Reasons To Be Concerned About the Seahawks On Hard Knocks

The Seahawks finally getting spotlighted on Hard Knocks, the year after winning the Super Bowl, may be cool. Until it’s not, anyway.

Seattle Seahawks offensive linemen including Abraham Lucas (72) take part in drills during mini-camp. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

I’m not a superstitious person. In my experience, most things that look like patterns tend to just be waiting for more data to come along. So, if there is a ‘Hard Knocks Curse’, I can’t say I’m especially concerned about it. I’m not so sure there even is one. Sure, a Hard Knocks team has never gone on to play in a Super Bowl for that season, but there have been some good teams.

The Bills were the team covered last offseason, and they ended up in the divisional round, an overtime loss away from the AFC Title game and likely the Super Bowl. The 2023 Dolphins were the in-season Hard Knocks squad and made the playoffs. The 2021 Cowboys won their division, the 2020 Rams won a playoff game (in Seattle!), and that’s all just this decade.

So no, I’m not trying to grant the reality sports documentary any sort of mystical power to make the teams they cover bad. But I don’t think it’s unfair to acknowledge the risks of having all that extra attention and coverage during a time where things are usually fairly private. We as fans may benefit from getting to see behind the curtain, but the curtain is there for a reason.

I doubt John Schneider or Mike Macdonald are thrilled about being selected, although at least we don’t have to worry about the show being filmed during the season. That is one silver lining here, that this whole thing should be over before the actual games start. Still, training camp is an important time for any football team, and now there are distractions for ours.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) passes the ball during mini-camp. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Coaches and players will be focusing on the filming of the show, to some degree. Perhaps some more than others, but I’m sure there will be some impact. There are interviews, where someone can say the wrong thing or bring unwanted attention. Sometimes, secrets can be exposed publicly in a way that no NFL team would want. It can all turn into a distraction.

You know that the people in charge of putting the show together want drama. How else will they get people to want to watch it? If there’s drama to be found, they’re looking for it. And if it’s not there, they may very well try to create it. Will the team be able to dodge the landmines? Will they allow the media presence to create problems that would otherwise not exist? Who knows.

This team certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt, since they did just win the Super Bowl and everything. But not all of the players who will be participating in training camp this year were part of that. Hard Knocks is known to heavily focus on new players, rookies, and longshots who are fighting for a roster spot. So it’s not quite that simple. Can they handle it?

So, be excited that Hard Knocks is coming to the VMAC for the first time ever. I’m not taking that away from anyone. But I think a little bit of concern is fair. This is a distraction. This is a potential security risk. And with the margins in the NFC West being so thin, I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with being the team that has to take this risk.

Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (91) takes part in drills during mini-camp. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

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