Bruce Irvin's Super Bowl XLIX Ejection Reveals Downside of Seahawks' Swagger

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin was ejected following a brawl on the penultimate play of his team's 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

The pernicious punctuation Irvin left behind as he exited the field at University of Phoenix Stadium captured the ugly side that the Seahawks' swagger-filled culture can lead to.

Namely, what happens when things go sour.

To his credit, Irvin did apologize for the outburst on Twitter, recognizing that he wasn't being an exemplary role model:

Head coach Pete Carroll has a loose, player-friendly atmosphere that had Seattle on the brink of becoming the first team since New England to repeat as Super Bowl champions. That type of environment should keep serving the team's multitude of talented players well.

Irvin fits the mold of many standout Seahawks. Arriving in the same draft class as All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner and franchise quarterback Russell Wilson, it was Irvin who was chosen in the first round at No. 15 overall.

The pick was widely panned due to Irvin's rawness, though his athleticism, speed for his size and upside were undeniable. After flashes of brilliance but inconsistency through his first couple of years, doubters persisted, but Irvin converted to outside linebacker and emerged as a strong starter for Seattle's elite defense in 2014.

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All the hoopla surrounding Irvin's high draft selection gave him plenty of motivational fuel, something many Seahawks have used to drive their collective success over the past three years.

But Irvin's eruption on Super Bowl Sunday revealed the pitfalls of adopting such a strategy. The following fact from The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson is telling:

When emotions are at their highest and a team that's grown so accustomed to winning with swagger and trash talk sees its dreams suddenly ripped out from under it, it's hard to stay composed.

The freedom Carroll grants his players to speak out and be themselves is rare and commendable.

Yet it also was put to the test by Irvin and others who weighed in on the controversial play call that saw Wilson throw a game-ending interception just one yard away from a winning touchdown:

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is famous for talking a lot and often backing it up, just as Seattle often has. He found TV cameras and made mention of Darrelle Revis getting burned by Doug Baldwin for a touchdown in the third quarter. Baldwin wound up simulating a bathroom act that he'll probably get fined for, and the three-yard reception was his only catch of the game, albeit a big one.

Sherman was kind enough to shake Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's hand at the end of the game, showing that balance can be struck between swagger and sportsmanship.

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That's a fine line Irvin will have to walk with more care moving forward. A ton of the most talented Seahawks are young, and no one from Irvin's draft class even knows what it's like to miss the playoffs.

Carroll must make sure the act doesn't wear thin if and when Seattle has a down year. Such a phenomenon doesn't appear to be on the horizon, yet in this era of parity in the NFL, it's always a possibility.

In the immediate aftermath of a Super Bowl, especially under the frustrating realization that one is on the losing side, of course tempers can tend to flare for anyone on any team. The Seahawks just seem more vulnerable, too, because of the high-risk, high-reward approach Carroll takes to the locker room.

Though it's worked wonders in restoring Seattle to prominence in professional football, it's also predicated on optimal results and lots of marks in the "W" column.

Irvin's tale is one both he and his teammates can learn from and apply as he and this Seahawks nucleus strides into what seems to be a bright future despite Sunday's disappointment.