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| Super Bowl 2014: Poor weather favors the Seattle Seahawks - The Star-Ledger Posted: 02 Feb 2014 08:36 AM PST NEWARK — Cold weather in New Jersey at this time of year in unavoidable. The frigid temperature expected for Sunday's Super Bowl in East Rutherford doesn't bode well for the pass-happy Denver Broncos offense — even more so when the Seattle ground game and top-ranked defense is factored in. Any precipitation just adds to the Seahawks advantage in a game where a neutral playing field is the main idea. "It's cold in Seattle, but not this cold," Seattle WR Golden Tate said at Media Day Tuesday. "I've played here before and we are definitely comfortable. I don't think it's going to effect how we play as much. "It's not so much the cold weather, but maybe bad weather. For a receiver, if there is rain, you have to change your gloves and it's tougher to catch. You have to really focus. And if there is wind, that pushes the ball around." The forecast has brightened some for Sunday, with game-time temps expected to hover above freezing with just a 10 percent chance of precipitation. That percentage is down from the 40 percent mark forecasters had it at earlier this week. "We don't worry about the weather," Seahawks defensive lineman Chris Clemons said. "The weather is what it is and there is bad weather in Seattle. We don't really think weather will be a problem for us, but both teams understand that it's going to be an issue." A man of few words, Marshawn Lynch gave his brief take on the conditions Thursday afternoon. The Seahawks running back will play a big factor regardless, but poor weather would likely force the ball into his hands early and often. "Sounds like a fun day," he said. "I mean, I get to run into a lot of people." Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is often criticized for his play in low-temperature games and has enough pressure on his shoulders to cement his legacy as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, to ever play the QB position. Add in a Seattle defense that boasts a secondary with standout corner Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas and a below 40-degree situation that Manning is just 8-11 in during his career. "Every game takes on its own identity," Manning said Thursday. "I still think it has a lot more to do with the opponent than the elements. I've always felt that way, that if you are moving the ball or not moving the ball, it has something to do with how you are playing as an offense and how the defense is playing. I still believe that it comes down to how you are executing." There shouldn't be any doubt that Manning can win his second Super Bowl Sunday. The playing field, however, lends the advantage to the team that reached the game by running the ball effectively and playing great defense, not the team that has one of the scariest aerial attacks in the history of the league. "If you're running bad plays on first down, and having second and 12s and third and 10s, you are probably not moving the ball whether you are playing in 80-degree weather or playing in cold weather," Manning said. "That's what we are focusing on this week, just trying to be on top of our execution, knowing that you have to be on top of it against a defense as good as this one." |
| Democratic lawmaker questions new allegation against Christie in bridge lane ... - NBCNews.com Posted: 02 Feb 2014 08:36 AM PST By Tom Curry, National Affairs Writer, NBC News A key New Jersey Democrat said Sunday that a new accusation about Gov. Chris Christie's knowledge of the bridge closing scandal enveloping his administration is unproven and raises credibility questions about the accuser. New Jersey Assemblyman John Wisniewski said on NBC's Meet the Press that the allegation from former Christie ally David Wildstein that there is evidence Christie knew of the George Washington Bridge lane closings last September as they were occurring doesn't match the documents Wildstein has given the investigating committee. Latest allegation in New Jersey bridge scandal piles on political woe for Chris Christie Wildstein, a former Port Authority executive, "submitted over 900 pages of documents in response to the committee's subpoena. Apparently what's he talking about must be something other" than what he has already given the committee, Wisniewski said. The New Jersey politician leading the investigation into the Chris Christie bridge scandal discusses the latest information in the case. He added that it was "a great question" why Wildstein did not turn over to the legislative panel evidence of Christie's knowledge of or involvement in the bridge closing scheme if he in fact had any such evidence. "It really raises questions," Wisniewski said when asked about Wildstein's credibility. In a letter Friday to Port Authority, Alan Zegas, an attorney for Wildstein, said "evidence exists… tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the Governor stated publicly." Christie said last month, "I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or its execution." In the letter, Zegas did not say what the evidence was nor did he say whether Wildstein or someone else had the evidence to which he referred. Commenting on the Zegas letter, Wisniewski wondered about "the use of the words 'evidence exists' as opposes to saying 'I have documents" or 'I have an e-mail.' It's a curious choice of words… maybe he knows somebody else that has information, maybe this is a conversation he had." The Democratic lawmaker added, "We don't have any proof right now that the governor said, 'Go and close the lanes.' We know that somebody who was in his office, Bridget Kelly, ordered the lane closures." Based on the documents his committee has examined so far, Wisniewski said, "Nothing yet implicates the governor directly." He said the question remains, "Who told Bridget Kelly to close the lanes?" Some saw the lane closings as political retribution by Christie's forces, targeting Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, for not endorsing Christie's re-election bid. Last month, appearing before the New Jersey state Assembly Transportation Committee, Wildstein invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The investigation of the lane closings has caused a severe political headache for Christie, a potential contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. But the 2012 GOP vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, came to Christie's defense Sunday on ABC's This Week. "I think he's been a fantastic governor," Ryan said. "Right now, all we know is one person's word against another. You can't base any conclusion on such a thing. And so unless something else is known or made clear, I don't see you would change what's going on right now." Ryan said he does not think Christie should quit as head of the Republican Governors Association "because nothing has been proven, and you always give a person the benefit of the doubt in those kinds of situations." This story was originally published on Sun Feb 2, 2014 10:56 AM EST |
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