The Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona on Sunday
Saturday 31 January 2015 16:03, UK
The team they face on Sunday is one, the Dallas Cowboys were one in the 90s, San Francisco 49ers in the 80s and Pittsburgh Steelers the 70s. Will a win in Super Bowl XLIX cement the Seattle Seahawks as the new NFL dynasty?
They would be the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since their opponents, the Patriots, did so 10 years ago, and only the third since the salary cap was introduced in 1994 – Denver Broncos the other (1998, 1999).
The intention of introducing the cap was to level the playing field and it has done precisely that, with 13 different winners of the Super Bowl since (seven – including the Seahawks – winning for the first time), compared to only 12 in the 27 years prior.
So with consistent dominance harder to achieve, former Chicago Bears safety and Sky Sports NFL expert, Shaun Gayle, says the Seahawks' achievements have to be respected.
"To do what they’ve done is very difficult," said Gayle. "Take a look at all the firings in the NFL of coaches that didn’t get it done.
"Here is a team that has made it to the play-offs a second time, made it to the Super Bowl a second time. That’s very difficult to do.
"They are led by ball control on offence and a very stingy defence – one that is going to go down as one of the best – but maybe not the best."
Gayle played on the team generally considered the best, the 1985 Chicago Bears. They trounced the Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl after shut-out wins over the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams in the play-offs.
"You have to give the Seahawks' defence credit because they're not overly complicated," said Gayle. "They’re aggressive up front, have great linebackers and their secondary has a lot of speed, a lot of playmakers.
"They couldn’t run that basic defence if they didn’t have the level of athleticism that they have.
"The game has changed a bit since I played but I say this with complete sincerity, those guys are great football players, but when they shut out both teams in the playoff on their way to a Super Bowl, then we can talk."
The Seahawks overcame the Carolina Panthers 31-17 and required overtime to beat the Packers 28-22 in the NFC Championship game.
But they can argue that a Super Bowl win over the Patriots on Sunday would be against a better calibre of offence than the Steve Grogan-led side the Bears faced.
Tom Brady – looking for a fourth Super Bowl ring – will pose a sterner test, although the challenge another future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning, posed last year was comfortably negotiated.
And in eight matchups spread across their last three play-off seasons, the Seahawks are 8-0 against Brady, Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees – widely-considered the best quarterbacks in the current game – restricting them to an average of 15 points per contest.
"I don’t think you’re going to find any non-believers in that locker room," said Gayle. "They believe in what they do.
"That’s a credit to their coaching staff. I believe their defensive co-ordinator just signed to become the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons so that goes to show.
"They feel, and rightly so, that they can compete and beat anyone on any given day, as long as they play together as a unit."
But it’s fitting that for Seahawks to confirm their place in the history of NFL dynasties, they’ll have to overcome the team that was the last one to do so.
It’s the 10-year anniversary of Patriots head coach, Bill Bellichick, leading his side to a third Super Bowl in four years. And he and Brady hold the record for the most play-off wins with 21 and 20 respectively.
"A Belichick team with this much time to prepare will devise a game-plan to challenge the things that Seattle do well," said Gayle.
"It’s going to be a great football game, the ultimate chess match."
Watch live coverage of Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks live on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 3 at 10pm.
