And there you go, kids. The Seattle Seahawks are champions of the NFL for the 2013 season. They managed to do the one thing that no other team really could achieve this season, and that was make Peyton Manning uncomfortable in the pocket. Heck, almost no one was ever able to do that for most of Manning's career to date. If there was a way to award the entire defensive unit for the Seahawks as MVP, that would have been the most fair option since no one player really stood out as a game changer. Still, it was refreshing to see the award given out to someone on the defense since it so rarely happens in the Super Bowl.
On with my thoughts....
1. Is it too soon to declare Russell Wilson as the best quarterback from the 2012 NFL draft? Sure, Andrew Luck has largely lived up to the hype. It wouldn't shock me if he led the Colts to a championship at some point once he reaches his prime. RGIII is still a hard guy to figure out, but if he's 100% healthy next season he may show signs of just how good he truly is. Wilson, however, came into the league with virtually no hype, and the only thing people really know about him is that he's short for a quarterback (around 5'10"). Now he's got more wins under his belt in his first two seasons in the league than anyone else in history, plus a championship. He doesn't light up the stat board the way Luck or RGIII could, but he's extremely versatile in his mobility. His throwing ability can do just enough to keep defenses worried about the passing game in addition to his running, and the team as a whole will be together for the foreseeable future since they are one the youngest teams in the league at the moment. The Seahawks will be one of the dominant teams in the NFL for the next few years at least.
2. The Seahawks' defense has to be the best defensive unit since the 2000 Ravens. I have not seen a team's defense look so dominant and break apart what had been previously known as an unstoppable force since the first Ravens championship team. Obviously the Ravens' opponent in Super Bowl 35 didn't have the offensive pedigree that this Broncos team had, but they did pound the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game that year 41-0. There have been other great defenses since the Ravens, namely the 2002 Bucs team that went on to win Super Bowl 37 and the 2007 Giants team that won Super Bowl 42. Neither of those other teams were nearly as dominant as this Seahawks defense though. They dictated the flow of the game, holding the Broncos scoreless until the very end of the third quarter. I was impressed they even held the Broncos in check for the first quarter, much less two additional ones. Dan Quinn's devotion to his players won him a championship but cost him a head coaching job in 2014; a year from now he will be at the very top of the list of candidates for teams who will be looking for head coach.
3. The Broncos' best chance at winning a title with Manning may have passed them by. In a season where much of the AFC had performed below expectations, the Broncos had emerged as the one team who could truly contend for a title. Next year, I expect the conference to bounce back with several teams playing much better, including the Ravens, Colts, Chiefs, and Patriots all improving between now and August. I also don't expect Manning to play beyond next season either, so John Elway will have to consider what life after Peyton will look like. The Broncos also find themselves sitting right at the projected salary cap max for 2014, so they have some hard choices to make regarding what they are going to do for next season.
4. Peyton's legacy is now a really murky call. Calling any quarterback the "Best Regular Season QB Ever" is, in my opinion, a very backhanded compliment. Yet it's somewhat appropriate for Manning. He's a five-time MVP, something no other player in NFL history can claim. He's set and re-set the record books in more ways than anyone can really count. He already set himself up for the Hall of Fame years ago. The only reason why there's any debate over his rank among the greatest QBs ever is because of his postseason performances. Once again, he didn't come through for his team when a championship was on the line. He now has the most postseason losses as a starting QB in NFL history, and his career record is under .500. That's a fairly large shadow cast over top of everything else he's accomplished so far. It isn't just about losing two Super Bowls now; it's about losing all those other postseason games where he essentially choked when his team needed him to come through most. For my money, he's still in the top five of all time, but he will always be in Tom Brady's shadow.
That puts a bow on the 2013 season. The predictions and weekly recaps will be back for next season.
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