You can bet on almost anything Super Bowl Sunday, from what Bruno Mars will be wearing on his head at the start of his halftime performance to what color Gatorade (or liquid) will be dumped on the head coach of the winning team to how many times Eli Manning will be shown on television as he watches his older brother try to win his second title.
Here’s another random prop bet: How many times will Peyton Manning say “Omaha,” the pre-snap call he barks out during the game? The over/under is 27 ½, per Bovada.lv.
Manning shouted “Omaha” 44 times in Denver’s divisional playoff win over the Chargers and 33 times last Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.
It won’t just be Manning and the Broncos against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks on Feb. 2. It will also be a battle of the one-hit hip-hop wonders, diehard Seattle fan Sir-Mix-A-Lot pulling for one side while Denver enthusiast Tag Team roots for the other.
Anthony Ray, known to his fans as Sir-Mix-A-Lot, released the song “Baby Got Back” in 1992. Still a karaoke favorite, the catchy and controversial song reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and won a Grammy. Overly superstitious, Ray believes the Seahawks started winning when he began to avoid watching their games live, viewing then instead on tape delay. He even turned down tickets to the NFC Championship Game.
“I could’ve been at the game, I was invited to a luxury suite but I didn’t go, because I knew if I’d go, they’d lose,” he told the Denver Post. “I came up during the era in which you’d root for the Seahawks to get home safe on the plane, they were that bad.”
Tag Team, comprised of Cecil Glenn “DC the Brain Supreme” and Steve Gibson “Steve Roll’n,” released the hit song “Whoomp! (There It Is),” in 1993.
They used to work at Mile High Stadium selling soda in the stands, and attended Manual High School in Denver together. Shortly after high school, the duo penned “Super Bowl Time,” but it never took off like their future hit.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday the league would be open to using medical marijuana to treat concussions if medical experts show it could help with head trauma — similar to remarks he previously made about using the drug for other injuries.
“We will follow medicine and if they determine this could be a proper usage in any context, we will consider that. Our medical experts are not saying that right now,” Goodell said at a Midtown event with General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt to announce 16 winners of the $20 million “Head Health Challenge.”
The league’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits the “illegal use” of marijuana, even though it was legalized in Colorado on Jan. 1.
The “Head Health Challenge” winners received a $300,000 award to advance their work to speed diagnosis and improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injury. The final six award recipients each win an additional $500,000 award in 2015.
BOLDFACE PREDICTION
John Legend, musician: “The Seahawks. If I were to bet, I’d bet on the Seahawks. I just think their defense is very good, just too tough.”
GET TO KNOW
Seahawks CB Byron Maxwell: Byron Maxwell will almost certainly be overshadowed by his big-talking, superstar teammate Richard Sherman between now and next Sunday’s kickoff, but he may be more important to the Seahawks success in the big game at MetLife Stadium.
With Peyton Manning unlikely to challenge Sherman too frequently, the 6-foot-1 Maxwell will be tested early and often by the Broncos talented wide receivers. The sixth-round pick out of Clemson has been up to the challenge this season, his third in the NFL, taking advantage of starter Brandon Browner indefinite suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
Maxwell, who credits taking yoga classes with keeping him healthy after battling injuries earlier in his career, appeared in all 16 regular-season games, made five starts and notched 28 tackles and added four interceptions. In the NFC Championship Game victory over the rival 49ers, he came up big, making three tackles and breaking up two passes.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“He talks with his feet. He rumbles.” — NFL Network’s Michael Irvin on Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, who rarely talks to the media.
SUPER FORECAST
Accuweather reporting a 30% chance of snow; High: 36; Low: 24
Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a chance for a couple snow showers. Winds: 6 mph