TERRY MOSHER
DOUG BALDWIN
It is clear to me that the Seahawks have slid back to the field in the NFL. Not that that is bad. Many teams do this. It’s difficult to build a dynasty in pro football that lasts long.
There have been perhaps 15 teams who had a winning run that would qualify them as a dynasty. The shortest run were the Dallas Cowboys that were coached by Jimmy Johnson and the longest, well, the longest is still going. That would be the New England Patriots.
Pete Carroll is in his seventh season as coach of the Seahawks and the closest they have come to being a dynasty is the years from 2012-2015 when they made the playoffs each year and won one Super Bowl and lost another. During that span the Seahawks went 45-18.
I would offer that to be considered a dynasty the Seahawks would have to add a fifth straight good season. That means they will have to win out this season to make that happen. They are currently 9-5-1, but have lost three of their last five games and don’t look dominant enough right now to close out the season successfully.
So let’s take a look at what dynasties have looked right over the years. For starters, we go to 1933 when the New York Giants and Chicago Bears started the first NFL dynasties. The Giants (1933-41) were led by Mel Heins, a two-way all-pro (center and linebacker) and the powerful Bears (1933-1943) were paced by Hall of Famers almost everywhere, including coach George Halas, fullback Bronko Nagurski and quarterback Sid Luckman.
Receiver Don Hutson was the face of the 1936-44 Green Bay Packers that had a winning percentage those years that would have averaged in today’s current 16-game schedule to 12 wins a season.
Steve Van Buren set rushing yards and TD rushing records from 1944-49 as the Philadelphia Eagles soared and the great quarterback Otto Graham led the Cleveland Browns (yes, the Browns!!) from 1946-55 to four All-American Football Conference championships and then three NFL titles when the two leagues combined.
From 1952-57, the Detroit Lions dominated. They were led by quarterback Bobby Lane and one of the all-time great defenses that had Hall of Fame safeties Yale Larry and Jack Christensen.
Then came the Vince Lombardi Packers from 1959-67 and the famed Green Bay sweep led by tackle Jerry Kramer, the Roger Staubach years (1969-79) with the Dallas Cowboys and coach Tom Landry and defensive tackles Bob Lilly and Randy White among other stars, and then there was the Miami Dolphins from 1970-75 that had five future Hall of Fame players on offense, including receiver Paul Warfield and powerful running back Larry Csonka.
The Dolphins run ended when the Steel Curtain was erected in Pittsburgh, allowing the Steelers to reign from 1972-79. The Steelers had 10 future Hall of Famers – quarterback Terry Bradshaw, Mean Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount were among them.
The Steel Curtain was followed by the Oakland Raiders from 1974-83 that was coached by John Madden and had guys like Howie Long, Willie Brown and Art Shell and then it was Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers from 1981-90 and coach Joe Gibbs Washington Redskins from 1982-91with quarterback Joe Theismann and running back John Riggins.
Jimmy Johnson’s cowboys dominated from 1991-95and since 2001 when Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback the New England Patriots have mostly been the dominate team.
So dynasties don’t live forever, although Brady and the boys are trying. That’s why it’s not terribly sad to see the Seahawks slip. It can be expected, especially, and this is a dig, when you try to win on the cheap with an offensive line that would be on food stamps if you think in relative terms.
You know, just looking at Saturday’s game (Dec. 24) against Arizona, if you take away Doug Baldwin from that game, what do you have? Baldwin was incredible. He caught 13 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown and if he had not played I’m guessing that the Seahawks would have been blown out by the Cardinals.
If you think like that, you have to make the assumption that the Seahawks are living on thin ice. Quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked six times in that game and was hurried a bunch of other times. You don’t win games if you can’t protect your quarterback, and I don’t care if it’s Otto Graham, Roger Staubach or Tom Brady.
And the Seahawks’ running game is almost absent. That was before Thomas Rawls bruised his shoulder and was sidelined against the Cardinals. Teams have also figured out how to take away Jimmy Graham in the Seahawk offense.
I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but I would not be one bit surprised if the Seahawks are beaten by the 49ers on Sunday (Jan. 1). Maybe if Baldwin catches 20 passes for 300 yards they might. I’m just being sarcastic when I say that, but when one guy is nearly your entire offense, that makes it difficult to win, even if you are playing the Sisters of the Poor.
What has me mystified is why the Seahawks have been burned so much on defense lately. Against the Cardinals, it’s a tie game (31-31) with one minute left and you let the Cardinals drive the field and kick a game-winning field goal as time expires? C’mon. What is wrong that you can’t hold up for one minute?
The bottom line is that the Seahawks just don’t have that special “it” this year to reach the Super Bowl. Don’t blame injuries, either. This is a very violent sport and injuries are going to happen. The sport comes down to having good depth and the next-man-up philosophy and right now that is where the Seahawks find themselves. They have to find some heroes on the back end of the 53-man roster to have a chance in the playoffs.
Okay, that is it for today. I hope you are having a great Christmas and that peace and love abound.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.