Armchair Quarterback: Seahawks can’t get any respect

Why aren’t the Seahawks getting any respect despite having the best record in the NFC?

At last check, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a four-point favorite against the Seahawks in next week’s Super Bowl. This lack of respect for the Hawks comes despite the fact they finished 13-3 during the regular season, winning both the regular season title for best record and breezing through the NFC playoffs. On the way to doing this they were the league’s highest scoring offense and boasted the league’s MVP in Shaun Alexander.

This also comes in the face of the Seahawks being the No. 1-seeded team in the NFC while Pittsburgh was the sixth seed entering the postseason at 11-5. Actually, the Steelers were lucky to just make it in as they had to struggle the final week of the regular season against the lowly Detroit Lions to keep the Kansas City Chiefs from taking the last playoff spot.

Then, in the first week of the playoffs, they benefit by league MVP candidate Carson Palmer going down for the Bengals, suffering a critical knee injury. But, even then, they had to make a big second-half come back to beat a Jon Kitna-led Bengal squad to advance.

Then, the Steelers beat the best team in the NFL, that being the Colts. Yes, the Colts were the best team, hands down. However, the best team only wins about half the time as being good sometimes isn’t enough. But, in winning the game, the Steelers were bailed out by a kicking miscue at the end.

I guess what I’m wondering is, at least in picking the odds-on favorite, is why the odds-makers would choose a team who limped into the playoffs over a team which was good all year and smoked its opposition for most of the season. Is the AFC that much better than the NFC? I mean we’re not talking a one seed NFC team taking on a two seed AFC team here. This is first versus worst as far as playoff seedings go.

Personally, I think folks have gotten over-confident as far as the prowess of the AFC teams. Sure, the Colts were a cut above this year, but otherwise, I’d throw the next 10 teams in a hat in the NFL as far as who was next. This isn’t the day of Joe Nameth and the Jets over the Colts in Super Bowl III. Instead, this is salary cap ball where teams are on somewhat of an equal footing.

Hey, even back when the NFC, with teams like the Niners and Cowboys were winning a huge streak of Super Bowls, I don’t think there was a dominance of NFC over AFC. Instead, I just think the Cowboys and Niners of the 1980s and 1990s were superior teams. Those were instances where the best team did win, teams, like our recent Patriots, who lifted the level of their game when it came to the Super Bowl.

So how does this bode for the Super Bowl? Well, I think, much like the Texas Longhorns who had to listen to that mess about USC being the greatest ever, the Hawks will come in with a chip on their shoulder because of their lack of respect.

Does this mean the Hawks will win? Not necessarily. Like I said earlier, aside from the Colts, I believe the top 10 teams in the NFL are all but even, meaning the Hawks and Steelers are a pick ’em when it comes to a favorite.

But, is the AFC superior to the NFC?

I severely doubt it.