So, the Seahawks got lit up pretty good against the 49ers on Saturday, didn’t they?

I mean, losing the game to a final score of 23-41 with a final touchdown coming in garage time should leave a sour taste in any player and fan’s mouth. It should sting even more knowing that at the halftime, Seattle actually held the lead, 17-16, and looked like the team with better momentum. That second half must have surely been bad football for the Hawks.

Well, yeah. It was pretty awful. The defense stopped tackling and covering, and while the Seattle was able to continue moving the ball offensively, Geno Smith fumbled the ball in the red zone on a strip sack, and then later threw an interception when everyone on the sidelines and stands knew Seattle had to pass to catchup. Both turnovers led to 49er points that kept getting piled on, and so forth, and so on. Thus, we have this final score.

This essentially was the game, and really, I’m kinda alright with it. Let this game be a learning experience for this young team, and this quarterback who hasn’t been a regular starter in this league since 2014.

The truth of the matter is that the San Fransisco 49ers are a bunch of booger eaters, as are most of their fans who aren’t my friends or extended family members. Nick Bosa is a booger eater supreme, but he is also an incredibly talented booger eater, and the best at his position. So are a bunch of his booger eating buddies, like booger eating Deebo Samuel, and booger eating George Kittle, and booger eating Fred Warner. Seattle went down to Santa Clara and give this game a good fight for a half of football, and they lost to a superior, booger eating team. It’s that simple.

The 49ers have superior offensive and defensive lines to go along with the many top end talents they have at all the skill positions, and they have a bright young rookie quarterback who is making football look easy. Frankly, this should be a team playing in a championship, and Seattle has a lot of work to do to get closer towards their level.

While the reality is that while it might take Seattle a couple more seasons to be able to truly match San Fransisco, they are most definitely off to a fast start. In fact, I’m more excited about this coming offseason than maybe I have been since I became a fan in the early 1980’s.

Seattle is blessed with having found a pro bowl worthy quarterback in Geno Smith who has stated that he wants to remain in Seattle and finish his career here, and they hold nine picks in the 2023 draft to which they can further construct their roster with. One of those picks is the fifth overall, and the pick after that is 20th overall. Seattle is a rare playoff caliber team in position to draft a player 5th overall, and that should make fans of a lot of other teams fairly envious.

This is why this sort of thumping the 49ers gave us isn’t overly upsetting for me. San Francisco is superior, and let them eat their cake. They are set up to win now, but will be tighter against their salary cap in 2023 with a lot of players set to enter free agency. Much like the Rams last year, they could be a team that wins it all in February, only to lose key players in free agency in March, and get ravaged by the injury bugs next season.

For me, the plan for Seattle should be pretty straight forward. Figure out a way to keep Geno Smith here longer term, and use that high end draft capital to better fill it out around him. There’s other players set to enter free agency for Seattle that I believe they need to consider keeping, as well, like Jason Myers, Ryan Neal, and probably Cody Barton, but they need to keep Geno, especially if Pete Carroll isn’t leaving anytime soon (which, let’s face it, he likely isn’t).

I will write a more comprehensive piece about how I think their offseason should go down in the following days, but this is a sneak peak at it. Keep Geno and a few other guys, dip your toes in free agency on the offensive line (if you can), but build most of it through the draft.

As for this team this year, I feel like they met their natural conclusion. They were talented enough to be a middling team who got surprisingly good play at quarterback, and they found themselves as the seventh seeded playoff team in the NFC. They were basically the inverse of the 2011 Seahawks; where this time around the offense was actually pretty good, but the defense was largely a hot mess.

A lot of crap is also being made right now about the officiating that occurred in the season finale against the Rams that helped Seattle win that game, but screw those for making a stink about it. Bad officiating that helped Seattle against the Rams made up for some of the bad officiating that hurt Seattle earlier in the season like it did during the game against the Raiders. What comes around, goes around.

All in all, I am proud of this team, and had more fun as a fan this year than I’ve had in a long while. It was fun watching them grossly exceed many expectations and prove many doubters wrong. It’s fun watching blow hards like Colin Cowherd and his doofus buddies look like idiots when it comes to Seattle.

After thirteen years in this league, it’s stunning to me the amount of people who cover the NFL still don’t understand Pete Carroll and his culture building ways. Ten playoff appearances now in thirteen seasons should cement just how special this dude is as a coach, and at age 71 he most definitely still has it.

But he still has a lot of work to do. The two biggest offseason priorities must be to settle the quarterback position, and fix that defense either by scheme or talent, but probably by both.

Also, in my opinion, Carroll needs to continue getting back to his DNA on both sides of the ball. Getting beat like this by the 49ers can help towards getting him there. Their defense is modeled after his infamous 4-3 one that was the league leading defense for four seasons in a row and won a Super Bowl. Their offense is all about running the ball and getting smart point guard style quarterback play.

This can be the Seattle Seahawks in 2023 and beyond. This mission is there for the undertaking should Carroll choose to accept it.

I suspect he will, and I’m very excited to see it unfold.

Go Hawks!

In many mythological tales, heroes are tasked to undertake an insurmountable feat to which the likely outcome of success feels as likely as a tiki torch staying lit during a cyclone storm. These stories have gotten recycled over the years into various fiction and in film.

In The Lord Of The Rings, a tiny two foot dude had to carry with him a magical ring to which the most sinister and powerful force in the land was searching for it, and he had to take it to a volcano called Mount Doom, and toss it into the flames with thousands of seven foot orcs (who would gladly eat him for a snack) hanging around the place. Good luck with that.

In Star Wars, a naive farm boy had to fly a tiny x-wing fighter down this narrow exterior corridor of the Death Star with skilled tie fighter pilots behind him (including his evil dad who happens to be the greatest pilot in the galaxy) looking to blow him into pieces, and he had one shot with a photon torpedo to get it inside an extremely narrow shaft that, if launched perfectly, said torpedo would travel down the shaft and hit the main reactor of the planet killing battle station, and blow it up. His chances of success were like my chances of not being socially awkward at an Oscar party.

In the 1960’s WWII war film The Dirty Dozen, a small group of US military convicts had to conduct a secret mission to assassinate top level Nazi officers in a mansion surrounded by enemy soldiers everywhere, and a few of these guys had the psychological profiles of the Dumb and Dumber dudes if they were homicidal maniacs. Basically, this was a suicide mission, and if any one of these convicts actually managed to be lucky enough to make it out alive, their prison sentences would be lifted. Frankly, I would stayed in my cell and took my chances with Brutus.

So, as I circle to this game this Saturday between the feel good Seattle Seahawks and the dominant looking San Fransisco 49ers, I cannot help drawing parallels. On it’s face, the chances of the Seahawks going to Santa Clara and pulling off an upset feels pretty remote.

The strength of the 49ers is their defense, for certain, but their offense is no slouch, either. They can limit any good offensive team from scoring, and they can put up a lot of points. Call me crazy, but I think that’s a pretty good thing to be in this league. I mean, this is what I want Seattle to be. They were this once, but that feels years ago, now.

In his Tuesday press conference, when Pete Carroll was asked about what makes the 49er defense so special, there was a very sobering tone in his delivery. He described them as being able to line up, and not fool anyone, that they run a simple scheme, but they are so talented that they can play so fast and connected that it becomes a challenge for any offense to do anything against them.

When I was listening to Coach Carroll describing that 49er defense, my first thought was that’s how his Legion Of Boom defense was once described. It was a simplistic 4-3 scheme but because the players were so good and they knew it so well, they could dare a Peyton Manning in his prime, and then stop him.

The San Fransisco 49er defense is Darth Vader. It’s powerful, and menacing, and it knows it can take any opponent down. It’s hard to run on, and it’s hard to pass on, and Seattle’s greatest weakness right now is probably the interior of its offensive line. No doubt that the 49ers are looking at Seattle’s struggles at guard and center, and they are licking their chops in this one.. again.

If Seattle cannot get a run game going to help out Geno Smith, that defensive line will be all about destroying Geno’s cinderella story. It’s that simple, and this isn’t bringing up what Seattle must do defensively to slow down an offensive that has all kinds of top end weapons and a good offensive line, and a rookie seventh round pick quarterback who’s been channelling Joe Montana for the last six weeks.

So, I am really painting a pretty big gloom and doom scenario for the Seahawks this Saturday, aren’t I? Well, of course I am!

The Seahawks are going into this game spotty on their offensive line, thinner at receiver and tight end than they were the last time these two teams met (which it wasn’t pretty for Seattle), and they are thinner at linebacker now, as well. They are also apparently going to have to play this game in some crazy cyclone type of weather scenario, and God only knows what can happen with the ball in that situation.

Maybe, just maybe in some weird way, this psychotic weather forecast benefits Seattle, but that’s like thinking that because Halle Berry forgot to put in her contact lenses, she will think I’m Brad Pitt when I’m standing next to her at that Oscar party. These are the hopeful thoughts of a desperate soul down to their last saltine cracker before that have to start eating rat feces for survival.

Practically the only thing that I can think of where Seattle might have some advantage is that Ken Walker has been hot running the rock lately, and Seattle didn’t have him in the game during the last matchup back in early December. Walker (aka K9) is a legitimate big play artist with the ball in his hands, and I believe he’s on a trajectory of superstardom in this league. On a wet and windy game where linebackers and DBs might have hard time finding their footing, he could have enough explosive plays to open things up more for Geno Smith to find his guys downfield as the game wears on, if they can manage to stay within a one score game.

For that to happen, the defense has got to be ON IT. It is worth noting that for the last four games, their defense has been trending in positively. Cody Barton has played well at middle linebacker in place of Jordyn Brooks, and Tanner Muse has been a pleasant surprise next to him. The pass rushers have also come alive more lately, most notably defensive end Darrell Taylor. The corners and safeties haven’t been bad, either.

The key for the Seahawk defense is to stop the run, though, and by nature of design, the 3-4 base defense isn’t as ideal of a run stopping scheme as a 4-3 defense is, and Seattle is does a lot of 3-4. This game against a 49er offense that runs it at you in a lot of different ways really has me missing Pete Carroll’s old 4-3 scheme. It was a good match against Kyle Shanahan’s offense. My hope and prayer is that everyone on this defense balls out extra special this Saturday to prove my concerns wrong. That would be awesome.

The only other last thing that gives me some hope for a Seattle upset to occur is that there are enough instances where when a divisional rival sweeps another divisional rival during the regular season, and those teams find themselves playing against each other in the playoffs, the team that was swept figures out a way to win. It has been said before that beating a team three times in a calendar season is hard to do in football.

Maybe it’s that the team that was swept has a better sense on how the plays will come in against them in the playoff match, and they will have better answers against those plays. Maybe it’s because the team that has won twice underestimates the opponent more, and the team that was swept is playing with more overall determination, and it surprises. Maybe it’s because the coaches of the team that was swept have looked at the few things that worked well, and have come up with a better plan to put those things in action. Maybe it’s a combination of all of these things with a little bit of luck, as well, but I can think of a number of occasions where the team that was beaten twice in the regular season wins the match in the post season.

So, maybe, just maybe the Seahawks travel down to Santa Clara and play a game against a superior divisional opponent, and they find a way to beat their mortal enemy. After all, David figured out how to beat Goliath with a rock and a sling, Luke figured out how to beat the Empire, and Eminem figured out how to beat the bully rapper with his witty words.

Maybe the Seahawks led by Geno Smith, with a help of K9, and a defense that stays gritty enough, figures out how to take down George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey, and Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner, and Deebo Samuel, and the rest of this 49er roster that is too intimidating to continue listing. As crazy as it sounds, maybe it really isn’t that bonkers.

After all, what does Seattle have to lose? They have gotten farther this season that most of the talking head experts thought they would. If they get boat raced by the 49ers, nobody will be shocked, the storyline will be that they were a team that exceeded expectations, and are another offseason away from true contention, at least.

In a way, this might free them up more. They might look at this like the band of misfit brothers from The Dirty Dozen, and say “fuck it, let’s go right at that dragon and slay his ass.” Maybe this inspires things to happen that catch the 49ers off guard ,and gets them out of their sorts. Maybe they force Brock Purdy into a bad play and turnover that leads to an easy score that puts Seattle up in the game, and makes San Fran play a little tighter.

Maybe, just maybe Seattle does just enough to stay in it, where Geno throws an absolute dart to Tyler Lockett for a score that stuns the Santa Clara crowd, and the Seahawks feed off of that momentum at the end.

Maybe, just maybe the 49ers pick a bad time to have an off game, and Seattle picks a great time to have a signature game.

Am I going to pick Seattle to win this game? Not really, but I’m not going to say that they have no shot at it, either.

I think they do, but they are going to need a lot of things to go right to kill this dragon of the NFC West. They’re going to have to get through the orcs, and past the tie fighters to pull this one off.

Thank God they have emerging talents like K9 and sensational rookie phenom cornerback Tariq Woolen. Thank goodness they have a pro bowl quarterback in Geno Smith, and a pro bowl safety in Quandre Diggs, and a pro bowl kicker in Jason Myers, as well.

If I have to slay a dragon, I want these guys on my team. Here’s to hoping they pull it off.

What a cherry on top of Seattle’s surprising season that would be. Either way, though, I’m proud of this team, and I look forward to what they do next year. But let’s get it done.

Go Hawks!

The 2022 Seattle Seahawks are a playoff team after trading away the best quarterback in their franchise history.

The 2022 Seattle Seahawks are a playoff team after having swept the team that has owned their butts for over the last half decade, and who also won the Super Bowl last year.

The 2022 Seattle Seahawks are a playoff team who are quarterbacked by a guy who hasn’t been a regular starter in this league since 2014, but after being given this chance by Pete Carroll, blossomed into a pro bowl passer at age 32, stunningly.

The 2022 Seattle Seahawk are a playoff team because the 2022 Detroit Lions went into Lambeau Field (a place where they rarely win), and they beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on the last game of the regular season.

Raise your hand if you saw all of this coming at the start of the season?

I’m one of the biggest, dopiest Seahawk homer Twelves who you will ever meet in your lifetime, and I didn’t see this happening. Nope. I gave a very wishful prediction at the start of the season that Seattle would get to a 8-9 finish with some thought of playing meaningful games in December, but I never anticipated Geno Smith would play this well, and carry it through the season, by and large.

So, yeah. I’m pretty darn happy to see my Hawks finish 9-8, and finding themselves in the playoffs with the help of Detroit.

I don’t know what’s to happen for this team in the coming offseason, and how different they will look next Fall. I don’t know if Geno is signed to a long extension, or a rookie quarterback will be battling Drew Lock for the starting gig. I don’t know if the 3-4 experiment on defense this year is permanently here, or if we see a shift back to his traditional 4-3 in order to be a better run stopping defense again. I just know that these 2022 Seattle Seahawks will be a memorable bunch for me.

I have no allusions of this team going on a deep post season run, either. All conventional wisdom would suggest that they will get creamed once again by the superiorly talented 49ers down in Santa Clara next Saturday, but for me, it’s not about going deep into the playoffs.

It’s about getting an extremely young roster to understand what it takes to get to the playoffs and how to play once they are there. If they actually do upset the 49ers, that would be as big of a euphoric joy for me as I’ve had in sometime, but I am not expecting it. In a way, that makes being in the playoffs more fun.

The Seahawks aren’t defending anything. They aren’t the class of their division. If the Rams would have been healthier this season, third place in the division might have been Seattle’s ceiling this year, and the severely banged up Rams did everything they could to spoil Seattle in this match.

But Seattle got through it with a win, and to me, that’s all that matters. They finished the season strong with back to back home wins that got them into the playoffs, ultimately. This was my big ask for them after they lost to the Panthers, 49ers and Chiefs all in a row in December.

There’s momentum to be gained in this now. There should be a feeling that, if the offense commits to Ken Walker III running the ball, good things are going to happen, and opportunities are going to had for other players if they get enough reliable quarterback play, like Geno Smith brought through most of the season. There should also be a feeling that, if the defense can limit the big explosive plays enough, there’s enough of a growing nucleus that, with another successful offseason of free agency and the draft, something can be built up again that can be pretty special in Seattle in the near future.

Getting this win against the Rams, as much of a struggle as it was at times, has meaning in these ways. Seattle avoided a second half of the season slide that would have maybe raised more questions about the future than provide answers. Finishing 8-9, after being 6-3 at one point, would have been a long talked about thing through the following offseason that potentially would have made Pete Carroll’s words of optimism ring more hollow.

Finishing 9-8 avoids that, and gives a better sense that the young defense is trending the right way, and the offense is probably a player or two away on the offensive line of being truly dominant (assuming that the quarterback situation is sorted out). I need to feel these trends as a fan.

These 2022 Seattle Seahawks are not a perfect team. They have blemishes on the roster. In my opinion, they need to be significantly more stout at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, but those are issues to address once free agency begins in a couple months, and probably the draft again.

What they have now going for them now, however, is chemistry, and grit. They will fight hard, they will fight together, and they will continue to grow together in doing so.

This is really what the opportunity is for them heading into this post season, in my mind. It’s about continuing to grow together, and that is critical in becoming a great team again.

I’m proud of these 2022 Seattle Seahawks. I’ve had fun watching Geno Smith surprise, and K9 dazzle, and Darrell Taylor finish strong after struggling for a while, and Tariq Woolen blossoming into greatness before our eyes.

I’ve loved watching Al Woods make big man tackles in the middle of this defense, and Cody Barton proving doubters wrong as he got way better during the second half of the season. I loved watching DeeJay Dallas shine in the last two games, and finally being used more as a runner.

The feather on the cap for me is ending this season sweeping a Rams team that featured a quarterback who many Seahawk fans wanted Seattle to go after last offseason (including myself). Geno Smith did not have a great game in this finale, but if I learned one thing this season, it’s that he’s definitely a better quarterback than Baker Mayfield is, and I take comfort in knowing that Pete Carroll knows way more about quarterbacks than he’s given credit for. This gives me great comfort going into 2023, actually.

So, yeah. I like what is happening with these Seattle Seahawks right now. Their season was up and down, but they feel like they are one more solid offseason away from being a real contender again.

They will have the fifth overall pick next Spring to take a player who can be a special addition. I’m not hung up on who it might be, or what type of position it should be. I just ask that they pick a guy who will truly be a special difference maker, and key building block.

But right now, let’s savior this season, and this opportunity to be in the playoffs with a chance to upset the 49ers. There is no expectation of Seattle doing that, and I kinda dig that. I dig it a lot, actually.

Go Hawks.

I gotta be honest. It’s sobering to write about a football game preview after what happened to Damar Hamlin on Monday Night Football. Let’s just get that one out of the way.

This season finale game in which my Seahawks will be facing off against their bitter divisional rival in the LA Rams here in Seattle should be met with huge anticipation by any diehard Twelve. The Seahawks have before them an opportunity to sweep a divisional foe who has had their number for years now, and finish their season out with a winning record that few thought they would finish with when this season began.

If they do this, and the Lions beat the Packers on Sunday Night Football, the Seahawks will even be awarded a playoff birth, which in my opinion, is huge in terms of a young roster gaining post season experience earlier than anticipated. Even if they don’t end up in the playoffs, finishing the season off right by sweeping these Rams and going 9-8 will still feel sweet, and give a sense that this organization is building towards a positive direction again.

From the perspective of the Rams, this is their opportunity to close their season out right by wrecking Seattle’s playoff hopes and ending their season by giving them a somewhat annoying 8-9 record. This is an opportunity for Baker Mayfield to make a statement that he can be a quality starting quarterback in this league. Even more so, it’s an opportunity for Bobby Wagner to enact revenge on the team he had played ten years for, and gave up on him last off-season. I imagine the entire Rams defense will be playing this one extra fierce for Wagner.

So, this should be a really good game to watch, even for the objective non Seahawks or Rams fan to watch. I also think, despite the records, these teams are a bit more evenly matched than some think.

Yes, the Rams are without most of their marquee players, but the Seahawks will be a bit gimpy in this one, as well, with Tyler Lockett dealing with multiple issues, Jordyn Brooks now on injured reserve, and many other players dealing with late season issues. While, I would expect most of the guys who have been sitting out of practice to play for Seattle, who knows how hampered they will be as they face a Rams club that is ready to play spoiler.

For these reasons, I expect a hard fought game between both of these clubs. For a second week in a row, this should feel like a playoff game for these Seahawks, and I am super duper here for it.

I want to see pro bowl quarterback Geno Smith close out his feel good storybook season right with a solidly efficient game that leads his team to a win, and himself to a long term contract. I want to see Darrell Taylor continue his late season surge as pass rusher, and prove to Seattle that if the opportunity presents itself next Spring, they should draft defensive tackle Jalen Carter over defensive end Will Anderson with their first pick. I want to see Ken Walker III finish out his stellar rookie season by rushing for over a hundred yards again, and getting a thousand yards to his season, and I want to see Tariq Woolen pick off Mayfield to solidify earning DOYR.

But, if I am to be perfectly honest, I think viewing football could feel a bit weird this weekend because of the freak accident that happened to Damar Hamlin on MNF that saw his heart stop on the field on national television, and that’s okay. This incident gave us all a chilling reminder that every time a football player suits up to play, they put their lives at risk. I think it’s a reality that many of us lose sight of as fans.

For my part, I think it also puts in perspective how I want to root for these players. Football is a violent game. The rules in place help these players more these days than in years past, and the gear obviously protects them, but a freak things can happen as was the case last Monday. There is an unavoidable level of danger to this game.

Therefore, I would like to better keep that into perspective. I think the emotions of rivalries can lead us to hate on good players simply because of the uniforms they wear. I also think it’s a natural reaction as fans to trash on players if they aren’t living up to whatever expectations or hype. Moving forward, as Hamlin regains his health, I want to resist both of these impulses out of respect for these dudes who suit up and play this sport out of passion.

They assume risks in order to make a living playing a game they love that can ultimately prove deadly. I’m going to respect the players more because of that.

Yes, I want my Seahawks to decisively win this game on Sunday. I would love nothing more than a blowout win for Seattle, but I also want every guy who suits up to walk off that field okay. This is how I want to be as a fan more these days, and I cannot personally stand Jalen Ramsey as a player.

So, how do I think this game finishes?

As much as I want to see a dominant finish by Seattle, I think this is probably going to be pretty hard fought between both clubs. I see Seattle winning it, and closing out their season with a winning record, but I think it’s likely to be a 23-17 type of finish than a 23-6 one we saw last Sunday against the Jets.

I think the Seahawks defense is playing well enough that, even without Brooks at linebacker, they can give Baker Mayfield fits at Lumen Field with the noise of the fans behind them, and hold Cam Akers in check enough, but I think Sean McVay is still a master offensive play caller, and there is likely going to be times where the Rams get things going well enough on offense to make any Seahawk fan nervous. Get ready to feel those nerves flowing if you want Seattle to win this.

Offensively, I expect Seattle to stay with the run in this one, and at times, it’s could feel frustrating, but as the game wears on, I think we see Walker breaking big gains on the ground, and we are likely to see another efficient game out of Geno Smith throwing off of the play action opportunities. It might not always feel pretty because this Rams defense will put up a fight, but if Seattle wins, it will feel right.

I’m down for the Seahawks to feel right in this one, and hold off a bitter opponent intent on playing spoiler. I’m thinking this is likely going to be a great game to watch, and my hope is that it is hard fought, but everyone comes out of it okay.

Because I would imagine that every one of these guys probably has a momma who says a prayer before every game that her baby comes out of it okay.

This is what I hope, anyways.

Go Hawks.

Being a fan of the Seattle Seahawks is a supreme emotional experience for me. I have been emotionally bonded to this team since 1983, and each year, it deepens further.

I’ve watched most of their seasons with at least some anticipation of the playoffs up to this year, and this was a rare season where my expectations were lowered to a point that I hadn’t felt since the early 1990’s. I just didn’t see this as the year for playoffs.

As many were proclaiming at the start of this season, Geno Smith was supposed to be Tarvaris Jackson and the Seahawks were supposed to be rebuilding. Many didn’t see the fact he would actually become the second coming of Rich Gannon, a pro bowl worthy quarterback finding success as a starter again late into his career, and guiding his team into playoff contention, and yet here we are. That is exactly who, and what Geno Smith is, and what the 2022 Seattle Seahawks are.

Emotionally, I feel blissful. These Seahawks beat a quality team in a meaningful late season game that keeps them in playoff contention for one more final game of the year. When most people projected these Seahawks to be one of the worst teams in the league this year because of the Russell Wilson trade, this feels outstandingly satisfactory to me.

Oh, what a massive difference a win feels!

After a depressing three game losing streak that had me watching the Peach Bowl on Saturday, and envisioning the Seahawks drafting CJ Stroud with maybe the third overall pick from Denver this Spring, I feel like these Seahawks are one win away next Sunday of needing to lock down Geno Smith to a multi year deal, and just taking the best defensive lineman available with that pick; be it Jalen Carter, or Will Anderson.

I see plenty of logic of Seattle taking a talented young quarterback with that pick (if the right QB is there), but I also see the practical logic of keeping Geno, and building this team up around in other ways. I admit that I am not the best person to assert what I think this team should do at times, so I won’t say one idea is right, and the other is wrong, but I will say that having watched Geno for a full season now as QB1 in Seattle, I really like what I see. I also think I have a pretty good idea what Seattle has with him.

I think he’s an athletic, accurate passer, with a strong enough arm to make all the necessary NFL throws to win a game. I think he’s a pretty mature dude too, and a smart player. I feel that with a little more built up around him, Seattle can probably consistently win with him for multiple seasons. In short, he’s good enough for me, and if Seattle does lock him down into a multi year deal, I will not be disappointed.

This game against the Jets reminded me of that. With a balanced offense that ran really well against a tough Jets defense, Geno showed decent efficiency once again, and he did this without his top receiver in Tyler Lockett for the second half of the game. Give Geno Smith a great run game led by Ken Walker, and he will likely give you a solidly efficient effort at quarterback more times than not, as was the case in this game.

Also, give him a strong enough defense where he doesn’t have to play from behind, and he is most likely going to deliver, as was the exact case in this game. For as much as I have been critical of the Seahawks’ new defensive scheme under Clint Hurtt, I have noticed better efforts in recent weeks, and that’s something, for sure.

This was a great defensive effort that I should expect out of a Pete Carroll coached team. They should be able to slow down a run game, pressure quarterbacks, and create turnovers. They should especially be able to do that at home in front of the loud Twelves, and the should be able to do that against any middling offense. This was a job well done against these Jets, and bravo.

Now finish it off right against the Rams next Sunday, and end this season the right way. Sweep a struggling divisional opponent, and let the chips fall wherever they may in terms of playoffs. This should be the expectation with this team, and I am as emotionally attached to that notion as I am to Geno Smith.

I am super excited for the young talent on this team to feel this positive playoff implication buzz, now. This is huge, I believe.

I don’t buy into any notions of not seizing the opportunity for a playoff birth if your team has warts to which you think losing out for higher picks is more important. The way I think you best work through the warty areas is to develop within, and the best way to develop within is having your team trend upwards at the end of a season so that these youthful players taste what winning is like.

It’s an f’ing drug is what it is. Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant, Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, K9, Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Coby Parkinson, and many other of these young pups should feel that high, and want to repeat that experience over, and over, and over again.

This is what happened with the Legion Of Boom cats. This is Pete Carroll’s culture.

So, sure, it’s fun to day dream about the picks in next year’s draft whether it’s Jalen Carter or CJ Stroud, but the real team building, the foundation pouring, and framing.. all of that comes out of finishing this season on a strong note.

Beat those Rams next Sunday, and get to 9-8, and if you get into the playoffs, awesome. You then know what it took to get you there. That’s vital for these dudes.

Make no mistake about it, though, this was a great team win against these Jets. They are a tough team, but on this day, the Seattle Seahawks were tougher. They bullied the bully, and the best thing about it? Young dudes like Taylor, Cody Barton, K9, DeeJay Dallas, Parkinson, and Woolen were doing the main bullying.

This is also Pete Carroll football. You establish the run, you pass off of it with success, protect the ball, take away the run, and force turnovers, and more likely than not, you win.

A 23-6 final score is exactly how Pete Carroll wants to draw it up. That’s football porn for that guy, I can guarantee you that.

Now, do it again next week. Football porn out against these dreadful Rams.

Go Hawks!

For the life of me, I cannot think of a bigger non conference regular season game for these Seattle Seahawks to have played in over the years than this game against the New York Football Jets on New Year’s Day in Seattle. Sure, the game this season against Denver was massive because of Russell Wilson returning to town, but this game against the Jets is for all the marbles for both teams.

The team that wins keeps their playoff hopes alive for another final week in the NFL, and the team that loses will see their playoff chances vanquished into the ether. Therefore, this is precisely a playoff game in the regular season.

It is also a do or die match that is full of intriguing back stories. Let’s look at a few key subplots.

The New York Jets were the team that drafted Geno Smith to be their franchise quarterback after Mark Sanchez, and they gave up on him way too early. While he would never characterize this as a revenge game, beating the team that basically sentenced him to the life of a career backup up until this year would have to be pretty damn meaningful on top of keeping Seattle’s playoff hopes alive.

Conversely, the Jets are coached by Robert Saleh who was a one time Pete Carroll disciple in Seattle during the Super Bowl years, and then kind of became a bitter enemy of the Seahawks when he became the defensive coordinator of the 49ers under Kyle Shanahan. Whenever pressed about his days in Seattle, Saleh almost always down plays them a bit as he did this week again. Who knows how things stand between him and his former boss, I’m sure there remains a degree of respect and adoration, but I can imagine he would like nothing better than to roll into town with his top end defense and put a beatdown on Carroll’s Seahawks like a Sith apprentice burying his demonically red light saber through the back of his Master.

There’s even a jaded history between each team’s front offices with how the Jets’ GM absolutely fleeced Seattle with the whole Jamal Adams trade. I suspect that behind closed doors with no recording devices around, John Schneider probably throws darts at a picture of Pete Carroll for having him send two first round picks, a third, and starting safety Bradley McDougald to the Jets for often injured Adams who is clearly neither Kam Chancellor nor Earl Thomas, but who knows. Either way, there probably isn’t a day that goes by that Jet’s GM Joe Douglas doesn’t laugh his ass off whenever the subject of the Seahawks comes up.

Adding even further intrigue into this game is the battle of the two rookie phenom corners in the Jets’ Sauce Gardner and the Seahawks’ Tariq Woolen both battling for DROY. No doubt both players want to show up big in this one, and not be outdone by the other.

Adding even further and further cornerback intrigue into this game is one time Seahawk stud corner DJ Reed who was low balled by John Schneider in free agency last Spring, signed with the Jets, and playing his MF’ing ass off this year. Double no doubt he wants to show Seattle they made the wrong call on him.

Also on the Jets’ roster are former Seahawk offensive tackles Duane Brown and George Fant. I bet they want to stick it to Seattle, as well.

Geno Smith wants revenge but won’t ever say it, DJ Reed wants it too and probably would, Sauce and Tariq want to out do each other, and Robert Saleh wants to end his old boss’s coaching career.. all this Sunday… and each team have EVERYTHING TO PLAY FOR.

Who does not want to watch this game?

Only the most half assed football fan wouldn’t want to watch this one, and that’s fair. I’m a half assed baseball fan.

So, how do I think this will go down?

I have no idea. Both teams are struggling lately, and both teams are more talented in areas where the other team isn’t. This could make for a wacky affair on New Year’s.

Seattle should have the better offense. Geno Smith is a better quarterback than Mike White, I believe. Seattle has better receivers and running back and tight ends, probably. However, Seattle has a struggling offensive line, and the Jets have one of the best defensive lines in the game, especially at defensive tackle.

The Jets have a significantly better defense than Seattle does, but Seattle’s defense feels like it has been playing a bit better lately. While I remain mildly skeptical of how much of a positive turn on this Seahawk defense is actually happening, my gut tells me that they will show up well in this one.

So, I think this game could go down to how well Mike White plays in front of a jacked up Lumen Field crowd, and how well Geno Smith can get back on track against a top defense. Geno struggled badly for a good portion in the game against the 49ers’ stellar defense, but he didn’t have Ken Walker running the ball. If Seattle can get Walker going, I think Geno could snap out of his slight funk.

Make no mistake, though, getting Ken Walker going against this defensive front won’t be easy. We need this Seattle offensive line finding it within themselves to play one of their better games, and we need Walker to be more aggressive about hitting whatever creases he sees. We also need commitment from offensive play caller Shane Waldron to stay with the run enough.

For the Seahawks to win this game, they got to be willing to make this a blood bath. The team that runs better and tackles better wins this game, and the Seahawks truly need to get back to Pete Carroll football to make that happen.

Will they?

I hope so. I want them to. I think they can. They did this two months ago against the New York Football Giants, who are better than the Football Jets.

So, in the end, sure, I will pick them. Why not?

They are playing at home with everything on the line. Now is the time for them to rise, and salvage this once promising playoff season of theirs.

Therefore, I say the Seahawks win this one with a weird 23-19 final score in a very un-pretty but yet totally satisfactory way.. because it will have been a total team effort to get it done.

On a side note; games like this one is projected to be are the biggest reason why I love football. At it’s best, it’s tough, it’s bloody, it’s awful, and thrilling, and thus victory feels well earned, and even the defeat can feel satisfactory.

I expect both teams to lay this one out all on the line, and what a way to kick in New Year’s.

Just get it done, Seahawks. Go get it.

Go Hawks!

As things stand for the Seattle Seahawks and their playoff hopes, they are in a bit of a pickle, to say the least. By analytic models, they presently stand about a thirty percent chance of making the post season, and those numbers will drop considerably if they lose at Kansas City this Saturday.

My guess is that there are probably many Seahawk fans who won’t be that disappointed. After all, Seattle wasn’t expected to be as competitive as they’ve been this year in the eyes of many, and some will argue that losing more games now means higher draft picks in the Spring, and that is ultimately better for the club in the long run.

I get that sentiment, but I can’t get fully behind that. I believe that finishing a season strong is always best for any franchise.

In 2011, the Seattle Seahawks had a losing record but they finished strong enough to make many believe that they were a few pieces away from being a contender in 2012, and that proved true. In 2021, the Seattle Mariners had a magical month of September and narrowly missed the playoffs, but the whole town could see that they were going to be a playoff team in 2022.

I think it would be awesome for these 2022 Seahawks to finish their season in a similar way, especially after a recent lackluster five game stretch of going 1-4 after getting to 6-3 by midseason. In my mind, winning out would mean that there are more answers on this team moving forward than there are questions, and 2023 means that they are just maybe a couple pieces away from being a true contender again.

So, for these very reasons, I think beating the Chiefs on the road, in what is likely the toughest environment in sports this Saturday would be awesome for these Seahawks to achieve. It will not be easy in anyway, shape, or form, and if they can pull it off, this would be the signature win for their season, without question.

Can they do it?

In simple terms, yes, I believe they can, but they most likely need a perfect game. Smart money would not bet on that, as Vegas has the Chiefs as ten point favorites.

To win, Seattle will need to turn the corner on defense with perhaps their starting middle linebacker out, and maybe starting strong safety, as well. Offensively, they will need a stellar game from their pro bowl quarterback Geno Smith, and he will be without Tyler Lockett for the first time this season. They will also need to be able to slow down a pass rush that features Chris Jones on the inside, and Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap on the perimeters. They will also need to take care of the ball in frigid conditions of 10 degrees freezing.

If they do these things, they can stun the football world and beat these Chiefs, absolutely. A key factor in doing this is most likely going to be finding a ground game with a potentially gimpy running back situation. As I weigh that into this complex equation of victory, I find it almost comical how much is against Seattle in this one.

They are battered and struggling, their defensive scheme has not come together particularly well, their offense has fallen off, and they are traveling to a place where really good teams struggle to find wins, and they have to face the best quarterback on the planet in Patrick Mahomes on a ridiculously freezing day of football. Food poisoning would be the likely other shoe to drop in this one.

So, yeah, I’m not going to predict a win for Seattle in this one. If I had to pick a final score, my guess would be 35-24 win by the Chiefs where Geno Smith probably puts up respectable enough numbers again, but the defense does enough keystone cops routines to give the Chiefs an easy win.

But I hope I’m wrong. I really, really super duper hope that.

As a Twelve, what would possibly be a more enjoyable Christmas present than Seattle finding a way to pull off this win?

An fully electric Ford F-150 in 1980’s Seahawk colors would be the only other thing I can personally think of, and I’m pretty sure that I’m not getting that.

So, please, Seattle Seahawks.. pretty please prove me wrong in this one. Go get this win in Kansas City this Saturday.

Go Hawks!

So, I recently got into a back and forth with a friend who said she didn’t mind if the Seattle Seahawks tanked these last remaining games for the opportunity of four picks in the top fifty of next year’s draft. Admittedly, she is likely a much more casual Seahawks fan than I am, after all, it takes a special kind of devotion as a fan to start blog about your favorite team, but regardless, I couldn’t help but be surprised at the casualness of her reasoning.

I have seen other fans out there in Seahawks Twitter-Sphere sorta giving off a similar sentiment. These remarks can often be qualified with a “I don’t really care that much about the Seahawks these days because of the Mariners and Kraken, and I want them to suck so we get high draft picks to build this up right” – type of reasoning.

Here is what I would say the fatal flaw is with this sort of logic. I actually believe that these 2022 Seahawks are more talented than their record is indicating. I think Geno Smith is a pro bowl worthy quarterback, and I think he’s surrounded with enough talent on offense to score enough points to win more games than not. I also believe that while the defense has been bad lately, it actually has better talent on it than is given credit for, but that talent isn’t being matched by the scheme that coaches have been tasking them to run. I personally believe that’s on the coaches to adjust.

Therefore, I believe that it is vital for these Seahawks to finish strong this year so that team ownership knows it has the staff (or head coach) in place next year to build momentum off of, and whatever top five pick that Seattle might select by way of Denver will be properly coached up for success next year. People can think that Pete Carroll’s job is secure, and to many degrees I think that is probably accurate, but if Seattle goes 1-7 in their last eight games after a 6-3 start to the season, can anyone say for certain what Jody Allen might decide to do, especially with Sean Payton out there, or Dan Quinn? I cannot.

I also think it is equally, if not more important, for the returning players in 2023 to feel confident and bought into the program, and not feel like they will be coached by a 72 year old dude potentially on the hot seat, if brought back. Often times, when players sense the axe is near for their coach, they can check out even if it is not necessarily their intentions. Carroll doesn’t have a lot of his old guard with him anymore, and this is largely a new batch of young talent that hasn’t been with him long. Therefore, there’s not the connection to put it on the line for him like maybe there would be with other older vested players.

In my opinion, Pete Carroll doesn’t need the added pressure of going into 2023 with the feeling of playoffs or bust. If this guy is sticking around, I want him feeling the confidence of ownership behind him still, and if they slip to 7-10 to end this season after he had this team at 6-3 at one point, that could feel pretty shaky heading into the off-season, if they decide to bring him back.

Many fans have probably forgotten this storyline by now, but a year ago at this time, right around when Seattle lost to the lowly Chicago Bears at home, there was reports surfacing that Jody Allen was considering moving on from Pete, and the team fancied Dan Quinn as his replacement. Pete Carroll might have well made those reports moot in the following two weeks when Seattle handily beat the Detroit Lions, and then rolled over the Arizona Cardinals to close out the disappointing season with a flourish.

Because I remember these reports, and the feeling of mild euphoria watching Seattle smack the Cardinals down like that in the desert, and thinking that Carroll likely dodged a bullet, I have to be honest and say that part of me believes he might have to dodge a similar bullet this year, as well. That is my gut feeling when I hear thoughts of Seattle losing out.

The NFL stands for Not For Long, and Carroll has been here a looooong time, but if ownership feels like he didn’t do enough to prevent a lackluster slump through the second half of the season, he could be asked to step aside. After all, having a top five pick and a chance to select a rare blue chip player, one would think that ownership would want a coach around who isn’t being perceived as getting stale or out of touch. Selfishly, as a fan of Pete Carroll, I don’t want to see this happen to him.

Another reason why we want these Seahawks ending this show strong is to make key players on this roster want to stick around. Geno Smith has been a tremendously positive story this year in Seattle sports, but if this team continues to fall flat despite good efforts on his part, is he going to want to come back in 2023 if he feels like there is another team out there who is a veteran quarterback away from making a better run?

He is 32, after all, and might be feeling like his window to fulfill his dreams is a short one, and like Russell Wilson last year, doesn’t want to toil with a team that fell short of expectations and couldn’t figure it out. While he is likely tremendously grateful for the opportunity that Carroll gave him, he also needs to be looking at his own best interests now.

What if Tampa moves on from Tom Brady and is going to target Geno to replace him?

Geno Smith is from Miami and Tampa Bay is a heck of a lot closer to home than Seattle is. Tampa also has Vita Vea on defense and some nice receivers on offense.

Even if Seattle does want to look at adding a quarterback in this draft (or the next), the ideal scenario for this team to win next year is for Geno Smith to come back into the fold, and I think Seattle needs to show him his best interests are to remain up here. Anyone arguing against that is either overthinking things, or they are just going to carry it to their graves that Geno Smith isn’t very good even though all of his passing numbers this year say otherwise.

If Pete Carroll is coming back, he is going to want Geno Smith back, and I think that is pretty certain. If he doesn’t come back, then I think, if you are Seattle, you most likely aren’t looking at bringing Geno Smith back with a new head coach. I think you are most likely taking a quarterback next Spring with that very first pick.

If that last sentence perked you up with your coffee, and that is exactly what you want as a Seahawks fan (a new coach and quarterback scenario), I would respond by that with a classic “careful what you ask for” retort.

And let me say this, if you think there’s a better coach out there right now for Seattle other than Pete Carroll, who is it? Are you honestly going to say Dan Quinn or Sean Payton? Stop if you are, and examine, for a moment, all three of those coaches records together, and tell me who has done best in this league.

And yes, I imagine you could throw out a bunch of names of coordinators on winning teams right now, but allow me to remind that, at this time of the year last year, Nathaniel Hackett was a popular name being thrown out by some on Seahawks Twitter as a replacement for Pete. Yeah, that guy in Denver who’s everyone’s favorite boob right now, he was labeled as a bit of a genius last year when he had Aaron Rodgers and DeVante Adams to play call for.

So, sure, maybe this is exactly what a growing number of people want these days for the Seahawks. They want a new coach who will be the next Sean McVay and they want a shiny rookie quarterback who they think will be the next Patrick Mahomes. Good luck with finding either of those guys, though. There is not a Mahomes in this draft class, and there’s not exactly a Sean McVay tree to pluck another Sean McVay from.

Bryce Young from Alabama might be the next Kyler Murray (if you are into short and slight, and twitchy but maybe also potentially injury prone at the next level), and Anthony Richardson from Florida could develop into a Cam Newton type in time. Will Levis and CJ Stroud are both prospects that feel overhyped to me and will probably go in the first round but will struggle to even play up to expectations, as many quarterbacks taken in round one often do.

No, in my mind, the best path forward into 2023 for these Seahawks is to undeniably finish this season strong, and build on that momentum moving into next year. It’s important for this offense to feel like a well oiled machine again, and it’s important for this defense to better turn the corner.

It’s important to lock down their quarterback situation for the foreseeable future, and build around him, in my opinion. You do that by finishing strong, but you risk putting all of that in jeopardy by continuing to struggle and not have answers for it.

These Seattle Seahawks need these next three games to find answers. They don’t need to win all three of these games, or even sneak into the playoffs, but they need figure things out on both sides of the ball, and yes, I get that it won’t be easy with the Chiefs and Jets remaining and being without Tyler Lockett. Tough, a lot of teams are down key players now.

This is a great opportunity for them to finish strong, and truly show that they are on the positive way up instead of continuing to dwindle around in the inertia of subpar scheming, and bad discipline and fundamentals. This is the time for the coordinators to show that they can get it together, and for the players to prove they can carry it out.

Maybe the loss of Lockett forces Shane Waldron to devise more creative ways with mixing the run with the pass again, and we see better offensive balance, and execution. Maybe now Clint Hurtt adjusts his defense more into players strengths again up front instead of asking Poona Ford to be something he isn’t. Maybe now DK Metcalf won’t lose his poise at critical times in games. Maybe now Darrell Taylor won’t jump offsides in his opportunities to pass rush.

These are some of the things Seattle should look to do in these games. I could make a longer list, but the point has been made enough. I think Seattle lost games in this last month that they should have won. You can say that I’m being harsh, but Pete Carroll would say it the same way, and basically has.

What is in the past is in the past, though. Now it is in front of them to seize the opportunity to still make this season close out in the right way. Play hard, play strong, play smart, and let the chips fall where they may.

I think it is possible for them to still make a decent go at it, and push for the playoffs. I believe that is out there for them, and whether or not they get into the post season is immaterial in my mind. What’s important is that they close this out with a feeling that 2023 is going to be special instead of another pile of who-the-fuck-knows with this team.

I want to wake up the morning after that last game against the Rams feeling like “oh hell yes, we are onto something special for next year.” That’s the feeling I want most of the Twelves to feel, and I’m sure that the team wants that, as well.

So, yeah. I think finishing strong is hugely important. I think it’s vital.

Go Hawks.

For over a decade, up until this year, there was one certainty about the Seattle Seahawks. No matter what their struggles and issues were, they could count on at least splitting the season series with the San Fransisco 49ers if not sweeping it.

But things are very different this year with these Seahawks. By switching away from a defense rooted in 4-3 that Pete Carroll has run for decades into a 3-4 rooted defense modeled after the one that Vic Fangio has always ran, I believe Seattle has moved away from a defense that, for all the complaints from fans that it’s gathered in recent years, was always a pretty good against Kyle Shanahan’s exotic, run it at you, style of offense.

Pete Carroll should take a big long look at the team that just came into Lumen Field and whooped his team, 21-13, on Thursday Night Football. Their offense is committed to a great running attack to which their quarterback can make easy play action passes off of to receivers. Their defense is truly dominant and complete.

It should deeply stick into his mind that this dominant 49er defense has been modeled after his famous Super Bowl defenses. They play a similar 4-3 defense that can suffocate the run, and can rush with four.

Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa are jacked up versions of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. Their linebackers are lightening quick, and they play a zone coverage very similarly to the infamous LOB. They keep plays in front of them, and they force turnovers by getting to the ball quickly.

Pete Carroll is likely going to have a top three pick in this year’s draft by way of Denver in the Russell Wilson trade. If they cannot pull out a couple more wins in these last three games, Seattle might have another pick within the top ten-ish of the draft, as well, with their own pick.

With Geno Smith’s game coming a bit more back to Earth in recent weeks, there is surely going to be a contingent of Twelves clamoring for Seattle to draft a quarterback with one of these two first round picks. In my opinion, if Pete Carroll wants to get this team into championship contention sooner rather than later, both of those picks should go to the defensive line, if possible; one inside pass rusher, and one more edge rusher.

In my mind, there is no reason for Seattle not to bring Geno Smith back next year, and this disappointing result against San Francisco to which he had no support of a run game (again) did nothing to dissuade my thinking. I think they should look to extend him long term, and build this thing rightly around him. That starts with this defense, and it’s not just a matter of drafting Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, and maybe Texas edge rusher Tyree Wilson.

I believe that Pete Carroll should go back to his 4-3 scheme that puts big men in gaps and allowed linebackers and defensive backs to cleanup and make plays. I’m not the only one who feels this way, too.

Richard Sherman is becoming outspoken about it, and KJ Wright has, as well. Both former players are close to Carroll and the team, and they see the obvious. Clint Hurtt’s 3-4 cannot stop the run with the players on this roster, and, in my opinion, there’s no guarantee it will greatly improve next year with a couple high picks being thrown at it.

Watching this game against the 49ers and contrasting these two defenses spells it out to me. San Fransisco committed a big man in each gap and while Seattle would leave a big gap exposed for a linebacker to fill against blockers sixty or more pounds heavier.

Thus, Seattle had a difficult time getting the run game going again, while San Fransisco could lean into theirs anytime they wanted to, and were almost toying with Seattle’s defense by getting Brock Purdy and their pass game going. When they needed to do it, San Fransisco ran with ease at the most important times in this game.

Yeah, in my mind, Pete Carroll needs to dump this 3-4 experiment, and get back to what he knows best. I don’t even envision another scenario for this team right now.

With the players on this roster, I believe if they shifted back to it, we would likely see significantly better results. Poona Ford could go back to playing a slanted nose, Shelby Harris could play a decent 3 technique, and Quinton Jefferson could play his natural 5 tech spot with Uchenna Nwuso as the main rush end, and I believe we would see better results up front. Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton would be freed to run and hit instead of tangling with guards in their grills.

This is the place that I have squarely landed with on this team now through fourteen games. They have a veteran quarterback who can make all the throws, who knows this offense inside and out, and is fully capable of leading it (especially when it has had a run game going), but they have a defense that doesn’t look like anything close to being one that is capable of stopping the run, and if you can’t do that, you can’t do much in this league.

And the thing of it is, the Kyle Shanahan San Fransisco 49ers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. After watching how well Brock Purdy played in this offense, I sense that they have found their quarterback of the future as well as the present. I suspect next year, after whatever playoff run they make, Jimmy Garoppolo seeks a starter gig elsewhere, and it wouldn’t shock me if Trey Lance is traded to a team with an aging quarterback who they want him to be groomed behind. I kinda think, after this small sample size, Purdy looks that much like the real deal in this 49er offense, and we will see as the season continues and the playoffs begin.

So, if Seattle wants to get back to winning games against the 49ers again real fast, I believe they better make this switch on defense and load it up. People can talk about Seattle having this rare opportunity to draft a quarterback high, but let’s think about how rare it is to draft a total stud defensive tackle, or game wrecking edge rusher.

As for this TNF game against San Fransisco, many will say that Seattle handled themselves admirably in the face of a far superior opponent, and I get that. I think that’s fair.

Geno Smith held in tough while getting sacked three times, and hit nine more times. As was the game against the Panthers, he found his rhythm late and made a run at it, and his overall efficiency numbers were decent enough.

Ken Walker III tried as he could to get going as a runner, but didn’t seem a hundred percent to my sees, and he had very little holes to run through, as the 49er defensive front completely had their way with the Seattle OL (another familiar them lately). That said, he found his positive plays as a runner and a pass catcher as the game went on.

Still, while there were moments where Geno found rhythm, and got the offense going, things stalled by crucial mistakes, like a critical Travis Homer fumble that led to more 49er points, and DK Metcalf doing nobody any favors by being flagged twice for 15 and 10 yards apiece. You cannot play against a tough defense like that, and expect to pull yourself out of it by making these sorts of mistakes, yet somehow, Seattle still found a way to make it competitive in the end.

This tells me that Seattle’s talent is not all together that bad. I don’t believe that it is being helped with the scheme on defense, and I don’t think it’s talented enough on offense to overcome its own mistakes. In order for the Seahawks to win now, they need to be near perfect on offense, and the need to seize the few opportunities on defense they can get like an easy interception opportunity that Quandre Diggs dropped that could have turned the game in flavor of Seattle.

Therefore, instead of feeling overwhelming anger of Seattle kinda shooting themselves in the foot during a game where maybe they could have sneaked out a win against a better divisional opponent, I feel a stronger sense of clarity as to what the path is moving forward for these Seahawks to become a true contender again. They are, as follows.

Keeping Geno Smith and committing to him as the next franchise quarterback. This doesn’t dissuade drafting and developing a quarterback behind him (cough, couch Michael Penix Junior in 2024), but it does mean keeping the continuity of a decent offense together, and giving yourself the gift of stability at the most important position on the team with a guy who has proven he can run it well enough.

Going back to Pete Carroll’s traditional 4-3. Carroll knows it, and can easily adjust it as needed, and with offenses becoming more run centric in this league again, I suspect 4-3 defenses will become the better way to go once again. Plus, this defense better fits the talent on the roster.

Get a veteran upgrade at center and add a guard. If Seattle does one splashier move in free agency this Spring after bringing on Geno Smith into the fold, I think they should reward him with an upgrade and a longer term solution at center. This position has been a revolving door for seemingly forever. Let’s stop that. Seattle’s interior offensive line is making things way too easy for defensive tackles, lately. I think a high second round pick in the draft should absolutely be spent on a guard, as well.

Use those top two picks on defensive linemen if possible. Go get a good young defensive tackle and another edge rusher. Maybe even double dip at defensive tackle in the second or third round. Stop making me envious of San Fransisco’s deep defensive line rotation, and build it up right here. I think Seattle has the right young corners now. I still like Quandre Dings at safety, and they can either bring Ryan Neal back at the other safety spot or try to roll with Jamal Adams again (or maybe they even move him to linebacker), but if they do not seize the opportunity to draft DL with their high picks next Spring, that’s going to feel like a massive bummer. If there is one consolation prize for maybe missing the playoffs now, it is the opportunity to draft higher and grab more DL. Make no mistake, this is the biggest position area of NEED for this team right now.

Get another work horse back to mix in with Walker. K9 has been a fun story this year and will likely become a fan favorite on this team for years to come. His rare lateral moves and home run speed is that special, but I also believe Seattle needs more at running back, and I was surprised that they didn’t do more to bring another one in after they lost Rashaad Penny for the season. I believe that a big plan of theirs was to feature both backs. They could still bring Penny back next year, but given his injury history, they need more. When Carroll was at USC, he had Reggie Bush, and LenDale White. Bush was the flashy playmaker and White was the work horse banger who did the heavy lifting. I think Seattle needs to get back to that model. I don’t care if it’s through free agency or draft but adding a guy who can be the “thunder” to K9’s “lightening” feels vital to me moving forward into next year, and I’m kinda bummed they didn’t make this move this year in season before the trade deadline.

Outside of that, I really hope Pete Carroll can rally these guys and give us a fun close out to this season. I’m not super hopeful for a win next week in Kansas City, but if we can close out the year with wins against the Jets and Rams, and get to 9-8 with a chance at one of the final playoff spots, I think that would be a lot of fun, and it would still make this season feel special.

After all, Seattle just played and lost a meaningful game in December that had playoff implications. Before this season started, few predicted that to even be a scenario, and yet here it is. Now, I just want my team to end this year on a positive flourish. I think they deserve that.

That would be a perfect Holiday present for the likes of me, as well.

Go Hawks.

My Dearest Seattle Seahawks,

I know this last month of football has been a tough one for you. It’s been a tough one for me, as well.

I just want you to know, once again, that I am one of your biggest, bestest, most true blue fans out there. I emotionally ride and die with you every football week, and you are the only team I follow devotedly through each and every off-season. I have been doing this since 1983.

You see, I remember who Sam Merriman was, and how many Seahawk bloggers can throw that name out there?

Yup, Imma middle aged dork who has next to no life outside of being a fan of yours. I’ve created this blog entirely for my devotion towards you, and yes, I do understand just how creepy that sounds typing it out, but it is what it is. I am here for you, always.. and forever.

So, look, I know that y’all have been having a lousy time stopping the run for the past four games. I mean, honestly, I haven’t seen a run defense this bad in Seattle in probably twenty years or so, and I have certainly never see a Pete Carroll defense so easily gashed apart like this.

Having said that, I got a big ask. I mean, it’s a biggie.

Please beat the stinking 49ers this Thursday night. I just really need this one.

Without spilling into all of the details, I’ve had a tough month. My hopes for you guys making a playoff push in December has been kinda one of the things holding it together for me, and seeing you drop this last game against Carolina the way you did was a pretty tough swallow, if I am being completely honest.

So I just think a really awesome remedy for that would be to go out onto the field Thursday night at Lumen when nobody is expecting it, and you just stun the 49ers on National TV. That would be awesome for all of us Twelves.

At this stage of the season, I am not expecting miracles that you are going to turn your defense into some dominant group and win out with it, but I would just love to see it show up like it did in October against the Cardinals and Chargers and Giants. I would love to see you get into the playoffs, but really, I would honestly just take you beating this one team, if you only have one win left in you for this season.

I still believe you have it in you to win more than one more game, but I have to be protective with my expectations now. I hope you understand that. Shame on me once for thinking you would bury the Bucs, shame on me twice for thinking you would do it to the Raiders, as well. Shame on me thrice for thinking you would handle the Panthers.

I can’t deal with anymore shame. So now, I’m just resorting to begging on the internet.

Please, pretty please take it to these punky 49ers. When they come rolling in with that fancy shmancy ground game, please just smack them in the chops.

Everyone loves this Brock Purdy guy now, but Geno Smith is the real deal in the NFC West, and on national television, it would be great to remind everyone about that again. Please give Geno more of a run game, and please have Geno play is ass off in this one, guiding us to victory over this awful bitter foe (who were named after a bunch of murderous greedy white dudes in the 1800’s who killed a lot of Native Americans, by the by).

But please, for the love of everything Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril, if anything, please play your asses off on defense. Get fired up! Know how Kyle Shanahan is going to attack you, and have answers! Show the world your want to!

Bow up, and dig deep, and play big boy football for all four full quarters, and don’t let up. Pretty please, do this.

I want to see your corners hitting and tackling like linebackers, and I want to see your linebackers hit like eighty mile an hour freight trains, and I want to see your defensive tackles destroy their blockers.

Go get it done.

If you do this, and pull this off, the season is still yours for the taking. The momentum off of this sort of win can carry your forward into more victories. You can make the playoffs, and still maybe win this division.

It can be there for you, but you gotta make it happen. So, please do this.

A win against the 49ers will clear the stink away from the losses to the Panthers and Raiders. You would be 8-6 and you would have a nice break to heal up for the final three games.

So, pretty, pretty please get mean, get ready to stun the world this Thursday night, and beat these 49ers.

Pretty please, do it.

Hugs, and go Hawks!

Curtis Eastwood