2013 Seattle Seahawks: Drafting a Champion

2013 Seattle Seahawks: Drafting a Champion

[paypal_donation_button]2013 Seattle Seahawks: Drafting a Champion

When the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Bryant made the 49-yard field goal to win the 2012 NFC divisional round game, the Seattle Seahawks were obviously disappointed to be knocked out of the playoffs. However, this loss, and the win the previous week against the Washington Redskins, kicked the development of this young team into overdrive. Their improvement from a 7-9 record in the 2011 NFL season to 11-5 in the 2012 NFL season was a prelude to the team’s Super Bowl winning performance in 2013. The rapid development of stars like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Russell Wilson is even more impressive when you learn that they were all drafted by the Seahawks only a few years before winning the Super Bowl.

Building a team through the draft and surrounding the young talent with smart free agent acquisitions is easier said than done. Many teams try it every year with varying success. The Seahawks didn’t just draft players to fill their roster, they drafted stars. In the 2010 draft, the Seahawks selected Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. In 2011, they drafted Richard Sherman in the 5th round. Finally in 2012, they selected linebacker Bobby Wagner in the 2nd round and quarterback Russell Wilson in the 3rd. Their talent evaluation was on target and with players like Marshawn Lynch and Brandon Mebane already on the roster the Seahawks were built to win immediately.

In Russell Wilson’s rookie year, he won the starting quarterback job from free agent acquisition, Matt Flynn. With Marshawn Lynch running amok, Wilson was able to complete 64% of his passes for 3118 yards, and 26 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. The young Seahawks finished the 2012 season 2nd in the NFC West with an 11-5 record and one playoff win under their belt.

The team remained intact when they returned for the 2013 campaign. Another year of growth, experience and maturity was ahead for the team, but this group of young stars had other ideas. They believed themselves to be the cream of the crop and carried themselves that way. The vocal Richard Sherman led the secondary, known as The Legion of Boom, with 8 interceptions. The dominant defensive line was led by Seahawks’ 2008 NFL draft pick, Cliff Avril, who had 8 sacks while free agent addition, Michael Bennett, contributed with 8.5 sacks. The Seahawks defense led the NFL by allowing only 231 points all season.

While the defense got a lot of attention, Marshawn Lynch went about his business by carrying the ball 301 times for 1257 yards and 12 touchdowns. Russell Wilson improved his yards passing while limiting his interceptions from 11 the previous year to 9 in 2013.

The Seahawks finished the 2013 regular season winning the NFC West with a 13-3 record which earned them a first round bye. After disposing of the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round, the Seahawks had a date with division rival, the San Francisco 49ers, for the right to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLVIII.

The 2013 NFC championship was a close affair. The Seahawks trailed for much of the game until Russell Wilson threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse early in the 4th quarter. The Seahawks led 20-17 and from there the defense would not relinquish the lead. The young team had come together to earn a trip to the Super Bowl to face Peyton Manning and the high-powered Denver Broncos offense.

In the weeks leading up to the game, Super Bowl XLVIII was being touted as a battle of the best offense in the league against the best defense. The Broncos’ offense sputtered early and often, allowing a safety in the first drive of the game. Peyton Manning couldn’t get comfortable under center against the high flying defense. He threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes, Marshawn Lynch rushed for one and Percy Harvin returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown. The game was a rout. The Seahawks offense, defense and special teams imposed their will on the Broncos on their way to a dominating 43-8 victory.

In a true all-around team effort the honors of Super Bowl MVP could have gone to a number of individuals. In the end the honor was awarded to Seahawks’ 2011 7th round draft pick Malcolm Smith. His interception returned for a touchdown, fumble recovery and 6 tackles made him a defensive standout in the dominating performance.