Seattle Seahawks Are The Champions Of The World. Will They Repeat? Three-peat?

Somewhere right after the season comes to an end, signified by the championship parade, it becomes time to swallow the yearly dose of medicine the nearly every football fan ingests. If your team didn't make it to that last game, you've had time to chop that pill up and swallow it in small chunks.  When you lose in the final game, it goes down abruptly, slowly and painfully.  In fact, it reminds you of that first big pill that you struggled with as a kid.  You know, the one where swore that you were choking to death?

Somewhere in the middle of  the film footage of the championship team enjoying their moment in the sun, I finally realized that I will not be in that parade this year.  Those who have experienced one or more of those parades (as we have in Denver), realize how surreal they become.  One minute you are simply cheering for your team to be the last team standing, and the next you are surrounded within the electrical energy of fans that are all staring at you with the same "I can't believe it" amazement.  Perfect strangers become friends and family for a  moment of glorious celebration, and for at least one moment, you and the players who carried you up that mountain, can water the soil of your city with tears of collective joy.

Seattle earned that for themselves and their fans this year.  I may be sad for my city but I am not a hater, and I smile when I think of what that feels like for any city, especially one that has not seen it in quite some time.
The core (Wilson) of this team needs to prove that they can be a champion without riding the back of the Legion of Boom.
How you celebrate says a little bit about your vision of the future. A few of  the Seattle Seahawks did some serious dancing, especially those players who realize that the free agent market will come calling after such a public debut of the Legion of Boom.  The core of this team is sipping water and acting like its liquor while dancing a slow two-step and standing with a sly smile in the corner of the room.  The core of this champion is hardly satisfied with one bully beat down championship.  The core of this team needs to prove that they are the champion of the world for reasons other than Denver playing "one of those games" or riding the backs of the Legend of Boom.

Nicknames are cool, but seldom considered for even really good teams.  To carry a defensive moniker, ala The Steel Curtain, The Orange Crush or The Legion of Boom is reserved for great defenses only.  This defense represented greatness from beginning to end. They have made it clear that  the only real question about the prospect for the Seahawks lies on the other side of the ball, because the defense that we witnessed is the real deal.  They are capable of playing you any which way but loose, and what they have done all season long, they simply brought to the biggest stage in the world.

There is a beauty and a detriment to performing on the big stage.  As you perform, the talent takers start shifting plans and revenue to purchase the wares on display.  Will the Legion of Boom maintain its moniker even after the loss of a piece (or two) of the puzzle?  Maybe so.

What we know about the history of great defenses is that they are anchored by great players who offer amazing leadership.  Someone in that locker room is leading these guys to study so well that they are making plays like we used to see before the defense was clipped by modern rules.   When you draft really fast guys who recover well, you can generate a little snap, crackle and pop.  When you train guys with okay speed to do their homework and anticipate the play really well you might create a little Bam Bam.  When you combine speed and film study and sprinkle it all over your defensive backfield you become the legendary Legion of Boom.

These Seahawks did not lack for speed or film study when Richard Sherman went off the field with an injury so it is hard to imagine them as a one hit wonder irregardless of the ravages of free agency.  The Legion of Boom has assumed such a prominent place in the sun that their presence has cast a shadow over their quarterback who shocked his way unto the scene a year before his defensive brethren.

In only his second year as a pro, Russell Wilson did his best to contribute to his teams success in the Superbowl.  He made plays when necessary and avoided costly mistakes as he usually does.  Would that have been enough against Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning without a clenched rectum? Depending on the future of Wilson, Seattle could become a dynasty or a cherry picked champion that struggles to see these heights again.  Their coach and his blueprint leans towards the dynasty prediction, but dynasty's are even harder to create than legendary defensive moniker's.

Next Post:  Is Russell Wilson ready to build a dynasty in Seattle?