The Seahawks are expecting to compete for a second Super Bowl title this year, and they’re planning to do it with a completely revamped offensive line.
That scares a lot of fans who view the line as the one thing that could keep this team from winning it all — kind of like it did last year.
But, anyone who thinks they can’t overcome that concern probably forgot what happened in 2013.
It’s no surprise that John Schneider and Pete Carroll are going to be running the Seahawks for at least the next four seasons together. Where else are they going to find a better situation than the one they have built in Seattle?
As Schneider told John Clayton on Tuesday, “You look at all the really good organizations: They have great ownership and they have stability. And I think that’s probably what is most attractive here.’’
Schneider and Carroll have put together a team that is poised to contend for Super Bowl titles for at least the next three seasons (see the projected lineup) — and probably well beyond that. Schneider and Carroll have built an organization with similar staying power to Bill Belichick’s crew in New England.
Continue reading With Schneider’s help, Carroll will finish forging his legacy
The Seahawks’ defense has put together an unprecedented run — becoming the first modern NFL team to go four straight years as the No. 1 scoring unit.
After Seattle shut down Arizona 36-6 in the 2015 season finale to clinch the top spot again, a beaming Pete Carroll said, “I don’t know if there is a record that I could be more proud of than to see our guys go for four straight years and lead the league in scoring defense. I think that is a remarkable accomplishment by a bunch of guys dedicated to the program and what we are doing.”
Carroll’s defense also has given up the fewest yards over the last three years, ranking first in the 2013 and 2014 Super Bowl years and second last season.
That’s a pretty darn good run of defense — and yet the Seahawks know they can become more consistent if they can cover their Achilles’ heel.
Because they have so many veterans on the unit now, the coaches apparently are finally planning to address the soft underbelly of their defense, which has been prone to giving up big chunks of yards and too many touchdowns to tight ends, running backs and slot receivers.
Their plan to fix that issue figures to be one of the big stories of training camp, which begins Saturday.
The future of Jimmy Graham is a hot topic — not just his future with the Seahawks, but the mere prospect of him playing in the NFL for much longer.
Pete Carroll does not seem concerned, but a recent report by ESPN.com reiterated the severity of a torn patellar tendon — the injury Graham suffered in late November — and questioned whether the tight end will be able to make it back.
ESPN injury expert Stephania Bell cited a recent study saying players with TPTs “fared the worst when it comes to rate of return to play and performance metrics like yards gained and touchdowns scored. And their careers were shortened overall significantly. It’s not to say that one individual can’t come back and be phenomenal, but it’s telling you that the odds are against them in terms of returning to form.”
Of course, the Seahawks are all about bucking the odds, and there are reasons to believe Graham will overcome the injury better than previous players.
Not a big surprise: The Seahawks reportedly have begun contract negotiations with Pete Carroll and John Schneider, who both are in the final year of their deals.
There has been a lot of speculation that both could be interested in leaving the Seahawks for their old stomping grounds — Carroll back to Los Angeles to coach the Rams and Schneider back to Green Bay to run the Packers.
But, they have set up the Seahawks to remain strong Super Bowl contenders for at least two or three more years, so leaving now would make no sense.
Continue reading Expect new deals for Carroll, Schneider before camp
Earlier this year, we said 2017 could be another “splash” offseason for John Schneider. But he dived into the deep end early, giving Doug Baldwin a $46 million deal this week.
Now the big question: What does that mean for Seattle’s 2017 salary cap? More important: What does it mean for the underpaid Michael Bennett? And, by extension, what might that mean for the highly paid Jimmy Graham?
Continue reading What does Baldwin deal mean for Bennett, 2017?
Three years ago, the Seahawks gave $11 million per year to a wide receiver who had never played a down for them.
No surprise: Like all of the big-money receiver deals Seattle has made over the last decade, Percy Harvin did not work out. On top of that, the Hawks lost Golden Tate, a homegrown receiver they couldn’t afford because they had paid Harvin.
But that didn’t stop the Seahawks from paying big again Tuesday — this time with a guy they had developed from scratch.
It turns out the Seahawks were fine paying Doug Baldwin the bloated market value for wide receivers — more proof that Paul Allen, John Schneider and Pete Carroll are more than fair when it comes to guys they have developed.
Continue reading Seahawks pay big for another receiver, but at least they know this one
A year ago at this time, the Seahawks had all kinds of financial turmoil — and it ultimately played a role in ruining team chemistry and the season.
Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner needed extensions. Bruce Irvin was unhappy his option had not been picked up. Michael Bennett was dissatisfied with his brand-new deal. And, unbeknownst to everyone in June, Kam Chancellor was the most displeased of all.
As it turned out, Chancellor was the only player who caused a ruckus, holding out until the third week of the season, but it was a distraction that did indeed affect chemistry and performance. The Seahawks ultimately fell short of a third straight Super Bowl because of it.
This June, the Seahawks seemingly are one big, happy family again — of one mind as they prepare for a Super Bowl redux. Sure, Bennett and Chancellor still feel they are underpaid. And Doug Baldwin is waiting to get a new contract. But, out of their own mouths, none of those three are going to hold out and screw up team chemistry.
Pete Carroll and John Schneider have raised expectations so high that missing a third straight Super Bowl appearance was considered a stunning failure last season — especially after the Seahawks had recovered from a poor start and put together a dominant second half of the season.
Not even record-setting performances from both the offense and defense could make anyone feel any better after the Seahawks let themselves be ramrodded by the Panthers in the playoffs.
The fact is, though, there’s a reason no team has gone to the Super Bowl three straight times in the salary-cap era or that the only team in the 16-game era to do it (Buffalo) lost every title game (four straight) or that the only other team to reach three straight, Miami, did it in 14-game seasons.
Football is a game of attrition. The more games they play, the more players they lose.
Continue reading Worn down by two Super runs, Hawks refreshed
The Seahawks didn’t have a so-called “championship offseason” last year, and the results were pretty predictable: no championship.
Everyone hoped they could overcome all of the negatives — the loss of confidence in Pete Carroll after his asinine Super Bowl call, the silly fan backlash against Russell Wilson, the poor health of almost their entire secondary, the pointless holdout of Kam Chancellor, the idiotic coaching decision to start Drew Nowak at center.
It all added up to a disjointed start and disheartening finish. It was obviously too much to overcome for a team that had become fractured and really needed to be glued back together again.
The Hawks entered this offseason with more than a few concerns about their ability to bounce back. They needed to replace Marshawn Lynch, deal with unhappy campers Chancellor and Michael Bennett, rebuild their offensive line and fortify their defensive line.
At this point, it looks like they have put the glue in place for all of those fixes: Lynch was replaced by three draft picks; Chancellor made up with the team; Bennett sounds like he will come back ready to repeat his stellar 2015 season; the club replaced Russell Okung, Alvin Bailey and J.R. Sweezy with five linemen and Brandon Mebane with three.
Carroll says this offseason “almost feels like a rebirth.”
“We’ve been through a lot of stuff; we’ve been challenged by a lot of stuff,” he told 710 ESPN on Monday. “We’ve learned so much: winning and losing and then trying to come back again and still maintaining this huge standard and expectation. And we know it’s right there for us. Everybody feels it. That’s what is really fueling the energy around the building and why we’re so enthused. And then we hit it with this draft, so it’s feeling pretty good. Millions of things have to happen, but we’re in the right place right now.”
Let’s take a post-draft look at the roster and see whether that is true:
