The Fall of the Seattle Seahawks | Part 2

The Fall of the Seattle Seahawks | Part 2

I know that that Paul Allen wants to win and he doesn’t want to just win once in a while he wants to win from now on your Seahawks Super Bowl 48 Champions the Seattle Seahawks are now the shest thing and the most unbeatable team in all of sports I’m here so I won’t get f by the offseason of 2014 the NFL world had accepted that what was going on in Seattle was special they didn’t lose any critical pieces and considering how young their core players were Seattle was in the best possible situation and they entered the regular season with the best Super Bowl odds in the NFL their impact on the defensive side of the ball was so widely recognized that their most vocal player Richard Sherman graced the cover of Madden going into the 2014 season in the history of a Madden cover athlete a defensive player had only been featured twice outside of Richard Sherman now if you haven’t seen part one I highly recommend checking that out as it goes into a ton of depth about the rise of the Seattle Seahawks to this point it’s also the longest and most detailed video in the history of this channel so I’m not going to repeat too much of what I’ve already covered but I do want to lay out just how special this roster really was by 2014 I’ll also mention some more details I didn’t point out in part one hey guys before we continue this video is sponsored by better help now for all you athletes out there whether you’re still competing or are done competing this is something we all go through post aete depression for me Sports was my life it brought me some of my greatest memories from my childhood but when my sports career ended I didn’t know how to deal with myself I no longer had an outlet to express myself like I did throughout my childhood which led me to years of feeling lost and having no purpose luckily this YouTube channel gave me some sense of purpose but it still didn’t replace the joy and camaraderie of playing sports of course I didn’t understand any of this at the time let alone how to deal with myself emotionally it really wasn’t until I went to therapy where I started to really understand what I was going through and how to cope with that today I have a much healthier outlook on life which I’m extremely grateful for if you were currently struggling and wish to seek help let me introduce you to better help better help connects you with a licensed therapist who is trained to listen and give you helpful unbiased advice first you got to go to their site you can use my link betterhelp.com kto you answer a few questions and betterhelp will match you to a professional who has years of experience helping people with struggles just like yours you can do it all from your phone or computer via phone call voice chat or messaging however you feel most comfortable it’s the easiest possible way to start talking to a therapist you’ll be matched to a therapist us usually within 48 hours so it happens fast let better help connect you to a therapist who can help you all from the comfort of your own home visit betterhelp.com kto or choose kto during sign up and enjoy a special discount on your first month and Kaepernick wide [Music] open the backbone of this team was the defense when P Carroll was hired in 2010 he brought with him from USC a young grad assistant and one of his former players Chris Rashard Rashard had worked with DBS while at Southern Cal something he would continue to do in Seattle also Carol decided to keep 2009 Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and defensive line coach Dan Quinn these three coaches alongside Carol would become pivotal in building the legion of boom the defenses they ran were fairly simple mostly consisting of cover one and cover three their defensive philosophy relied on the athleticism and talent of the members of the secondary also Chris Rashard who spent the most time with the defensive backs taught them to play aggressive but to keep their hits within the legal area in order to limit penalties for blows to the Head during practice the receivers would run routes with shields strapped to their chests that ran from neck to mid thigh it’s also important to note that schemes and philosophy don’t mean Jack if you don’t have the right players which leads to perhaps the most impressive aspect of the entire Seahawks rise their ability to find late round picks who completely outperformed their draft positions Pete Carroll who was a DB himself back in his day studied taller cornerback tandems like Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes when assembling the core of defensive backs cornerback Richard German cornerback Brandon Browner and strong safety cam Chancellor are much taller and in the case of Chancellor and Browner much bigger than the average player at their positions over the span of Four Seasons this defense went from 25th to 1st in points allowed on the other side of the ball the offense’s success was greatly increased once they acquired Russell Wilson beast mode had pretty much carried this offense on his back until 2012 then Wilson entered the picture and the offense’s performance improved dramatically the composure ball security and huge plays when it mattered most quickly proved all Wilson’s naysayers wrong with Wilson still on a rookie contract following the Super Bowl victory this allowed Seattle to retain nearly every piece that made their roster so special it’s no wonder people felt like Seattle could repeat in many ways they had struck gold the only thing that hadn’t worked to that point was the Percy Harvin trade Harvin had well documented off the- field issues and barely played throughout the season they ended up trading him early on in 2014 things didn’t get off off to a great start in 2014 however they flipped a switch midseason after a lackluster six and4 start Seattle turned up the dial defensively going on their most dominant six-game stretch of the legion of boom era Seattle still loose look at the play by help they gave up just 6 and 1 half points per game and it’s intercepted at the 50 yd line by Richard Sherman and everybody in this area knows him teams averaged 22.6 points per game in 2014 to pull this off in an era where offenses can do so much more than they used to it’s not only impressive it might be the greatest six game Run by any defense in modern NFL history they forced 10 turnovers and only gave up three touchdowns and five of the six opponents had a record of 500 or better three of which made the playoffs once again Seattle would finish number one in scoring defense for the third straight Year Bruce Irvin touchdown Seahawks and while the defense turned up the dial Marshon Lynch was still breaking off runs like this makes a man miss Cuts back outside right 30 3540 down the far Sidelines pushes the defender keeps fighting he’s still moving he’s going to go are you kidding me what seaw holy catfish in an era where the pass game had exploded Seattle was dead last in the NFL in pass attempts and finished with the best Run game in the NFL Russell Wilson wasn’t asked to do too much with his arm but when he did throw it he rarely made mistakes and his Mobility was a huge issue for opposing defenses Wilson and Lynch combined for over 2100 rushing yards throughout the regular season what was really magical about Wilson’s game was how he could be the perfect game manager limiting turnovers then he could effectively run the option and bust off game-breaking runs like this and then finally would pull out some backyard football Madness in a pinch P Carol and this front office had not only proved that they could rebuild the franchise they were becoming the standard of the 2010s and now it was time to go get their second Super Bowl in a row in the divisional round things went as expected and Seattle cruised to a 14-point victory over Carolina however this was not the case the following week when they hosted Green Bay after an atrocious first half with four turnovers Seattle trailed 169 nothing at halftime Midway through the third quarter finally Seattle had put together a drive to at least keep things interesting however they stalled out in the red zone and were forced to attempt a field goal and they’re going to fake it Ryan going to float it for the touchdown all of a sudden one trick play breathed life back into the 12th man it was game on but this momentum quickly ran out the packer ERS would convert on a field goal late in the third while Seattle’s next three drives ended in zero points after Russell Wilson threw an interception on the first play of a drive with 5 minutes to go you could feel the life sucked out of the stadium it was one last gut punch to every last Seahawk supporter Russell Wilson had had by far his worst game as a pro and it wasn’t even close the Packers had a two-score lead they also had the ball and the clock was running even if Seattle got the ball back their offense outside of one trick play had produced zero points the fat lady had not only warmed up her bucal chords she was halfway through her second verse but it turns out her singing wasn’t to signify that the game was over but rather to add emphasis to a truly dramatic finish that was about to take place and they’re going to have to create some big plays Come Away with a touchdown quickly to still have time to have a chance to win that’s Lynch pass is caught Wilson keeping it for the touchdown but the Seahawks have [Music] life kick up into the air [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Z fore [Music] [Applause] [Music] the super what are you thinking right now Scot is too good all the time man every time these guys on this team are unbelievable [Music] man after maybe the most miraculous last minute comeback any of us have ever witnessed in the playoffs Seattle was still alive and was headed to their second Super Bowl in a row they survived Russell Wilson’s worst three and 1 half quarters of his career with a fake field goal touchdown an onside kick and what appeared to be magic so once he gets settled into the podium we will listen in live here on NFL Network with beast mode my time start oh it started well then let me start hey I’m just here so I don’t get fine so y’all can sit here and ask me all the questions y’all want to I’m going to answer with the same answer so y’all can shoot if y’all please I’m here so I won’t get fine I’m here so I won’t get fine I’m here so I won’t get fine hey you better make more with your time you only got three more minutes I’m just here so I won’t get fine you know why I’m here you know why I’m here you know why I’m here you know why I’m here you know why I’m here you know why I’m here by the time Super Bowl 49 arrived the relationship between Marshon Lynch and the media had become a nationwide spectacle the buildup had been happening for years in 2013 he began refusing to talk to the media and in 2014 he started giving responses like this today yeah how does that defense compared to others that you’ve seen this year [Music] yeah thanks for Action what’s that I said thanks fa Mar can you describe the 79 yard touchdown run thanks fact how about the uh stomach issue early in the game I appreciate you asking on my stomach thank you y’all want to try again huh I’m thankful I’m thankful I’m thankful I’m thankful thank [Music] you this is how Marshon himself described why things got to this point and then I started seeing the same people that was interviewing me after the games oh you did great blah BL you know W woo and then when I start hitting these troubles it was the same people like oh I knew he wasn’t this and all he’s just a criminal and a thug go from Oakland this had become such a spectacle that Skittles used it as an opportunity to advertise you don’t feel in beast mode it feels you but beyond the interviews there was still a game to be played the Seahawks were to Face Off versus the Patriots who had absolutely crushed the Colts in the AFC title game the matchup was intriguing the Seahawks were attempting to become the first back-to-back Champions since who else the Patriots pulled it off about a decade prior both teams were stacked and the Vegas line was a straight pick them which just went to show how evenly matched these two juggernauts were if Seattle was going to win this game surely they couldn’t start the way they did in the NFC title match the end of that game was something out of a sports movie some say you need to sell your soul to the devil to receive that kind of Fortune well during Super Bowl 49 the Seahawks performance through most of three quarters was anything but luck with possession of the ball late in the third Seattle had a 10-point lead and control of the game after scoring 17 unanswered and if curse catches this pass this sets up Seattle in the Red Zone with a chance to take a commanding three-score lead but he couldn’t reel it in if Seattle really did sell their soul to the devil then at some point they have to pay up because the devil always gets his due and in the football world if the devil exists it may just be Tom Brady over the course of the final 11 minutes Seattle would have a front row seat to the sober in reality of what so many before them had to fall victim to when it mattered most this coldblooded killer lined up across from you and was going to have his way it’s the death of a thousand paper cuts the decision making and precision accuracy of some Advanced AI designed to play quarterback the methodical Dink and dunk that slowly rips your heart out Seattle with their all-time great pass defense watched their 10-point lead disappear here and they found themselves trailing with 2 minutes to go but unlike the countless victims before them Seattle pulled off another miracle Russ for Cur oh and he wind up with a footb believable just like that with a minute left in the Super Bowl Seattle was about to escape back-to-back Super Bowls was no longer a dream it was damn near a certainty considering the circumstance that they had in front of them the Seahawks set themselves up with four chances to take the lead from the 5 yd line with the number one Rush attack in the NFL and arguably the top short yardage back in the game there was little doubt about what Seattle was going to do in this situation perhaps Tom Brady really isn’t the devil beast mode to the halfy line maybe more often than not the real issue lies within ourselves [Music] we can’t control most of what’s happening around us you let him score and you put the ball back in the hands of Tom Brady 41 40 give it to him again give it to him again perhaps then the only choice we have is how we react Baldwin sets up on the left unfortunately we can be Our Own Worst Enemy when we got down there I said let’s make sure that we have a chance to get all four shots one of these plays we’re going to have to throw it Bill sends in the goal line team that went through the the play calling go line going line that’s what led them to throw it on that down the thing is nine times out of 10 if you give me the ball in that situation we coming away with something imortality seconds away go Lynch in the backfield Russell looks [Music] look throws inside oh my God he picked off at the goal [Music] [Applause] line intended for locking at the goal line oh my word oh my word [Music] the single most dramatic shocking heartbreaking jaw-dropping loss in the history of the NFL and it all came from the most perplexing decision that is still talked about to this day in Poetic fashion Seattle a team built on late round picks and undrafted free agents had their devastating last-second defeat come at the hands of Malcolm Butler an undrafted rookie who was only in the game because starting Corner Kyle Arrington had played a poor first half and to add to that the other corner on that side had jammed curse enough to give room for Butler to slide in and make that play that player was none other than Brandon Browner a key member of the legion of boom until 2014 Browner who had helped build the legendary defense in Seattle had now played a role to prevent his former team from repeating as Champions that was the worst play call in Super Bowl history I didn’t know at the time but I also thought it eroded or locker room down the road so really the dynasty kind of ended on that play or I shouldn’t say a dynasty well could have been a dynasty the locker room it was probably the worst atmosphere I’ve ever been in outside of sports outside of anything it just was like such a hard pill to swallow it’s like a dark cloud hovering over us and the love that we have with one another we looked at each other like it was like every man for them I don’t trust you I don’t like you what you did to my legacy is ruined because of this decision it’s very difficult to maintain a high level of cohesion year after year guys’s age dudes get paid making it harder to keep good players members of the coaching staff and front office go elsewhere injuries happen the list goes on now to imagine the idea that one play possibly prevented a dynasty is absolutely wild from multiple players on that team you can hear the mental effect this moment had on them I think guys started kind of questioning him a little more so than actually following his lead if we would have won that Super [Music] Bowl leadership is such a critical piece to success on any team the more members of that team the more important it is for leadership to be great and in this instance if every time coach speaks players have a shred of Doubt because of something that happened previously it’s going to have some sort of negative effect maybe just enough to lose a few close games they should have won now the other side to the difficulty of maintaining cohesion is when the front office decides to take the team in a different direction philosophically we’ve heard some surprising news the New Orleans Saints one year removed from signing Jimmy Graham to a 4-year $40 million deal with $21 million guaranteed have decided to part ways with their All Pro tight end trading him to the Seattle Seahawks for Max hunger and a first round draft choice Jimmy Graham was a total freak he would be a great addition to any team but the cost to acquire him left some puzzled we’re going to go and trade our team captain an offensive lineman on a run first team for a receiving tight end I play tight end we don’t even [ __ ] throw the ball at tight ends we never have and then all of a sudden it’s like hey Jimmy you’re going to put your hand in the in the dirt and block for marshan so I’m like what the what what are we doing what are we doing the rest of the 2015 off season further confirmed the New Direction Seattle was headed on July 31st the Seahawks and Wilson agreed to a contract that made him the second highest paid player in the NFL But ultimately they would have to cut costs elsewhere in the same offseason cam chancellor who felt underpaid decided to hold out seeking a new deal they had already let one original member of the legion of boom go and it was becoming clear that it wasn’t going to be easy to retain every piece that made this team so dominant Chancellor’s hold out carried two games into the regular season which both ended in losses for Seattle Chancellor being a guy who couldn’t handle seeing his team lose ended the hold out without a new deal in just his second game back Chancellor would remind everyone of his impact but an even more impactful play was later in that game when Chancellor made one of the greatest defensive plays ever Stafford complete Calvin Johns it to the endone fumbles it and it goes out of bounds it’ll be a Touchback if he didn’t break the play it is a Touchback Seattle’s ball first down going to be that at this point outside of all frustrations within the locker room one thing was clear this team was still loaded with talent and they had the pieces to get back to the promised land 2015 had a similar field to 2014 after a mediocre 4 and5 start the defending NFC Champs Rose From the Ashes to go on another late season run Russell Wilson went from a Disaster Artist to Houdini over The Late stretch second at six open it’s Baldwin and he’s got the touchdown with performances that some called MVP worthy he routinely pulled off some backyard Dro up in the dirt Madness that resulted in a big play time and time again and that move gets him a first down and a lot of this was done without Marshon Lynch as he was sidelined with an injury meanwhile the defense locked down most of their opponents on their way to a fourth straight season with the least amount of points given up in the NFL this had never happened in the history of the league and it’s the perfect indicator of just how consistently dominant here’s one pick that was easy Earl Thomas and special this side of the ball was to end the 2015 regular season Seattle went 6-1 down the stretch blowing out four of their last five opponents for late in the season we got our legs we’re ready to go and we’re cranked up about it however in the postseason because they finished 10- six which was their worst record in Four Seasons Seattle was subject to a road playoff schedule instead of playing a home the 12th man had been one of their biggest weapons over the years and now they didn’t have it in the third coldest game ever played a contest that can be best described as ugly look out and wrapped up had resulted in a onepoint lead for Seattle their fate rested on the right foot of Blair Walsh who was kicking a field goal from 27 yards out this is a 97 percenter but luckily for Seattle Minnesota is much more cursed than they are snap good spot down Walsh’s kick is up and it is no good he missed it one common Trend to that point in the Pete Carrol era was Seattle’s agonizingly slow starts in the postseason only to somehow come back late in the game this would continue the following week against Carolina the previous playoffs when Seattle hosted Carolina they handled their business however on the road this time around they were punched in the mouth falling behind 31 won nothing to Carolina it was the largest playoff deficit this team had faced throughout this era amazingly just like their 2012 performance versus Atlanta and the 2014 NFC Championship versus Green Bay Seattle clawed their way back to a one-score deficit with one minute remaining this one is caught for the touchdown only this time around and it’s recovered by Caroline they failed to convert the onside kick what really had hurt Seattle by the end of 2015 was two main things number one after trading their Pro Bowl Center Max Unger their attempt to patch up this average at best o line did not work they were one of the worst units in the game and number two injuries caught up with them Jimmy Graham was on injured reserve after game number nine so they didn’t even reap the benefits of that trade in year one for the other critical injuries this team not only lost Marshon Lynch but Thomas rolls as well in Lynch’s Place rolls was averaging 5.6 yards per carry an insanely High number in fact it was the best in the NFL it was too bad that he got injured now Lynch did try and come back versus Carolina but was completely ineffective and overall this poor offensive line combined with the injuries made this unit lifeless in the playoffs on the day of Super Bowl 50 it marked marked the first time in 3 years that another team was representing the NFC in the Super Bowl it was also a painful reminder to the Seattle faithful that greatness doesn’t last forever as Marshon Lynch announced his retirement that day via Twitter you good never play in Another down I’m done I’m I’m not playing football anymore instead of playing in the big game the Seahawks were going to be moving forward without their Workhorse that had carried their offense since the 2010 playoffs but this is the NFL players don’t last forever if you’re going to be great over the long stretch you have to be able to replace Talent unfortunately for Seattle after insane success finding Talent from 2010 through 2012 their luck ran out when it came to the draft acquiring significantly less impactful players from 2013 to 2015 some of their most successful draft picks during this time had more success elsewhere entering 2016 their attempt to replace Marshon Lynch was led by Christine Michael and Thomas rolls rolls had major success in 2015 but was nowhere near that level in 2016 largely due to injuries these two backs combined for less than 900 yards and just 3.6 yards per carry behind what was considered the worst offensive line in the league this offensive line issue was so bad you could make the argument that it was the main reason why this team began falling apart rather quickly Seattle’s offense went from a bruising Smashmouth machine to a shell of its former self they had become primarily reliant on the right arm and the legs of Russell Wilson now without the aid of a solid Run game the offense was no longer humming as they finished 2016 below average in scoring which can be best highlighted in the most ugly yet memorable regular season game of the 2016 season after finishing up regulation tied at a whopping six total points combined the Cardinals and Seahawks displayed truly inept football on the biggest stage Sunday Night Football contact with him 24 yd attemp oh he hits the upright it’s no good how in the world after the Cardinals missed a 94er the Seahawks went down and missed a 95er John Ryan to hold and he misses it that’s impossible oh oh my God that is impossible besides the crumbling of the Seahawks offense the legion of boom was showing signs of slowing down their 4-year reign of leading the league in points alowed came to an end as they finished third in 2016 and late in the season a brutal injury to Earl Thomas ended his year early this led him to openly Wayne the idea of retirement Seattle did manage to cruise to a wild card victory over Detroit but were clearly outmatched when they played Atlanta the magic seemed to be running out the story that was once filled with so much potential so much hope was approaching its final chapters dusk was on the horizon but instead of these brothers riding off into the sunset cherishing the memories they created an unsettling epilogue was about to [Music] begin here you are you know you’re facing a season end there and you’re still out there for your gu because that’s that’s the that’s the reason why I was playing in the first place you know just got to stay positive that’s all you can do thanks thank [Music] you camp chancer suffered a neck injury last Thursday night against Arizona and uh it has not looked good all week Blair walls to try and put the Seahawks ahead from 48 the kick is not good yeah before he even got to the player and he has Earl Thomas who wasn’t happy with his contract and he wasn’t happy with his contract this moment marked the official end of the legion of boom you gave him the dirty bird he said nothing no we haven’t we haven’t spoken do you regret giving Pete Carol the Dirty Bird I don’t I don’t regret my decision if my teammates felt like it was towards them I regret that part but I don’t regret doing PE I absolutely have a problem with it skip I understand you’re frustrated and it’s rightfully so the only problem that I have with Earl Earl you you got to make a decision I’m going to put the pressure on the Seattle Seahawks either you going to move me or you’re going to give me a contract extension because I’m not coming in that’s what he should have done but he feared this into existence Earl Thomas caught an extremely tough break a player still at the top of his game was hoping to get paid for it but instead suffered another season-ending injury he would never play another snap for the Seahawks joining cam chancellor who had retired from a neck injury and Richard Sherman who had joined the 49ers the defense still had excellent pieces like Bobby Wagner but most of the surrounding cast was new young faces if we were going to Define each part of the peak Harrell Seattle years into three eras to this point they would be described as the following the building blocks the legion of boom and and let Russ Cook this ARA was defined by Wilson putting up insane numbers while most of the guys around him performed average To Mediocre they made the playoffs a few times during this era but never did much of anything once they got there with so many new pieces the culture in the locker room had completely shifted and it wasn’t for the better I stroll into that practice this is part I never told anyone that was the worst practice I’ve ever seen we were dropping balls laughing about it false starts left and right laughing about it dude I went home that night and I’m like this team sucks this team sucks this team is terrible if we would have had a practice like that in 2013 2014 or 2015 and I’ll even throw in 2016 in that we would have had a players only meeting where everybody was like enough of this like what the hell do we just do nothing lasts forever ultimately the Seattle Seahawks had their rise and fall that’s where the story should have ended but unexpected drama surrounding the face of the franchise took Center Stage Russell Wilson’s reputation to the outside world was highly respected throughout the 2010s he had been extremely successful on the field and was a solid guy off the field but after years of tension between the front office and Wilson’s Camp things reached a Breaking Point the team suffered their first First losing season with Wilson in 2021 and in the offseason of 2022 he was traded to Denver throughout 2022 everyone seemingly turned on Russ as his play dipped on the field so did his reputation we’re learning a lot more now I think about Russ than we ever have to pass and I don’t know if it’s all good how long can Russ just maintain this super positive always good guy Outlook everyone thinks he’s fake and I don’t think people like fake how do you feel about Marshall Lynch and Richard Sherman alluding to the fact that they were never able to get a hold of Russell Wilson they had to go through his team to get a hold of him that’s tough that’s tough I think so too that’s tough Wilson’s response to Lynch was pretty telling from Mar yeah I didn’t I didn’t get to hear what Maran said but somebody told me earlier that he said some good things and you know uh man I marshan man uh he’s he’s a guy that I can always uh he’s always been amazing you know how he how he’s gone about things and he admitted that he heard from someone else what Lynch said and basically went on to say nothing of the situation so here’s what we know number one Russ threw that interception on the goal line which absolutely divided the locker room number two Russ got paid a huge contract the following offseason and number three certain defensive players did not respect him one of the last preseason games that I was there uh the floor was opened up by Pete at the Friday night meeting the game was Saturday couple of the guys got up and spoke and then Russell got up to speak and I was sitting in the back where the defensive lineman was that was the group where I was uh doing my internship so as soon as Russell Wilson got up to speak almost to a man that entire defense that we think of and we know of rolled their eyes and sat back and like oh my goodness here’s this Bea G [Music] would things have been different if Wilson never threw that interception it’s certainly possible the truth was even after 2017 when the legion of boom was gone Seattle was pretty damn good as a football team reaching the playoffs four times over that next 5 years however they failed to reach another conference title game after 2014 I’ll finish with this it’s extremely hard to win in the NFL but when you are as good as Seattle was from 2013 to 2016 it’s a painful pill to swallow as a fan knowing what could have been at minimum backto back Super Bowls would have been legendary [Music]

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This is part 2 in a 2 part series about the rise and fall of the Seattle Seahawks during the 2010’s.

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QUEEN OF THE NIGHT: NKPCHZZ6XXBRYC8D

Outro- The Fix by Aldous Young