JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The teams playing in Super Bowl XLVIII, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, are from the two states where recreational marijuana use has been legalized.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on Monday said he agrees with the possibility of the NFL investigating medicinal use of the drug for the best possible care of players.
“I would say we have to explore and find ways to make our game a better game,” said Carroll at Seahawks’ Westin Hotel headquarters, “and take care of our players in whatever way possible. Regardless of what other stigmas might be involved, we have to do this because the world of medicine is doing this.”
Medicinal marijuana is legal in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
“I would say that we have to explore and find ways to make our game a better game and take care of our players in the best way possible,” Carroll said at a news conference Monday following his team’s first practice of Super Bowl week.
“The fact that it’s in the world of medicine is obviously something the commissioner realizes. Regardless of what other stigmas might be involved, we have to do this because the world of medicine is trying to do the exact same thing and figure it out, and they’re coming to some conclusions.”
—The Seahawks practiced for the first time at the New York Giants facility. They did not go outside. The temperature climbed into the very low 30s.
“We had a great workout today,” Carroll insisted. “It was a bonus Monday for us, so the guys really took to it. We had great tempo and enthusiasm, and everything was really cool, so we’re off to a great start.”
If Carroll, 62, sounds like a hip Northern Californian, well he was born in San Francisco, grew up in Marin County and played for University of Pacific, which is located in Stockton, Calif.
Conditions are a bit more extreme in Seattle, and Carroll was not at all intimidated by forecasts of possible snow for the game.
“We play in an area that has somewhat inclement weather occasionally,” said Carroll, alluding to rain rather than snow, “so it’s not something we’re bothered by.”
—Carroll said Russell Wilson not only has helped the Seahawks reach Super Bowl XLVIII but also helped other quarterbacks who, like Wilson, are shorter than 6 feet.
“He’s opened the door,” Carroll explained about Wilson, Seattle’s second-round pick in 2012. “It’s exciting to see, because there are a lot of marvelous athletes, and we’re seeing it right now.”
—What Seattle strong safety Kam Chancellor sees in the people who play in front of him is a group that sets the tempo on defense. Chancellor, of course, intercepted the pass by San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick that cornerback Richard Sherman tipped and shouted about.
“The secondary,” said Chancellor, “we’ll always get our talk here and there about how we’re a good unit and have to live up to expectations and play hard. But our defensive line, they’re savages.”
The defensive backs have been nicknamed the Legion of Boom. “That’s a brotherhood,” said Chancellor. “The fans came up with that, and it just shows how tight a unit we are. We hold each other to our standard.”
Naturally Chancellor said he supported Sherman, who hardly needs support.
“They misunderstand his passion,” Chancellor said about those who knocked Sherman after his post-game rant at the end of the NFC Championship game.
“His passion is for the game. He never takes a note after watching film. He remembers everything.”
—The Seahawks are in the Super Bowl because of their defense, but receiver Golden Tate says the offense is not pushed out of shape.
“At the end of the day,” said Tate, “in order to win, we’re going to need offense, defense and special teams . . . The stage is a little higher, but I feel once the kickoff comes, it’s just another game. I know I came into last week’s NFC Championship like, ‘Oh, wow.’ But once it started, it was the same thing I’ve been doing since I was young.”
—Tight end Zach Miller on the weather: “It’s not going to distract us. It’s not going to be any reason why we don’t win on Sunday.”