Will Seahawks free agent rebuild have better results than 2001?

The first week of 2023 free agency shares eerie similarities to a Seattle veteran class of two decades ago, 3/17/2023

Like many of you, I’ve watched most-to-all of the Seattle Seahawks games over the last 25 years. Some Seasiders have watched every Seahawks game since the 1976 inaugural season. Why is it then that I can only remember select games, instead of most or all? No Marilu Henner disease for me.

I’ve covered every Seahawks offseason since writing became full-time in 2012, and like you, I’ve followed at least a couple dozen offseasons in total. So why is it that I’m only reminded of a select few offseasons every year? Why do certain moves stick in the brain, while the likes of Marcus Pollard and Bryce Fisher go in one season and out the other?

I watched Apocalypse Now this week. Maybe there’s a clue in Brando’s famouse line…

“The horror. The horror…”

The Seattle Seahawks have gone an unprecedented Pete Carroll free agency swing this week, signing as many as five new starters, four of whom play defense. Can any of you guess—oh shit, I gave it away in the headline didn’t I?—can any of you guess which Seahawks offseason the 2023 signings remind me of?

Better yet, can you name the four new defensive starters who Seattle signed in 2001?

It reminds me of a summer weekday back when I was home from college, I went to downtown Bellevue and watched four movies back-to-back-to-back-to-back, I’ll never forget the movies or the order: The Descent, World Trade Center, The Night Listener, and Miami Vice. I just walked from one theater to the next and didn’t miss a scene, only the daylight outside.

Similarly—and for some with seasons as forgettable as Miami Vice—the Seahawks signed four players in 2001 who were meant to overhaul a defense that ranked 25th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. Coincidentally, they were two defensive linemen, a linebacker, and a safety, just like the four players signed this week.

How are these signings different than the ones from 2001? I’ll compare and contrast each player and how Pete Carroll, John Schneider may have a better eye for talent than Mike Holmgren and Mike Holmgren. Sign up for Regular Joes to read this and hundreds more bonus articles in the archives/ahead.

We’ve had 10 more signups in the last two days alone, so I owe some shoutouts in an upcoming Joe! Only $5/month or $55/year!