As the Super Bowl is now four days away, we wanted to get the Seattle perspective on this matchup. To do that, we did a Q+A with the co-editor of 12th Man Rising, Keith Myers. Here are his responses:
1. When you first saw it would be a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl, what were your initial thoughts on this matchup. Do you expect this game to be more competitive than the 43-8 game vs. the Broncos last season?
This was the matchup I wanted. New England was the best team in the AFC by a wide margin. Getting both Seattle and New England in the Super Bowl together is exactly how it should be.
Of course this game is going to be more competitive. Manning was able to hide a lot of warts on that Denver team a year ago, but he couldn’t do so against Seattle. New England doesn’t have the same type of weaknesses. I’m expecting a great football game.
2. What is the reaction in Seattle to the whole DeflateGate situation?
I’m probably almost as annoyed with it as Patriots fans are. Were rules broken? Yes, but come on. We’re talking about driving 60 in a 55 zone here. It’s not like the ball pressure was why the Colts were awful at tackling in that game.
Can we talk about the actual game now? Please. This story needs to go away.
3. Even with Brandon Browner now in New England, the Seahawks had the #1 pass defense in all of football. What has impressed you the most about the play of Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane that has helped Richard Sherman and company keep Seattle a top pass defense?
The biggest difference is that the Seahawks pass defense is more balanced now, which makes it better. When Browner was in there, he was always vulnerable to double moves and got beat deep occasionally. Seattle had to rotate Earl Thomas to his side fairly heavily, and that left openings that other teams could exploit.
Maxwell isn’t another Sherman/Revis type, and he’s not as physical as Browner, but he also doesn’t get deep like Browner does. Seattle trusts him, and that allows them to leave Thomas in the center of the field more often.
4. What is the injury status of Justin Britt? If he does play in the Super Bowl, what type of impact can he have on Seattle’s offensive line?
Justin Britt is healthy and will play. Whether or not it matters depends on how the game plays out.
Britt is an absolute mauler as a run blocker. He’s also a complete liability in pass protection. If Marshawn Lynch and the running game gets going, Britt could be a difference maker for Seattle. If the game flow requires that Seattle protect Russell Wilson in the passing game too many times, then it could get ugly for Seattle.
5. Which aspect of this game do you feel that the Seahawks do not have a large advantage in? Which do they have the significant advantage?
Clearly Seattle’s wideouts vs. New England’s secondary isn’t a good matchup for The Seahawks. Doug Baldwin hates it when people say it, but the truth is that those guys aren’t going to scare the Patriots.
Luckily, I feel that Seattle’s running game should be a major advantage. New England has struggled to stop the run at times, and Seattle’s rushing attack is statistically the best in the league.
6. What do you make of Marshawn Lynch’s lack of talking to the media? Do you think he is back with the Seahawks next year?
Lynch is an interesting character. There is a lot of speculation that he has some sort of social anxiety disorder, similar to what Miami running Ricky Williams dealt with.
We’ve reached a point where the NFL and the media should probably just leave him be. I’m sure Richard Sherman will be more than happy to talk in Lynch’s place if you let him.
As for Lynch’s future, I don’t think there’s any chance he plays for another franchise in 2015. If Lynch plays, it’ll be for Seattle. That doesn’t mean that he’ll play though.
Lynch has a serious back issue, and it is getting worse. He’s taken 1-2 days off from practice every week now since 2010, and he’s recently missed the beginning of a couple of games because he couldn’t get it loosened up.
There is a very good chance that Lynch will retire this offseason. This is especially true is Seattle were to win another title.
7. If Seattle wins this game, what is the legacy for this defense, Russell Wilson, and former Patriots’ coach Pete Carroll?
I hate legacy questions when we’re in the middle of it. Ask me a gain in a few years and you’ll likely get a better answer.
For the defense, a win on Sunday would be huge. It would give them an advantage over the mid-80s Bears and early-2000s Ravens, which only led their teams to 1 championship. It would also leave Seattle’s defense behind only the 70s-era Steelers in that category.
I don’t think it changes anything for Pete Carroll or Russell Wilson. Carroll spent too long at USC, and wasn’t successful enough with the Patriots before that. A win here will help, but Carroll needs considerably more that that before he’ll get legitimate shot at the Hall of Fame.
Wilson is too young for it to matter in terms of legacy. He needs to have sustained success over the next 10-ish years before legacy questions can be answered. It would help the resume for sure, but a second Super Bowl win doesn’t suddenly make him Tom Brady.
8. Give me an X-Factor and Prediction: Who wins the Super Bowl and why?
Luke Willson, Seattle’s completely unknown tight end. The kid has some serious wheels, and has been steadily improving in the latter parts of this season.
He’s no Rob Gronkowski (no one is), but he presents mismatch problems. Any slight hesitation by a linebacker due to play-action, and Willson is passed them for a big gain. He’s also tough to tackle once the ball gets into his hands.
As for a prediction, I’ll take Seattle in a close, low scoring game. Something like 23-21. The defenses are going to be the story this year, and Seattle’s matches up slightly better.
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