SEATTLE — Sitting at his locker with an ice pack on his injured left shoulder, Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas made a brief and telling statement about his team’s season following one of the most inexplicable victories in franchise history.
“I’m enjoying this way better than last year,” Thomas said following Seattle’s 28-22 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game. “Especially after today.”
Way better, Earl? Better than going 13-3 in the regular season? Better than knocking off your biggest rival in the NFC championship game? Better than dominating Denver’s record-setting offense in the Super Bowl to give the Seahawks their first championship?
If the Seahawks win Sunday to become the NFL’s first repeat champion since the New England Patriots a decade earlier, the comparisons between last year’s team and this one will be inevitable. The 2013 squad was one game better in the regular-season standings, it was healthier for most of the season and deeper at several positions, but was it actually better?
Obviously the answer to that will never be known. On paper last year’s team was probably deeper and more talented, though one could argue that the growth of young players — much of Seattle’s nucleus, from quarterback Russell Wilson to linebackers Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin, was better than a year ago — helped compensate for the loss of starters such as Golden Tate, Breno Giacomini, Chris Clemons and Red Bryant. The statistics are pretty similar across the board — aside from fewer turnovers, both created and given up this season. The Seahawks gained more yards this season, but scored 1.5 fewer points per game. The defense allowed fewer yards, but yielded 1.5 more points per game.
Of course, for this year’s team to be considered the best in franchise history, it has to win Sunday. If that happens, some players say this team will be better, not because of the talent, but because of the team’s resilience.
“In my opinion, I think we’re stronger,” Wilson said. “I think we’re the same guys we had last year, but we’re just a little bit better. We found a way. I think this year’s a little bit better, just because we were 3-3, kind of going against the odds. And people said ‘There’s no way they’re going to get back to where they want to go,’ and so that’s something that we think about. We have that edge, and we believe in that and we believe in stepping up and finding a way.
“When we were 6-4, I knew we were going to go find a way to be 12-4. I’m just happy that I’m with this team and I have great guys around me and great people around me and the best fans in the National Football League to be part of. I think we’re definitely better, but we’ll see what happens.”
As Wilson points out, this year’s team faced more adversity than last year’s squad, and out of those struggles came a newfound resolve that helped Seattle win its final six regular-season games to finish with the No. 1 seed in the NFC after trailing Arizona by three games in the NFC West as late as mid-November. And it wasn’t just the losses that led to tough times. The sudden trade of star wide receiver Percy Harvin in midseason was startling, and led to a flood of “What’s wrong with the Seahawks?” stories, each trying to unearth juicier nuggets than the previous report.
“This team, we weathered the storm,” safety Kam Chancellor said. “It’s definitely harder the second time.”
It wasn’t like last year was completely smooth sailing; the Seahawks did lose three games, after all, but thanks to such a fast start, the division and even the No. 1 seed felt like a foregone conclusion by midseason. Last year’s team also was healthier than this year’s, which currently has 15 players on injured reserve, including key contributors such as tight end Zach Miller, nose tackle Brandon Mebane, defensive tackle Jordan Hill and receiver Paul Richardson.
“We’ve overcome a lot more adversity this year,” Irvin said. “… I appreciated them both. It still wasn’t easy last year, but (this year) is way harder than last year. Last year we were so stacked and so deep. But this year we’ve really worked. Guys who were rotational guys last year like myself had to step in and be full-time starters.”
Ultimately, asking which team is better is probably the wrong question. If this year’s Seahawks win Super Bowl XLIX, they will be their own unique championship squad, similar to last year’s team in some ways, but different in plenty of others. If anything, it’s worth asking if this season, because of the struggles, has been more rewarding, or “way better,” as Thomas put it.
“In my opinion it’s definitely been (more rewarding),” said Wagner, who missed five games in the middle of the season with toe and foot injuries. “I appreciate this season a lot more because we have been through a lot. I have been through a lot. Everybody was facing injuries. We were having a lot more doubters than we were used to. It’s been fun. You have to appreciate all the moments — the good, the bad, the ugly — and run with it.”
Then again, maybe there’s no such thing as a “more rewarding” Super Bowl winning season.
“I wouldn’t say more rewarding,” cornerback Byron Maxwell said. “If you get a ring, what it means for that one year is crazy, it’s really awesome. Last year it was definitely — I don’t want to say easier — but it just seemed like at certain times nobody could mess with us, but this year, it was definitely harder.
“(But) if we get it, and that confetti’s falling, that feeling is going to be the same.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com
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