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THE SECOND SEASON

What have we learned about the Seattle Seahawks over the past sixteen games?

We have seen a team that is both outstanding and inept. We have seen a team that can take on the best the NFL has to offer, and we have seen a team that couldn’t beat some of the league’s worst teams on the road. We have seen the best and the worst that this team has to offer and nobody really knows which team they are going to see on any given Sunday.

This is not the dominating team that ripped through the NFL two years ago, yet this year’s team is better in certain aspects, particularly on defense. This year’s defense is good enough to carry this team to the Super Bowl, if they manage to show up each week. Sunday’s performance, while not as bad as past weeks and excused somewhat by the simple fact that Seattle had nothing tangible to play for, was disturbing nevertheless. Giving up 44 points to one of the league’s worst teams is never a good sign, regardless of circumstances.

To Seattle’s credit, nobody seems to be making excuses for Sunday’s loss. Players such as Patrick Kerney and Deon Grant have gone on record stating their disgust with the defensive performance against Atlanta. One has to feel that Seattle’s defense will come out swinging against Washington this weekend. It must also be said that Seattle’s offense looked good for the most part when Matt Hasselbeck was under center and that both Alexander and Morris ran well. Next Saturday’s game against the Redskins is no gimme by any stretch, but it is a game that the Seahawks should win, particularly at home.

Then again, if this year’s team has taught us anything, it’s that you never know what to expect. At its best, Seattle could go toe-to-toe with any team in the NFC. At its worst, they are perfectly capable of dropping next Saturday’s wild card game. Therein lies the problem.

While it’s true that the New England Patriots have made everyone in the league look bad by comparison, Super Bowl caliber teams tend to play better than the Seahawks have been playing. They are more consistent, take better advantage of opportunities, and play with a confidence that the game is theirs and their opponents have no say in the matter. That was the kind of team that the Seahawks took to Detroit two years ago. It’s the kind of team New England has now. This year’s Seahawks? Not so much.

Is it too late for the Seahawks to get themselves together? Of course not. They are still playing. They are one of 12 teams with a shot at Arizona in February. And at times this season they have displayed all of the characteristics of a championship team. We’ve seen the swagger, the opportunism, etc. What we have yet to see is any hint of consistency, however, particularly on the road. Sunday’s loss means nothing in terms of Seattle’s playoff position, but for a team that will likely have to win two road games to make the Super Bowl, the last thing they needed was to drop two road games on the way into the playoffs.

Yet in the final analysis, none of this matters anymore. The regular season is done and in the playoffs all bets are off. New England could drop their first playoff game. A team—Seattle perhaps?—could come out of nowhere to win the Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks are the #3 seed, which gives them one home game and a possibility of hosting an NFC Championship. It will have to do. The question is whether this year’s Seahawks are up to the challenge. A win against the Falcons, even with nothing to play for, couldn’t have hurt their chances. A loss, therefore, could not have helped them.

Seattle escaped Sunday’s game without serious injury, which was priority #1 a year after seeing two of their top three cornerbacks go down in another meaningless finale. Yet they have yet to show that they can play at a consistently high level. This team has the talent to go all the way but is plagued by the kind of mistakes that can kill them in a season where there are no more second chances.

If this year’s Seahawks are ever going to play up to their full potential, it’s now time.

Random Thoughts on Week Seventeen:

• The 12th Man lost one of its charter members this past Friday. Dick Hammond, “Mama Blue’s” husband, passed away Friday afternoon. Please keep the Hammond family in your thoughts and prayers this week.

• It’s hard to picture a feistier NFL kicker than Josh Brown. Not only did Brown make two special teams tackles on Sunday, but taunted DeAngelo Hall to his face after the second one. The fact that Brown nailed two 50+ yard field goals was also good to see. (The fact that Brown had to make two special teams tackles was not, however. The Seahawks’ kick coverage unit has been woefully inadequate all season long.)

• Both Shaun Alexander and Maurice Morris have been running harder over the past few weeks, a good sign heading into the playoffs. Regardless, the Seahawks should just go ahead and remove the toss sweep to Shaun from their playbooks. They try it about once per game. It never works. Take a hint.

• The sudden appearance of D. J. Hackett, Josh Wilson, and Ray Willis was a very pleasant surprise. Willis in particular looked comfortable at right guard. If he continues to develop this offseason he should have a decent shot at locking down a starting job on the line, particularly if Sean Locklear leaves via free agency.

• It’s been said many times before, but Bobby Engram has put together one outstanding season and has been one of the most vital components of this team’s success. He deserved a Pro Bowl nomination. He also deserves Comeback Player of the Year honors. Let’s hope he has a few more good years left in him.