Last season, the Seattle Seahawks stunned the world by absolutely obliterating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. The win itself wasn’t too surprising, however. Many expected the Seahawks to win despite the fact that the Broncos were favored, but the fashion they won in is what made the biggest statement.
The entire game was expected to be a high scoring shootout, but that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, the Seattle defense, and the 12th man, dismantled the high-flying Peyton Manning led offense, culminating in a 43-8 victory. Going into 2014, the NFL and the world will be wondering who will be the next Super Bowl champion, and anyone who has been keeping up with the Seahawks knows that they have the best chance to win back-to-back championships since the New England Patriots dynasty in the early 2000s.
Obviously, winning back-to-back Super Bowls is by no means an easy accomplishment; however, if anyone can do it, it’s this Seahawks team. Before talking about last season, let’s talk about two seasons ago. Remember when the Seattle Seahawks were in the NFC Championship Game and lost to the San Francisco 49ers? If Pete Carroll didn’t try to freeze the 49ers kicker at the end of the game, the Hawks would have been in the Super Bowl and would have had a better shot of beating a mediocre Baltimore Ravens squad. The team that almost made the Super Bowl in 2012 and the team that won it all in 2013 is still mostly intact with the Seahawks today, and many of their key personnel will likely stay with the team. This has to do a lot with the way the Seahawks manage their team.
Unlike many other NFL teams, the Seahawks do not rely on the draft from year to year to build their team. They recruit based on grit and heart. They take a large amount of undrafted players, sign them to cheap contracts, and work with them to build their skills at the NFL level. This unique strategy will be Pete Carroll’s legacy. The fun loving, easy going, level headed coach was recently voted the best coach to play for in the NFL in a survey completed by NFL players. Football players love playing for Carroll because he is a no pressure coach that just wants to share success with his team. This attitude has proven to be great, and is the main reason that the Seahawks always seem to be so passionate.
Perhaps the largest reason why the Seahawks can repeat is because of their player retention. Their players are skilled and they love playing in the rainy city, so many are willing to take a pay cut to stay. QB Russell Wilson, CB Richard Sherman, SS Kam Chancellor, and many more will all be back for the foreseeable future, meaning that this team will be competitive for years to come. Next season, consider this team to be the Super Bowl favorites.
Thank you for reading. Ron Leyba is the lead editor of Fantasy Football Overdose, and a LastWordOnSports Analyst. For more of his NFL articles, follow his updates at NFL Fantasy Football Rankings Facebook or follow him on twitter @ronniedare. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Football fans…check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
