Much has changed since the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, and the evidence will be undeniable when the same teams kick off the 2016 season Thursday at Sports Authority Field.Denvers win in Santa Clara, Calif., was a coming-out party for linebacker Von Miller, the Super Bowl MVP, who made life miserable for regular-season MVP Cam Newton and the Panthers.Since that defining performance, Miller became the highest-paid player on the Broncos roster -- and the top-paid defender in the league. In addition, five-time league MVP Peyton Manning retired, the Broncos lost his backup Brock Osweiler in free agency and cut Mark Sanchez, the player acquired in March to become Denvers starter.Whats left is most of the core of Denvers defense, which harassed Newton and the Panthers into mistakes and missteps from start to finish in February.I think you could use a lot from that game, but youd be fools to think that theyre going to run the same plays, said Miller, who had 2 1/2 sacks and forced a fumble in Super Bowl 50. I think that we could use some things that we didnt do well and some things that they did well and we think that theyre going to try and attack us in those areas.Continuity counts in Carolinas favor. The Panthers cut ties with All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, who went on to sign a mega-deal with the Washington Redskins, but the heart of the NFC championship roster is otherwise nearly intact.For his part, Newton downplayed his shot at redemption Thursday night, saying its not a rematch at all.Newton knows he wont see Manning on the field this time.The Broncos didnt even announce a starter until after their third preseason game of 2016. Trevor Siemian, a 2015 seventh-round longshot out of Northwestern, beat out Sanchez and 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch for the opportunity to face Pro Bowl linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis.While Denver head coach Gary Kubiak has been enthused about the growth of Siemian, the harsh reality is that the Broncos head into the 2016 home opener with question marks all over the offense.Thats feeding the heightened pulse of the Panthers, who marched through the regular season with a 15-1 record last season and arent hiding the revenge play.I think it gives us that chip on our shoulder that we need knowing thats the team that held us back from our ultimate dream, Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert said.Its not just Siemian getting comfortable. The entire offense is attempting to jell behind a mostly new front five. Only one starter from the Super Bowl offensive line, center Matt Paradis, is back.Denvers piecemeal group will be facing a defensive line that the Super Bowl offensive line could hardly block. Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy had a game of a lifetime. He recorded three sacks and had a hand in two takeaways.More than Ealy, the Broncos will be worried about the interior line of the Panthers, defensive tackles Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei.Protecting Siemian is a top priority. The Broncos still have offensive weapons on the outside at wide receiver. This is the major area the Broncos hold the advantage. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are two of the best in the NFL but for each of them to shine, they must hope the offensive line holds up and Siemian has the time and ability to get them the football.The Panthers will be starting a rookie cornerback and playing a total of three rookies against the duo of 1,000-yard receivers.Kuechly said Carolina wont overlook Siemian after studying his preseason film.I think hes smart; I think hes confident in what hes doing, and they do a good job of running the ball -- that makes everything easier, Kuechly said. I think he has a good grasp of what theyre trying to do offensively, and we have to make sure were prepared for it.James Bradberry, Zack Sanchez and Daryl Worley all were selected by Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman to fill the void left in the secondary. All three, along with Bene Benwikere, will be tasked with trying to contain the Broncos passing attack.The Panthers made the Super Bowl with average wide receivers last year. With the return of Kelvin Benjamin -- who could be allowed to play up to 35 snaps in his first game back from a season-ending ACL injury in 2015 -- and the maturation of Devin Funchess, Newton has legitimate threats on the outside to test the Broncos feisty secondary.Old reliable Greg Olsen had a career year at tight end in 2015 and will be looking to top those statistics versus a rebuilt Broncos linebacking corp.We cant make or break our whole season on the first game, Olsen said. Whats done is done. The past is the past. We have a whole new season to look forward to. The more we try to hinge on correcting what happened in the Super Bowl, the more were going to keep getting pulled back. Cheap KD Shoes Sale . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap KD Shoes Free Shipping .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. http://www.kdcheap.com/ . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Cheap KD Shoes . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Wholesale KD Shoes .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Bellator MMA middleweight prospect Ed Ruths second professional fight will come sooner than expected.Ruth (1-0) has agreed to take on Emanuele Palombi on short notice at Bellator 168 on Saturday in Florence, Italy. Bellator president Scott Coker broke the news to ESPN.com on Tuesday.A former three-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion, Ruth agreed to fight Palombi (5-2) on just five days notice. The Italians original opponent, Californian Davin Clark, withdrew due to injury.Ed Ruth has accepted the challenge to come over and fight Emanuele Palombi from Rome, Coker said. Its the second opportunity to see Ed fight in MMA. We saw how he responded to the nerves of his first fight, in front of lots of family and friends. This is another test and well see how he does.Officials told ESPN.com Ruths bout is not currently scheduled on the televised main card, but Coker said it will likely make the telecast either live or on replay.Eds development, ffrom his wrestling background at Penn State University, has drawn a lot of interest, Coker said.ddddddddddddRuth made his highly anticipated MMA debut at Bellator 163 on Nov. 4. He recorded a first-round TKO finish over Dustin Collins-Miles, despite getting momentarily dropped by a punch early on.Bellator has made a strong effort to sign accomplished amateur wrestlers with no fighting experience. In addition to Ruth, who attempted to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic team, the promotion has recently seen the successful professional debuts of Tyrell Fortune, Jarod Trice and Joey Davis. Another prospect, 20-year-old Aaron Pico, is expected to make his debut next summer.A light heavyweight bout between Alessio Sakara (18-11) and Joey Beltran (17-13) is scheduled to headline Bellator 168. The event takes place inside Mandela Forum. ' ' '