After
waiting nearly half of century for its turn the New York City area and its NFL
fans are finally getting their turn to host the big game in arguably the
biggest city in the world. With Super Bowl XLVIII taking center stage of the
sports world and just a day away I recently had the opportunity to sit down with
Hall of Fame running back and NFL Network Analyst Marshall Faulk (along with
Andrew Bard of Burson-Marsteller and Evan Walsh of SAP) in Midtown Manhattan where he and I
discussed a plethora things including the big game, moments from his career,
Peyton Manning and how SAP’s partnership with the NFL has blossomed.
For starters SAP is the world’s largest provider of business software with more than 250,000 customers worldwide. All during this week leading up to the Super Bowl, SAP has enabled a better fan experience through real-time data and greater insights on Super Bowl Boulevard at the NFL.com Stats Zone with Insights from SAP. During the 2013 NFL season, SAP and the NFL introduced a free Player Comparison Tool for NFL.com’s fantasy football players which provides users with an abundance of information which can be used to help them make better decisions on a week-to-week basis.
Shortly after 2pm on a blistery cold Wednesday afternoon in NYC, Faulk entered a conference room and joined myself, Bard, Walsh and four other journalists donning a well put together navy suit with a game face on which resembled the one which he sported on a weekly basis for 12 seasons. As he sat a smile came across the seven-time Pro Bowler’s face signaling that he was ready for the barrage of questions which were awaiting him.
Super Bowl XLVIII presents what looks like a very intriguing matchup on paper pitting this season’s number one offense of the Denver Broncos (NFL record 606 points scored) versus this year’s number one defense of the Seattle Seahawks (231 points allowed).
“I think there’s two ways to this game, we’re either going to have a very close game and Peyton Manning is going to have an opportunity to have a drive to bring his team back at the end or the Seahawks are going to get blown out……that’s the two ways I see this game in the fourth quarter”, said Faulk regarding his feelings on how the Super Bowl outcome. Faulk followed up with “they are about as arrogant as a defense can be; they play the defense they are showing you. (The Seahwaks) are willing to lose at what they do best; (they) don’t disguise anything on defense. I’m not sure you can play defense like that against Peyton Manning” as reasoning for how he sees the game playing out. Then with grin Faulk said, “ask the great Baltimore Raven defense that Peyton use to play, if you show (him) your defense before 10 seconds left (on the play clock), he’s going to put them in the right play.”
It could be seen on his face and heard in his words that the 2000 NFL MVP had great admiration for Manning whom he played with during the quarterback’s 1998 rookie campaign with the Indianapolis Colts (Faulk’s last with the team before being traded to the St. Louis Rams prior to the start of the 1999 season).
“I think that he is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game,” said a jovial Faulk who then followed with “he has changed our game in the manor of which if your quarterback doesn’t have the ability to not only in the two-minute but in the game (control the offense). Your quarterback needs to be able to identify a defense, get you in the right play, get you from run to pass or pass to run…….that’s a whole different ball game.”
The Hall Famer continued to speak highly of Manning saying, “what question hasn’t he answered for us? When you are asked as the number one overall pick to save a franchise and you go to that franchise and have one season where you don’t make the playoffs or have one season where you have less than 10 wins, wow! Not to mention you win a Super Bowl for that organization”. Following a brief pause Faulk then said, then you go to another organization…….and your first season, you don’t have a mediocre season, you’re the best team in the AFC.”
“Right now, regardless to what happens in Sunday’s game, the Denver Broncos fans know next season they will have 10 or more wins if Peyton Manning is their quarterback,” Faulk said, “that’s what you sign up for when you get him.”
When asked how important winning this Super Bowl is for Peyton in cementing his place as the greatest ever Faulk comically replied, “I think it shuts up the doubters.”
Faulk who was once widely considered the greatest fantasy football selection due to his ability to both gain massive yardage via the run and reception is teaming up with the great business solutions minds at SAP to spread the word of the new technology that the multinational corporation has bestowed upon the NFL. SAP is not only a marketing partner with the league but also a solutions partner. The solution which the league has called upon SAP to aid them with is strengthening the NFL.com fantasy football participation problem. The league’s official website’s fantasy football activity trailed both ESPN’s and Yahoo’s by plenty and the NFL decided to fix the situation immediately.
The specialists at SAP designed a player comparison tool for NFL.com that is the only fantasy research tool which allows fantasy football players to provide comparisons featuring five unique performance indicators (performance, matchup, upside, consistency and intangibles), enable full user customization for data-driven user analysis, allow pre-set expert logic based on NFL.com Fantasy Expert and is integrated 100% free into NFL.com Fantasy Football.
SAP will also be the presenting sponsor of the Fantasy Player of the Year at NFL Honors this evening.
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