The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will square off Feb. 2 for Super Bowl XLVII, but some players took a break from the media hustle to thank the troops for making it all possible.
The Department of Defense had a correspondent at Media Day ahead of the big game Sunday in New York and they were very busy. Forty-two videos were uploaded to the DOD's YouTube channel with a wide variety of players, coaches and even cheerleaders from both teams thanking all members of the armed services for their sacrifices and wishing them a safe return to the States.
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning took some extra time to explain how head coach Jon Fox, raised in a military family, has reminded his players throughout the season to maintain a military mindset – an effective strategy given his team has made it to the Super Bowl.
While the troops are surely appreciative of the players' well-wishes, they're not sitting idly by as the game plays. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports on the preparations taking place among troops at For Carson, Afghanistan.
While alcohol is prohibited for troops stationed in the country, the troops will have "a wide selection of near beer," said Maj. Tony Noce, who is in charge of the preparations, as well as 1,200 donated pizzas, hot wings and fried chicken.
"We're definitely going to eat," Noce said, even though kickoff is schedule for 3:30 A.M., local time.