A Super Bowl almost wouldn’t be complete without representation from the University of Texas.
As Earl Thomas leads the vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, he’ll be vying to become the 24th Texas Longhorn to win the NFL’s biggest prize.
However, ETIII has kept his focus off the sentimental side of the situation, instead exerting his energy on process.
“I’ve been saying since Day 1, when you enjoy the journey, the destination is always going to take care of itself. That’s what happened in this situation. The destination is New York and we’re there.”
At MetLife Stadium, Earl will meet a pair of Longhorn defenders, cornerback Quentin Jammer and safety Michael Huff, who play reserve roles for the Broncos.
Looking across the field at ETIII leading the talented Seattle D will be a familiar situation for Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. In Super Bowl XLI, Manning led the Indianapolis Colts against former UT cornerback Nathan Vasher and a stingy Chicago Bears defense.
However, No. 29 and the Hawks will be looking to succeed where Vasher and the Bears couldn’t. In that tilt, Manning’s Colts prevailed 29-17.
“He’s a great quarterback, (and) he’s seen a lot of football. We understand what he’s capable of,” ETIII said of Manning. “It’s just their whole attack in general. It’s a lot of play-action, deep, developing routes, especially if they get their running game going. I think it’s very important we make them one-dimensional.”
The Bears couldn’t make Manning’s Colts give up the run. Indy ground its way to 191 rushing yards and held the ball for more than 38 minutes in the win. However, back in center field for the Seattle defense, Earl is certain that his group has what it takes to wall off the Denver attack.
“You have to have a playmaker’s mentality,” Earl said. “You have to be able to catch. You have to have a certain confidence about yourself. Not cockiness, but confidence, and I think that’s what we all bring to the table.”
One of ET’s biggest responsibilities will be corralling a pair of playmakers also named Thomas on the Broncos’ offense. Receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas combined for 2,218 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns on the season. Demaryius Thomas who was complimentary of Seattle’s defensive overlord on Media Day.
“I think he’s the best in the league, to tell you the truth,” Denver’s Thomas said about Earl. “He’s always around the ball, always coming up making tackles, and you really don’t see him making any mistakes.”
Seattle’s defensive efforts all begin with ET taking away the middle of the field. His play allows the rest of the Legion of Boom to be physical and aggressive against opposing receivers. In turn, Seattle’s front seven can exert their will and force the enemy QB into mistakes. It all comes full-circle when Earl and Co. are there to clean up those miscues.
As he looks forward to guiding the Seahawks against the Broncos, Earl will draw from his experience playing for a national championship at Texas. He admitted in that, in 2010, the hoopla surrounding the event knocked him off of his game.
“I’ve been playing football for a long time. The only experience I had like this was (for) the national championship,” he said. “I try to go back and see what kind of got me out of whack because it’s not normal. It’s not your normal routine. You got all the media and the cameras and the extra stuff you have to deal with. But, obviously I learned a lot from that experience, and I’m going to definitely apply it to this experience.”
This time around, Earl will still enjoy the experience. But rather than being shellshocked, he’ll be pumping that energy of the week into the grand finale on Sunday.
“It’s a great feeling (and a) great atmosphere,” he said. “Obviously, when I got off the plane, I was in shock. I saw all the fans. … As a player and competitor, you love to see a little 1-year-old in your jersey. You just feed off of that because they all look up to you. It’s just a great time, especially when God put you on a platform like this.”
RELATED ARTICLES
- Thomas gives Seahawks brains to complement brawny DBs (Houston Chronicle, Jan 27, 2014)
- Earl Thomas delivers the hits in Seattle secondary (The Kansas City Star, Jan 26, 2014)
15783
67
Bro I just wanted to say congrats an the whole city is proud of u and the Seahawks for the great season!! So many kid in our community look up to u and u don’t even know they exist!! That’s because they see the example u set on and off the field!! Go hard for the whole Orange County and surrounding areas bro cause u have opened eyes and changed hearts about what can be done with God on ur side!! My son and I will make it to a game next year for sure, my offshore schedule is just so busy that I can’t plan ahead of time!! Good luck tm and God bless u and all ur family!