Sherman just said he is very optimistic about his appeal...

[jlwaters1]

The thing that worries me the most is that regardless of the arguments the league doesn't really care. Has any case involving banned substances ruled in favor of the defendant?

Yes there was a player on the Bears whose suspension was overturned just this year.

 

[olyfan63]

Sherman needs to keep talking and creating drama and interest, so the Seattle storylines are at least as interesting and compelling as their opponent's. The other smart thing the 'Hawks could do, if they make the Super Bowl, would be to find a way to independently trot out Holmgren, where he isn't under team employ, to talk about the biased and poor officiating in XL, and raise the storyline, "will Seattle get an even break from the officials in this Super Bowl."

That is a fascinating idea. Just take it to 'em. Play the media game and play it so well the league has reason to drum us up the way they did Bettis. Only our storyline is the beginning of something big rather than the end of a career. Very clever.

Your comment got me started down this track, when you pointed out that we toed the line, nice boys with good manners for Super Bowl XL, and then we got JOBBED in the big game. If acting like nice boys and minding our manners just got us screwed before, as you pointed out, why do it again??!! From there, connecting some dots, the NFL is an ENTERTAINMENT *product*, it's all about money and ratings, etc., and then viewing the competition, "Reality" TV, it becomes apparent the formula for success there is creating drama and emotional engagement among the viewership. When Seattle makes the Super Bowl again, we need to make sure a major storyline is "will Seattle get an even break from the refs this time", "is the NFL an honest product or is it WWE in helmets", etc. Along with storylines of "Richard Sherman, wrongly-accused underdog hero, or cheating villain scum?" Quick, name 3 players from the Detroit Lions. Along with Megatron and Stafford, was Suh in the first 3? We will watch, hoping to see the villain get his comeuppance. The more emotionally compelling, interesting storylines associated with the Seahawks, the better the chances the NFL doesn't try to influence the game outcomes in the name of TV ratings and dollars. The "Can Seattle get an even break from the refs this time?" storyline, if we were able to get national media to push it a little, could also have the effect of embarrassing the NFL into ensuring the next Super Bowl game involving the Seahawks is officiated competently and fairly.

Who knew it was the Sh--- er, Pittsburgh PR staff that was really responsible for their Super Bowl XL "victory" by getting the media hooked into the "Win a title for the Bus" storyline? By implication, the Seattle PR staff is partly responsible for allowing this to happen, an absence of compelling Seattle storylines (possibly influenced by Holmgren) that led to the refs subconsciously looking for ways to help the "sentimental favorite" win. So the Seahawks PR and media staff needs to set a tone that we will never allow a Super Bowl opponent to hijack the storyline again!! Always compete!! Even (especially?) in the team's PR and Media office!!

 

[HawkAroundTheClock]

Yep. Clearly there's no evidence that anything is fixed, etc. etc., but I hear ya. It seems like most SB winners in recent memory have had a disproportionate amount of 'feel good' or attention-getting storylines leading up to the big game. Whether it's just a perception or not, the sports entertainment aspect you mention is undeniable. More viewers = more money, no way around that. So the more interesting our story, the more media attention, the better the ratings, and the better our chance of getting a fair shake. Sounds good.