Friday, February 26, 2016

I get no satisfaction-- when it comes to the offseason

I have found myself in a situation that you could call 'a good problem to have' over the past few years.  What was once a period like the 12 days leading up to Christmas, the offseason no longer excites me like it once did. 

It used to be a time of exciting mystery for me.  A fresh start where anything could happen.  All 32 teams have Super Bowl aspirations and every team is undefeated.

It just doesn't thrill me anymore.

Why is it that I simply want to hurry up and get to week one? Well, for starters, every offseason since Pete Carroll and John Schneider took over has been anything but predictable.  Mostly for better, rarely for worse.  Still, the comfort of trusting in P & J has entirely replaced the anxious excitement of the NFL Draft and Combine.

Mock Drafts are ruined for me. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have absolutely no idea what the Seahawks are going to do-- despite what they'd have you believe.

If the Seahawks don't trade out of the first round all together, they're sure to pick someone you never heard of or someone you'd least expect.  Let's face it-- the first round of the NFL draft is far and away the most exciting and anticipated part of the offseason.

Not for Seahawks fans anymore.

For the Seahawks, the exciting part of the draft is rounds 3 through 5.  That is where they have repeatedly struck gold.  Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Tyler Lockett, Kam Chancellor, KJ Wright, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane were all selected within those middle rounds. 

The problem with that is that we have no realistic way of predicting what players they will take in those rounds. Be honest, outside of maybe Russell Wilson, do you remember hearing any of the aforementioned names prior to them being selected by the Seahawks?

The only reason Wilson's name came up is because EVERY quarterback in the draft class gets put under the microscope.

Though, like I said, it's a great problem to have.  Back in the Seahawks lean years, the offseason was almost better than the regular season. So much speculation and wonder in a time where nothing could be proven made it great.

Still, I much prefer knowing that my team's top brass knows what they're doing-- even if the rest of us are oblivious.  At least we know that this team will undoubtedly be in contention next season.  We will have to wait and see who will be joining this already stacked roster as perhaps the missing component. We can scrutinize the new draft class to death in the months that lie between now and the start of the new season, but at least we aren't desperate
.