When the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, I thought we were looking at the next great dynasty.
They had a VERY young team at the time. Offensively the Seahawks were led by a second-year QB in Russell Wilson, and Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch toting the rock out of the backfield. Defensively, not only was their young defense coming into its own, it was one of the best the NFL has seen.
Michael Bennett rushing the passer. Malcolm Smith winning the MVP with a dominant performance. And most of all, a an even more dominant young defensive backfield led by Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas called “The Legion of Boom”.
The following year the Seahawks returned to the Super Bowl to defend its title against the New England Patriots.
They were on the Patriots’ 1 yard line after Beast Mode gained four yards on first and goal with one time out. The clock was down to 26 seconds. All Seattle needed was a touchdown to win. Logic dictated that Beast Mode would get the ball.
We all knew what happened next. (And I’m not going to mention it because I am STILL in therapy thanks to that dumbass call for a pass play)
The Patriots would go on to win, and the Seahawks’ dynasty would be placed on hold, but we figured they’ll be back in the big game. However, the defensive players eventually turned on head coach Pete Carroll and the offensive coaching staff, and on Wilson and the other offensive players. The Seahawks would return to the playoffs the following season, only to have an early exit at the hands of the Carolina Panthers.
The thought of the Seahawks returning to prominence seemed to be slipping away. And given Seattle’s latest roster moves, that promise of a dynasty will never be fulfilled.
Seattle traded Bennett and a 7th round pick to the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles for 5th round pick and a seldom used wide receiver. Later the team is released Sherman (who in turn signed with the arch-rival San Francisco 49ers).
Never had I thought the Seahawks would be looking to rebuild what was a dominant defense like they are now. It seems like only a matter of time they will part ways with Chancellor and Thomas. As a result, the Seahawks are now on paper the worst team in their own division.
I didn’t think the Seahawks would go out like this. I thought they’d have at least two more Super Bowl wins before they faded back to the pack. Their fall from the top of the mountain is now worthy of a future “30 for 30” feature.
And it all started when they refused to give Beast Mode the rock from the one yard line…
Categories: NFL
Leave a Reply