The Denver Broncos played excellent defensive football in their 24-10 demolition of the heavily favored Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

We’ve discussed some of the more important events in the game and now it’s time to discuss some of the more….awkward moments.

“Chicken Parm you taste so good”

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is probably the busiest pitch-man of all the professional athletes.

Always quick to maximize an opportunity to increase profit, the not-so-subtle Manning exchanged pleasantries with Papa John Schnatter on the field (a company in which Manning owns several franchises) before mentioning Budweiser in a televised interview (Manning reportedly owns a pair of distributorships).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NmFKp3L24M

I can’t wait to see which products Peyton mentions in his upcoming retirement press conference and better yet, sponsors will have five years to bid on Hall of Fame mentions.

Bad Look For Eli

As Peyton Manning was busy winning his second Lombardi Trophy, little brother Eli was watching in the family luxury suite.  Perhaps the younger Manning was reminiscing about his New York Giants offensive line, or possibly received some bad news in a text, but he didn’t appear to be overly thrilled with his brother matching him in the amount of titles won.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKZ41k1oQDM

Eli explained his lack of enthusiasm on TMZ.

“I was just focused on whether they’d go for 2,” he said.  “The defense had to step up and make some stops.”

And if you believe that I’ve got some oceanfront land in Kansas to sell you.

Cam’s effort on his second fumble

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller’s second strip-sack of the game proved to be the clinching play in the team’s victory.

Whereas it wasn’t Cam Newton’s fault that right tackle Mike Remmers couldn’t handle Miller, the NFL’s MVP didn’t make much of an effort to dive on the loose ball.

Newton explained his thinking during Tuesday’s media availability.

“I didn’t dive on one fumble because the way my leg was (positioned),” Newton told reporters. “It could have been contorted in a way. You say my effort? I didn’t dive down. I fumbled – that’s fine. That’s fine. We didn’t lose the game because of that fumble.”

There are a number of reasons why the Panthers lost that go above and beyond the play of their quarterback- The wide receivers not making plays, the offensive tackles being completely over-matched and Mike Tolbert inexplicably fumbling twice- still, Carolina was only down six points with four minutes remaining when Newton fumbled the ball away.  The outcome was far from determined.

Cam Newton’s Postgame Presser

Losing the Super Bowl is tough for any football player that is lucky enough to make it that far.  Nobody thinks they’re going to lose, especially when you’re a six-point favorite and everything has gone so easily all year long.

With that said, the quarterback of a football team is the de facto CEO, and he has to step up and take all the bad questions and answer them with dignity and class, even if it’s something he doesn’t want to do.

Newton did anything but on Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29swPpFcLOs

Newton looked like a petulant child who didn’t get his way after the game and did nothing on Tuesday to make his detractors think any better of him.

“I’ve been on the record saying that I’m a sore loser,”  Newton said to reporters in Charlotte two days after the Super Bowl. “Who likes to lose? You show me a good loser and I’m going to show you a loser. It’s not a popularity contest. I am here to win football games.”

Newton’s competitive drive is a great thing, but he was unprofessional after a bad performance on Sunday and that will stick with him for a while.

Phillips is a bad Tweeter

On Sunday, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips put on a masterpiece of a game plan which rendered the explosive Carolina Panthers offense impotent.

Not 24 hours following that performance, Phillips sent out a tweet that went viral.

A little Dab with do you but too much Dab will undo you!

— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) February 8, 2016

Of course Phillips was referencing the “Dabbing” from nearly every member of the Panthers team for weeks on end.

“Sometimes he gets carried away with the Twitter,” Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said of his DC.

Phillips has the right to tweet whatever he wants, just like Cam Newton has the right to not answer any questions that he doesn’t want to answer.  But in the case of Newton, just like in the case of Phillips, we want our sports figures to take the high road and sometimes it’s a little disappointing when they don’t.  Especially when it’s a veteran coach.