Sunday, February 23, 2014
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Monday, February 3, 2014
Final Takeaways: Seahawks Win the Super Bowl
By: Jackson Safon
Your Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl
champions. Say it again. And again. And again. And again. You can say it over
and over again for at least 363 more days and it will be the truth the entire
time. I have had the good fortune of being a Boston sports fan my entire life,
so this is not my first championship, however; it is the first time my hometown
city has won a championship. Let me tell you, it is very very different. The
togetherness of this city is remarkable. The fact that there is even a
conversation being had about cancelling school for the victory parade on
Wednesday is proof that this city is crazy about its Seahawks. The pure elation
that this entire city felt yesterday, from 3:40 PM onward is absolutely
incredible. Even when the excitement starts to wear off, you will always know
that 2014 will be a great year because every single day in it, the Seattle
Seahawks will still be world champions.
1. Boom
That is the title of the newest
edition of Sports Illustrated and I think it sums it up pretty well. The
Seahawks dominated the Broncos from the opening kickoff. You don’t have to win
all three phases of a football game in order to win the game as a whole, but
the Seahawks didn’t want to hear that. Not only did they win every phase of the
game, they dominated it. If the ‘Hawks only had the point from the opening 12
seconds of each half, they would’ve won the game by one. If all of the points
from their offense are taken away, they still win the game by seven. They had
more touchdowns than the Broncos had yards per play. They had more explosive
plays. They had less turnovers. They did everything right, and it was
mesmerizing. Ridiculous of amounts of respect to Peyton Manning, who is the
greatest regular season quarterback of all time, and probably one of the top
five qb’s ever. But the Seattle Seahawks dominated him yesterday, just as they
dominated every single part of that game. Soak it all in Seahawks fans, because
your team just beat the best offense in NFL history 43-8.
The defense as a whole played its best game of the season.
ABC News
2. MVP
In the 2002 Super Bowl, the New England
Patriots did something unprecedented, they were introduced as a team. No
individual names were read, and they came out together. Obviously they went on
to beat the “Greatest Show on Turf” after being double-digit underdogs. The
point is, I believe that no single player should’ve won the Super Bowl MVP
yesterday, but that it should’ve been given to the team. At the very least, to
the entire defense. That is no insult to Malcolm Smith, because he played an
outstanding game. But there is no way you can say he was any more deserving of
the MVP than Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril, Russell Wilson, Percy Harvin, or any
other member of the Seahawks. They played as a team the entire season and they
won as a team.
3. Pedestrians
Pedestrian (adj.) – lacking in
vitality or distinction, commonplace. This has been the word often used to
describe the Seahawks receiving corps, most notably by ESPN analyst Cris
Carter. A word I would use to describe their play yesterday would be a lot closer
to fantastic. Percy Harvin was electric. Doug Baldwin came up big every time we
needed him to. Jermaine Kearse was playing pinball out there, with the
defenders bouncing off him. I no longer have any fears about this group of
receivers going forward and while I think it is likely and probably wise that
the ‘Hawks draft a receiver this year, I now think it should be prioritized
well below offensive line, which was not the case beforehand.
Jermaine Kearse had a monster day and represented UW well.
Seattle Times
4. Dynasty?
The NFL imposed a hard salary cap in
order to prevent dynasties from happening. Without the ability to pay all of a
team’s best players the money they want, many teams will be forced to let
players go, which naturally prevents that team from winning another
championship. This team however, is one that has the potential to buck that idea. It is not a guarantee it will happen.
It’s probably not even likely. But it’s possible. They have the best young
talent in the NFL, with only two of their stars having contracts up after next
year, and they have the best General Manager in football. With John Schneider’s
ability to draft well and Pete Carroll’s ability to develop talent, the Seahawks
could conceivably let a few guys walk and still succeed. Furthermore, because
they have the ability to acquire talent for very cheap, it is conceivable that
they keep Russell Wilson and the entire Legion of Boom. If you don’t believe
me, go ask @DavisHsuSeattle on Twitter. He is a salary cap genius and will
prove you wrong. Point being, the ‘Hawks are here to stay so let’s enjoy the
ride.
This being the last game of the
season, it is naturally my last “Takeaways” post. I hope I could help educate
you on the game while being the least bit entertaining as well. I highly
encourage you to keep following the Seattle Sports Soup team even if you are
only here for the Seahawks. We are adding writers and will have high quality
content for every level of fan for every Seattle sport. Thanks for a great
season 12’s.
Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well. Keep checking back for more updates.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
The Seahawks Are Super Bowl Champions
By Marshall Cherrington
No words can describe what this means to the city of Seattle, the first professional sports championship in 30 years. The Seahawks absolutely destroyed the Broncos in a matchup of the number one defense and number one offense on Sunday night. Did anybody think it would be that big of a blowout? No way. And that's what makes it so awesome. The Seahawks, again, did something nobody though they could do. Many people around America didn't even think they would win the game. Want proof of that? Just look at this ESPN poll:
I don't have much else to say right now other than we finally did it. The Seahawks are Super Bowl Champions. Let that sink in right now. But just know that there are more on the way.
Takeaways will be up tomorrow most likely and there should be a Wednesday Wanderings this week. Until then 'Hawks fans...
No words can describe what this means to the city of Seattle, the first professional sports championship in 30 years. The Seahawks absolutely destroyed the Broncos in a matchup of the number one defense and number one offense on Sunday night. Did anybody think it would be that big of a blowout? No way. And that's what makes it so awesome. The Seahawks, again, did something nobody though they could do. Many people around America didn't even think they would win the game. Want proof of that? Just look at this ESPN poll:
I don't have much else to say right now other than we finally did it. The Seahawks are Super Bowl Champions. Let that sink in right now. But just know that there are more on the way.
Takeaways will be up tomorrow most likely and there should be a Wednesday Wanderings this week. Until then 'Hawks fans...
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Seahawks vs. Broncos: Prediction Time
The Super Bowl is finally upon us. We've prepared you guys all week leading up to the game with in-depth analysis, positional breakdowns and key matchups to watch for. Each writer here at Seattle Sports Soup has paid close attention to the media surrounding the big game and has watched all the big time outlets predict the game. Now it's our turn. Here are out Super Bowl 48 predictions.
Marshall Cherrington, Editor-In-Chief
The Seattle Seahawks are in the freakin’ Super Bowl. Now even though there is no way I am going to pick against them, if I was a neutral observer, I would still pick the Seahawks. Jackson did a great job with his series of statistical analysis articles and you should go read them all. It’ll give you more insight into what this matchup really looks like on paper. Anyways, I think the Seahawks overall have a more skilled roster than the Broncos. This is one of the main reasons why I think the Seahawks are going to win. With the cold weather, there could be some injuries and that does not bode well for the Broncos. If one of their starters goes down, it might not be good news for Peyton Manning's team. The Broncos are already playing with multiple backups starting and digging further into the depth chart probably doesn't sound to appeasing to Broncos fans. Another reason I think the Seahawks are going to win is because they matchup so well against the Broncos. The best position group on the Broncos, besides QB, is the wide receiver core. The best position group on the Seahawks? The secondary. Great matchup right there. Jackson broke down the matchup, position group by position group yesterday in his Super Bowl preview and somehow the Broncos came out on top, winning 6 position groups to 5 position groups. I think that is horrible analysis by Jackson, but he’s provided enough good analysis that he gets a free pass this time. In every position group that the Broncos are better than the Seahawks in, the Seahawks aren’t far behind when it comes to talking about skill level. In every position group that the Seahawks are better than the Broncos in, the Broncos are clearly behind. I think this gap in talent will play a big part in the game, but there’s one position group where the Broncos have a huge advantage. Can anyone guess? Yeah, that would be the quarterback position. I think the game will come down to Russell Wilson leading the team down the field to kick a field goal to win it. What a story that would be. Not the defense for once. Should be a fun one to watch.
Seattle 30, Denver 27
Jackson Safon, Senior Writer
Prediction time! I am going to put my official score prediction as 27-23, a slight change from my prediction before of 27-24. The Seahawks are going to win for a couple of reasons. First, they are the only team in the entire NFL, possibly in NFL history that can match up with all of the Broncos weapons. The Legion of Boom is physical, talented, and disciplined, the three most important characteristics when playing the type of defense that the Seahawks do. Additionally, the ‘Hawks are very balanced on offense, which will allow them to control the clock. As the Chargers showed, to beat the Broncos, the most important thing to do is keep Peyton Manning off the field. The Chargers time of possession was almost 39 minutes. While I do not think the Seahawks necessarily have to go that far, controlling the clock and controlling field position with their balanced offense will be a key to their success. With all the talk about statistics in this game, myself included, I believe the game could boil down to three stats: Turnovers, red-zone efficiency, and explosive plays. Explosive plays have become an official stat in the NFL, and they consist of runs over 12 yards and passes over 20 yards. I believe the Seahawks will have to win two of those three stats, and possibly all three in order to win the game. The Seahawks had the best turnover differential in the league and the best red-zone defense. But the Broncos have the best red-zone offense, and a quarterback that has only thrown 11 interceptions in almost 800 attempts, if you include the playoffs. It will no doubt be a fantastic game, but I believe Russell Wilson will make just enough plays and the defense will force a turnover or two which will lead the Seahawks to a victory.
Seattle 27, Denver 23
Kevin Calderhead, Staff Writer
Seattle 31, Denver 27
Lukie Crowley, Staff Writer
Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well. Keep checking back for more updates!
Marshawn Lynch could be the difference in the game.
Sports Illustrated
Marshall Cherrington, Editor-In-Chief
The Seattle Seahawks are in the freakin’ Super Bowl. Now even though there is no way I am going to pick against them, if I was a neutral observer, I would still pick the Seahawks. Jackson did a great job with his series of statistical analysis articles and you should go read them all. It’ll give you more insight into what this matchup really looks like on paper. Anyways, I think the Seahawks overall have a more skilled roster than the Broncos. This is one of the main reasons why I think the Seahawks are going to win. With the cold weather, there could be some injuries and that does not bode well for the Broncos. If one of their starters goes down, it might not be good news for Peyton Manning's team. The Broncos are already playing with multiple backups starting and digging further into the depth chart probably doesn't sound to appeasing to Broncos fans. Another reason I think the Seahawks are going to win is because they matchup so well against the Broncos. The best position group on the Broncos, besides QB, is the wide receiver core. The best position group on the Seahawks? The secondary. Great matchup right there. Jackson broke down the matchup, position group by position group yesterday in his Super Bowl preview and somehow the Broncos came out on top, winning 6 position groups to 5 position groups. I think that is horrible analysis by Jackson, but he’s provided enough good analysis that he gets a free pass this time. In every position group that the Broncos are better than the Seahawks in, the Seahawks aren’t far behind when it comes to talking about skill level. In every position group that the Seahawks are better than the Broncos in, the Broncos are clearly behind. I think this gap in talent will play a big part in the game, but there’s one position group where the Broncos have a huge advantage. Can anyone guess? Yeah, that would be the quarterback position. I think the game will come down to Russell Wilson leading the team down the field to kick a field goal to win it. What a story that would be. Not the defense for once. Should be a fun one to watch.
Seattle 30, Denver 27
Jackson Safon, Senior Writer
Prediction time! I am going to put my official score prediction as 27-23, a slight change from my prediction before of 27-24. The Seahawks are going to win for a couple of reasons. First, they are the only team in the entire NFL, possibly in NFL history that can match up with all of the Broncos weapons. The Legion of Boom is physical, talented, and disciplined, the three most important characteristics when playing the type of defense that the Seahawks do. Additionally, the ‘Hawks are very balanced on offense, which will allow them to control the clock. As the Chargers showed, to beat the Broncos, the most important thing to do is keep Peyton Manning off the field. The Chargers time of possession was almost 39 minutes. While I do not think the Seahawks necessarily have to go that far, controlling the clock and controlling field position with their balanced offense will be a key to their success. With all the talk about statistics in this game, myself included, I believe the game could boil down to three stats: Turnovers, red-zone efficiency, and explosive plays. Explosive plays have become an official stat in the NFL, and they consist of runs over 12 yards and passes over 20 yards. I believe the Seahawks will have to win two of those three stats, and possibly all three in order to win the game. The Seahawks had the best turnover differential in the league and the best red-zone defense. But the Broncos have the best red-zone offense, and a quarterback that has only thrown 11 interceptions in almost 800 attempts, if you include the playoffs. It will no doubt be a fantastic game, but I believe Russell Wilson will make just enough plays and the defense will force a turnover or two which will lead the Seahawks to a victory.
Seattle 27, Denver 23
Kevin Calderhead, Staff Writer
If
the Hawks are going to win Super Bowl XLVIII, it’ll be because of their
defense. Seattle cannot afford to get into a shootout with Peyton Manning’s
number one offense. Thankfully, the Seahawks’ number one defense has the
ability to combat the Denver powerhouse.
It
would be fair to say that the Seattle defense has more depth than the Grand
Canyon. I’ll start with the defensive line: Avril, Bennett, Irvin, Mebane,
McDaniel, Bryant, McDonald. This defensive line needs to get to Manning, and
quick, because Manning gets the ball out faster than any other quarterback in
the NFL. It won’t be easy; Denver also had the best pass protection in the
league this season. But because of the depth, the D-line can stay fresh the
whole game and give us a pretty good shot at pressuring Peyton.
I
also like the matchups we have in the secondary; Denver’s Wes Welker, Demaryius
Thomas, Julius Thomas and Eric Decker up against Seattle’s Richard Sherman, Kam
Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Byron Maxwell. Throw in Thurmond and Lane and you
have a shutdown secondary. It is
guaranteed that there will be some Legion of Boom highlights on Sunday. Don’t
forget that our linebackers have done a pretty good job of stifling opposing
tight ends this year as well. If Manning gets pressured and all his receivers
are covered, hopefully the Hawks’ D can force some turnovers.
Moving
on to the offensive side of the ball. Russell Wilson has to have an effective
game through the air in order to depart a victor. He has to establish the pass
to open up the running game for Beast Mode, Robert Turbin, and not to mention
himself. Russell has to play smart and not force throws to well covered
receivers, which he is perfectly capable of doing.
Oh
yeah, that’s right. PERCY HARVIN. Having Percy back gives the Hawks an
automatic special teams advantage on kickoffs, and he’s a huge addition to
Golden Tate and Jermaine Kearse at receiver. And a note to Russell on what I mentioned
in the last paragraph: Go ahead and throw to Harvin when he’s covered. He’ll probably
catch it anyways.
Seattle 31, Denver 27
Lukie Crowley, Staff Writer
First
of all, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Lukie Crowley and I am a
senior in high school at Overlake NOT Redmond but I still support the Mustangs
being from Redmond. I will be writing here every so often and am excited to be
welcomed in by Marshall and Jackson beyond our Twitter conversations. Now let’s
get to the business and Go Hawks.
There
has been talk all week and throughout the season about the Broncos having the
best offense in the NFL and the Seahawks having the best defense. A classic
matchup in which it seems surreal, as firstly it is rare to see the two #1
seeds advance to the Super Bowl but secondly the #1 offense and defense
colliding with each other is a dream come true for all fans. In my opinion,
defense always overpowers offense and history tends to agree with me. Chase
Stuart from Football-Perspective.com provides some excellent research on
this subject (h/t to Steve Rudman from Sportspressnw.com):
There
have been 10 Super Bowls with the #1 offense and defense facing each other or
the ones with greatest difference in scored vs. allowed). Eight have been won
by the defense.
Year
|
Offense
(Average PPG)
|
Defense
(Average PPG Allowed)
|
Result/Winner
|
1966
(First SB)
|
Chiefs
(32.0)
|
Packers
(11.6)
|
GB/Defense
|
1967
|
Raiders
(33.4)
|
Packers
(14.9)
|
GB/Defense
|
1968
|
Jets
(29.9)
|
Colts
(13.4)
|
NYJ/Offense
|
1969
|
Vikings
(27.1)
|
Chiefs
(12.6)
|
KC/Defense
|
1971
|
Cowboys
(29.0)
|
Dolphins
(12.4)
|
Dal/Offense
|
1984
|
Dolphins
(32.1)
|
49ers
(14.2 blegh)
|
SF/Defense
|
1991
|
Bills
(28.6)
|
Redskins
(14.0)
|
Wash/Defense
|
2001
|
Rams
(31.4)
|
Patriots
(17.0)
|
NE/Defense
|
2002
|
Raiders
(28.1)
|
Buccaneers
(12.3)
|
TB/Defense
|
2007
|
Patriots
(36.8)
|
Giants
(21.9)
|
NYG/Defense
|
Now
the Broncos averaged 37.9 PPG throughout the season (!!!) higher than any of
the Super Bowls that were noted here and the Seahawks allowed 14.4 PPG. After
looking how the matchups have gone in past SB’s I believe the Seahawks will win
based on the stout defense. Everyone (including Colin Kaepernick) http://t.co/rzxyLgxFoO seems to the nickel
corner is a weak point in the defense but I think Walter Thurmond will step
under the pressure. I think he will have an INT and make a big play with Zach
Miller (Who Jackson seems to hate) having 2 TD receptions. But all in all
Russell Wilson will have the biggest game in the biggest game of his life, and will be named Super Bowl MVP.
After careful consideration, my prediction: Go Hawks!
Seattle 27, Denver 17
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