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After all, which team will Malik McDowell end up playing for?

By Jorge Vasconcelos

Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State defensive end Malik McDowell speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State defensive end Malik McDowell speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Big Question

After all, which team will Malik McDowell end up playing for, during this season? For the majority of the Seattle Seahawks fans this question has a pretty straightforward answer: “For the Seattle Seahawks, naturally”. But is he?

Let us put it in a different way: what version of the Seattle Seahawks will Malik McDowell be a part of? Which team will he help to build? Which team will allow him to play to his maximum? The good? The bad? Or the ugly?

Who’s Malik McDowell?

Before we move any further let us have a look on who is Malik McDowell, the player.

Drafted from Michigan State as the first of the new 11 picks , McDowell is celebrated as one of the most talented pass rushers of the Draft 2017. His 6’6″ and 280 pounds are intimidating. Plus he is as agile and fast as he is big. His football IQ scores 7.0 out of 10.00, giving us a good indication of how intelligent he is on the field, according to some serious scouting reports.

What are the cons? According to the same source, McDowell is a bullish pass-rusher with a “me-first” attitude. Reports say that McDowell was a guy that coaching staff regretted big time bringing to Michigan State.

So, considering that McDowell is a player that can even make it big (due to his talent) or go down the drain (due to his seemingly – so far – untamable attitude) here are the three possible scenarios for him this season:

Let us talk about “the good”

All adjusted. All in place. This would be the Seattle Seahawks that’d be running as a well-oiled machine from the beginning to the end of the season. Super Bowl in sight? Sure thing! Everybody smiling at each other? Sure thing too! Too good to be true? You bet!

In this good (almost dystopian) version of the Seattle Seahawks, Malik McDowell will have a place only in his pasteurized version. McDowell is a player with guts. He is a “love it or leave it” type of player that if forced to fit in a “perfect harmony” atmosphere can end up losing exactly what makes him so confident in his skills to stand out as a player: his attitude.

And some would say that attitude is everything. I would definitely agree.

Let us talk about “the bad”

The bad version of the Seattle Seahawks for Malik is if he finds a team that will start treating him as a foreign body, an alien – no matter how well Malik plays. In this version of the Seahawks, Malik would continue to be the same Malik from Michigan State. Talent plus attitude (that fuels back the talent and all). But now, in this version, Malik would collide with the already established stars. No room for Malik in the Legion of Boom.

This scenario would be a complete disaster not just for Malik, but also for head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks as a team (established stars and rookies alike, who would have their confidence shaken by 100%).

Let us talk about “the ugly”

But lets us say that McDowell will observe the scenario. Let us say that he will invest some time understanding the dynamics behind the scenes. Invest some time identifying the “who is who” in the locker room. Let us say that McDowell will gradually blend in and make himself a powerful cog in the Seattle Seahawks machine. Talent is there. Attitude is also there, gradually kicking into gear as McDowell mingles with his teammates – stars and rookies altogether. Then, my friends, things will start getting ugly…for the opposition.

In this ugly version, McDowell’s attitude will contaminate others in a way that will make them hungry and focused toward one single objective: this season’s Super Bowl. No holds barred.

In this ugly version, the Seattle Seahawks are a pack of wolves which fears no one and is not afraid to have players with attitude if they get things done.

If McDowell is that spark of fire that promotes transformation, that kind of guy who makes people move out from their comfort zone, who makes people clench their teeth and win battles in the trenches, his draft will be duly paid off.

Because, all in all, that is the Seattle Seahawks we want to see.

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