What’s with all the headline hate on the Seahawks?

I’ve read so many negative headlines on the Seahawks, you’d think they were all lame duck Congressmen. Enough already!

In the past few hours, I’ve seen a few, shall we say, odd headlines or teasers. The Seahawks headlines may not be strictly negative, such as the orgy of stories about a Russell Wilson trade were. Just because an extension isn’t signed or you scout a college player, it doesn’t mean you’re done with the guy you’ve got. As John Schneider explained, you scout players because that’s your job. As he said, that’s called due diligence. It is not called goodbye Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks, like virtually every team, are always one blown knee away from ending the season. Perhaps the value of a good backup quarterback like Nick Foles escaped some people’s attention, despite the Philadelphia Eagles example. Yeah, I kinda think the general manager better know exactly what’s available.

But I digress. I admit, that was a bit off the rails. Apparently I really needed to get that off my chest. Thanks for letting me vent. I feel so much better. Okay, so on to the more recent backhanded teasers.

Really, a player wanted to be picked early? Shocking!

So here’s the first headline that had me puzzled:

2018 NFL Draft: Shaquem Griffin signs with Nike, wants Seahawks to pick him in Round 2

Seattle Seahawks

The article itself is a very positive piece. And you could say the headline itself is pretty innocuous. After all, it only says that Griffin wants to get picked in the second round. Mind you, this was a draft day two article, so you could infer Griffin wouldn’t have complained if Seattle had drafted him in the first round.

The problem lies in another inference. If Shaquem Griffin wanted to be picked in the second round, wouldn’t he be disappointed, maybe even resentful that he will now wait for day three? Okay, that’s a stretch, but not as much as the headline itself. Nowhere in the article does it quote Griffin, or even imply he wanted to be picked in the second round. In fact, Shaquem Griffin is on record as saying he doesn’t care if he’s the last man in the green room.

Again, it’s a great article by Will Brinson. I’m just a bit perplexed as to where the idea that Griffin wanted to go in the second round came from, and why that would be mentioned at all. The story is Nike signing him to a contract, the “Legion of Griffins”, and so much more. Not where Griffin wants to be picked.

Seahawks are the only team that needs healthy players

This one is a true master of backhanded weirdness:

Seahawks need Penny to stay healthy

This was the lead for a Pro Football Talk video on nbcsports.com. I’ll admit, it is true, the Seahawks do need Rashaad Penny to stay healthy. You know, the same way the Los Angeles Rams need Todd Gurley to stay healthy. The same way any team needs their players to stay healthy. You know, unless you’re the Eagles.

The health of the Seahawks stable of running backs has certainly been a story, but should that be the lead when a team signs the NCAA rushing leader? Here are a few quotes from the video:

"The kid Rashaad Penny, he’s got a special skill set, he’s got it all. In the open field, nobody tackles him one on one. This guy could be a true bellcow running back who could make something happen."

Take your pick of those for your headline. Again, it’s absolutely true that the Seahawks haven’t had the healthiest running back corps. J.D. McKissic led the team in 2017 with 13 games, while Thomas Rawls appeared in 12. A special deluxe no-prize goes out to everyone who realized Rawls was able to suit up for more than half the games, let alone 12. Mike Davis led all running backs in starts with the astronomical number of six.

Wow, now that I think about it, maybe that was the right headline. Could be it’s time to switch to decaf.