Winning the Super Bowl is one of the most daunting tasks in all of sports, and that's especially true for the New England Patriots this year, who must overcome a talented Seattle Seahawks squad. With elite playmakers in all three phases of the game, the Seahawks won't go down without a fight next Sunday, which is why the Patriots will be happy to take any advantage they can get.
Well, it's starting to look like the Patriots will get a helping hand, courtesy of the Seahawks' own success.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday afternoon that Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak "intends to try to work out a deal to become the next head coach of the (Las Vegas) Raiders," giving the Seahawks an unwanted distraction during their Super Bowl prep.
Klint Kubiak Distraction Could Help Patriots' Super Bowl Aspirations
Although Kubiak will likely try to keep any outside work to a minimum, that'll be easier said than done. It's not as if he can keep his new job under wraps until after the Super Bowl, as the dozens of media members in attendance will likely ask him questions about his Raiders future throughout the week.
There's also surely some planning he'll be doing to make this life change. Aside from sorting out logistics, he has a rebuild ahead of him on the football side in Las Vegas, so he probably is already thinking of the big moves he could make in his first days on the job. All of that takes away from the brain power he can put into Super Bowl Week.
Recent history has also shown what happens when a Super Bowl-bound coach has one foot out the door.
After all, it was on the day of Super Bowl 57 when it came out that then-Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon would be hired as the next Arizona Cardinals head coach. The Eagles went on to lose 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs that night before Gannon left for the Cardinals two days later.
Gannon later took responsibility for the loss, and it's easy to see how his Arizona plans — along with the lead-up — may have distracted him from being on his A-game. The same thing could happen to the Seahawks next weekend if Kubiak is spending more time fantasizing about what his roster and coaching staff with the Raiders will look like next season.
The Patriots, meanwhile, don't have anything else to focus on but adding another Lombardi Trophy to the franchise's collection. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and de facto defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr aren't in any other teams' crosshairs, meaning head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff can put all their attention on planning how to stop the Seahawks on both sides of the ball.
The Patriots have already beaten the Seahawks once in the Super Bowl. If Kubiak's next step ends up being as distracting as it could be in the coming week, New England will love its odds of history repeating itself.