The 2022 Seattle Seahawks are a group of Supermen, but not everyone knows it. Definitely not many folks East of the Delaware River know this, but I’m not even sure all general Seattle sports fans know this yet, either (probably due to post Mariner glow), but they will.

These Seattle Seahawks should not be doing what they have been doing for the last three weeks, beating quality opponents. The Arizona Cardinals should be better than them. So should the LA Chargers, and now the New York Giants who are all probably more than a bit stunned at what just happened to them at Lumen Field getting stomped 27-13 in a game they perhaps they viewed as winnable.

All three of those teams have young quarterbacks who were high first round picks. They all have name players on their defensive lines. Seattle has a 32 year old former second round pick who hasn’t regularly been a starter at quarterback since 2014, and a defensive line full of defensive tackles who where either undrafted, or taken very late in their draft classes. In fact, the only first round picks on the Seahawk defense are linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Bruce Irvin (who was drafted before Tesla cars hit the market), and defensive lineman LJ Collier who’s been labeled as a bit of a bust.

The Seattle Seahawks are not supposed to be a very good offensive team this year, yet Geno Smith continues to show, game after game, that he is one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Through eight games now, it cannot be denied or brushed off. What he is doing feels very sustainable, and quite possibly for a long time. In fact, I suspect that the Seattle brass are having serious discussions of extending him now.

The Seattle Seahawks are also not supposed to be a very good defense right now because they moved on from Bobby Wagner, and do not possess a game wrecking presence on their defensive line, or experienced household name corners. That said, every time I have watched them play for the last three weeks, their defensive front seven has wrecked the offenses of the Cardinals, Chargers, and now the Giants, who supposedly had an unstoppable ground game and this was going to be the “real test” for the Seattle D.

Well, I would say that holding Saquon Barkley to 53 yards on 20 carries is pretty damn good test taking for Clint Hurtt’s defensive front that has gone from passive mode for the first month of the season, to full blown attack mode through most of October. Credit Hurtt for adjusting his scheme to suit the fellas up front because they are absolutely playing their asses off right now, and those inexperienced corners? Yeah, turns out all three of them are pretty damn good, too.

But I totally get why the national media and maybe even the local media has continued to cast some doubts on these Seahawks. They had a rough September, defensively, and many people weren’t quite ready to buy into Geno Smith yet then, but they are absolutely dip sticks if they aren’t bought into him now, and they are probably dip sticks if they aren’t now buying Hurtt’s multi front attacking defense, as well.

Is this team a serious playoff contender now at 5-3 in the season and still very much in control of the NFC West?

I frankly do not see why not. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them make a trade (or two) before the trade deadline this Tuesday if they feel like there’s talent out there they can bring in to further cement their playoff chances.

After trading Russell Wilson earlier in the year, Pete Carroll has said that they don’t view this year as a rebuilding year. If that is the case and they are sitting atop the NFC West right now, why not go for it, and add a bit more pieces?

On many levels, beating the impressively resilient upstart New York Giants was the thing that needed to happen. People needed to see that this team in Seattle is for real, that Geno Smith is actually pretty damn good, and Seattle’s no-name defense can ball the F out against one of the biggest stars in football in Saquon Barkley.

All week, when I turned on the ESPN, listened to sports radio, read some shit online, I caught an endless barrage of East Coast bias with this game and the Giants. Stories were all about how good of a coach Brian Daboll is, and what he has done with Daniel Jones, and how Barkley is the great come back story, and this team is full of resilience. I don’t mean to be a dick about it, but, um, were any of these people seeing what has been going down in Seattle with Pete Carroll’s club?

Of course not, because it is Seattle, and even Colin Cowherd, who is from this area, loves to dismiss anything that is happening up here. It is what it is. Seattle isn’t a huge market, and it isn’t an East Coast market, and the team doesn’t have Russell Wilson anymore. At the beginning of the telecast of this game, the play by play dude was all about the glory of the 6-1 Giants coming into Seattle with no mention of the 4-3 Seahawks being atop their division.

So the Seattle Seahawks had to do what they had to do, and that was suck the souls out of all those biased East Coasters by beating down their darling Cinderella team affectionately called The G-Men. This is what Seattle sports teams have to do, and Pete Carroll feeds off of that opportunity. In fact, he bathes in it.

New York was the town he got fired in the first time he was a head coach, and Boston was the second town he got fired in a few years later. Don’t think for a second that he doesn’t love beating teams from those markets.

And do not think for a second that Geno Smith didn’t enjoy beating these Giants either after they brought him in to half heartedly see if he could be the heir apparent to Eli Manning, and then dumped him after one failed start. Do not think for a second that Geno wouldn’t mind beating the Jets in a little more than a month from now, either.

Seattle is the land for second chances and opportunities to get a fair shake for a gig. Pete Carroll is a magical forrest elf who grants second chances to players who he believes in, and isn’t worried about what anyone’s draft stock was. Geno Smith, Al Woods, Poona Ford, Will Dissly, Michael Jackson, Tariq Woolen, and the list of key contributors and impact players goes on, and on. Even during the infamous LOB years, that defense and team had few first round picks on it, and some of the bigger names were undrafted talents.

So why is it that this team and this coach continues to be doubted today?

Carroll has consistently produced winners the moment he arrived in Seattle. Yes, there’s been a couple down years in 2011 and 2021, but that’s really it, and at 5-3, the narrative that Carroll only won because of Russell Wilson is total hogwash, and you should be ashamed of yourself if you find that sort of talk spewing from your mouth.. still.

Pete Carroll constructs and maintains a winning culture, and in this game, it came through. Tyler Lockett was having a rough game at the office. He was responsible for a fumble that gave New York an easy opportunity to score a touchdown, and he dropped an easy touchdown pass from Geno, but Geno stayed with him.

On a magical fourth quarter drive when the score was tied 13-13, Geno Smith crisply went five for five passing, traveling down the field 75 yards, and he threw a dime to Lockett on a similar type of route he earlier ran and dropped that pass on. Previously, Geno (and Coach Carroll) had consulted Lockett when his head was down on the bench after that dropped would be touchdown grab. Geno made sure to go back his way when he got another chance.

Now ask yourself this. Would Tom Brady and Bill Belichick do this? How about Aaron Rodgers?

Culture matters.

After the game, Geno Smith, Tyler Lockett, and DK Metcalf took to the podium together. I’ve never seen players do that for one and other after a game. I suspect that DK and Tyler where there for Geno because they know that he was there for them in this game where both star receivers dropped passes.

They believe in each other, and they believe in this team this year. They are ready to win together and crush the souls of disbelievers and ignorers.

This team has energy, and momentum. It’s fun to watch, and don’t kid yourself into thinking that this is a cute little story. They want to devour, and destroy, and laugh, and giggle, and yell whenever they need to along the way down their path to glory.

The trade deadline is Tuesday. Do they make a move?

I’m thinking it’s now more likely, but I can’t conclusively decide which area of their team they would decide needs a boost. I can see adding another pass rusher, but I can also see adding a back behind Ken Walker III to sustain the explosive elements of their ground game whenever he needs a breather. Some think maybe a certain middle linebacker who plays in Chicago would be a natural fit for this club.

All I know is this: The 2022 Seattle Seahawks don’t feel like a rebuilding team anymore to me. They feel like a team that can contend, and should contend. I wouldn’t put anything against what this organization might do at the trade deadline, or what this team might be in December if they can stay healthy enough.

As always, we will see, but I like how it’s trending. In fact, I love it. You are free to joy back with this bandwagon party anytime you want.

Go Hawks.