Why 2017 is the Seahawks’ make or break year
By Luke Allen
Is the Seahawks Super Bowl window closing? Here’s why 2017 is a make or break season for Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seattle Seahawks we all know and love today first burst onto the scene in 2012.
It was Russell Wilson’s first year. The defense wasn’t known for anything besides being unknown. They were coming off a pretty miserable 7-9 season–a typical Seahawks season.
The 2012 season was a good one, with the rookie quarterback showcasing his abilities and the defense finding their swagger; even naming themselves ‘the Legion of Boom’. They improved their win-loss record by four games, and even won a playoff game.
They defeated noteworthy opponents, including the New England Patriots, and made sure everyone knew about it. “U mad bro?”
However, after a heartbreaking loss in Atlanta in the divisional playoff game, Seattle was still an underdog in the NFL.
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Fast forward one year to 2013
By next season, some people knew about the Seattle Seahawks. However, most thought they were a one and done.
Seattle ran away with the NFC, garnering a franchise-best 13 wins. They certainly did not do it quietly. They played with the certain swagger and arrogance a football team must possess to dominate the league. Cornerback Richard Sherman was a household name at this point, setting a career-high in interceptions, with eight.
To the shock of approximately nobody, the Seahawks steamrolled their way to the NFC Championship, and with ‘one tip’, they knocked out their division foes en route to their second ever Super Bowl appearance.
To the shock of approximately everybody, they held Peyton Manning’s record-setting offense to eight points, and dismantled the Denver Broncos 43-8. The 2013 Seahawks won Seattle’s first ever Super Bowl.
Seattle was a big name player in the league. They found themselves NFC champions once more, and came one yard away from winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Thanks Bevell.
Fast forward to 2017
Here we are. Seattle is coming off back-to-back early playoff exits. These weren’t heartbreaking losses either; they were simply dominated in both of their previous two playoff losses.
Is the Super Bowl window closing? It may be.
After a gut-wrenching heartbreaker in Glendale, Arizona, the Super Bowl XLIX loss is still haunting the team (and us 12’s). That ill-fated pass on the one yard line may have permanently broken the Seattle Seahawks.
They’ve all earned their money; they don’t have much motivation to play well. They don’t have the swagger they used to have. They’ve become content.
The Seahawks don’t have that chip on their shoulder they did in 2013
Locker room issues, salary hits, and injuries have plagued Seattle since their Super Bowl loss in the 2014 season. This year has to be different. The team cannot control injuries, however the individual player do control their mindset and how they come together as a team.
The roster has more than enough talent to make another deep run in the NFC, and I don’t see why they can’t do just that. In fact, I think they will have a good regular season and even make a push late in the playoffs.
However, the players ultimately choose how far they go. It’s about their mindset and how bad they want to win. They need a chip on their shoulders. They need to play with the swagger and the arrogance they played with in 2013.
If the Seahawks experience another early exit this coming year, I think it may be rebuild mode in Seattle, because the Super Bowl window may have just slammed shut.