I have found myself demanding instead of expecting

[MontanaHawk05]

I agree that we're allowed to have high expectations of our team, given we pay money to make them exist.

But that's a different thing than labeling a perennial playoff contender as "bad" or "subpar". They're not "bad" or "subpar". They're the top 25% of the league every year. They just get out-executed on a few plays every playoffs, and you end up losing.

I think that makes it more frustrating. To be able to see the fruit, smell the fruit, hold in your hands and then nope, just a few plays short of actually tasting it.

Believe me, I understand.

But it doesn't mean the team is "bad" or needs a head coaching change.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I found myself demanding success which I know is unrealistic. However, when you are "fanatical" or a fan, realism doesn't matter..

I kinda fall into this category of fan as well, but I don't think we're being demanding to expect one of the most talented rosters to play up to that potential and level we've all seen over the Carroll era.

So this is a very semantic type of conversation, depending on what you personally think "demanding" vs "expectations" means.

 

[Uncle Si]

Won a Super Bowl...

been enjoying the ride ever since. (although I might have broken a remote at some point during the NFC championship vs. the Packers).

I don't demand or expect... just engaged in the entertainment of it all.

 

[semiahmoo]

I think with this team's talent level ask for another Super Bowl win is not too much to ask.

Of course talent alone won't win you lombardi's.

You need great coaching, great execution, ability to stay relatively healthy, and a little luck, along with great talent.

Agreed. All the pre-2016 season "expert" prognosticators had the Seahawks battling for a Super Bowl.

That didn't happen. Injuries certainly played a part, but so too did poor coaching, execution, sideline and locker room drama etc. It was not a season indicative of a top tier organization IMO.

They need to do better.

 

[semiahmoo]

Anything less than a Super Bowl win is a failure. I'm not content with making the playoffs by default and losing in the 2nd round. We have the talent now so it needs to be now.

I know some call you "negative" for saying such things.

I call it the truth.

Carry on...

 

[semiahmoo]

I agree that we're allowed to have high expectations of our team, given we pay money to make them exist.

But that's a different thing than labeling a perennial playoff contender as "bad" or "subpar". They're not "bad" or "subpar". They're the top 25% of the league every year. They just get out-executed on a few plays every playoffs, and you end up losing.

I think that makes it more frustrating. To be able to see the fruit, smell the fruit, hold in your hands and then nope, just a few plays short of actually tasting it.

And that is most often the difference between good/decent coaching, and great coaching.

Hawks have not been great in that department for at least a couple seasons now.

 

[Siouxhawk]

Anything less than a Super Bowl win is a failure. I'm not content with making the playoffs by default and losing in the 2nd round. We have the talent now so it needs to be now.

I know some call you "negative" for saying such things.

I call it the truth.

Carry on...

I call it unreasonable and unrealistic to make such demands.

 

[semiahmoo]

I found myself demanding success which I know is unrealistic. However, when you are "fanatical" or a fan, realism doesn't matter..

I kinda fall into this category of fan as well, but I don't think we're being demanding to expect one of the most talented rosters to play up to that potential and level we've all seen over the Carroll era.

So this is a very semantic type of conversation, depending on what you personally think "demanding" vs "expectations" means.

I agree.

#1 reason for struggles last season could very well be injuries.

#2 though was being outcoached/outprepared. This began in the summer before the 2016 season, continued during what was a rather pathetic training camp, and then played out throughout the season itself.

We can't do anything about #1 - but the coaching staff can do better. Pete has to be hungry to prove he's better than his team has shown in more recent seasons and that his coaching window might be closing pretty quick.

I hope he comes back strong in 2017, but say that knowing there are still some coaching positions filled by people I think are not helping that cause...

 

[semiahmoo]

This is not meant to be a negative thread, more a post of self reflection. I haven't enjoyed the Seahawks the past couple of years like I have in the past.

I used to be excited at the prospect that we could be a really good team and make a run. I enjoyed the build up of the team and the improvement from year to year. I had hopes every year that this year could be the year and when it finally happened I was ecstatic.

Then expectation wasn't enough.

I found myself demanding success which I know is unrealistic. However, when you are "fanatical" or a fan, realism doesn't matter.

I demand they play better. I demand they call better plays. I demand they dominate everyone. I demand a dynasty.

Time to hit reset. I am looking forward to the draft. They are not world champions. I expect they have a chance to fight again for the Lombardi if the cards fall right.

"Bevell is the Devil"

LOL.

 

[Siouxhawk]

Typical B.S. of turning this thread into negative bitching about the coaching staff. It's unoriginal, really unintelligent and completely divergent from the point the OP was trying to make.

 

[semiahmoo]

This is not meant to be a negative thread, more a post of self reflection. I haven't enjoyed the Seahawks the past couple of years like I have in the past.

I used to be excited at the prospect that we could be a really good team and make a run. I enjoyed the build up of the team and the improvement from year to year. I had hopes every year that this year could be the year and when it finally happened I was ecstatic.

Then expectation wasn't enough.

I found myself demanding success which I know is unrealistic. However, when you are "fanatical" or a fan, realism doesn't matter.

I demand they play better. I demand they call better plays. I demand they dominate everyone. I demand a dynasty.

Time to hit reset. I am looking forward to the draft. They are not world champions. I expect they have a chance to fight again for the Lombardi if the cards fall right.

I hear ya. Pete's raised my expectations, as did Holmgren as far as that goes. Simply making the playoffs or winning the wild card game isn't good enough anymore. And these last two editions haven't been anywhere near as good as the previous 3. I sense that we're slipping. I don't think it's time to blow the team up and start over as we still have a solid core, particularly on defense and at quarterback, but if we don't get things turned around soon, then we're going to have to at least start thinking about hitting ctrl/alt/delete and starting over. Father Time is relentless.

But at least we're not Browns fans. That team gets blown up every weekend.

Browns. Those poor fans just hope the lights stay on.

 

[Seymour]

Typical B.S. of turning this thread into negative bitching about the coaching staff. It's unoriginal, really unintelligent and completely divergent from the point the OP was trying to make.

Really?? Please check username, avatar and signature once more and guess again. :roll:

 

[Siouxhawk]

Typical B.S. of turning this thread into negative bitching about the coaching staff. It's unoriginal, really unintelligent and completely divergent from the point the OP was trying to make.

Really?? Please check username, avatar and signature once more and guess again. :roll:

Read the last paragraph of his thread. He's turning over a new leaf and leaving the land of Chicken Littles.

 

[JGfromtheNW]

People generally have a hard time putting things into perspective. This franchise isn't that far off from winning three Super Bowls in 10 years. Not many other organizations have operated at such a high level in recent history, and when you consider that even the most historic/successful organizations max out at 4-6 Super Bowl championships in THEIR franchise histories, you can see success does not come easy. Think of the Steelers, Packers, 49ers, Cowboys, Patriots - I can guarantee you those fan bases crave winning it all every year.

Most folks just need to calm down on the expectations. The level and consistency of competition that we've seen under Pete is far better than we've ever had as an organization. I will never be satisfied bouncing out in the 2nd round of the playoffs, but to demand Super Bowl appearances every year is just unrealistic. So much has to go right to get to that point. 2013 had a feeling of destiny, some of that was the swagger of our team, some of that was staying unprecedently healthy and some of that was having pivotal plays decided by mere inches go our way.

Appreciate the post, Bevell. I hope 2017 is the best year yet :irishdrinkers:

 

[West TX Hawk]

As an analogy, say you're a fan of an Ohio State caliber program and your school won the nat'l title a few years ago. You have 5 star blue chip recruits up and down your roster the last several years. But oddly, you find your team playing in the Gator Bowl and Outback Bowl in consecutive years and a couple of your stars are threatening to transfer. Are you happy or unhappy with the direction of the program? By losing the Gator Bowl, did your school have a successful year or unsuccessful? Or are you content that you get to see your team on tv on New Years at 9 am and hang out with buddies?

Most dedicated Seahawk fans seem to fall in 3 categories:

1) Satisfied: typified by "We made the playoffs!! Can you believe it-we won a wildcard game-woo hoo!! Happiness is here again. How dare you say anything disparaging about my team-this is my team and our coaches won us a title and by God, I'm sticking with them no matter what. I love this team and trust completely in our staff and don't you ever say anything discouraging-they won us a title didn't they? And got us to another-don't complain!-this is the greatest era of your life!"

2) Frustrated: "I'm certainly grateful we won a title, but with the talent year in and year out we have, it's going to go down as unfulfilled potential if we don't win 1 more title during this era. The Carroll tenure has been incredible, no doubt, but XLIX left a horrible lasting impact and the team has been on a slow decline ever since. Realistically, as much as I want them to win another SB, I just don't see it happening. Pete is slowly losing the team and we're slipping." These fans may also have been around for the long haul and realize this window is narrow and despite the consistent success and the memory of the crap days from long ago, wanting to see the team maximize its talent level trumps enjoyment over mere 2nd round playoff appearances.

3) Enjoying the Ride Exemplified by common phrases: "You certainly can't expect to win it all every year, so I'm just enjoying this nice run and we'll see where it takes us. I try not to get too emotionally involved-it's just weekend entertainment and the Hawks have been winning more often than not the last several years. We already won a title so everything else is just gravy. Don't overanalyze it-it's not life. XLIX was unfortunate but just move on for crying out loud!"

There's also casual fans that jumped on the bandwagon of course but I won't count them. There really is no right or wrong answer and there's likely subcategories of fans. Objectively, I'm probably in category 2 myself...but we all here are actual, passionate fans and just want to see the team win.

 

[StoneCold]

I think with this team's talent level ask for another Super Bowl win is not too much to ask.

Of course talent alone won't win you lombardi's.

You need great coaching, great execution, ability to stay relatively healthy, and a little luck, along with great talent.

Agreed. All the pre-2016 season "expert" prognosticators had the Seahawks battling for a Super Bowl.

That didn't happen. Injuries certainly played a part, but so too did poor coaching, execution, sideline and locker room drama etc. It was not a season indicative of a top tier organization IMO.

They need to do better.

But...but they did battle for a Superbowl...and will again this coming year. Life is good.

 

[StoneCold]

As an analogy, say you're a fan of an Ohio State caliber program and your school won the nat'l title a few years ago. You have 5 star blue chip recruits up and down your roster the last several years. But oddly, you find your team playing in the Gator Bowl and Outback Bowl in consecutive years and a couple of your stars are threatening to transfer. Are you happy or unhappy with the direction of the program? By losing the Gator Bowl, did your school have a successful year or unsuccessful? Or are you content that you get to see your team on tv on New Years at 9 am and hang out with buddies?

Most dedicated Seahawk fans seem to fall in 3 categories:

1) Satisfied: typified by "We made the playoffs!! Can you believe it-we won a wildcard game-woo hoo!! Happiness is here again. How dare you say anything disparaging about my team-this is my team and our coaches won us a title and by God, I'm sticking with them no matter what. I love this team and trust completely in our staff and don't you ever say anything discouraging-they won us a title didn't they? And got us to another-don't complain!-this is the greatest era of your life!"

2) Frustrated: "I'm certainly grateful we won a title, but with the talent year in and year out we have, it's going to go down as unfulfilled potential if we don't win 1 more title during this era. The Carroll tenure has been incredible, no doubt, but XLIX left a horrible lasting impact and the team has been on a slow decline ever since. Realistically, as much as I want them to win another SB, I just don't see it happening. Pete is slowly losing the team and we're slipping." These fans may also have been around for the long haul and realize this window is narrow and despite the consistent success and the memory of the crap days from long ago, wanting to see the team maximize its talent level trumps enjoyment over mere 2nd round playoff appearances.

3) Enjoying the Ride Exemplified by common phrases: "You certainly can't expect to win it all every year, so I'm just enjoying this nice run and we'll see where it takes us. I try not to get too emotionally involved-it's just weekend entertainment and the Hawks have been winning more often than not the last several years. We already won a title so everything else is just gravy. Don't overanalyze it-it's not life. XLIX was unfortunate but just move on for crying out loud!"

There's also casual fans that jumped on the bandwagon of course but I won't count them. There really is no right or wrong answer and there's likely subcategories of fans. Objectively, I'm probably in category 2 myself...but we all here are actual, passionate fans and just want to see the team win.

During the year I am a bit of all three at different stages. During a game I cuss and swear and get emotional and go for the roller coaster ride. During the season I get bummed by injuries, and bad execution and what appear to be bad coaching moves. After the season I realize I had a great time rooting for my team that had a chance in every game and a shot at the big game. I realize that not every play works out the way it's drawn up and sometimes coaches make mistakes. Sometime the other player just made a great play. You can choose to accept that that's the reality or you can suffer from the illusion that your demands have any meaning at all as we don't make any game decisions or plays. Our job is to drink the beer, pump the fist and if it doesn't work out? Just wait till next year.

 

[Uncle Si]

The lack of perspective about sports from some is somewhat alarming.

 

[IndyHawk]

Talent comes and goes.

Yes, but we have it now and thats why its such a shame we did nothing to improve our horrid Oline. We wont move forward until that mess is fixed.

We have one of the best FO's and coaching staffs in the league.

If you say so.

If i were you, I'd save it for when Pete leaves, then we'll really see how our franchise can adapt.

Why cant I want to win now?

I thought the same thing after 2006. Thoughts like:

"welp, there goes the window. we're screwed"
"dang, know how hard it is to find a starting QB in this league? Once Hass is gone, we're screwed"
"which coach is going to be able to come in and clean up this mess ?!?! We're Screwed!"

I knew we werent going back after the 2005 season. It was over as soon as Hutch left.

LMAO ..I'm sorry I can't read past this post.I want to be all things when I read this :2thumbs:

 

[scutterhawk]

I found myself demanding success which I know is unrealistic. However, when you are "fanatical" or a fan, realism doesn't matter..

I kinda fall into this category of fan as well, but I don't think we're being demanding to expect one of the most talented rosters to play up to that potential and level we've all seen over the Carroll era.

So this is a very semantic type of conversation, depending on what you personally think "demanding" vs "expectations" means.

I agree.

#1 reason for struggles last season could very well be injuries.

#2 though was being outcoached/outprepared. This began in the summer before the 2016 season, continued during what was a rather pathetic training camp, and then played out throughout the season itself.

We can't do anything about #1 - but the coaching staff can do better. Pete has to be hungry to prove he's better than his team has shown in more recent seasons and that his coaching window might be closing pretty quick.

I hope he comes back strong in 2017, but say that knowing there are still some coaching positions filled by people I think are not helping that cause...

Pray Tell us how you KNOW that Pete is on the "Get It Done, or Get Out", and support your THEORIES with Actual Facts, and not a HUNCH.