Seahawks Fans: Enjoy the Good Ol’ Days While They Are Here
By Nick Lee
These are special times for the Seattle Seahawks – fans would do well not to take the last five seasons for granted, as this type of success won’t last forever.
Life as a Seattle Seahawks fan has been pretty good in the last five years. They have a combined 56-23-1 regular season record in that time. Included in that run are five straight playoff appearances, two consecutive Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl championship.
They have established themselves as one of the most consistent, if not the most consistent franchise outside of New England in the NFL since 2012. In addition, during this postseason streak, they have won at least one game in each of those playoff runs (including the Seahawks’ win over the Lions Saturday night). They have not lost a home playoff game in the Pete Carroll era (est. 2010) and not since the 2004 season.
Sustained success like this is hard to come by, not only in the NFL but all professional sports. Exhibit A: The San Francisco 49ers. They went from having a chance to win a championship in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens and reaching the NFC title game two other times, to losing one of the best coaches in football and going 7-25 in the last two seasons.
Another example is the Carolina Panthers. Going from 15-1 and NFC champions to 6-10 and face planting this season. Or the Broncos, the actual Super Bowl champs last season, who also missed the playoffs completely after their roster was plucked and pillaged from their championship year. Success is fleeting.
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The Seahawks, much thanks to General Manager John Schneider and head coach Carroll (both arrived in 2010), have withstood multiple onslaughts of stars wanting more money, new contracts or new teams and even holdouts. The NFL is constantly altering and for the past five years, the Seahawks have stood firm in the swirling winds of change.
Enjoy this, Seahawks fans. There is something to be said about enjoying the “good ol’ days” before they are gone. A key to happiness is to actually recognize when you are truly in the good ol’ days and enjoy the moment.
There likely (hopefully not anytime soon, maybe in 2030 when Carroll retires at the ripe old age of 79) will come a day when the Seahawks and their fans must look back and smile at the days of the 2010s decade that brought them four NFC West division titles, two NFC titles and a Super Bowl ring (with three more seasons to play in this decade).
There will come a day where the NFL will catch up to the Seahawks. Players get old and depreciate. They get traded or move on. Coaches get fired. Division rivals get better. There is so much parity in the league, especially with a salary cap. Every dynasty ends.
I don’t mean to be a downer, especially as the Seahawks look to be on another potential Super Bowl run. In fact, I intend the contrary. Enjoy this. Watch these Seahawks with a smile on your face, even if Wilson is running for his life due to lack of pass protection or the secondary gets gashed without Earl Thomas.
These Seahawks have been and are currently on a great, albeit historic run of success. It’s hard to do. Gather your kids and watch these games, especially the one coming up in Atlanta. They don’t come around very often.
The good ol’ days don’t have to be over yet. The ‘Hawks are still alive this year and they retain several key players for some time.
Russell Wilson is under contract until 2020. Richard Sherman is signed until 2019. Kam Chancellor is signed to be a Seahawk for two more seasons. Michael Bennett just got extended. Jimmy Graham has at least two more seasons as a Seahawk. Bobby Wagner looks to be in Seattle for several more seasons. If Thomas heals up right, he is under contract until 2019. What a time to be a Seahawks fan.
We are watching something special in these Seahawks of the last five years. The Legion of Boom. Wilson. Marshawn Lynch. New uniforms in 2012. This all completely changed a franchise that has existed since 1976 and before this run, endured many, many painful seasons.
Enjoy the nationally televised games that highlight your beautiful city, oft lit in blue and neon green. Enjoy the “live looks” into Pike Place Market for the fish toss or the famous Ferris wheel shots. The city of Seattle has been put on display for the world as the Seahawks have had all of this success. You should be proud of your city and your team. Be proud to be a 12.
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Take in every moment while watching these Seahawks. There are numerous fanbases who are green (maybe even Action Green?) with envy with what the city of Seattle has in their Seahawks.