TERRY MOSHER

A lot of people have told me (this is a joke; this is what traitor Trump says all the time when he is either making things up or has no proof of what he is saying) that the Seattle Seahawks have the most talent among their 90 players than they ever have had.

Like traitor Trump, I have no idea whether that is true or not. But looking over their roster it does seem there is a lot of good talent and when you think of them trimming that roster down to 53 it may be possible they will be very talent heavy.

But does that translate into a winning season?

Injuries play such a big part of a NFL season it’s difficult to say with a straight face that such a team as the Seahawks have will make the postseason. So many things can happen over the course of a 16-game season in terms of injuries, although with good talent throughout the roster and on the 10-man practice squad, one would think that unless quarterback Russell Wilson gets whacked and placed on the injured list, the Seahawks could be solid contenders in the NFC West.

The season may hinge on the Seahawks’ November schedule. That’s when they play four of five games on the road. Week 10 they play at San Francisco, have a bye, play at Philadelphia, are home with Minnesota, and play at Los Angeles and then at Carolina.

In the last three seasons, the Seahawks are 12-11-1 in road games so if the past is an indication, they may be in tough during that stretch.

The big key, as it always is, the health of Wilson. If he can stay upright all season, the Seahawks have a good chance at the postseason. If he goes down, all bets are off.

The Seahawks will be without Doug Baldwin, their most reliable receiver, so the questions about who can replace Baldwin will linger around the team until somebody steps forward and shows he can do the same kind of amazing job that Baldwin did.

I’m betting they will be ok at receiver. They still have Tyler Lockett and if DK Metcalf, a top draft pick from Mississippi, can live up to his billing, Wilson should have good targets.  Metcalf is almost 6-4, 230 pounds and ran a 4.33 40 for his pre-draft measurable.

The knock against Metcalf is that he’s a straight ahead receiver and does not run good routes. That is not the word that has seeped out of OTAs, so we will see.

It’s difficult to believe the Seahawks will be an average team. As long as Wilson is in control, a winning season is very possible, and a contending season is likely.

 

 

I believe the NHL will be a smash hit in this region when a team is finally together and playing in the remodeled KeyArena in Seattle.  As I have said before, when I was going to college in the 1960s at Western Washington hockey was the sport the guys in my car pool. We lived and breathed hockey. Back then it was a six-team league — Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks,  Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadians and Toronto Maple Leafs – and we guys knew all the players and watched Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday might beamed into our houses by CBC.

The Canadians and Maple Leafs dominated league although the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1961 ending the Canadians five-year run, and names like Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita where front and center. The Maple Leafs stopped the Blackhawks’ run at that one season and won the next three Stanley Cups (1962-64) before the Canadians emerged again.

One of the all-time greats played for the Redwings. That would be Gordy Howe, who won four Stanley Cups with the Redwings (a fifth was won while he was injured.)

Watching hockey was special for me and the rest of the guys in the car pool. I graduated from Western in the spring of 1965 and that is the last time until a year ago that I watched hockey. I got interested in the Las Vegas Golden Knights, a first year expansion team last season that skated into the Cup finals to the amazement of many, including me, and I got turned on again by the sport.

I will certainly watch the Seattle team, as yet unnamed, when it starts up in the 2021-22 NHL season. And I’m positive fans will pack the new arena to watch them. It should be fun.

Enough for today. The weather around here is going to turn hotter in the next week or so but hopefully not as hot as many are experiencing on the East Coast and in the Midwest and Southern regions of our country.

Be well pal.

Be careful out there.

Have a great day.

You are loved.