If there's one thing sports fans are known for, it's their propensity to not be particularly objective when it comes to the team or teams they support. In their defense it (usually) comes from a place of passion, but it does leave them prone to overreacting to things that happen both on and off the field. Seattle Seahawks fans are no different.
It's even more prominent during games when fans will often go through the gamut of emotions. And it only gets worse if your team is involved in -- for example -- a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair. As such, you can well imagine what a roller coaster affair Sunday's game in Detroit was for the Seahawks' legion of followers.
Of course the most important thing was that the Seahawks ultimately won, 37-31 in overtime. However, this doesn't change the reality fans were all over the place during more than three hours of football. Here are three of the biggest overreactions to the game versus the Lions:
Overreaction No. 1: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has lost his mojo on defense
The defense has admittedly been extremely porous through the first two weeks of the season. They are ranked second-worst in the NFL for yards allowed while giving up 30+ points in both games. The pass defense has looked particularly bad, allowing both Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff to throw for over 300 yards.
As a result, critics are saying head coach Pete Carroll has lost it when it comes to defense. That he's too old and the game has passed him by. That he no longer has what it takes to build a unit that can dominate, a la the Legion of Boom.
In fairness, this is a follow-on from previous seasons. For example, last year the Seahawks were ranked 26th in yards allowed and 25th in points conceded. The season before they were a lowly 28th in yards allowed, although they did also have the right amount of bend-but-don't-break, as per finishing tied-11th best in points given up.
The thing is though, Carroll has proven over a long period of time that his defensive philosophies do work. That he is capable of adjusting his system as necessary, to put his defense in the best possible situation to achieve positive results. It's why he was able to succeed as a defensive coach in the likes of Minnesota, New York and San Francisco.
You don't build one of the very best defenses in NFL history, without knowing what you're doing. How else do you explain the Seahawks dominating the best-ever offense -- at least statistically speaking -- in Super Bowl XLVIII? Even at 72 years old, Carroll knows what he's doing and what it takes.
The San Franciso, California native made wholesale changes to the defensive line during the past offseason. This proves he's not afraid to admit his mistakes and do whatever it takes in the pursuit of success. And while the pass rush is still causing some concern, the run defense is showing signs of life in allowing an average of under 100 yards on the ground through the first two contests.
As for the secondary, Devon Witherspoon made his debut on Sunday and while there were some errors -- which was to be expected -- he overall showed why he was selected fifth overall in this year's draft. And whenever Jamal Adams returns to action, the defensive backfield will become better. (Carroll has said Adams will have a full week of practice but is currently 50/50 to face the Panthers at the weekend.) Overall, the defense is a work in progress and it just requires some patience - something which Carroll has certainly earned the right to, given his history and reputation.
Overreaction No. 2: Jason Myers is a liability
The poor kickers always seem to be an easy target to pick on. Fair or not, they're essentially expected to be perfect. So whereas they don't always get their kudos when being successful, it only takes one missed kick to enrage the fans of whichever team you're playing for.
Enter Jason Myers. Already under scrutiny after missing one field goal attempt a week earlier, he missed another two during the second quarter in Detroit. This includes an atrocious miss wide left, on a 45-year attempt.
As a result, people on social media were up in arms, with a variety of angry reactions. Everything across the board, from saying it's time to be worried about Myers, to questioning why he was on the team. And from certain delightful individuals he was being told to, shall we say, go forth and multiply.
Certainly, a 50 percent success rate on field goal attempts is not a good look for a kicker, along with missing two kicks in the cozy confines of indoors, where weather is not a factor. Plus, we're talking about a kicker who signed a four-year contract extension during the offseason, worth up to $22.6 million. However, to claim the 32-year-old is suddenly a bad kicker is an asinine take.
After all, we're still talking about the same player who just last season had a career year. Myers hit on 34 of 37 field goal attempts, including all six from 50+ yards. He finished with a career-high 143 points, to lead the NFL in scoring.
As a result, the Chula Vista, California native was named First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his NFL career. He also earned his second Pro Bowl selection, and first with the Seahawks. With this kind of success, it was no surprise he was signed to his aforementioned contract extension.
Overall, there's no denying Myers is off to a poor start in 2023. However, he's dealt with adversity before and each time pulled through and proved his worth. There is no reason to believe he won't come through again and return to his status as one of the best kickers in the NFL.
Overreaction No. 3: Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas are not as good as we thought
There was a lot of understandable concern about the offensive line heading into Detroit. This was mainly due to being without either of their starting tackles. It was notable how bad the offense was during the second half against the Rams, especially after both Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas left the game with injuries.
With the recently-signed Jason Peters not ready to play yet, the Seahawks were forced to go with a couple of backups at the left and right tackle spots. In the end, though, both Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan performed better than expected. The offense only gave up one sack -- which in all honesty was more on Geno Smith -- with the quarterback also only (officially) hit once.
As a result, it would arguably be easy to claim Charles Cross and Abraham are not as good or important as previously believed. Not just anyone can come in and play at the tackle position in the Seahawks' offense, obviously. However, there are certain factors to consider in making this assertion.
The main one is that the Seahawks came up with a game plan which exposed Forsythe and Curhan less, and gave them a better chance to succeed. This included remaining committed to the running game, despite it not producing particularly impressive numbers. It is usually easier for an offensive lineman to run block rather than pass protect, and keeping the Lions off-balance with what the Seahawks were doing offensively helped minimize the pass rush.
The Seahawks also got their tight ends more involved, as Will Dissly, Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson combined for nine catches. Having more shorter dropbacks and underneath passes again minimized the pass rush. In addition, there were also times when Smith helped the O-line look better statistically, with a variety of occasions when he got rid of the ball a split second before the Lions defense got to him.
Regardless, performing well for a game is one thing - it's repeating the trick week after week on a consistent basis. Along these lines, this is exactly what both Cross and Lucas did last season. Despite both being rookies in 2022, the first-round and third-round picks started 17 and 16 regular season games respectively.
You don't remain in the starting lineup if you're not good enough - we already know Carroll won't hesitate to make changes if he thinks someone else can do a better job. Yes, Forsythe and Curhan have both shown promise that the Seahawks' offensive line depth is actually pretty good. Ultimately though, Cross and Lucas will be back in the starting lineup as soon as they are healthy enough to play again.