Page 39 - Florida Sentinel 2-5-16 (2)

Sports
Manning, Newton Each Chasing Unique History In Super Bowl 50
Carolina Panthers vs. Den-
ver Broncos (Sunday, 6:30
p.m. ET, CBS) -- This marks
the third consecutive season
in which the No. 1 playoff
seeds in each conference ad-
vanced to the Super Bowl.
Thisisnote- manhandled
overall selection in the NFL draft. This also marks a Super Bowl first, with two former
No. 1 overall draft pick quarter- backs fac- ing off. New- ton and Man- ning represent the fifth Super Bowl matchup pitting start- ing
quar- terbacks
from the same
college confer-
ence. Newton
went to Auburn,
Manning went to Tennessee, and both schools are in the SEC.
time this happened, it didn't turn out so well for the No. 1 scoring offense.
In Super Bowl XLVIII, the Seattle Seahawks' No. 1- rated defense
worthy, because this is the
the Bron-
cos' No. 1- rated offense
a
first
that's
since
naming "top" playoff seeds back in 1975.Super Bowl 50
This is also just the secondSuperBowlever to pit the No. 1 scoring offense (Panthers at 31.3 points per game) againsttheNo.1de- fense (Broncos, 283.1 yards per game). The last
in 43-8 dump trucking.
time happened
Peyton Manning
was on the wrong end of that Super Bowl bashing, and returns to the game's grandest stage for what might
be his final NFL game.
Panthers quarter-
b a c k
C a m
Newton, like Man-
ning, was a No. 1
the NFL started
LB Thomas Davis Will Play In Super Bowl
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Car- olina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis and defensive end Jared Allen remain on track to play in Super Bowl 50.
Allen was limited in Wednesday's practice with a broken right foot, according to the practice report, the same injury that kept him out of the NFC Championship Game.
But according to coach Ron Rivera, the move was precau- tionary.
"Jared's was really about rest," Rivera said. "He's been going full blast since we started, and the doctors wanted to just make sure. So he earned the rest."
Davis, who suffered a bro- ken forearm in the NFC title game, was a full participant
Panthers LB Thomas Davis, pictured above during last week's practice, is due to have his right forearm examined again Friday but appears on track to play in Super Bowl 50.
Wednesday. He wore a protec- tive cast over the injury, which required a metal plate with about a dozen screws.
Survey: Fans Think Cam Newton Faces Criticism More For On-Field Actions Than Race
A larger percentage of NFL fans believe that Carolina Pan- thers quarterback Cam New- ton faces criticism because of his actions on the field than because of his race.
Nearly two out of three fans -- 62 percent -- believe that any criticism of Newton is be- cause of his style of play on the field (63 percent of white fans and 38 percent of black fans). Only 14 percent think it's be- cause of his race.
The number of people who think race is part of how New- ton is perceived is significantly higher among blacks who re- sponded to the survey -- 34 percent think criticism is racially based, while 38 per- cent think it's for his flashy style .
Newton is the sixth black
CAM NEWTON
quarterback to play in the Super Bowl, and this marks the fourth straight year that one of the teams has started a black quarterback. Nonethe- less, it has been a continuing line of questioning during media sessions this week.
Broncos DL Antonio Smith Learns Of Father's Death
Denver Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith learned Wednesday that his father has died.
Smith told the Denver Post he intends to stay with the team and will play in the Super Bowl against the Carolina Pan- thers on Sunday.
Marty Christopher Williams, 55, died after com- plications from recent heart surgery. He had been in prison for more than 20 years.
Smith told the newspaper he received a call about his fa- ther's death Wednesday morn- ing.
Smith, 34, joined the Bron-
Denver's Antonio Smith, right, will play in Sunday's Super Bowl despite learning of his father's death on Wednesday.
cos this season after he was re- leased by the Raiders.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016