AZ_fan":t8gcvjeb said:
You're absolutely right... they aren't a bad road team.
When it comes down to 3 road trips in 3 weeks with at least 2 of them going to the east coast and knocking off 3 of 4 (Redskins, Panthers, Cardinals, Packers) as a neutral fan I just couldn't put my money on Seattle...
... or Arizona either.
There's a reason that the VAST majority of SB winners are the 1 or 2 seed...
Good luck pulling it off.
This may come as a surprise to you, but.. playoff runs typically are difficult. Even with HFA.
The Saints pulled within a TD and 2 point conversion and recovered an onside kick in 2014.
The 49ers were driving to win the game in 2014.
The Packers had a big lead that teams will close out 99% of the time just 11 months ago.
Ultimately those games weren't won because the end zones had Seahawks text in them.
Of course adding an extra round in the playoffs to get to your eventual goal is difficult. But again.. you're simply banking on a point that hasn't held any water for quite some time in that the moment the Seahawks leave the state of Washington they're suddenly a bad football team. That may have rang true with the Mike Holmgren team, but not this one. If they lose in the playoffs it'll be because they just weren't the better team on the field that day. It will have nothing to do with location.
And again - as you're drumming up this concept of HFA... the Panthers, while being an outstanding team, don't really have a huge HFA. The Cardinals absolutely do not, as illustrated by this weeks game. The Packers are probably the one team with the opportunity to host a playoff game that would have an actual advantage given the weather and how the Packers usually fare there.
Also.. the vast majority of SB winners are a top 2 seed because for a vast majority of football, there wasn't the balance of talent in the league that there has been over the last 10-15 years. You're comparing eras where the salary cap and free agency weren't what they are today.
I'm sorry - a team thats been to the Super Bowl 2 straight years and has overcome some enormous obstacles in the process.. that is a dangerous, dangerous team. Thinking otherwise is foolish.