British born defence coach Aden Durde inspires Seahawks to Super Bowl LX victory over Patriots

It was a brutal lesson for Maye and indeed for anybody tuning in expecting to see high-scoring drama. There were no touchdowns until the last quarter as the Seattle “Legion of Boom” blew the Pats apart. 

As Maye struggled to lead any counter-attack – and with the Seahawks kicker Jason Myers carving a piece of Super Bowl history for himself with five field goals – this was definitely one for the purists. 

In truth, “Yawn in the USA” would have been an appropriate soundtrack for the uninitiated as gridiron became grind-iron, but never mind how tempting it was to call this “The Stupor Bowl” it was impossible not to admire the Seattle resistance. 

This was one of the greatest defence performances ever seen and Durde’s stock should, as a result, soar so majestically that it will surely only be a matter of the time before he becomes the first British head coach in the NFL. 

Together with Mike Macdonald they have forged a powerhouse that, if their offence can begin to match the might of their defence, could begin a term of dominance.

Yet, of course in these starlit times, the MVP award went to a member of the offence, and in fairness, Kenneth Walker III was exceptional in helping the Seahawks pull clear of their rivals. The Pats’ defence was also heroic, limiting the Sam Darnold attack to just the four field goals until the clock ticked into its deciding passage. 

Walker was a threat throughout, picking up first downs as if they were personal milestones, although it was Arnold’s 16-yard pass to AJ Barner that eventually saw the touchdown deadlock broken.