I’ll sum up Super Bowl XLVIII like this: anti-climactic … in a good way. Just a couple of weeks ago I hinted that this Super Bowl could possibly go down as a “legendary” game because of the perceived greatness of both the Seahawks and the Broncos. Clearly, I did the Seahawks a serious disfavor. Not only did Seattle win the game, they thrashed the Broncos worse than any team has been thrashed in any Super Bowl I have ever watched or read about.

I’m not going to waste my time writing about the Broncos. All due respect to the great (and he absolutely still is) Peyton Manning, but it was plain embarrassing that he was taken aback when a reporter asked him about the “embarrassing” loss after the game. Get with it, Peyton. It was embarrassing in every way. Why, though?

It’s simple: the Seahawks are simply dominant. The defense I’ve lauded time and time again turned in one of the greatest performances of all time. They shut down one of the best offenses of all time (statistically-speaking) and yielded just one touchdown at the end of the third quarter. That speaks for itself.

Offensively, they were nearly flawless. With their continued commitment to balanced running and passing, they dominated the Broncos defense in the trenches and down the field. The Seahawks “average” receivers (as noted ring-less, blowhard Cris Carter described them) made an impact from their first snap and even out-played the Broncos defense physically. It was a joy to watch.

But the real engine underneath the sterling hood is head coach Pete Carroll. What can’t you say about this guy? Carroll was a failure in his first couple tries as an NFL head coach—but he didn’t sulk. He went to college football and built a powerhouse at USC before finally giving the NFL one more shot. Good thing he did.

Carroll kept the boyish enthusiasm and kindred spirit that won over his amateur athletes in the NCAA and brought it to the pros without so much as a problem. He built a staff that develops the fundamentals of some of the world’s most impressive athletes better than anyone else in the business. He took chances and never pulled away from bringing in characters that he felt he couldn’t reach. Star Running Back Marshawn Lynch is a prime example of that.

When his fantastic defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley, left for the Head Coaching position in Jacksonville after last season, many expected the vaunted Seahawks’ D to take a step back. Nope. Now they’re being talked about as one of the five greatest defenses of all-time. And speaking of his roster that pulls from all backgrounds, many of the team’s best players like Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, Kam Chancellor, Doug Baldwin, Bruce Irvin, Chris Clemons, and Bobby Wagner were either afterthoughts in the NFL draft, highly-criticized selections, or NFL castoffs.

How about the fact that the Seahawks basically played the entire season and postseason until the Super Bowl without their biggest play-making threat Percy Harvin? Or how about Carroll moving on without so much as a bump in the road after Pro Bowl Cornerback Brandon Browner was suspended for the rest of the season in November?

Nothing fazes this Seahawks team. Nothing. And it all starts and ends with Carroll. The 2013 Seattle Seahawks were far and away the best team in football. It just took one last incredible game-plan from Carroll and his staff to ensure all fans of this fact.