Seahawks having issues going into season?
The Seattle Seahawks are going to reach the playoffs. Anything less than another postseason appearance would be stunning, considering both the talent on the roster and the rest of the NFC West.
Seattle has not missed the playoffs since Russell Wilson showed up as a rookie in 2012. In the years since, the Seahawks have made two Super Bowl appearances and won a championship. However, things are starting to appear a bit frayed for one of the NFL’s model franchises.
After an offseason rife with trade rumors surrounding star cornerback Richard Sherman, there was talk about Sherman’s relationship with Wilson, who he reportedly still chides about his game-losing interception in Super Bowl XLIX. Then there are the looming questions about whether or not this is the final season in Seattle for strong safety Kam Chancellor and tight end Jimmy Graham, both of whom are playing out contract years.
Over the weekend, Sherman tried to take one of those problems off the table, telling Josina Anderson of ESPN his feelings toward Wilson.
“We’re pros. We hang out from time to time. We get along. Everybody gets along,” Sherman told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “But is my relationship with Russell the same as it is with Doug [Baldwin]? Or the same as it is with Bobby [Wagner]? No. But is his relationship with me the same as it is with Noe [Tyler Lockett] or [Justin] Britt? It’s just different dynamics. But as teammates, we’re phenomenal.”
If the Seahawks want to make another charge at a championship, the nonsense has to go away. Sherman, Wilson and their other teammates don’t have to eat dinner together. They can get to the facility, put in the proper work and go home. These are people who work with each other making a living, the same as the normal American with the stark differences being paycheck and profile.
The roster is in place for another Lombardi Trophy. The Seahawks have an elite quarterback in his prime and a trio of quality weapons in Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett and Graham. The offensive line remains a serious concern, although Seattle was able to navigate that on its way to the NFC Divisional round last year as the NFC’s third seed.
Defensively, Earl Thomas returns after a nasty broken leg, surrounded in the secondary by Chancellor and Sherman, a pair of All-Pros. The front seven is bursting at the seams with Michael Bennett, K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner, Frank Clark and others. Add in the experience, and the Seahawks are one of the more dangerous teams in football.
But none of it matters if Seattle can’t squelch its differences and play as a team.
