On the Eve of the Super Bowl

Written by HawkBlogger.com contributor: Matthew Heuett

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s nearly Super Bowl time.  Hell yes.  I thought about putting together some predictions for this game, but everyone and their dog has already predicted the game to death this week, so I won’t add to the pile.  Besides, I’m pretty sure you guys can guess who I’m picking to win the game, just like I’m pretty sure I can guess who most of you are picking to win it (by the way feel free to totally ignore my wet-blanket attitude and post your own predictions for the game in the comments below).  The only prediction I’m willing to make at this time is that the pork shoulder I’m throwing in the oven tonight will be utterly delicious by kickoff tomorrow¹.

PODCAST: Final Super Bowl XLIX Edition

A podcast of my final thoughts before hopping a plane to Phoenix. What is my gut telling me? Listen and find out!

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Brian Nemhauser

Super Bowl XLIX: Numbers You Should Know

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner. These teams have been dissected in every way and every language for the past two weeks. All that is left is a football game. Here, in numerical form, are some stories to watch for come game time.

Questioning the Genius of Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick is a great coach, a Hall of Fame coach. There is little debate about it. He has won three Super Bowl rings, gone to six Super Bowls and won at least 10 games for twelve straight years. The man knows what he is doing. It is natural for Seahawks fans to feel a little concerned about what a coach of his pedigree can accomplish with two weeks of preparation before the Super Bowl. There is little reason to guess. He has coached five already. A closer look at those games raises questions about just how masterful Belichick is in these moments.

Super Bowl: This One Will Be Tense

Seattle fought through the toughest defense in the NFL, and most bitter rival, last season to reach the Super Bowl. They were getting Percy Harvin fully available for the first time all year. Denver was missing key players like Von Miller and Ryan Clady. The more I dug into researching that game, the more confident I was the Seahawks were going to roll. This year is not last year. New England is favored by a single point, and that feels about right after pouring over hours and hours of research and game film.

Patriots Run Defense Ranks Dead Last Versus Power Runs

You may have heard that Marshawn Lynch has a tendency to run with a little power. Patriots fans may have reason to be as concerned about Lynch as Seahawks fans are about Tom Brady. The New England defensive line ranks dead last against power runs, according to FootballOutsiders.com. They define a power run as, "percentage of runs on 3rd or 4th down, with 2 yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown." Seattle, on the other hand, ranked second in the NFL in converting those situations. Those two inequalities may be the deciding factor in this Super Bowl.

PODCAST: Guest Appearance On 1310 The Ticket Talking Super Bowl

I joined the guys down in Texas to talk Seahawks Super Bowl and help them get to know this team a little better. It is always interesting to hear what people outside of Seattle think about this team.

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Brian Nemhauser

Patriots Run Game Versus Seahawks Run D

The Patriots average 42 ppg when rushing for 100+ yards. It is true. Take out the meaningless final game of the regular season when the Patriots did not play many of their starters, notably Tom Brady, and there were six games where New England ran for over 100 yards on the ground, including their last playoff game against Indianapolis. They averaged 42.0 points per game in those six contests, and won by an average of 27.5 points. That is just one example of why, despite all the attention on Brady and Russell Wilson, it will be the running games of both teams that decides this Super Bowl.

PODCAST: Super Bowl Bye Week Edition

I finally found a few moments to record my thoughts about the win over Green Bay and the results of my initial research into the Patriots. Sick of Deflategate? Want to hear actual analysis of the football game? Look no further. I have an hour of detailed breakdown for you right here.

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Brian Nemhauser

Gatorade Recognizes 12s As A Sports Icon

Gatorade approached me a couple months ago about an ad campaign they were going to run celebrating their 50th anniversary by commemorating 50 greatest sports moments over the last 50 years. They wanted to feature Seahawks fans, the 12s, as one of the fifty, right alongside Michael Jordan and a slew of other legends. It was, of course, fun to engage with Gatorade on a project like this, but also inspiring to know that we have all created something special enough to transcend the sport.