The name on the marquee was John Elway. The year was 1987 and the place was the Rose Bowl. John Madden and Pat Summerall were in the CBS booth and Neil Diamond sang the national anthem.
And The Other Quarterback went by the name of Phil Simms.
Who lit up Pasadena and lit up the Broncos, connecting on 22-of-25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, and wound up going to Disneyland.
So here we are 27 years later, and Elway is the Broncos Executive VP of Football Operations and the name on the marquee for Super Bowl XLVIII is Peyton Manning, his quarterback.
And this time, The Other Quarterback is Russell Wilson.
You’ve heard this one before: Don’t sell him short.
Russell Wilson didn’t throw 55 TD passes during the regular season. No one is polishing his bust in Canton yet. He doesn’t have a famous football brother, or father.
All he does is win.
He will beat you with his arm, his legs or his head or his will to win.
“I put him in like the Drew Brees category,” Broncos defensive tackle Terrance ‘Pot Roast’ Knighton said. “He’s a quarterback that can beat you with his arm, and moves well in the pocket. I don’t really consider him a scrambler, ’cause a lot of times he moves to throw the ball, so I don’t really put him in that category, but it’s just difficult because he can do that, he has the ability to, and you have to respect it.”
Over his first two seasons, Wilson has thrown 52 TDs against 19 INTs with 1,028 rushing yards. His record as a starter is 27-9.
Broncos corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was asked to compare Wilson and the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick.
“Only thing that Russell Wilson is different is he’s a lot smaller, and it’s hard for him to see over the line, so he gets outside the pocket and makes a lot of things happen,” DRC said.
How’s his arm?
“He’s got an arm. He gets out there and just flicks that thing and it goes 60, 70 yards,” he said.
Wilson has experienced a Sophomore Slump of sorts lately — five TDs and four turnovers over his last six games. But he has an uncanny knack for making the big play when his Seahawks need him to make one.
The name on the marquee a few years after Pasadena was Jim Kelly. The year was 1991 and the place was Tampa Stadium.
And The Other Quarterback went by the name of Jeff Hostetler, who engineered a ball-control assault masterpiece that ended with Scott Norwood missing wide right.
We have learned this much about the 5-foot-11 (on a good day) Wilson: The Super Bowl will not be too big for him. Much like Manning, he is a gym rat who will leave no stone unturned in his preparation. His leadership skills are exemplary and he commands the respect of his huddle.
The name on the marquee once again was John Elway. The year was 1988 and the place was Jack Murphy Stadium and Michaels, Gifford and Dierdorf were in the ABC booth and Herb Alpert performed the national anthem.
And The Other Quarterback went by the name of Doug Williams, Super Bowl MVP.
The name on the marquee was again Jim Kelly. The year was 1992 and the place was the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
And The Other Quarterback was Mark Rypien, Super Bowl MVP.
The name on the marquee was Kurt Warner. The year was 2002 and the place was the Superdome.
And The Other Quarterback was Tom Brady, Super Bowl MVP.
The name on the marquee was Tom Brady. The year was 2008 and the place was University of Phoenix Stadium.
And The Other Quarterback was Eli Manning, Super Bowl MVP.