Good Officials And Boston Being Flattened By Deflate-Gate Inaction

It would be nice to think that every result of professional sports competitions would remain exclusive to the arena of competition, but I am here to further my theory that God is a serious football fan, and HE, much like the rest of us, must be wondering why the NFL has not given an official response to the matter of Deflate-Gate. Whether the footballs were deflated on purpose or not should be secondary to the necessity of punishing someone for allowing it to happen.


What is a good official?

The problem is that nothing has been properly officiated in this matter, whether on the field or off.  Why not establish a penalty that happens during the game for infractions that are discovered during the game- even deflations?  This problem began with bad officiating and continues for the same reason.  No punishment will fit the crime now, it will only tarnish the image of all of those involved, especially those responsible for officiating things like this.

Now the matter is out of the hands of the game officials (Roger Goodell included) and has been elevated to an ethereal realm of retribution.  Karmic gods impact every game, but most of the time their balancing act occurs before the final buzzer sounds.  The league of manufactured story lines tried its darn'dest to quiet the Patriot infraction that it discovered and fixed at halftime (were New York game officials also informed), but  to date they continue to delay punishment until they can clear as much dust as possible.

Officials failed us all, and now, even the reputation of good officials are being tainted by this unchallenged infraction. Good leaders realize that what must be done eventually is best done immediately.  Good officials understand this frame of thought too and use it to succeed in their inexact role of game officiating. A good official will also unashamedly give make-up calls because they realize that it free's them from tilting the sports karma unfairly against one team or another.  The more you coach or officiate games, you eventually are forced to accept that there really are angels in the outfield- so to speak, and sports karma is both real and exacting. From top to bottom, deflate-gate has been so poorly officiated that it can never be properly penalized, so it needed  karmic elevation to well above the NFL commissioner's pay grade. From on high if you will.

Every sport has karmic god's and good officials establish a goal of consistent calls, not perfect ones, since perfection is a concept that comes from on high as well.  A good official rarely has a problem discussing calls with coaches because they realize that they can only control call consistency, not the game outcome.  Karma will eventually balance out official ineptitude and crown the victory to the rightful champ. Karmic gods are dispatched to balance out human ineptitude, but even these ethereal officials don't get to pick winners or losers since GOD is a fan of the competition, not of Tim Tebow or any of the teams involved.

Congratulations remain in order for the New England Patriots who walked off of the stage with the crown this season.  Deflate-Gate karma appeared to be against them as the game neared its end, but intelligent fans think Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll sealed his teams fate by tempting fate with a goal line pass.  That play was the best hope for the Patriots who needed a pass play more than anything for a last chance at victory. NFL Superbowl karma should never be challenged so blatantly, and Carroll's arrogance quickly became the Patriots blessing. In essence, running stupid goal line plays in the Superbowl is a bigger karmic infraction than letting a little air out of the football during a bad weather AFC title game.

Nonetheless, somebody let the air out of those footballs, and somebody needed to pay for it.

Wouldn't want to be Boston right now.

Is it just me. or does it seem like Boston is getting flattened with snow for what happened to those footballs? Though most of us do hate the Patriots, only HE controls weather patterns, and boy has HE focused a great deal of post Superbowl attention (see; snow) on the championship city of Boston.

By the time Boston gets to move around to celebrate the thrill of victory, the thrill will be gone. For certain there's nothing that the NFL can do that will be worse than the punishment New England is receiving right now.

Superbowl Ending Proves Brady The Best (..and God Loves Football)

Thank God that the Patriots won the game.

Not that God has a vested interest in football, but there were reason's to wonder when an obvious incomplete pass became the impossible completion, ala' David Tyree.  Once again the game appeared to be captured by a miracle that would leave Tom Brady walking away with an empty feeling that he had become accustomed to over recent history.

Camera's had already locked in to capture Brady's reaction as video evidence captured that Jevon Kearse had truly captured that ball.  72% of American citizens watched to see what Brady would do this time.  His moment of dejection was not overly emphatic but it was extremely revealing.  The deepness of his despair even tempered his usually bodacious victory actions that were soon to erupt.  This time, Brady looked thrilled shocked and amazed.  His Serena Williams victory leaps showed spontaneous jubilation and not the calculated spite that he usually stores up for his legion of detractors.

Moments before his joyous jump, Brady was preparing himself to stare down those detractors once again without that sly grin of victory as his primary weapon.  The miraculous nature of this victory left  Brady lost  in between his preparation for the fire filled walk of shame that he'd warmed himself to endure and the jubilant outcome that he didn't even support down the stretch, waiting despondently for the bitter end that never arrived. To his credit, nobody ever expects the kind of miracle that the Patriots received.  They probably considered allowing the touchdown and seeing if they could tie the game for overtime.  The arrogance of the Seahawks and film study of a rookie cornerback were the instruments that played the final victory song for New England, but nothing less than divine intervention forced shut the mouth of the most blessed quarterback in the history of the game.

Brady ascended to the top of the heap because he played just as smoothly and ruggedly as did the only quarterbacks that stood above him. He ascended to the top of quarterback mountain because he has played consistently well for the length of his career. He just won his fourth championship and has the ability to win more if grace see's fit because Tom Brady was blessed for the job.  What does the divine ordination of the supreme quarterback look like?  It looks like the luck of an injured Drew Bledsoe followed by a few fortunate championships won and then lost and then won again.  This victory, the one that pushed Brady over the top, had the kind of divine intervention that made Brady resemble Moses when returning from his encounter with the flaming bush.

His words sounded of a happy winner, but his face glowed of the chosen blessed, unsure why and how things ended as they did. Brady made some mistakes, but he did his part to give his team a chance at victory.  The victory was snatched and returned to the hands of the Patriots in such a manner that humbles the most prepared and the most pompous alike.  Had New England lost the game on the field, then questions over the under-inflated footballs might have persisted.  Since they won and Brady played so well, the topic of questionable balls loses some air.  Even if Brady is found guilty of some misdoings, we know that he can throw a regular football and lead his team to victory while doing it. His tainted image that only grew more murky over recent weeks has been the only barrier between already being considered the best QB that ever played.  Yesterday, just as Brady had accepted that this goal would elude him for another year,   forces even greater than the player himself seemed to intervene to snatch away that moniker only to hand it back with his name in reinforced stitching

Brady was anointed by divine appointment, which is the only way such things should happen to begin with.  Like the coming to Jesus moment of religious conversion, Brady walked away from the Superbowl just as assured that he had earned his way into first place of all time as he was that his best efforts still demanded divine intervention.  What stained itself on the psyche of the greatest quarterback of all time is that, no matter how great you consider yourself to be, true greatness is as much a blessing as it is a gift.  His last two victories have probably been against one or both of the guys who will pass him by someday, which is also something of divine order.

Brady rises to the top in a way even he could not script.

I have never been a Brady fan and felt immediately sick for Seattle when Malcolm Butler picked off the pass, but I also felt an instant sense of ordination towards the best quarterback to every play the game.  The moment that the Patriot defense secured the game, no sense of hate or envy towards Brady clouded the moment for me.  What he took off of the field was a Lombardi trophy and an MVP award, but his ascension to GOAT (Greatest of All Time) came like a puff of smoke.

The spirit has spoken. Brady is the man and God does love football just like the rest of us.

Marshawn Lynch: The Seattle Seahawk Who Is Crazy Like A Fox

What exactly is Marshawn Lynch trying to say?

I have come to discover that, with all of the amazing power of the spoken or written word, silence is golden. I don't exclude myself from the noise pollution that inundates our world, but I too appreciate it when certain people shut the hell up.  Awkward silences can be weird, but the sweet peace of quietness is often preferable to the more awkward questions that typically destroy the most awkward silence.

When we are talking- we fail to properly pontificate on the power of words. As we begin to properly measure the impact of the words we choose, our word choices bear more impact.
So how does this all relate to Marshawn Lynch? If we laud the power of the poet, how then shall we esteem the mime?

Typically as a fancy clown, but there is power in the unspoken message.  Lynch might appear to be the jester that his silence portraits, but in reality he is a quiet genius.  Marshawn Lynch is more than willing to play the game of football, but he refrains from playing the game of free story lines before or after the show.

If you watched the game then let the game write the story.

Journalist' already know the angle that they plan to take when compiling an article for public consumption, so the interview question is designed to either confirm or deny an angle that won't change the potential article one way or the other. Whether they got the quote directly from you, or heard in from others is the dividing line between everything we read about celebrities.  In the end, quotes from any celebrity immediately becomes journalistic fodder for those who desperately need it (ie.,lazy writers who depend on a few juicy bits), or bulletin board fodder for opponents who thrive on such things as well.  Either way, there is very little to gain from playing in the game and then playing the game of Q&A.

http://fam1stfamilyfoundation.org/

So Lynch say's no.

Better than no, he say's yes to the NFL request of his attendance but no to the mass media demand that he do their job for them.  Lynch say's yes to children via his Fam 1st Family Foundation  but he say's no to interviews and demands of his time that don't benefit him or his foundation.

As I write, MSNBC just  showed a report of Lynch doing an interview with Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child) for ET (Ent' Tonight).  Disregarding the fact that Marshawn's body language says he love him some Destiny's Child, Lynch conducted a normal interview despite his typical gag order towards the media. During the interview, Williams coaxes Lynch into a song and rewards him for it with a gift that Lynch proceeded to donate to his foundation.  Isn't it telling that the only recent words we've heard from the league's best running back were spoken about his foundation and to benefit his foundation?

When you are a big time celebrity, as is Marhshawn Lynch, almost every word you speak works to make money for somebody else other than you.  Many of those words could very well cost you money as with athletes who inadvertently motivate the opposing player who retaliates and injures them, or the angered post-game rant that costs you a sponsor or two.  If Lynch had it his way, he would simply not attend the media sessions at all.  Since he does not, it is his right and duty to protect his self interest and his brand.

What's the value of advertising during the Superbowl? Priceless.

His self interest is the foundation and his brand is Beast Mode  that he might be paying $100,000 for violating the rule against displaying such things during media day.  Without one word spoken by Lynch, the national media ran with the story of his infraction, providing Lynch with the equivalent of a million dollar advertising deal- for free.

Does anybody think he's concerned about the $100,000 fine that he might pay?  With proceeds from the extra clothing he will sell while advertising for free during the Superbowl media day, he can easily pay that fine plus an additional $100,000 to his foundation for kids. Does that mean he is exploiting the NFL?  Sure, but keep in mind that he would rather not be there or say anything if he had a choice.  Everyday there seems to be another leaked threat that Roger Goodell will fine Lynch for his tight lipped approach to the media.  Thanks to these Beast Mode gear ads (so to speak), Lynch is making a loud statement and he's making it with a marketing smile.  From my perspective, Lynch is the only player making this media mess worth his while.

So if Michelle Williams is the new Deion Sanders (the only media member he used to talk to), then she can endure some more flirting from Lynch just to allow him to announce his NFL fine and subsequent matching donation to Fam 1st Family Foundation.  After agonizing over Lynch's media madness,  we've now come to discover that there's a lot of cache (see; cash considerations) involved with being able to secure a real Marshawn Lynch interview.

Words have a price and silence is truly golden. Thanks for the lesson Marshawn.

Patriots Use Squishy Balls. Have They Tainted Life In America?

If Belichick approved of cheating, has Brady
been a complicit or innocent participant?

What we know right now is that the New England Patriots were proven to have used 11 out of 12 game balls in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts that were under inflated.  What we also know is that Tom Brady prefers a ball that is a little squishy, "so to speak", especially when throwing in the cold weather. What we don't know is who deflated these balls, and more importantly, who knew that it happened.

Love 'em or hate 'em, the Patriots are the most successful NFL franchise for the entirety of Tom Brady's stellar career that is quickly concluding its second decade.  The love or hate of this team is partially connected to its Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick, but Belichick remains just another good coach absent the discovery of Brady as his Hall of Fame quarterback. Together, they are the kind of guys that only a mother or a New England Patriot fan can love. They not only beat you...a lot- they rub your face in it with touchdown spikes from the quarterback and pompous interviews from the coach.  As much as haters like myself would love to consider this team just another bunch of cheaters, we all know better.

That being said, these guys might be a bunch of cheaters.

Going into the AFC semi-final, there was a key controversy over the Patriots distorted use of a "fair" substitution rule in which they un-declare a lineman and then set him out wide to confuse the defense and disrupt the substitution response.  The move is entirely legal but it might be changed as a result of the way the Patriots have used it.  This is the team famous for Spygate and for the worse interpretation of the Tuck Rule in recent memory, so bending the lines on linemen substitutions while softening the balls in an AFC Championship game are typical and mind boggling infractions for a team that seems not to need the extra advantage.

On one level, there is an obvious understanding that every fierce competitor has towards Belichickian behaviors.  We created the saying- "if you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'"- for reasons that even champions understands clearly.  I too have coached my own basketball players to test rules under the guise that it is only illegal if the referee calls it.

Whether you only pull jerseys or you actually pinch private parts in pile-ups, cheating comes in lots of forms, but most of them are expected- and thus regulated. Cheating that bends the lines or occurs outside of them is like first degree murder of cheating and deserves the kind of punishment that we reserve for premeditated abusers of the public trust- especially when you have done things of the sort in the past, and particularly when you have forced a league of fans to question your righteous placement in the most important game in America.

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN FirstTake fame has declared it, and I will repeat it.  If Belichick has cheated the fans of America from an opportunity to love or hate the Patriots purely for their football brilliance, then he deserves to be suspended for a season just like Sean Payton received for his part in the New Orleans Saints BountyGate scandal that Payton was only found guilty of obstructing the investigation.

When the 9-11 massacre took our beloved twin towers away, we healed ourselves with football.  We heal ourselves every week with football and the Superbowl has become the biggest worldwide fellowship day outside of Easter Sunday- with no guilt or getting dressed up required. Tim Tebow, and now 5'11" Russell Wilson, have forced legitimate arguments over whether or not God cares about football too. Most people seem to answer MAYBE!

I don't personally care for the Patriots or the Dallas Cowboys who are supposedly closer to being America's Team than are my Denver Broncos, but when Detroit Lion Ndamukong Suh stepped on Aaron Rogers' ankle to try and injure him recently, I sensed that karma, or God, or whatever you want to call it, would come against the Lions because they allowed Suh to play in the playoffs despite his unsportsmanlike behavior and initial suspension. If you saw how Dallas beat Detroit, you probably think karma had some impact on the Lions just as it later impacted the Cowboys who beat Detroit in a questionable fashion themselves.

Has cheaters karma been the reason that a really excellent organization has not reached the highest peak of the mountain over the course of an entire decade?  Will it be the reason that Russell Wilson gets to do a Tim Tebow like interview at the end of another Superbowl? I'm praying against the Patriots, but I know that great teams can overcome stupid coaches and sometimes players hit freethrows even when nobody fouled them. In other words, the ball does lie. Are these freethrow shooters making good on previous missed calls, thus they are pure in karmic energy? Maybe, because the more I involve myself in sports on any level, the more it seems that forces greater than ourselves are regulating the thing called luck.  Luck has always leaned towards the team that is working the hardest, but is that just a human way of hoping that pushing yourself so hard provides some added benefit?  Does a losing team have just as many, or more lucky opportunities but discounts them due to the loss?

New England probably cheated and probably will still win the Superbowl, but the asterisk will live on Wikipedia until the end of time right along with Spygate, the Tuck Rule, the Substitution Rule (coming soon) and whatever else comes to the light when speaking of an organization that has now made this a part of their legacy.  If they lose, karma will get the credit and Belichick will get a reduced punishment like lost draft picks since losing the game will be part of his reward.

Goodell must remind the Patriots how important the NFL is to all of us. Even if Belichick loses a year of duty as opposed to just a couple of draft picks, he will not be able to take away the stink he's created of our beloved game.  We'll watch the game and the Patriot fans might even enjoy it as if the squishy ball scandal never happened.  Everybody else will watch it- or not- and hope the Patriots get what they deserve from taking away the purity of our favorite day of the year. The Colts don't deserve to be in the game, but the Patriots don't deserve to win it either. Hopefully God, or karma or Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks will restore the balance of integrity that makes the NFL a reason life in America is so good.

Broncos Star QB Must Recognize Denver's Defense As The MVP

What's up with Peyton's fourth quarter production.

Every attempt that we keep making to answer the question about Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos seems to leave us more clarified about the competition and not the home team or its leader.

Much like the first two weeks, Manning has finished a really close game with no reason for anyone to believe that he is the game closer that will be necessary for the final climb to the top.  This Superbowl rematch started out eerily similar to the original game.  Much like the Superbowl, Denver's improved defense gave Peyton time to decide if he wanted to show up or not.  Another fumble on our opening offensive play shut down Denver's confidence in Montee' Ball and running the ball with Ball.  In a wild stroke of luck, Ronnie Hilman actually resurfaced early in the game, even though he was inserted to give Peyton another passing weapon (screen out of the backfield) and not a reliable running attack.

By games end, the Broncos had settled on 20 running plays versus the 47 running plays that San Diego used a week prior to upset the Superbowl champs.  Granted, the Chargers were lucky enough to do it on home turf, but their blueprint was never designed to yield humongous yards on the ground.  No self respecting defense would ever give up too many yards on the ground anyway.  The commitment to running is like making slow love.  It may take a while to yield the benefits, but its well worth the patience shown.  Three years and three weeks into the Manning experiment, and the Broncos are still full of quick triggered, youthful exuberance, but lack the wisdom of experience.  Their defensive effort in last nights game was similar to that of the Superbowl, but failed offensive series after failed offensive series is likely to run any defense into the ground, even an improved one.

Three weeks into the season and John Fox is also continuing to use the same 'tired' excuse as an explanation for shoddy play down the stretch.  Fox has yet to explain the lack of offensive execution late in games that has made the first three games such an adventure, or assign his QB's fourth quarter departures as the reason for the dilapidated defense in Denver that he  does keep referring to.  Its likely that Fox is just another well paid talking head who understands football, gains the love and respect of his players with a jovial, laid back personality, but can not hold the leader of his team to the highest level of expectation- which Manning is so apt to do when other players fail to execute.  Is there no one in the Bronco organization to tell the quarterback to step your end game production up?

At the conclusion of last nights defeat in Seattle, Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr. tweeted a comment that Russell Wilson is better than Luck, referring to Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts.  If Harris Jr. had the courage to tweet such a comment about two up and coming QB's in the league, what do you think he feels about the old guy he has on own team?  Both Luck and Wilson show late game execution that Manning lacks since so many defenses are certain that he will ONLY sit in the pocket and pass when the game is on the line.  Harris Jr. might be right about his evaluation of Wilson, but he might also be admitting what is starting to become clear about Manning.

The Broncos would love to win it all on the backs of their best player, but they simply have overestimated how good he actually is.  Manning will always be knowledgeable enough of the game to make average teams pay dearly, but against the best of the best, Manning becomes mortal.  In fact, he is pretty average. If you can remember the last time he ran for a first down against pocket pressure you might have witnessed the first time as well.  In some ways, it is remarkable how well the Broncos perform on offense given the fact that they can be forced into predictability so easily. .

Harris Jr. wasn't out of bounds with his comment.  Wilson is special, and capable of winning it all once again.  It is not as though he has skills that are beyond that of most QB's in the league (although his ball fakes are legendary).  In fact, his lack of physical stature actually leaves him at a disadvantage compared to the average NFL QB.  Wilson makes up for every shortcoming in his game, and in his team, by squeezing the life out of his own potential.  When you watch Wilson make plays, it makes you wonder why he doesn't do more of the same throughout the course of the game.  Why doesn't he ignore the run game and Marshawn Lynch?  Lynch performed well last night, but was held below his normal production by a stingy Broncos run defense. Lynch finished the game with only 88 yards on 26 carries, or 3.38 yards per carry, but scored the game clinching touchdown in overtime.

Wilson only passed for 255 yards on 35 attempts, yet the formula for a Seahawk's victory will rarely include 300+ passing yards when balance and patience are their agenda.  Denver did acquit themselves better in the final scoring, but they did not show themselves truly competitive throughout the game, except on defense. If  Wilson is better than Luck then he probably is more capable than Manning too at this point in each players career.  No matter how you size up these players in a head to head comparison, Wilson is not the MVP of the Seahawks team, just as Manning isn't that for Denver.

For both of these Superbowl contenders, the collective defense is the MVP of each team, and it will be the team that relies on its defense the most that will win the next match up, which most expect to be for all the marbles.  When the game mattered most, Wilson grabbed the reigns and kept his defense from being needed,  however, it was his reliance on them throughout the game that made it possible.  Denver was an overtime away from a 3-0 start to a season in which their star quarterback has yet to outplay his competition.  Scoring is down in Denver, offensive production is sporadic, and the Broncos still appear to be the team most likely to take on Seattle in the end.

WHY?

If the current signs are legitimate, Denver has fielded the most impressive defense in its storied history and very few people are talking about them as the real hope that the Broncos have to capture the crown.  Manning has to see how impressive his defense has performed, but, thus far, seems to be the most unaware Bronco in the stable. The defense might be growing weary late in games, but to these tired eyes, it is totally on Manning whose style of play says that he still thinks of himself as the primary key to victory.

Russell Wilson's On A Pathway Towards Greatness And The Sky Is The Limit

Sorry Denver.  I love my city and my Broncos, but the next time a black quarterback goes up against the Denver Broncos in a Superbowl, I am betting the farm on that team and that quarterback.

As Russell Wilson lead his Seattle Seahawks into battle against the Broncos, he was repeating a championship journey of a brother from another generation. Back in the day, Doug Williams took the Washington Redskins into a Superbowl battle with the Broncos in which his team was also not favored to win.  He won by a similar landslide.

Doug Williams interviewed after winning the Superbowl

Unlike Wilson, who played well but not great, Williams had a career day in a come from behind thrashing of the Broncos and John Elway that ended 55-10.  In addition, Williams passed for 340 yards, 4 touchdowns and was named the Superbowl MVP.  Doug Williams went on to coach at his alma mater, Grambling State University, so I can guarantee you that he would have taken that win no matter who captured the MVP.  What Williams is unlikely to diminish is the importance that his monumental achievement had on the future of the black quarterback in football.

The legend of the black quarterback has roots that deserve their own respect.  Russell Wilson was a black quarterback winning the Superbowl again over My Denver Broncos.  But this time, he was also just another player on a really great team that just so happened to be black.  This time, that was a good thing for the team and for the quarterback who did not have the legacy of black QB's anchored on his shoulders like Williams and others did before him.

Is Russell Wilson The Tiger Woods of Quarterbacks?

Next time, he will.

Next time, Wilson will become the recipient of a microscope that already assumes what it will find long before he is squeezed between the glass plates.  Next time Wilson will be judged on how long next time takes for this special team full of special talent.  Presumably, he is the most special of them all.  Next time, the pundits will say prove it.

If Pete Carroll is the legendary mastermind that his college resume says he is, next time should be more of the same; a total team effort that makes you clueless as to who the final MVP should be. Winning, especially winning repeats, are never quite that easy.  Free agency will eventually become a financial boon to the Legion of Boom, so Wilson will see his role evolve as they do.  The way Wilson sat down a highly paid free agent acquisition as a rookie tells us all what kind of quarterback he is.  His Tim Tebow sound bites at the end of games tells you a little about his character.  Are we seeing the beginning of a football legend?

In his second year as a quarterback, when he was supposed to be experiencing the sophomore slump, Russell Wilson is a champion.  He joins the elite fraternity of Superbowl winning quarterbacks who sit in a special glass house away from others who never won it all.  Yet, his youth and his potential have opened a path in the crowd for him to enter the luxury box of Superbowl winning quarterbacks.  Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Steve Young.  These guys will always gain mention in the conversation of all time greats because multiple championships allow them to dangle their ring littered hands in order to lean the argument their way.

Russell Wilson will easily join these guys some day.  What scares us is how many others might he surpass as he builds a dynasty in Seattle?


Previous Post:  Seahawks are the champions.
                        Will they repeat? Three-peat?

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?