What came first, the chicken or the egg?

This has been the question that has haunted philosophers for centuries. At times, I am sure that, within the social circles of diehard chicken fans, it has inspired much a heated debate. This is the nature the phenomena of known as fandom.

Similarly, I think there might have been some growing debate within Seahawk fans as to what has made Pete Carroll’s defense work, and what needs most doing to fix. It has been narrowed down to what is more important; investing in a defensive line to create a top level pass rush, or investing in building back a top level secondary where coverage helps create sacks.

When Seattle sent two first round picks, a third round pick, and safety Bradley McDougald to the New York Football Jets on Saturday for Jamal Adams and a fourth round pick,  I think it is safe to say we now have an answer to that question. Pete Carroll much prefers to have a dominant secondary, and he obviously believes that Adams gives him the best chance of having that back in Seattle. He was willing to pay a big time ransom for his services.

There has been some reaction from Seahawk fans and bloggers saying that Seattle gave up too much for his services. I’m not so sure. With Russell Wilson at quarterback, Seattle is consistently a playoff level team, and no matter what Colin Cowherd says, I think Seattle has enough pieces on the offense where, if Russell remains healthy, that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Therefor, Seattle is more than likely to be continually picking late in the draft over the next few years.

If you really want to breakdown the value given up for Adams, you might choose to look at it this way. What if the Jets called Seattle and said that they would be willing to give up their young All-Pro safety for Bradley McDougald, Rashaad Penny, LJ Collier, and they would exchange their fourth round pick (likely to be an early one) for Seattle’s third round pick (likely to be a late one)?

Looking at it this way, I think most fans would be willing to jump on that deal, providing some assurance that Russell Wilson stays healthy. Literally, this is the only risk that it boils down to, and if you want to achieve greatness, well, sometimes you have to be willing to risk something.

Seattle has taken a calculated risk that Russell Wilson will stay healthy enough for the next two seasons that they will stay in playoff/championship contention. Given that he has never missed a game in eight years as their starter, it’s a reasonable risk to take.

What did the Seahawks acquire in Adams?

They received an immensely talented safety that is a bit of a cross between Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas. He is a thumper and enforcer like Chancellor was, but his athleticism and play-making abilities are a bit closer to Thomas.

His skill-set also makes him one of the more uniquely versatile defenders in the league. In the Jets’ scheme had significant snaps at linebacker, edge rusher, free safety and strong safety, and some corner. He was literally all over the field. Thus, he gives Pete Carroll a ton of flexibility to use different coverages and looks.

The significance of this is that, over time, Seattle can go back to more of the coverages that they used in the Chancellor/Thomas era, and they could, in theory, add to those looks. This will certainly help the pass rush.

On top of all of this, this all-pro talent is only 24 years old, and presumably still has a lot of room to grow. This is pretty exciting stuff, and I think it’s okay to get pumped up.

So, go for it. Get excited. I’m not sure how much football we are going to have in 2019, but the future just got a lot brighter beyond that.

Seattle is probably not done shopping.

For one, I think that receiver Josh Gordon is coming back to play for the Seahawks in 2020. I think that the commish will clear him to play, and as soon as that happens, he will sign a deal with Seattle. His addition will have the offense pretty setup with weapons for Russell.

Additionally, I think Seattle will add a quality veteran defensive tackle to mix with Jarran Reed and Poona Ford. It could be Damon Harrison, Mike Daniels, Marcell Dareus, maybe even the return of Brandon Mebane. There are a number of decent DTs left on the market. This is the other deal that I fully expect to get done soon.

I also think there is a somewhat still an outside chance that they could add another edge rusher. In fact, even with this addition of Adams, I don’t think the door is fully shut on Jadeveon Clowney returning for another season. It still feels remote, but I wouldn’t call it out of the question. We will see soon enough.

For now, I am celebrating that Seattle made a splash move for a unique defender, and they appear all in for going for a title now. I dig that. Bring on the Niners.

Go Hawks.