Dear Seattle Seahawks,

Thank you for this joyous closing act effort in what has been a frustrating 2021 season in football.

Beating a division rival is always a fun treat for your fans, especially when that division rival had everything on the line in terms of winning the division and hosting a playoff game.

Thank you for making Kyler Murray’s day a nightmare, and sucking the soul out of his eyeballs. I’m sure the images of Carlos Dunlap bull rushing his left tackle into his tiny frame stayed with him all night (and also gave Sean McVay some pretty tape to watch as to how the Rams deal with him in their wildcard game).

Thank you ever so much for undrafted, rookie right tackle sensation, Jake Curhan opening up holes a country mile for Rashaad Penny to run through. What an incredible find he was for general manager John Schneider.

Thank you for Rashaad Penny!

Thank you for a vintage, determined, performance by Russell Wilson. Despite coughing up two turnovers that led to 14 points for the Cardinals, it was fun seeing Russ make beautiful throws all over the field, including three TDs, and that rambling ten yard run for a score. Hopefully, this wasn’t his last game for our team, but if it was, he gave us a show. It was fun to see it!

Thank you for Cody Barton filling in admirably for Bobby Wagner at middle linebacker. He looked like he belonged there, collecting 12 tackles overall. At one point, I thought I saw shades of Dave Wyman playing the spot from the early 1990’s. Wyman should be proud.

THANK YOU FOR JORDYN BROOKS!!!!!!

Thank you for Sidney Jones and DJ Reed playing solid coverage and not giving easy throws for Murray.

Thank you for giving us vintage Pete Carroll football, and reminding us that this formula, establishing the run, staying with it, working play action passes off of it, playing strong defense and special teams, is still a solid way to go about business in the NFL. For as much as the rules of the game encourage teams to pepper the ball around with the pass, this core philosophy of Pete Carroll’s, despite the continual criticisms of some ageist fans, is and always will be a winning brand of football. Plenty of teams play with style with success and are going to enjoy playoff football because of it.

What I feel you must do in 2022, assuming you are going to run it back with Pete and Russ, is commit further to this core philosophy of his. Do not be something that you are not with this coach and quarterback. Be what you are.

With all your free agent money, keep the players on your defense that have earned their paydays in Sidney Jones, DJ Reed, and especially Quandre Diggs, but then go get some monsters on the offensive and defensive lines.

We need more Jake Curhans on this team. Go get Russell Wilson the best center that money can buy so that inside pressure, which is his bugaboo, is no longer a lingering issue. If Duane Brown retires, do not go cheap finding his replacement. Spend on a quality LT.

Go get another edge rushing force to go along with Darrell Taylor and Carlos Dunlap, and by all means necessary and convenient, go get an interior pass rushing beast to make your pass rush a force of nature that it hasn’t been since 2015-ish.

Go get dogs on that defensive line and invest in quality not quantity. Kerry Hyder’s lone sack of the season came in this finale, and you paid him $5 million for that lone sack. That’s not a good return on the dollar. In fact, it stinks. Stop doing things like that!

Really, in my humblest opinion, you need to get Pete Carroll out of the front office dealings, and just allow John Schneider to cook by himself. Pete’s eternal optimism leads him (and the team) to a natural state of hubris. That’s a bad thing when it comes to throwing free agent dollars around, and making splash trades. This eternal beacon of optimism that shines out of him is much better served for coaching players up whenever their backs on in a bind.

Don’t trade Russ just to trade him and go cheaper at quarterback, unless that cheaper quarterback is just as good, and if he is, it begs the question as to why that other team would actually give him up.

Hang onto Russ and make it work. Guarantee him a strong offensive line with a center better equipped to handle Aaron Donald. Allow him the ability to go up tempo in the times that he feels like he needs to, if he feels that gives the offense an advantage against a particular defense that day. Just make it work.

If he demands a trade, and forces your hands, get the max value for him, and consider whether or not a 70 year old head coach is the right person to lead a rebuilding team. Ask yourselves that very question, and then answer it with all honestly.

Because there is A LOT on the line for the future of this club if you choose to enter into that rebuild. So be smart about that. Paul Allen would want you to do that.

These are my big asks for you in 2022.

And bring back Rashaad Penny.

Thank you, and go Hawks!