Who, when, how?
Super Bowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers is at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 7. It will be televised on CBS and streamed for free on CBS.com. For background on the Denver Broncos history, read this post. For background on the history of the Carolina Panthers franchise, read this post.
What’s the plot of Super Bowl 50?
Virtually everyone you talk to thinks that the Carolina Panthers are going to win and win easily. Why is that? What makes people so sure that the Broncos won’t be able to do much when they have the ball? How can anyone be so confident that the Broncos defense, which has been the best in the league all year, won’t be able to stymie the Carolina offense so completely as to win the game themselves? Is the conventional wisdom right this time? Find out in our plot post.
Who are the key characters of Super Bowl 50 on the Carolina Panthers?
Read about quarterback Cam Newton and the issues of race that have plagued, surrounded, and elevated him throughout his career. Then read about how head coach Ron Rivera’s reputation changed from a boring failure to a radical success. Meet some key members of the Panthers extraordinary defense including a defensive lineman who grew up in Tonga, a linebacker who will be playing two weeks after breaking his arm, and the newest star in the league, defensive back Josh Norman.
Who are the key characters of Super Bowl 50 on the Denver Broncos?
Learn about legendary quarterback Peyton Manning and how close his story is to mimicking that of former Broncos quarterback and now team president, John Elway. The Broncos’ connections to the past continue in our examination of head coach Gary Kubiak, who spent his entire playing career as a backup quarterback in Denver. Meet some key members of the (perhaps) even more extraordinary defense on the Broncos including a colossal defensive lineman, a swashbuckling linebacker, and a bruising defensive back.
How can I quickly study up on football in time for the Super Bowl?
We have a ton of content on Dear Sports Fan for learning football. Some of it is available in a couple email correspondence courses, Football 101 an Football 201: Positions. I encourage you to sign up for those, but they won’t help very much if you’ve got a Super Bowl party to go to today. Instead, you can read up on some of the basics right now!
- What does first and ten mean? How do down and distance work?
- How does scoring work in football?
- One game to play, by yourself or with friends, to make watching football interesting.
- How does betting on football work?
- How not to behave at a Super Bowl party (from one non-fan to another.)
- What is a false start? What is a blitz? What is a snap? How do punts work?
- What are the basics of the quarterback position? What about running backs? Wide receivers? Tight ends? The offensive line? The defensive line? Linebackers? Defensive backs?
- What do the top ten dirtiest sounding football phrases actually mean?
I also wrote an epic series on brain injuries in football a year ago, culminating with my suggestion on how to fix the game. You can find my suggestion, with links to all the previous posts here.
However you choose to enjoy the game today, do it with curiosity and kindness,
Ezra Fischer