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No doubt that the largest contingency of Seahawks fans outside of the State of Washington had to come from Raleigh, North Carolina and Madison, Wiscon
[See the full post at: A #PACKED Super Bowl Indeed]It went, deservingly so, to linebacker Malcolm Smith who racked up 10 tackles, a forced fumble, an interception, and a touchdown.
Just like the last time the NFL’s most prolific scoring offense in history played in the Super Bowl (Giants vs the 18-0 Patriots at the end of the 2007 season), it was the front 4 of the D-Line that made the difference.
In both games, the front four (alone, without the need of a blitz) generated pressure in the pass rush and essentially shut down the 2 QBs with the 2 most prolific single season passing stats in NFL history.
Everyone on D played their role in impressive fashion, but I think it’s a disservice (a minor one, granted, and not really a big deal) to NOT give the MVP to the D-Line unit as a whole. If rules require it be given to an individual, then a member of the D-Line should have been chosen, with an asterisk noting the recipient is merely a representative of his unit.
I do not know who is responsible for choosing the MVP award, and don’t care to take the time to look it up, but I’m guessing it is the media. This selection shows lack of understanding.
It’s obvious why Smith was chosen – because he performed the most visible part of arguably the most impactful play of the game. Notice I did not say he “made the play”, because he did not. Cliff Avril made the play. If any one individual has to receive the award, it should be Avril.
Soapbox moment over. Awesome defense all the way around.
Congrats ‘Hawks! Congrats Wolfpackers! Congrats me for my Vegas bet last summer!
So, from what I can tell, the based on the way that the NFL salary cap and player salaries “conspire” to work against dynasties, the Seahawks can plan on one more year before they will have to disassemble their team (ala last years Raven’s) in order to sign Russell Wilson to a new contract.
Assuming that Seattle has another very good to great year, you can assume that Russell Wilson will command the $20 million/season kind of money that franchise quarterback (including flacco) get these days.
Also, both Richard Sherman and Jermaine Kerse’s contract end next year also. You can assume between those three guys that it will tie up ~$40 million in cap room (nearly 1/3 of the estimated 2014 cap).
The NFL salary and cap structure are going to cause more teams to go the route that Seattle went this year…keep the QB and most of the skill positions on both offense and defense young, pay for a couple of veteran guys (like Percy Harvin and Marshawn Lynch.
I found myself dreading a remarkable comeback by Manning and a complete meltdown by Seattle in the second half. I commented to my wife, “This is too good to be true. Kind of like watching NC State playing with a lead.” The Wolfpack represented well in the game. I am proud today.
I’m with ya foose. I would have been fine with the entire Hawks D sharing the MVP. [edit] It’s especially ironic that the media spent 2 weeks harping on Sherman’s postgame comments as self-serving and disrespectful to his team, yet the media insists on identifying one person on the team as better than the others.
The game itself was nuts. After the safety, aka the fastest score in SB history, we wondered how long a kickoff runback would take. Harvin answered that question for us. 12 seconds – tie. We joked about needing an INT run back for a TD – bingo. How about a fumble recovery – yep. The only thing I missed was a patented Beast Mode run. Fun day.
Perhaps the best question of the day is….
“Can Russell “just be Russell” in spite of all the fame and fortune headed his way??”
We know he knows how to handle ‘failure’…
Let’s all hope and pray he can handle ‘success’.#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!’88 – I am sure you said what a bunch of us were thinking. Too good to be true, and worried about playing with a lead.
At the beginning of the second half one of the guys I was watching with said, “C’mon Percy, take it to the house.” And that was the end of the game.
^Yep… there’s little question that the toughest job in football or basketball at any level is ” ‘holding on’ to a big lead for the entire second half ” after having a blow-out first half.
I wonder what Seattle’s record might have been if Percy had played in more games….
#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!^ I’m not sure it would have been a whole lot different. No doubt that Harvin is a high caliber talent, but running better than 13-3 in the NFL is a difficult chore.
It’s possible that they might have beaten Arizona and gone 14-2, but Indy’s offense and 49’ers defense were both “spot on” in those games, and I’m not sure that Percy could have changed the equation enough to turn and L into a W.
I’m sure that someone is going to jump me for this, but IMHO opinion that it’s a lot easier to keep your focus on winning when you’ve lost 1 or 2 that you should have won. That, again IMHO is what killing the patriots undefeated season a few years back.
The problem with the MVP award is that the entire team played well, particularly the defense, Wilson, and Harvin.
Agree the DL was great, but so were the LBs, including Smith, and the defensive backs.
Even though his name wasn’t called much in the game, Sherman had a huge impact. Manning threw 49 passes but only threw into Sherman’s coverage 5 times, completing 2 for just 10 yards. Sherman essentially removed whatever receiver lined up to the outside on the right of the Broncos offense. Given that meant generally covering Demaryius Thomas, Decker, or Julius Thomas, that is a huge impact.
And Chancellor was also awesome. He set the tone for the game on the Bronco’s second offensive series — the series right after the safety and ensuing Seahawks FG — when he lowered the (Legion of) Boom on Demaryius Thomas on a crossing route, stopping him for a 2 yard gain. Then after the ensuing punt and subsequent Seahawks FG, on Denver’s next series he first stopped Welker on 1st down for a 5 yard gain, and then intercepted Manning on third down. Denver was soon down 15-0 after having run just 7 plays from scrimmage, and the game was essentially over. Chancellor was the biggest impact player on defense to that point.
Wilson’s numbers also don’t do justice to his play early when the game was still in doubt. On Seattle’s first drive, he converted their first third down with a pass and appeared to scramble for another first down on their second third down, but the refs didn’t give it to him, so they kicked the FG. On Seattle’s second drive, he converted 3 straight third downs on passes, and the last third down was the end zone play Nate broke up, which could have easily been a TD pass. On Seattle’s third drive, which was a short field after Chancellor’s interception, Wilson completed 2 passes to combine with 3 runs to lead to a third down at the Denver 5, and his pass into the end zone drew a DPI penalty to set up Lynch’s TD. Wilson had 104 yards of offense on those drives that led them to the 15-0 lead. The fact that he added 2 TD passes later was just gravy.
So, from what I can tell, the based on the way that the NFL salary cap and player salaries “conspire” to work against dynasties, the Seahawks can plan on one more year before they will have to disassemble their team (ala last years Raven’s) in order to sign Russell Wilson to a new contract.
Assuming that Seattle has another very good to great year, you can assume that Russell Wilson will command the $20 million/season kind of money that franchise quarterback (including flacco) get these days.
Also, both Richard Sherman and Jermaine Kerse’s contract end next year also. You can assume between those three guys that it will tie up ~$40 million in cap room (nearly 1/3 of the estimated 2014 cap).
The NFL salary and cap structure are going to cause more teams to go the route that Seattle went this year…keep the QB and most of the skill positions on both offense and defense young, pay for a couple of veteran guys (like Percy Harvin and Marshawn Lynch.
I agree that Wilson will get big money as soon as they can give it to him. Same for Sherman.
Kearse is easily replaceable. On their roster right now, Harvin, Rice, Tate, and Baldwin are as good or better WRs. Rice might be a cap casualty, and Tate is a UFA, so Kearse might be due for a bigger role next season… but he has a ways to go to earn big money.
As for keeping the QB young, that only works for as long as the rookie contract, and even then requires the team to draft a great one, which is easier said than done. Seattle’s formula going forward will be to keep Wilson for the duration of his career, barring unexpected developments. I’m sure many teams would like to emulate that success, but it doesn’t equate to paying the QB low salary long term.
The reason for Seattle’s success has to do with how good Carroll and GM Schneider have been at finding talent. A large number of key players on this year’s Seahawks team were drafted in the 4th round or later or not drafted at all. They have a good eye for talent that fits their system and a good plan for coaching them up.
I do think other teams will try to emulate the Seahawks’ approach to defensive backs. Their philosophy is to first identify all DBs in the draft or free agency with good speed, then narrow that group down by size, preferring bigger DBs like Sherman and Chancellor. Then they coach them up with a great philosophy with three key principles: (1) Do not give up explosive plays; (2) Punish the receivers at every opportunity; (3) get the ball. They place more emphasis on these principles than any team in the NFL, and it shows.
Perhaps the NFL would benefit by focusing future awards at the team level… Awards that honor a specific player, like the MVP award, are not aligned with the team spirit that many coaches instill in the locker room.
Never understood the Wisconsin vs. N.C. State claim on Russell. Both schools should be proud of him, the man he is, and his success. I actually started pulling for the Badgers after he went there and still will be a fan on occasion when they show up on TV. Glad to hear it’s the no-class (in every sense of the words) fans at UNC-Cheat.
Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy. Mao Zedong
Wilson graduated from State, yes? Then he’s a State grad, regardless of where he played during his final year of eligibility or what feeble minded Holes would like to think. I was happy for his success at Wisc., and like others here think that it helped his draft chances showing that he could play behind a pro-sized line.
re: playing with a lead – I had no doubts at all that Seattle would prevail after the 1st half, and I got the feeling that once Harvin ran the kickoff home the ‘Hawks D was focused on keeping the shutout. A goal within a goal. By the time Denver finally scored it was too late.
Tacking (tackling?) on a point to Tau’s post, it would appear that Seattle teaches how to tackle and actually put the opponent on the ground. I see way too many players – college and pro – go for the strip and allow another yard or two or three. Seattle allowed very little gain after contact yesterday.
I think Russell will always be RUSSELL. Men of great integrity, which he is one of, rarely change who they are. And yes, there are men who appear to have the integrity but don’t, however Russell is not one of those. To me I think the day may come when you see his bust in the HOF, and he will be just as humble that day as he is today. Never once have I seen him EVER do anything that would indicate selfishness or self centeredness. Is he going to make a lot of money? Someday, YEP! My bet is you will see a philanthropic side of him develop that will rival anyone else in sports. Just my 2 cents worth.
Smarter than the average bear
Ok, so Russell did not get a second degree at Wisconsin? That would have been difficult unless it was “very closely related” anyway…but that answers a question I’ve had…
Most of us were skeptical for obvious “height reasons”..I never doubted his arm, his heart, his legs, and most definitely not his “brains” except for the “curve ball” situation.
Of all of the reasons above, the “height” issue is the least important the way he plays the game…but if the D hadn’t have given him the opportunity last night, he may have struggled…
That was a total team effort!!!
I just hope he doesn’t waste his money on a sorry basketball program! Please give to the baseball team! Or academics!
"Whomp 'em, Up, Side the Head"!
I finally found an article in the WSJ that noted that Russell was taking graduate courses At Wisconsin in Educational Leadership. A Masters takes 2 years, right? So for now I’m assuming that his only degree is from State.
As good as Seattle’s GM is, and despite having read and understanding the tenets of Moneyball, he will succumb to the NFL custom and award RW with a $100,000,000 contract. He will join an elite club of overpaid QBs: Flacco, Ben R. and Eli Manning, all of whom should bequest half their salary to those Super Bowl defenses that won them their wealth.
“Luck plays a large role in every story of success; it is almost always easy to identify a small change in the story that would have turned a remarkable achievement into a mediocre outcome.”
“Success = luck + talent; Great success = a little more talent + a lot of luck”
– Daniel Kahneman
Congrats RW, you lucky SOB. Now donate some some of that 100mm to WPC.
I see ’44 is still on his piss and vinegar binge. Dude needs to buy himself a blue pill if he’s that bad off.
Luck? Luck my ass. Preparation, effort, intelligence, perseverance, confidence, faith… luck doesn’t even make the top 10 of the reason’s for Wilson’s success.
Agreed foose. I like the saying “you make your own luck”. And along those lines, here’s an interesting article about “luck”…
“Luck plays a large role in every story of success; it is almost always easy to identify a small change in the story that would have turned a remarkable achievement into a mediocre outcome.”
“Success = luck + talent; Great success = a little more talent + a lot of luck”
– Daniel Kahneman
Congrats RW, you lucky SOB.
I couldn’t disagree more with this post.
As the famous quote goes, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Wilson is known for making sure he takes care of the preparation part, which means he puts himself in position to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.
That’s another way of saying what MrPlywood said, that Wilson made his own luck.
As good as Seattle’s GM is, and despite having read and understanding the tenets of Moneyball, he will succumb to the NFL custom and award RW with a $100,000,000 contract. He will join an elite club of overpaid QBs: Flacco, Ben R. and Eli Manning
As for this, it demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of “the tenets of Moneyball”, a lack of appreciation for Wilson’s talent and worth, and a lack of understanding of how NFL teams need to manage the QB position.
Assuming Wilson doesn’t regress next season, he will get a contract extension from the Seahawks at market value for a top 5-10 NFL QB. And that is absolutely the right move for Seattle. There are not enough quality QBs in existence for each NFL team to have a good one. Letting Wilson go to avoid paying market value would be the dumbest move Seattle could make. Given the implied rationale that it would be to save money, that suggests the team would go with another first or second year, inexperienced player, not a veteran free agent. Do you know what the success rate of young QBs is? It’s not good.
Also, Wilson has been a really good QB to date in his career. His pass attempts have been very low relative to other starting QBs, due to Seattle’s excellent running game and defense. But all of his rate metrics and advanced statistics (a la Moneyball) have been really good and show him to be a legit top 5-10 NFL QB, despite the fact that he has only just finished his second season. He has been far better than Flacco and Eli, and also better than Roethlisberger, though to a lesser degree. Your comparison here illustrates that you don’t have a solid grasp of the performance and accomplishments of the guys you are posting about.
If Seattle let Wilson walk, every team in the NFL not already locked in to a high dollar QB contract would be beating down his door to sign him.
This article explains why Wilson is the greatest young QB of all time.
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