Warren Moon: Many Seahawks Have Not Gotten Over Super Bowl Loss To Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- Last week, after numerous unnamed sources told ESPN that Richard Sherman remains upset with Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson for the Seahawks' loss in Super Bowl XLIX, Sherman called the story "a bunch of nonsense." Teammate Michael Bennett echoed that sentiment, calling the article "trash."
But now, a very respectable source has gone on the record to support much of what the ESPN article claimed.
Hall of Famer Warren Moon -- who works as a color commentator on the Seahawks radio network -- said on the "NFL No Huddle" podcast that the goal-line interception by Malcolm Butler remains on the forefront of many Seahawks' minds.
"They are still having a hangover from two years ago, if you can believe it or not, about losing that Super Bowl in the last minute with the interception on the 1-yard line," Moon said, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk. "And with a lot of guys, it just kind of rubbed them the wrong way and they just kind of haven't gotten over it. This team will not be able to move on and really do what they want to do -- which is win another Super Bowl -- unless they can somehow put that behind them. There are certain guys on the team that just haven't been able to do that, and until they are able to do that, they are going to continue to keep having a very good football team but a team that is going to probably come up short of their goals because of not being able to let go of the past and letting those things become a hindrance to their success."
From 2012-14, the Seahawks went 36-12, winning a Super Bowl and coming a yard short of winning another. Since that loss, they're 20-11-1, losing in the divisional round of the playoffs in both seasons.
Moon said that for as long as the players remain hung up on the past, the team will struggle to succeed in the playoffs.
"I think you just can't have these negative things in the back of your mind," Moon said. "You have to be focused and be all in on what's going on in front of you and not worrying about what's behind you because those just hinder your team's success. They can become a huge distraction. They become something that separates your football team and you don't need that when you're trying to go against some of the best football teams in the league and trying to unseat them as either NFC champions or Super Bowl champions. You definitely have to make sure everybody's minds are clear and focused on what the goal is at hand and you have to leave everything that has happened in the past in the past."
It sure seems as though the Seahawks have a bit of a problem. Call it The Curse Of Malcolm Butler.