So we’re almost halfway through the season and we’ve already got this Seahawks team figured out.
Unlike last year, they aren’t the Rams’ chew toys.
Unlike last year, their defense seems to get better with each week.
Unlike last year, they actually benefit from some late-game meltdowns.
The first seven weeks of the 2005 NFL season have exorcised a lot of demons for the Seattle Seahawks.
And yet a few members of last year’s team can’t help but feel an eerie sense of dj vu. While the players who returned this season seem to have freed themselves of bad-luck charms, plenty of ex-Seahawks are still engrossed in that frustrating cycle of never-ending mediocrity.
The most notable case involves linebacker Chad Brown, who was released by the team in April in a salary cap-related move and soon signed with the two-time defending champion New England Patriots. Brown’s eight years of Seahawk doldrums would quickly be forgotten once Brown got to put on his first Super Bowl ring.
Only a funny thing happened on the way to the jewelry store. The Patriots (3-3) look kind of like the 2004 Seahawks these days.
Then there’s cornerback Ken Lucas, whose time in Seattle always found him feeling under-appreciated. In a sense, he was the poster child for past Seahawks teams: lots of ability, but inconsistent and prone to lost confidence when things went bad.
Lucas stumbled onto a very Seahawk-like situation in Carolina, where some outsiders saw the talented cornerback as the missing piece to a Super Bowl puzzle. Much like last year, when the Seahawks seemingly came out of nowhere to become everyone’s NFC-champs-on-paper, Lucas and the Panthers were the “surprise” pick of almost every so-called expert.
At 4-2 and currently in third place in the NFC South, the Panthers could be on the outside looking in come playoff time. There’s a pretty good chance that Lucas could go through a second consecutive 9-7 season that leaves fans hungry for more.
Two of last year’s Seahawks – three, if you include recent acquisition Antonio Cochran – found themselves on another team that was destined for a breakthrough season. Chike Okeafor and Orlando Huff were expected to be key pieces to a revamped Arizona defense, while the addition of veteran quarterback Kurt Warner was enough for the Cardinals to be considered an NFC West favorite.
Okeafor and Huff have suffered through a 2-4 start, while Cochran jumped on board a little more than a week ago to a familiar situation.
It doesn’t stop there:
* Quarterback Trent Dilfer has had some success in Cleveland, but he’s struggled so much in the past two games that the rebuilding Browns might be ready to turn to rookie Charlie Frye.
* Fullback Heath Evans finally got the starting job he coveted, but that lasted just six games before the Miami Dolphins cut him earlier this week.
* Wide receiver Koren Robinson got a second chance in the NFL, with the Minnesota Vikings, but soon found himself in the middle of another scandal. (Robinson has vehemently denied being on the so-called “Love Boat,” even though at least one newspaper reported that he was involved.)
Not even future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice could find the Midas Touch. The Denver Broncos demoted him so far down the depth chart that he opted to retire in early September.
Then there are the 12 players from last year’s team who can’t even find a job in the NFL: Anthony Simmons, Chris Terry, Cedric Woodard, Rashad Moore, Bobby Taylor, Terreal Bierria, Kerry Carter, Kris Richard, Solomon Bates, Brandon Mitchell, Taco Wallace and Ken Walter.
About the only members of the 2004 Seahawks who have found some success elsewhere are Miami’s Donnie Jones, whose NFL-leading 40.8 net punting average doesn’t make up for his team’s 2-4 record, and Jacksonville reserves Tracy White and Dennis Norman, who play for a decent team but don’t see much action.
If the Seahawks were indeed cursed with mediocrity, perhaps that goat left town with some of their former players. Because the ball has finally been bouncing Seattle’s way this year.
At 5-2, the Seahawks can thank team president Tim Ruskell for making all the right moves. The guys that are here are performing, and those who left haven’t made Ruskell rue his decision.
Of course, it’s too soon to think we’ve totally got this team figured out. But based on the early returns, none of the current Seahawks are bummed to be “stuck” in Seattle.
Key NFL games
Chicago (3-3) at Detroit (3-3), Sunday, 10 a.m.: Hide the women and children folks, because this is as good as it gets in the NFC North. You’re forgiven if you can’t even name Chicago’s starting quarterback (rookie Kyle Orton) or if you’ve overlooked the fact that Scott Vines is one of Detroit’s go-to receivers (see what three first-round picks get you?). Barring a minor miracle in Minnesota or Green Bay, one of these teams will be in the postseason – maybe even heading to Seattle for a second-round matchup. Pick: Lions, 13-10.
Washington (4-2) at N.Y. Giants (4-2), Sunday, 10 a.m.: Would anyone complain if the NFL were to allow an extra team from the NFC East into the postseason while eliminating all four teams from the North? These are two of the bigger surprises in the NFL right now, and yet one of them will probably fall from first to last place in the division. Eli Manning will have trouble with Washington’s defense, while Mark Brunell will continue to impress. Pick: Redskins, 20-17.
Kansas City (4-2) at San Diego (3-4), Sunday, 1:05 p.m.: Can’t remember a better 3-4 team than the Chargers. They’ve been close in every game, yet can’t hang on when it counts. That’s not the kind of trait that maketh a playoff team, so the Chargers had better figure out a way to finish. On Sunday, they will. Pick: Chiefs, 34-27.
Scott M. Johnson is The Herald’s pro football writer.
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