Keep The Faith

The Seattle Seahawks’ record stands at 2-6, and with the Baltimore Ravens coming to town this Sunday, there’s not a lot of room for optimism.  The last three weeks have seen whatever playoff chances the Seahawks had completely vanish.  There isn’t a lot to get excited about.  However, I urge everyone not to jump off the bandwagon or abandon ship.  This team needs and deserves the full support of the 12th Man.

The last four years have been trying times for Seahawks fans.  Even with the NFC West championship and the unbelievable playoff game against New Orleans last season, there have been dark clouds hanging over the Seahawks for some time.  Though the Seahawks appear headed for a bleak finish, there are breaks in those clouds.

This team is full of young players with enormous potential who are only going to get better.  Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are already the best safety tandem the Seahawks have had in the last ten years.  Doug Baldwin is a dynamic young playmaker at wide receiver.  The offensive line is extremely young, and their progress will determine the future of the franchise.  A lot of important players have their best years ahead of them, instead of in the rear view mirror.

The team has shown a willingness to correct mistakes, even with a heavy cost.  There are a couple of ex-Seahawks on the current Oakland Raiders roster (who I would rather not mention by name) who fall into that category.  Owner Paul Allen made a wise decision to completely overhaul the organization after the 2009 season.  Whether he made the correct decision in choosing the replacements can be debated, but if He Who Shall Not Be Named had returned for a second season as Head Coach, I would have walked away from my season tickets.

The team has also has been stubborn and held on to a couple of mistakes.  I will give John Schneider and Pete Carroll the benefit of the doubt this season, but the honeymoon is over.  I expect the Seahawks to be significantly better in 2012.  I don’t necessarily mean that I expect a division championship or a playoff berth, but I expect the Seahawks to become a team that opponents are wary of.  I look for them to become a team that will be expected to beat the weaker teams in the NFL.

Right now, the Seahawks are a team that every opponent expects to defeat, even at Qwest – oops, I mean CenturyLink – Field.  There isn’t a game on the schedule the rest of the season that I can look at and know that the Seahawks are going to win, even those against the Rams and Cardinals.  As painful as it may become, I am going to keep the faith and give my full support to the Seahawks.  I hope you’ll join me.