So Serattle is the new mainstream popular choice as the team to beat.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000151114/article/nfcs-early-frontrunner-seahawks-49ers-falcons-duke-it-out

Good.

I hope the Seahawks get tons of attention and scrutiny. That they are built up in glowing terms and looked at with the 'can't miss' label. A perfect preseason scenario where they A) add to their already inflated sense of grandiosity and B) Add the hype of even greater expectations to their 'twelfth man' booster base.

The thing is, the game is played on the field. And Seattle has to actually come out and deliver what will be expected of them. Being the perceived front runner is quite different than being a popular choice with no pressure.

With their new signings, veterans and experienced coaching staff, they will be expected to win the division. And to emphatically show their superiority to the Niners.

Not to say that they can't or won't do it. Obviously they are favorites for legitimate reasons.

The argument is made somewhere in that link that it will be harder and harder for the Niners to recover and regroup after two heartbreaking playoff losses. I share that worry. But that's where the management and coaching phases of the game come to the forefront. The argument is based purely on psychological assumptions.

The Niners actually did go further last year than the year before. One could have made the same argument last year that the crushing loss to New York would have defalted them last year. And they survived as radical a midseason qb change as any in NFL history, given the context.

While the Superbowl ending was .... unfortunate, Seattle's blown comeback against Atlanta might have been even more demoralizing in some ways for them. It's easy to try spinning that loss as a kind of moral victory. But it wasn't. If the Niners are supposed to be burnt out and shell shocked, why is Seattle considered impervious to the same fate? Why assume they can 'get over it' any better than the Niners? Or, put differently, why assume that two deep playoff runs by San Francisco make them more vulnerable to self doubt?

It will come down to personnel, system, coaching, execution. Both teams have talent. Both have weaknesses. Both are still assembling next season's rosters. Both so far have been given credit for key upgrades. Sure, the Niners have lost more key players at the moment, but the draft hasn't taken place yet and the signings and trading is still ongoing. And a little thing called 'chemistry' is a critical part of the mix. Talent on paper doesn't always translate to ideal results on the field.

Every year in every sport, the media always look for a fresh rising team to annoint as an emerging favorite. Seattle probably has earned that position legitimately, but like all media judgments it's virtual. The game is still played manually on the field in real time. Until the final rosters are in place, I think it's way premature to presume the balance of power has shifted. Both teams are probably at the top of the conference, but every year unexpected challengers appear as well. After the past two seasons, all I want out of the regular campaign is to see the team make the playoffs in a reasonable position. If they do, I'll place my faith in the entire organization to find a way of finally putting the last piece of the puzzle in place. And if I were betting, I would think the odds would tilt towards Seattle somehow finding a way to fail more than the Niners. Just a biased hunch!

Last Edited By: Arnold49 03/17/13 02:06 AM. Edited 1 times.