-yard punt return for the Broncos in the second quarter is the longest in Super Bowl history. John Taylor of the 49ers had a 45-yarder against the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII. … Denver DE Malik Jackson's touchdown on a fumble recovery in the first quarter was the first fumble recovery TD in the Super Bowl since the Cowboys' James Washington in Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994
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Explore all your optionsInformation from Times wires, ESPN, Sportsnet, Pro Football Reference and nfl.com was used in this report.