The year was 2012. After two straight 7-9 seasons, the Seattle Seahawks busted out shiny new uniforms and a vertically challenged rookie quarterback. Most people expected another mediocre season, and a Super Bowl appearance seemed about as likely as Ciara giving Russell Wilson her phone number.
Four playoff appearances, two Super Bowls and one marriage to an R&B star later, you could say that expectations for the Seahawks are sky-high, but stratospheric might be a better word. Based on our latest poll, nothing short of a return to the Super Bowl will meet your forecast for them this season.
At HeraldNet.com and on Twitter, 57 percent of our voters predicted a third Super Bowl in four years. Sure, a lot of people are voting with their hearts, but that’s a crazy number. It’s hard to get that many to agree that evolution happened or that climate change is a problem — you know, actual scientific facts.
There is a lot of reason for optimism about the Seahawks. They’re better-rested and healthier than they were going into last season. Wilson and other key players are in the prime of their careers, and the offensive line hasn’t been a total disaster in the preseason — high praise compared to this time last year.
Thirty-three percent foresee a playoff run that falls short. That’s probably the realistic expectation for the Hawks and other contending teams, which have to deal with the randomness of injuries and the unpredictability of an oblong ball.
Just 10 percent of voters said it’ll be a down year, with no playoffs. Not out of the question, but a lot will have to go wrong for the pessimists to be right. These things ebb and flow, and one day the Hawks will come back to the pack.
In the meantime, if we forget what mediocrity is like, we always have the Mariners.
— Doug Parry, parryracer@gmail.com; @parryracer
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