Yes, It's True

Well, I've finally come to and yes, it's true: The Seattle Seahawks are in the Super Bowl!

As a longtime Seahawks fan (25 years), three decades of mediocrity was erased in less than 60 minutes. And it's a beautiful thing. I couldn't be more proud of that team for getting this far, but hey, the work isn't done yet. They've got one more game to play, and yes, they're going to win it.

As of right now, the 'Hawks are the underdogs. Pittsburgh started as a 3.5 point favorite, and that has moved to up a full point already. What this means is obvious: The general public is betting heavily on the Steelers. Other than that, the line is meaningless. Remember, the Washington Redskins were big underdogs against the Denver Broncos in '88, and they won the game, 42-10. That game is also memorable, since it gave us the stupidest question ever asked of a Super Bowl participant. Redskins QB Doug Williams (who is African-American) was asked "How long have you been a black QB?". Yep, that's the media for you.

Today, the Mayor of Detroit is attempting to have next week declared "Jerome Bettis Week" in the city of Detroit. Bettis, a RB for the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, is from Detroit and this is likely the last NFL game he'll participate in. I'm sure that the NFL is going to put the brakes on this effort, since it's probably not a good idea to over-publicize any one player on one of the participating teams.

I'm not one to make bold predicitions...ok, that's a lie. Here are some quick-hit thoughts on Super Bowl XL:

1. I've already heard that Pittsburgh has more "experience" than Seattle. Hey, it's great that your team won 4 Super Bowls in the 1970s, but half your roster wasn't even born back then. As far as the Steelers roster is concerned, not one player on it has won a Super Bowl. On the Seahawks roster, they've got 5 guys who have won a Super Bowl (WR Joe Jurevicius, DE Grant Wistrom, DT Chartric Darby, FS John Howell and P Tom Rouen).

2. Matt Hasselbeck is going to steal the show on media day. He's intelligent, well-spoken and is as down-to-Earth as you could want your QB to be. Mark my words: He's going to be a big, big star in this league for years to come.

3. Contrary to popular belief, Pittsburgh is not the "hottest" team heading into the Super Bowl. Yes, they've won 6 straight games, and beat the #1, 2, and 3 seeds on the road to get to the Super Bowl. However, Seattle hasn't lost a meaningful football game since Week 4 of the 2005 regular season.

4. Seattle is not, and likely never will be, as big a sports city as Pittsburgh. Articles like this indicate that it might not be a bad thing, either.

5. If/when the Seahawks win the Super Bowl, Mike Holmgren will immediately be considered a 1st ballot Hall of Fame coach. Why? Because he'll be the only head coach to guide two different teams to Super Bowl wins. A few coaches have reached the Super Bowl with two different teams, but none have won it with two different teams.

I'll have much more on this game, including the position-by-position analysis, full breakdown of the Seattle Seahawks roster and for the Seahawks anyways, a "how they got here" look at the 2005 season.