Brock Huard: NFL didn’t do Seahawks any favors with playoff scheduling

The Seahawks had an already unfavorable route to the Super Bowl as the No. 6 seed, having no chance to play a home playoff game. But the NFL also didn’t do the two-time NFC champs any favors by slotting Seattle into a pair of 10 a.m. games. As Brock Huard told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson, there’s never been a West Coast team able to run the gamut of morning matchups to the Super Bowl.

“It’s difficult to do,” Huard said. “I think it’s absolutely intentional on the NFL’s side; they have a choice. They could have moved those kickoffs, and they didn’t want to make it easy on the Seahawks. And I think they wanted to make it hard and reward Carolina. And in some ways, you know what, that’s the way it should be. When you’re 15 and 1 and you’re the No. 1 seed you should get every benefit of the doubt. And kicking off as early as they did for back-to-back weeks on the Seahawks, I do think makes an impact.”

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Seattle’s visit to Charlotte on the East Coast, followed a Central Time Zone battle in Minneapolis. The games began at the typical start times for the home teams, but it can be a tough adjustment for teams used to the Pacific Time Zone. The Seahawks have historically been dominant at CenturyLink Field and pedestrian as visitors during the Pete Carrol era, but won their final five away games during the regular season.

Huard believes the morning playoff game schedule undoubtedly played a role in the Seahawks’ sloppy play, and possibly their early game struggles.

“You hate to say it, and you hate to make an excuse, and (the Seahawks) won’t,” Huard said.

Dori acknowledged that the trip to Charlotte took a toll on his work during the pregame show (“I was exhausted and all I was doing was talking) and Huard said he remembers having a hard time getting his body-clock right on those games during his days as a backup QB.

“I remember waking up and my body clock was at 4:30 in the morning and saying to myself, ‘This really stinks, man,’ and I don’t really even have to go out and hit anybody and really ramp myself up,” he said. “I just kind of had to get my mind right to go out there and be the backup, versus these guys who have to go out there and play with everything on the line.”

Huard said the silver lining is that the NFL’s new COO Tod Leiweke, who worked as the Seahawks’ CEO from 2003-10, knows what a disadvantage those type of games are for West Coast teams and might be an advocate for change.

“I think he will play hopefully some role for all of these West Coast teams,” Huard said. “It doesn’t mean you give them an advantage or you take care of them in every single turn imaginable, because that’s the card you’re going to be dealt.”

Earlier in the day, Pete Carroll told Huard on the “Pete Carroll Show” that going through the playoffs without home-field advantage was a challenge “we really cherished,” but Huard hopes it isn’t one they try again.

“Most importantly, I think the lesson learned is be the No. 1 seed,” Huard said, “so the playoffs are coming through Seattle.”