Disrespect of Super Bowl champion Seahawks ‘getting ridiculous’

Being overlooked often comes with the territory in the Pacific Northwest.

So, perhaps it’s no surprise that the Seattle Seahawks don’t seem to be getting as much praise and attention as other recent Super Bowl champions – despite putting together one of the most dominant NFL championship seasons of the past quarter-century.

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Instead, much of the national media’s focus has been centered on the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams, who have lived in the headlines with their prized offseason acquisitions.

But a few days ago, one national voice defended the Seahawks and called out the perceived lack of attention they’ve received.

“Normally, I would laugh at a nobody-believes-in-us, I-have-a-chip-on-my-shoulder gimmick from a Super Bowl champion,” ESPN’s Kevin Clark said in a clip posted to social media this past Friday. “In this case, it is incredibly valid. The Seahawks are on the short list for most disrespected Super Bowl champions of my lifetime. I think the Eli (Manning-led) Giants are on that list twice, I think the Von Miller/Peyton Manning Broncos are on that list.

“But it feels like the day after the Super Bowl, we started a new conversation about everybody but the Seahawks.”

‘It’s getting ridiculous’

One aspect the national media seems to have forgotten is just how dominant the Seahawks were last season.

During their run to the Lombardi Trophy, they compiled a plus-246 point differential across both the regular season and postseason, which is the highest mark by a Super Bowl champion since the 1999 St. Louis Rams. And along the way, they won 14 of their final 15 games, capped by a smothering performance on the sport’s biggest stage from their top-ranked scoring defense.

The national media also seems to be overlooking Seattle’s status as a team that’s potentially still on the ascent.

The Seahawks had the fourth-youngest team in the NFL last season by snap-weighted age, according to FTN Fantasy. And they return the vast majority of their championship roster, having retained 14 of their top 15 offensive players and 14 of their top 17 defensive players in terms of combined regular-season and postseason snap counts.

For those reasons and more, former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus agrees with Clark’s assessment that the Seahawks have been among the most overlooked Super Bowl champions.

“I think that’s kind of part of being associated with the Northwest,” Bumpus, who also is a Seahawks Radio Network analyst, said during Monday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “You just lost up in the mix.

“I understand the respect for the Rams, … (but) you can do both,” he added. “You can praise the Rams, and you can praise the Seahawks as well. It’s getting ridiculous, but I kind of like it. I think it keeps a chip on their shoulder.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment with Michael Bumpus at this link or in the audio player above.

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