Denver Broncos say crowd noise helped cause opening safety
By Josh Hill
One of the most memorable plays from Super Bowl XLVIII saw Denver Broncos center Manny Ramirez throw the opening snap over the head of Peyton Manning and into the back of the endzone for a safety. It was all downhill from there for the Broncos as they quickly fell in a 22-0 hole that eventually ended up being a 43-8 Super Bowl blowout loss.
The first play of the game was a true omen to what was in store, but after the game Ramirez and Manning clarified what all the confusion was about. Both players noted that the noise played a factor in the safety as no one could hear the snap count.
"Ramirez said after the game that no one on the team heard the snap count on the play, but he thought he did and he thought it was late so he let the ball fly as Manning was moving toward the line of scrimmage. Manning said the same thing, calling it a “cadence issue” caused by the noise from the crowd. That difficulty and the resulting mistake called to mind a decision coach John Fox made during the week."
We weren’t sure if the advantage of the 12th Man would follow the Seahawks to New Jersey, but it’s clear that the noise from Seattle echoed in MetLife Stadium on Sunday.