DavidSeven
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To the OP, things are different now. We can pretend this is "business as usual" in the NFL, but it's really not. The Seahawks are in unprecedented territory for themselves.
Ultimately, the Seahawks really didn't avoid the "Super Bowl Hangover" trap that we all hoped they'd be immune from. Last year, it played out with the departure of Tate, Harvin's over-inflated ego, and a locker-room that was in disarray for most of the season. Now that our Seahawks have gone to back-to-back Super Bowls, the issues are sort of compounding. Guys don't just want to get paid; they want to get paid. And you can't really blame them. They've already proven themselves. They've already won. That is the nature of the Lombardi-winning beast, and every successful franchise has gone through it.
The "good old days" were teams led either by folksy heroes like Largent, Hasselbeck, Walter Jones or role-playing veterans like Michael Robinson, Leon Washington and Red Bryant. It's no longer that tight-knit group of unknowns that started coming together from 2011-2013. For the first time in franchise history, this team is led by multiple national brands. Russell Wilson is a brand. Marshawn Lynch is a brand. Richard Sherman is a brand. Earl Thomas is a brand. Beneath them, you have a bunch of guys who are trying to get at their level in this league (whether it's with Seattle or not).
The dynamic has changed. I'm not saying this is good or bad, but it's definitely a different challenge, and this is not the same group of guys they were in 2011-2013. How could they be? They've been to the top of the mountain and entered popular culture. They're no longer just young, hungry football players. Our top guys are enterprises unto themselves.
Ultimately, the Seahawks really didn't avoid the "Super Bowl Hangover" trap that we all hoped they'd be immune from. Last year, it played out with the departure of Tate, Harvin's over-inflated ego, and a locker-room that was in disarray for most of the season. Now that our Seahawks have gone to back-to-back Super Bowls, the issues are sort of compounding. Guys don't just want to get paid; they want to get paid. And you can't really blame them. They've already proven themselves. They've already won. That is the nature of the Lombardi-winning beast, and every successful franchise has gone through it.
The "good old days" were teams led either by folksy heroes like Largent, Hasselbeck, Walter Jones or role-playing veterans like Michael Robinson, Leon Washington and Red Bryant. It's no longer that tight-knit group of unknowns that started coming together from 2011-2013. For the first time in franchise history, this team is led by multiple national brands. Russell Wilson is a brand. Marshawn Lynch is a brand. Richard Sherman is a brand. Earl Thomas is a brand. Beneath them, you have a bunch of guys who are trying to get at their level in this league (whether it's with Seattle or not).
The dynamic has changed. I'm not saying this is good or bad, but it's definitely a different challenge, and this is not the same group of guys they were in 2011-2013. How could they be? They've been to the top of the mountain and entered popular culture. They're no longer just young, hungry football players. Our top guys are enterprises unto themselves.