The city of Seattle has faced sporting heartbreak and loss more than most and if the manner of their victory left neutrals cold then the grander import of a city – famed for its sporting passion – finally getting a big win does serve to throw a bit of romance back into the mix of Sunday night’s one sided Broncos humiliation.
Listen to the full interview with Ben Shpigel of The New York Times via the player below, or download it on iTunes
Ben Shpigel of The New York Times was speaking with Off the Ball on Monday night to explain what this win meant to the city of Seattle and just how Peyton Manning and The Broncos – with the NFL’s most potent offense – were neutralised and swept aside by a brutal, uncompromising Seahawks team.
Shpigel was at the MetLife stadium on Sunday night and told Joe Molloy that as the Seahawks emphasised their advantage the sense of occasion started to drain from the crowd as they realised only one side was in the game.
“It was 22-0 with a few minutes left in the first half and it felt as if all the air had been let out of the balloon here.
“There were a lot who left in the fourth quarter, if not earlier.
Trying to explain what happened to the Broncos is a pastime that will occupy many for much time. Shpigel offered an early assessment, citing the unique style of Seattle’s defensive system as the factor that had Peyton looking so uncomfortable and off balance.
“Seattle’s defence is just so unlike any defence that Peyton Manning and the broncos had faced this year.
“There’s no way to prepare for it.
“You think of the Ravens of 2000 or the Bears of the mid 80s...those were very talented defence’s, some of the best of all time, and you sort of wonder, where do [the Seahawks] rank?
“I was sort of surprised by how the Broncos offensive line couldn’t handle the Seahawks defence,” Shpigel said.
“The Broncos didn’t really give Peyton a whole lot of time to throw.
“He was forced to run around,” he added.
The Seahawks came into the game as the underdogs – a motley crew of one time underachievers and an inexperienced outfit who could be prone to freezing in the lights of the big occasion. Clearly, that was never a factor.
Shpigel talked about how, despite a total lack of experience of the biggest stage, the Seahawks always looked completely at ease.
The Seattle story is one that has added a layer to the story of this team. As a city it has faced a spell of 35 years without a trophy, going back to the 1979 Seattle Supersonics NBA Finals win. Shpigel has been reporting on the Seahawks extensively and having spent a lot of time in the north-western city in recent weeks he admitted he was beginning to grasp the magnitude of this win for the Seahawks fans.
“I had the fortune of spending a good chunk of this post season in Seattle...and I absolutely adore Seattle. I love it, it’s one of my favourite cities on earth and I just hope that it is still standing after the parade on wed. I don’t think that I have been to a city for an event like – whether it a world series, or a Stanley cup or – where the fans, the residents of that city, so love a sports team.
“I can just imagine that city exploded last night."
