The Seattle Seahawks are champions again. There is more than enough credit to go around, but there is no doubt that head coach Mike Macdonald deserves more than anyone else in the organization.
All 12s know the heartache that nearly struck us all down 11 years and seven days ago. No matter who decided to pass, instead of handing off to the most dependable running back in the NFL, Pete Carroll was ultimately responsible for the gaffe. BeastMode was cheated of the win, along with the Seahawks and the 12s.
Mike Macdonald did not make the same mistake in Super Bowl LX. Seattle rode the shifting, darting legs of Kenneth Walker III to the NFL championship. Walker, and the relentless Seahawks defense that exorcised the demons of the past. Walker won the MVP with his dominant 135-yard performance. As great as he was, I believe it would be fair to split the trophy among multiple players.
The Seattle Seahawks dominated the Patriots in every phase of the game
Listen, I'm usually not the kind of guy who says, I told you so. But, yeah, I told you so. Let me be real for a second, though. I also once wrote that Seattle made a smart move to pick up former Packers running back Eddie Lacy. So, I'm not exactly batting 1.000 in the prediction business.
But literally everything I wrote about this game panned out. The Patriots had never faced a defense as good or as sophisticated as the Dark Side. In a private wager with my brother, I said Seattle would win by at least 13 points. The 29-13 Seattle win was sweet indeed.
If center Jalen Sundell hadn't been called for holding, Walker would have added another score. That would have nearly matched my prediction of a 36-16 Seahawks win.
Quarterback Sam Darnold certainly deserves his accolades for his performance, too. 19-38 for 202 yards and one touchdown isn't the stuff of legend, no. But considering the heat he had taken all season, despite the rock-solid support of his teammates, he was on point under serious pressure all night.
Darnold played the kind of solid game that wins championships. So much for the opinion of the "well-respected" former coach Eric Mangini. What he knows about football would fill a small thimble.
The 12s don't care about what losing coaches say. What matters to them is that Mike Macdonald led the Seahawks with conviction and passion all season long. His mantra of Mission Over, uh, Badstuff took root at the core of every member of this team. Twelve As One resonated deeply with each player. This is a team with no egos. And that paid off in full with a resounding exorcism of the ghosts of the past.