Seahawks thankful for gifts from the Patriots, Lions, and Texans

The Seahawks can be very thankful for the gifts they received this year. It began with the Patriots, then the Texans and Lions joined in. So very giving!

Thanksgiving Day is the traditional time we should contemplate how blessed we are for all that we have. We gather to give thanks for the richness of life we enjoy, for the blessings large and small. I can’t think of a better time to thank the New England Patriots, the Detroit Lions, and of course the Houston Texans for the bountiful gifts they presented to the Seahawks this season.

The Patriots were kind enough to give not just once, but twice. We’ve all seen the undeniably tremendous impact tight end Jacob Hollister has had on the Hawks offense. When Will Dissly went down for the year, the Seahawks were in a tough spot. Suddenly, they were down to the third tight end on the roster. At the start of camp, Hollister was truly fourth behind Dissly, Nick Vannett, and Ed Dickson. Dickson wound up on injured reserve and Vannett was long gone, traded to the Steelers for a fifth-round pick.

Luckily for the Hawks, there just happened to be a talented player just waiting to come home. Luke Willson, the creator of Techno Thursday, was inexplicably released by the Raiders after the preseason. Oakland is just overflowing with all that talent, right? Regardless, Willson was a great addition for Seattle. I’ll give the Raiders props for their abject stupidity.

Once Willson went down, Hollister really had to step up. I’d say nine first downs and three touchdowns on 19 catches qualify as stepping up. New England hasn’t exactly struggled without him, it’s true. But it’s interesting to note the Patriots tight ends only have 24 catches for the year. That’s all of their tight ends combined. Clearly, they moved to a different offensive philosophy after Gronk retired. Their loss is our gain. I liked the trade for Hollister a lot at the time but never expected it would play out this way.