Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

browna · 02-05-2014, 09:59 PM

Don't really buy into the dynasty talk for Seattle or anyone. Seattle, with their drafting record and then picking up outcasts and coaching them up into better individual and team players will continue even with the usual or smaller then NFL average attrition Seattle will experience. . With Wilson still on a cheap deal, they don't have that large contract or contracts this upcoming year, that gives some relief, relief that is eaten up by Sherman and Thomas. They now also are moving up the list, all things equal, with talented free agents around the league. So in that regard they are setup better certainly than a team like the Ravens last year who had to gut the team to pay Flacco, and losing Lewis and Reed.

But the NFL is a fine line between winning and losing, because of the cap or just the competition. Interdivision NFC West games will be wars this year and likely determine who wins the division. Only one team gets a guaranteed spot and the others have to go the WC route on the road. If the NFL expands playoffs, you have to win the division and conference to get a rest and home field. In one game playoffs, anything can happen.

As dominant as Seattle was more often than not this year, a couple plays go the other way and Seattle is on the road to start the playoffs, without really playing and less dominant as they were. There are always what ifs both ways, but Seattle gutted out a low scoring game Week 1 vs Car, both teams strong and took a late TD for Seattle to win. Then Schaub throwing the late 4th quarter INT to Sherman to send that to OT where Seattle wins. Coming back from 21 down vs Tampa. Holding on a last minute drive vs St. Louis on the road. One or certainly two of those go the other way, and in a vacuum, Seattle doesn't win the division and has to play in GB in the cold, then Car, and hopefully gets out of that healthy, and then would have to play in SF and maybe due to the home field advantage or whatever, the result may not turn out the same... with it coming down to a few plays, not the overall dominance of Seattle's defense.

Of course, there are things going the other way; Seattle dominated Indy the first half but didn't capitalize on all the points they should've had and let them back in it. Losing to SF on the road and Arizona at home (where everything that could go wrong, did) were well timed in hindsight, and kept the team grounded going into the playoffs. In the playoffs, the NFC final , if SF scores on that first drive after the first play fumble by Wilson, (in a vacuum) it wouldve meant that SF would've just needed a FG to win in the last drive, not a Td, then the Sherman thing never happens and SF has a chip shot FG, if things payed out as they did (they wouldn't as different decisions would've been made through the game) . But that shows the fine line within a single game and within a season from going home vs going to a Superbowl.

Bottom line, as a fan, I will enjoy this win and not stress over needing to win another. This team will have the talent in all aspects of offense and defense, for a few years, but even with all that, you need good timing/luck/bounces, or maybe better put, lack of really bad timing/luck/injury/bounces, from week one through to the Super Bowl. Last year's team was on the cusp, 30 seconds away from the NFC Championship game against SF, 4 weeks after Seattle trounced SF, but blew it in the last minute of Atlanta or who knows how far they get last year. This year they built off that loss and even through injuries, proved most weeks that they were a top team in the league... but that means little unless you can win it all in the end and in the tough division they are in, makes the margin for error that much less. Overjoyed that Seattle got what they deserved in the end, with dominant play, but that script may not play out like that next year or in future years, and one or two plays or bounce go another way, and Seattle is out earlier no matter the talent and desire of Wilson and offense, or the swarming defense playing just as well as they did this year.

Getting that monkey off the back and having this win should be enjoyed by the Seahawks and their fans for what it is.

02-05-2014, 09:59 PM	#1510
browna Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Calgary Exp:	Don't really buy into the dynasty talk for Seattle or anyone. Seattle, with their drafting record and then picking up outcasts and coaching them up into better individual and team players will continue even with the usual or smaller then NFL average attrition Seattle will experience. . With Wilson still on a cheap deal, they don't have that large contract or contracts this upcoming year, that gives some relief, relief that is eaten up by Sherman and Thomas. They now also are moving up the list, all things equal, with talented free agents around the league. So in that regard they are setup better certainly than a team like the Ravens last year who had to gut the team to pay Flacco, and losing Lewis and Reed. But the NFL is a fine line between winning and losing, because of the cap or just the competition. Interdivision NFC West games will be wars this year and likely determine who wins the division. Only one team gets a guaranteed spot and the others have to go the WC route on the road. If the NFL expands playoffs, you have to win the division and conference to get a rest and home field. In one game playoffs, anything can happen. As dominant as Seattle was more often than not this year, a couple plays go the other way and Seattle is on the road to start the playoffs, without really playing and less dominant as they were. There are always what ifs both ways, but Seattle gutted out a low scoring game Week 1 vs Car, both teams strong and took a late TD for Seattle to win. Then Schaub throwing the late 4th quarter INT to Sherman to send that to OT where Seattle wins. Coming back from 21 down vs Tampa. Holding on a last minute drive vs St. Louis on the road. One or certainly two of those go the other way, and in a vacuum, Seattle doesn't win the division and has to play in GB in the cold, then Car, and hopefully gets out of that healthy, and then would have to play in SF and maybe due to the home field advantage or whatever, the result may not turn out the same... with it coming down to a few plays, not the overall dominance of Seattle's defense. Of course, there are things going the other way; Seattle dominated Indy the first half but didn't capitalize on all the points they should've had and let them back in it. Losing to SF on the road and Arizona at home (where everything that could go wrong, did) were well timed in hindsight, and kept the team grounded going into the playoffs. In the playoffs, the NFC final , if SF scores on that first drive after the first play fumble by Wilson, (in a vacuum) it wouldve meant that SF would've just needed a FG to win in the last drive, not a Td, then the Sherman thing never happens and SF has a chip shot FG, if things payed out as they did (they wouldn't as different decisions would've been made through the game) . But that shows the fine line within a single game and within a season from going home vs going to a Superbowl. Bottom line, as a fan, I will enjoy this win and not stress over needing to win another. This team will have the talent in all aspects of offense and defense, for a few years, but even with all that, you need good timing/luck/bounces, or maybe better put, lack of really bad timing/luck/injury/bounces, from week one through to the Super Bowl. Last year's team was on the cusp, 30 seconds away from the NFC Championship game against SF, 4 weeks after Seattle trounced SF, but blew it in the last minute of Atlanta or who knows how far they get last year. This year they built off that loss and even through injuries, proved most weeks that they were a top team in the league... but that means little unless you can win it all in the end and in the tough division they are in, makes the margin for error that much less. Overjoyed that Seattle got what they deserved in the end, with dominant play, but that script may not play out like that next year or in future years, and one or two plays or bounce go another way, and Seattle is out earlier no matter the talent and desire of Wilson and offense, or the swarming defense playing just as well as they did this year. Getting that monkey off the back and having this win should be enjoyed by the Seahawks and their fans for what it is. Last edited by browna; 02-05-2014 at 10:15 PM.