Oh captain, my captain: Will Seahawks say goodbye to Chancellor?

Kam Chancellor might have spent his last season with the Seahawks. The leader of the LOB, All-Pro and possible future Hall of Famer cannot be replaced. But for 12s, Chancellor will never be forgotten.

Think about we 12s for a second. How lucky are we that we have been able to watch Kam Chancellor and Kenny Easley over the years? Easley is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Chancellor could very well be inducted one day as well. He should. That’s all I know.

In 2017, Seattle was 6-3 before Chancellor suffered a neck injury and missed the rest of the season after the week ten Arizona Cardinals game. After Chancellor’s injury, the Seahawks were 3-4. In those first nine games, Seattle averaged giving up 18 points per game. In the final seven. Seattle allowed an average of 22. Four points a game is a lot with the way Seattle’s offense played.

Of course, Richard Sherman also missed those games, too. The difficulty lies in seeing what was the bigger difference: Seattle without Sherman or Chancellor or possibly both. But the biggest reason Chancellor might have been a bigger loss than Sherman shows in what Seattle gave up to opponents when they ran the ball.

In the first nine games with Chancellor, Seattle allowed 102 yards rushing per game. But the final seven games, the Seahawks gave up 131 yards a game. That last number includes 244 yards to the Rams alone.

I am not saying that Seattle beats Los Angeles in week 15 with Chancellor, but they would have looked a lot better. And besides that, maybe Seattle defeats the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. Because what Chancellor does is not just stop the run and cover crossing routes, he sets a physical tone that opponents know is coming.

Because there was no one to do these kinds of things.

Bam Bam

And there is no way that Seattle replaces Chancellor’s leadership. Sure, he and Earl Thomas were one of the best safety duos in the NFL. Not this year or last year. I mean, ever. Thomas was the speed and Chancellor the muscle. And while Thomas is talented physically, Chancellor is an absolute human freak. But he is also the vocal leader of the team, not just the defense.

And he saves games by himself.

And Vernon Davis will never forget him.

Because of this.

There are so many memorable moments from Chancellor that it is literally impossible to put into words. I know Vernon Davis won’t forget some of those moments.

And 12s will never forget Kam either. That is, if he doesn’t come back and play. Because the Seahawks need him to. And 12s need him to.

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So, Mr. Chancellor, if you are reading this, Oh captain, my captain…Please, if you can, come back. You’re our last hope.