NFL: How Much Trouble Are the Seattle Seahawks in Without Kam Chancellor?
It's hard to imagine a team that has been to the last two Super Bowls could be in trouble after just one week of play, but the Seattle Seahawks have a number of issues that have to be worked out. After a 34-31 loss to the St. Louis Rams, many are starting to wonder if the Seahawks still have another Super Bowl run in them.
By far the biggest issue at the moment is the holdout of strong safety Kam Chancellor. Chancellor recently signed a four year contract with the Seahawks, but after just one season, he wants to restructure that deal for more money. Time and time again we see notable players cave in before the season begins, but Chancellor appears to be all in on this holdout. Chancellor missed the Seahawks' opening game. If Chancellor misses Sunday's game, he will forfeit an estimated $2.1 million according to league reports.
Without Chancellor in the secondary, the Seahawks simply aren't the "Legion of Boom." We must also keep in mind that the Seahawks no longer have cornerback Byron Maxwell, who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles. All of a sudden this Seahawks secondary looks a lot more beatable than last season.
It's only one game, but the Seahawks allowed the second most points and ninth most passing yards in Week 1.
Things won't get easier for the Seahawks. This Sunday they have to play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Russell Wilson is 3-0 against Aaron Rodgers as a starter, but this upcoming game feels completely different than the previous three. Even without Jordy Nelson playing, the Packers are still the favorites to win. The Seahawks have a very tough schedule this season with notable games against the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions.
Tension has certainly been building up in the locker room. Head coach Pete Carroll has always been a risk taker going back to his USC Trojan days, and it's catching up to him lately. His "pass the ball on the one yard line" in the Super Bowl is still getting criticized by fans, and he took another big risk in Week 1 last week. His choice to onside kick the ball in overtime proved to be a huge mistake.
The latest drama surrounding the Seahawks involved Marshawn Lynch's mother. After the loss to the Rams, she took to Facebook calling for Darrell Bevell, the offensive coordinator, to be fired immediately. His mother's post, which she has since deleted, reads the following:
The Seahawks will play their first home game of the season against the Chicago Bears in Week 3, in what is expected to be a must-win game. The last team to win the Super Bowl after starting off 0-2 was the 2007 New York Giants. This year's Seahawks are being compared to the 1993 Cowboys, because star running back Emmitt Smith held out for the first two games. The biggest difference of course being the NFL did not have a salary cap then, so the conditions are very different.
The Seahawks play in a tough NFC West division where the Cardinals and Rams are only getting better, and the San Francisco 49ers still have plenty of talent on their roster. Each of the last two seasons, the Seahawks have been the No. 1 seed in the NFC with home field advantage throughout the postseason.
It's only one week, but the Seahawks clearly need to get their act together.
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1