SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Owen Daniels is not always about getting what he came for, but in the case of the college degree he earned from the University of Wisconsin, the Denver Broncos tight end plans to put it to use. Daniels went to Wisconsin to play quarterback. He was a third-string backup when it became clear his future did not include throwing passes for the Badgers, so he suggested catching them. “I don’t think they thought I was a very good quarterback,” said Daniels, a 33-year-old veteran in his 10th NFL season. He moved to tight end and after two Pro Bowl trips and three teams — Houston, Baltimore and Denver — Daniels is at the Super Bowl for the first time. He said he teared up a few times in the last few days while thinking about how he got to Super Bowl 50. Along with playing quarterback and tight end in college, Daniels also received a Bachelor of Science degree in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. That means if he didn’t make it as a tight end, he probably would be a meteorologist. He put his Wisconsin education to use by predicting the weather this week. “It’s going to be beautiful,” Daniels said. “Perfect conditions.” Daniels said he plans to use his weather degree in some way when he no longer wears shoulder pads at work. “Maybe not as a local weatherman with the long hours, but something,” he said. Daniels, who scored both Broncos touchdowns in the AFC Championship game, said he chose meteorology because he feared severe storms growing up in the Chicago suburbs, turning a fear into a passion. If there is pressure building for Sunday, Daniels said he doesn’t sense it just yet. “I haven’t felt very much pressure yet. I have been trying to stay relaxed and enjoy everything,” Daniels said. “I am excited that it is Wednesday and that we are kind of in the normal routine, normal workweek. So that will be a good thing, to kind of get back into that routine. Like I was nervous for — I was nervous enough for all the games this year, so I am going to be calm and ready to go.” –Marty Williams, 55, father of Broncos defensive lineman Antonio Smith, died Wednesday morning. Williams was incarcerated for more than 20 years after being convicted of first-degree murder in Oklahoma City in 1991. He was serving life in prison without parole and recently underwent heart surgery. A spokesperson for the Broncos said there were no plans for Smith to leave the team and that the defensive lineman will be playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl. Smith was notified of his father’s death by his mother. Smith, 34, joined the Broncos this season after being released from the Oakland Raiders. A 12-year NFL veteran, he had 2.5 sacks during the regular season and added another during the playoffs. –Kickers were finally able to get a feel for the freshly laid sod at Levi’s Stadium on Wednesday. The footing on the playing surface has been an issue during the past two regular seasons, with chunks of the middle of the field — from end zone to end zone between the hash marks — popping up in sizable divots. “That’s the biggest thing. We want to see about the footing,” said Joe DeCamillis, Denver’s special teams coach. “We’ve done our research as far as the wind patterns and things like that, so hopefully we can get a feel for that.” DeCamillis was with the Chicago Bears when Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014 and said the surroundings should not be a problem. Broncos kicker Brandon McManus is inexperienced with the game on the line, but he made a critical field goal to end the second quarter in the AFC Championship game and was 5 of 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. DeCamillis gets a lot of credit from McManus. He shortened his stride to increase the lift and power on McManus’ kicks, and the results are mostly positive — he is 7 of 7 in the playoffs, including three from 40 to 49 yards and two at 50-plus. “I think it’s a huge growth experience for him and I think he’s gotten better all year,” DeCamillis said. “If it comes down to him just like everybody else, we expect him to do his job.” –Covering tight ends has been a team chore for the Broncos in the playoffs. With Antonio Brown out for the Steelers, Denver focused coverage on inside receivers and particularly tight end Heath Miller. In the AFC Championship, All-Pro Rob Gronkowski starred for the Patriots. In Super Bowl 50, another star at the position, Greg Olsen, is in the middle of the game plan. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips praised Gronkowski for “tearing up our double teams” and could show similar respect to Olsen. “Olsen — he’s been a great tight end for them,” cornerback Chris Harris said of what stands out about the Panthers. “He’s been a guy that he gets tons of targets, so other than Cam, I’d say Olsen, he’s had a great year.” Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan said Olsen, the Panthers’ top receiver in 2015 with 77 receptions for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season, has been even better in the playoffs. He has 12 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown — 15.8 yards per catch — in the postseason. “He’s versatile, he’s slippery and he’s very instinctive and he’s a great player,” Trevathan said. “He’s been doing it for a minute now and I have nothing but respect for what he did. He’s one of the best receiving tight ends in the league and our job is to shut him down. “He’s one of the best at getting open and creating spaces for Cam Newton, when he can’t really think he knows who to go to, so my job is going to be to shut that down.”