Just three seasons ago, the jokes flowed with ease as Seattle sealed up the West with a ghastly 7-9 record. The Seahawks have since grown into a conference power with arguably the finest roster in all of football -- just don't go telling that to the San Francisco 49ers. "I think people like the next best thing," 49ers All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman told Around The League on Friday. "I think people like seeing the challenger get close to being the best. That's what they're doing. (Seattle) had a great game against us at their house (a 42-13 victory over San Francisco in Week 16). (They) turned heads, knowing that we were a good team, and the cookies fell where they may." Said Bowman: "You have to earn these things. This is their first time being mentioned like that, in this sentence, and we'll see what they'll do with that." The 49ers-Seahawks rivalry has morphed into a fascinating grudge match largely because of how alike the teams are: Both imaginative on offense and blisteringly physical on defense. "They're a good team," Bowman said. " ... I think it's built our division up, I think it's made it a lot tougher and people understand now, when they play us, that us guys in the NFC West -- they have to come play us." BowmanI was asked, point blank, if the Seahawks have drawn even with the 49ers. "I don't do the judging," he said. "All I know is, the 49ers? We work hard every single day. That's all I know. I know that we're going to come and play every single day." Source: NFL.com
