Kam Chancellor's absence was noticeable on the field in the Seahawks 34-31 overtime loss to the St. Louis Rams, as his replacement, Dion Bailey, got burned for a game-tying touchdown.
Echoing comments from NFL Media's Michael Robinson last week, Seattle pass rusher Michael Bennett said Seattle misses more than just the safety's playmaking.
"We miss Kam Chancellor, not just the way that he plays, but the way that he approaches the game, his leadership," Bennett said Thursday, via ESPN.com. "Even though Kam Chancellor wasn't in the game, we had multiple chances of winning that game. I wonder, would the conversation be the same if we won the game? Would people be saying, 'Hey, they don't need Kam Chancellor'? And so it's all about the wins and losses in this league."
The Seahawks travel to Lambeau Field on Sunday night to face the Green Bay Packers, staring at a possible 0-2 start to the season.
"If we win on Sunday, people won't be talking about it," Bennett said of Chancellor's situation. "But at the end of the day, we all want Kam to come back. We all understand what his fight is. And we all want him to get his just due. And he is one of the best safeties to play the game, so I think we miss him. We just miss his love. He's our brother."
It's widely believed that one reason that the Seahawks continue to deny Chancellor's demands, is that it might rankle Bennett, who also wants to rework his contract.
"At the end of the day, my situation's different than his," Bennett said. "I've got three kids. I've got a wife. My wife wouldn't let me hold out, so I had to come to work. And his situation's different from mine. I respect what he's doing, but I know he respects what I'm doing, too.
"I just come back and try to work as hard as I can, show the team the type of leader that I am, the type of person that I am and what I'm willing to do and how far I'm willing to go when I'm playing in the games."
Chancellor's potential fine total will surpass the $2 million mark this weekend.
Bennett is the Seahawks' best pass rusher and could be in for a monster game with right tackle Bryan Bulaga out for the Packers on Sunday. If the Seahawks lose and Seattle's brass caves to Chancellor's contract demands, one might wonder how Bennett's thoughts (or his wife's) on a potential holdout next offseason could change.