Seahawks Playing Truth and Consequences… Again.

CAN TWO BAD APPLES SPOIL THE WHOLE BUNCH-BROWNER & THURMOND SUSPENDED

The national sports journalistic media collective has, as a rule, widely ignored the West Coast region and to an even greater degree, the pacific northwest. Some of the stigma is true--though, Seattle sports teams haven’t exactly given the East Coast writers an urgent cause to slog on out to Western Washington to see what’s going on in the sports world. However, ever since Seahawks owner, Paul Allen, purchased the Seahawks franchise and more importantly, hired Pete Carroll to coach his football team; the trend of snubbing Seattle’s professional football team has taken a sharp turn away from obscurity and onto center stage of the media’s attention… and scrutiny. 

The Seahawks are believed to be the most talented and complete team in the NFL this season and that has vaulted them to an NFL best 10-1 record. All is not gold that glitters and right now, with the focus on the Seahawks blue and green, a couple of bad apples are trying to spoil the bunch and the entire team is again reminded that choices have consequences and that those consequences often affect more than just those who choose to test the boundaries of a common set of rules.

Once again and far too often, Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks are facing questions about the cleanliness of their football program; in specific, whether or not there is legitimate concern over the growing tally of Seahawks players who have been suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse and performance-enhancing drug policies. The latest Seattle offenders? Cornerbacks Walter Thurmond and pro-bowl corner Brandon Browner are the current individuals to sabotage their own brothers and even more, they have destroyed the one thing that made them part of this great team fraternity… Trust.

Now the question begs; does the scrutiny fit Pete Carroll’s program and does the Seahawks team environment allow too much latitude for players to violate team and league rules? The murmur across the nation is that Pete Carroll’s “loose and relaxed” style creates a culture of doing whatever it takes to win and the players respond by not only playing loose, but playing loose with the rules.

It's hard to ignore the fact that, since coach Carroll took over as the Seahawks head coach in 2010, eight players have been involved in (one or more) instance of violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, including; DT Alan Branch, RB Vai Taua, G John Moffitt, S Winston Guy, LB Bruce Irvin, CB Walter Thurmond, CB Brandon Browner and CB Richard Sherman. Several of these violations were linked to rumors of performance enhancing drugs (PED), in particular; the drug Adderall, (A mild stimulant) spawning fans around the nation to refer to the entire team as; the "Sea-Adderall Seahawks".  Due to NFL regulations, it's unlawful for the league to divulge the actual substance used by players, but in this most recent case, Browner and Thurmond's suspensions are believed to be initiated because of marijuana use.

As the final quarter of the season begins for the Seahawks, Pete Carroll and his entire coaching staff must prepare his players and staff to avoid a common foe that can bring down even the mightiest of teams -- complacency. Currently, some form of "damage control" is being performed, within the organization as two selfish players have figuratively "pulled the pin from a hand-grenade" and while the rest of the team deals with the explosion and aftermath, Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond will now sit out the balance of the regular-season, watching the games at home in street clothes. Just as Seahawk’s injury depleted roster was finally being steadily reinforced; Browner and Thurmond displayed just how easy it is to tip the delicate balance of power toward the wrong side of the continuum by making selfish and immature decisions that affect an entire franchise. This kind of selfishness is the scourge of even the most powerful juggernaut in team sports and the Seahawks are experiencing just that despite having many reasons to feel jubilant and refreshed for the remainder of the regular-season. Good teams have an inherent ability to overcome large and small waves of adversity and unfortunately three Seahawks players (Irvin, Browner, Thurmond) have taking it upon themselves to test that theory this season…

It will be a four-game suspension for corner, Walter Thurmond, who was present just 3 1/2 months ago as veteran teammates; Kam Chancellor, Michael Robinson and Earl Thomas held a “player-only” meeting to discuss another young Seahawks player who decided he was bigger than the team, even if only for a moment. Bruce Irvin found himself in the NFL headlines after testing positive for an undisclosed performance-enhancing drug (PED) banned by the league's illegal substance policy. It is believed by the court of popular opinion, that that substance was a drug called "Adderall" a mild stimulant used by patients that suffer from ADHD (attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder). The drug is only permissible to NFL players who suffer from the condition and have a physician’s order and prescription to take the medication. The Seahawks have allegedly had several players test positive for this banned substance, but this time it was the first year player, defensive end Irvin, who decided to test the boundaries of the NFL's drug testing system… and he lost and thus the Seahawks lost one of the team's most fierce and productive pass rushing sack-masters for one quarter of the regular season. But good teams can overcome adversity… Irvin took it upon himself to test that theory.

Irvin,    a first-year player, did this despite being present at a meeting especially designed to remind every player on the roster that selfish behavior cannot be tolerated if this team is truly committed to excellence and the pursuit of the ultimate prize, a Lombardi trophy. The team even adopted a catchphrase to remind the players that the team is more important than the player and the needs of the many outweigh the desires of the few… Or the one. The teams new mantra, which was printed on Navy T-shirts with the teams lime-green lettering reads "Leave No Doubt 24/7" to remind each other that it's imperative that they manage their behavior and habits 24 hours a day, seven days a week on and OFF the field. This was to be there new phrase of commitment to the team so that, as Earl Thomas explained it, "We won't make the same mistakes over and over without learning from them."

Just like Walter Thurmond, another defensive corner, Brandon Browner, also found it his business to test the Seahawks theory that good teams can overcome adversity, large and small. For Browner, it won't be as simple as a four-game suspension, as it will be for Thurmond. No, Browner is reportedly in a stage III phase of the NFL's drug program after testing positive for both performance enhancing drugs as well as an undisclosed substance that falls under the league's substance abuse policy which includes (but is not limited to) Street drugs like; marijuana, cocaine, barbiturates, analgesics, amphetamines. It's also important to note that simply because Washington state and Colorado have adopted drug laws where marijuana is legalized, the National Football League rather recognizes federal laws regarding all illegal drugs and the league's own list of illegal substances. So, just because Thurmond and Browner live in the state of Washington, doesn't absolved them of any of the NFL's policies for drug abuse. The NFL came to a signed agreement with the NFL players Association three years ago through their collective bargaining agreement, that included a universal league policy that all substance abuse infractions by players or team staff members falls under a clause of confidentiality and nondisclosure privacy rights. Therefore, when a player or staff member tests positive for a particular substance, it will only be released that the infraction violated one of two categories player conduct; A: the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy, and/or; B: the NFL's Performance Enhancing Drug Policy.  The actual substance found in an individual's failed test result is supposed to be suppressed and unreported to the public or the media. This is in theory, only, because information leaks to the media are not lost on the National Football League any more than they are lost in politics or show business. However, there has been no official or unofficial report of what substance Browner and Thurmond were found to have taken as a result of failed test. What we do know is; that a failed test for PED's results in an immediate four-game suspension for a first-time offender. Multiple failures of the league's PED policy results in more severe suspensions and can also include monetary fines. The NFL's substance abuse policy is quite different. When a player receives a suspension of even one game, it's already assumed that he is in the NFL's drug program and has failed multiple tests. Because Brandon Browner is in the appeals process for his suspension, it's uncertain which substance he allegedly ingested. On the other hand, because Walter Thurmond has never been suspended, it's assumed that he failed a test under the league's Substance Abuse Policy, in other words Street drugs. The court of public opinion is that Thurmond tested positive for (tetrahydrocannabinol) or Marijuana.

This Seahawks team is literally on the precipice of doing something very special. Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider have assembled the most balanced and complete football team in the National Football League and their 10-1 record shows just how tenacious and resilient this team has been this season. The offense has been consistently without the talents of 3/5 of its offensive line including the All-Pro tackle, Russell Okung, and pro-bowl lineman, center Max Unger and tackle Breno Giacomini. Seattle has also been without its pro-bowl tight end, Zach Miller, for a quarter of the season and has been missing various defensive ends at one time or another including, Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Red Bryant, Tony McDaniel and Michael Bennett. They had been without Brandon Browner for the first four games of the season and as indicated already, Bruce Irvin served a four-game suspension by the league to start the season. Sidney Rice was lost for the season after the eighth game and the Seahawks number one free agent acquisition, wide receiver Percy Harvin, was found to have a hip injury just prior to training camp, requiring surgery that could have potentially scratched him for the entire season. So this football team has already had its share of adversity and hardship and so far, they have come out clean on the other side.

After the 10th game of the season, the Seahawks had just beaten the tar out of the Atlanta Falcons who eliminated Seattle in the second round of the playoffs just a year earlier. Both the Seahawks and Falcons limped into the contest with several key players injured and unable to perform, but again… Good teams overcome adversity and the Seahawks did just that, beating the Falcons convincingly and looked to the final six games of the season with a bright future including the return of several key injured players including; Giacomini, Unger, Okung, Bryant and the shiny new toy for Pete Carroll and OC Daryl Bevell, wide receiver, flanker and kick returner, Percy Harvin. The Seahawks escaped with several victories out of the jaws of defeat, narrowly beating the Panthers, Texans, Rams and Buccaneers, with spectacular plays when they needed them most. The only game the Hawks lost was on a road trip to Indianapolis where Seattle lost an early lead and ended up on the bottom end of a 34-28 squeaker to Andrew Luck and the Colts. Truth be said, Pete Carroll's football team was as close to a 5-0 record as they were to a 2-3 record to start the season. But, good teams overcome adversity and the Seahawks were proving to be a very good team and after 11 games into the season.

Franchise Owner and CEO, Paul Allen's 2013 Seattle Seahawks are the big boys on the block, the bullies if you will; and they possess the best record in football. The San Francisco 49ers, who were expected to battle for the NFC West crown, are currently in the distant rearview mirror. The Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams are prowling behind Seattle and Frisco, and have made a late surge; proving that the NFC West division, is indeed as expected, the best in the NFL.  On the World Wide Web "Power Rankings"; the Seahawks are collectively believed to be the best team in the National Football League.  It began to feel like everything the Seahawks did would eventually turn into gold. Paul Allen was smiling, Pete Carroll was smiling, the team players were certainly smiling and the city of Seattle was giddy with pride and 30 years of undying loyalty and patience, were smiling ear to ear watching their Seahawks plow through the first 11 games of the season. After all, Good teams overcome adversity, and this balanced team of youth and veteran leadership couldn't falter-- especially after a convening in a special meeting designed to make brother and brother accountable for one another and a team mantra of accountability and consequence "Leave No Doubt 24/7"

Now, with all of the team re-fortified, healthy and rested, locked and loaded and prepared to go into a fierce stretch of five regular-season games, what could go wrong? The way this season has progressed, it seems the Seahawks are living charmed lives and on an inevitable course for a meeting in the Meadowlands at MetLife Stadium in February. After all, Good teams overcome adversity.

The Seahawks are still scheduled to face three divisional matchups that include; San Francisco at Candlestick Park, as well as St. Louis and Arizona at home in the C'Link. All three of those games will be highly competitive against three franchises that are winning of late and seemingly finding their grooves. San Francisco has won six of their last eight games,  Arizona their last four contests and St. Louis winning two tough games in a row.  In addition, the Hawks will travel to New Jersey to play in the Meadowlands against the New York Giants in the same stadium the Seahawks hope to be playing in, as of February 2, the place of Super Bowl XLVIII. All of these games will be challenging to say the least; and a veritable trio scenario of "Battle Royale" to say the most. This is obviously not a time for the Seahawks to rest or lose focus. However, good teams overcome adversity.

If you were to ask, coach Pete Carroll or any of the Seahawks players, if they are thinking about the above future game scenario, they would tell you that it's not even in the back of their minds. Their collective and everlasting goal is to go undefeated each week, to go "One and oh" as QB Russell Wilson phrases it.  The team is preprogrammed to take every practice "one day at a time" and each opponent "one game at a time". 

That brings this writer to the task at hand; the 9-2 New Orleans Saints; the team scheduled to travel to the Pacific Northwest for the most highly anticipated match-up of the year to date.  This impending prime-time clash with the league best (10-1 ) Seattle Seahawks and the NFC South leading Saints, will be broadcast on week 12's Monday Night Football battle in just three days. Head coach, Sean Peyton, and his New Orleans Saints football team are acutely aware of the implications of this Monday night match-up in Seattle. Up for grabs, is the opportunity to capture the number one seed in the NFC and the chance to host "home field advantage" throughout the playoffs. Considering all the teams currently contending for a playoff berth, the home field advantage is perhaps the most important achievement for the Seahawks and the Saints. The New Orleans Saints play in an enclosed Stadium, the Superdome, keeping in the roar of crowd noise, making it difficult for the opponents offense to communicate.  The Seattle Seahawks simply possess the most loud and disruptive fans in football, and a Stadium considered the most difficult building in which to play a football game. The Saints have a high-octane offense and a much improved defense after breaking all sorts of NFL records as the "statistically, worst defensive team" in NFL history… just a season ago. New Defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, has worked his magic with the Saints defense and has helped to field a formidable, crew. Seahawks QB, Russell Wilson, has made no secret that he deems, Saint's veteran QB Drew Brees, his idol and occasional mentor. Both Brees and Wilson hold the title of the two shortest starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Standing 6'0" and 5'11", respectively, both have found innovative and extremely effective ways of compensating for their vertical limitations. Through tireless and relentless mental and physical training, Brees and Wilson, simply prepare themselves to be better than the rest, each and every day. These two pro-bowl QB's (mentor and protégé) read defenses better, distribute the ball to their entire progression better and constantly hone the subtle (but important) details of the game with an unquenchable desire to get better.

So… "Mentor and Protégé", "Instructor and Student", and now "Pro-Bowler and Pro-Bowler," Brees and Wilson will square off in the most eagerly anticipated game of this NFL season--   Adding to the visceral drama of this game; it should be noted that in the bright lights of this nationally televised game, at CenturyLink Field, Russell Wilson has never been beaten in his home at the C'Link, a perfect 13-0, a franchise record. Wilson is also just one TD pass away from an NFL record for the first quarterback to throw 20 or more touchdown passes in his first two seasons; a record I'm sure Wilson would be proud to break while his mentor is watching from the sidelines. Wilson would play for a win, first, but the record would be like gilding the lily, I'm sure.

Monday Night, is coming like a freight train locomotive and the anticipation for the teams and the fans is immeasurable, I'm sure… But there is a fly in the ointment and a reminder of the delicate constitution that helps navigate a team through a long and challenging 17 week season. It's those damn, selfish and stupid players that simply do not know how to get on a wave and just ride it. Walter Thurmond and Brandon Browner have created a negative cloud over the Seahawks entire franchise by their inability to stay out of trouble. "Here we go again" Is the phrase most often muttered by the talking heads of the media, the pundits and the fans who are holding their collective breath, just hoping that "someone or something" doesn't spoil this jubilant and festive Seahawks mood.  It's amazing, it's ubiquitous, it's close to an omnipresence once you step out the front door of your home or business. No matter where you go in the Pacific Northwest, it's like Russell Wilson leading an inevitable daily team cheer, "Go Hawks!"  But there are those who still try to wipe out the relentless optimism by casting shadows over the light.

Make no mistake, grown men have made bad decisions that affect everyone who has chosen to get on this wagon of hope. There will be players, coaches and fans who will give them another chance, another chance that they believe everyone deserves…  that's where I get lost in the sense of mercy and understanding. Just why do these bad apples deserve another chance… A freebie, a Mulligan of free out of jail card? People deserve water, oxygen and a chance to earn opportunities. That's it… Choices result in consequences or benefits… It's that simple. Browner and Thurmond made multiple choices that put them in the position they are now. This isn't a case of unfortunate circumstances. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunami's and bolts of lightning are happenstance and sadly they often damage humankind and our environment and no one is to blame. But, please don't confuse happenstance and reckless living and poor decision-making as an unfortunate course of events. Football is a team sport, perhaps the ultimate team sport, and the entire extended franchise will suffer from the poor decisions of a few players who place their own priorities above those of their brothers on the team and the fans around the world. It's a privilege to be a National Football League player, not a right, and within the fraternity of this great American sport, punishment and banishment must always be a consequence of selfishness and a lack of respect of others.

Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond are grown men who know the rules and understand the consequences of this game.  Each player is a direct, vital and necessary tooth in the gears of a machine that needs all of its parts to operate efficiently. The Seattle Seahawks will now face the New Orleans Saints without two of its players and it's time for a new mantra, "Next Man Up!"

The Seahawks have decided to promote from within the team as a result of losing Thurmond and Browner. Reserve cornerbacks; Byron Maxwell, Jeremy Lane and DeShawn Shead have opportunities of a lifetime, now.  Former Seahawks corner, Antoine Winfield, has also been mentioned, by head coach Pete Carroll, as a move for depth in the secondary, but not right away.

Next man up… Go Hawks!

NOTE:

In nearly every power ranking list on the internet, the Seahawks Rank Number #1, ahead of New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers, respectively.