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| Happier times. Oh, but don't worry, they lie ahead as well. |
As I get ready to embark upon my first of hopefully 20 trips (yeah, we're getting a first round bye and home field throughout) to watch our beloved Seahawks (GO Hawks!!!) take on the "world" in a qwest to meet the lofty expectations of destiny, and not to mention the 12th Man, and secure NFL domination... the main story is of course the health of Percy Harvin. Not that it should be, but it is. The media loves it when bad things happen and the sports media is no different.
Not that losing Percy Harvin 'til around Thanksgiving is a good thing. No, it sucks actually. However, if there's something the Seahawks are good at, it's persevering. Not only is that ability to rise up with your back up against the wall one of the things both Pete and John look for in potential Seahawks, and not only is it one of the core beliefs of Russell Wilson via his father's infamous "3 P's" from the most amazing Levi's commercials ever... [dim lights please]
But perseverance is often the mark of a champion. And this team is full of champions, even if they don't have any rings to prove it just yet. In time my friends. People jumping off the Space Needle and media zealots everywhere jumping off the bandwagon need not jump back on later this year. No, in fact I'd prefer it if you stayed away because the Seahawks perform FAR better when they've got that chip on their shoulder. So while everyone goes nuts about the loss of the Hawks newest addition, those who have paid close attention to this entire rebuild know that this could be the type of thing that forges a champion. The final road block between youth and potential and glory.
One need not look too far for examples of how previous Super Bowl champions had to endure a tough bout with the injury bug en route to winning it all. The Ravens injury woes were well documented last season (Suggs, Lewis, Webb) and they even had to overcome the lost of All-Pro DT Haloti Ngata in the actual Super Bowl itself. Still, they persevered and left New Orleans with the game's ultimate reward. Joe Flacco rose above all and dominated in the playoffs, almost as if he was single-handedly willing the Ravens to victory.
Before the Ravens, it was the 2011 New York Giants who had to deal with a mountainous injury list and a disappointing 9-7 record in the regular season. However, key injured players returned late in the season just in time for the playoff push and stellar performances from key reserves helped support a great playoff performance from Eli Manning as the Giants stunned the nation and won another Super Bowl.
And that's just the last 2 years. It appears that a team can overcome injuries in the NFL, so long as they are patient and have solid depth and a quarterback who can perform well in the playoffs. Russell Wilson appears to be the type of big-game quarterback that Seahawks fans have yearned for for decades. My brain and my heart especially, tell me that if Joe Flacco and Eli Manning can find continued success in the post-season, then Russell Wilson most definitely will too. I guess my point is, unless #3 himself goes down *knock on wood* the Seahawks will always be in good shape.
Harvin's dynamic ability and versatility can not be replaced or replicated. However, the remaining Seahawks wide receivers bring a lot to the table in their own right, and I'm inclined to believe that they will rise to the occasion in Percy's absence. Blind homerism? Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Golden Tate is entering a contract season and appears primed to break out with Percy out. I've been beating this drum for a while now, but I'm thinking Golden has a year similar to Jordy Nelson's in 2011 for the Packers. Nelson was entering his fourth season, like Tate, and also like Golden his numbers in his first 3 seasons weren't quite what everyone had hoped they'd be upon being drafted in the 2nd round by their respective teams.
Golden Tate's career stats / Jordy Nelson career stats
In fact, Golden's year 3 was actually better than Jordy's. Will his 4th year in the league be just as good as Nelson's? That's tough, but if he can even come close he'll definitely have earned himself a whole lot of cash. I'm expecting an absolutely monstrous season from Tate, one that will have people drawing comparisons to him and a young Steve Smith from his earlier days with the Panthers. Smith might have been more of a burner than Golden is, but Golden's definitely got him beat in the YAC department. The reason I lump them together is because both have an uncanny ability to win jump balls despite their height "disadvantage." Both are quite stout for their size though so that's probably what gives them the ability to not only high point the ball, but fight off defenders and haul in the grab as well. One can only imagine what Chris Harper will look like on jump balls with his stocky frame a few years down the road.
Then, there's Dougie Fresh. The 3rd year man out of Stanford has looked great in camp so far by all accounts and he's a noted hard worker who is constantly trying to improve his game. He now becomes the de facto slot guy for the Hawks and at times he flashed the skills that made him the first UDFA rookie receiver to lead his team in receptions since the merger. He also showed good chemistry with Russell, as evidenced by his TD grabs against New England and especially against San Francisco. However, he also showed that the injury bug that bit him in college might have stuck with him in the NFL. While his durability is a concern, I'm thinking Doug rises to the occasion this season and creates visions of Bobby Engram in 12's heads everywhere. 3rd and 9? No problem, Dougie Fresh is there with the grab and 11.
Probably the least talked about reality that the Harvin injury now creates is that it opens up a spot for one of the younger, more unheralded receivers on this team. Jermaine Kearse (Huck the Fuskies!) has been one of the stars of camp so far, with many crediting his noticeable improvement on the LASIK surgery he had to correct his vision. I've worn contacts and I'll tell you that it can be a pain having to deal with them when playing sports. And that was in high school and in rec leagues, not to mention the NFL where every possible advantage matters! Stephen Williams, a player whom John Schneider was very excited to acquire off waivers from Arizona, has been making the plays in camp that he did with the Cards. It never quite materialized in to results on the field but the potential and talent is certainly there. People have raved about his ability on jump balls and his big play ability. Another Ricardo Lockette? We shall see.
Chris Harper and Phil Bates round out the guys I see as in the mix to stick on the final 53. Harper is the 4th round rookie out of KState who reminds most of a young Anquan Boldin, while Bates is the 2nd year man who was with the team as a member of the practice squad at times last season. Both are former quarterbacks and both have unique frames by the modern NFL receivers standards. Harper is a monster at 6'1", 234 pounds while Bates is no slouch either at 6'1", 220 pounds. Their styles differ a bit, Harper is more your typical possession guy who uses his frame to box defenders out and bully them when battling for position. Bates is more of an explosive playmaker with the ball in his hands, someone who can make guys miss in the open field and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder for extra yards. Noticing a trend yet? The Seahawks love tough, physical football players. They also love guys who have played multiple positions at some point in their lives.
And then there's the enigma. Sidney Rice. The man who was set to benefit from the addition of Percy Harvin the most. He just went to Switzerland to have a non-surgical procedure on his knee and he's been injured before, so naturally we have to keep our fingers crossed with Sid, but when healthy he made plays for this team last season. He's got a good, natural rapport with Russell Wilson and was so money on those sideline throws last season. His length and soft hands are tough for defenses to defend against, and having a guy like Harvin wreaking havoc on defensive gameplans would have allowed Sidney to fully capitalize like he did with Harvin (and Favre) in Minnesota. While news about his knee certainly isn't good news, it's not too bad either. Numerous athletes have begun to go to Europe for similar procedures and the early results appear to be positive. Hopefully Sidney can add his name to the list of success stories.
The "next man up" phrase gets tossed around far too loosely in sports these days, but here's a case where it actually applies. Somebody's going to have to step up and hold it down in Percy's absence. We pretty much know what to expect from guys like Rice, Tate, and Baldwin when they're healthy. However, not much is known about guys like Kearse, Williams, Harper, and Bates (no disrespect to Brett Swain and company.) What we do know is that there's usually a few guys that come completely out of nowhere and end up providing huge dividends for the Hawks every season. It's been a trademark of Pete and John's. Something we can hang our hats on. It's just flat out ridiculous how good those 2 are at evaluating talent.
So fear not, 12's. Step back from that ledge you're standing on and take a look at the silver lining. This team will grow because of this and when Percy is healthy enough to return, it'll be just in time for the stretch run and when it matters most. Right now, who knows who it'll be to step up in Percy's absence? Hell, it might not even be a wide receiver, it might be someone like RB Christine Michael, who by all accounts has looked outstanding in Camp. Whoever it is, it's gonna happen. It's just what the Seahawks do. It's what this whole thing was built upon. That intense belief that no matter what happens, no matter what obstacles stand in the way, this team will fulfill it's destiny and be remembered in history as champions.
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