The first thing I did when I woke up Monday was watch

By Seth Kolloen • February 1, 2014 5:19 pm
Pete Carroll is different than most football coaches in many ways, one

The first thing I did when I woke up Monday was watch the Super Bowl again to make sure it wasn’t a dream. So much of it seemed like fantasy. A pick-six of Peyton Manning—something I actually did dream of Saturday night? A kickoff returned for a touchdown by Percy Harvin? 43-8? Who wins a game 43-8? (In fact, as Nate Silver pointed out on Twitter, no one ever had.) But the game was right there on my DVR where I’d left it. As I re-watched the single greatest performance in Seattle sports history, I realized that the next few years are going to be different from anything Seattle fans have experienced before.

Also, I realized that the rest of the night must have been true, too! I really did jog down Broadway, with horn honks and joyful shouts as my workout music, giving high-fives to passengers in the cars driving the other way. I did head-bang to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at the impromptu dance party that broke out at 95 Slide. When I woke up, I had a bunch of Skittles in my back pocket and a vague memory of being handed them by some guy as I walked down Pike. Yes, I was in such an innocent mood, I literally did take candy from a stranger.

But back to football. A team as young as the Seahawks, with an average age of 26.4, having a season this dominant, capped off by a blowout win over one of the best teams in football, portends something Seattle has never seen: a legit sports dynasty.

I had a couple of longtime friends over to watch the game, but we didn’t call it a party. It was a “Seahawks support group.” The three of us are part of the generation that’s too young to remember the Sonics’ championship, and so have spent decades suffering through one of the longest major pro sport title droughts any city’s ever had. We needed each other.

So after all that losing, to say to those guys (or to you, reader, who has endured some of the same suffering) that the Seahawks are poised for several years of dominance—dominance like the ’49ers in the ’80s, the Cowboys in the ’90s, or the Patriots in the ’00s—seems crazy. But all the elements are there. The Seahawks are the second-youngest team to play in a Super Bowl, let alone win one by 35 points. They have a strong, united coaching staff and front office. And they aren’t dependent on a single player. Weaknesses at any of these points have derailed franchises from dynastic destiny. We shouldn’t have to worry about it.

I hear you: “Seth, be realistic. You’re in some sort of misty championship afterglow.” Maybe that’s true. But I’m not saying anything that supposedly impartial football analysts around the country aren’t saying too. Tighten that seat belt, Seahawks fans. This ride’s just getting started.

sportsball@seattleweekly.com

Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse breaks a tackle by Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard to score a touchdown during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.Photo taken 020214Sports - Super Bowl XLVIII- Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos

Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse breaks a tackle by Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard to score a touchdown during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.Photo taken 020214Sports – Super Bowl XLVIII- Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos

Seattle’s Super Bowl shellacking of the Denver Broncos portended future greatness for the very young team. University of Washington alumnus Jermaine Kearse, left, bounced off Denver’s defense with the youthful aplomb afforded 23-year-olds. K.J. Wright, above left, crushed the comparatively elderly Wes Welker. Zach Miller attempted to forge a connection with Kearse and Derrick Coleman, above right, despite the fact that, unlike his younger teammates, the 28-year-old tight end was alive during the Reagan administration. And 25-year-old Russell Wilson, top, hoisted his first Lombardi Trophy.

Seattle’s Super Bowl shellacking of the Denver Broncos portended future greatness for the very young team. University of Washington alumnus Jermaine Kearse, left, bounced off Denver’s defense with the youthful aplomb afforded 23-year-olds. K.J. Wright, above left, crushed the comparatively elderly Wes Welker. Zach Miller attempted to forge a connection with Kearse and Derrick Coleman, above right, despite the fact that, unlike his younger teammates, the 28-year-old tight end was alive during the Reagan administration. And 25-year-old Russell Wilson, top, hoisted his first Lombardi Trophy.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy following a 43-8 Super Bowl victory against the Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Photo by Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy following a 43-8 Super Bowl victory against the Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Photo by Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald

Seattle’s Super Bowl shellacking of the Denver Broncos portended future greatness for the very young team. University of Washington alumnus Jermaine Kearse, left, bounced off Denver’s defense with the youthful aplomb afforded 23-year-olds. K.J. Wright, above left, crushed the comparatively elderly Wes Welker. Zach Miller attempted to forge a connection with Kearse and Derrick Coleman, above right, despite the fact that, unlike his younger teammates, the 28-year-old tight end was alive during the Reagan administration. And 25-year-old Russell Wilson, top, hoisted his first Lombardi Trophy.

Seattle’s Super Bowl shellacking of the Denver Broncos portended future greatness for the very young team. University of Washington alumnus Jermaine Kearse, left, bounced off Denver’s defense with the youthful aplomb afforded 23-year-olds. K.J. Wright, above left, crushed the comparatively elderly Wes Welker. Zach Miller attempted to forge a connection with Kearse and Derrick Coleman, above right, despite the fact that, unlike his younger teammates, the 28-year-old tight end was alive during the Reagan administration. And 25-year-old Russell Wilson, top, hoisted his first Lombardi Trophy.