Seahawks’ Super Bowl 60 opening night: Darnold compliments 49ers, Seattle at home in Bay
SAN JOSE — A familiar foe made their presence known on Monday night as the Seattle Seahawks arrived at the San Jose Convention Center for the Super Bowl’s opening night.
The longtime rival of the 49ers, Seattle previewed its Super Bowl matchup against the New England Patriots, which will take place at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
Between the good vibes and subtle jabs at the 49ers, here’s what the Seahawks had to say:
Darnold compliments Shanahan, Purdy
Two years ago, Seahawks’ quarterback Sam Darnold was the backup to the 49ers’ Brock Purdy as San Francisco made it to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
Darnold rebuilt his reputation as a struggling quarterback for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers last season while with the Minnesota Vikings and coach Kevin O’Connell, turning what was supposed to be a bridge season into an MVP-level campaign.
Now, the former USC standout is leading his own team to the big game.
When asked what he learned from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and O’Connell, Darnold gave credit to both for his career resurgence.
“They’re great teachers,” Darnold said. “They’re able to teach their offense at a really high level and they’re able to help players understand the why behind everything.”
In the two seasons since he left San Francisco, Darnold has thrown for 8,367 yards and 60 touchdowns.
He was also complimentary of Purdy in his development in the last two years.
“Brock’s been amazing. I can’t speak highly enough of him, just with what he taught me,” Darnold said. “I learned so much from him, with his study habits and what he did on the field. Brock’s been great to learn from over that year when I was with him in San Francisco.”
Mack Hollins puts on tinfoil hat
The 49ers’ electrical substation theory has gotten way more media attention than it probably should have.
But when Seahawks’ wide receiver Mack Hollins – a player notorious for his unorthodox health and wellness rituals – was asked about the theory, he was more than happy to share his thoughts.
“There has to be some correlation,” Hollins said. “If they have significantly higher injuries – and I don’t know if they do or not – then it has to be something. Whether it’s that or the EMF (electromagnetic fields) stuff, they have to get to the bottom of what it is. If there’s some sort of difference between them and every other team, then there must be a cause for it.
“If it’s EMF, then it’s going to be tough for all the headphone companies, then they’re going to be sick to their stomach.”
When asked if he would want the team to look into it if he was on the 49ers, Hollins said, “If I was on the team, I would want them to do all types of stuff. I would want the cafeteria to be all organic with grass-fed beef. I would want the field to be all grass.”
A sweet victory
While winning the Super Bowl will be satisfying enough for the Seahawks, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at Levi’s Stadium will be the cherry on top of the sundae.
“It would be big time to win one in Levi’s Stadium,” said linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who also played for the Los Angeles Rams. “I just want to win but when you speak about rivalries and the NFC West, to win it in an opponent’s stadium would be nice.”
Zabel on his farm days
Grey Zabel has a unique background for an NFL player.
The offensive lineman grew up on a farm near Pierre, South Dakota, and went to college at North Dakota State. Thus, his childhood was marked by some atypical chores for most athletes.
“Picking rocks,” Zabel said of his least favorite childhood chores. “Pulling weeds, and sweeping out the shop. Probably the three things that have prepared me for this moment. Three things that I don’t wish on my worst enemy to ever do. But you get in trouble, that was your job for the day, which made for an extremely long day. So I’d say those three things.”
For the record, Zabel said his “favorite chores” were harvesting corn and planting.
Reed talks battles with 49ers
Seattle defensive tackle Jarran Reed has seen a lot of the 49ers since he entered the NFL in 2016.
He’s faced teams that went to the Super Bowl and played the Niners at least twice a year – sometimes three times, like this season, if a playoff game was on top.
So as he prepares to occupy San Francisco’s locker room in the Super Bowl on Sunday, he’s gained a deep respect for the 49ers and their rivalry in nine seasons of facing off in the Bay Area and Seattle.
“It’s always a great game,” Reed said. “Man, they’re a great team every year. It’s always a banger. I’ve been playing them basically my whole career. So coming in here, it’s actually very comfortable. We know the stadium. We know the field. We know what to expect.”
Reed’s performance against the 49ers helped Seattle reach the Super Bowl this season. His 8-yard sack of Brock Purdy in the final week of the regular season helped give the Seahawks home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and pave the way for their run to the title game.