Originally published February 3, 2014 at 12:34 PM | Page modified February 4, 2014 at 12:01 PM
“Angry Doug Baldwin” has a few words for Cris Carter
Speaking of ESPN analyst Cris Carter, who had criticized the Seahawks receivers, Baldwin said, “I have a Super Bowl ring and I would gladly show that to him. And if he doesn’t have time to come see it, tell him he can Google it.”
Seattle Times staff reporter

John Minchillo / AP
Plows clear sleet and snow from a gate at La Guardia Airport, on Monday in New York. Another round of winter weather followed a day of unseasonable temperatures with several inches of snow in the eastern United States on Monday, closing schools, disrupting air traffic and snarling travel plans for people trying to return home from the Super Bowl.
NEW YORK – Even after the Seahawks accomplished their biggest of goals — winning a Super Bowl — the chip remained firmly planted on Doug Baldwin’s shoulder.
Baldwin, who has been tagged by some around the team with the nickname “Angry Doug Baldwin’’ for his seemingly persistent serious attitude, smiled a few times during his postgame meeting with the media.
But he also took the occasion to again lash out at those who have criticized the team’s receiving corps, particularly ESPN analyst Cris Carter, who had referred to Baldwin and teammate Jermaine Kearse as “appetizers’’ rather than main course receivers.
“For all of y’all that called our receiving corps average, pedestrian, appetizers — I’m not going to say any names but he knows who he is,’’ Baldwin said. “I respect what you did on the field, but stick to playing football because your analytical skills ain’t up to par yet. You need to slow down and go back and not do it half-assed and actually put some effort into it because you are saying some stuff that didn’t really make sense.
“So that dude who said we are appetizers, he told me to Google him and I did Google him but I didn’t see any Super Bowl appearances and I also saw two losses in the conference championships. So I have a Super Bowl ring and I would gladly show that to him. And if he doesn’t have time to come see it, tell him he can Google it.’’
Baldwin has made similar comments on other occasions in recent months as some observers had pointed to Seattle’s receiving corps as its one potential weakness, especially with Sidney Rice out for the year with a knee injury suffered in October and Percy Harvin playing ultimately in just three of 19 possible regular-season and playoff games.
Baldwin, though, lived up to all of his angry retorts at critics, leading the Seahawks with five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown as Seattle beat Denver 43-8. Kearse, who like Baldwin joined the team as an undrafted free agent, was next with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.
“That’s just what we do,’’ Baldwin said. “That’s what we’ve been doing all season. It shouldn’t be a surprise.’’
And asked if all the talk entering the game that the offense was Seattle’s seeming weakness provided motivation, Baldwin responded: “Duh! Of course. You can’t sit there and doubt our offense and talk negatively about our offense and expect us not to have a chip on our shoulder when you do that. That’s bulletin-board material. Of course we felt a little bit slighted by that.’’
Lynch contemplating future?
A story on the SI.com website, Monday Morning Quarterback, that had access to Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman during the team’s postgame party, wrote that Seahawks running back Marshawn “Lynch has been telling teammates all season he’ll retire if they win the Super Bowl. Sherman doesn’t believe him.’’
Sherman writes regular stories for the MMQB site, but did not author that article, instead letting a writer follow him around for a few hours after the Super Bowl.
Lynch, who will turn 28 on April 22, has two more years remaining on a four-year, $30 million deal. Lynch spoke briefly to the media after the Super Bowl but the topic of his future did not arise.
Lynch called winning the Super Bowl a “dream come true’’ and that it was the best day of his life “next to being born.’’
He also noted that his teammates understood that he didn’t hang around to celebrate on the field afterward.
“Man, they know how I feel about it,’’ he said. “This is big time. This has been a tradition since I came, since forever. It’s just what I do. Everybody knows it. They respect it.’’
Notes
• Several Seattle players said after the game they could sense the Denver players beginning to hang their heads as the game wore on and the Seahawks’ lead grew.
“I felt like towards the end of the game, we definitely felt like we were getting to them,’’ said linebacker Bobby Wagner. “They were coming across the middle and they were getting hit, something that they’re not used to. We said that before the game, that we were going to hit them, and towards the end of the game they started to fold.’’
• Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s charity, A Better Seattle, got a boost with the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory.
Rawlings produced 5,000 officially licensed Super Bowl XLVIII footballs, which will say “Super Bowl Champions for the first time in Seattle Seahawks football history” and will include the scores of Seattle games this past season, including the Super Bowl. The net proceeds will go to A Better Seattle.
The footballs come in a display case along with a numbered certificate of authenticity, and can be ordered through www.nikcosports.com or at 800-345-2868.
Lowering the boom | ||
Denver offense’s per-game average during the regular season compared to what Broncos did vs. Seattle in the Super Bowl: | ||
Reg. season | Super Bowl | |
---|---|---|
Points scored | 38 | 8 |
Touchdowns | 4.8 | 1 |
First downs | 27 | 18 |
Offensive yards | 457 | 306 |
Rushing yards | 117 | 27 |
Yards per rush | 4.1 | 1.9 |
Passing yards | 340 | 279 |
Yards per pass | 8.3 | 5.7 |
TD passes | 3.4 | 1 |
Passer rating | 114.4 | 73.5 |
Turnovers | 1.6 | 4 |
Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @bcondotta.