I wasn't alive to watch or listen to the Miracle on Ice when it happened in 1980. I've only had the Kurt Russell movie and my father's accounts to go on. But Ken Dryden said something very poignant before the most famous hockey game in American history — "It's one thing to be young and promising, and it's quite another to be good."
Such is the plight of the Seattle Seahawks at the moment. The pieces have slowly come together one by one over the course of the first two months of the season but have yet to ever come together at the same time to form a whole cohesive unit.
One day, the offense will drop 37 on the Lions while missing both tackles against a ferocious pass-rushing front four. Then another week, they might rack up eleven sacks against a Giants squad that would be running the ball 40 times that night in any other circumstance but the one the defense managed to create by itself.
What we learned from the Seattle Seahawks Week 7 victory
Another week, they might hold a resurgent Bengals offense to a paltry 17 points, but completely collapse at the edge of scoring themselves. Or maybe the defense would let the floodgates loose against Puca Nacua and Tutu Atwell. It's been all over the place to start the season.
And yet, the Seahawks find themselves at 4-2, just a half-game back of the 49ers as I type this following San Francisco's second straight egg at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. The defense looks like a potentially elite unit after holding their last three opponents to 30 combined points. The offense has looked elite for stretches but has been eviscerated by injury.
Long story short, the Seahawks are young and promising, maybe even good. But after two months of hand-wringing and agonizing over every errant pass that comes out of Geno Smith's right hand, I cannot yet, in good conscience, call them on par with the Soviets of the NFL.
They're not far off, though. Once again, the team has taken steps forward that will bring them to the precipice of that echelon. Let's talk about it.