If you have any doubt that the 2014 Seattle Seahawks barely resemble the 2013 Seahawks, consider this: Would the 2014 version have been capable of wasting an historic performance by quarterback Russell Wilson? Don’t bother answering; I’m not Harvin any of it.
As you have probably heard, the Seahawks, in their 26 – 28 road loss to the fourth-place St. Louis Rams, should have benefited from the NFL’s first-ever quarterback performance of 300-plus yards passing and 100-plus yards rushing, courtesy of Wilson. Instead, the visiting Seahawks trudged back to the Emerald City smarting from yet another road loss, due to a now-common close-but-not-close-enough performance that leaves the defending champions with an unimpressive and problematic 3 – 3 record. They remain in third place in the NFC West behind the 5 – 1 Arizona Cardinals, who continue to separate themselves from the pack.
Who are these guys?
I’m not calling the Seahawks a bunch of losers, but we do need to be honest about what they are at this stage: a mediocre team on a two-game losing streak. Six games in, the Seahawks have already equaled last season’s loss mark.
So, are the current Seattle footballers the Fauxhawks — a shadow of their recent dominating selves — or is this the Seattle Newhawks — a so-so squad that has been figured out? Where they go from here will tell us the answer. So far, as the champs, they’re getting everyone’s best shot, as expected. Are they reeling from all these haymakers?
Chemistry class
Regardless of which version of the current Seahawks you think we’re witnessing, the personnel make-up of this team is, well, lacking in star power — with the exception of Wilson, who has clearly cleaned off the last of any “system quarterback” mud that may have been flung his way. Instead let’s look at his supporting cast:
Starting tight end Zach Miller: Absent. A more familiar Miller/Wilson combo was supposed to pay dividends this season. It has yet to be, due to Miller’s continuing ankle injury.
Starting wide receiver Percy Harvin: Absent. Harvin pulled himself out of games and refused to go back in. He got into fights with teammates. Now he’s a Jet.
Rookie sensations-to-be Kevin Norwood and Paul Richardson: Absent. Norwood just nabbed his first NFL reception in the loss to the Rams and Richardson added four catches (33 yards), which brings his NFL career total to five.
Starting center Max Unger: Absent. Unger has been unable to play since injuring his foot against Washington on Monday Night Football.
Starting left tackle Russell Okung: Hobbled. This explains his spotty play: Okung has been playing through a torn labrum (shoulder) since week three.
Seahawks run defense: Out-of-order. League rushing leader DeMarco Murray (115 yards) rang up triple digits on the Seahawks by himself and the scrappy Rams collectively tallied more than 100 with Tre Mason and Tavon Austin doing the most damage. The Seahawks still are averaging under 100 yards rushing per game for the season, but the trend has started to reverse.
Marshawn Lynch: Steady, but unspectacular. The yin to Wilson’s yang, Lynch has by-and-large held up his end of the offensive bargain with 420 yards in the season to date. His 4.3 yards per carry is slightly ahead of last year’s average, but his yardage total so far is off his pace of last season, where he gained 1,257 yards.
Robert Turbin and Christine Michael: Absent. The supposed future of Seattle’s rushing attack have been missing in terms of action and impact. Turbin has a mere 71 yards on the season. Michael is rumored to have been stuffed into Harvin’s luggage on the way to New York, but nobody has bothered to find out.
The Legion of Boom: Under renovation. The once impenetrable Seahawks pass defense has sprung a few leaks in 2014. The departures of a few core players in the offseason, added to the ongoing injury woes of Tharold Simon, Byron Maxwell and the just-returned Kam Chancellor, has revealed a substandard caliber of play.
With this many underwhelming complementary players, it all falls on Wilson’s shoulders. A 50/50 proposition in 2014.
The elephant in the room
Did Richard Sherman recover the fumble with 1:01 to go in the game? Clearly. Would it have been enough to overcome all that had gone askew up to that point? Maybe. It’s a shame the Seahawks didn’t get a chance to find out. Field goal range was not far away. The NFL is supposed to be able to right such clear wrongs. In the end, it’s another example of how this season differs from last. In their Super season of yesteryear, the Seahawks were not accustomed to getting the short end of the officiating stick. Oh what a difference a year makes.
The Seahawks need to right the ship soon if they want to remain relevant in the NFC playoff chase. Fortunately for them, they get the chance to bring their record above .500 against the equally mediocre Carolina Panthers, who are also .500 at 3 – 3 – 1. Unfortunately for Seattle, the game will be on the road, where the Seahawks continue to falter. Also unfortunate: the Seahawks only have one Russell Wilson.
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