As many of us found out yet again in Super Bowl XLVIII, defense wins championships. Far too often, fans and analysts of the NFL forget about the defensive side of the ball and solely put their focus on flashy offense. As a viewer I understand why, but let’s not forget about the old fashioned style of football that the great game once was known for. I’ve heard people call this past Super Bowl a “boring” one. Yes it was a blowout and wasn’t as intense as previous games but it was a complete and utter show of domination by the Seahawks. To me, dominating play is anything but boring.

Seattle and its Legion Of Boom are the Super Bowl Champions, and rightfully so after their domination of the Broncos. By Mike Morris, via Wikimedia Commons

Seattle showed why they were the best team all season long and they deserved their Super Bowl victory. People doubted them all year because of their “mediocre” offense and their supposed inability to win away from Seattle. They lost only two games away from Seattle this season, both being in the final seconds of the game (at Indianapolis and at San Francisco) so I don’t understand where this myth comes from about them not being able to win on the road.

Lets also not forget who they beat en route to the title — Drew Brees, Colin Kaepernick and Peyton Manning. They held all three teams under 20 points and I would say that is a pretty impressive feat to accomplish.

But until they pulled off what might go down as the most dominant performance in a Super Bowl in history, the numbers didn’t speak that loudly. People wondered what would happen against one of the best quarterbacks of our generation playing his best football.

What their defense was able to do against Denver is incredible. The Legion of Boom and the rest of the Seahawks are now the champions and will be until someone else dethrones them next season. That might be easier said than done though, as the Seahawks are a very young, talented and now experienced team that could be on the verge of a potential dynasty if they make all the right moves as they have done in the past. Defense, not offense wins championships, and the Seahawks reminded everyone of that once again.

Coming into the 2013-2014 NFL season, many people expected that at least some version of the last four teams standing would be the Broncos, Seahawks, Patriots and 49ers. Most years, it doesn’t happen where the projected final four actually make it due to a magical run from a dark horse or incredible unforeseen season. But this year it has happened and for the NFL that is a very good thing.

AFC Championship

Can Tom Brady lead the Patriots to another Super Bowl win? First he will have to go through Peyton Manning and Denver. By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (Tom Brady) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

For Brady and the Patriots a win could mean an incredible feat of reaching the Super Bowl for a sixth time despite all the injuries and poor play from Brady throughout the season. For Manning, this game could make or break his legacy based off his previous playoff struggles.

NFC Championship

On the NFC side of things, the championship showcases two of the most exciting and best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Colin Kaepernick has already made it to the Super Bowl in his short career and Russell Wilson is looking to add to his impressive resume. Over the last few seasons, Seattle vs. San Francisco has become arguably the most heated rivalry in the NFL so it is only fitting that they meet for the NFC crown. Kaepernick and the 49ers have had their recent struggles playing in Seattle so it will be interesting to see how they respond in the NFC Title game.

No matter which two teams win this weekend, Super Bowl XLVIII will be a battle of new vs old. Either way the NFL and its fans will benefit from the matchup.

Who do you think will be in the Super Bowl?

The 2012 NFL rookie class has proven to be one of the better draft classes in recent years, with players like Trent Richardson, Alfred Morris, Doug Martin, Justin Blackmon and Ryan Tannehill just to name a few. Many teams this season have relied heavily on the players they selected back in April and many of them have produced. But three quarterbacks have stood out consistently all season long, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson have all proven they can be successful in the league and made their cases for the 2012 Rookie of the Year award. Here is my breakdown of each player’s season and my choice for who I would vote for in the award race if I actually could vote for it:

Russell Wilson defied expectations and helped launch the Seahawks into the playoffs. By Larry Maurer [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins: Selected second overall in the 2012 NFL draft, Griffin led the Redskins to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth after the team went 5-11 last season. He went 258-393 in his passing attempts with a completion percentage of 65.6 and threw for 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 815 yards and seven touchdowns.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: Selected 75^th overall in the 2012 NFL draft, Wilson led the Seahawks to a 11-5 record after the team went 7-9 last year. He went 252-393 in passing attempts with a completion rating of 64.1 and threw for 3,118 yards with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Also he rushed for 489 yards and four touchdowns.

Each one of these players has played well enough to win the award. The fact that all three of their teams are in the playoffs is amazing. But the award can only go to one of them and my pick for the 2012 Rookie of the Year award goes to Russell Wilson of the Seahawks. For me it was a tough decision between him and RG III. Wilson is surely the underdog in this race, but I think he deserves the award over Luck and RGIII because of where he was drafted and the numbers he has put up. He had more touchdowns than both Luck and RGIII and still only managed 10 interceptions throughout the year. Plus his completion percentage is only 1.5 points below RGIII, which is astonishing.

Without the lone tie-game of the season, the Seahawks might have taken the NFC West from the 49ers and earned a first round bye. Wilson and RGIII are meeting up in the Wild Card round of the playoffs in what could be a great game with two great quarterbacks. Taking nothing away from Luck or RGIII but we all knew what to expect from them being the first and second picks in the draft but Wilson had to earn his starting spot in training camp and he proved that the decision to start him was the best move the Seahawks could have made all season.