Much of the praise for the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers has gone to quarterback Peyton Manning, but as Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN.com wrote, credit for Manning's comeback late in the season belongs to a practice squad receiver.
"With about 2½ hours to go before kickoff, Peyton Manning and Jordan Taylor met on the field for one last catch," Merrill wrote. "They warmed up for 30 minutes, and then Manning walked up to Taylor and thanked him for everything.
" 'One more game and you've got it,' Taylor told him.
Manning, locked in and unemotional, agreed.
"Taylor is a 23-year-old practice-squad player. He didn't even suit up Sunday, but no one in the Broncos' locker room would argue his value in helping Denver win its first Super Bowl since 1999. The rookie from Sherman, Texas, helped Manning get back on the field.
"In December, when Manning was rehabbing from a foot injury, Taylor became his throwing partner. They would meet at 9 o'clock in the morning, at least three times a week, before the Broncos' afternoon practice. It made for a busy winter.
"Taylor had no idea he'd spend so much time with Manning. They grew so close that when Taylor recently found out he needed a suit for his trip to the Super Bowl, he asked Manning if he had an old suit lying around he could borrow. Shortly after that, the Broncos told Taylor to go into a room to do interviews. When he saw two very well-dressed men in the room, he knew they weren't reporters. They were tailors to fit him for a custom-made suit, courtesy of Manning.
"The charcoal suit, he said, is by far the best piece of clothing he owns. He said the second-most expensive thing is probably a polo shirt. On Sunday night, as his teammates celebrated around him, Taylor quietly dressed in his locker, putting on a black T-shirt and gray jeans. He planned to go back to the team hotel and put on the suit for the Broncos' celebration.
" 'Been one heck of a year,' he said. 'I don't think any quarterback deserved this more than [Manning] did.' "
Fight, fight, fight
For the first time since 2002, two NHL players fought each other three times in the same game.
Alex Petrovic of the Florida Panthers would have been wise to stop at one.
Evander Kane of the Buffalo Sabres sent Petrovic to three consecutive losses Tuesday night during the Sabres' 7-4 loss to the Panthers. Jody Shelley of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Bob Probert of the Chicago Blackhawks fought three times during a game on Jan. 10, 2002, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
"You get three fights, you get kicked out of the game, so you don't have an opportunity for a fourth," Kane told John Vogl of The Buffalo News.
After the game, former heavyweight boxing champion Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield, whom Kane's parents named him after, weighed in on the fights via Twitter: "Nice overhand right."
"Appreciate the love Real Deal!," Kane replied.
Sports on 02/12/2016