During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the Seattle Seahawks are the focus.
Faces of the Seattle Seahawks
Richard Sherman
In a pass-friendly league, few defenses are considered to be elite anymore. However, Seattle can take pride in possessing arguably the best defense in the league. Every NFL fan or Madden player knows all about Richard Sherman, who is one of the elite cornerbacks in the game today. Sherman, a product out of Stanford University, has become a better player than anyone ever expected. He is the leader of the Legion of Boom, Seattle’s lethal secondary. He has led Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, including the franchise’s first championship in 2014. Sherman had two interceptions last year, and that may seem low at first glance, but let’s keep in minds teams simply didn’t throw to his side of the field.
Sherman is a great player and is the first one to let you know about it as well. As a fan favorite in Seattle and one of the more hated players in the league, Sherman brings it every Sunday whether you like it or not. He has great ball instincts and hands, but what separates him is his height. Taller than six feet, Sherman has the ability to jump and contest every ball headed his man’s way. Despite only playing on one side of the field, he can match up with any receiver in the league. Expect many more dominating years from Sherman in Seattle.
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is another Seahawk that wasn’t a high draft pick yet turned out to be a major steal. Wilson is known for leadership and game management abilities. With Wilson under center, the play is never over. Wilson can improvise and make accurate throws on the run, which is a skill not many quarterbacks have in the NFL. Wilson may lack the arm strength, but he makes up for it by making great throws to a below-average receiving corps. His passing yardage has gone up each year (3,118 to 3,357 to 3,475) and his interceptions have gone down as well (10 to 9 to 7). He should continue to improve again this year.
Wilson is always calm and collected, a necessary trait for any quarterback in the NFL. Wilson is known as a film-rat and is always prepared every Sunday for the opponents’ defensive schemes. Yes, Wilson hands the ball off a lot and gets undersold by some as simply the man to hand the ball off to running back Marshawn Lynch. However, Wilson is more than that. He led Seattle to a Super Bowl in 2014, and a bad play call that resulted in a Wilson interception cost them the Super Bowl in 2015.
With new target Jimmy Graham acquired from New Orleans, Wilson’s receiving corps is now dangerous. Expect another solid year under center in Seattle.
Marshawn Lynch
Beast Mode. Do I need to say more? Marshawn Lynch is the hardest NFL player to tackle, period. He bounces off defensive linemen like I do off my young cousins. He has the swagger, the modesty and the care-free attitude that makes him one of the most polarizing figures in football. He delivers fantastic one-word responses and everybody loves him, Seattle fan or not.
Why didn’t Lynch receive the ball on the last play of the Super Bowl? Nobody will ever know. Lynch is always good for at least two or three yards, and New England really hadn’t stopped him at all during their final drive. Seattle should have won the Super Bowl (sorry New England fans).
Rumors had it that Lynch was going to leave Seattle and return to his hometown Oakland Raiders, but eventually an extension was agreed upon and Beast Mode is back in Seattle. Lynch has been good for at least 10 touchdowns every season since 2011 and this trend should continue in 2015.
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