No first round bye would be a failure

[Crizilla]

Looking at the schedule that is an absolute gift to the Seahawks. The only reason it isn't easier is because of the NFC West is a good division. No Rodgers, Brees, Brady, Mahomes, or Jackson in the schedule. Four prime time games. Three game stretch of NYG NYJ, WAS late in the season.

 

[PateratoWilson]

:snack:

Yes... November scares me but...

 

[AgentDib]

Current Vegas Odds, NFC Winner
#1 San Francisco - 16.2%
#2 New Orleans - 13.7%
#3 Tampa Bay - 9.9%
#4 Seattle - 8.1%
#5 Philadelphia - 7.4%
#6 Dallas - 6.9%
#7 Green Bay - 6.9%
#8 Minnesota - 5.9%
#9 LA Rams - 5.2%
#10 Arizona - 4.2%
#11 Atlanta - 4.2%
#12 Chicago - 4.2%
#13 Detroit - 2.2%
#14 NY Giants - 2.2%
#15 Carolina - 1.3%
#16 Washington - 1.3%

Are 8.1% odds good? How about relative to the competition? Should you expect something with 8.1% likelihood to occur?

There isn't a right answer but my take is that many fans have an incomplete view of how much randomness goes into each NFL season. There are lots of teams and even the best teams are looking at a very long shot every year.

 

[Appyhawk]

IIRC there is only one playoff bye available per conference beginning this year.

 

[nrayorr]

I agree. We should get a 1st round bye. We better get it while the getting is good because next season only one team in each conference will have a bye.

 

[James in PA]

The new playoff format starts THIS season. Only one team from each conference will get the highly coveted bye. The 2nd seed will now have to play the newly added 7th seed on wildcard weekend. I badly want for us to get that 1 seed, but would getting the 2 seed really be a failure?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MontanaHawk05]

Seattle's facing last year's #1, #5, and #7 defenses by DVOA, as well as the #2 run defense, and that's all outside the division. They might encounter the Bucs - #5 defense last year, now with Brady - in the playoffs before they can lock up the #1 seed. So, no, not nearly as many gimmes.

 

[Mad Dog]

Lol. Like this schedule will actually happen. Oh well it’s fun to dream I guess.

 

[TheLegendOfBoom]

I don’t know about you guys but the Seahawks struggle against 500 teams at least 5 or so games a year.

What I have noticed and I’m sure you guys have noticed too but if the offense isn’t ROLLING the defense can no longer hold games together.

We were so lucky to have a pass rush and an elite defense but now have neither.

The offense has to score a lot cause the defense isn’t elite anymore and I think we need to come to an understanding that our defense will not return to an elite defense anymore. We do not have elite defensive players anymore.

Offense cannot wait until the fourth quarter to score.

It’s hard to currently see this team the way that it is built without top NFL players other than Russell and maybe Wagner win 13-14 games, which is usually the amount you need to secure the number 1 seed.

 

[CPHawk]

The schedule sets up for a 12-4 type year. I'm curious if a half empty or fully empty Clink, changes that though.

 

[morgulon1]

I don’t know about you guys but the Seahawks struggle against 500 teams at least 5 or so games a year.

What I have noticed and I’m sure you guys have noticed too but if the offense isn’t ROLLING the defense can no longer hold games together.

We were so lucky to have a pass rush and an elite defense but now have neither.

The offense has to score a lot cause the defense isn’t elite anymore and I think we need to come to an understanding that our defense will not return to an elite defense anymore. We do not have elite defensive players anymore.

Offense cannot wait until the fourth quarter to score.

It’s hard to currently see this team the way that it is built without top NFL players other than Russell and maybe Wagner win 13-14 games, which is usually the amount you need to secure the number 1 seed.

Yep.

Seattle allows about 5 yards per rush and they havent really gone about getting players to stop that from happening. I recently rewatched a couple of last seasons games and it was tough to stomach. They also dont get anywhere near the quarterback let alone get sacks so teams march down the field at will. Good thing we had Ansah and Clowney.

 

[bmorepunk]

1) This defense gave up 25 PPG last year. If they do that again, OP is very much overvaluing this team's ability to win games. Not being able to stop mediocre to bad offenses whenever you need to (much less good to great ones) is a serious limiter. And I see the "offense has to score a lot more because the defense sucks". That's not going to get them much farther than they got last year. Best case scenario in normal circumstances was the Chiefs putting up insane offense but still getting punched out in the playoffs (they they got a good defense together and were way better). Best freak scenario is 2011 Giants, but that's super low probability.

2) Every year people look at the schedule and evaluate which teams are good/bad based on previous knowledge. Every year people are way off base. This is why during the first five to six weeks of the season, we always see people going "It's so wild! nobody saw this coming!". Not only do we not know where the Seahawks are at after the offseason, we don't
know where all these other teams are at, either.

3) Every week people forget how close NFL teams are, even the best in the league to the worst in the league. Fans get mad when their 7-0 team doesn't blow out, nearly loses to, or loses to that 1-6 team. This isn't college football; upsets really aren't that big of an upset.

4) What Mad Dog says:

Lol. Like this schedule will actually happen. Oh well it’s fun to dream I guess.

 

[xray]

The NFC west is the best division in the NFL bar none...The division is up for grabs this season AZ will improve the most
the Lambs will struggle for 3rd place...Hawks/ Niners games are the biggest . IF there is a season our divisional games will be a hoot .

 

[morgulon1]

I think the key is going to be whether our 2nd and 3rd year players develop. On defense specifically.

The other key will be if the free agent extravaganza for the offensive line works and
I guess I'll add a 3rd key which will be whether
Carson, Penny & co. Can give Seattle a decent run game.

 

[cjamesg]

Vegas currently has Seahawk wins over/under at 9.5. They really must not like what they have done thus far this offseason.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Take the over.

 

[GeekHawk]

The OP's opinion that anything less than being the NFC Champ and getting the sole first-round bye would be "a failure" is pretty darn unreasonable.

 

[bmorepunk]

The OP's opinion that anything less than being the NFC Champ and getting the sole first-round bye would be "a failure" is pretty darn unreasonable.

There's really no point in watching professional football if this is one's attitude; if there can be no enjoyment and only failure with really unlikely events it's almost always going to end in hate and discontent. Unless being miserable is your thing, I guess.

 

[NJlargent]

No chance if we don’t sign clowney. You win with defense and QB pressure. Otherwise Wilson will keep us around as always.

 

[AROS]

The OP's opinion that anything less than being the NFC Champ and getting the sole first-round bye would be "a failure" is pretty darn unreasonable.

There's really no point in watching professional football if this is one's attitude; if there can be no enjoyment and only failure with really unlikely events it's almost always going to end in hate and discontent. Unless being miserable is your thing, I guess.

As a diehard 12 since 1976, I have certainly felt every single human emotion possible each Seahawks season. If there is one thing I have learned in all my 51 trips around the Sun is that at the end of the day, it's just entertainment. Win or lose, don't let it define your life. Enjoy the game for what it is. Hope for the best, enjoy and savor each victory but don't beat the wife and kick the dog over frustrating losses. Of course the 23-year-old version of me is looking at the 51-year-old version of me and saying SHUT UP OLD MAN!! THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH!

Perspective. :2thumbs: