The majority of football fans expect the Seattle Seahawks to be among the worst teams in the league by the end of the 2018 season. But the players and company expect to prove their doubters wrong. There isn’t any doubt that Seahawks have talent on their team but many are concerned with the loss of some major veteran players. This season will look to be a trial season for the Seahawks as they take on a series of rebuilding their roster to hopefully the same caliber as their young super bowl winning team in 2013. In 2018, the Seahawks will defy the odds against them.
How the Seattle Seahawks Will Defy the Odds
Loss of Veteran Players
The biggest issue of concern is what the Seahawks are going to do without star players like Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor. Additionally, there’s also the infamous situation with Earl Thomas. Although these players have made extraordinary contributions during their time in Seattle, it’s hard not to be excited about taking the next step forward in the franchise. Considering the loss of these players, the Seahawks now only have six players from their super bowl winning roster in 2013 including Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Byron Maxwell (currently on IR) and Earl Thomas (if he shows up). Also, zero players remained on the 2013 roster from the 2005 NFC championship squad, although it should be taken into consideration that that was eight years apart. Anyways, this goes to show that you don’t necessarily need the same roster to be successful.
Comparison to Super Bowl XLVIII Team
When the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, they did it with the second youngest team to do so in NFL history at an average age of 26.4. Currently, the average age of the team is 25.5 years. After just three preseason games, fans are already excited about the young talent on the team, especially the big additions from this year’s draft. 2018 3rd round pick Rasheem Green has already had an explosive debut and could likely be seen lined up next to Frank Clark in Bennett and Avril’s old spots.
Linebacker Shaquem Griffin has already defied the odds by making an impact in the preseason with 26 total tackles despite being born with only one hand. With veteran K.J. Wright currently out for a few weeks with an injury, it’s highly likely that Griffin will see some time at starting outside linebacker. Other young weapons on the team include second-year running back Chris Carson, rookie punter Michael Dickson, second-year cornerback Shaquill Griffin, and second-year safeties Delano Hill and Tedric Thompson. With a roster flourishing with young talent, this could turn out to be another successful year for the Seahawks with only a majority of young players.
Last Word
It doesn’t matter what roster you had then, it matters what roster you have now. Right now, the Seahawks have one of the most underrated rosters among the league. Young players tend to be overlooked if they are not drafted high, but it was about time for the locker room to be cleared of elder injury-prone players. Also, the Seahawks drafted a running back with their first pick in the draft prior to their Super Bowl win. They also drafted a running back with their first pick in this past draft. I’m not saying this means something, but…
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