Category: Sport

Seattle Seahawks: Reliving the Road to a Super Bowl XLVIII Win

February 3, 2014

By Mihran Kalaydjian, CHA

Seattle Seahawks: Reliving the Road to a Super Bowl XLVIII Win

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The Seattle Seahawks are the Super Bowl XLVIII champions. While the destination is what matters, fans should not forget the road the team took to get to this point. The number one defense versus the number one offense — the Seattle Seahawks versus the Denver Broncos.

General manager John Schneider assembled a special roster, and head coach Pete Carroll and his staff led it to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title. From the top of the organization to the bottom of the roster, the Seahawks played like champions all year.  

No season, not even a Super Bowl season, is ever without mistakes and adversity. The Seahawks had to overcome both just to get to the big game. They persevered. They overcame. They delivered. 

The Seahawks started strong, stumbled at times, but ultimately, they made the plays that had to be made. In a way, their season mirrors their performance in the Super Bowl. 

For all Seahawks fans, it’s time to celebrate. Begin that celebration by reliving Seattle’s super season.

Seattle made headlines early in the offseason by acquiring one of the most explosive playmakers in the  NFL. It traded three draft picks to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for wide receiver Percy Harvin, who it quickly signed to a massive six-year, $67 million contract extension. 

The Seahawks didn’t stop there. They rebuilt their defensive line by signing defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril and defensive tackle Tony McDaniel in free agency, adding to a defense that was already stacked with talent. 

Unfortunately, the team ended up getting very little out of its 2013 draft class. Seattle lacked a first-round pick because of the Percy Harvin trade, and ultimately didn’t make its first selection until the last pick of the second round. It then used that pick on a project running back who rarely saw the field this season. 

The Seahawks ultimately ended up drafting just two players that would make an impact on the 2013 season. Tight end Luke Willson, selected in the fifth round, and seventh-round offensive lineman Michael Bowie were the only drafted players to see extensive minutes for the Seahawks this year. 

Ultimately, Seattle’s offseason was about quality over quantity. It didn’t add many new faces to the roster, but those few additions proved critical in turning a good team into a Super Bowl-winning squad. 

Training Camp Injuries

Training camps are meant to be uneventful. When big news stories break during camp, it rarely means good news for the team. Unfortunately, Seattle’s training camp was full of big stories. 

The trouble started for the Seahawks before the players took to the practice field for the first time. Harvin, their headlining offseason addition, arrived to camp with a hip that was still sore from a June minicamp.

The team doctors believed that two months of rest would be sufficient for Harvin’s hip to heal, but that didn’t come to fruition. Harvin ended up having major surgery to repair the labrum in his hip, which caused him to miss all but one game during the regular season. 

Things became worse just one week later when Sidney Rice, the team’s other star receiver, suddenly left camp to fly to Switzerland for a procedure on his knee. Rice never played a down in the preseason, and his knee left him limited early in the season. He would later tear his ACL against the St. Louis Rams on Oct. 28, ending his season prematurely. 

The preseason injury problem wasn’t restricted to Seattle’s wide receivers. For the defensive line, the injury bug turned into an epidemic.

Defensive tackles McDaniel (groin), Brandon Mebane (groin) and Jordan Hill (biceps) all entered the season limited or ruled out by injuries. Defensive ends Chris Clemson (knee) and Avril (hamstring) both ended up missing the Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers as well. 

Playoff Success

By finishing the regular season with the NFC’s best record, Seattle secured both a first-round bye in the playoffs and the right to play both of their NFC playoff games at century Link Field. 

A Super Ending

Super Bowl XLVIII got off to a great start for Seattle. On the first play from scrimmage, the snap sailed over Denver quarterback Peyton Manning’s head for a safety and two quick points for the Seahawks. A pair of Seattle field goals stretched the lead to eight by the end of the first quarter. 

Seattle’s defense dominated the early portion of this game as well. The Bronco  didn’t move the chains for the first time until five minutes into the second quarter, but the drive ended in spectacular fashion for the Seahawks. Smith, who iced the NFC Championship Game with an interception, picked a Manning pass and took it 69 yards for a touchdown and a 22-0 lead. 

The Broncos moved the ball on the next drive as well, but that drive ended when defensive end Chris Clemons tipped Manning’s pass on fourth down, causing it to fall incomplete. The Seahawks went into halftime up by three touchdowns. 

The second half began in dramatic fashion for the Seahawks. Harvin took the opening kickoff all the way back for an 87-yard touchdown, extending Seattle’s lead to 29-0. 

If there was one play that represented the entire game, it was wide receiver Jermaine Kearse breaking four tackles to get into the end zone after catching a pass from Wilson. The score put the Seahawks up 36-0, and the celebration began for Seahawks fans everywhere.

Peyton Manning broke up the shutout in the fourth quarter, but nothing could slow down the Seattle’s march to victory. 

The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43-8 to win the Super Bowl. 

A Magical Season

The Seahawks treated their fans to a magical season. It was the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history, and the first major-sports title for the city since the Supersonics won the NBA Championship in 1979. 

All that’s left is the parade through the streets of Seattle. It simply doesn’t get any better for the team and their fans. 

 

 

Is Walking as Good a Workout as Running?

October 12, 2013

Posted by Mihran Kalaydjian

There are many reasons why people start running: to stay slim, boost energy, or snag that treadmill next to our longtime gym crush (please follow our gym etiquette tips before making any moves though!). Running can help keep the heart healthy, improve mood, and stave off sickness; plus recent studies have found running is a great way to lose and maintain weight. But research suggests going full speed isn’t the only route to good health.

Now Walk (or Run?) It Out – The Need-to-Know

While walking can provide many of the same health benefits associated with running, recent research suggests running may be the better bet for those looking to shed some pounds. Unsurprisingly, people expend two-and-a-half times more energy running than walking, whether that’s on the track or on the treadmill. So for a 160-lb person, running burns about 800 calories an hour compared to about 300 calories walking. And that equates to a pretty sizeable slice of pizza (who doesn’t love cheat day rewards?).

More interesting, a recent study found that even when runners and walkers expended equal amounts of energy (meaning walkers spent more time exercising and covered greater distances), runners still lost more weight. Not only did the runners begin the study slimmer than the walkers; they also had a better chance of maintaining their BMI and waist circumference.

That difference could possibly be explained by another recent study, which suggests that running regulates our appetite hormones better than walking. After running or walking, participants were invited to a buffet, where walkers consumed about 50 calories more than they had burned and runners ate almost 200 calories fewer than they’d burned. Runners also had higher levels of the hormone peptide YY, which may suppress appetite.

Beyond losing weight, walking may still be super beneficial to our health. Researchers looked at data from the National Runners’ Health Study and the National Walkers’ Health Study and found that people who expended the same amount of calories — regardless of whether they were walking or running — saw pretty much the same health benefits. We’re talking a reduced risk of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes, and better cardiovascular health.

But even the most time-efficient athletes might want to think twice before sprinting away all the time. Running puts more stress on the body and increases the risk for injuries like runner’s knee, hamstring strains, and the dreaded shin splits (which plague even the most consistent runners). And of course, some people simply prefer to take things slow.

Walk This Way — Your Action Plan

When running isn’t in the cards, walking with weights might be the next best solution to getting in an energized workout. One study showed walking at a 4 mph on the treadmill with hand and ankle weights was comparable to jogging at 5 mph without the extra poundage. (And if anyone looks twice, hand weights are totally in right now, don’t they know?)

No matter which pace feels right, always make sure the body is ready for action. Sixty percent of runners experience an injury serious enough to keep them from being active. So remember that a sweat session may be too strenuous if talking to that workout buddy leaves us gasping for air (aka the “talk test” FAIL). Listening to the body and completing a proper warm–up and cool down are all ways to prevent injuries, so stay informed and spend more time running on the treadmill (and less time running to the doctor).

Bored with both walking and running? There are about, oh, a bazillion other ways to keep active, from yoga and pilates to weight lifting and mountain biking, and pretty much everything in between. Don’t be afraid to try new activities to stay happy and healthy!

The Takeaway

Regular cardio (at any speed) can help keep the body healthy, not to mention improve mood and energy levels. But, lap for lap, running burns about 2.5 times more calories than walking. Running may also help control appetite, so runners may lose more weight than walkers no matter how far the walkers go. Still, running isn’t for everyone; going full-speed might increase injury risk. Adding hand and ankle weights can help pick up the intensity while maintaining a slower pace.