For some reason, there is a thought among more than a few Seahawks fans that Jimmy Graham won’t — or shouldn’t — be back next season.
The Seattle Times even ran a poll asking whether fans thought Graham and/or Marshawn Lynch would be back, and about 22 percent thought Graham would not return.
Clearly, these people have not observed how John Schneider and Pete Carroll do business. Graham is not going anywhere in 2016.
With Arizona’s exciting overtime win over a resilient Green Bay team, the Seahawks know where they will be going if they can knock out Carolina for the second straight year.
So, the big question: Can the Seahawks exact some revenge on the Panthers for the last-minute, 27-23 win in Week 6?
That loss — a second straight fourth-quarter collapse — sent the Seahawks to 2-4, where their historic odds of making the playoffs were 8.3 percent. But, since then, they have won nine of 11 — including the “football gods are smiling on you” wild-card win in Minnesota.
What has changed since that Week 6 loss to Carolina?
Marshawn Lynch: “I’m ready.”
Luke Willson also looks like he will return.
Russell Wilson and presumed MVP Cam Newton (he has Wilson’s nonexistent vote) have been en fuego.
The teams have more in common than just dynamic quarterbacks.
Kam Chancellor had perhaps the best game of his career vs. Carolina in last season’s divisional playoff game. Can he repeat it?
Pete Carroll said he doesn’t care if tight ends catch balls against his defense — someone is going to — but Greg Olsen beat them in Week 6 and will be a big factor again.
The Panthers are thin at cornerback, which could play into the hands of Wilson and Doug Baldwin.
Here’s a comprehensive preview of the game.
Bob Condotta runs down all of the records Russell Wilson is setting or could set.
We don’t care much about the overblown Pro Bowl, but the Hawks tied a team record with seven guys. Michael Bennett, Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and Tyler Lockett were very deserving.
K.J. Wright did not make the Pro Bowl, but he did get engaged this week.
Condotta also details the various scenarios for the Seahawks landing the No. 5 or 6 seed. Most people seem to think the only bad matchup would be Seattle as a No. 6 seed at Green Bay. But odds are the Hawks will end up the No. 5 seed at Washington or Philly.
The Seahawks have beaten the Rams in Seattle 10 straight times. Todd Gurley will get his first action vs. Seattle.
Jimmy Clausen will start for the Ravens — putting him in rare company in NFL history.
Jordan Hill and Demarcus Dobbs will sit out again today.
Former Seahawks WR Chris Matthews has been promoted to Baltimore’s active roster from practice squad for today’s game.
Despite a seemingly lopsided matchup vs. the Ravens, the Seahawks have plenty of motivation.
Russell Wilson’s dominance in the pocket has been crucial to the Seahawks’ offensive resurgence.
Pete Carroll, Darrell Bevell and Tom Cable explain the unorthodox way they run the offense.
Cable’s faith in the revamped offensive line has been rewarded during this offensive surge.
The Seahawks are still a run-first offense and will lean on Thomas Rawls.
Defensive back DeShawn Shead is the latest to claw his way into the Seahawks’ starting lineup.
Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham are back in the Seahawks’ facility for recoveries.
Darrell Bevell said he is not pursuing the BYU job even though the school is interested in him. He said he is intent on helping the Seahawks reach a third straight Super Bowl.
Anthony McCoy is back with the Seahawks, replacing short-timer Chase Coffman.
Marshawn Lynch was back at VMAC on Wednesday, but Pete Carroll said Monday that Lynch is a “few weeks” away from being able to play. Sure sounds like Lynch could end up on IR.
Doug Baldwin is having his best statistical season and could end up as Seattle’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 2007.
No matter how the season ends for the Seahawks, they have some key changes to make next year.
They certainly don’t need to blow up the team completely – even if they miss the playoffs. But they will need to make a few small detonations — even if they make the postseason and even if they somehow manage to win the Super Bowl (which seems like California dreamin’ at this point).
Whether Pete Carroll intends to stay beyond 2016 or not, John Schneider needs to fix the problems that have been holding this team back from greatness and help avoid becoming, as he has called it, “one of those teams that skates in and skates out” of contention.
Bottom line: The Seahawks cannot go through another year with such a disjointed offense holding back a potentially great defense. And they have to make some changes to the defense as well – beyond Bruce Irvin leaving in free agency (they will get a taste this week of how Frank Clark and Kevin Pierre-Louis might replace him).
Continue reading No matter how season ends, Hawks have to make changes next year
Marshawn Lynch wants to play vs. the 49ers but appears to be a game-time decision.
Paul Richardson is out with a hamstring injury, which is too bad considering he showed what he brings with a 40-yard catch vs. Arizona.
Earl Thomas criticized Seattle’s commitment and will to win, saying, “We need to give it up for each other.”
With Bruce Irvin out a couple of weeks with a sprained knee, Frank Clark is expected to get more playing time.
Clark talked to 710 ESPN about his days as a gang member when he was a kid in Los Angeles.
Russell Wilson insists his big contract and high-profile relationship with Ciara have not distracted him.
Pete Carroll thinks the Seahawks can still win the NFC West. What else would you expect from Positive Pete?
Yeah, the Cardinals have a few tough games left — Cincinnati, at St. Louis, Minnesota, Green Bay and Seattle – but they would have to lose at least three of those and the Seahawks would have to win out to win the division.
How can Carroll possibly think the Seahawks are going to win out when they have tough games themselves against Pittsburgh, Minnesota, St. Louis and Arizona the rest of the way?
Carroll said, “To call it now is the biggest mistake you could ever make.” Well, we’re calling the division now. We’ll see who made the mistake in seven weeks.
Continue reading Sorry, Pete, your team will not win the West
Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense are getting lots of credit for a 17-play drive that yielded the winning field goal in Dallas — the first time in four chances this season Wilson has led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime.
But let’s not let one very inefficient winning drive confuse the facts: This is the worst offense the Seahawks have had with Wilson at quarterback.
The Seahawks scored just once in the skintight 13-12 win in Dallas — the fourth time in eight games they have tallied one TD on offense. In the four other games, they have scored just two TDs. They have yet to score three touchdowns in a game.
In fact, they are the only offense in the league not to put up a TD trifecta. New England has done it in all seven. Arizona has done it five times. Even Oakland has done it four times and Jacksonville three.
Pete Carroll likes to say “it can’t be pretty and perfect all the time” or some silly copout like that, but does it really have to be so ugly and imperfect every damn game? The answer, Pete, is no. No, it doesn’t. If you knew anything about offense, you would have figured that out by now.
Continue reading This is Seattle’s worst offense under Wilson
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 