Since Pete Carroll became the head coach of The Seattle Seahawks in
2010, they have been one of the most exciting teams in The National
Football League. In Carroll’s first two seasons in The Pacific
Northwest, The Seahawks only had a 14-18 regular season record, but they
won The NFC West in 2010 with a shocking record of 7-9. After ten games
this season, Seattle’s record is 6-4, but Carroll knows that it will
take more than seven victories to qualify for the postseason this year
especially since The NFC West is no longer the whipping boy to The NFL.
Longtime
Seahawks such as Matt Hasselbeck, Walter Jones, and Lofa Tatupu who
helped The Seahawks make their only Super Bowl appearance in 2005 have
made way for a new squad that has been built in Carroll’s image. From
2001 to 2009, Carroll was the head coach of The USC Trojans and he sent a
plethora of talent to The NFL including Green Bay Packers outside
linebacker Clay Matthews and Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush.
Unlike most coaches that leave the college game, Carroll had previous
stints in the NFL as he was the head coach of The New York Jets and The
New England Patriots. Now Carroll has brought his pro experience and his
collegiate experience together to give The Seahawks a tremendous
combination.
With a completely overhauled roster, The Seahawks
lead The NFL in transactions since Carroll became the team’s head coach
and executive vice president. Carroll’s teams at USC were full of
athletes and the same can be said of The Seahawks. Seattle is home to
the largest secondary in The NFL. Cornerback Brandon Browner is 6’4″.
Cornerback Richard Sherman is 6’3″. Strong safety Kam Chancellor is
6’3″. Free safety Earl Thomas is the little guy of the bunch at 5’11”.
Everyone in the secondary made The Pro Bowl last season with the
exception of Thomas. The unit has been dubbed “The Legion of Boom”
because like Method Man they “Bring The Pain”. Carroll saw the need to
have tall corners to combat the height of elite receivers in The NFL
such as Calvin Johnson of The Detroit Lions and Larry Fitzgerald of The
Arizona Cardinals. Carroll drafted impact players in last April’s NFL
Draft as well.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was drafted in the
third round while Carroll shocked everyone by taking defensive end Bruce
Irvin in the first round when he was pegged by most scouts as being a
potential third-round pick. Linebacker Bobby Wagner went undrafted out
of Utah State and the former Aggie leads The Seahawks in tackles through
ten games with 81. In 2010, Carroll was able to sucker The Buffalo
Bills as he acquired running back Marshawn Lynch for a fourth and
fifth-round pick. Since Lynch has come to Seattle, “Beast Mode” has been
born as he runs over defenders with regularity. Lynch’s best run came
in The 2010 NFC Wild Card Game when he broke nine tackles en route to a
67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to clinch Seattle’s 41-36
upset victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.
Of
the 53 players that make up Seattle’s roster, 16 players come from
Pac-12 schools including three USC Trojans in tight end Anthony McCoy
and linebackers Mike Morgan and Malcolm Smith. Carroll coached against
the other Pac-12 players on the roster while they were in college and
being that The City of Seattle is in Pac-12 country, The Seahawks have
the feel of a college team. The team plays at CenturyLink Field which is
home to “The 12th Man” and it is one of the noisiest stadiums in The
NFL as it is difficult for opponents to play in as the fans take pride
in opponent’s false start penalties. The stadium ranks right up there
with those 90,000 seat stadiums that you frequently find in college
football.
The Seahawks have a quarterback that is shedding the
image of him only being a college quarterback in Wilson. At 5’11”, 206
lbs., Wilson doesn’t have the look of a prototypical NFL quarterback,
but that isn’t stopping him from being effective. Wilson has thrown 15
touchdowns to only 8 interceptions. Of Wilson’s six victories on the
season, two have come over Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in Tom Brady
of The Patriots and Aaron Rodgers of The Green Bay Packers. Wilson has
shown poise beyond his years as he earned the starting job out of
training camp over Matt Flynn who is the most expensive backup
quarterback in The NFL as he was expected to be the starting quarterback
in Seattle after signing a three-year, $19.5 million contract in the
offseason.
If the regular season ended today, The Seahawks would
earn the last playoff spot in The NFC as they would be on the road
against their division-rival in The San Francisco 49ers. Although they
lost to The Niners in Week 7 by a score of 13-6, Seattle is only 1.5
games behind them for first place in The NFC West. Seattle has lost to
all three divisional foes this season, but each game was on the road and
now The 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and St. Louis Rams must all travel to
CenturyLink Field where one of the best home-field advantages in
football will be on display. It would be good for The Seahawks to win
The NFC West because they would earn a home playoff game where they have
won five consecutive games in the playoffs. but with the strong running
of Lynch, the elusiveness of Wilson, and the shooting guards in the
secondary, this team has the ability to go on the road and win a playoff
game as well which makes them a team that nobody wants to see come
January in the playoffs.
Leave A Comment