There are some quality football minds here on .NET, and over the years there has always been a small contingency of true football minds here and it's one of the factors that has made this place so special over the years.
And you know who you are and we thank you.
I'm not one of them. Could I teach the basics of football to a room full of newbs? Absolutely. What I cannot do is really dig deep and explore the game within the game. I don't speak football speak. You're lucky I even know what an I Formation is, or a Bubble Screen, or Trips.
But what I am an expert in (if I do say so myself) is the emotional, psychological side of the game, and this team.
I can't pull a Kearly or Scottemojo as an example and provide intricate reasoning for why this play or that play broke down but I can tell you when a team is breaking down internally. It manifests on the football field. Simple as that.
I was a lousy student in school. I was bored most the time, not applying myself. Most classes I got a C or D. But the class I scored an A in every time? Psychology. I don't know why, I guess I have a knack for the human condition and especially for what makes a person react to their external world as they do.
This year has been a very enlightening example of a team of players who for every reason should still be one of the league's best. So why aren't they?
I personally believe that a lot of truths about this team have already been out there and passed around. Those most closely invested in something (12s) may in fact be the experts after all when it comes to their subject of passion (Seahawks). Shocker I know.
From my perspective, I believe...(and of course I offer this up as opinion only, not fact)...
-- Russell Wilson has become a distraction to himself and his teammates. This is not about character. He still ranks at the top of character in general as a human being but as a football player this is very much about allowing himself to become distracted. Fat paycheck, hot new celebrity girlfriend, endorsements, magazine covers, vacations (the professional photographer and staged photos is more telling then they want to let on)...I don't care who you are. You've officially become distracted from your primary focus. And guess what? Your teammates know this.
-- This team has NOT gotten over that final play in XLIX. Anybody who thinks they have is only kidding themselves. There is TONS of resentment that is long from pacified that I believe stretches through the entire organization. From Lynch to the Janitor, every single person in the organization harbors feelings about that play that cannot be resolved in months. Some may not be able to resolve it years from now.
-- Locker Room Chemistry? Nope. Oh sure, many players will still play the part and in fact, I have no doubt there are still some very tight relationships going on but in large part, the locker room is fractured. There are multiple reasons for this. XLIX Final Play, those getting big pay days, those who don't, the perception of Wilson and so on. This stuff manifests itself on gameday effortlessly.
-- I don't care what my boy Baldwin says. Many of our players would like to see Bevell gone as much as we would. Right or wrong, the perception (and perception equals reality for most people) is that Bevell has been a weak link to our offensive prowess. You can't convince me that these players honestly think he's not part of the problem. He is.
-- Vetamur made a fantastic point in his thread earlier about the moneyball aspect. It's absolutely true. The leadership has gotten away a bit from what made this team what it has been over the past few years. A huge factor that ultimately breeds the issues I've described above, from the players to the fans.
To end, the psychological impact cannot be overstated enough. From the players to the fans, we are human and subjected to how we process our emotions in relation to the happenings of the world around us. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the fact is, the way XLIX ended was an emotional killer to this team and I have NO doubt that the season we are seeing play out in front of us is in large part a direct manifestation of that ending.
Yes, there are other causes naturally, but if I had to point to one thing, that is this team's emotional event horizon.
And you know who you are and we thank you.
I'm not one of them. Could I teach the basics of football to a room full of newbs? Absolutely. What I cannot do is really dig deep and explore the game within the game. I don't speak football speak. You're lucky I even know what an I Formation is, or a Bubble Screen, or Trips.
But what I am an expert in (if I do say so myself) is the emotional, psychological side of the game, and this team.
I can't pull a Kearly or Scottemojo as an example and provide intricate reasoning for why this play or that play broke down but I can tell you when a team is breaking down internally. It manifests on the football field. Simple as that.
I was a lousy student in school. I was bored most the time, not applying myself. Most classes I got a C or D. But the class I scored an A in every time? Psychology. I don't know why, I guess I have a knack for the human condition and especially for what makes a person react to their external world as they do.
This year has been a very enlightening example of a team of players who for every reason should still be one of the league's best. So why aren't they?
I personally believe that a lot of truths about this team have already been out there and passed around. Those most closely invested in something (12s) may in fact be the experts after all when it comes to their subject of passion (Seahawks). Shocker I know.
From my perspective, I believe...(and of course I offer this up as opinion only, not fact)...
-- Russell Wilson has become a distraction to himself and his teammates. This is not about character. He still ranks at the top of character in general as a human being but as a football player this is very much about allowing himself to become distracted. Fat paycheck, hot new celebrity girlfriend, endorsements, magazine covers, vacations (the professional photographer and staged photos is more telling then they want to let on)...I don't care who you are. You've officially become distracted from your primary focus. And guess what? Your teammates know this.
-- This team has NOT gotten over that final play in XLIX. Anybody who thinks they have is only kidding themselves. There is TONS of resentment that is long from pacified that I believe stretches through the entire organization. From Lynch to the Janitor, every single person in the organization harbors feelings about that play that cannot be resolved in months. Some may not be able to resolve it years from now.
-- Locker Room Chemistry? Nope. Oh sure, many players will still play the part and in fact, I have no doubt there are still some very tight relationships going on but in large part, the locker room is fractured. There are multiple reasons for this. XLIX Final Play, those getting big pay days, those who don't, the perception of Wilson and so on. This stuff manifests itself on gameday effortlessly.
-- I don't care what my boy Baldwin says. Many of our players would like to see Bevell gone as much as we would. Right or wrong, the perception (and perception equals reality for most people) is that Bevell has been a weak link to our offensive prowess. You can't convince me that these players honestly think he's not part of the problem. He is.
-- Vetamur made a fantastic point in his thread earlier about the moneyball aspect. It's absolutely true. The leadership has gotten away a bit from what made this team what it has been over the past few years. A huge factor that ultimately breeds the issues I've described above, from the players to the fans.
To end, the psychological impact cannot be overstated enough. From the players to the fans, we are human and subjected to how we process our emotions in relation to the happenings of the world around us. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the fact is, the way XLIX ended was an emotional killer to this team and I have NO doubt that the season we are seeing play out in front of us is in large part a direct manifestation of that ending.
Yes, there are other causes naturally, but if I had to point to one thing, that is this team's emotional event horizon.
