I’m counting the Seahawks’ victory as the Vikings’ fifth Super Bowl loss.
Golly, an entire post-Super Bowl column that just talked about football and completely ignored the most exciting part of the entire evening, the halftime show (which is about the ONLY thing everyone else in the country had something to say about). Were you guys just off making pizza for all of that?
I made pizzas before kickoff. I watched the halftime show and was impressed with the overall production, but I couldn’t care less about all the blather. Not worth my time and energy.
Looking at that picture of John Schneider, I got thinking what his seasons have looked like with Seattle. I was astonished he has only one losing season since 2011, after two 7-9 seasons to start his tenure, and they made the playoffs one of those seasons. Truly amazing. Is his philosophy of building a team closer to Ted Thompson’s or Gutey’s?
Neither, really. Schneider isn’t afraid to roll the dice, and he’s taken the kinds of chances rarely seen in the Thompson and Gutekunst eras until the Micah Parsons trade. But those risks have come with a cost. Various gambles left Seattle with just three draft picks in 2021, and that began a rough stretch of just one playoff appearance over four years (2021-24), and a one-and-done at that. Now the Seahawks have just four draft picks come April, but nobody’s going to complain. It goes to show there isn’t just one way of doing things, and there are different measures of success. Since beating the Packers in the game that shan’t be discussed, the Seahawks didn’t make it back to the NFC title game until winning it this year, while the Packers advanced to three (once by beating Seattle in the divisional round) but never got over the hump. The Seahawks snagged the ultimate prize, and it can never be taken away. But it also must be remembered …
Who would have thought a crazy two-point conversion could impact who goes to the Super Bowl?
… that if not for a goal-line pass that went backwards, bounced off a defender’s helmet and caromed into the end zone, where a Seattle player casually picked it up completely unaware he was scoring two crucial points, the Seahawks don’t get the NFC’s No. 1 seed plus the bye and home field that went along with it. There’s always an element of luck involved in winning it all. Always.
Hey Mike, what do you think the Packers can learn from how Seattle built and managed a Super Bowl-winning team?
I don’t know about learning anything. For me, it was a reminder of the defense Gutey tried to build with the big trade for Parsons – a pass rush that could win consistently without needing to blitz. The Packers didn’t have the depth at corner the Seahawks did, but we’ll see what this offseason brings there.
One thing about this Sunday’s game was the quality of the tackling. The Seahawks did not miss tackles, and the tackles were hard.
While the Patriots had a lot of misses on Walker and Darnold.
Tallon from Castle Rock, CO
The Seahawks’ punter was crazy. I was impressed by Daniel Whelan this year but their punter was so impressive I thought they should have given the MVP to the punter and the kicker! Would’ve been funny.
Three of New England’s drives started at the 2-, 4-, and 6-yard lines after Seattle punts, with a 47.3-yard net average on seven punts total. Dickson was on one.
I, too, believe this team is very close. However, the few holes we do have seem to be glaring. Our draft-and-develop process has served us well over the years, but do you think we approach this draft with a little less “this player has a strong upside,” and a little more “this player can contribute immediately”? Or does that question get answered more accurately after free agency?
When draft-and-develop is the baseline, the process is always going to lean toward upside, because the players who develop into difference-makers, as opposed to the ones who just plug holes, ultimately decide games. For every miss on Josh Jackson in the second round and Jace Sternberger in the third round, there’s finding Tucker Kraft in the third round and Zach Tom in the fourth round. That’s the draft.
What was your favorite game and favorite memory from the 2025 season?
Now with the 2025 NFL season and the Super Bowl behind us, it’s never too early too look forward to the new season. Next year the Seahawks open up vs. the following opponents: Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, Cowboys, Giants, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots and Bears. Come Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, who will the Seahawks play to kick off the 2026 season? The NFL season can’t get here quick enough!
Wow, several good choices there. A rematch of a dynamite NFC title game or lackluster Super Bowl in Week 1? We shall see. But I wonder if the league will pick the Bears, for the conference title game that almost was and the team that will inevitably have more hype surrounding it this offseason than any other.
II, with more games scheduled for overseas, do you ever see a time when the SB would be played overseas? I can’t imagine it would but you never know.
I wouldn’t rule it out forever but don’t see it as an imminent possibility.
I saw a wonderful little headline Friday. “Woodson chooses liquor over ownership stake in the Browns.” Given a choice between owning a piece of the Browns and a good stiff drink, which would you choose? (I think the choice is obvious.)
Ha. Well, to be clear, Woodson actually chose to keep his name and likeness on his burgeoning wine and whiskey businesses, which wouldn’t have been allowed had he been part of an ownership group of an NFL franchise. Classic Woodson savvy, always aware of where and how he can best make his mark.