Rhymes With Hawk

Let's play the latest craze sweeping the Northwest, "Name That Hawk!", with Pat, your reluctant host.

During the week leading up to the first Sunday of the 2010 NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks are experiencing an identity crisis. The roster demolition couldn't have come at a worse time. It appears that Seahawks management just realized their roster isn't worth a damn after sticking with these guys through all of training camp and 4 preseason games.

Still, I don't believe the team cut that much talent. They cut dead weight. Every player that was cut or traded was on the team last year and if you will recall, the team lost 11 games.

Head Coach/Team President, Pete Carroll and General Manager John Schneider seem to be embracing the "what do we have to lose?" approach. They weren't around for last year's debacle and that is to their benefit because they have zero loyalty to tenured Hawks.

Whether fans like it or not the Seahawks are starting over.

Yes, there will be many new faces on both sides of the ball but the shake-up is vital to Carroll's vision of the future. Owner, Paul Allen has obviously given Carroll a leash of at least 3 years to shape the Hawks to his liking. Carroll knows talent. He proved that at USC for many years. He has a plan but Hawks fans are going to have to be patient.

Fans shouldn't freak out over the drastic changes made. Can someone please tell me what was so great about the team last year? They failed. Repeatedly.

The silver lining to the Hawk's locker room culture shock is that the NFL teams have a funny way of bouncing back quickly. The NFL is known for it's parity and rags to riches stories. Ever heard of the New Orleans Saints?

Long story short, the Saints didn't win a playoff game until the year 2000, then in 2005 Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and their fan base. Their home stadium, the Superdome, was damaged so badly that the Saints played the whole 2005 season away from New Orleans. The following year the Saints soldout the revamped Superdome for every home game and made a deep run in the playoffs under new head coach Sean Payton and budding quarterback Drew Brees. Finally, last season the Saints dominated the NFL all year and ended up winning the Superbowl. Thus, if the Saints can overcome insane obstacles like that so can the Seahawks.

The Seahawks are not without talent. Actually, I believe the Hawks have a number of great young players that will serve as a foundation for the next decade. With that said, I think this season will be rough to watch in terms of wins so I will be focusing on the growth of individual player performance.

This is an important crossroad for the Hawks. Fans need to decide if they're in or out. I don't want to hear the whining from fans all year about the direction of the team. Seattle fans gross me out by being so fair-weather and bandwagon jumpers.

I consider myself to be a logical person. I've stood behind the Hawks since 2002. I watched them when they sucked. I watched them when they were a couple bad refs away from a Superbowl win. I argue on their behalf, in the most logical manner I can, when I get flak from friends that don't believe in them. Of course these friends were clambering for a seat on the bandwagon on the 2005 Superbowl run. Typical Seattle fans.

We were spoiled under coach Mike Holmgren for 10 years. Only a few teams could say that they won their division 5 seasons in a row in the 2000's. I don't care that the NFC West wasn't the hardest division ever. It is the NFL. You either win or you don't. The Seahawks were winners for many years.

Reasonable expectations for the 2010 season is for these guys is to prove to Carroll and to the fans that they want to compete. They need to show grit and intensity. I want to see hard hits and play execution.

The opening day roster doesn't have household names. There are no imminent Pro Bowl players. Don't judge the Seahawks yet. Management has a plan. Just because you don't recognize the jersey selection when you're at the Seahawks Team Store doesn't mean there isn't one worth purchasing.

Buy low now because the 12th Man doesn't want you coming 'round when the gettins good.