Smithless in Seattle
Thus cried one of the fan posters during the NFC Championship game in Seattle last night, which pretty much sums up what happened last night at the Qwest field in Seattle. It actually turned out that it was not just Steve Smith but the whole Carolina offense that was made potent-less by the brilliant and often under-appreciated Seattle defense. Never in my wild dreams did I think that the Seahawks will give such an amazing display on both sides of the football. Before the Championship weekend, my picks were the Steelers and the Panthers. Though there were too many reasons that were stacked up against the Panthers (their RB DeShaun Foster was out with an injury, they had played 2 tough play-off road games on the road), the fact that they were hailed as Road Warriors with a 8-2 road record this season made me choose the Panthers over the Seahawks. But what unfolded last evening was an amazing display of flawless football from the Seahawks with everyone in the team playing their roles to perfection.
The win, as expected, has sent the city into delirious joy. Newspapers have only one word headlines “Super Bowl” and ever since I got to work today morning, everyone I see at work has been talking about the win last night & the impending Super Bowl and I am sure its going to be the same for the next 2 weeks leading to the Super bowl. Many here in fact have still not come to grips with the fact that the Seahawks have made it to the Super Bowl. It is kind of an unbelievable feeling. Even for someone like me who has been in Seattle for close to just 2 years, this victory brought so much joy. This city has been starving of a Super Bowl team ever since its inception 30 years ago and as Holmgren remarked on the victory podium, this city has longed for it and thus deserved it.
On the field though, there was no question as to which team was the better team and which team deserved to get to the Super Bowl. To me, watching the game there was only one thing that stood out - more than the players who all did a great job, it was Mike Holmgren's immaculate preparation for the game that stood out. The whole world knew that Steve Smith is the Caroline offense and if you shut him down, you have won half the battle. Teams have tried in the past this season by double-covering him but weren't successful. So, what does Holmgren do? Not just double-cover him but triple-cover and quadruple-cover him in most of the plays. And guess what? Not only did it work in keeping the ball away from Steve Smith but also resulting in 2 of the crucial interceptions that Delhomme threw which was bcos he was trying to connect to Steve Smith amidst a sea of coverage. Once you have shut down their most potent weapon, it becomes so much more easy from there. The Seattle defense is a well-oiled machine that can score against any defense and as expected, they took care of business.
Seattle has always been the invisible team in the national media radar and seldom do we see any commentators talking anything great about the team. (Proof - before the Championship games began, to a poll question by CBS as to who they thought has the best chance of winning the Super Bowl, only 11% of those polled picked the Seahawks and they had the least chance among the 4 contenders). But last night, the team showed the world what this team is made of and how it has got playmakers on both sides of the football, who can help the team win the Super Bowl. Already, the Steelers are 3.5 points favorites. But then many didn't pick the Seahawks over the Panthers last weekend. So, as long as someone doesn't pick us and we still win, it works!! Go Hawks...
The win, as expected, has sent the city into delirious joy. Newspapers have only one word headlines “Super Bowl” and ever since I got to work today morning, everyone I see at work has been talking about the win last night & the impending Super Bowl and I am sure its going to be the same for the next 2 weeks leading to the Super bowl. Many here in fact have still not come to grips with the fact that the Seahawks have made it to the Super Bowl. It is kind of an unbelievable feeling. Even for someone like me who has been in Seattle for close to just 2 years, this victory brought so much joy. This city has been starving of a Super Bowl team ever since its inception 30 years ago and as Holmgren remarked on the victory podium, this city has longed for it and thus deserved it.
On the field though, there was no question as to which team was the better team and which team deserved to get to the Super Bowl. To me, watching the game there was only one thing that stood out - more than the players who all did a great job, it was Mike Holmgren's immaculate preparation for the game that stood out. The whole world knew that Steve Smith is the Caroline offense and if you shut him down, you have won half the battle. Teams have tried in the past this season by double-covering him but weren't successful. So, what does Holmgren do? Not just double-cover him but triple-cover and quadruple-cover him in most of the plays. And guess what? Not only did it work in keeping the ball away from Steve Smith but also resulting in 2 of the crucial interceptions that Delhomme threw which was bcos he was trying to connect to Steve Smith amidst a sea of coverage. Once you have shut down their most potent weapon, it becomes so much more easy from there. The Seattle defense is a well-oiled machine that can score against any defense and as expected, they took care of business.
Seattle has always been the invisible team in the national media radar and seldom do we see any commentators talking anything great about the team. (Proof - before the Championship games began, to a poll question by CBS as to who they thought has the best chance of winning the Super Bowl, only 11% of those polled picked the Seahawks and they had the least chance among the 4 contenders). But last night, the team showed the world what this team is made of and how it has got playmakers on both sides of the football, who can help the team win the Super Bowl. Already, the Steelers are 3.5 points favorites. But then many didn't pick the Seahawks over the Panthers last weekend. So, as long as someone doesn't pick us and we still win, it works!! Go Hawks...
posted by Filbert at 3:22 PM
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