Seahawks insist there's no Super Bowl jinx for champs
RENTON, Wash. - Richard Sherman doesn't buy into talk of Super Bowl curses circling above the defending champion Seattle Seahawks.
It's been a battle to get to 6-4 and Seattle may be banged up, but Sherman insists the Seahawks still have the pieces to defy recent history beginning Sunday against the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals sitting at 9-1.
The Seahawks have mentally prepared themselves for the inevitable question hounding them for months: Can they repeat as Super Bowl champions?
But what about those questioning if Seattle can simply reach the playoffs?
Four of the last eight teams to hoist a Lombardi Trophy failed to reach the playoffs, and if the season had ended after Week 11 Seattle would not have been one of the six teams representing the NFC in the postseason.
It doesn't get much tougher than Seattle facing five of its final six games against divisional opponents, including a Thanksgiving nightcap against the San Francisco 49ers.
Yet there's also no better proving ground for the Seahawks to find themselves and to potentially become the first team since the 2004-05 New England Patriots to successfully defend a Super Bowl crown.
'This is when you show your valor, show your grit that we have the guys to take a stand when they're hurting, the world is against us and show what we're made of,'' Sherman told USA TODAY Sports. 'There's no jinx or hangover. It's just been unfortunate with injuries that have happened. We had great luck last year being pretty much injury free. And yet it's still here for us. We still have a chance to do something special.''
Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane was lost to a season-ending torn hamstring two weeks ago. His glaring absence was exploited when the Kansas City Chiefs gutted Seattle for 190 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 24-20, Week 11 win.
Then, center Max Unger was lost to a high ankle sprain and strained knee last week.
So it helps that the Seahawks get middle linebacker Bobby Wagner back from a five-week absence due to a torn ligament in his right toe just in time to face the high-flying Cardinals at CenturyLink Field.
'We don't listen to what people say about that Super Bowl jinx,'' Wagner told USA TODAY Sports. 'This team is full of players that prove people wrong. What people say we can't do, we're going to prove them wrong. We know we have the pieces and everybody is coming back at the right time.''
The Bruce Arians-coached Cardinals are on a mission to become the first team to play and win a Super Bowl staged in their city.
Arizona has been hailed for its gritty resilience, overcoming the losses of quarterback Carson Palmer, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett and the season-long suspension of linebacker Daryl Washington.
Where does the Seahawks' psyche stand?
'They're pretty confident,'' Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. 'They're holding onto the hope we can continue to play good football. And we have a chance to finish the season in great fashion. They're going to be very strong about going after this game right now. They realize how crucial it is as the division begins. There's so much at stake coming up this next month and a half. Everything is still out there.
'We've just got to win.''
Arians was asked about the chance to grab the division by the throat with a victory that would notch Arizona's 10th win with five games to play. Arians called Arizona's 17-10 win at Seattle on Dec. 22 the springboard for the 2014 season.
'All this gets us is 10,'' Arians said on a conference call. 'And 10 is a big number. It wasn't enough last year. But it is a big number as far as playoff pictures.''
After missing the playoffs at 10-6, Arizona's sustainability remains questioned after losing Palmer to a torn anterior cruciate ligament two weeks ago.
'We've dealt with a lot of stuff and we've been successful,'' said quarterback Drew Stanton, 3-1 as a starter. 'We can't listen to outside critics. Because early on in the year people were trying to write us off when Carson was out (three games with a throwing nerve issue) and we had a lot of question marks.
'People wanted to doubt us. And we've done a good job of blocking that out.''
The Seahawks have history to buck.
'This six-game stretch will really define us,'' Sherman said. 'What decides a champion is whoever has the greatest will. What I appreciate about this team is no matter how high the stakes or how bad it seems, we know how we're going to show up to keep fighting.''
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