Archive for January, 2006

Phil found this page on the Food Network’s web site where they offer city-themed Super Bowl menus for both Seattle and Pittsburgh. Seattle: crab, mussels, oysters, salmon … yuck. Can’t stand seafood. In this one case, I think I’ll go with the Pittsburgh menu – kielbasa, pierogis, chili, that sounds about right.

Actually, I’ll be sticking with my tried-and-true on Sunday — chips and Rojo’s Medium salsa. The Hawks are 15-1 when I eat this during the game, and now is not the time for food experimentation.

When asked how the Seahawks are underdogs this week, Jerramy Stevens blamed it on “east coast bias, maybe national bias.” He also said the Steelers get credit for being a team that’s won Super Bowls before, plus they beat the Colts in the playoffs, etc. The east coast bias comment is in line with what I posted several days ago.

And then Darrell Jackson said today that rainy weather in Detroit on Sunday will favor the Seahawks…..

Pssst…. D-Jack — the game is indoors.

D’oh!

If you have access to it, glue your TV dial or remote or satellite dish to NFL Network — they’re planning wall-to-wall coverage all week from Detroit. I was thrilled with Sunday night’s coverage of the Seahawks arrival, initial press conferences, etc.

If you don’t have access to NFL Network on your TV, I have to recommend the News-Tribune’s Seahawk Insider blog. Mike Sando and their crew are doing a magnificent job not only with news updates, but also with posting audio of interviews and press conferences — and they say video is coming soon. Major props to the TNT gang.

Okay, let’s open this up and share predictions on the Super Bowl. If you just want to put a final score and winner, that’s cool, but a little bit of explanation would be great.

I’ll go first.

Seahawks win 27-21

I’m not as concerned as the pundits about the Steelers blitzing, aggressive defense, nor about the fact they play a 3-4, which the Hawks struggled against vs. Dallas. Seattle’s a more-balanced offensive team now than they were at that point, and a more confident team. They also have all their weapons, which was not the case mid-season against the Cowboys. The Hawks have played and beaten aggressive, blitzing defenses, and MattHass has shown he can handle audibling at the line when the defense throws a wrench into the originally called play. I think the Hawks offensive balance and depth — our 3rd and 4th receivers are better than their backup CBs, not to mention the Jerramy Stevens factor — give Seattle the advantage.

On the other side, I’m not sold on the Steelers’ running game at all and I think Marshall and Rhodes will have a scheme to limit the passing game. I would expect some solid pressure on Roethlisberger, and I’m not confident he’s advanced enough to audible to the right play and make the adjustments needed at the line of scrimmage.

And lastly, I like the Hawks’ experience both on the field and amongst the coaches — a lot more Super Bowl experience than Pittsburgh can claim.

I have a friend who lives in Pittsburgh, so don’t go getting bent out of shape with me. She’s the one making the Steelerfan-Mullet connection. This is from an email I got today talking about the big Steelers Rally they had Friday night:

…the freak flags are flying high here in Steeler Nation. They had a rally at Heinz field last night, and over 30,000 people showed up. You’ve never seen such a concentration of mullets in one place, I swear to god. We’re a bunch of Samsons, all our power comes from our mullets. That’s why it never went out of style here!

Seriously, we have to root for the Hawks just so the mullet doesn’t make a return to prominence anywhere outside western PA. Can you imagine? The horror…..

Seahawks Super Dog on eBay

Currently above $10,000. This is one of those things where you marvel at the stupidity of people and then think to yourself, “Man, I wish I had thought of that first.”

Not that you need another reason to hate the state of Texas, but they’re just so damn intent down there on giving us more reasons.

Texas A&M unhappy Seattle fans called ‘12th man’

Yes, they’re crying about the use of “12th Man” by the Seahawks and its fans.

Athletics director Bill Byrne said this week he’s received e-mails from A&M supporters complaining about the Seahawks’ “brazen use of the 12th Man theme at their home playoff games.”

And this:

“In the normal course of action, once someone becomes aware of it and they understand that you have a registered trademark, normally they cease,” said Steve Moore, A&M’s chief marketing officer. “In this case, they have chosen not to, but we are still hopeful that they will, quite frankly.”

The university’s last resort is to take the Seahawks to court, but Moore said A&M is not prepared to do that yet.

Hell, Aggies — why not sue the Seahawks for being mediocre for so long, because you’ve sure as hell trademarked that, too.

You’d never know from reading The Fan, but the Sonics are still playing basketball this season (I’m using the term “basketball” loosely) and the Mariners are just a couple weeks from those magical (if you live in Chicago, New York, Anaheim, or Boston) words: “Pitchers and catchers report.”

The Mariners introduced Kenji Johjima earlier this week — not exactly a good week to pimp your premiere off-season acquisition, but what can you do?

And just today they reached a one-year deal with Gil Meche, which would seem to end any speculation about the starting rotation … and this is the perfect week to get that out of the way.

Now back to our regularly scheduled Seahawks blogging……

We’re new to this out here. First Super Bowl in 30 years. Thank goodness we get the extra week to figure out all the off-the-field stuff. There’s a lot to learn when you’re making your first SB appearance:

1) Don’t piss off your longtime fans. Doesn’t Pearl Jam distribute fan club tickets based on how long you’ve been a member? Longtime members get first crack at the best seats. If it works for the Ten Club, why didn’t they try it with the 12th Man?

(Speaking of Pearl Jam, there was a question on Millionaire tonight asking what pro athlete’s uniform number inspired the album title Ten. I had no idea. I guessed Nate McMillan before they showed the possible choices. A: Mookie Blaylock….)

2) Watch out for phony swag. I love this part:

If you’re buying something on the street or from the trunk of a car, it’s probably not NFL-sanctioned.

Yeah, but if you’re buying something on the street or from the trunk of a car, you have bigger problems than whether it’s official or not….

Meanwhile, the best part (for now, at least) about the Seahawks being in the Super Bowl, is that you can’t go anywhere on the web without finding all kinds of stories about the team, the game, the players, you name it. Here’s a few worth reading…

Gregg Bell of the AP writes about the Seahawks as underdogs, and notes this is hardly the first time a lower seed is favored.

If you’re fashion-conscious, note that the Steelers have elected to wear their road “whites”, putting the Seahawks in their all-blue home duds.

And most importantly for the actual game, Len Pasquarelli delivers again with an excellent overview of five things to look for at Super Bowl XL.