Gee Scott: The Good News and Bad News after the Seahawks’ season

Not to bite off the “Brock and Salk” segment of “Good News, Bad News, No News,” but as the Seahawks’ season has come to a close, I feel like I better dive right into things. My dad would say, “Champ, what do you want first: the good news or the bad news?” I always knew that meant I was in a little bit of trouble. I would always take the bad first.

Bad news

• The Seahawks are out of the playoffs after losing 36-20 to the Atlanta Falcons. A hold, a trip, a safety, and the Seahawks never recovered. The 99-yard drive by a Matt Ryan-led offense right before halftime actually had me standing up wondering what I was watching.

• Cornerback DeShawn Shead sustained a reported torn ACL in his left knee in the third quarter last Saturday. Shead attempted to cover Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel, but Shead’s knee buckled as Gabriel was making his cut on the route. This means Shead is likely to be out at the beginning of next season, and it makes that secondary room paper thin right now, especially considering that we will be waiting to see if Earl Thomas will still be Earl when he comes back from a broken leg.

• The Seahawks still have a good defense, but I’m getting the feeling that offenses aren’t afraid of them like they use used to be. After the injury to Thomas, they got just one interception, as opposed to 11 before he went down. There was a point in time that when this defense would go head-to-head against high-powered offenses, they wouldn’t be so high-powered when they were done. The last time a 99-yard drive was done against the Seahawks was 2009. Matt Ryan connected with four different receivers on the drive, completing 7 of 9 passes.

• That wasn’t a flag on the field, that was dirty laundry – something that we aren’t really used to seeing with the Seahawks. “I had a big meeting with Richard (Sherman) going out, and he has some regrets about this season, didn’t go the way we wanted it to go,” Pete Carroll said on the “Brock and Salk” show Monday. “I just wanted to make sure we left on really good terms. We talk a lot. I talk with him all the time. I just wanted to make sure to touch base one more time because it was a difficult year for him. The media thing was a big deal and all that. He made it through it. It was hard.” Y’all know the “media thing” that he’s referring to. (If you don’t, read this). “Probably the biggest regret is that we showed some bad expressions and stuff on the sidelines,” Carroll said. “That’s not what we want to be. But it’s personal. It’s personal issues going through stressful, difficult, challenging times, and sometimes you do it well, and sometimes you don’t. That’s just individual growth.” I remember the Robinsons down the street from my house growing up. They were the coolest family. They were perfect to me. I would always think to myself how I wished my family was like theirs. Then one day, I was about 10 years old, I heard Mr. and Mrs. Robinson get into an argument. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This wasn’t the perfect family. As a matter of fact, they argue just like my parents. I was devastated. I thought they were perfect, like the Huxtables. What I didn’t know then that I know now is that there aren’t any perfect families, and there aren’t any perfect football teams. So when coach Pete Carroll says that he regrets that they showed some bad expressions on the sidelines, I’m quite sure players do, as well. And I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Robinson didn’t want me to see them argue, either.

Good news

• The GM, head coach, and offensive and defensive coordinators are still in place. Even my man Tom Cable will still be here. Hey, a lot can be said about having your staff already in place.

• Right now, four of the top five QBs are still in the playoffs. Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger (that’s the first time I’ve ever spelled his name right) are elite QBs, and guess who the fifth one is? Yes, Russell Wilson is still the quarterback back here. And when you have an elite quarterback, that team is always gonna be in good shape.

• Notice I didn’t put the offensive line above in bad news. That’s because this unit will have a year of experience under their belt by next season. If Justin Britt can come back this season and have the year that he did, why can’t the others improve the same way? The line this season showed that at times it could play as a unit very well. Don’t believe me? How many times did you say, “Good job, O-line” this past season? That group is very close with each other. They will step on that field next season with a bit more confidence than they had this year.

• The wide receivers room will be very competitive next year. The emergence of Paul Richardson and “No-E” Tyler Lockett coming back makes this room not just talented, but loaded with veteran experience. Doug Baldwin is still a top-five receiver in the game, and he still gets no respect. I look for him to catch 100 balls next season.

• I mention the defense above in the bad news, but they are in the good news, too. The names on that side of the ball can still play this game at a high level. I believe Wagz (Bobby Wagner) should be the defensive MVP this season. With Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Frank Clark, I’ll take those three over most when it comes to rushing the passer. The leadership of Kam Chancellor and the reliability of Sherman (he has never missed a game) should give us all a lot to look forward to. And you can’t forget about K.J. Wright, who will now be a part of the Pro Bowl in Orlando next weekend. The defense might not have been historic like we are used to seeing, but they’re still good.

• “It’s time for Seattle to shut up,” said Mike Wilbon on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption earlier this week. “Bennett, all of them, I love them. Shut up. All they are is an ordinary, washed-up former champion. And they run their mouths and tell you what they’re not going to talk about and not going to do. Them and their over-caffeinated coach who clearly stops at every corner in Seattle and drinks something, one of those lattes. … Shut up Seattle. You guys are overrated now. You don’t win anything. Shut up. It’s over.” So you might ask why is this good news? Well, I find it interesting that the standard for Seahawks football is so high to some. I mean, both participants in last year’s Super Bowl (Broncos and Panthers) didn’t even make the playoffs this year. The Seahawks have been to the playoffs five years in a row with 10 or more wins, and now they’re washed up? So the good news is that the standard is Super Bowl or bust, even though it seems Wilbon doesn’t have the same high standards for others. That’s cool, though. I guess we can blame Carroll. Blame him for having such a high standard. Blame him for the Seahawks being talked about so much. Another thing that puzzles me is when Wilbon says “It’s over.” Really? The Seahawks still have their head coach, their quarterback, and the support of their fan base. Hmm… I’ve been around this team since 2003. And right now, it’s closer than it’s ever been. Yes, that includes the Super Bowl year, as well. When Carroll tells us how close this team is, he’s telling the truth. No, the team won’t get the big win down in Houston this season, but the window isn’t closed yet. There’s still a lot left, and more importantly they still have leaders in place. They will grow from this season, probably the same way the Robinsons grew from that argument they had in front of me. Oh, and by the way, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson are still married today.

Appreciate you for reading. Love ya for that. Until next time.

– Gee Scott