PHOENIX – Almost all football fans know Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch and Rob Gronkowski.
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks wouldn’t be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday if it weren’t for their superstars. But both teams got here with lesser-known players coming up big at key times.
Jermaine Kearse caught a touchdown pass in overtime in Seattle’s win over Green Bay in the NFC championship game. Julian Edelman threw a touchdown pass in New England’s division-round win over Baltimore.
There’s Rob Ninkovich, Michael Bennett and several others. Often, surprise players are the stars in the Super Bowl.
Just look at last year when Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith was the unlikely MVP in Seattle’s win over Denver. Smith returned a Peyton Manning interception for a touchdown and recovered a fumble in a 43-8 rout. Now the former seventh-round pick hardly plays on defense.
“That’s the beauty of our team that anybody can have an MVP-type of day,” Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin said Wednesday. “That’s what makes us special. I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody nobody talks about is MVP.”
Brady, Wilson, Lynch, Gronkowski and LeGarrette Blount have the five best odds of winning the MVP award. But Smith is listed at 100:1 by Bovada.
“To get to this point and to win these games, it’s not about anything more than that,” Smith said. “That is how we can be successful.”
Ninkovich, one of New England’s top pass rushers, is also at 100:1 odds. He had eight sacks in each of the past three seasons and will be a key factor in trying to contain Wilson.
“You can’t run past him,” Ninkovich said. “Those are when the big plays happen. You have to be under control, but also not just stand there and not do anything to affect him in the pocket. So you just have to be smart.”
Bennett has helped solidify Seattle’s defense since arriving from Tampa Bay before the 2013 season. The defensive end gets overlooked on a unit known for the “Legion of Boom” secondary featuring Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
“I don’t really worry about the atmosphere of the game,” Bennett said. “I think for us we treat every game exactly the same and we’ve been in every situation we could possibly be in.”
Here’s a list of some surprise stars from past Super Bowls:
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Dexter Jackson had two interceptions to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in the 2003 Super Bowl. Teammate Dwight Smith returned two picks for touchdowns against Rich Gannon and Oakland’s top-ranked offense, but Jackson got the MVP award. Jackson signed a $14 million, five-year deal with Arizona in free agency, but was released after one season and returned to the Buccaneers.
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Larry Brown became the first cornerback to win Super Bowl MVP when his two interceptions helped the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in 1996. Brown leveraged that performance into a $12 million, five-year contract with the Raiders in free agency, but lasted only two seasons in Oakland and started just one game.
