“It’ll take us years to contend”

[Ring 6]

That's great for you. Other people are wired differently and there is nothing wrong with that. Being disappointed at your expectations not being met is super common. **** some of the most delicious videos on the internet are Seahawk fans going beast mode beast mode beast mode DEFUQ WAS THAT?!?!?!?! Expectation not being met leading to agony. Bet they would have felt a lot better if they ran it 3 times even if they didn't get in.

I say every Seahawks fan was equally crushed whether they had high expectations or low. That’s kind of the point. Ultimately there is a result and it’s not better or worse based upon your optimism or pessimism.

 

[mayoclinic]

I think HONESTY needs to be the biggest factor here. When other teams' fans give us the "weak schedule " jab, we shouldn't get angry or offended. We need to smile and simply look them right in the eye and explain "we EARNED that schedule by sucking for 3 long hard seasons of bad drafts, bad coaching and bad players.

No one expected Miami, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Baltimore to all be weaker than expected. We all expected Maye to be better, but NOONE expected a jump to MVP level in his first year of a complex system. You can't expect to get contributions from ALL your FAs and ALL your draft picks.

So clearly you have to have a little bit of luck on your side to win any Superbowl. Or in our case, it would be a LOT of luck Don't be ashamed of it. Embrace it. This is a bonus season. Next year we will likely be a far better team who might have a much different trajectory if luck breaks against us. Someone wrote down next year's likely schedule and it was HARD.

Bottom line- Just enjoy the next 2 months to the MAX.

The NFL is designed for weak teams to rise, and strong teams to slide. Strength of schedule and draft pick position are 2 of the ways this occurs.

In spite of that, we see well-run franchises continue to succeed, and poorly-run ones continue to fail.

No one screamed strength if schedule when Washington made the playoffs last year. Or mentioned our last-place schedule last year when we still went 4-13.

All teams can do is take advantage of the opportunities given then. We've done that, better than anyone so far in 2025.

 

[NFL Mystique]

Whole heartedly disagree. Lowering expectations now because you feel good about the future makes no sense at all to me.
I have never understood why people think it’s better to go through life with low expectations to maybe be surprised than to have high expectations and enjoy the ride more.

It's a person's way of coping if the team does not succeed. They want to avoid dissapointment. Happens in life too.

 

[NFL Mystique]

Because high expectations that get unmet lead to disappointment. It's easier to not expect much and be pleasantly surprised then to suffer the hurt of not getting what you want. As a husband I deal with this daily to the point it's less painful to not even try. It's a defense mechanism to avoid getting hurt and is very common and understandable.

Yep

 

[Ring 6]

It's a person's way of coping if the team does not succeed. They want to avoid dissapointment. Happens in life too.

But if you root for a football team aren’t you equally happy or unhappy with the results regardless of whether you are optimistic or pessimistic.
Seems to me pessimists stress over impending doom rather than enjoying the ride, so when things go well they can’t enjoy it.

 

[TheRainMaker]

It's a person's way of coping if the team does not succeed. They want to avoid dissapointment. Happens in life too.

I sensed many on this board were doing this because they wanted to delay any possible disappointment that Maye could be a bust and the team would be ready to contend when the stack the roster with All Pro's.

The NFL has been designed for offensive players to succeed, so if Maye was any good, he would've shown us by now like he has. Guys like Sam Darnold who were terrible with the former teams rarely become respectable QB's. He's stacking two years in a row now with very good numbers.

 

[NFL Mystique]

But if you root for a football team aren’t you equally happy or unhappy with the results regardless of whether you are optimistic or pessimistic.
Seems to me pessimists stress over impending doom rather than enjoying the ride, so when things go well they can’t enjoy it.

What you said makes sense. I am just trying to offer an explanation to the other side.

 

[NFL Mystique]

I sensed many on this board were doing this because they wanted to delay any possible disappointment that Maye could be a bust and the team would be ready to contend when the stack the roster with All Pro's.

The NFL has been designed for offensive players to succeed, so if Maye was any good, he would've shown us by now like he has. Guys like Sam Darnold who were terrible with the former teams rarely become respectable QB's. He's stacking two years in a row now with very good numbers.

Might be from the Mac Jones experience. Jaded . "I will prepare for the worst. If the best happens, I am pleasantly surprised."

 

[NFL Mystique]

I sensed many on this board were doing this because they wanted to delay any possible disappointment that Maye could be a bust and the team would be ready to contend when the stack the roster with All Pro's.

The NFL has been designed for offensive players to succeed, so if Maye was any good, he would've shown us by now like he has. Guys like Sam Darnold who were terrible with the former teams rarely become respectable QB's. He's stacking two years in a row now with very good numbers.

According to Stephen A, Cam, and Scott, one year of great play is not enough to say whether a QB will be any good.

Clearly, I watch too much First Take.

 

[TheRainMaker]

According to Stephen A, Cam, and Scott, one year of great play is not enough to say whether a QB will be any good.

Clearly, I watch too much First Take.

Anybody can have one fluke year. Once they stack it with another consecutive year, they will be put in the elite category.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I was wrong for sure. I thought based upon what I saw last year, that there was just too little talent. I did not think that coaching, the draft and free agency could make the team this much better. I also had no idea that V. Lowe could come in and be a competent back up after how he looked last year. I didn’t think the line backers were good enough. I didn’t consider Will Campbell a lock. I didn’t think we could have a top 5 special teams. I had no idea Drake Maye would be the best deep bowl thrower in the NFL. I didn’t see Boutte becoming a premier deep threat.

Happy to be so very, very wrong. I have had such a good time watching the team. I still think that it very unlikely for a team to turn it around this fast- you need to hit on almost every selection in rounds 1-4 and all of your bigger free agent decisions- but clearly it can be done.

 

[Nikolai]

Yeah, I had them at 10-7....

 

[mgteich]

The Pats are actually the current favorites to win the Super Bowl in the NY Times simulations. That's partly because the NFC teams have a tougher time getting there, so the top NFC teams split the odds among each other. (Thus if the Pats actually made it to the Super Bowl, they would very likely be underdogs). Also they are currently most likely to get a 1st-rd. bye, which greatly improves their odds.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I think, whether explicitly stated or not, there was always a caveat anytime people said this of "unless Drake Maye becomes an MVP caliber quarterback instantly". You really can't understate the way Maye has EXPLODED onto the scene this year and how abnormal that is. If he was progressing on a more "normal" trajectory this team wouldn't be contending like it is and I don't think too many people were ready to go THAT FAR in projecting his season.

Agree with this completely. Maye is playing at a level no one could have expected this season, and he's doing it every week. I think we all knew he would have really good games during the season, but no one could have predicted that he would play at the highest level every week. It really feels like they will be in every game when he's at quarterback. Surprising as it may be they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and if I were a betting man I would bet that they will remain a real Lombardi contender for years to come, as even though they have reached that level of play way ahead of schedule, pits also clear from listening to Vrabel that they are sticking to their long term plans, and still have a lot of building to do. And if they have another offseason like the last one they will be set up for real long term success.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Objectively, there were many reasons to be optimistic going into this year, starting with the schedule, the new coaching staff, the boatload of FA vets signed, getting Barmore & Gonzo back, a good looking draft, and some improvement from Drake. That was easily enough to see 10 wins coming, seemed obvious. 14 or so wins wasn’t obvious, though, and that’s a tribute to Vrabel, his staff, and these players.

 

[Sorrynotsorry]

What's pissing me off is watching the talking heads whine about how easy our schedule is.

Sorry we took advantage of that and won.

I think we have played down to our opponents in a few games... however we looked superior in just about every game we played... it shows on the score.


I really hope we go all the way this year.

 

[fnordcircle]

Trying to make people eat crow about moderated expectations going into what has been a delightfully surprising season is quite possibly the most fanboard type of post here in a long time.

 

[BobDigital]

Something I know fans won't want to talk about, and that is our vegas super bowl odds.

Even though vegas sees us as a small favorite to get the first seed, they still have us between 1100 to 1200+. Assuming we get it we may not still be their favorite to represent the AFC.

And btw while vegas will sometimes move lines slightly due to betting it usually doesn't much if at all. They will stick with what their numbers and odds makers say. Mostly in fear that if they move lines to balance the general public bets sharks will quickly swoop in and make huge bets on the edge they just got.

So while I am optimistic, vegas is the ultimate talks and ******** walk sports analyst. And they are not as optimistic as me. So while I am hopeful and will be more so if we win the first seed. I am also looking at this team realistically and realistically they have serious issues which will be hard to over come if they want to lift the trophy. But thankfully they only need to face 1 NFC team end there is a chance the particularly complete Rams don't make it. Given how this year has to gone for us that wouldn't surprise me if things keep falling our way.

 

[NFL Mystique]

Anybody can have one fluke year. Once they stack it with another consecutive year, they will be put in the elite category.

Consistency is key

 

[ScottishPatriots]

"Ya you gotta draft Marvin Harrison Jr cause this team can't support a QB"

"You gotta trade down and get picks and pick Penix or JJ McCarthy"

Amazing how people still haven't figured out if you get the coach/QB right you're almost consistently a fringe playoff team even if the rest of the team kinda blows, once those 2 positions are sorted that's when the build starts there is no roster building without the quarterback.