Rush is disappointed because he fell for the media over-hype of the game. Look, I wanted Peyton to get the win just so that the post season monkey malignment would finally be off his back.
The man is a quarterback genius, but I think the Manning Generalissimo pre-game planning methods had the Broncos tight and nervous. News reports had Manning peppering and testing his teammates about every possible play scenario. The picture of Manning with his wired helmet on while icing his foot said it all. It was Control-Freak-Land in their training camp.
In contrast, Pete Carroll’s loose and inspirational style carried the day. A team with something to prove as opposed to a team having to defend its reputation will almost always prevail.
As bad as the Broncos played, they were not embarrassed. You can only be embarrassed if you lose to an inferior opponent - like being pinned to the mat by Richard Simmons or electing a totally unqualified man to run a country.
“....or electing a totally unqualified man to run a country.”
.
That only happens in third world countries.
Why bring it up in a Soooooperbowl discussion?
I disagree. They were clearly humiliated, and in every phase of the game, but the most important one is that they were out-coached.
The Broncos simply did not have a viable game plan, and they had no backup plan. They did not respond to the score at half-time in any way.
In a league which is increasingly geared toward offense in general and the passing game in particular, it was good to see a great defense win -- especially when the defenses of most teams in the playoff this year were questionable.
One downside for me, although it would not have materially affected the outcome, and I am not trying to take anything aware from Seattle. Both teams got away with entirely too much holding, especially Seattle's Secondary. There were numerous times that Seattle d-backs arrived way too early and it was only sporadically called. There was also a clear helmet hit on a defenseless receiver that during the regular season would have drawn a flag, and a fine. As I say, given the ferocity of their pass rush it would have made no difference, but still.
I actually have this issue with the playoffs in general. Entirely too many infractions are overlooked in the playoffs every year, and this year was no exception. IF the idea is to "let the guys play," then there is no reason in the world why that philosophy should not also prevail during the regular season. Rules should be enforced consistently from the regular season through to the Super Bowl.