Here you go:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It has been nine years since the
New England Patriots won back-to-back Super Bowls, and no team has come close to repeating since then. Nearly two decades have passed since the
Dallas Cowboys won three titles in four seasons, and it has been 34 years since the
Pittsburgh Steelers won four in a six-season span.
NFL dynasties, always tough to come by, are nearly impossible in the salary-cap era. No team has come closer than the Patriots to establishing one recently, but New England, for all its numbingly consistent success, hasn’t won a championship since the 2004 season.
The
Seattle Seahawks’ young roster and recent success, punctuated by their dominant 43-8 win over the
Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, gives them a better chance than most at winning multiple championships over the next several seasons. As for a dynasty in the making? Yes, the Seahawks have a shot at establishing one. Here’s how.
Develop the passing game
Pete Carroll came to Seattle with a clear vision for his defense, and that vision has been realized on the field. Carroll also had a less-publicized vision for his offense. He wanted a power running back, a risk-averse quarterback and a big, physical receiver. He had those things briefly back in 2010 when
Matt Hasselbeck was behind center,
Marshawn Lynch fell into place via trade and
Mike Williams came off the scrap heap to factor as a physical, move-the-chains wide receiver.
Russell Wilson has upgraded the QB picture in many ways. Lynch is better than ever and should have a couple good seasons left (Seattle has two young runners behind him just in case). Williams is long gone, however, and Seattle hasn’t found anyone to fill his specific role.
Sidney Rice was supposed to be that guy, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Finding a big receiver to pair with
Percy Harvin has to be a priority this offseason.
Seattle will continue to win with defense while protecting the football. The Seahawks dropped back to pass 53.7 percent of the time during the regular season, the second-lowest percentage in the league. The team will continue to derive its offensive identity through the running game because Carroll wants it that way. But as Lynch winds down in the coming years and Wilson gains weapons, the Seahawks could need their passing game to carry more of the load. They ranked second to the
Philadelphia Eagles in yards per pass attempt this season, and Wilson generally was able to rally Seattle when needed. There’s no reason the Seahawks can’t develop their passing game, but they’ll need personnel upgrades.
Harvin and Rice were the projected starters heading into 2013. They still haven’t played together since their days with the
Minnesota Vikings years ago. Harvin’s abbreviated return for the playoff game against the
New Orleans Saints and for the Super Bowl doesn’t mean the team can count on him to stay healthy in the future. Rice is coming off ACL surgery and will not be back at his 2014 salary. There’s a decent shot Rice has played his final game with the team either way.
With Harvin barely available and Rice out, opponents had an easier time containing the Seahawks’ passing game late in the season. Arizona’s
Patrick Peterson locked down Golden Taint in Week 16, a big reason the Cardinals became the first team since 2011 to beat the Seahawks in Seattle. Having Harvin in place for a full season will change the dynamic of the passing offense. Re-signing Taint should be another priority. The Seahawks would miss his big-play ability as a receiver and returner. Plus, Taint has a very good rapport with Wilson when plays break down and Wilson scrambles to buy additional time.
Maintain defensive line rotation
General manager John Schneider knows how to find impact free agents on short-term deals at reasonable prices.
Alan Branch was one such pickup a few years back, while
Michael Bennettand
Cliff Avril were pivotal additions last offseason. Those two helped give Seattle one of the NFL’s deepest and most effective rotations up front. As a result, Seattle did a much better job closing out tight games, which had been a problem in 2012 defeats to Atlanta, Miami and Detroit.
Bennett’s ability to rush the passer from multiple spots across the line makes him much more valuable than his $4.8 million price tag in 2013. Bennett becomes a free agent this offseason, creating a dilemma for the Seahawks. Signing Bennett to a longer-term deal could be difficult to justify when core defensive players such as
Earl Thomas and
Richard Sherman are in line for new deals. Can Schneider find another low-cost defensive lineman? He has had success not only with Bennett (8.5 sacks) but also with
Clinton McDonald (5.5 sacks) and
Tony McDaniel.
Some in the league have privately (and hopefully) speculated that Seattle could have a hard time keeping its core together at reasonable prices after spending so much for Harvin. The thinking was that paying a premium for an outsider with a questionable track record could create resentment among the team’s productive young draft picks and that those core players could become less willing to take hometown discounts -- especially after winning a Super Bowl.
However, the player-friendly culture Carroll has created in Seattle might be enough to provide a bridge over any divides. Players love coming to work in Seattle, where Carroll plays music during practice and insists upon positivity at all levels of the organization. The good word has gotten around the league. But if you’re Sherman or Thomas, why not maximize your leverage after seeing how much Harvin commanded as a player with no history in the organization?
On the bright side for Seattle, the team doesn’t have many priority free agents. Bennett and Taint head the list. Right tackle
Breno Giacomini is another consideration, but he should be affordable.
Improve the offensive line
The Seahawks became a team built from the back to the front on defense after drafting Thomas, Sherman and
Kam Chancellor. It’s easy in retrospect to say that was the way Carroll wanted it, as a coach with roots in the secondary. But that wasn’t necessarily the plan. Sherman and Chancellor were fifth-round picks; they were not initially supposed to be building blocks.
If the first few seasons under Carroll and Schneider had gone exactly to plan, the Seahawks would have powered through the playoffs as a team known for its punishing offensive line. Instead, they’re looking like a team that won a championship in spite of its line. That is because the high picks Seattle used for left tackle
Russell Okung, tackle-turned-guard
James Carpenter and guard
John Moffitt haven’t upgraded the line sufficiently. Okung projects as a solid starter with elite potential on his best days; Carpenter is below average; and Moffitt is long gone and retired for now.
The Seahawks do like some of the late-round picks they’ve added to the line more recently.
Alvin Bailey and/or
Michael Bowie could start in the future.
J.R. Sweezy has shown potential. But any objective analysis of the Seahawks would point to the line as one of the weaker units on the team. A zon-running scheme and Lynch’s ability to break tackles makes up for some of the deficiencies. Look around the NFC West and you’ll see why Seattle must address its line. The division features elite front-seven players at every turn (
Robert Quinn,
Aldon Smith,
Justin Smith,
Calais Campbell, etc.)
