RENTON — For the 2014 Seattle Seahawks, the most important thing about Sunday’s win in Carolina was the fact that, well, they won. When we look back on that game a few years from now, however, what might be most important to the franchise’s long-term success is the way the game-winning drive played out for Seattle.
On the second play of Seattle’s final possession, Russell Wilson drilled a hard pass that was slightly behind Kevin Norwood. Despite getting his head around at the last second, the rookie receiver made what Wilson described as an “unbelievable catch” to keep the chains moving. Three plays later, Wilson hit rookie Paul Richardson for a 9-yard gain, and four plays after that, he connected with second-year tight end Luke Willson for the game-winning touchdown on a 23-yard pass.
Throw in a strong performance by rookie linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, which included a tackle for loss on Carolina’s previous possession, and the Seahawks got more contribution out of their past two draft classes in that game than they have in any other during the past two years. And that’s not even mentioning second-round pick Justin Britt, who has been Seattle’s starting right tackle all season.
Britt, Richardson, Norwood, Pierre-Louis and Willson might not all be huge pieces of Seattle’s future, but what’s significant is what them all contributing important plays in a victory represents: the Seahawks are beginning to see returns on their past two draft classes, and in particular out of this year’s rookies.
“It really was a point of emphasis in our team meeting (Monday) that a lot of young guys have come through and done a really nice job,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said. “It has really fallen into the formula that we’ve always looked to — you play your young guys early and by mid-season they’re playing like regulars.
“As we turn the corner here, game eight, we’ll have a lot of young guys that have played. They’ve been called on to play frontline stuff, and so as we go down the stretch, they will be a big factor in helping us. We’ve got five or six guys that will come back that are starters here in the next couple weeks, and we’ll be better because of it. It was really cool to see those guys play and do their stuff.”
The Seahawks have hit home runs on trades (Marshawn Lynch and Chris Clemons) and made free agent signings that helped put them over the top (Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril). However, the nucleus of their championship team was build through the first three drafts under John Schneider and Carroll. Like any NFL team, the Seahawks’ best, and really only, path to sustained excellence is to draft well, and it is completely fair to look at their 2013 class and wonder how much it might set them back in the coming years.
From 2010 to 2012, the Seahawks drafted the likes of Russell Okung, Earl Thomas, Golden Tate, Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Russell Wilson, and Bobby Wagner. Even their often criticized first-round picks from 2011 and 2012, James Carpenter and Bruce Irvin, have shown signs of improvement this year, Carpenter in particular.
Last year’s draft, however, was a much different story. Yes, the Seahawks didn’t have a first-round pick thanks to the Percy Harvin trade, and yes, most significantly, a deeper roster made it harder for those rookies to earn jobs, but when you look back on the 2013 class, it’s hard not to call it a disappointment, so far at least.
Christine Michael could still end up the team’s future at running back, but through one season and seven games, he’s been a non-factor. Defensive tackle Jordan Hill showed promise this season, but is currently injured, never a good sign for a player plagued by injuries last year. Receiver Chris Harper is gone, defensive tackle Jesse Williams is missing a second straight year because of knee injuries, putting his NFL future very much in doubt.
Fifth-round pick Tharold Simon has started the past two games at cornerback, so there’s potential there if he can stay healthy after missing all of last year. Fellow fifth-rounder Willson has been a regular contributor. After Willson, however, every other player drafted has already moved on: Spencer Ware, Ryan Seymor, Ty Powell, Jared Smith, Michael Bowie. Alvin Bailey, who was signed after the draft, has contributed, however.
And while the Seahawks were just fine without getting anything significant from their rookie class last year, they won’t be OK going forward if the remaining members of that class, and several from this year’s, aren’t key players going forward.
Already the Seahawks are seeing how having to pay star players affects depth. Signing the likes of Chancellor, Sherman, Thomas and Doug Baldwin to contract extensions the past two offseasons means a lot less money to spread out elsewhere, and those contracts contributed to tough decisions like parting ways with Clemons, Red Bryant and Tate. That problem will become significantly more pronounced when the Seahawks give Russell Wilson a new deal, which will almost certainly happen after this season. They’ll also have decisions to make on several other key players like Maxwell, Wright, Wagner, Lane, Irvin and J.R. Sweezy. They will either require big raises or be gone in the next two seasons. If those veterans get paid — and they won’t all get paid — young players will need to take over and be cheap options at other positions. Or if the veterans aren’t re-signed, then the current first-and-second year players will need to fill some of those jobs.
“It’s really important, it really is,” Carroll said of seeing young players contribute. “The fact that we’ve been able to use these guys early now allows us to feel, and they to feel also, like they’re part of the mix. You saw us, we were just interchanging guys and moving them in and out, and that’s a big asset as you go through the second half of the season. If you get to the midway point and you haven’t started that, now you have to start the process — maybe because you are forced by an injury — and I think it keeps you behind how you could normally progress.
“We’ve been doing this for years. It’s going back to playing freshman (at USC). It’s the same old deal. We’ve never hesitated to do this if we can make it happen, and there’s always been a big benefit. So like I said this should really help us.”
Rookies like Norwood, Richardson, Pierre-Louis and Britt will all play a role whatever success the Seahawks have this season, but even more important is what their emergence means for Seattle’s future.
Herald Columnist John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com
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