Don’t Panic : Seahawks Start Season in True Seahawks Fashion
By Andy Larkin
The Seattle Seahawks got off to a slow offensive start for 2016, but that has been typical of the team in the Russell Wilson era.
Yuck! What a horrendous game to watch. What was that? What a waste of a Sunday afternoon. These were some of the thoughts that ran through my mind while watching Sunday’s Seahawks game. Frustration got the best of me.
That was until Russell Wilson found Doug Baldwin in the left corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. At that moment my entire outlook on the game changed. Actually, that’s a lie. My entire outlook changed after the clock ran out and Cliff Avril put Ryan Tannehill on his back. The game was officially over at that point, and my attitude officially changed.
The Seahawks are 1-0. It doesn’t matter that the offensive line got man handled by a talented Miami front. It doesn’t matter that the receivers had several drive killing drops, or that Earl Thomas seemingly forgot how to tackle for a moment.
It doesn’t even matter that the entire offense looked completely inept with the exception of one drive. No, none of that matters because the Seahawks find themselves sitting at 1-0. And believe me, there are plenty of teams who wish they had picked up a W this week no matter how ugly it looked. Just ask the Cardinals.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the Seahawks are going to play some games like this. There are no easy victories in the NFL; The parody has never been greater. And as the record would indicate, the Seahawks have a recent history of opening seasons in a sluggish fashion.
Lets take a look at the last four seasons.
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2012
– Russell Wilson’s first career start ended in a dissapointing 20-16 loss down in Arizona. How did the team finish that season? All they did was win 7 of their final 8 games, including 5 in a row to cap the year. They ended up advancing to the Divisional round where they nearly finished off what could’ve been a comeback for the ages against Atlanta.
2013– Seattle travels across the country to take on Carolina in week 1. What ensued was a real grinder that took every ounce of effort the team had to scratch out a 12-6 win. The win was far from pretty and left some wondering if the Seahawks were worth the hype. You know the rest of the story. The Seahawks went on to start 11-1 and finish 13-3. Oh yeah, they also ended up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history. The last game of the season was much prettier than the first. A 43-8 dismantling of the “greatest” offense in league history was fairly satisfying.
2014– At first glance this seems to be the anomaly in my “slow starts are the norm” diagnosis. The Seahawks beat the Packers soundly on opening night. Not so fast. Frustration ensued in week two as the Hawks were scorched by the on field temperatures and Phillip Rivers. Seattle dropped that game 21-30. Yet again they responded by winning 9 of their last 10 games and making their second consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl. That September game in San Diego turned out to be just a hiccup on the road to another conference championship.
2015– This one is still pretty fresh. The Chancellor hold out rolls into the regular season and becomes a dark cloud over the organization. Seattle finds winning in St. Louis to be once again an extremely tall order. The rams win on opening weekend 34-31 in overtime. The Seahawks began the season 0-2 losing to Green Bay a week later, yet still rebounded to finish 10-6. The Hawks found themselves back in the divisional round, where again they just fell short of a major comeback against Carolina.
All that to say, I advise my fellow fans to do as I did. Take a few deep breaths, and know that the team will look better in the weeks and months to come.
There is plenty to be optimistic about going forward. The defense looks like it has the ability to be dominant once again. I realize the Dolphins aren’t exactly the most prolific offense in the league, but with the exception of a couple let down plays, the Seahawks completely imposed their will. And for those who are concerned, I know Earl Thomas is not going to have another game like he had on Sunday. He will get himself right come kickoff this week.
Offensively the Seahawks had several promising drives that could have led to Touchdowns. If guys make the plays they are capable of here and there, it’s a different game. A third down catch, a running back keeping his balance, or a properly executed block, all could have sprung this game to be more like 24-10. I have confidence they will make these crucial plays moving forward and continue to improve each week.
Don’t forget that Jimmy Graham and Thomas Rawls both played limited snaps, but looked extremely healthy when on the field. The workload for these two will only increase from this point forward. As their snaps expand so too will the offense. Opponents will find them more and more difficult to defend. There are simply too many talented players on the field for them to not be successful.
Of course, the elephant in the room is Russell Wilson’s ankle injury. It looked pretty bad initially, but he stayed on the field and was able to lead the team on that game winning drive. All indications at this point are that Russell will play in LA on Sunday. Pete Carroll seemed fairly confident that Wilson is a go, and he usually isn’t one to make statements like that unless he’s certain. Obviously the question will be how will the ankle effect the QB’s play?
The Russell injury is the lone reason for doubt at this point. However, all of the indicators from Wilson and the staff seem to say that he is going to pull through and still play at an effective level. Even if he isn’t as mobile as usual, if he can get the ball out quickly and on target, the offense will be just fine.
It’s not time to panic my fellow fans. Given the subpar and sluggish performance we saw Sunday, it looks like the Seahawks are right on track to make another deep run. So hang in there because as history has proven, the best is yet to come. We all know it isn’t how you start, it’s how you finish.