Super Blowout

There are few things about Super Bowl XLVIII than can be said that haven't been said already. So I'll do what I always do, give you my unvarnished opinion. And I'll do something a little different: make it short and sweet.

LEGACY DEFINED

The typical one sentence summary on Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's career is that he is the greatest regular season signal caller of all-time. Digging deeper, there is a "yeah, but" that surfaces when discussing his postseason achievements. At this time, notwithstanding any future possibilities, yesterday's performance by Manning further solidified the aforementioned perception of Manning's career.

The Broncos defined their legacy as a franchise that is the most consistently successful AFC franchise in the NFL that was birthed in the American Football League. The Broncos played in their 7th Super Bowl - one in the 70s, three in the 80s, two in the 90s, and now one less than halfway through the 2010s. The Broncos played in one AFC Championship Game during the 2005 season. No former AFL franchise can make make a remotely similar claim with regard to success and longevity - with honorable mention to the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots.

But on the big stage, the Broncos entered an exclusive cub; they became the first franchise, ever, to lose five Super Bowls. Generally successful they are. In a league with the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, or Dallas Cowboys they are not.

This has to suck. 1

DYNASTY IN THE MAKING

The Seahawks won a Super Bowl in as convincing a fashion as conceivable in the 2013 season. Seattle earned the top seed in their conference's playoffs followed by winning two home playoff wins with the help of their home crowd, The 12th Man. For an encore they utterly destroyed the AFC's best team - a team with an MVP, future Hall of Fame quarterback at the helm.

When a team has a season like Seattle did, with a defense justifiably being compared to the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, the "dynasty" talk is always around the corner. SLOW DOWN! Neither of the aforementioned evolved into a dynasty, though they remained competitive in the years following their championships.

The Seahawks are a young team with fewer salary cap challenges that many a Super Bowl champion faces. Their quarterback, Russell Wilson, is only in his second year as a pro and will continue to get better. This team isn't going away. But let them at least get back to the big game and (gasp!) perhaps win another Lombardi Trophy before rolling out the "D" word.

There's one. Not two...not three...not four.... One.... 2

1) Image from www.time.com
2) Image from www.cbssports.com