The Seattle Seahawks claimed their franchise's first Super Bowl title on Sunday, beating the Denver Broncos soundly by a score of 43-8. It was awesome.
A lot of people were disappointed with the blowout. They wanted to see lots of pretty passes and last-second touchdowns and probably a 38-35 final. That didn't happen. In fact, the game was effectively over at halftime. And I think it was great for football.
The Seahawks' very construction is everything I think a football team should be. Their offense focuses on a physical running game first, and their passing game is secondary, featuring handsy receivers who appear to take pride in downfield blocking.
Sound familiar?
Russell Wilson succeeded without being the focal point of the offense. He made the plays he needed to on the ground and in the air to put his team in the best position to win. The offense is a total team effort without one superstar taking all the credit.
On the flip side, the Seahawks' defense was suffocating all year. Their physical secondary takes receivers out of a game and their pass rush generates pressure. They got in Peyton Manning's face early and often on Sunday and it ruined him. They forced two interceptions (one for a touchdown) and recovered two fumbles. They also benefitted from a safety on the game's opening play, so really, even if the Seattle offense didn't even show up for the game, the defense would have won the game 10-8 by themselves. Throw in Percy Harvin's kick return in the second half, and the 'Hawks could have won handily without an offense.
Fittingly, the MVP was awarded to Malcolm Smith, a depth linebacker taken late in the draft. It's rare for a defensive player to receive any accolades because the media hates them, but Smith's selection exemplifies the Seahawks defense because it's not about any one player. It's about a unit, as any good defense is. There wasn't a superstar to point to, so I feel that choosing a depth player who was in the right place to take advantage of mistakes his teammates caused is as good a choice as any. I don't know that you could say there was a true "most valuable player," but the Seahawks' defense as a whole is what won the Super Bowl.
So maybe the game wasn't terribly exciting. That's okay. We've been spoiled with Super Bowls lately. What did happen was a team that plays football [what I consider to be] the right way absolutely destroyed a team that was all about offense and not really about defense. A team that drafted an developed good all-around players, especially on defense, dominated a team that made the biggest free agent signing of the modern era in Peyton Manning. Defense trumped offense. It was a beautiful moment for the memory of old-school football.
So in this age of "receiving" tight ends, loud-mouth receivers, and the worst of both worlds, Rob Gronkowski, it's awesome to see a team with Seattle's style not only win, but completely dominate.
