The honest truth is...

[canfan]

This team was just not that good. If it weren't for elite QB play of Russ, this would be a 7-9/8-8 team at best. We started 2-4, it is a statistical anomaly that we got this far.

Tell me something. What team's roster would you rather have? To me, this is still one of the best rosters in the NFL. Our problem is that if you consider the offensive line to be the engine that runs the car - we were trying to operate a formula 1 race car with a 4 cylinder minivan engine that badly needed a tuneup.

 

[TheLegendOfBoom]

The honest truth is it was not our year.

Even at the beginning, first game of the season, it didn't feel right.

Losing last year did a lot of damage to the team mentally.

 

[timmat]

My take on the "Truth" is that even dynasty teams don't reach the Super Bowl every year. We fought through adversity, struggled to find a groove, but turned it around enough to make another playoff run and remain relevant in title conversations.

My hope for this era is that we make the playoffs every year, keep our core together and relatively healthy, and every 3 years or so pop one for another Lombardi. I mean Joe Montana played in 4 Super Bowls, but he had a 16 year career. That's 12 seasons he didn't go to the big game, and he's one of the greatest post season performers ever.

To be a Super Bowl champion, you need to have talent and also have things break your way too. Things just didn't fall into place this season, but the team should be a title contender every year for the foreseeable future.

Just please invest in that O line to protect the franchise QB, and we'll witness other future seasons that are "our year".

 

[HawKnPeppa]

If we had played like the last 8 games from the start and we didn't have all those injuries on offense then we would have gotten 13+ wins.

If we had scored more points than each team we played, we woulda been 16-0. Simple as that

 

[xgeoff]

I'm just not sure what this team is. They played poorly at the start of the season, yet they could have been undefeated if they had just held the 4th quarter leads they had. They just came within a few minutes of one of the greatest comebacks ever against a team (Carolina) that most people think is really damn good. They kicked the crap out of the Cardinals, who just might be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

This team has flaws, and frankly it has a habit of choking at some very inopportune times, but I really find it hard to evaluate these guys. This team is capable of beating every team that is still in the playoffs. Ultimately, I have faith in John Schneider, Pete Caroll and Russell Wilson that they will continue to field superior teams that make the playoffs and give us real hope at going back to the Super Bowl. Some teams just don't have that.

 

[Hasselbeck]

This team was just not that good. If it weren't for elite QB play of Russ, this would be a 7-9/8-8 team at best. We started 2-4, it is a statistical anomaly that we got this far.

False.

Shouldn't have been swept by St. Louis. Shouldn't have blown big 4Q leads to Cincy and Carolina in back to back weeks.

That's the small margin we were from 10-6 and 14-2 and the NFC's top seed. So if you really are of the belief we were a facade, to me that means we're even more likely to bounce back in 2016 in a big way.

This team was good, we just had some uncharacteristic bad breaks and some injuries at key positions.

 

[ZagHawk]

The team was not that good this year. There are a bunch of reasons throughout the season:

Injuries (mid)
Holdouts (early)
Super Bowl Drama (early and mid)
Poor O-Line Play (early and late)
Poor QB Play (early)
Poor RB Output (early)
Poor Defense (Early and Mid)
DC and OC issues

Bottomline, the team was not that good this year. With the way they started, I was thankful they made it to playoffs regardless. When they got past the Vikings, they were already playing with house money IMO. I'm proud of what they accomplished despite all the obstacles this season and I really do look forward to next season. It does feel like the end of 2012 again (somewhat) regards to being excited for what this team is capable of.

 

[kf3339]

For the most part I think you get the record that is deserved. We just had no focus or sense of urgency the first half of the season and it costs the team.

If there is any good that comes out of this, I would hope the players and coaches now realize that you can't just show up and expect other teams to take a dive. I also think you can't expect to have such a stupid experimentation with your OL that good college defenses could do well against you. That is on Cable.

 

[mrt144]

There isn't a single o-lineman that we have that we shouldn't replace.

For real. Not an important position group to the front office.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

There isn't a single o-lineman that we have that we shouldn't replace.

For real. Not an important position group to the front office.

I couldn't disagree more.

Continuity is THE most important part of a great offensive line. You can't just tear down an O-line and replace all five pieces with hopefully better players and expect them to gel from day one. It takes months, even years sometimes for the great lines to finally gel.

I'm fine with the right side of our line, Sweezy is a nasty tone setter and has emerged as the leader on the line.......and Gilliam is a good RT.

If we can bring back Okung somewhere in the neighborhood of what he's making now? I'm OK with that, LT's are VERY hard to find, even oft injured ones.

So if we make changes, I'm cool with upgrading the center and left guard position, but that's it. Any more? And we're looking at another nightmare first half of season waiting for these guys to get the continuity and gel.

 

[razor150]

There isn't a single o-lineman that we have that we shouldn't replace.

For real. Not an important position group to the front office.

I couldn't disagree more.

Continuity is THE most important part of a great offensive line. You can't just tear down an O-line and replace all five pieces with hopefully better players and expect them to gel from day one. It takes months, even years sometimes for the great lines to finally gel.

I'm fine with the right side of our line, Sweezy is a nasty tone setter and has emerged as the leader on the line.......and Gilliam is a good RT.

If we can bring back Okung somewhere in the neighborhood of what he's making now? I'm OK with that, LT's are VERY hard to find, even oft injured ones.

So if we make changes, I'm cool with upgrading the center and left guard position, but that's it. Any more? And we're looking at another nightmare first half of season waiting for these guys to get the continuity and gel.

Continuity only matters if you have players worth keeping.

Sweazy would be fine on a better overall line, but his liability in pass blocking is a problem. When we have an entire line of players who can't pass block it is a problem. Whether or not he is worth bringing him back when he is a FA given how little talent we have there is a legitimate question. We don't want to get worse, like how we have year after year.

I'd love to keep Okung, if he could stay healthy, or at the very least be able to play better when nicked up. He isn't worth the money, but at the same time you are right about how hard one of his level is to find. Though he is only good when healthy, which he rarely is.

Gilliam may have some upside with more development, and competition can only help him.

 

[mrt144]

There isn't a single o-lineman that we have that we shouldn't replace.

For real. Not an important position group to the front office.

I couldn't disagree more.

Continuity is THE most important part of a great offensive line. You can't just tear down an O-line and replace all five pieces with hopefully better players and expect them to gel from day one. It takes months, even years sometimes for the great lines to finally gel.

I'm fine with the right side of our line, Sweezy is a nasty tone setter and has emerged as the leader on the line.......and Gilliam is a good RT.

If we can bring back Okung somewhere in the neighborhood of what he's making now? I'm OK with that, LT's are VERY hard to find, even oft injured ones.

So if we make changes, I'm cool with upgrading the center and left guard position, but that's it. Any more? And we're looking at another nightmare first half of season waiting for these guys to get the continuity and gel.

Carp and Breno send their regards and ask you to kindly pipe down about what you value vs. what we've seen the FO value.

Also, Sweezy is hot garbage.

Also, continuity is the most important part of a great offensive line? No, it's the byproduct of a great offensive line. These guys are signed to contracts you see...

 

[Hwkfn12]

The simple fact is you take away a good Qb out of any team and you have a mediocre season. Take away Brady, Roethlisberger, Manning, Dalton...doesn't matter and you get the same results. I don't see the point your making.

 

[Anonymous]

My Honest Truth, is that if Keuchly hadn't caught the tipped-ball INT and ran it back for a TD, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

I'm right with Montana; We are talking about a handful of extremely unlucky plays that favored our opponents happening this year. Only a handful of plays which directly caused losses almost every time.

Had Luke not made that pick-six early in the first qtr, we are marching down the field to tie the game in 7-12 plays using up 9 minutes off the game clock. Or, at the very least, we have to punt; their ball, on their own 25 yard line, and the score would only be 0 - 7.

 

[bmorepunk]

That interception was a killer, and some people were fixated on the field goal at the end of the half.

 

[Hasselbeck]

My Honest Truth, is that if Keuchly hadn't caught the tipped-ball INT and ran it back for a TD, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

I'm right with Montana; We are talking about a handful of extremely unlucky plays that favored our opponents happening this year. Only a handful of plays which directly caused losses almost every time.

Had Luke not made that pick-six early in the first qtr, we are marching down the field to tie the game in 7-12 plays using up 9 minutes off the game clock. Or, at the very least, we have to punt; their ball, on their own 25 yard line, and the score would only be 0 - 7.

If that ball falls incomplete its 3rd and 13 on our own 11 .. I don't know how that equates to a 7-12 play drive or a punt that would have gone 75 yards to their 25. Also the ball wasn't tipped, it was thrown right to Kuechly.

The more likely scenario is we punt, they get the ball in our territory and at worst get 3 and likely get another TD given how the rest of the half went.