Can the Seahawks Regain Their Super Form in 2006?

By Justin Shaw

The Seattle Seahawks had a dream season in 2005.  They coasted to their second straight NFC Western Division title and locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs by posting a 13-3 record.  After beating the Washington Redskins and the Carolina Panthers with relative ease the Seahawks rolled into Detroit feeling very good and liking their chances against the AFC Wild Card Pittsburgh Steelers.  However, things went horribly wrong for the Hawks in Mo-Town and now they look to pick up the pieces of a double-digit Super Bowl loss heading into 2006. 

So the big question is: can they repeat as division and NFC Champs?  Most educated football fans would look at the Seahawks division and say that they will undoubtedly win it again for the third year in a row.  These fans would also say that Seattle has to be one of the favorites to win the NFC again and make a return trip to the Super Bowl.  Wrong.  Not only will they not win the NFC, they won’t win their division either. 

So, your 2006 NFC Western Division Champion is… the Arizona Cardinals?  This must be a sick joke right?  Nope, you heard it here first; the boys from the desert are taking the division this year.

Before laughing and ceasing to read the rest of this column, listen to the rationale behind this theory

First off, the Seahawks have released a rash of players since the off-season, and while none of them are really big names, Steve Hutchinson’s absence on the O-Line is going to be a big problem for Shaun Alexander and the Hawks running game. 

However, this is the least of Seattle’s problems.  They are going to be fighting against something that is hard to overcome: history.  No team that has lost the Super Bowl has won their division the next season since the 1997 New England Patriots.  Furthermore, the last seven teams to lose the Super Bowl have not only failed to make the playoffs, but none of them ever had a winning record the next year.

This “Super Bowl Hangover” is a curse to be reckoned with.  Just ask the 4-12 2002 Oakland Raiders or the 6-10 2005 Philadelphia Eagles.  Losing the biggest game on earth leaves shockwaves throughout a team, and this will especially be the case for the Seahawks.  Not only did they lose 21-10 to the Steelers, but they also feel like they got the short end of the officiating stick, not a good combo heading into 2006. 

Hangovers and curses aside, let’s have a look at the suddenly dangerous and attractive 2006 edition of the Arizona Cardinals.  What is not to drool over with this revamped, offensively minded team?  Everything is coming together for them.  They have a beautiful new stadium that will attract more people and have already sold out their season tickets for 2006.  The addition of Edgerrin James and the drafting of Matt Leinart to go along with the best receiving core west of Indianapolis is going to be explosive.  Oh yeah, and the current starting QB, he’s a former Super Bowl MVP.

The Cardinals will be a very strong contender in the NFC and they will find a way to win the division.  But hey Seahawks fans, look on the brightside, you can always pop that 2005 Season DVD into the player and watch it to remember the good times.   Ho