They were mocked on national television as “appetizers” who paled in comparison to their Denver counterparts, but the Seahawks’ unheralded receiving corps got the last laugh Sunday night.
And Doug Baldwin wanted every one of their skeptics — one, in particular — to know it.
Baldwin fitted Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter for a bull’s-eye after Seattle’s 43-8 rout of the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium, ripping into Carter for scoffing at Baldwin and his fellow wideouts in various interviews in the days leading up to the game.
“Y’all listen to me loud and clear,” Baldwin said. “Y’all listening? You hear me? For all y’all who called us — the receiving corps — average, appetizing, pedestrian … I’m not going to say any names, but he knows who he is.
“I respect what you did on the field. But stick to football, stick to playing football because your analytical skills aren’t up to par yet. You need to slow down, you need to go back and not do it half-ass. You’re saying some stuff that didn’t really make sense.”
Carter’s criticism indeed looked well off the mark after Baldwin and the Seahawks’ receivers and tight ends — three of whom were undrafted — combined for 18 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the rout.
Baldwin led the way with five catches for 66 yards and a score, while Jermaine Kearse added four receptions for 65 yards and a TD. The only Seattle receiver with a pedigree, former first-rounder Percy Harvin, had a quiet night in that department with one catch for 5 yards (although he did return the second-half kickoff for a touchdown).
Baldwin, one of those undrafted wideouts, uses that background and any perceived slights for motivation so often his nickname is “Angry Doug.”
Carter, the former Vikings and Eagles star who is now a regular on ESPN, bore the full force of Baldwin’s famous anger Sunday night.
“That dude [Carter] that said we were appetizers, he told me to Google him,” Baldwin said. “And I did Google him, but I didn’t see any Super Bowl appearances. I did see two losses in the conference championships, so I have a Super Bowl ring that I will gladly show to him.
“And if he doesn’t have time to come see it, tell him he can Google it.”