Super Bowl Legend Terrell Davis Reveals His Picks for Super Bowl LII
Terrell Davis is a postseason legend.
In eight career playoff games, the former Denver Broncos running back averaged 142.5 rushing yards per game and totaled 12 touchdowns. Davis fueled Denver to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999, and his 157-yard, Three-touchdown performance in Super Bowl XXXII earned him game MVP honors.
So the man knows what it takes to win it all. When STACK got the chance to speak with Davis, we asked him point blank—who does he see squaring off in the big game this year?
“Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints. I picked these two teams in September, so I’m sticking with my picks. I’m not changing,” Davis said.
Interestingly enough, both those teams feature dynamic running backs who can do damage in the passing game. Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell had the 10th-most receptions of any NFL player this season, hauling in 85 passes for 655 yards. Saints running back Alvin Kamara has been even more impressive, totaling 81 receptions for 826 yards and five touchdowns. While the league seems to be trending toward backs who can make an impact through the air, Davis had some of that in his game nearly two decades ago. It was something he developed out of necessity at the University of Georgia.
With the team struggling to win games, they shifted gears from being a power run team to more of a passing attack. If Davis wanted to continue to play, he’d have to prove he could block and catch.
“We were traditionally a running team prior to that,” Davis said. “We ran the ball a lot. But we weren’t winning games, so they changed the offense up, and we went from a ground and pound offense to a more spread out offense. I went from carrying the ball 20 times a game to five to seven times a game. And if you’re not carrying the football but you’re still in, that means you’re either doing a lot of blocking or running routes. That kinda helped me, doing those things. I thank God I was put in that situation where I had to be a back that could pick up a blitz and know how to read fronts, and I found out during that process I was a decent receiver out of the backfield.”
Davis totaled 31 receptions for 330 receiving yards his senior year at UGA. After he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft, he was initially buried on the team’s depth chart, with six other running backs listed ahead of him. But once Davis showcased his skillset—including his abilities as a receiver—during training camp, he rocketed up the depth chart. By the time the first regular season game rolled around, he’d become the team’s starting running back.
“When I got to the pros and (catching the ball) was asked of me, it came natural. That was kind of one of the things they looked at—can you block, can you protect the quarterback? And can you catch? It gave me an upper hand on the other backs,” Davis said. He would go on to record 49 receptions for 367 yards his rookie year and totaled 103 receptions over the next three seasons.
If you’re looking for a way into the big game, Davis has teamed with Verizon to offer NFL fans a shot at a trip for two to Minneapolis for an exclusive Super Bowl LII weekend experience. You’ll get to attend the game, see concerts up close, meet NFL players and attend exclusive events.
“It’s Verizon’s rewards program, it’s called Verizon Up. It’s a really cool program with great experiences. So on Tuesday, Jan. 16 and Monday, Jan. 22, Verizon Up members have an opportunity to secure a trip for two to Minneapolis for an exclusive Super Bowl weekend experience,” Davis says.
Verizon customers can sign up for a chance to win through the MyVerizon mobile app, and fans can learn more about the Verizon Up rewards program at Verizon.com.
Photo Credit: Focus on Sport/Getty Images
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Super Bowl Legend Terrell Davis Reveals His Picks for Super Bowl LII
Terrell Davis is a postseason legend.
In eight career playoff games, the former Denver Broncos running back averaged 142.5 rushing yards per game and totaled 12 touchdowns. Davis fueled Denver to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999, and his 157-yard, Three-touchdown performance in Super Bowl XXXII earned him game MVP honors.
So the man knows what it takes to win it all. When STACK got the chance to speak with Davis, we asked him point blank—who does he see squaring off in the big game this year?
“Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints. I picked these two teams in September, so I’m sticking with my picks. I’m not changing,” Davis said.
Interestingly enough, both those teams feature dynamic running backs who can do damage in the passing game. Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell had the 10th-most receptions of any NFL player this season, hauling in 85 passes for 655 yards. Saints running back Alvin Kamara has been even more impressive, totaling 81 receptions for 826 yards and five touchdowns. While the league seems to be trending toward backs who can make an impact through the air, Davis had some of that in his game nearly two decades ago. It was something he developed out of necessity at the University of Georgia.
With the team struggling to win games, they shifted gears from being a power run team to more of a passing attack. If Davis wanted to continue to play, he’d have to prove he could block and catch.
“We were traditionally a running team prior to that,” Davis said. “We ran the ball a lot. But we weren’t winning games, so they changed the offense up, and we went from a ground and pound offense to a more spread out offense. I went from carrying the ball 20 times a game to five to seven times a game. And if you’re not carrying the football but you’re still in, that means you’re either doing a lot of blocking or running routes. That kinda helped me, doing those things. I thank God I was put in that situation where I had to be a back that could pick up a blitz and know how to read fronts, and I found out during that process I was a decent receiver out of the backfield.”
Davis totaled 31 receptions for 330 receiving yards his senior year at UGA. After he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft, he was initially buried on the team’s depth chart, with six other running backs listed ahead of him. But once Davis showcased his skillset—including his abilities as a receiver—during training camp, he rocketed up the depth chart. By the time the first regular season game rolled around, he’d become the team’s starting running back.
“When I got to the pros and (catching the ball) was asked of me, it came natural. That was kind of one of the things they looked at—can you block, can you protect the quarterback? And can you catch? It gave me an upper hand on the other backs,” Davis said. He would go on to record 49 receptions for 367 yards his rookie year and totaled 103 receptions over the next three seasons.
If you’re looking for a way into the big game, Davis has teamed with Verizon to offer NFL fans a shot at a trip for two to Minneapolis for an exclusive Super Bowl LII weekend experience. You’ll get to attend the game, see concerts up close, meet NFL players and attend exclusive events.
“It’s Verizon’s rewards program, it’s called Verizon Up. It’s a really cool program with great experiences. So on Tuesday, Jan. 16 and Monday, Jan. 22, Verizon Up members have an opportunity to secure a trip for two to Minneapolis for an exclusive Super Bowl weekend experience,” Davis says.
Verizon customers can sign up for a chance to win through the MyVerizon mobile app, and fans can learn more about the Verizon Up rewards program at Verizon.com.
Photo Credit: Focus on Sport/Getty Images
READ MORE: