Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold joined a small club of Super Bowl winners, but the Seahawks must capitalize on their moment and win another soon to be considered legends
It's hard to know whether "fans", in general, give Darnold enough credit. But, I can say he doesn't get enough credit in media coverage. Of course, when has ANY Seahawk? I give him credit as the QB making things happen when he was called to during that run. He also did not hurt the team when MM's defense was flexing as the dominant factor in games. Not doing too much is a skill that successful QBs need to have, too.
I think assigning credit to individuals is a ridiculous exercise, especially considering how the team's 3 phases compliment and play to each other so well. We truly have a synergistic team here, which is why I think the dynasty dreams are closer than some outside of this community might think.
Similar question was asked last year here about whether we'd like a SB, followed by missing playoffs or constant playoff appearances without a SB. My answer has changed since last year now that I have the SB experience. I would want the 2nd and 3rd SBs, followed by mediocrity (or even failures). I think cementing a dynasty and a place as possibly the best team of all-time is worth 10yrs of being uncompetitive. Being a fan of an organization I can be proud of during those bad times does go a long way toward making this decision, though. So, if that changes with new ownership, I reserve the right to answer differently in the future.
I don’t think I could deal with 10 yrs of mediocrity, although of course we Seahawks fans did deal with that (almost, was 9 yrs) in the ‘90’s and I’ll tell you, those were slit your wrists years OMG.
The other thing about the historical benefits is sorta clouded for me when listening to Niners fans trumpeting about their 5 rings vs our 2. I guys they are the more storied franchise, yeah 5 but what have you done for me lately, that last one was 32 yrs ago when many of these Niners chest-pounders weren’t even born yet.
Tough call. I do cringe and it almost ruins my day to this day, thinking of that fateful pass to Butler. Hard to even write it. That would indeed have been an indelible stamp of historial excellence, to win consecutive SB’s taking down HOF’s Peyton Manning AND Tom Brady (and our rivals SF and then the other HOF Aaron Rodgers to get there). Would be hard to argue it’s not the greatest team of all time considering the opponents. That would indeed have been historic.
The Seahawks could be even better this year, and I'd be quite happy if they were. It will mean that the 2nd year players make a leap, and there's nobody I'd rather see than Robbie Smash have a break-out year with Fleury as the OC. The defense will be as good hopefully, but offenses will have studied Mike Macdonald a TON this offseason, so Mike will need to constantly adjust. Emmanwori (2nd year) and Murphy (3rd year) will be key. The young guns have to take over this defense.
I'm not sure how many Super Bowls the Seahawks would have to win to be in the category of Walsh-Montana or Belichick-Brady teams. And when all is said and done, maybe it won't be a coach-QB combo for the Seahawks. Maybe it will be Macdonald-JSN or Macdonald-Emmanwori. The Seahawks are truly a TEAM, and not just a few stars making the team great. Maybe we'll break that mold.
The team that nobody wants to play against. That's us.
For the record, in addition to the two SBs, the Lombardi Packers won NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965. The ‘62 team is one of the great clubs in NFL history: 13-1 in the regular season, first in points scored and fewest points allowed, eleven All-Pros, and ten future HOFers.
I have this asinine and ridiculous daydream. That the Seahawks will have a perfect season and unseat the 1972 Miami Dolphins from NFL immortality. No longer will the Dolphins pop champagne every year to toast themselves as the only undefeated team ever. This would blow away their record as they only played 14 games a season back then.
Now, if we lose a game I will be bummed out big time. But, only for a moment. The crazy daydream would burst and it would be back to reality. It's not about being perfect. Just be the last one standing at the end of the season. And, of course, we did just that.
But, right now, I'm playing with nothing but house money. I'll dream and bet big. Whatever happens I can bask in the comfort of having just experienced nirvana as a Seahawks fan. We are WORLD CHAMPS! We'll be the defending world champions come September 9. We won the championship unexpectedly. Almost 90 percent of the team will be back. It's a great time to be a Hawks fan. A perfect season may be super silly to ever think about, but, why not?! We had a chance to actually win the three games we lost last year. Who knows. At the end of the day, let's have another parade. Winning a second consecutive title would be a sweet and dynastic thing indeed.
On an interesting note: Don Shula accomplished his perfect season in his 3rd year as Dolphins coach. MM is going into his 3rd year himself. Hmmmm.
I think we should go Gen-Z/Gen-Alpha on this and give them all "ship names." Our favorite shipping, of course, is Macdarnold. But let's rewind time and we get Maheid, Bradinchick, Shelway, Jaikman, Montalsh, Bradsholl, Shiese, and Lombarr.
My 11 year old daughter would be so proud of me! Not really. She'd say: "Dad, just... no. You're low-key embarrassing yourself right now."
Repeating is very hard, but the Hawks are set up better than most SB winners to do it. However, injuries are a huge factor, plus random bounces of an oddly shaped ball. I expect them to be better this season, but would be shocked by 20-0. I’d happily settle for 18-2, including a SB victory! Those 70-80s Steelers were my first NFL love. The Seahawks have long since replaced them, but I’d love to relive the feelings that stretch of fandom gave me.
Darnold got a "look" in the last 7 minutes to beat the Rams in #16. When a Team see's this, they respond. Damn rare. Joe Montana had it. If Darnold nails it down, we are good for 2 or 3 more SB wins. Keep it real, Sam.
I think the only thing I was worried about at the start of last season was his potential to lose confidence and make mistakes. That worry is now in the distant past. I think we see and even better Sam than we saw in the last 5 games he played. (what’s a turnover? )
Looked to me like he found what he'd been chasing since college, only now at the Pro level. Holding the confidence of his teammates is a big plus that will see it cemented.
Anybody, at any nano second in time, can lose confidence and make mistakes, but I'm pretty confident that SD is on more solid ground than most of us. He might make mistakes, but it won't generally be for lack of confidence, and his next play after a mistake will be better than what most other humans would have made.
I get that "In JS/MM we trust" has become a cliché, but I'll add Sam Darnold to that short list. We can draft a QB in 2030, but I'm good for now.
The Seahawks have as good a chance as any team to run it back this year. Despite the criticism the Seahawks have received for this offseason, they are a better team this year. I’ve heard so many predictions say the Seahawks are regressing this year. Over 60% of Seahawks fans have them at 13 or fewer wins on Field Gulls. Mitch Levy has them at 11-6, with the 49ers winning the division and the Hawks behind the Rams as well, but ahead of the Cardinals.
I’m sorry, but Under MM, the Seahawks improved year one as the season progressed. In Year two they were better than year one and finished winning 14 out of their last 15 games. They played quite a few playoff teams along that stretch. I don’t think this year will be markedly more difficult, and I’m certain MM will have them ready to play at a very high level every week. This team believes they can win ANY game, (It’s all about us) They will be fully prepared to win every game, and they are more likely than not to win every game. Sure, they could lose one or two, but lose more than last year? The only way that happens is if Fleury is a total bust, and I believe he will be surprisingly very good.
Mike McDonald is getting better every year. So many players on this young team will take a step up in their game. A couple of older vets could see their game regress, but far fewer than the young players who will be better, and I like the chances of Big Cat and D-Law playing at a very high level again this year. Darnold is going to be much better at protecting the ball - his only real flaw in his play last year. I predicted 15 wins, but I think the chance of history being made is pretty good. If we win in week 6 on four days rest on the road in Denver, I think we could possibly go into week 18 in LA 16 wins, 0 losses.
A failure of One is a failure of All. With the combined experience of JS and Leslie Frazier behind him, I can't see Mike playing out, gets bored and retires. With the three of them behind Fleury, I don't see them screwing up so badly we lose. We can be certain he's prepping to be a Head Coach, probably in 2 years. We'll be promoting from within for his replacement. No Boredom allowed!
This team stays focused. It’s hard to get bored when you are locked in and looking forward to new challenges (stacking another win). I’m with you, the stack is going to get a lot higher than most Seahawks fans imagine.
JS will be doing all he can to keep our Starters and Support guys paid competitively enough to keep the Team together. How did guys like Barry Sanders hang around with the Lions for so long? If the balance is ever found, Watch Out! Meantime, Wild Money rules.
I agree whole heartedly. He came out of no where to get the job, and my guess is he floored MM in his interview. I could see him more successful than Kubiak last year. The only thing I see that stands in his way would be trouble running the ball with Price. But I think Price is going to flourish in this scheme and be OROY.
Yes, he was a college Head Coach, but I believe well suited to RB play. I’m high on him and high on Price. All good as RB1A. As to who is RB1B, we know Holani is capable, but maybe someone performs and takes the job from him.
I expect a lot of volatility. Team with the most potential and easiest schedule is the Lions. If the Seahawks have to go to Detroit in the playoffs, I would not be surprised if that's the game of the year.
Myself I am not sold on Goff. Hopefully outside of the regular season we don't see them again until the NFC championship. Maybe they can knock of the Rams for us.
A great post, SJ. It firmly establishes your grasp on NFL playoff and SB history as the context for how the Hawks move into the future. I will add that I hope that the 70 (the 69 + Sam D), whoever they are on a game-to-game basis in 2026, do not have all of this truthful historical perspective rattling around in their heads. To achieve historic status, only the next game and each play within it can be in their top of mind.
It's hard to know whether "fans", in general, give Darnold enough credit. But, I can say he doesn't get enough credit in media coverage. Of course, when has ANY Seahawk? I give him credit as the QB making things happen when he was called to during that run. He also did not hurt the team when MM's defense was flexing as the dominant factor in games. Not doing too much is a skill that successful QBs need to have, too.
I think assigning credit to individuals is a ridiculous exercise, especially considering how the team's 3 phases compliment and play to each other so well. We truly have a synergistic team here, which is why I think the dynasty dreams are closer than some outside of this community might think.
Similar question was asked last year here about whether we'd like a SB, followed by missing playoffs or constant playoff appearances without a SB. My answer has changed since last year now that I have the SB experience. I would want the 2nd and 3rd SBs, followed by mediocrity (or even failures). I think cementing a dynasty and a place as possibly the best team of all-time is worth 10yrs of being uncompetitive. Being a fan of an organization I can be proud of during those bad times does go a long way toward making this decision, though. So, if that changes with new ownership, I reserve the right to answer differently in the future.
I don’t think I could deal with 10 yrs of mediocrity, although of course we Seahawks fans did deal with that (almost, was 9 yrs) in the ‘90’s and I’ll tell you, those were slit your wrists years OMG.
The other thing about the historical benefits is sorta clouded for me when listening to Niners fans trumpeting about their 5 rings vs our 2. I guys they are the more storied franchise, yeah 5 but what have you done for me lately, that last one was 32 yrs ago when many of these Niners chest-pounders weren’t even born yet.
Tough call. I do cringe and it almost ruins my day to this day, thinking of that fateful pass to Butler. Hard to even write it. That would indeed have been an indelible stamp of historial excellence, to win consecutive SB’s taking down HOF’s Peyton Manning AND Tom Brady (and our rivals SF and then the other HOF Aaron Rodgers to get there). Would be hard to argue it’s not the greatest team of all time considering the opponents. That would indeed have been historic.
Tough call.
The Seahawks could be even better this year, and I'd be quite happy if they were. It will mean that the 2nd year players make a leap, and there's nobody I'd rather see than Robbie Smash have a break-out year with Fleury as the OC. The defense will be as good hopefully, but offenses will have studied Mike Macdonald a TON this offseason, so Mike will need to constantly adjust. Emmanwori (2nd year) and Murphy (3rd year) will be key. The young guns have to take over this defense.
I'm not sure how many Super Bowls the Seahawks would have to win to be in the category of Walsh-Montana or Belichick-Brady teams. And when all is said and done, maybe it won't be a coach-QB combo for the Seahawks. Maybe it will be Macdonald-JSN or Macdonald-Emmanwori. The Seahawks are truly a TEAM, and not just a few stars making the team great. Maybe we'll break that mold.
The team that nobody wants to play against. That's us.
For the record, in addition to the two SBs, the Lombardi Packers won NFL championships in 1961, 1962, and 1965. The ‘62 team is one of the great clubs in NFL history: 13-1 in the regular season, first in points scored and fewest points allowed, eleven All-Pros, and ten future HOFers.
I'll take the one super bowl and all the playoffs...at least there's some hope
I have this asinine and ridiculous daydream. That the Seahawks will have a perfect season and unseat the 1972 Miami Dolphins from NFL immortality. No longer will the Dolphins pop champagne every year to toast themselves as the only undefeated team ever. This would blow away their record as they only played 14 games a season back then.
Now, if we lose a game I will be bummed out big time. But, only for a moment. The crazy daydream would burst and it would be back to reality. It's not about being perfect. Just be the last one standing at the end of the season. And, of course, we did just that.
But, right now, I'm playing with nothing but house money. I'll dream and bet big. Whatever happens I can bask in the comfort of having just experienced nirvana as a Seahawks fan. We are WORLD CHAMPS! We'll be the defending world champions come September 9. We won the championship unexpectedly. Almost 90 percent of the team will be back. It's a great time to be a Hawks fan. A perfect season may be super silly to ever think about, but, why not?! We had a chance to actually win the three games we lost last year. Who knows. At the end of the day, let's have another parade. Winning a second consecutive title would be a sweet and dynastic thing indeed.
On an interesting note: Don Shula accomplished his perfect season in his 3rd year as Dolphins coach. MM is going into his 3rd year himself. Hmmmm.
I think we should go Gen-Z/Gen-Alpha on this and give them all "ship names." Our favorite shipping, of course, is Macdarnold. But let's rewind time and we get Maheid, Bradinchick, Shelway, Jaikman, Montalsh, Bradsholl, Shiese, and Lombarr.
My 11 year old daughter would be so proud of me! Not really. She'd say: "Dad, just... no. You're low-key embarrassing yourself right now."
Repeating is very hard, but the Hawks are set up better than most SB winners to do it. However, injuries are a huge factor, plus random bounces of an oddly shaped ball. I expect them to be better this season, but would be shocked by 20-0. I’d happily settle for 18-2, including a SB victory! Those 70-80s Steelers were my first NFL love. The Seahawks have long since replaced them, but I’d love to relive the feelings that stretch of fandom gave me.
Yeppers. let's go for the "... and three is no comparison to two."
Darnold got a "look" in the last 7 minutes to beat the Rams in #16. When a Team see's this, they respond. Damn rare. Joe Montana had it. If Darnold nails it down, we are good for 2 or 3 more SB wins. Keep it real, Sam.
I think the only thing I was worried about at the start of last season was his potential to lose confidence and make mistakes. That worry is now in the distant past. I think we see and even better Sam than we saw in the last 5 games he played. (what’s a turnover? )
Looked to me like he found what he'd been chasing since college, only now at the Pro level. Holding the confidence of his teammates is a big plus that will see it cemented.
Well,...
Anybody, at any nano second in time, can lose confidence and make mistakes, but I'm pretty confident that SD is on more solid ground than most of us. He might make mistakes, but it won't generally be for lack of confidence, and his next play after a mistake will be better than what most other humans would have made.
I get that "In JS/MM we trust" has become a cliché, but I'll add Sam Darnold to that short list. We can draft a QB in 2030, but I'm good for now.
The Seahawks have as good a chance as any team to run it back this year. Despite the criticism the Seahawks have received for this offseason, they are a better team this year. I’ve heard so many predictions say the Seahawks are regressing this year. Over 60% of Seahawks fans have them at 13 or fewer wins on Field Gulls. Mitch Levy has them at 11-6, with the 49ers winning the division and the Hawks behind the Rams as well, but ahead of the Cardinals.
I’m sorry, but Under MM, the Seahawks improved year one as the season progressed. In Year two they were better than year one and finished winning 14 out of their last 15 games. They played quite a few playoff teams along that stretch. I don’t think this year will be markedly more difficult, and I’m certain MM will have them ready to play at a very high level every week. This team believes they can win ANY game, (It’s all about us) They will be fully prepared to win every game, and they are more likely than not to win every game. Sure, they could lose one or two, but lose more than last year? The only way that happens is if Fleury is a total bust, and I believe he will be surprisingly very good.
Mike McDonald is getting better every year. So many players on this young team will take a step up in their game. A couple of older vets could see their game regress, but far fewer than the young players who will be better, and I like the chances of Big Cat and D-Law playing at a very high level again this year. Darnold is going to be much better at protecting the ball - his only real flaw in his play last year. I predicted 15 wins, but I think the chance of history being made is pretty good. If we win in week 6 on four days rest on the road in Denver, I think we could possibly go into week 18 in LA 16 wins, 0 losses.
A failure of One is a failure of All. With the combined experience of JS and Leslie Frazier behind him, I can't see Mike playing out, gets bored and retires. With the three of them behind Fleury, I don't see them screwing up so badly we lose. We can be certain he's prepping to be a Head Coach, probably in 2 years. We'll be promoting from within for his replacement. No Boredom allowed!
This team stays focused. It’s hard to get bored when you are locked in and looking forward to new challenges (stacking another win). I’m with you, the stack is going to get a lot higher than most Seahawks fans imagine.
JS will be doing all he can to keep our Starters and Support guys paid competitively enough to keep the Team together. How did guys like Barry Sanders hang around with the Lions for so long? If the balance is ever found, Watch Out! Meantime, Wild Money rules.
With the current Seahawks record of personnel hirelings, I'd be surprised if Brian Fleury was anything less than uber-successful. Fingers crossed.
I agree whole heartedly. He came out of no where to get the job, and my guess is he floored MM in his interview. I could see him more successful than Kubiak last year. The only thing I see that stands in his way would be trouble running the ball with Price. But I think Price is going to flourish in this scheme and be OROY.
Our new RB Coach, hired last year, seems to be doing The Job. RB1A and 1B is a new approach which Price is specifically trained for, if underused.
Yes, he was a college Head Coach, but I believe well suited to RB play. I’m high on him and high on Price. All good as RB1A. As to who is RB1B, we know Holani is capable, but maybe someone performs and takes the job from him.
I'm looking forward to a healthy Kenny Mac.
Make it so!
I like the sound of being the first to win 3 in row.
I totally agree, but let's get the #2 first. 20-0!
HooAh!
The potential is there. I think the only team close to us is the Rams and only because of Stafford. We need to stay healthy and anything can happen.
I expect a lot of volatility. Team with the most potential and easiest schedule is the Lions. If the Seahawks have to go to Detroit in the playoffs, I would not be surprised if that's the game of the year.
Myself I am not sold on Goff. Hopefully outside of the regular season we don't see them again until the NFC championship. Maybe they can knock of the Rams for us.
A great post, SJ. It firmly establishes your grasp on NFL playoff and SB history as the context for how the Hawks move into the future. I will add that I hope that the 70 (the 69 + Sam D), whoever they are on a game-to-game basis in 2026, do not have all of this truthful historical perspective rattling around in their heads. To achieve historic status, only the next game and each play within it can be in their top of mind.
Thanks!
Sorry if it seems nitpicky but I think it has to be pointed out that we just won the SIXTIETH Super Bowl.
That's not nitpicky. That's a huge error on my part, I thank you.
Good catch, Scott.