Super Bowl - in-depth analysis

[familytoad]

My earlier points came true:

Defense wins Championships.

Manning isn't effective when under pressure...although he wasn't sacked he was hurried on a bunch of important downs...notice that the Defense allowed those weak 4 yd passes all day long and for some reason that seemed to make the Broncos happy

A perfectly executed win by Seattle without a huge statistical game from the 'Hawks...

Yep...we got this one!!

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by familytoad

...although he wasn't sacked he was hurried on a bunch of important downs...notice that the Defense allowed those weak 4 yd passes all day long and for some reason that seemed to make the Broncos happy

Think Seattle does it almost in reverse.. usually you see pressure from the defensive front forcing errant throws, interceptions, etc.. and when a QB has time, a secondary may be exposed. Seattle's secondary is so good that they force a QB to hold the ball (consistently knocking guys off their underneath routes and completely taking away over the top throws), and thus QB pressure comes from having nowhere to go to with the ball.

This may be best all around secondary I've ever seen (cover, bump/fight, tackle, strip, and ball skills)... though I was too young to really remember watching the young (1981 version) of the great Niner secondary of Wright/Williamson/Hicks/Lott.. or those 70's Raiders groups.

[familytoad]

Ian, I agree with you about the pressure being aided by the strong secondary play...no where to throw!
Now he was able to set a SB record for completions, but the defense obviously could care less about 4 yd completions and the chance to pop the receiver a second after the catch.
Seattle totally dominated in every aspect. I loved it all!

[Runscott]

well, that's that. Hopefully when I get back from dinner, someone will have bumped the John Rogers/Peter Nash thread back up to it's rightful place.

[MyGuyTy]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

Think Seattle does it almost in reverse.. usually you see pressure from the defensive front forcing errant throws, interceptions, etc.. and when a QB has time, a secondary may be exposed. Seattle's secondary is so good that they force a QB to hold the ball (consistently knocking guys off their underneath routes and completely taking away over the top throws), and thus QB pressure comes from having nowhere to go to with the ball.

This may be best all around secondary I've ever seen (cover, bump/fight, tackle, strip, and ball skills)... though I was too young to really remember watching the young (1981 version) of the great Niner secondary of Wright/Williamson/Hicks/Lott.. or those 70's Raiders groups.

Completely agree Ian, I would honestly rank this secondary at the very top with the 70's Raiders group as the two best ever. The Assassin, Atkinson, old man Willie and later Lester Hayes have company.

[freakhappy]

Manning's velocity is not what it used to be, but let's give credit fully where it is due and that is to the Seahawks....they totally dominated this game and it had nothing to do with Peyton Manning's lack of this or that. Peyton Manning attempted to do what he did all year long, but the Seahawk's defense was way too stingy to let that happen. They have the #1 pass defense for a reason and it showed up ready to go tonight.

I know it doesn't matter that Manning set a record in the game, but he still completed a boatload of passes...so what was the difference again? The Seahawks defense made several plays resulting in a lot of turnovers and points. So to throw Manning on the ground and kick dirt on him is clearly the wrong way to view how this game panned out.

The Seahawks were the better team tonight and the Broncos were not prepared for them. It's weird...it's still hard to fathom the final score. I've never seen such a prolific team so dominated like the Broncos were tonight...just crazy!

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

Manning's velocity is not what it used to be, but let's give credit fully where it is due and that is to the Seahawks....they totally dominated this game and it had nothing to do with Peyton Manning's lack of this or that. Peyton Manning attempted to do what he did all year long, but the Seahawk's defense was way too stingy to let that happen. They have the #1 pass defense for a reason and it showed up ready to go tonight.

I know it doesn't matter that Manning set a record in the game, but he still completed a boatload of passes...so what was the difference again? The Seahawks defense made several plays resulting in a lot of turnovers and points. So to throw Manning on the ground and kick dirt on him is clearly the wrong way to view how this game panned out.

The Seahawks were the better team tonight and the Broncos were not prepared for them. It's weird...it's still hard to fathom the final score. I've never seen such a prolific team so dominated like the Broncos were tonight...just crazy!

Hey Mike, I'm definitely with you in giving Seahawks full credit (no matter how much it hurts me).. and I also have huge respect for what Manning's been able to accomplish with diminished physical skills (though I do think people put too much emphasis on the pure stats). That said, this matchup was probably the single worst he could have faced in the Super Bowl.

Manning's lack of arm strength is not why the Seahawks DBs are good or looked great tonight.. but his limitations really played into their strengths. Those guys are always on the receivers' hips contesting the every completion.. far more so than any other team's secondary. If there were ever a time to place a premium on pure arm strength, it's when facing the Hawks. That is often the only way someone's able to be able to squeeze the ball into very tight windows on the intermediate to deeper routes with any consistency (and "consitency" v Seahawks does not equal "consistency" v others) against these guys.

Underneath stuff (pick plays, option routes, slip screens, short drags, etc) worked great for the Broncos all year, and they have some great play makers.. but the Seahawks secondary hits/tackles like no other as well. I think there were like three 3rd and 1s the Broncos converted by gaining 1 yard... Seahawks make teams work for yards like no other. Best D in league and maybe best secondary ever.

(That said--- I still gotta give a shot out to my Niners as having a great D and the best linebackers in the game... this rivalry picks up from the Steelers/Ravens as the most physical/bruising old school style football)

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

Hey Mike, I'm definitely with you in giving Seahawks full credit (no matter how much it hurts me).. and I also have huge respect for what Manning's been able to accomplish with diminished physical skills (though I do think people put too much emphasis on the pure stats). That said, this matchup was probably the single worst he could have faced in the Super Bowl.

Manning's lack of arm strength is not why the Seahawks DBs are good or looked great tonight.. but his limitations really played into their strengths. Those guys are always on the receivers' hips contesting the every completion.. far more so than any other team's secondary. If there were ever a time to place a premium on pure arm strength, it's when facing the Hawks. That is often the only way someone's able to be able to squeeze the ball into very tight windows on the intermediate to deeper routes with any consistency (and "consitency" v Seahawks does not equal "consistency" v others) against these guys.

Underneath stuff (pick plays, option routes, slip screens, short drags, etc) worked great for the Broncos all year, and they have some great play makers.. but the Seahawks secondary hits/tackles like no other as well. I think there were like three 3rd and 1s the Broncos converted by gaining 1 yard... Seahawks make teams work for yards like no other. Best D in league and maybe best secondary ever.

(That said--- I still gotta give a shot out to my Niners as having a great D and the best linebackers in the game... this rivalry picks up from the Steelers/Ravens as the most physical/bruising old school style football)

No doubt, Ian...I hear what you're saying. I just had to put my two cents in and let everyone know that this game was clearly won by the Seahawks and not lost by Manning.

I thought the Niners were in the driver's seat a few weeks ago when they jumped out to that lead, but that's why they play the whole game!
The NFC West is going to be crazy for a few more years down the road. Defense is key to winning IMO and it showed tonight. My team is the Buccaneers and I've liked them ever since I was little back in the eighties, so I know how to take 'em on the chin if you know what I mean. The Bucs were known for their defense when they started getting better and that's what I loved about them...their defense. I always wanted to see more offense from them and it was often frustrating to watch them mostly shutdown a team, but lose 13-10. But lately their defense has been horrible and I see how important it is to have that great defense...it's a must! Unless of course you have a decent defense and a great offense

[Runscott]

The 49'ers and Seahawks will both be great as long as Harbaugh and Carroll stay put. I see a chess match between these two each time they meet, with either team winning on any given Sunday. Using Kaepernick more as a runner in the NFC Championship was a great plan, even though it put him at a lot of physical risk that most coaches wouldn't be okay with. I think he knew he couldn't win any other way - Carroll had seen Harbaugh's team twice and was ready for Gore and Boldin. I don't think it would be far-fetched to predict that one of these two will represent the NFC for the next three years.

[drmondobueno]

Originally Posted by MyGuyTy

Completely agree Ian, I would honestly rank this secondary at the very top with the 70's Raiders group as the two best ever. The Assassin, Atkinson, old man Willie and later Lester Hayes have company.

I was a fan of this Raider defense, a super solid group of dominant hard hitting ballhawking backs. But this Seattle group is a deeper group and, in my opinion, better defenders in the air and just as aggressive with the hits.