SEATTLE — The message on a cinder-block wall outside the Seattle Seahawks’ locker room anoints Lumen Field the “Home of the loudest fans in the NFL,” and in celebrating a victory Sunday afternoon, the players inside must have been determined to make their music match the noise of nearly 70,000 people. As the speakers quaked and made face-to-face conversations inaudible, it felt as though the energy of a rising, surprising team thumped along with the bass.
Once the Seahawks let go, they were free to take flight
Before the preseason, the Seahawks seemed a logical candidate to be among the NFL’s worst teams. In March, they acquiesced to Russell Wilson’s trade preference and dealt him to the Denver Broncos. They released another longtime star, linebacker Bobby Wagner, the same day. After clinging to a championship era for too long, they cut the remaining ties to their past with one stunning chop. When Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Schneider declined to use the term “rebuilding,” they seemed to be in denial.
Now, eight weeks into this odd and lackluster NFL season, the Seahawks are providing reason to appreciate the sport. They don’t have Wilson, but they have a 5-3 record and first-place status in the NFC West. They have Geno Smith, Wilson’s backup for three seasons, displaying some of the toughest and most efficient quarterback play in the league. They have a charming ensemble of precocious youths and disregarded veterans combining to transform a franchise that had become stale.
As the first half of this season has shown, the Seahawks weren’t stale because of their methods. They just needed to have the courage to let go. Once they did, it enabled the organization — which has been one of the NFL’s most stable since late owner Paul Allen poached Mike Holmgren from Green Bay in 1999 — to regenerate. Their new vibe is a familiar one. The personnel is full of fresh faces, but the philosophies are mostly the same. At an accelerated pace, they are showing signs of becoming an updated version of what they’ve always been during the dozen years Carroll and Schneider have been in charge.
Carroll, 71 going on 31, considered a question after his team’s 27-13 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday: Is coaching this team the most fun you’ve had? It was a big question for a man who could turn taking out the garbage into a joyful experience.
“I’ve had fun over the years,” he said. “This is really special. This is a very special opportunity right now. It’s been because of all of the hype and the circumstances and all that, and the challenge of it and the doubting and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, I like this challenge. I like this whole thing. I’ve liked it from the start.”
After rambling for a bit, he allowed himself one moment to clap back at his detractors.
“You know, all the people that doubt,” Carroll began. “Like: ‘We run the ball too much. You don’t understand football. And he can’t stay up with the new game.’ And all that kind of stuff, that’s a bunch of crap, I’m telling you. Look, we’re doing fine. We’re all right. We’re improving day in and day out.”
The Seahawks have won three straight games. After ranking close to the bottom of the league on defense the first five games, they have put together strong defensive performances during this winning streak. On offense, Smith has completed 72.7 percent of his passes, thrown 13 touchdown passes and just three interceptions and posted an all-pro-caliber passer rating of 107.2. Rookie running back Kenneth Walker III is a star. The receiver tandem of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett continues to be among the NFL’s best. Rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas started immediately and look like linchpins. Beyond that, the Seahawks have an array of offensive players who embrace their roles, including three quality tight ends who add a new dimension for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
“I think the biggest thing is that it is amazing what we can accomplish when nobody cares who gets the credit,” Lockett said.
Lockett wasn’t taking a shot at Wilson. He was repeating a cliche he learned from his high school basketball coach. Although it’s inevitable that every facet of this season in Seattle will be measured against the Seahawks’ decision to trade Wilson, they aren’t obsessed with him. They’re consumed with making their own mark. Tension defined the end of the Wilson era as the quarterback applied pressure to not just keep winning but to follow his differing vision for winning. Now the Seahawks are again playing that loose, competitive style Carroll inspires.
No matter the circumstances, it can feel much more burdensome to maintain success than to start anew. Upkeep is a chore. But the Seahawks are in a building phase now. And it’s not the rebuilding that they resisted. They have a chance to be the rare team that can bridge eras without prolonged suffering. And this initial success may not stunt their potential to grow through the draft because they’re still set to receive first- and second-round picks in the 2023 draft from Denver. Considering the work the front office did in putting together a stellar rookie class that includes Walker, the tackles and cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant, the extra assets add even more hope.
Of course, the Seahawks are a two-game losing streak from being another meandering NFL team. They know that. But when celebrating, they don’t bask. They’re using it to fortify their confidence so they can keep growing.
When asked about the Seahawks’ current level of belief, safety Quandre Diggs interjected: “It’s crazy you say ‘the belief we have now.’ We’ve always believed.”
Said Lockett: “When you look at this team that we have, we have a bunch of guys that are willing to buy in. When you look at the rookie class, they probably haven’t said 500 words since they’ve been here. They just put their head down and work.”
Carroll has a way of making success contagious. More than any other NFL coach, he specializes in accentuating the individual and using positive coaching to fuel players in an extraordinary manner. When his teams believe, they often go to another level. The Seahawks may not be as good as they’ve shown the past three weeks, but chances are they aren’t going away.
This weird season has given them an opening to buck convention. They appear hellbent on capitalizing.
“I know that it’s kind of been an alert: ‘What’s going on here? What are these guys doing? How is this happening?’ ” Carroll said. “They’re hanging together, and they’re playing together, and they know that they can improve, and they know that there’s areas in their football that they can get better. There’s just nobody satisfied at all, and it’s a great feeling.”
It’s a new feeling. It’s a familiar one, too.
Source: WP
