Super Bowl report -- The Associated Press
Brandon Browner is telling his New England teammates not to hold back against Seattle's Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas.
In an interview with ESPN, Browner talked about the toughness both Sherman and Thomas showed in the NFC Championship Game playing with injuries. Sherman suffered a sprained elbow, while Thomas suffered a separated shoulder.
But Browner said he would also target those injuries.
"I'm going to tell my teammates go hit that elbow, or go hit that shoulder," Browner said in the interview.
Asked if he would tell his teammates that, Browner said, "Most definitely."
"Try and break it if you can. You're going to be my best friend after the game, but at the end of the day I know you want the Super Bowl as bad as I do," Browner said.
Asked about Browner's comments, Seattle players didn't seem to take offense.
"I would expect nothing less. This is the Super Bowl. What do you expect?" Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin said. "I understand the fans want it to be classy, said publicly, and everything to be said politically correct, but that is the truth of the matter. We want this game just as much as they do and they want this game just as much as we do. I expect nothing less from Brandon Browner. We go after them in an aggressive fashion just as much as they are going to go after us."
Forgotten MVP
Malcolm Smith stood out for always being in the right spot.
He was waiting to corral Richard Sherman's fourth-quarter deflection for the clinching interception in the NFC championship a year ago to send Seattle to the Super Bowl.
His eyes were up and focused on Peyton Manning's fluttering pass that fell into his arms for a pick six in the second quarter of last year's Super Bowl. And he hustled downfield to be in position to recover a fumble in the second half, all of which added up to the former seventh-round pick becoming an unlikely Super Bowl MVP.
Fast-forward 12 months with the Seahawks back in the Super Bowl and Smith doesn't stand out as part of this Seattle defense. Slowed by an ankle injury since the offseason, Smith is still an important part of Seattle's special teams, but he rarely sees the field on defense.
In Seattle's two playoff victories, Smith was in for two defensive snaps. Both were goal line situations in the NFC championship against Green Bay.
"It hasn't been difficult at all. I'm part of a team, that's my role. I don't see it as anything different," Smith said. "Of course it's hard not to get the reps in the game and be ready."
Smith didn't exactly become a household name after being named Super Bowl MVP. But he certainly became more recognizable.
He was the surprise choice, highlighted by his 69-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter that gave Seattle a 22-0 lead over Denver. Nearly anyone on Seattle's defense could have earned MVP honors after the 43-8 rout. Smith just happened to stand out a little more than anyone else.
Smith didn't play a single defensive snap between Weeks 12 and 15. He was in for nine plays in Week 16 at Arizona and 16 plays in Week 17 against St. Louis, but that was it.
The decreased playing time has raised the question of Smith's future in Seattle as he'll become a free agent in the offseason. Smith seems realistic about his spot now and potentially in the future.
"As far as being a reserve player, I'm a seventh-round draft pick," Smith said. "It's not like I came in here a first-round draft pick."
Sports on 01/27/2015