Finally getting down from the High of the Seahawk's victory. I felt so good for the city of Seattle. And I felt good for all the Lower Mainland Seattle sports supporters. And I know there is a good contingent of us. For me and my close buddies (some at the parade today), Seattle is like a brother city. I felt joy as a kid when the 1979 Sonics got the championship, but more frequently I felt the pain when the Mariners lost in the playoffs, when the Sonics lost to the Bulls, when the Steelers took the Superbowl. We were bonded by the pain our respective sports franchises have consistently administered to us. So when the seconds ticked away on Sunday, I had this incredible pride for the city. Like a brother doing well.
So it felt reaffirming when Seahawk DT Brandon Mebane gave a shout out to Vancouver in a King5 post game interview. When asked about who will be at the parade "...Vancouver will definitely be there".
About the game,
One point I want to make is the psychological aspect of it. There really was a perfect storm brewing against the Broncos. From a motivational point of view, I could not imagine a better scenario for the Seahawks.
Let's start with the team. They were discounted all year by the
(American) national media. Consistently being ignored, ranked 3rd or 4th in power rankings despite having the toughest schedule of all the top teams.
Then, when most of the general public and even some media get their first look at Seattle all season, it was in a tough NFC championship battle which they squeeked out a win. On the other hand, the record breaking Broncos win or rather dominate an injury riddled Patriot team, both extremely followed teams across the country I might add. The general fan looks at this and thinks "Hey, is this all Seattle is? They are overrated". National polls show 67% of America think the Broncos will win. Vegas odds jump to -2.5 Denver. The weather even gets better and contributes to the perceived Bronco advantage. CNNSI, ESPN, Fox Sports, all clearly reflect this in their articles leading up to the superbowl.
Add to this the outburst by Sherman after the NFC Championship. This was gold to the largely based eastern media (reminded me of the media and a certain quote in 2011 by a certain Vancouver goaltender regarding pumping something). Lynch not talking to us? Well, we'll show him. That was the mentality that drove the media, and more importantly social media, to generally villify one team and diefy the other (which had a hugely popular and loved Peyton Manning).
Don't think that this goes unnoticed by the players. One recurring theme from the Seahawk's players all year is that they play with a chip on their shoulder. Either undrafted or drafted late, they were forgotten, dismissed all their careers. They were told they were too small, too slow, not good enough. What do you think seeing this reaffirmed on their TV's, on their phones, on podcasts, do to them? In an article in CNNSI today, Doug Baldwin stated after watching on ESPN three of four analysts pick the Broncos to win "...I look at my brother Kam’s face, I see anger exuding from his pores".
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/02/05/doug-baldwin-super-bowl-xlviii-seahawks-diary/
Just a perfect storm of pent up frustration and anger symbolized by that first Kam Chancellor hit on Demaryius Thomas.