Super Bowl XLVIII: Seahawks vs Broncos

[Danny Darko]

VS.






SuperBowl XLVIII: Seahawks Swinging for the Fences


Old AFC foes get to square off in a battle of QBs old and Young






Injury update:



Seahawks-

TBA


Donkeys

TBA


Danny's .02:

1. Crossing route picks vs the Legion of Boom

The Seahawks success in man coverage will be challenged by the rubs the Broncos have affectively used. They have big receivers and even Wes Welker likes to spike the occasional defender in the knee.

2. Opening sequence jitters vs turnovers

Jeez i would rather play D on the first possession of the game. These players are getting to the pinnacle of why they play and we've seen it time and time again... fumble fingers in kick or first few plays. Would be a lovely sequence to have our D or Special teams get an early recovery and short field for Russ and company to work in.

3. The Percy Affect

60+ Mill for 2 & a half games? Shoot, if he looks like the MVP of the league again watch out, but again... I like him as a decoy after he gets an early opportunity and I do not want to see Kearse lose all his reps the way he's been so clutch this year. I

4. No Ad-Fan-tage
Sorry for that, but the Seahawks have been home for weeks now... you have to wonder if they will be road warriors and what the ratio of Broncos to Seahawks fans will be in NY. Let's hope NY likes Sherms brooklyn style trash talk.


Predictions-
Seattle 21 Broncos 17

[THUND3RSTRUCK]

Remember the 1985 Chicago Bears? Buddy Ryan’s feared ’46 zone’.

How do the 2013 Seahawks compare to that legendary defense?

By the numbers

Bears / Seahawks

Rushing TDs: 6 / 4
Passing TDs: 16 / 16
Total TDs: 22 / 20
Rushing Yds: 1319 / 1626
Passing Yds: 2816 / 2752
Total Yds: 4135 / 4378
Pts. Allowed: 198 / 231
Fumbles: 20 / 17
INTs: 34 / 28
Tot. Turnovers: 54 / 45
Defensive TDs: 5 / 4

The ’85 Bears gave up 2 more touchdowns than this year’s Seahawks, but allowed fewer field goals. Their defense created 9 more turnovers (a legendary mark @ 54), but every other stat only slightly favors the Bears. But stats aren’t everything, unless we put them into better context…

In 1985, there were no flags for helmet to helmet hits, low hits, hitting a defenseless receiver, or coughing too close to a franchise QB. In short, today’s NFL overwhelmingly favors the offense. That the Seahawks have managed to post ‘85 Bear-like numbers in today’s game is a testament to their elite defensive play.

And don’t forget their opponents…

The ’85 Bears played in the miserable NFC Central. At the time, they had 4 Division Rivals:
• Green Bay Packers (8-8)
• Minnesota Vikings (7-9)
• Detroit Lions (7-9)
• Tampa Bay Bucs (2-14)

1985 NFC Central Winning% = .488
Rest of Division Record = .375

They got to play 8 games vs. sub-.500 teams within their weak division. In fact, if you remove the ’85 Bears from the equation, NFC Central teams only won 24 out of 64 games – a winning percentage of 37.5%.


The 2013 Seahawks, on the other hand, play in the toughest division in the NFL, the NFC West. True, they only have 3 Division Rivals – but all are tough:
• SF 49ers (12-4)
• Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
• St. Louis Rams (7-9)

2013 NFC West Winning% = .656
Rest of Division Record = .604

In contrast to the Bears, the Seahawks were forced to play 6 division games vs. teams which won an astounding 60.4% of their games. Additionally, they played Carolina (12-4), Indianapolis (11-5), and New Orleans (11-5) – winning 2 of 3.

Obviously, none of this matters unless the Seahawks hoist that Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 2nd. Until then, their defense will be just a footnote in the NFL record-books. If they can dismantle Manning en route to their first SB victory, they will be right there in the conversation of ‘Best of All-Time’ – right along with the legendary 1985 Bears.

[Bulltalk]

After we beat the Niners, and for most of the season, I just wasn't that fearful of an AFC team that we might meet in the Super Bowl, should we get there. Not over-confident (anything can happen, and the Broncos a very good team), but pretty confident, nonetheless, at least a few degrees more so than when we met the Niners.

Perhaps it's all the hype about the Broncos, about what a close matchup the game is, perhaps I somewhat underestimated the Broncos, but now I'm starting to feel more edgy about this game.

I do believe, however, if our offense plays well, if we develop a nice rhythm between our passing game and running game early on, control the ball and time of possession and limit Manning's opportunities, we should be just fine. Right?

[Danny Darko]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8JNPXdSmhQ#t=22[/youtube]

[TTown]

it's tough. i went over in the san fran thread about all the championships i've seen my teams win (read: zero), so i have this professional sports inferiority complex when it comes to the big stage. until it happens, i think a (large) part of me just assumes it never will.

so it's hard to get over that. but just looking at the game itself, in a bubble, yeah, i feel kind of good about it. i think some of our offensive foibles of late has stemmed from going up against a gauntlet of really awesome defenses to close the regular season + playoffs, and i think the coaches are going to let RW go nuts with his feet today after (seemingly) trying to spare him any additional hits all year (good choice, obviously; the pass protection...). denver isn't bad defensively, but it's hard to really put into words just how freaking awesome the nfc west was defensively this year. collectively, as a group, we've gone from the sisters of the poor to a bunch of teams that will flat out beat the snot out of you.

anyhow. their biggest strength plays into our biggest strength. i think if we can limit our own miscues (let's not fumble at the one, aye?) we're going to be okay. should be a hell of a game.

[Sweezo]

it's tough. i went over in the san fran thread about all the championships i've seen my teams win (read: zero), so i have this professional sports inferiority complex when it comes to the big stage. until it happens, i think a (large) part of me just assumes it never will.

Same here, but I have complete faith in this team. When the Sonics played the Bulls in the Finals I figured the Bulls would kill us...and they did. When Oregon played Auburn in the BCS Championship I figured Auburn would beat us...and they did. About the only team I rooted for that I expected to actually win it all was the '01 Mariners, and yet I wasn't shocked when they failed to succeed.

But this team? They've earned my complete confidence. Their mindset is amazing and our team is more talented than the Broncos. There's only one player on the Broncos that stands head and shoulder above everyone else, and we all know who it is. But Russell's not chopped liver.

I think our team matches up as well as anyone could against Manning. Even if the defensive line cannot constantly get to Manning, they will have their chances and our coverage is strong enough to force Manning to constantly look for short gains over the middle. We should limit big plays, and long drives with small chunks GIVE our pass rush more chances to get to Manning.

Our offense has the ability to control the clock and limit Denver's possessions.

I'm not worried. I'm excited. Let's do this ****.

[Bulltalk]

Everywhere you go, it's Seahawks out here. I just went to Safeway and all employees are wearing Seahawks jerseys or t-shirts. You can start a conversation with just about anyone about them. Local radio and TV are all talking about and signing off with go Hawks in one form or another. I've heard more songs, poems, slogans being rewritten to incorporate the Seahawk story. It's like the days before Xmas in that single-minded theme, anticipation and excitement. Really cool. Really fun.

I heard a lot of people opining about the game. The one that stuck out to me was pretty simple when this person on the radio said "I just think the Seahawks are going to find some way to win the game."

I certainly hope so. Like Sweezo, I feel good going in, not like we're climbing some mountain, having to pull off something unlikely, some upset to do it. I think we're the better team. And there's a good spirit and a quiet, focused confidence in this bunch of players and coaches.

Go Seahawks!

[Sweezo]

Everywhere you go, it's Seahawks out here. I just went to Safeway and all employees are wearing Seahawks jerseys or t-shirts. You can start a conversation with just about anyone about them. Local radio and TV are all talking about and signing off with go Hawks in one form or another. I've heard more songs, poems, slogans being rewritten to incorporate the Seahawk story. It's like the days before Xmas in that single-minded theme, anticipation and excitement. Really cool. Really fun.

I was in court this morning and the judge had his robe unzipped so he could display his Russell Wilson jersey. It's nuts.

Totally off-topic, but how awesome is this?

Packers tight end Jermichael Finley had plenty to say during a visit with PFT Live from Radio Row on Friday.

+++++++++

Finley said he’s eyeballing a team that already is on the verge of getting to the promised land.

“I mean there’s a couple of teams I would love and would be on the first flight out to play with but like I said the Packers are going to come at me with something and I’m going to go to them first and see what they’ve got and if it’s not I would love to be on the first flight out to good old Seattle,” Finley said.

Consider also that Pete Carroll was voted the most popular coach in the league and boy, are things looking up not only for now but for the future. Whether Finley is a good fit or a good idea is immaterial. The point is a top shelf free agent has gone out of his way to say that this is where he wants to be.

Remember overpaying Miller and Rice to get SOMEONE here? I think those days are gone. We may pay a ton to keep cornerstones like Russell/Serm/ET but that's to be expected. Overpaying free agents is what the team felt it had to do to get things going, much like the M's with Cano, and in part it worked. But now people actually want to come here. Players like what Carroll's doing because he treats them like adults. How many coaches would have made Sherm's life miserable after his little outburst? Instead, Carroll just leaves him alone. And then Sherman goes a LOVE letter to his coach to tell the world how he feels about the man. A letter where he talks about the flood of his peers asking about PC and indicating intrigue in playing for him.

There's something to be said for working for someone you want to work for. That you respect. Carroll's proven he can build an NFL contender, now he just needs to prove he can win it all at this level. To exorcise the lingering wisps of demons in New England and New York. He's been vindicated on nearly ever other level and this is the last hurdle in what could be--rather shockingly--a Hall of Fame coaching career.

[Bulltalk]

^^^Great post.

I love sports. I've loved playing them. I've loved coaching them. I've loved organizing them in my community. I've loved being a fan of them. I learned how to read at a sophisticated level reading the sports page when I was just a young kid of 6-7-8-9-10. I learned more about mathematics as a kid growing up from sport's statistics than anything else. I've loved the drama of sports. You win or you lose. There's only one champion. What could be more dramatic than that?

We're going to win this effing game. I think we're not only going to win this game that we're not supposed to, that the odds and the preponderance of opinions from the "experts" seem to portend, I think we're going to win it in a bit more convincing manner than most would have ever expected.

That's my prediction.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

[Sweezo]

So far, no stories about a player getting arrested for soliciting a prostitute or being hospitalized after getting clocked with a street sign [which really screwed us in '05]. On to victory...

[mojomarc]

Wow! First play from scrimmage! Go Hawks!

[Bulltalk]

An effing clinic. We're putting on an effing clinic on defense. That first half was like an hour and a half blowjob.

GO HAWKS!!!

[Sweezo]

An effing clinic. We're putting on an effing clinic on defense. That first half was like an hour and a half blowjob.

GO HAWKS!!!

My internet is limited today...but is this **** for real? Is this really happening? Christ guys, let's score a TD on the first drive of the second half and end this ****.

[Brandon-Clyde]

I love being up 22-0 at the half but I am not going to celebrate yet. There is still another entire half to be played and the Seahawks need to play just as tough in the 2nd half as they did in the first

[Sweezo]

I love being up 22-0 at the half but I am not going to celebrate yet. There is still another entire half to be played and the Seahawks need to play just as tough in the 2nd half as they did in the first

That first drive in the second half is so huge...if they can eat some clock and get a TD, Denver's going to get desperate.

[Sweezo]

I love being up 22-0 at the half but I am not going to celebrate yet. There is still another entire half to be played and the Seahawks need to play just as tough in the 2nd half as they did in the first

That first drive in the second half is so huge...if they can eat some clock and get a TD, Denver's going to get desperate.

[TTown]

just... wow. it was like pete scripted those first 30 minutes.

keep playing D and let's get marshawn going.

love RW on 3rd downs today. picked a nice game to start getting really good at converting.

[Bulltalk]

No celebration yet. No doubt. But I don't think the Hawks are thinking such a thing either. They want to drive this one home as hard as they can.

30 minutes guys!

Back to my little party now...

GO HAWKS!!!

[Brandon-Clyde]

I love being up 22-0 at the half but I am not going to celebrate yet. There is still another entire half to be played and the Seahawks need to play just as tough in the 2nd half as they did in the first

That first drive in the second half is so huge...if they can eat some clock and get a TD, Denver's going to get desperate.

Even a FG after a 3-5 minute drive would be huge as it would make it a 4 score lead. The Seahawks need to use time on every possession they have and force Denver to use a lot of time on any possession they do score. Every score Seattle gets, even a fg, puts greater pressure on the Bronco's. The one thing Seattle must avoid is turnovers on offense

[Brandon-Clyde]

Percy Harvin just justified the picks we traded for him