Seahawks fan fanaticism

I'm curious what the fan expectations are for Seahawks players? Is it that they should sacrifice their bodies, minds(CTE), and future health with with unwavering devotion; then smile, nod, and express only gratitude when they are cast of for someone younger or cheaper?

I understand these guys are very lucky to get paid a ton to play a game they love, but do they ever get to be human and have other concerns besides destroying themselves for your entertainment?

I don't fault Earl for his actions or antics. He always showed up on Sundays and gave it his all.

Contrast that to Kam's holdout where he cost us games and a playoff spot. Did you gleefully cheer his injury as payback for his disloyalty? Did you cheer for him when he raised the 12 flag?

Just wondering where people stand.

People get mad because they want players to "shut up and play" essentially. It's not worth caring about what players say or do off the field IMO, unless they are criminals.

In case you haven't heard....."There ain't no free lunch". Being paid millions per year implies Ability and Risk. If you are a Hawks fan.....the Risk factor is increasing exponentially.

The hate expressed on this board for Earl Thomas is a joke. I’m hesitant to even click on the link for this site because it pisses me off to read the millennials hurling insults at an all-time great player who gave his all for this team.

Without Earl, we don't have a SB.

The shot at Kam was weird though because without Kam we don't either. (In fact, we lost the games he held out).

Kam has some physical problems as a result of him playing football, so people should appreciate him more. And same with Earl.

I don't care what Earl did in a moment that his world came crashing down on him. These guys are raised to be football players from the age of 10. Their entire identity gets wrapped up in it. The reason you love them is because of it. It should make sense to even a casual observer that if you dedicate your life to something for 30+ years, your entire worth or perception of self-worth is wrapped up in it...and then you lose it? Hell yes, it would be crushing.

Almost every player grows up with being in the NFL and being a great NFL player as their big dream. Imagine suddenly reaching that and just losing it, while in the fog of pain from a snapped leg?

I would have done worse than he did. He was upset. Justifiably so, and he communicated it.

It broke some rule of decorum but considering the circumstance? Even if you don't agree with it you should at least understand it.

I will always appreciate what Lynch, Earl, Kam, Sherman, Wilson, Bennett, Avril, Pete and the rest delivered us.

I'm a fan of the Seahawks team. I'm also a fan of many NFL players when they are helping their teams. It's hard not to respect Drew Brees or like what Mahomes is doing in KC this season.

One of the harsh truths of life most people learn as they grow older is that there is no such thing as unconditional love. You can cause people to love you more or less by your actions towards them.

I don't really fault anyone here. I find it hard to fault Earl for wanting more money, and I find I can get over both the middle finger and Comegetmegate because I understand Earl as an emotional guy with a big mouth.

I also don't fault the Seahawks organization. Pete's defenses wear down guys faster than any other defense in the league. Given Comegetmegate and Earl already having hard one season-ending injury in 2016, no way was he going to pay Earl the moon. It woulda been dumb to do so.

What I don't understand is why everyone needs to find someone to blame. There ISN'T anyone to blame here. Earl wasn't even playing on FedEx field when he got hurt, so we can't even blame Dan Snyder.

We can blame the damned Arizona field that shut down the careers of 3 of 4 in the LOB.

My expectation is if you choose to play professional football that you;

- play hard
- put the team first
- be a good teammate and representative of our city/community by not being a pain in the ass disruption to the team or get into trouble with the league or legally.

MontanaHawk05":2vz6r4f7 said:

I don't really fault anyone here. I find it hard to fault Earl for wanting more money, and I find I can get over both the middle finger and Comegetmegate because I understand Earl as an emotional guy with a big mouth.

I also don't fault the Seahawks organization. Pete's defenses wear down guys faster than any other defense in the league. Given Comegetmegate and Earl already having hard one season-ending injury in 2016, no way was he going to pay Earl the moon. It woulda been dumb to do so.

What I don't understand is why everyone needs to find someone to blame. There ISN'T anyone to blame here. Earl wasn't even playing on FedEx field when he got hurt, so we can't even blame Dan Snyder.

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I agree with this a lot. I completely see both Earl's and the team's side of this. I wish we could've extended Earl on a reasonable deal. I wish we could've had had our trade demands met. I wish Earl didn't get hurt. It sucks that it didn't work out, but I'm not gonna get mad and put all the blame on any 1 person.

Earl is a warrior and likely future HoFer. I will always love him as a player, but like Sherman, their character could use some work. But when it comes to their sacrifices? It's not even a debate.

Aros":1nwxw8ot said:

Earl is a warrior and likely future HoFer. I will always love him as a player, but like Sherman, their character could use some work. But when it comes to their sacrifices? It's not even a debate.

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Both Earl and Richard are emotional guys with ADHD. I don’t think that reflects negatively on their character. They have both done great charitable works for their communities and have never hurt anyone. Questioning their character is unfair.

hawknation2018":1j4f7ao2 said:

Aros":1j4f7ao2 said:

Earl is a warrior and likely future HoFer. I will always love him as a player, but like Sherman, their character could use some work. But when it comes to their sacrifices? It's not even a debate.

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Both Earl and Richard are emotional guys with ADHD. I don’t think that reflects negatively on their character. They have both done great charitable works for their communities and have never hurt anyone. Questioning their character is unfair.

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Ask yourself this. Would Steve Largent ever flip off the sidelines in frustration? It's a character issue. Not saying he is a bad human being, but yes, it shows a certain lack of character to me.

Apples and oranges.

I guess my position re: Kam vs Earl, was that Kam had been underpaid while Earl was made the highest paid safety in the NFL in his contract.

Aros":1nbvvloi said:

hawknation2018":1nbvvloi said:

Aros":1nbvvloi said:

Earl is a warrior and likely future HoFer. I will always love him as a player, but like Sherman, their character could use some work. But when it comes to their sacrifices? It's not even a debate.

Click to expand...

Both Earl and Richard are emotional guys with ADHD. I don’t think that reflects negatively on their character. They have both done great charitable works for their communities and have never hurt anyone. Questioning their character is unfair.

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Ask yourself this. Would Steve Largent ever flip off the sidelines in frustration? It's a character issue. Not saying he is a bad human being, but yes, it shows a certain lack of character to me.

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I think good people make mistakes. Right after suffering a season-ending injury, I don’t see how anyone can judge him. It wasn’t illegal. It didn’t hurt anyone. It was an emotional reaction in the heat of the moment that shouldn’t be used to discredit his character.

hawknation2018":1g52ynwt said:

I think good people make mistakes. Right after suffering a season-ending injury, I don’t see how anyone can judge him. It wasn’t illegal. It didn’t hurt anyone. It was an emotional reaction in the heat of the moment that shouldn’t be used to discredit his character.

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I agree but it's not just that action I am making my assessment off of. It's a host of other actions, comments and interviews. Nobody's perfect, I get that. Lord knows I am anything but. However, I am not being judged by thousands since I am not on television. Since he is, it's fair to make a judgement based on what you see. It is what it is. Some people have spit-shiny characters in public, and others don't. No biggie, just an observation at the end of the day.

Steve Largent was a hell of a football player. But I don't think you can use him as an example of some great character guy.

Maybe as a player. But regardless of political affiliation, it is hard to argue that lobbyists are some moral high ground. And he came a lobbyist for one of the slimiest industries out there - the CTIA.

Not sure the Steve Largent example is too tremendous. He was a great football player and by all accounts a great teammate. That doesn't at all mean we should be judging other players in reference to his character because he probably falls short of the sainthood himself.

TwistedHusky":6loya0d5 said:

Steve Largent was a hell of a football player. But I don't think you can use him as an example of some great character guy.

Maybe as a player. But regardless of political affiliation, it is hard to argue that lobbyists are some moral high ground. And he came a lobbyist for one of the slimiest industries out there - the CTIA.

Not sure the Steve Largent example is too tremendous. He was a great football player and by all accounts a great teammate. That doesn't at all mean we should be judging other players in reference to his character because he probably falls short of the sainthood himself.

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It's a fair comparison because we are talking about human beings that were Seahawks players. So I am not sure why he can't be used as an example? Again, no human is without flaw. We all have our warts but some people are better than others at demonstrating a certain level of character in public. Others not so much.

At the end of the day we are talking about a player we love, regardless of his antics.

TwistedHusky":2twjkkuw said:

Steve Largent was a hell of a football player. But I don't think you can use him as an example of some great character guy.

Maybe as a player. But regardless of political affiliation, it is hard to argue that lobbyists are some moral high ground. And he came a lobbyist for one of the slimiest industries out there - the CTIA.

Not sure the Steve Largent example is too tremendous. He was a great football player and by all accounts a great teammate. That doesn't at all mean we should be judging other players in reference to his character because he probably falls short of the sainthood himself.

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The question was what do we expect out of our players, so not sure using something Largent did after he no longer played is a good example.

While Largent played in Seattle he was a model citizen and teammate (unless you didn't like him crossing the strike line, which is legitimate depending on how you feel about that situation).

Always loved ET on the field. A true heat seeking missile he was. None better. But when he complained about be disrespected when he was the highest paid safety really baffled me. What ever happened to being humble and having some class not unlike Largent who oozed it. Humility is something missing in today's pro sports. There are a few class acts left but not many. It's all about look at me..!!..Look at me....Guess I'm just an old school geezer who would love to see some old fashion sportsmanship from the players. Flipping off your team is about as classless as it gets regardless of your emotions.