Speaking To The Seahawks Faithful…
By Rob Shumate
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
As I sat here wondering what words of wisdom I could pass along to my fellow Seahawkers and members of Seahawk Nation I realized that much of what needs to be said has already been said in other articles. Maybe this is a good time to give a State of the (South Lake) Union address and relish in their success.
So here we sit, 8-1 and leaders of the NFC with our destiny firmly in our grasp. Boy that is a good feeling isn’t it? As you know I have nailed them to the cross the last several weeks as I have a tendency to focus on what needs to be changed versus what is going right. But let me take this opportunity to dust off my rose-colored glasses and peer through them to put this season in perspective… I hope my prescription hasn’t changed.
In all honesty there is a lot going right and we have many reasons to have an optimistic and a sunny outlook. Truth be told would we want this season any different? Sure we can point to a heartbreaking loss in Indianapolis, but we can also easily point to four wins that could have been just as easily losses.
It goes to show that NFL players are good at what they do and even seemingly bad teams with atrocious records can, on any given week, beat a better team. Our Seahawks have managed to stay above the fray and eke out wins when they shouldn’t have…I call this resourceful with a hint of luck. But good teams need an occasional dash of luck sprinkled on their games to go along with their talent.
Starting at the top we have a coaching staff this is very dedicated to the way they want to win a game and have used that philosophy to parlay an initial investment of cast-offs and misfits into a cohesive and formidable unit. The players appear to have bought into that system and like what they are doing and how they are doing it. Pete Carroll and John Schneider make a dynamic duo…like Batman and Robin. However don’t ask me which one is which.
We have a franchise quarterback at our helm, whose hands are as steady as his demeanor. He simply expects to win…every game. You can’t teach that characteristic, but you hope that your on-field general has that quality. When I watch him play I just expect him to make plays, especially when his back is against the wall. At times this season he has been, respectively, the rebirth of Houdini, George Washington and William Tell. We hope that his next reincarnation comes in the form of Johnny Unitas.
Marshawn Lynch is one of the cornerstones of the Seahawks and without him much of our history over the last two seasons couldn’t be written so successfully. He is literally a beast, no other nickname would do him justice. How many times have we seen him take on a tackler, only to be the last one standing, running for additional yards? He wants the ball on every offensive down and we should continue to oblige him. How can you ask anything else of your star running back?
Our defense is rock solid, Gibraltar-like. The front line applies pressure on the running back and quarterback while the secondary torments wide receivers. I have extreme confidence in our secondary in man to man coverage. There are none better in bodying up to the receiver and fighting for the ball.
This only works if our defensive line gets good penetration, something we struggled with as a unit last year. John Schneider personally over saw this endeavor in the off-season and it has paid off with big dividends. We have great defensive chemistry and these guys genuinely seem to like being out there imposing their will on the other team. These guys are fun to watch.
We have the best, and loudest, fans in the world, no matter what anybody else says. The emotion and ambiance that the Seahawk fans generate is enough to carry a team through trials and tribulations, which has happened this season. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the throngs of blue and green painted faces with strained vocal chords imposing their influence on the game. Thank you 12th man, I am happy to be a part of this great tradition.
High expectations generate great disappointment when performance is subpar. If I had apathy for this team then there would be no disappointment with their deficiencies. But we all have been groomed to expect an appearance in the Superbowl and when we see our team coming up short it is hard not to dive right in and start picking them apart. But this article was meant to point out at least some of their great qualities. Bottom line, at the end the season it is the team record that ultimately matters…and at 8 and 1 who could ask for anything more at this point? Go Hawks!