NFL SUCCESS CAN BE A "DELICATE THUNDER"

 

Keeping the perfect NFL off-season can be like walking a tight rope with 53 players on it at once.

SEAHAWKS' PERFECT OFF SEASON 

BECOMES FLAWED IN AN INSTANT

Seahawks' defensive end and former first-round draft selection, Bruce Irvin, has been suspended for four games to begin the 2013 season by the NFL for violating its (PED) Performance Enhancing Drug Policy…  Will not appeal ruling…

Renton, Washington:

Going into the 2013 season, the Seattle Seahawks had everything to be optimistic about.  All 11 offensive starters return for the new season and nine of 11 starters on defense will also return.  In addition to the Seahawks already strong and talented roster, GM John Schneider took owner Paul Allen's deep pockets shopping in free agency and he answered nearly every question that the Seahawks had about their upcoming season and any weaknesses they might have going into the new season.  

Cliff Avril was signed first, a very talented defensive end formerly with the Detroit Lions.  Then, just literally days later the Seahawks signed another pass rushing defensive end, Michael Bennett, from Tampa Bay, a player that once played for the Seahawks.  A few days later, defensive tackle, Tony McDaniel, was signed to shore up the interior defensive line after losing DT Alan Branch to free agency. This was a great start to shore up what was already a very strong D line and the Seahawks were looking pretty good during the off-season.  However, Seattle wasn't through yet signing free-agent help to fortify a defense that is already been spoken of in "elite" terms.  Marcus Trufant was not going to be re-signed by the Seahawks after having a subpar 2012 season, and Seattle was looking for a nickel defensive back in his absence.  So, Schneider went out and signed perhaps the best corner in the league versus the slot receivers of the NFL, former Minnesota Vikings, Antoine Winfield.

Going back a couple of days, the Seahawks made the first real big move of the off-season.  It wasn't a free-agent move, it was a trade.  The Hawks traded their first-round selection in the 2013 draft plus a seventh rounder this year and a third-round selection in 2014 to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the most versatile and dangerous offensive player in the NFL, Percy Harvin.  Now, Russell Wilson has a legitimate deep threat and player who can create matchup headaches for defenses all over the NFL.  Defensive coordinators are going to have to specifically plan packages to stop Harvin from tearing them up all over the field and that is always a good thing.  Not only will this create problems for opposing defenses, it will aid all the other receivers on the Seahawks roster making it easier for them to find single coverage, terrorizing linebackers and safeties with superior speed.  The Seahawks now had solved their defensive line weaknesses and now they had a dynamic and versatile wide receiver that is like no other player on the roster.  Things are looking very good at this point… All good, zero negative.  Even sack specialist, Chris Clemons, who was seriously injured in Seattle's wild-card game in Washington DC when he tore his ACL requiring surgery, is rehabbing quickly and looks to be back for the first game or at least the first quarter of the season.  Now, the Seahawks had a defensive line that looked dominant and deep, inside and out, run and pass.

Next, the NFL draft was next for head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider to prepare for.  This was the first draft during the four year history for Pete Carroll's regime that the team could draft for best player available and not necessarily drafting for a specific position of weakness.  I thought the Seahawks could have used one of the great outside linebackers on the board, especially with Arthur Brown being available at 56 where the Seahawks were scheduled to make their first selection.  However, Carroll and Schneider thought differently.  They thought so differently that they waited until the seventh round, the last round of the draft, to select a linebacker (Ty Powell).  Initially, I was upset that Seattle didn't address one of their only areas of concern, but after looking at the draft class selected by Seattle, it was obvious why they selected the players they did.  Christine Michael is a perfect player to be the heir apparent to Marshawn Lynch, but he is so dominating in the run game he could contribute immediately and become the man in the backfield once Lynch's body finally gives out.  Seattle also selected a couple of interior defensive lineman that will fit into Seattle's already stacked defense.  Jesse Williams, once thought to be a middle first-round talent, slid all the way to the fifth round for Seattle to take him.  Williams could possibly be the steal of the draft for the Seahawks.  In the third round, Seattle chose defensive tackle Jordan Hill from Penn State.  He also fits the areas of need for the Seahawks run stuffing defensive plans.  He's very quick and has a good instinct to find the ball carrier and also possesses excellent tackling skills.  In my opinion, the player that could make the biggest immediate impact could be wide receiver from Kansas state, Chris Harper.  He's a big, thick, and fast outside threat and will likely be used early in the season to determine just exactly how badly he can hurt opposing defenses with his 235 lb. frame.  Another instant impact player is Luke Willson from Rice.  He stood out as perhaps the brightest spot in the rookie minicamp, displaying great speed for a man 6'5" 253 lbs. and great hands.  Pete has been looking for  a deep threat tightend since his days coaching with the Jets, Patriots, USC Trojans and now Seattle.  One of the players to look at closely during training camp is linebacker from Idaho, John Lotulelei.  Lotulelei is a monster on the field and flying around making havoc for ball carriers, pass catchers and quarterbacks.  He reminds me more and more of Troy Polamalu every time I see him on the field, it's sniffing out the football wherever it is.

With Russell Wilson coming back with a year under his belt and perhaps the hardest studying QB in football, I think you can expect a much improved player and an even more impactful leader.  The offensive line is in the best health in three years and all five starters return for the upcoming season.  There have also been some additions to the upcoming training camp and the competition should be fierce.  A mountain of a man, James Carpenter, will be returning fully rehabilitated and ready to slip into the interior guard position.  John Moffitt adds depth at the guard spot and JR Sweezy now has a full season of experience at the position despite playing defensive end his entire career in college.  Max Unger will anchor the O line at center and Russell Okung is as solid as it gets at left tackle.  Hopefully, he will have another healthy year after struggling his entire rookie year with ankle and knee injuries. Breno Giacomini will likely start again on the other end of Okung, but there will be competition in camp and as Pete Carroll preaches, they will be competition at every position.

So, with all going so well for the Seattle Seahawks, there is little to be concerned about, right?  WRONG!

Just as the Seahawks had to worry about last year, another player put his own needs above his teammates, coaches, team owner and of course the Seahawks fans.  Bruce Irvin decided to gamble with the NFL league office, taking performance-enhancing drugs despite the fact that each player gets randomly tested for both recreational and performance-enhancing substances.  Ironically, if Irvin would have been found positive for marijuana, cocaine, heroin or crystal methamphetamine, he would have been warned and perhaps required to go through a drug rehabilitation program, but no suspension.  The NFL has a different policy for its performance-enhancing substance cases.  Any band substance found after an athlete has been tested results in an immediate four-game suspension regardless of the frequency or lack thereof.  Multiple offenses result in longer suspensions and Irvin is just one stupid mistake away from a year-long suspension.  The same can be said about fellow Seahawks, Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner.  The Seahawks have had five players in the last three years test positive for the league band medication "Adderall" which is a legal medication by prescription for those suffering from attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Nor, Irvin, Browner or Sherman have a doctor's prescription for the medication and thus were handed four-game suspensions.  Irvin's suspended games will begin with Seattle's regular-season game vs. the Carolina Panthers.  More critically, Irvin will also miss the nationally televised game against division rival San Francisco 49ers, a game that will be played in Seattle at CenturyLink field.  The only solace in any of this is that the game will be a Seattle home game, but nonetheless, this will be one of the most critical contests for the Seahawks all year.

So, how should the Seahawks owner, coaching staff, players and fans react to such a selfish stunt by Bruce Irvin?  It seems that the reaction has been mixed by a variety of sources who have weighed in via Facebook and Twitter.  Some have accepted the lengthy apology and future promises of Irvin to clean up his act and come back bigger and better and to stay out of trouble on and off the field.  Some are a bit more cynical and skeptical, believing that you just can't rehabilitate people who show a history of stupid decisions and selfish acts.  Irvin already had a checkered past coming out of high school, listing a variety of criminal behavior including burglary, among other numerous infractions.  However, since enrolling in junior-college and later West Virginia University, he has kept himself out of trouble for the most part, despite some academic problems.  Just shortly after he was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks 15th overall in the 2011 draft he was arrested in March and charged with destruction of property and disorderly conduct after an incident involving a Morgantown, W.Va., sandwich-shop delivery car. Charges were dismissed Tuesday. Irvin had this to say;

“I hate it when people say I have character issues,” Irvin said (via the SeattleTimes' Danny O'Neil). “I could see if I was getting in trouble in junior college. But I’ve never been suspended. I’ve never failed a drug test.”
Irvin called the incident “a lesson learned. They’re going to magnify [anything] on me. I just can’t go out. Everybody doesn’t want you to be successful.”

Now, it all seems so empty and any promises he makes here out also feel empty to most fans.  Irvin, through his or perhaps the Seahawks public relations representative published a statement that was broadcast on NFL Access (NFL Network).  

"I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Seahawks fans for making a mistake when I took a substance that is prohibited in the NFL without a medical exemption. I am extremely disappointed in the poor judgment I showed and take full responsibility for my actions," Irvin said in the statement.

After the formal statement was released, Irvin went to the social media 140 character Twitter account and wrote this:

"It's crazy to see your name run across the ticker for negative things.  I messed up and I feel so bad and have been depressed for weeks now.  I've had sleepless nights because I knew when this came out, I would let so many people down, including myself.  I have worked so hard to rebuild my image and it takes another blow.  I see the negative comments and I see the positive and both drives me to come back and have an incredible season.  To my real fans, I see the comments and I really appreciate it during this tuff time. just shows people only love you when you're on top, but when adversity hits they show their true colors.  Once again, I'm sorry and take full responsibility for my actions.  I will take this on the chin and move forward to become the best person on and off the field.  12th man, I'm sorry I let you down, but I promise you when I come back--all hell will break loose!  West Virginia, I love u always and know you have my back and always will.  Love on my fans and shout out to my haters I know your loving it right now!"  #comebackkid#WVU|

 So, you can take from this what you will.  Some will be skeptical and believe that you just can't fix stupidity, while others will find it in themselves to forgive his lapse of mental clarity and wish him a speedy mental recovery and look forward to him returning to the Seahawks lineup five weeks into the season.  Hopefully, there won't be any fodder to look for in blaming Irvin for any games with a lack of rushing on defense. However, he was figured to be involved in a new fold especially created for him.  Pete Carroll and Dan Quinn had plans to utilize Irvin's superior athleticism at the strong side linebacker position, using his quickness to put edge pressure on the quarterback and perhaps chasing down ball carriers also on the perimeter.  Now, I would imagine that plan has been put on the back burner, and now focus turns to Cliff Avril to be the only player to fill that position.  Avril already figured to be involved as an up linebacker, but the depth has taken a serious hit by Irvin's actions off the field.

Now, Pete Carroll and John Schneider are in a position where they need to revisit the possibility of signing another veteran pass rusher to bolster what was nothing more than an average pass rush last year.  John Abraham, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, it's still floating out there in free agency after logging double digits in sacks last year for the Falcons.  It still looks that Abraham has something left in the tank and after sitting on the shelf all off-season without much interest, he could probably be had for little comparatively; probably veteran league minimum.  However, the Seahawks better act quickly if they choose to go that route, because the Tennessee Titans recently had Abraham in for a tryout, but he left Tennessee without a deal in hand.  Dwight Freeney has been in the San Diego Chargers camp recently after their first round draft pick in 2011, Melvin Ingram, suffered a tear to his ACL and will be out for the entire 2013 season.  They would have a very high interest in Freeney as well as Abraham after learning of this untimely injury to an up-and-coming player like Ingram.

This just goes to prove that bad decisions don't always just affect those making the decisions.  The mistakes of Bruce Irvin are like a ripple in a pond.  Those affected directly or indirectly include; Mr. Allen, as Bruce Irvin is an investment in his business.  Head coach Pete Carroll who, along with John Schneider, decided to take a gamble on a young man that made mistakes early on and promised to straighten his ways.  Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who spent a large portion of his defensive planning to include Irvin in some innovative defensive sets to utilize his special and unique athletic abilities to help the team improve its pass rush and perimeter tackling.  The 12th man, the thousands and thousands of people who supported this young man, despite a litany of other mistakes he has made.  They heard the stories about how he has turned his life around with the assistance of a mentor who helped him get off the streets, get away from the crime and get back into school to earn his GED and another opportunity to play football and under scholarship.  This fact is often overlooked, but every time an athlete is given a scholarship, full ride to be educated at no cost to himself, there's another person hungry to learn, if only they had the money to pay for it.  Irvin had that opportunity and his opportunities have been tenfold if not more and he has literally spit on it, disregarding just exactly how fortunate he is to have been given a free education and also the opportunity to play a kids game for enormous amounts of money.  It's not a right to play football in the NFL.  It's a privilege, and a lot of players should be mindful that they have been given an opportunity of a lifetime, opportunities that most of us could only dream of, but most of us wake up and the dream disappears immediately.  What goes on in the mind of a young man who has been gifted an excellent education at some of the finest educational institutions in the world, then have it parlay for an opportunity to play sports in front of thousands of people and all of the privileges that go along with it, only to take it for granted and to lose the opportunity and awareness to know that only a handful of people on this earth get the chance to fulfill their dreams.  What does it take to get through to these young men?  I suppose that's the $64,000 question and so far, no one has been able to unlock that key.  It seems like us humans learn the most as we are struggling through adversity and trials.  I guess this is why God blesses us with these tremendous opportunities to learn so much about ourselves and the world we live in by handing us difficulty and pain.  I don't wish horrible things to happen to anyone, but it is uncanny how people become better human beings after they have suffered and been given the beautiful opportunity to see the difference between incredible pain and blessings.

I hope Bruce Irvin understands that this mistake he has made is just another opportunity for him to realize how blessed he is and perhaps the next time that he is tempted to make a better decision, he will.  Only God knows…

Lastly, it's not all gloom and doom for the Seahawks and not for Bruce Irvin.  It is however, a chance for the Seahawks players, coaches and fans to remember that all of us are fragile beings and although everything looks like a perfect opportunity, it can all come crashing down if or not mindful of what we have now.  The Seahawks have an incredible roster of very talented and uniquely gifted players.  The off-season has been very good to the Seahawks and most of their players are healthy and ready for the new season.  It's "Gut Check" time now and the Seahawks haven't lined up for as many as one single play in the regular-season.  The only way to win an NFL championship is to have everything go right, or at least if anything goes wrong, it's how you react to it.  It takes everyone on the football team to be focused on the same identical goal.  It also takes a fair amount of luck, but all the luck in the world won't win championships.  It takes focus, discipline, preparation, sweat and endless effort, and even then things can go wrong.  But if things go wrong, you don't want them to be self inflicted.  Those who inflict their own wounds can never succeed, because there's always people in business, as well as sports that are perfectly willing to inflict wounds on you themselves.

Be aware Seattle Seahawks.  This could be a very storied and fantastic season for the Seahawks and the city of Seattle, but if you shoot yourself in the foot, you won't be able to walk, let alone, run.