Analyze this: Playoff pressure is special for both Seattle and Philly

There are three other NFL wild card games going off before we get to the Seahawks vs. Eagles on Sunday evening. My theory is the pressure to perform mounts with each preceding playoff game the Seattle and Philly players will observe on TV’s just like the ones we watch. So both teams will be wired pretty tight at kickoff on Sunday night.

A lot of coaches and sports psychologists have studied the difference in “playoff pressure” vs. regular season pressure, or trying-to-make-the-team pressure. They all seem to agree there is a special quality called “mental toughness” which brings out the best possible outcome in playoff games, but none of them agree exactly on the definition of the “mental toughness” term.

After spending way too much time researching these folks, I can give you an impression of what I heard and provide you with a combo plate:

“Hit hard, hit clean, let the opponent know you are bringing it physically. But remember to stay calm and businesslike—don’t go nuts out there. Conrad Dobler tough-guy stuff (like gouging and biting?) just won’t work in a playoff game. You’ve got to have the sixty-minute vision in focus. You have to believe, really believe in your preparation for this moment. You’re physically ready, you’re emotionally under control, you’re focused only on your assignment and the guy in front of you who is trying to beat you.”

So I guess that is what “mental toughness” is about in the playoffs.

Probably applies to the head coaches, too, in that their in-game decisions will be affected by just how mentally tough they believe their players are… calling a play on 4th down, changing tempo on offense, flipping field position with confidence, trusting your FG kicker, using timeouts to extend scoring opportunities, getting adjustments made if you’re down, that sort of thing.

I heard the term “keeping their cool” used a lot by the coaches and psychologists. This is what winners do, they say. I guess what they mean is the ability to know you’re playing on a bigger stage, but you still stay within yourself and allow yourself a certain freedom to express your talent as if you were playing in a small club game.

Maybe it’s the difference between making a fingertip interception and having the ball bounce off your chest?

I don’t know where I’m going with this “mental toughness” topic other than to point out about half the players on the field Sunday evening have zero NFL playoff experience.

Seahawks 11-5

Sunday, 4:40 PM NBC

@ Eagles 9-7