Limping into the playoffs

[HomerJHawk]

Is not a pretty sight.

Sure, you could be a Cinderella team, but chances are good you're going to get your ass handed to you.

Love my team, but I'm happy the Hawks didn't have to suffer that embarrassing BS, and we have more time to plan for 2025.

 

[WestCoastChippewa]

Is not a pretty sight.

Sure, you could be a Cinderella team, but chances are good you're going to get your ass handed to you.

Love my team, but I'm happy the Hawks didn't have to suffer that embarrassing BS, and we have more time to plan for 2025.

Embarrassing BS might be what this team needs to put a chip on their shoulder.

 

[Shane Falco]

Or could have been like Houston. They were a similar team to us, they had the IOL problems all season. Young guys could have got some playoff experience and we could have got to watch another game. But I get the sentiment.

 

[hgwellz12]

Lol @ "more time".

 

[Scout]

I disagree.

The playoff losses by Pete Carroll propelled the team to try different approaches in draft process and development and eventually move on from Pete. The playoffs is an extra game to evaluate what you have on the roster and see what players are improving and which players are stagnating or regressing.

 

[AnimeAmore]

Is not a pretty sight.

Sure, you could be a Cinderella team, but chances are good you're going to get your ass handed to you.

Love my team, but I'm happy the Hawks didn't have to suffer that embarrassing BS, and we have more time to plan for 2025.

I agree, but both sides of this issue are stubborn.
To some, simply making the playoffs is the initial first goal no matter what, and then you hope for the best. To not do everything you can (short of insane contracts and trading future 1sts) is to have a losers mentality.
I am of the opinion that unless you are hot and healthy at the end of the season it is very unlikely that a wildcard team (or bad division winner, even) will do anything but embarrass themselves on wildcard weekend. Then you have the honor of drafting in the same range as the playoff teams despite not really having a playoff roster.

 

[flv2]

The 2021 Eagles limped into the playoffs as a #7 seed. The following season the reached the Super Bowl.

 

[Rat]

Statistical studies have shown no connection between winning in the playoffs and being the "hot team" going in. Momentum is pretty overrated. That experience would have been nice.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Yep. Playoffs is always the goal. Screw the "lose for a better draft pick" crap.

 

[Appyhawk]

Embarrassing BS might be what this team needs to put a chip on their shoulder.

The Buffalo game (for one) should have done the 'chip on the shoulder' thing for us this year.

 

[chris98251]

You can get your ass kicked in the playoffs and it's still a good thing for a team, first you were at least in the top half of the league, second you now have figured out how to win and keep focused through the 17 game drudgery of the regular season.

Playoffs are a new game, learning how to win there isn't easy since to do so you have to get there, intensity and physicality is stepped up, chances are you will be playing a lot on the road and need to learn to tune out the negativity that comes with visiting teams as well much more media attention and required interviews which are all distractions from the normal routines.

Losing in the playoffs sucks for us fans, but the benefits gained if the coaching is sound can be helpful for the team going forward. Remember our East coast 10 AM issues that Pete figured out, well out losing helped him adjust to those trips and adapt a new routine for those games.

Things of that nature where not glitzy are the details that make you champions.

 

[DarkVictory23]

I am of the opinion that unless you are hot and healthy at the end of the season it is very unlikely that a wildcard team (or bad division winner, even) will do anything but embarrass themselves on wildcard weekend.

The Texans are the second worst team in the playoffs (and were essentially a 'Seahawks lite' in the AFC, as they were slightly worse than us both offensively and defensively in addition to having the exact same record), are the winners of the worst division in football, went 2-2 in the last 4 weeks of the season, and they just embarrassed the crap out of the Chargers--who were probably the third best AFC team in the playoffs.

This just happened. We don't even need to mention how Super Bowl XL was handed to a #6 seed Steelers or how the Beast Quake happened during a season we won our division with a losing record.

You can't win the dance if you aren't in the dance. Getting a top half of first round vs. bottom half of first round draft pick is extremely overrated in how much it moves the needle for a team anyway. (There is a legitimate case to be made that best value for picks in the draft is end of first/beginning of second round, anyway.)

 

[OneLofaTatupu]

The Buffalo game (for one) should have done the 'chip on the shoulder' thing for us this year.

The Giants game should have been a chip on the testicles thing

 

[cymatica]

Embarrassing BS might be what this team needs to put a chip on their shoulder.

Didn't work after the Giants game. Grubb would have been completely exposed again and he's already fired. Macdonald doesn't need another embarrassing loss to know what the team needs

 

[HomerJHawk]

Ok, yeah, I understand the experience it brings.
I was drinking a bit and just finished watching the Steelers and Ravens.
5 straight losses, ouch!

 

[CouchLogic]

TLDR; No one remembers a loser.

Limping in is fine, just don't get absolutely smoked. If a team is in the playoffs, it should be competetive for Four quarters. Anything less becomes a waste and a "what was the point" situation. Coming out and losing, but atleast showing some fight is to be respected.

Being the Steelers and Seahawks of recent memory, sucks. Sure, they have a chance to get into the WC, but the outcome is predictable. Same goes for teams like SF, cool a bunched of missed SB opps and nothing to show for it? No one is going to remember those teams, it's short comings, or how hard they tried. Just a fat Zero in the wins column. All they got for trying is a meme of some 90's civics and cellphones with "last time yall was relevant" tag.

Teams that are made to compete and win trophies and rings, coming a game or two shy is a failure. Less than hoisting up a trophy for those teams is not a good outcome. To say otherwise is PR bull$#!+.

Let me stress that not all ORGS or fans feel this way. I'm not saying everyone needs to feel the same, but I prefer winning and a winning culture. Not a "we'll get em next time" mentality.

Back to my "meditation".

 

[Rat]

Look how many teams and QBs needed to lose a bunch of times in the playoffs to figure it out. I'll take that experience every time, even if the team loses badly. If we had gotten the 7 seed, going to Philly... east coast is our best coast now for some reason.

 

[Palmegranite]

Back to my "medetation".
View attachment 69042

Did you mean "medication?"

And by the way, I completely disagree.
Getting smoked happens, losing happens. Get them next time.

What I can't abide by is a player, or team, giving up.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Yep. Playoffs or bust, every year.