Seahawks power rankings: Two sites really hate on Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks aren’t expected to be great in 2022, we know that. But Seattle might not be awful either. According to two sites, though, they might.

The good thing is as 12s (and even our local media), we know better. Seattle operates differently than most teams. Maybe they won’t win the Super Bowl in 2022 but they won’t be as bad as some think either.

As long as John Schneider and Pete Carroll are in charge, there is likely a reason for whatever madness there is. But in the end, it isn’t madness, right? But some still hate.

Two reputable sites don’t think the Seahawks are good

Let’s start with the worst. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell clearly is disgusted by what Seattle did this offseason and ranked Seattle as having the worst offseason in the NFL. The quote, “Well, they could have kept (Russell) Wilson and fired (Pete) Carroll” was a reference to what Seattle could have done differently this offseason, for instance.

Well, Bill, maybe you didn’t follow the Seahawks pre-Russ, but Carroll (and John Schneider) came in and set Seattle on the correct course for long-term success in 2010. Wilson came along in 2012. So, trust the process as it worked once before.

Sure, it’s been a long time since all that occurred, but Wilson had his flaws too. Wilson held on to the ball too long and got sacked many times and he couldn’t seem to see over the middle in the last couple of years and hit open receivers.

I am not saying Seattle is going to be better off without Wilson – that would be a stretch. But Seattle has quite a bit of talent without Wilson so if Seattle surprises some offseason and hateful pundits, don’t be surprised. (Plus, Seattle had a great draft and improved its pass rush.)

NBC Sports hate

The second site that really doesn’t like the Seahawks is NBC Sports. Peter King listed his power rankings of all teams and Seattle was 25th. Russell Wilson must be the difference between slightly better than most and worst than lots of other teams. (Some must have forgotten Seattle went 6-8 with Wilson last year.)

King wrote, “(It) feels like we’re going to find out this year how Russell Wilson and baling wire kept this franchise competitive longer than it probably should have.” Really? Again, 6-8 with Wilson in 2021. Secondly, Seattle has had digressing results with Wilson. Seattle won its Super Bowl for the 2013 season because of the defense and not Wilson.

Has Wilson helped make the team better than its parts at times over the last several years? Yes. But Wilson hasn’t been the sole reason Seattle has won games either. For instance, Seattle finished 2021 4-2 but was it because of Wilson alone? No. It was mostly, on offense, because Rashaad Penny simply went off.

Seattle will beat national pundit expectations in 2022. This is because Seattle’s defense should be better, the running game should be good and Seattle has great receivers. Does losing Wilson hurt in 2022? Yeah, a bit. But by 2024, the team will be better off without Wilson.