I watched all three hours of Super Bowl Opening Night on NFL Network on Monday, then I went to social media to see what I wanted to see again and what I didn’t see as the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos met the media in San Jose, Calif., days before the Golden Anniversary Game in Santa Clara.
There was a lot I wanted to see again and a lot I never saw. I couldn’t get to everything, so I will share with you the Top 5 things I found on Twitter carrying the hashtag #SBOpeningNight.
It was a historic night for the NFL because it was the first time the league has staged Super Bowl Opening Night after all the years of Tuesday morning Super Bowl Media Days. It was a night well spent. An hour after the show, I started working on this Top 5.
1. Panthers cornerback Josh Norman in a video clip from his interview with NFL Network analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Quote of the night @J_No24 #SBOpeningNight pic.twitter.com/nH3j18wWSI
— Tommy (@TommyFromNC) February 2, 2016
The Norman-Sanders interview was by far my favorite of the night. It featured an exchange about New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who took fighting to an extreme in a combative daylong matchup with the trash-talking Norman in the Panthers’ 38-35 victory against the Giants in December.
You can read all about the interview at foxsports.com.
You can go to sports.yahoo.com for a longer clip from the interview.
James Parziale, the writer of the foxsports.com story, said:
Norman explained that he does indeed enjoy jawing with receivers, but feels like he got a bad rep after the Beckham scuffles.
2. A Broncos beat reporter from a small Rocky Mountain outpost?
This guy is channeling his inner Craig Sager proud. #SBOpeningNight #SB50 pic.twitter.com/Gw5gMOjI5h
— Catherine (@CatChanSmith) February 2, 2016
3. Actor and comedian J.B. Smoove was a credentialed member of the media.
The one and only @ohsnapjbsmoove at media day working for the @RichEisenShow #SDatSB50 #SB50 #SBOpeningNight pic.twitter.com/Rd7o8Vt1RU
— Sports Degens (@TheSportsDegens) February 2, 2016
4. Miss Universe was also a credentialed member of the media. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines was reporting for “Inside Edition.”
#SBOpeningNight is a wrap; great atmosphere topped by #MissUniverse in attendance #PiaWurtzbach #SB50 pic.twitter.com/r8v3Ci2jaK
— Miss Universe 2014 (@MsUniverseCrown) February 2, 2016
5. A kid reporter talks to Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Kid reporter: "When I'm in the end zone, I do the dab just like you!"
Cam: "No you don't. What!?" #SBOpeningNight https://t.co/wAJunZs0O4
— NFL (@NFL) February 2, 2016