The picture above says it all. First of all, I never knew that I could be such a fan of the Baltimore Ravens. I cheered for them as if they were the Seahawks brothers, and with their similar styles of play and uhhh... "birdness?", maybe they are. All I know is that watching Jim Harbaugh have meltdown after meltdown is still one of the greatest things I've seen in a long time. Maybe I'm not seeing enough great things, maybe I'm petty for taking great joy from the failure of my enemies, either way it's great knowing that the San Francisco 49ers are NOT champions.
So that's two near misses for the men in gold under Jim Harbaugh for those keeping score at home. Soon the team, and it's coach, will have to answer questions about whether or not this team can "win the big one." 49ers fans might scoff at the notion of the team's "window closing" but with the rise of the Seahawks, and even the rise of the pestering Rams, the path to a championship will not be as easy as it has been the past two seasons for Harbaugh and company. And while this team might appear to be the tough type of team that can rebound from such a devastating defeat, there's always the possibility for a Super Bowl hangover as we've seen in the past. Some will point to the Seahawks still making the playoffs the since after XL but that's just further proof that the Seahawks deserved to win it all in 05.
I'll be honest. It would have been tough having to live with the fact that Colin Kaepernick won a Super Bowl before Russell Wilson. Kaepernick, in my mind, is the type of guy whom the league will adjust to next season. People calling for a "Cam Newton" type sophomore season from Russell Wilson might want to look at Colin Kaepernick instead. Wilson does a much better job of going through his reads than Kaepernick. Harbaugh designs his offense with the intention of making the job easy for his QB. It's why Alex Smith, Andrew Luck, Josh Johnson, etc. have all had outstanding success under Kaepernick. Kaepernick's physical tools make him a perfect fit in the 49ers offense. His lackluster ability to read a defense is tough to expose because you've got to respect his abilities with his arm and legs. His physical tools are through the roof, his skills, not so much in my opinion. Also, I'd expect Wilson to have freedom to audible at the line of scrimmage this season. I know we haven't seen it yet so there's no way to say this for sure, but I'm positive that Wilson will be an ace audibler from Day 1.
What I really wanted to talk about however was the feeling I got when the final seconds ticked off the clock last Sunday. Immediately, amazing joy swept over me. I was with company, some random people I didn't even know, and I was jumping for joy. It could have been the alcohol talking, but I was going absolutely nuts! Then, I stood there and just decided to take it in. As the confetti started to pour down from the rafters, I felt this amazing feeling. It's as if I was watching the future, but instead of the Ravens celebrating it was the Seahawks. No dome next year, so no confetti, but the snow was a perfect replacement. At that moment I had this oddly calm sense of confidence that next year will be our year. My mind already believes this to be fact. There's a long road ahead to make this possibility a reality, but I believe that this is the team and the quarterback to do it.
Make no mistake, this will be a monumental offseason in the history of Seahawks football. 2 or 3 perfectly executed moves and this team could be bound for greatness, and not just once but for a prolonged period of time. Judging based on Pete Carroll and John Schneider's track records, I've got no reason to believe that they won't continue to lead Seattle to the promised land. Buckle up 12's, this is about to be the best ride of your life!
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