Have I really not written anything for Pond Scum in
four months? Had I promised to write updated Mt.
Rushmores for the American League,
AFC, and NFC back in October?
The answer to both questions is, unfortunately,
yes. But I’ll avoid the kind of
embarrassment the above Seahawks fan will experience if his team somehow loses
The Big Game by writing more regularly.
Let's talk about the histories of these two former AFC West rivals:
The Broncos were the only one of the original eight
AFL teams (founded in 1960) that never made it to an AFL Championship
Game. They never made it to the playoffs
until 1977, well after the AFL-NFL merger!
That year, they lost Super Bowl XII to the Cowboys and their Doomsday Defense. They would go on to lose three more Super
Bowls, including the most lopsided one in history: a 55-10 defeat to the 49ers
in XXIV. Once they finally got a running game (more specifically, Terrell
Davis) in the mid-to-late 90's, they became the first AFC team to win the Super
Bowl in fourteen years by defeating Green Bay in XXXII. They
repeated with a win over the Falcons. John Elway retired a few months
later, and the team never returned to its former glory... until now.
It's interesting (although sad) to note that the
most successful teams in the AFL (Chiefs, Chargers, Bills, Oilers) have not won
a Super Bowl since the AFL-NFL merger. Meanwhile the least successful
teams (Broncos and Patriots) have now each been to seven (and have each lost
four). If the Seahawks win on February 2, Denver
will become the first team to lose five Super Bowls.
The Seahawks are the only team in NFL history to
switch conferences twice. They began in the NFC West in 1976, before
switching to the AFC West in 1977 and staying there until 2002. While in
the AFC, they only won their division twice but made it to the AFC Championship
Game as a wild card in 1983. They are the only team to play in both the
AFC and NFC Championship Games.
During their most successful period in the AFC,
they were led by quarterback Dave Krieg, perhaps the most underrated QB in
history. Look at his stats
and you'll see why: the Seahawks had a horrific offensive line in the
80's. He won 98 games overall (not just with the Seahawks) but never made
it to a Super Bowl. Seattle
is best known for having a Hall of Fame wide receiver- Steve Largent- who
became an Oklahoma
congressman. After switching to the NFC West, they advanced to Super Bowl
XL, where they had the misfortune of playing both the Steelers and the
guys in striped shirts.
Denver
may have more fans, but Seattle has
more passionate fans... and more outspoken players. Reporters shouldn't
interview players immediately after a game. We all saw the Richard
Sherman interview, but was what he said any different from what you or I might
say after we just made the pass deflection of our careers? I doubt
it. Unless you're a 49ers fan, you have no reason to get upset over what
he said.
Speaking of which, the Seahawks-49ers rivalry is forced.
Other than in 1976, these two teams have only been in the same conference since
2002. This rivalry is very much like the hatred between the Steelers and
Ravens: relatively new and not exactly understandable. The 49ers' biggest
rivalry is with the Rams, since they're the only teams that have been in the
NFC West for a long time. Similarly, the Steelers' greatest rivalry is
with Cleveland; they've been in the
same conference since 1950. Those who create new super-rivalries ignore
their football history.
Likewise, anyone who thinks Peyton Manning is the
greatest QB of all time is, well, ignorant of football history. But
that's a topic for another article. Now, onto my Super Bowl 48
prediction:
Seahawks 27, Broncos 24. The Legion of Boom
will face its toughest test, but the Donkeys' offense has been running out of
steam lately. In their two playoff games, they scored 24 and 26 points,
respectively. Their defense has greatly improved, however. The
Seahawks will need to pick Peyton, or at least deflect enough of his third-down
passes, and I think they will do that. Their offense is very good, but
not overpowering.
I leave you with the very first show of NFL
Primetime, from 1987. Skip to 31 minutes in to see... the
Broncos-Seahawks game.
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