Are we witnessing the rebirth of the Seahawks or is this just a hot streak?

There’s little question as to whether or not the Seahawks are in the midst of a hot streak. But is that all we are seeing right now, or is the Seattle team of old finally back?

While debating the question, Brock Huard of 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Salk” cited a number of stats: The Seahawks have won five of their last six games, they’re ranked in the top three in both scoring and total defense, the offense is No. 3 in yards per play and is in the top eight in both scoring and yards, QB Russell Wilson is on pace for 4,000 passing yards and RB Thomas Rawls might reach 1,000 rushing yards.

Mike Salk said those stats are all true, and they may finally be back, but it’s not the same team fans have become accustomed to over the last three years.

“While I believe they are (back) and I believe they are as dangerous as anybody in the NFL, I just don’t think they are the same team that they were,” Salk said. “And that doesn’t mean they’re not as good a team, but they’re clearly built differently.”

Salk believes the focal point of the offense has changed with running back Marshawn Lynch sidelined, and that while it previously appeared that Wilson was effective because of Lynch, it’s switched to Rawls being productive because of Wilson.

“You’ve sort of changed the pecking order of how your offense is built,” he said. “And that doesn’t mean you need to become pass-first, and you’re not going to turn into the Patriots or the Saints or something like that, but the focal point of (offensive coordinator) Darrel Bevel’s thinking has become the quarterback position as opposed to the running back position with Marshawn out. And it has allowed both Russell Wilson and Thomas Rawls, in addition to Doug Baldwin and some others, to be more effective just by kind of skewing how you view it.”

Huard agreed, asking if the roles were reversed, and Wilson was injured and Lynch were healthy, how would this conversation go?

“It goes, ‘Marshawn needs Russell Wilson. This O-line needs Russel Wilson. They need that guy and that difference maker,'” he said. “And what you’re seeing here is with Russell Wilson still in place, yeah, Thomas Rawls is really good.”

ESPN NFL insider John Clayton took a different perspective, saying it’s a different team than people expected because it’s switched gears from having a dominating defensive to a dominating offense.

“The team usually does start to peak once it gets into late November or December; it’s just peaking in a different direction,” Clayton said. “But I have to think that you have to look at this team as being back.”

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