Why Doesn’t It “Feel Real?”

[CalgaryFan05]

Crazy to think 9 total points from being undefeated.. 9 total points between 3 losses and a lot here were melting down, bring on on next season already

I agree - that's a crazy ass stat when you actually put your head around it.

 

[bileever]

It's part of being a fan. We have unreasonably high expectations, but we also expect to be disappointed. The last 8-10 years have conditioned us to be disappointed. So when this season happened, all we could think was "Wait, what?" and "What just happened?" and "Where did my misery go? I mean it was here just a second ago."

Can you imagine how unreal it's going to feel for Bills or Vikings fans if those teams ever win a championship?

 

[CalgaryFan05]

Really great thoughts so far.

I think the tying thread is that most of us thought it was going to take another year or two for a legit shot. The fact it happened this past season was a surprise for 99.9% of us.

Historically, my preseason predictions for the most part, are never off more than 2 games. I had us going 11-6 and winning a playoff game.

Never in my wildest dreams did I see 14-3 and Super Bowl LX Champions.

To be honest, I really think it's a combination of 2 things (and 3 for me);

1st - I think the last month battling NFC competitors was EPIC. EPIC. There's just no getting around that. Every week for a month and a bit up against the best in the league, no margin for error. THAT gauntlet WAS the superbowl for me at least. I think everyone kinda blew their collective WADs in December and January. How many moonshot games can you get up for?! Edit: Also, I have a good friend at work who is a Rams fan, and we were completely trash talking all of the last part of the season and playoffs.

2nd - The AFC was complete trash. And we knew it. I watched the joke of the AFC playoff run. I said for a month that 'whoever' came out of the NFC was going to win the owl - you could just 'see' the difference. Wasn't trying to be overconfident, but pretty much knew it. I love the quote that I read from someone on D (think it was big cat) who said they felt like they failed because they wanted the first superbowl shutout'! That's some expectations

3rd - And as a Canadian - really just came off (okay, not last week or anything) an EPIC Blue Jays championship run. So, an extended #1 but with 10X the games.

And, it wasn't on home turf (nor will it ever be), and it wasn't our first.

One thing that for some unexplainable reason will feel amazingly amazing? Visiting that ******* stadium during the regular season game. THAT is gonna be so sweet. Oh, and hanging the banner.

 

[Runscott]

After the Rams loss, every game was a 'must win' where it felt like if we lost, it was all over. I supported the team that entire ride, and was very optimistic, but I think at some level I must have realized it was too much to expect the outcome that we got. But then it happened. Also, I have never been this 'all in' on the Seahawks - went to all games but the Chiefs pre-season and the Vikings, talked about the team every day, bought gear for me and my girlfriend, had two people fly in for the playoffs, etc. It was just a lot to wrap our heads around.

Now that it's over, I'm worn out - that happened pretty much on the drive back to Tacoma after the parade. We were so exhausted at the end that we cancelled all of our streaming services - can't even watch the Olympics now.

 

[uncle fester]

The SB itself felt like an exhibition game or preseason game 1 or something.

Having had to play the Niners and Rams twice in a short space of time might also have had something to do with it all? Like it was still regular season time? Maybe if the path included the Packers & Bears it would’ve sunk in faster? I dunno.

But yes, it all still doesn’t feel quite real, to me at least.

Maybe it’ll click when we’re all complaining about the value of the 32nd pick in the draft?

 

[oldhawkfan]

I think it might just be the math. I’m feeling it too. Football season is my favorite season of the year. Football, and by football I mean Seahawks football, starts in the latter part of summer, lasts all Fall and ends in the middle of winter. My favorite “season” by far.

At the end of every Seahawks season I mourn a bit for the next season. Coming off of a Super Bowl win changes that a bit. I didn’t really know that after XLVIII, but I do now with that post Super Bowl euphoria known as “our team won it all and the rest of you fans of non championship teams can kiss my ass”. Or something like that.

I started this post with saying it’s the math. Here’s the math I was talking about. As a Seahawks fan from the beginning in 1976, I have had the privilege of watching this team play in the ‘Owl 4 times in 50 years of dedicated fandom. That equates mathematically to 4/50 of Seahawks possible appearances in the SB. That means they have appeared in 8% of the available Super Bowls during their existence. Since they have won two of those four they have been in, that means they have been successful in 4% of all the Super Bowls played in the last 50 years.

XLVIII was special in that it was our first taste of championship football. LX comes along 12 years later and most of us are now basking in the glory of now we have 2 Lombardis. I believe it’s the math that is making this feel like “did this really happen”? I just can’t think of a single thing in the last 50 years that I have only got to feel good about at a 4%rate. It’s rare. It’s great and it’s ours.

I think it will feel “more real” as time goes on. Sadly, the excitement of game day and watching this team battle it out on the field will have to wait a few months. Until then, I will just get by with those reminders that pop up sometimes unexpectedly, that yes, the Seahawks are the winners of Super Bowl LX and Champions of the NFL.

 

[kidhawk]

I apologize for bringing up a topic that has been discussed but I keep coming across this odd phenomenon where many people I talk to feels like the Championship “doesn’t feel real.” From friends, family, and even many players and others, they all say the same thing.

This intrigues me not only as an original 12, but as a dime store psychologist (missed my calling). It’s an intriguing aspect of this victory I cannot put my head around.

I can’t profess to tell you why this is happening but it is happening. Would love to hear open minded theories to this strange tangent to this incredible season.

Just yesterday, I watched JSN give an interview to his home town news affiliate in Texas and when asked about how he was processing the aftermath he literally said it still doesn’t feel real to him yet. Like not at all.

Is this normal? I don’t seem to recall me feeling I couldn’t accept our victory in XLVIII. I was fully engaged and immersed.

This game has a strange aura about it. Logically I get we won obviously, I saw the same footage you all did. But the air of shock or surprise I guess does linger.

Maybe we just need some “50 club” Super Bowl champ graphics similar to these…

 

[Bobblehead]

It probably was one of the easitest SB path

 

[oldhawkfan]

Maybe we just need some “50 club” Super Bowl champ graphics similar to these…

View attachment 79028

Or could someone make something about winning the 60th Super Bowl in our 50th season. Can’t think of a better way to celebrate the teams 50th birthday.

 

[Optimus25]

I think because it came out of nowhere.

For the past decade or so, we don’t get in position for the Myers 56yd FG vs the grandpa rivers colts. And if we did he shanks the kick. That win was a major cantilever for our momentum to get a Super Bowl caliber run going and i can’t stop echoing myself here that Myers hit the greatest kick in SEA history that day.

Seven years ago, the Charbonnet 2 pt conversion vs the Rams would have went completely unnoticed, not reviewed and not scored.

Stafford would have completed a couple of passes down the stretch and made the huge comeback stall out as too little too late.

Late 2010s teams wouldn’t have got the crazy JSN face mask call against Carolina, and Bryce young would have led an improbable comeback.

LOB-less teams of the past definitely didn’t have any mojo to intercept a Purdy to CMC pass driving in the 4th qtr deep in Seattle territory for a week 18 #1 NFC seed contest. A CMC TD there would cut the struggling Seahawks lead to 3 with the 9ers fully charged on momentum.

No Seahawks team of the past decade could have suffocated this Rams team in an NFCCG, going blow for blow with a high octane offense to ensure they never fully got control and could play the guns blazing style mcvey wanted.

Nothing ever felt real because it was a Swiss cheese effect of hundreds of small holes lining up and this team capturing the title when the very small window of opportunity presented itself. We’ve spent a full decade completely depleted of the magic the Russ years afforded us, and when it returned it was a few snowflakes of hope early that turned into an avalanche of ‘we are here’ presence before any of us could fully comprehend the moment and the implication of small victories turning into one complete championship.

 

[Crizilla]

probably because it's rare for a team from the PNW to beat SF, LA, and a Boston team in one season and win the title. They simply couldn't be stopped. Mike is already goated in Seattle sports.

 

[RehireMora]

I love the Seahawks as much as the next guy, but it's just a game.

People feel like when their team wins the Super Bowl that it's going to be life changing, and when the final whistle blows, there is no real change.

The reason why it "Doesn't feel real" is because the expectation of what will happen when the big game is won, is different than what really happens (Which is nothing).

 

[Appyhawk]

I was very confident we would win the SB once we got in it. I just had little confidence we would get in it. And it took a miracle for us to do that. Also, with regard to the OP I think "the pass" SB loss has been festering for so long we lost confidence that we could win the big game. Like WE were seeing ghosts. Now here we sit enticipating our chances to go back to back! For a few years now I have been predicting 2026 was going to be our year. Now I'm not so sure but it feels like our chances are as good as anyone else.

 

[Hawkpower]

I love the Seahawks as much as the next guy, but it's just a game.

People feel like when their team wins the Super Bowl that it's going to be life changing, and when the final whistle blows, there is no real change.

The reason why it "Doesn't feel real" is because the expectation of what will happen when the big game is won, is different than what really happens (Which is nothing).

100% this

I felt this after our first one. I wasn't disappointed per se, but my expectations were too high I think

I absolutely cherish the memories of this season and the high of winning the Super Bowl while hugging my young son, but other than being way poorer from buying merch, our lives don't really change in the way our dreaming minds think it will haha

 

[AROS]

Reminds me of me preaching to my mom back in the 90’s about the reality of UFOs and Non Human Intelligence, government coverups, Roswell, etc, etc.

She looked at me and said “What difference would it make to me? I still have to wake up every morning and pay my bills.”

Point taken. This is kind of the same thing. No matter the level of pomp and circumstance, at the end of the day it’s a football game. Even if your team wins, yeah, it’s history, yeah it’s amazing and fun and party, party, party…

But at the end of the day, you still get up in the morning, go about your day, pay your bills, get after your responsibilities…

But admit it. Life is a little sweeter when your beloved team wins the Super Bowl.

 

[Count Hawkula]

I'm glad it's not just me that feels this way. SB48 was a mission. We knew we had the team and just needed to take our seat at the table. This year I thought we would be better than 10-7 even with the QB and OC change. I want to win the SB every year but didn't expect this regime to do it so quickly. Now that we have I really really want back to back. We screwed ourselves out of back to back In SB49 and this team now knows what it takes. It would be even sweeter to win back to back on the 49ers and Rams home fields.

 

[chris98251]

Maybe its because the Patriots were kind of a blah opponenet for us, Broncs had Payton as a coach, much like Belichek you just want his life to be miserable for a number of reasons all to do with his slimey personality and methodology. Cheifs because they have been top dog for a while, Pittsburgh a couple of reasons and Rodgers. Why Rams and 49ers were more impactful for us.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Feels plenty real to me, always has. Well, first couple days I was numb.

 

[irfuben32]

I don't want to get into politics on a sports forum so I will just say it doesn't feel real to me because of the surreal situation the country is in. A Superbowl just doesn't seem as important.

I will leave it at that.

 

[JayhawkMike]

Everyone expects the Hero's Journey. Try and fail and then overcome and ultimately succeed. We were Clubber Lang in the first fight in Rocky 3. Not Rocky for the whole film. I'm good with that.