Sweezo wrote:I'm suddenly very pessimistic about the team's chances this year. The only thing that really matters is the first team offense, and we have looked inept. I did not think we would be able to outperform some teams like the Bills and Bengals for Andre Luck, but it looks like I may have been wrong.
With you. If we lose to the 49ers on the road to open the season, and then lose to the Cards at home a few weeks later, then we're officially in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, as I see a high probability of an 0-5 start to the season. I just can't see us beating Pittsburgh or the Giants on the road, or Atlanta at home during the first 5 games with our QB situation, and our way-too-young-and-inexperienced offensive line. If we do start out 0-5, then a 2-14, 3-13, or 4-12 season seems a distinct possibility.
My fellow Seahawk fans, I think it's going to be important for our mental health to find some healthy way to psychologically orient ourselves to the coming season.
If it does get ugly record-wise in the first half of the season, if we do fall out of contention in the NFC West by the midpoint of the season, what might we look positively towards in regards to the future so that we don't implode into disinterest?
I think these things might help us out:
1) A high draft pick to secure our future franchise QBI must say that it is as clear as the sun in the Sahara Desert that we take care of this need in the next draft. It is by far our number one consolation prize for a terrible record this season should it happen. The question all season that will be in the back of my mind is how bad of a record will we need, how high of a draft pick will we need to get that potential franchise QB for the future?
I will admit to already looking at mock drafts and scouting reports for the 2012 draft in trying to discern how many potential franchise QB's will be in this upcoming draft, what teams will be looking to draft a QB, and where we will need to be in the draft order to obtain one of them. Andrew Luck is a given. How many others are there? 1, 2, or 3 more? I have no idea as of yet.
This will be the chief subplot as the season progresses, it seems to me. The fact is that with the parity that exists in the NFL today, and all the year-to-year player movement, having a very good to great QB will always keep your team on the radar screen for playoff contention. We've GOT to get that potential franchise QB this off-season. No ands ifs or buts about it. It's as simple as that. If we went 2-14, 3-13, or 4-12 and got the top pick in the draft, I would look upon such a hideous season record-wise as a blessing.
2) The hope of several good young players solidified as starters for some years to comeWe're a very young team relative to the rest of the league. There is hope in this. Such players as these offer some real hope in this regard:
--Earl Thomas (S)
--Russell Okung (LT)
--Sidney Rice (WR)
--John Moffitt (RG)
--Kam Chancellor (S)
--Max Unger (C)
--Walter Thurmond (CB)
--Chris Carpenter (RT)
--KJ Wright (LB)
--Doug Baldwin (WR)
These are 10 young players who have a chance to accomplish this feat this year. If 8 out of 10 end up doing so, that would be great.
3) The slow and steady development of a solid and proficient offensive lineThis dovetails with #2. If we are going to get that that potential franchise QB in the next year's draft, then it is imperative that we will be able to pass protect for him, and give him a solid running game. It would be great to see at least 3 out of 4 of our young OLmen (Okung, Unger, Moffitt, Carpenter) showing strong signs that they will be able to man the front for some years to come.
4) To be able to clearly identify at season's end the positions (besides QB) that we will need to address with our resources to become a playoff team, and that hopefully the list won't be as long as it is now.It would be great if these areas showed signs of being solid for some years to come, or at least not of urgent concern in our need to address with a high draft pick or lots of FA money:
--safety
--wide receiver
--tight end
--offensive line
It would be nice to be able to focus upon these areas besides QB with our best resources:
--defensive end (a young and strong pass rusher)
--cornerback (a young lock-down defender)
These areas seem at this time seem to be slightly less of a concern for next off-season, but would always be great to upgrade:
--running back
--linebacker
--defensive tackle
5) If the season is bad, will we retain faith in coaching staff and general management?It can always get ugly in this regard. Coaches can find themselves on the hot seat quicker than you might have expected. If PC and his staff can maintain a positive feeling through this season, and a constructive and convincing faith in the future prospects of the team in spite of a down year, that would be a big positive. It would be painful to have to go through another regime change, or to have to deal with all the calls for one.
That's kind of how I see things as of now for this coming season. I see us somewhere between being in the Andrew-Luck-sweepstakes, and being a 5-6 win team at present. I would be quite surprised in retrospect if we ended up being a 7 or 8 win team. I look at the schedule and just can't for the life of me come up with 7-8 potential wins, and I'm not sure I can come up with 5-6 wins either.
Our best hope, it seems to me, is to have a down year record-wise, get that potential franchise QB in the draft, see a bunch of positions get nailed down with young talent, whittle our draft and FA needs down to a more palatable amount, and to do this all without that feeling that our franchise is stuck in the mud without much hope for becoming a division favorite, let alone a Super Bowl contender in the years to come.
