On paper, the Seattle Seahawks appear every bit the equal of last year's Super Bowl juggernaut.
Russell Wilson has come into full bloom under center, while offseason extensions for Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Michael Bennett promise to keep this gritty defense together deep into the future.
Tomorrow shines bright, but former Seattle fullback Michael Robinson still sees one potential pitfall for last year's champs.
"My question for the Seahawks this year is ... there's a lot of young guys in that locker room with new money," Robinson said on the latest Dave Dameshek Football Program. "When issues come up in the locker room, who is the veteran that settles it? I mean, last year you had guys like Red Bryant, Chris Clemons, myself that they can rely on.
"Things come up, 'Hey guys -- stop doing that! Hey, you go over there, you go over there, and it's over. No more.' And guys would stop. Right now, guys have gotten paid, you know what I mean? Guys have got egos, you know what I mean? That's just only natural with money, and they have to watch against that in the locker room, and that's something that (coach) Pete (Carroll) can't see -- their offices are upstairs. They just have to keep a close watch on it."
The Seahawks don't lack for vocal types, but Robinson argued that youth and zeal can't replace the steady presence of a few battle-worn veterans on the roster.
"Richard (Sherman's) a great counselor -- he's a guy that I even confide in with certain issues -- but again, he's still very young," said Robinson. "You just can't add years to him -- you can't add vested years to him. He's just so young, again. There are guys in that locker room that are older. I mean you look at big Kevin Williams -- I think they have the big d-tackle there now. I mean, he's a guy, that I would think, they would delegate that role to. But other than that, Cliff Avril's probably the next oldest guy -- what, now, seven years? I mean, that's not that old."
Fair point, but Seattle's coaches and front office used this offseason to part ways with aging veterans and magnify the roles of its younger players. Until the Seahawks stumble, we'll continue to give the NFL's most creative collection of team-builders the benefit of the doubt.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" bangs the table for Cordarrelle Patterson and predicts which stars will soon descend.
