Poll: After 8 Games, How Do The Hawks Finish?

I say 9-7. Which I think is respectable and reasonable given where the team is in it's development. Is it what we as fans want? No. But it's not some sort of abomination. I know many fans have "WIN NOW OR ELSE! I'VE BEEN A FAN FOREVER AND AM SICK OF THIS!" mentalities. But that crap doesn't matter to Pete or these young players learning to play in this league and with one another. That crap is for drunk fans screaming at their dogs or calling into sports radio yelling that they want Charlie Whitehurst to start because it's simply something different. We have one of the youngest teams in the entire league and a rookie qb learning the league and his position at this level. If your introductory phase with such a team is 9-7, and you have every reason to believe they'll improve upon what they've learned, and that the team can fill some of the gaps that do in fact remain next offseason. I don't see how fans can see that as a failure. Hell, I don't ever see 8-8 as one either. 7-9 would be disappointing. But there would still be reason to be more optimistic heading into next season, having found your qb, your young team having gained valuable experience and having less holes to fill.

And as for the "Hot seat time for PC" comment, I couldnt disagree more. Even with 7-9. Pete has built this team from the ground up. He didnt inheret it like Harbaugh did in SF. This is HIS team, and its heading in the right direction. Just because you dont like 7-9 seasons to start the regime, doesnt mean you fire the guy who oversees the entire organization. Doing so would pretty much mean starting over from scratch. Seeing as how youd be bring in a new guy who wants to do things his way. This defense is built for Pete, and Pete only. Good luck fitting this personnel into another scheme. Same goes for your qb. You bring in a new regime, what are the odds they are cool with a qb of Wilson's stature? We've seen just how many people in the league and media simply do not believe he can be successful. Decent chance your new HC/GM thinks similarly. Firing Pete now would be idiotic, IMO. Had we done the same after Holmgren's first 4 seasons, (9-7, 6-10, 9-7, 7-9), all you "I've waited too damn long!" fans would never have gone to the damn Super Bowl.

I think 10-6 will be it. I still have a lot of faith in the offense continuing to grow and the defense is gonna be fine in my opinion. We don't play as many Qb's capable of murdering us done the stretch. I mean Jay Cutler is the best QB we face and I'd love to face him in a game where we force him to play dink and dunk. We get SF at home and I still believe we are capable of winning games in the road just fine. We will probably manage to lose 2 close ones, even if I want to say 7-1 that's just not to reasonable. 9-7 is the absolute worst I see.

As many have said, this is a completely different team at home ... and 5 of our final 8 games are at home. Since the beginning of the Pete Carroll Era, the Seahawks are 13-7 at home. Given the huge turnover in personnel since 2010, that's a pretty impressive record. This is how I see the schedule shaking down ...

Vikings (Win)
Jets (Win)
Bears (Loss)
Cardinals (Win)
49ers (Win)
Rams (Win)

And I see us going 1-1 with the Bills and Dolphins (not sure which one we beat, but will get one of them).

I see 10-6 and a Wildcard bid very much in play for this team.

I think 9-7 feels most likely based on having +2 home games in the last 8. This team kind of feels like a 9-7 team too. Our team can compete with the best, but it can lose to bad teams too. The fact that our second half schedule is easier is less comforting as a result.

I firmly believe this team is capable of 10-6 and even 11-5. I remember watching the mock game in training camp, at the very tail end of this mock game, and I saw Wilson managing the game at the 2 minute mark and was impressed with his composure even then... along with his flashes of brilliance. Its mid season and Wilson looks like he is emerging with very good familiarity of the people playing around him, including the OL, and it really seems like the whole offense is starting to approach the moment when it all clicks together into a powerhouse offense.

If the Hawks start taking solid leads in games, I think the close margins will disappear. And I fully expect the niners to get more then beat at home because Wilson will be seeing them for a second time, the Rams and the Cards don't really seem like they will have much more than the heart teams play other divisional teams with.

12-4