CHENEY – Tell me why the national media is picking the Panthers, Cowboys, Redskins, Giants, Bears and even the Falcons as the NFC rep for Super Bowl XLI and leaving the Seahawks in the same throng as Ball State.
The schedule is challenging, but not impossible. Much has been made about the loss of All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson, wide receiver Joe Jurevicius and cornerback Andre Dyson, but the front office more than made up for any losses with offseason acquisitions of wide receiver Nate Burleson, linebacker Julian Peterson and others, along with first-round draft choice Kelly Jennings, a corner who could start the season opener.
The fear is – and I hesitate to even bring it up, given the unquestioned, prodigious intelligence of today’s media – that the so-called “Super Bowl runner-up curse” is swaying otherwise clear-thinking members of the press.
You’ve heard of the trend. Since 1999, the Super Bowl loser has turned into polenta – or at least fell short of expectations.
The 1999 Falcons started the following season 0-4 and lost Jamal Anderson and didn’t make the playoffs. The 2000 Titans were 13-3, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Ravens. The 2001 Giants finished 7-9, as did the 2002 Rams. The 2003 Raiders slumped to 4-12. The Panthers started 2004 at 1-7 before rallying to 7-9. The 2005 Eagles, after four straight division titles and a loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, finished 6-10.
The Dreaded Injury Plague always is the wild card in all this, of course, but the bet here is that the Seahawks will break the trend. They’re doing and saying all the right things. They know they’re going to be a target every week.
And all indications are that last season is in the rearview mirror.
“It’s a different team and a different year,” fullback Mack Strong said. “Everyone’s working hard so we can get back to the game this year. People are going to be gunning for us. People are going to measure themselves against us. So last year is both a blessing and a curse.”
Leading the fight against complacency is head coach Mike Holmgren.
Much more hands-on this training camp than we’re used to seeing, Holmgren has shown his cranky side, from cutting off practice last week (in effect, throwing the entire team off the field because of sloppiness) to verbally squeezing greater yardage out of routes the tight ends were running one day to haranguing the offense to snap it up in seven-on-seven drills.
The head dude’s fury is an awesome eruption. And he’s not afraid to unleash it.
“I’m very pleased with how the guys are practicing,” Holmgren said after Monday morning’s session, in which he let loose multiple temper blasts. “We had one day where they were not into it the way I would like them into it. Today, I was just enjoying practice and getting competitive myself. That’s OK. I have to get the blood circulating a little bit.”
It doesn’t hurt the team that he’s been through both defending a Super Bowl title and coming back as a runner-up. As the second-place occupant, the only goal is getting back to The Big One and winning it. He knows it and knows the route.
Sure, the Seahawks aren’t without weaknesses. The punt- and kick-return teams did little that could be termed “exciting.” The defense gave up too many yards. But the other three teams in the division all have more critical issues. The Cardinals are improved, but clearly aren’t Seahawk quality yet. The Rams have a new coaching staff and the 49ers are rebuilding. It helps the win-loss record that the Seahawks are a good team in a bad division.
Maybe they won’t match last season’s 14-2 regular-season mark, but the Seahawks made enough moves in the offseason to improve the end product. The greatest difference shown in camp so far is speed on the defensive side of the ball. Peterson is everywhere. Lofa Tatupu has a year’s experience and is even better than he was at the end of last season. Jennings is learning, but shows great promise. Ken Hamlin, who missed most of last year from head injuries stemming from an off-field incident, is playing as though he never left.
“Anytime you have great team speed on defense, you have a chance to be much better,” Holmgren said. “Defense is very much about speed – reaction and speed. We have good speed on defense.”
They still have Shaun Alexander, the league’s MVP. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck led the highest-scoring offense in the NFL last year. Add Burleson to the mix and the team has a deep threat it hasn’t had in years. Then there’s that super offensive line.
The defense had 50 sacks last year and may well have more with Peterson’s presence. How does a starting linebacking crew of Peterson, Tatupu and Leroy Hill sound?
Forget curses. Forget trends. Barring an injury epidemic, the Seahawks will be better than they were last season, even if their record may not show it.
They won’t be ignored for long.
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