A Perspective of Gratitude For Seahawks Fans Despite Lost Season
I'm not here to tell anyone how to "fan." It's acceptable to be mad, angry, disappointed, sad, insert your favorite depressing adjective here. You care so deeply about the success of the Seattle Seahawks. Your heart goes through several stages of trauma during every game. It's part of who you are. It's what makes football—and sports in general—so great. They help us feel alive, even if it's devastating.
However, this is Thanksgiving after all. It's a time to reflect on what we have, and how lucky we are to enjoy even the simplest things in life like a roof over our head and food (and lots of it) in our bellies. Is there a reason to have an attitude of gratitude regarding this Seahawks team?
American author Melody Beattie once said, "Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Clearly, we are nearing an end of an era, if we haven't taken that off-ramp already. Gratitude might be the only way Seahawks fans can find peace during this turbulent season.
Certainly, if you are looking for areas for which to be thankful, you need to turn the clocks back a smidge. Let's start on January 11, 2010. The Seahawks had just dismissed one-year head coach Jim Mora after a disappointing 5-11 season in 2009. They hired Pete Carroll from USC, who was just a few years removed from a dynasty run with the Trojans that included being named back-to-back AP national champions.
Seattle found immediate results in Carroll, making the playoffs in his first year. He then ushered in the most successful era of Seahawks football Seattle has ever seen. From 2012 to 2020, Carroll led the Seahawks to eight playoff appearances in nine years. The Seahawks made their second and third Super Bowls in franchise history, winning the first in convincing fashion.
How did Carroll and the Seahawks finally bring the Lombardi Trophy to Seattle? By doing it his way. Seattle had the most dominant defense of this generation with the "Legion of Boom" and a brutal running game led by Marshawn Lynch, who Carroll traded for during the 2010 season. That trade altered the path of the entire franchise.
Not only that, but the Seahawks reached a second straight Super Bowl following the 2014 season—something only the Patriots and Chiefs have done since 1999. Yes, they lost that game in the most heartbreaking way possible, but the fact that they made it all the way back and fought through the Super Bowl hangover is a testament to how truly great that team was.
Then there's Russell Wilson. The Seahawks pulled the trigger on Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. They had the gumption to start Wilson ahead of Matt Flynn, who had just signed a big three-year, $19 million deal. Wilson then turned out to be the best Seahawks quarterback by a large margin, shattering virtually every passing record in franchise history on his way to eight Pro Bowls and counting.
However, it looks like it all might be crashing down this season. There is at least a small chance Seattle will be looking for a new head coach at the end of this season; perhaps even a new quarterback. Does anyone think Wilson will want to endure a coaching change and a rebuild?
The rest of this season will be tough to swallow but there is plenty to remember and hang on to as the night darkens and gets colder. Some franchises would do anything to have the run of success the Seahawks have enjoyed. There have been 12 teams that have never won a single Super Bowl. The Texans have never even been to a conference championship game, while Seattle has been to four. The Jets haven't been to the playoffs for a decade. The Lions haven't won a playoff game since 1991; same goes for the Bengals since 1990.
During this Thanksgiving season, at least for your own health, look back on the good times with fondness. As Dr. Seuss wisely said, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
The "Beast Quake" happened. Super Bowl XLVIII happened. The 2013 and 2014 NFC championship games happened. The "Legion of Boom," Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson all happened.
And whatever happens from here on out, Pete Carroll happened, and it's a good thing he did.
