I have to admit before I even get into this post that I have a smidgen of bias against the team I’m talking about today. All writers have bias, and that’s fine! It’s just helpful to acknowledge that up front so the reader can take all the details you lay out into consideration.
I hate the Seattle Seahawks.
I hate them in a way I generally don’t hate sports teams (and by “hate”, I mean sports-hate, not actual hate, let’s be crystal clear about that). But I sports-hate them A LOT. I hate their uniforms, I hate their stadium, I hate their annoying fans who were dead quiet until about eight years ago. They grind my gears so much that I rooted for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX and was consumed with an indescribable about of joy when Malcom Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line. That play almost brought me as much joy as a left shark did a few hours earlier.
All that being said, I am a truly giddy Arizona Cardinals fan right now. As stated in previous posts, being an AZ fan is a very difficult thing and the constant disappointment and sadness is grating. So anytime I get to see the Cardinals go up to Seattle and win, I am a happy camper. Over the last five years or so, the Cardinals are one of the few teams who have been able to go to Seattle and win football games. There have been a lot of memorable moments in this divisional rivalry (my favorite is dancing Drew Stanton), but Sunday was a lovely reminder that even with the backup QB playing, we own the Seahawks in Seattle.
However, one cannot look at this Seattle squad and feel particularly threatened. Even with backup Colt McCoy playing quarterback, I didn’t feel very nervous going into Sunday’s game. This Seahawks team simply doesn’t elicit the the fear they used to and they are playing like a team who can’t get on the same page. They are playing like a team who have no energy, no mojo and almost appear to be waiting out the year.
Last year, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson asked to be traded, and part of the reason seemed to be because he and head coach Pete Carroll were not on the same page. Anytime your franchise QB asks to be traded is going to put a damper on your season. However, Seattle didn’t budge and kept him on the roster. In fact, they revamped their offense to keep him happy, and it worked for a while. But eventually, the team went back to a run-happy offense and trust between Wilson and Carroll seemed to disintegrate. Despite his frustrations, and to his credit, Wilson played decently well to start the 2021 season until he hurt his finger in Week 5. However, since coming back from the injury, Wilson has looked, well, pretty bad. Seattle was shut out in Green Bay last weekend and on Sunday, Wilson was 14/26 for 207 yards and fumbled twice. It’s also worth nothing he hasn’t been able to throw from center in the pocket since he got back, leading people to believe his finger isn’t totally healed, despite him assuring us it is.
Wilson isn’t the only reason the team has been playing poorly. The rush game is dismal, and on Sunday the team had a total of 86 rushing yards. That’s is. The team is struggling to convert on third downs and currently hold the third-worst third down conversion percentage in the league (33.7% according to ESPN). And what’s hard about the Seahawks offensive woes is that there is no real obvious solution to fix it. Wilson and Carroll are NOT on the same page, and neither seems willing to budge.
In addition to a piss-poor offense, the defense hasn’t been that good either, though they have also been dealing with injuries. The defense allowed 413 yards of total offense on Sunday, which outrageous considering Colt Freaking McCoy was the QB and DeAndre Hopkins is still out. Like, how is that possible?? I mean, McCoy is a solid backup QB and he has probably the best QB name in football, but goodness gracious he’s not THAT good. Seattle also perhaps made a mistake trading two first round draft picks for former Jet Jamal Adams, someone who has not lived up to his billing. Just think: Seattle could’ve had a potential top-5 pick, but nope. They have traded away soooooo many picks over the last few years as they’ve operated in a “win now” mode, and they have just one Super Bowl to show for it (their win against the Broncos in 2014).
At the end of the day, the offense is the glaring problem here. And though no one will admit it, it feels like everyone is just kind of waiting out the season and waiting for Wilson to leave next year. The coaching staff looks lost, Wilson looks hurt and the team looks uninspired. The post-game comments from Wilson and Carroll highlighted the struggles, with Wilson not trying to make excuses, but also casually suggesting they try a different offense. In his presser on Sunday, Carroll straight up walked out. He returned about 8 mins later to answer more questions, but the frustration was front and center:
"I'm not prepared for this. I'm struggling to do a good job of coaching when you're getting your butt kicked week in and week out. It's new territory, and I'm competing in every way I can think of. But I'm just unfamiliar with it. So if I leave early or if I make a mistake, I'm not on my best game right here…”
Carroll is correct is saying this is new territory. For the better part of the last decade, Seattle has been force in the NFL, and this season they are merely a whimper. How they change things remains to be seen, and it’s hard to see them turning it around this season. I’ve learned long ago never to count Seattle out, but their brand of football this year leaves a lot to be desired. I’m thrilled of course, but it does feel a bit strange having a sucky Seattle team in the division.
You could say this squad is the Legion of Booooooooo.
I’ll see myself out now.