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| The Greatest Rivalry in the NFL: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers 2013 |
This Is a Time for All Seattle Seahawks Fans To Be As Excited As Ever!
If you ask any NFL general manager what the necessary components are to build a championship caliber football team, not just a team built for one title, but for many titles to come… They would say this:
First and foremost, you must find and develop a franchise quarterback. A quarterback who can make all the NFL throws and have the intangible qualities to lead his teammates with a knowing that success is imminent (if only) the entire roster buys into a specific, predetermined model for success and each player works harder than his teammate to the right and his teammate to the left. This quarterback must set the bar high and he must practice all of the fundamentals of this model for success; willingly, tirelessly, and with the volition and unwavering belief that success can be the only outcome. This quarterback must sell the program to every other player so that each participant has equal faith that this model is the roadmap that inevitably leads to a Super Bowl victory. Anything less, and failure is not only likely, it is a constant certainty and it spreads like a virus throughout the entire organization, from the franchise owner to the water boy. For the Seattle Seahawks this franchise quarterback is: Russell Wilson.
Second, a quarterback is only as good as those who are challenged with the job of protecting him from the fierce defenders who are determined to destroy the offensive objective. It is essential that the men in the trenches control the line of scrimmage. This is true for both the offense as well as the defense. The Seahawks are returning all 11 offensive starters from 2012. Last season the Seahawks used a combination of offensive lineman with the goal of finding the most effective combination. The constants on that line start with the anchor at center, Max Unger. Unger started all 16 regular-season games as well as the two playoff games in postseason last year. He was voted to his first Pro bowl in just his fourth season in the NFL. Unger has proven to be an intelligent, rugged, consistent and reliable blocker and leader for the offensive line. Perhaps the most talented member of Seattle's offensive line is left tackle, Russell Okung. Okung is perhaps the best left tackle in the NFL. His first season in the NFL, he suffered from chronic ankle sprains, but once his body acclimated to the high demands of the left tackle in the NFL, he has been a godsend for the Seahawks quarterbacks. Russell Wilson is right-handed and benefits greatly from the security of knowing that Okung is protecting his blind side. Okung is also equally efficient as a run blocker. He has excellent footwork and provides what any championship team must have, any elite, dominant left tackle and that is exactly what Russell Okung is. Breno Giacomini has been a constant at right tackle. Giacomini provides a nasty, tenacious and aggressive profile to offset the quiet, workman type of personality of Unger and Okung. The rare occasions where his quarterback or running back get taken down hard in the backfield, Breno is there to jerk them back to their feet and almost simultaneously letting the defender know that plays like that won't be tolerated and won't happen again. Giacomini sometimes draws untimely penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness, but it's all in the sentiment that the men on the other side of the line of scrimmage should beware that there is not a soft player on the entire Seahawks roster and they better bring their game each and every play. The guard positions have been the most inconsistent in terms of solid and healthy players. James Carpenter is a mountain of a man who, when healthy, could be the strongest and most difficult man to move in the NFL. Unfortunately, he has had a litany of nagging injuries, but for the first time in his professional career, might be ready to anchor the left guard position and turning the left side of Seattle's offensive line into an unstoppable machine the way it once was when Steve Hutchinson and Hall of Fame tackle Walter Jones plowed their way to perennial Pro Bowls. The right guard position will be extremely competitive during this upcoming training camp. Throughout the OTA's and minicamps, John Moffitt, Paul McQuiston, and JR Sweezy have been battling to win the starting job. All three are fully capable of pro-bowl like performances, it will be interesting to see which one of these players rises above the others and claims the job for Pete Carroll. So, the Seattle offensive line is experienced, accomplished and they have the benefit of working together and creating a line of synergy. Tom Cable is the preeminent offensive line coach in the NFL and has done wonders with players such as JR Sweezy, who was drafted in 2012 as a defensive tackle and converted to offensive guard. As a rookie, he played in all 18 games last year and got better with each and every game throughout the season. Making the transition from the defense of line to the offense is monumental in nature and requires that the player turns everything he ever learned about football 180° around and then learns an entirely new and specified blocking system that isn't easy for players who have played the position their entire career. The Seahawks have repeated that process again with the 2013 draft, converting Vanderbilt's 6'4" 310 lb. Ryan Seymour, from defensive end to guard, hoping that they hit on another gem like Sweezy. The Seahawks offensive line also has great depth. Unfortunately, for a few backups and draft choices, several players will be released during training camp, but will likely catch on with other teams immediately. This is an unfortunate reality trying out with a football team with the kind of talent the Seahawks will take into training camp this preseason. The Seahawks currently have 14 offensive linemen in camp; they will keep 9-10 on the 53 man roster. If the season started today the offensive line would look like this; LT Okung, LG Carpenter, C Unger, RG Sweezy, RT Giacomini. Controlling the offensive line of scrimmage is essential if the Seahawks plan to establish a dominant running game and build on a lead with a dangerous aerial assault. This team of offensive lineman has the potential to dominate in both aspects of the game.
Third, is the other aspect of controlling the line of scrimmage, the defensive push. Last season, the Seahawks were poised to put a tremendous amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and rushing ball carriers. Red Bryant was fresh off of a handsome increase of salary with his newly signed contract extension. After back to back seasons with 11 sacks, Chris Clemons was also selected as a player to fit in to the Seahawks future with an extension of his own. Brandon Mebane and Clinton McDonald were big inside run stuffers along with Alan Branch, who was poised to add to an already dominant interior defensive line. The pass rush looked secure as well. Bruce Irvin was drafted specifically as a Leo end to complement Clemons on the other side and both players possessed elite speed to get around the larger tackles and harassing quarterbacks on every passing play. Jason Jones was signed as a free-agent out of Dallas, a tall and long armed defensive tackle who could press up the middle after quarterbacks and hopefully into the waiting arms of Irvin and Clemons. All in all, the Seahawks defensive line looked dominant in every way and was poised to increase on last year's pathetic 33 sacks for the entire defensive unit. It all looked good on paper, but there were some significant problems with the D line and it showed in several games during the season. The 49ers, Dolphins, Vikings and Falcons exposed every one of the weaknesses created through weak and out schemed D lineman as well as injuries that caused Seattle to look porous inside against the run. For starters, Red Bryant suffered from a foot injury in game two of the season against the Cardinals in Arizona. Then, Jason Jones suffered a knee injury after a very strong start of the season with his new team. Bruce Irvin turned out to be exactly what John Schneider and Pete Carroll thought he would be; a one-dimensional, extremely fast edge rusher that would benefit greatly from an interior push and perimeter rush from Clemons on the weak side. Irvin is just 240 lbs. and at 6'3", failed to get leverage on the big 300+ lb. tackles and was pushed around like a ragdoll in many cases without a serious interior push up the middle of the offensive. Chris Clemons continued his production in sacks, but wasn't benefiting much from a redirected push of momentum from the other side because of Irvin's inability to handle the strong side. The Seahawks still had a very effective defensive front, but not the dominant type that Schneider and Carroll hoped for when they envisioned a healthy D line group. However, the incredible play of the defensive secondary and linebackers made up for an anemic frontline pressure by the down linemen. Bobby Wagner had an amazing rookie season leading the team in tackles at 140, with two sacks and three interceptions. KJ Wright also had a spectacular season as the Sam linebacker, after his solid rookie season playing the Mike. Leroy Hill was not offered a contract, but there are other players in camp fighting for the Will linebacker position. Malcolm Smith played more last year than any other time in his career and looks to be one of the front runners to start the season on the outside. Undrafted free-agent John Lotulelei is also a wonderful athlete that could compete for playing time as well. His sideline to sideline speed is sensational, and has a motor that just won't quit. In a Seahawks uniform, he reminds one of former Seattle starting rookie linebacker, Lofa Tatupu, who was a huge surprise out of college and led the Seahawks in tackles in his rookie season as well. The Seahawks drafted one linebacker, Ty Powell, but it's unsure at this point whether or not he will be groomed as a linebacker or as a Leo End to back up Irvin (who will miss the first four weeks of the season by suspension) and Clemons (who is scheduled to be back for game one of the regular-season). Irvin has also been used early in the minicamps and OTA's as an up linebacker on the strong side. This is just an experiment and it’s uncertain whether or not they will pursue using him in any such manner.
The Seahawks had an amazing defense last season, but still Carroll and Schneider weren't satisfied with their production in sacks or stuffing the run. With the uncertainty of Clemons return after rehab and of course Irvin's suspension, Pete and John went aggressively shopping around the NFL for free-agent help. The biggest prize in the off-season free-agent market for a defensive playmaker, Cliff Avril formerly of the Detroit Lions was the best and most highly sought after. Avril is an amazing pass rusher and sure handed tackler at defensive end. He is a double digit sack master and that was with a defense that lacked any presence in the defensive secondary or linebackers. Avril will be a huge contributor for the Seahawks with the other great defensive lineman and the best secondary in football. With Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright directly behind him, Seattle should present huge problems for opposing offensive lineman, running backs and particularly quarterbacks. Just days after signing the most talented defensive free-agent, Avril, the Seahawks signed Michael Bennett, another defensive pass specialist for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bennett was Tampa's best defensive lineman and still young and athletic. If that wasn't enough, the Seahawks signed defensive tackle from the Miami Dolphins, Tony McDaniel, the 6'7" 320 lb. defensive tackle with an unusual ability to create leverage even with his superior height and long arms. At this point, the Seahawks were creating all sorts of buzz around the NFL with the high level of activity and particularly because GM Schneider said the Seahawks were not going to be aggressive in free agency this year. Now, with the addition of Avril, Bennett, and McDaniel, the Seahawks look set on the defensive line for the upcoming season. So, what did Pete and John do in the draft? They drafted more help for the defensive line, taking defensive tackle Jordan Hill out of Penn State and the high profile, aptly named nose guard "Tha Monstar" Jesse Williams out of the University of Alabama, by way of Brisbane, Australia. Williams was projected early on to be a first-round selection in the draft, but after suffering some nagging knee injuries, his stock dropped prior to the draft. Regardless, the Seahawks may have made the steal of the draft taking Williams in the fifth round of the draft. Williams is a bona fide monster standing 6'3" and weighing in at 325 lbs. and bench pressing an amazing 600 lbs. He is huge and will make a nice, strong and quick presidents in the middle of the defensive line on running downs. Jordan Hill is also a big DT and will also compete for the interior defensive line. At this point, regardless of Irvin's suspension or a possibility that Chris Clemons will not join the team right away, Pete Carroll has got to be happy about the additions to his defense that already scored in the top four defenses in the NFL and No.1 in scoring defense. The Seahawks have perhaps the most talented and physically aggressive defense in the NFL. Last year they were arguably the best and for the upcoming season, few deny the fact that the Seattle Seahawks are stacked and stacked for the long run.
NEW EXCITEMENT IN THE EMERALD CITY
There has been little cause for excitement in the Pacific Northwest regarding professional sports teams and success. It has literally been 34 years since Seattleites cheered a championship season for one of their local sports franchises. In fact, the last team that won a championship in Seattle doesn't even exist anymore. The 1979 Seattle Supersonics brought an NBA trophy to the city, but since then, the only team bringing a trophy to the Emerald City was a WNBA team, the Seattle Storm. In fact, the Storm actually won two championships (2004, 2010). While those championships are impressive, men's professional sports in Seattle have mostly wallowed in mediocrity throughout their franchise's history.
The city of Seattle is filled with diehard fans that continually support their; Mariners baseball team, Sounders soccer team, and Huskies basketball and football teams. But most significantly, the "12 Man" of the Pacific Northwest go crazy for their Seattle Seahawks football team. So much so, that the fans have a copyright for the term "12th Man" and with each home game they choose someone special in the Seattle community to raise the flag in a brief ceremony just prior to the gametime kickoffs at CenturyLink field, endearingly referred to as "The C'Link" by the true Seahawks fans of Seattle and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Although Seahawks fans have always been intimately involved in their football team, this upcoming season has created a fervor of excitement never experienced here before in the history of Seattle sports teams. Fans are so excited about the upcoming 2013 season, that the entire 2013 season has been sold out several weeks in advance; in fact 98% of last year's season ticket holders have renewed their license and have purchased the entire ticket package creating a waiting list for season tickets 37,000 customers long. In order to buy your way onto a waiting list, a $100 fee must be paid for each ticket in advance for each year that you wait just to remain on the waiting list. The Seahawks have not had a long waiting list for tickets like this since the Nordstrom's own the team and the Seahawks still played in the Kingdome. At that time, there was a 25 year waiting list. The current waiting list is estimated to be nearly 30 years. This list is volatile however, and changes acutely with the performance of the football team.
Lastly, perhaps the most exciting part of the Seahawks is on the offensive side of the ball, with the so-called skilled positions. Russell Wilson is obviously an extremely talented quarterback, an extremely detailed worker and tireless leader, but he can't do it alone. The offensive line is prepared to fight their way through the season trying to win the battle in the trenches each game of the season, but what the Seahawks have done to become one of the most dangerous offenses in football, is enough to give you goosebumps and make the hair on your arms stand up. Just after John Schneider and Pete Carroll announced that they would not be particularly aggressive in the free-agent market this off-season, they fooled everyone. It wasn't a free-agent move, but it was an extremely aggressive and high risk-high reward move and there isn't a person connected to the NFL that isn't impressed with the Seahawks acquiring the Swiss Army knife of football players, Percy Harvin. Harvin is the most versatile and dangerous player in the NFL with the football in his hands. He has sensational speed and the quickness to leave would be tacklers laying on the turf while he runs around, under, over and through them on his way to the end zone. He's an electrifying player in any of the receiver positions and is as likely to line up in the backfield as a running back and he is a slot receiver or as a split end outside the numbers. Last year, before Harvin sustained a season ending high ankle sprain in Seattle while he was with the Vikings, he was a front runner for a league MVP. Just eight games into the season, he already caught 62 passes for 677 yards and four touchdowns and he was just getting warmed up. It's a fair to mention that these great receiving statistics were achieved while Christian Ponder was the Vikings starting quarterback. It's amazing to think of what he could accomplish with an outstanding player like Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense.
After the Percy Harvin trade was announced, Harvin's former teammate, Adrian Peterson, said this via his official twitter account:
"The best all-around player I ever seen or you'll ever see! Goes to Seattle! I feel like I just got kicked in the stomach. Several times!!!"
The dominating defense is what you usually think of when you hear about the Seattle Seahawks, but their offense is equally as frightening when you consider their personnel and the style in which they play. The Seahawks intend to grind the football on the ground with Marshawn Lynch, perhaps the toughest pound for pound running back in the National Football League. As aggressive and punishing as Lynch can be with the ball in his hands, he did show up on the injury list as "probable" in 10 of their 18 games last season. Marshawn isn't old, but his style of running is to initiate contact rather than avoid contact the way some running backs due. Coach Carroll fully expects great production from Lynch carrying the ball, but last year's backup rookie running back Robert Turbin had a solid first season running the ball and after one year experience running behind the Seahawks offensive line, he should be much more productive and well take some of the pounding from Lynch so that he can stay healthy throughout the long, grueling season as a starting running back. The Seahawks surprised practically everyone as they used their first selection in the draft on a running back. Seattle lacked a first-round pick after the Harvin trade, but in the second round the Seahawks selected Christine Michael, a spectacular, extremely athletic and bruising runner from Texas A&M. Michael was possibly the most talented running back in the 2013 draft. His play at A&M was limited due to injury and a new coaching staff that didn't know how to use him in their offensive scheme. Michael also had some off the field issues, bad attitude issues with the new coaching staff. Carroll and Schneider looked deep into his history and believed he was worth the risk and you just don't find a physical specimen like Christine Michael every year. He is built like a Greek god and has an explosive first step like no other player in the draft. Michael had eye-popping 43 inch vertical leap and ran the 40 in just 4.47 seconds. In addition to those combine stats; he also pressed 225 lbs. 27 reps, better than most of the offensive and defensive lineman at the combine. Michael will be used extensively in the preseason and if he shows promise, he might be used in the regular-season two spell Lynch and Turbin down the stretch. Another fantastic addition to the Seahawks already loaded football team is a wide receiver gem out of Kansas State by the name of Chris Harper. Harper is a wide receiver like none other on the Seahawks roster. He is 6'1" and 235 lbs. With a body like this and his 4.50 speed, he would be a very difficult player to defend with his big body and ability to catch in traffic even though players are hanging off of him on all sides. He also provides the explosive speed off the line of scrimmage that Seattle lacked last year. This is a player who can line up outside at the X position or inside the slot, working his way into slant routes were his big body can push defenders out of the way creating separation for Wilson to hit him in space. Another player that looks to be a bright spot in the practice field is 6'5" 251 lb. tight end Luke Willson, with two L's. Wilson is big and deceptively fast. With a tall frame and muscular body, Luke can run with 4.50 speed and is a very disciplined and precise route runner. Pete Carroll raved about the tight end from Rice, citing his soft hands and ability to get open, creating a big target downfield. Carroll has been searching for a tight end that can get downfield and create another fold in the offense to keep defenders guessing all the time. Between Percy Harvin, Golden Tate, Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin, Chris Harper, Zach Miller and Luke Willson, I would say the Seahawks are going to have many offensive sets designed to exploit mismatches on each play of the game. Particularly, when Harvin can line up in one of five positions on the field and his versatility will give the Seahawks a chance to start him at one position and have him in motion to explode from the line of scrimmage and a different position.
On paper the Seahawks are literally frightening on both sides of the football. Their defense is even more talented, experienced, fast, strong, powerful and deep at practically every position on the team. Teams like this only come along every decade or so and the Seahawks are definitely set up to be dominant for years to come. Carroll and Schneider have assembled a roster that has many young players and very few free agents that haven't come up through the recruiting and scouting system to fit in to the exact model for success designed by the creative minds within the front office and coaching staff of the Seahawks franchise. John Schneider is a product of Ted Thompson from the Green Bay Packers who taught to build the football team through the draft and not the quick fixes of free-agent acquisitions that build teams quickly, but fall apart even quicker. It is a magical balance to learn how to successfully build a professional football team for the long haul of success. In the National Football League success means winning, but not just a few games, success means winning divisions, playoff games and championships. When you examine the Seahawks roster, through their draft process, free-agent signings, contract configuration and the creation of a system that attracts players that want to compete, you start to see how and why they were excited to sign players like; Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner, Russell Wilson, KJ Wright, Bobby Wagner, Walter Thurmond, Michael Robinson, Marshawn Lynch, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, and most recently; Jesse Williams, Jordan Hill, Tharold Simon, Spencer Ware, Chris Harper, Christine Michael and John Lotulelei. You start to see a pattern of players that fit a unique skill set to play certain positions at one particular position in a collection where each is responsible to play a spectacular style of football.
You should be absolutely excited beyond belief at this point in the Seahawks journey to a championship. When you think back to the days of frustration, dismal and uninspired play from teams that sometimes don't look like they should have the right to be on the same playing surface as the rest of the league, you will instantly feel the excitement of what is happening in Renton, Washington at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, the place where your Seahawks plan to be great.
The National Football League is created to have a system of complete parity where each year all 32 franchises and their fans can be excited about the upcoming year with a real sense a quality and most importantly the feeling that your favorite football team can compete on any given Sunday and win. The NFL has a "David and Goliath" like feel to it, because it's true that the worst team in the NFL can beat the best team on any given Sunday, and when it does happen, not many are really truly surprised. That is the benchmark mantra for anyone involved in the process of creating each NFL season, one after another. It's the ability to believe that success can be had by anyone playing for a franchise in the NFL no matter what the preseason odds reflect. Now that's great… HOPE. One of the most visceral of feelings that humans have, regardless of how bad the circumstances are, is rooting for their hometown team. The NFL is all about hope and for that reason I believe it's the best sport on the planet.
Be excited Seahawk fans! This team is locked and loaded to assault the entire NFL season all the way to the Meadowlands and MetLife Stadium where Super Bowl XLVIII will be played.
Is it football season yet? I ask myself that every day I wake up in the morning. Then I keep hoping.
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