These Seahawks could stand to learn something from the Bengals

As you probably heard, the Seahawks got blown out by the Bengals today at home, 34-12. The offense was slightly better than last week (which is saying VERY little), the defense was ok, and the special teams were bad. All in all, a pretty bad game for the entire team. But I think they should take a look across the field at the team they just played and they could learn a lot from them. In fact, they might follow very similar paths.

Last year, the Bengals started out 2-5 as well. They also had a week 6 bye. They too struggled on offense. Carson Palmer was their quarterback, who had 26 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Given a full 16 game season, those are the numbers Tarvaris Jackson would likely put up. The 2010 Bengals were extremely inconsistent, just like this Seahawks team. No one had any faith in them, and they lost 12 games. I see the 2011 Seahawks as almost an identical clone of the 2010 Cincinnati Bengals.

With that the case, I also see the 2012 Seahawks being the 2011 Bengals. In the past draft, the Bengals took a quarterback (Dalton) and a wide receiver (AJ Green) with their first two picks. I expect the Seahawks to take two offensive skill positions with their first two picks as well, most likely a quarterback and a runningback. This team is in desperate need of a young quarterback just like Andy Dalton to help turn this team around.

But one of the strengths of this Bengals team is their defense, which is a Top 5 defense. That is what the Seahawks will need if they want to have a complete turnaround. But the good news is, they have many of the key pieces in place. Earl Thomas, Red Bryant, David Hawthorne, Kam Chancellor, and KJ Wright all look to be part of this defense for years to come. All this defense needs is perhaps a young pass-rushing defensive end, a young and up and coming cornerback (perhaps that is Thurmond or Sherman, time will tell), more depth at linebacker, and this defense could be VERY good.

Unfortunately, 2011 will be just one of those seasons for the Hawks. The team will likely finish 4-12 (like the 2010 Bengals) or 5-11. We just need to be patient. We CANNOT fire Pete Carroll, no matter how badly this season turns out, or we will have to start this entire process over, because each coach has a different philosophy. Give Pete until next year, see if we can duplicate the Bengals’ success. The Bengals stuck with Marvin Lewis and look where it got them: 5-2 and right in the thick of things in the competitive AFC North. I see the exact same happening next year with the Hawks, possibly competing with the 49ers and Rams. We just need to stick to our current path, get that franchise quarterback, and improve our depth. We do that, and this dreadful 2011 campaign will be totally worth it next year.

Felix Hernandez: A Seattle Sports Icon

I think I ought to take the time and recognize the single most talented athlete in Seattle right now: Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez. He is one of the best pitchers in baseball and is still only 25. He is consistent, hard-throwing, and downright filthy at times with his pitches. No one in Seattle dominates like Felix Hernandez. However, there have been a few Mariners fans who think the Mariners should trade Felix, just because of our history of losing. These people have a pessimistic attitude and think Felix is going to demand a trade some point soon. I’m here to say that Felix should under no circumstances be traded.

Trading Felix Hernandez would be like if the Seahawks traded Steve Largent or if the Mariners traded Ken Griffey Jr. while they were in their primes. Granted, the latter of the two happened, but Griffey was pretty much past his peak level of play and didn’t want to play in Seattle anymore. However, Felix does. He’s made a home here. He has friends and family here. He has a good relationship with his teammates and clubhouse staff. He’s fun, lighthearted, and a good guy to have in your clubhouse. It’s rare nowadays to find someone with as much talent as Felix to go along with his loyalty to the city of Seattle and the Mariners organization.

Another argument people make for trading Felix is that the Mariners have a surplus in starting pitching. The Mariners have Felix, plus already at the major league level Michael Pineda, Blake Beavan, and Jason Vargas. They also have some very promising young arms in the minors in James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, and 2^nd overall pick Danny Hultzen. I am a firm believer in that the team with the best top 3 pitchers usually wins the World Series. Last year, the San Francisco Giants prevailed over the Texas Rangers because of their starting three of Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez. That is exactly the kind of rotation General Manager Jack Zduriencik wants: a good, young core group of pitchers. Felix needs to be here to lead them and provide experience. Also, a lot pitching prospects don’t pan out, and it’s good to have a few more waiting in the wings. The Mariners could also trade a young pitcher for a bat, a pitcher they don’t necessarily believe will be a good fit anymore.

Felix is the face of the Mariners franchise. It used to be Ichiro, but since Ichiro has lost his mojo, he has sort of stepped out of the spotlight and Felix is now the best player on the Mariners. Imagine what he’ll be known as in five or ten years. If he stays here, he will become the best pitcher in Mariners history, surpassing Randy Johnson and Jamie Moyer. And by all accounts, he will stay here, because Zduriencik has stated he has no intentions of trading Felix (although he has gotten the offers), and Felix wants to be here. Very few guys with Felix’s talent would be willing to stick with the Mariners through all the losing, but Felix is, because he knows it’s going to get better, and it will.

It’s funny how it all comes down to the trade of Mark Langston for Randy Johnson as to how we got Felix Hernandez. We made the trade for the Big Unit, who was later traded for Freddy Garcia and a few other players. Felix signed with us because Freddy Garcia was his idol growing up and he wanted to play on the same team as Freddy. That’s why Felix wears #34, the same number Garcia wore while he was here. The Mark Langston-Randy Johnson trade will probably be forever known as the best trade in Mariners history, because it landed the Mariners two of the greatest pitchers, not only in their history, but to have ever played the game. Felix is a one-of-a-kind player. Keep him happy. Keep him here. We will win.

How Video Games are Pushing Me Away

I love to play video games. It is probably my #1 all time form of entertainment. Yes, it has caused me a bit of frustration as well, but that sense of accomplishment you feel when you complete a hard mission or task is something that’s hard to find anywhere else. However, I have been playing video games less and less as I’ve gotten older, and that’s not just because I’ve gotten a job and a girlfriend and focused more on them. It’s because video games have pushed me away in various methods. I have gone from an avid (almost pro) gamer to a casual gamer who plays occasionally.

One of the first reasons I play video games less and less is that there are more game modes. You might wonder why that would make me play them less, but when I see a game with 20+ ways of playing (I’m talking to you, COD and Gears of War!), it makes me feel slightly overwhelmed, like what the heck am I supposed to do first? Gone are the days of simple gaming where there was the campaign or “story mode” and multiplayer only. Now there’s Co-op, arcade modes, 10 different kinds of multiplayer, and more. I’m also the type of gamer that believes if you don’t have anyone to play with you on the same console, you shouldn’t play with anyone, period. I hate playing with people I don’t know. It’s not fun.

Another reason I play video games less is because of technical issues. It seems more today than ever games are crashing, freezing, exiting out, and just downright failing to even work. Video game companies are releasing games with serious flaws, and there’s a very logical reason behind it. They are in competition with another to release the “next big game” and that’s why there is a bajillion Calls of Duty’s and 3 Gears of War’s and 5 Halo games. It’s partly our fault, though, as we get easily bored with games and demand the sequel just a few months later. However, these game developers should take that extra time to fix glitches and bugs before releasing their games.

Thirdly, when I play a new video game, I don’t feel like I’m playing a game, I feel like I’m experiencing something. For most people, that’s exactly what they want. But not for me. When I sit down to play a video game, that’s all I want to do. I just want to kill time, have fun, and not get frustrated by anything. The simpler the game mode, the better. I want to know I’m playing a video game and be able to let my anger go when something goes wrong, because I can easily tell myself, “It’s just a game.” With newer games, you get so immersed and so involved and connected to a game you can seriously get into fits of rage when something goes wrong, and I’m not going to have any part of that. Nowadays you have ranks and levels and if something bad happens you could lose rank or skills. I don’t like that. I just want to play a game for fun, not so I have a better online rank.

So you see, video games are really becoming something I don’t like. Don’t get me wrong, I will hold onto my old consoles (N64, Original Xbox) and continue to play them, even years from now. To me, it feels like gaming hit its peak 5-7 years ago and has declined since then. One thing I can say is that this post is mainly directed at Microsoft and Sony, but I feel Nintendo has done a fabulous job of putting simple games out there and not making gaming too much of an experience. I might just perhaps have to switch back to Nintendo, because Xbox has become too much of a hassle for me.

Why are companies pushing us away?

Something I have really noticed over the past few years is that major companies and retailers are choosing profits over customers. It is hard to imagine a company nowadays offering a great deal on something just to be a nice and try to get customers. Companies and retailers have been trying to pull customers from other companies, but now it seems we are getting pushed from one to another, as if we are not wanted.

My first example is Netflix. They recently were faced with a dilemma. Their business model wasn’t working. They had been offering customers both streaming and DVD’s in the mail for a small monthly rate of $10. However, just recently, they decided to scrap that and separate the two, offering them only as separate deals and no longer packaging them in a deal. You can still have both, but you pay $6 a month more. Netflix knew their $10 a month plan for both services wasn’t making them a ton of money, but instead of keeping it to keep customers happy, they took it away from us. They chose themselves over us, the customers.

My second example is Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Bank of America has decided to implement a $5 monthly debit card fee for any one of their customers who uses a debit card. Their reasoning is that they have been capped on how much they are allowed to charge retailers when a customer swipes their debit card. Many have made their displeasure heard. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo, my bank, is only testing out the fee in various markets and locations. I have not been charged with that fee yet, but if I do start getting charged monthly, I will find a way to go without my debit card or find another bank.

My advice to companies, banks, and retailers out there: Stay OUT of the spotlight. Do not do anything drastic. I know, the economy is hard on us all, but the retailers and companies that will profit the most are the ones that just try to tough it out and not do anything stupid like Netflix or Bank of America. We consumers are smarter than they think. We will NOT hesitate to switch banks, grocery stores, electronic stores, you name it, in order to save the most money. It’s the unfortunate truth that companies nowadays care less about customers than ever. Well guess what? We customers care even less about how companies do. If Netflix, Bank of America, or whoever goes under, we really don’t care (unless we work for them). Another one will come along.

My advice to us, the customers, is just to be smart, and if a company changes a policy or the price of something, do not hesitate to switch companies or products. If a company makes you upset, don’t be afraid to protest or boycott them. I boycotted Starbucks for almost three years because their CEO sold the Sonics. Share with your friends and family your displeasure with a company, share it on Consumerist, let people know so that the companies feel a dent when they lose a lot of customers.

Hopefully, in the somewhat near future, the economy will get better. When it does, I expect companies to come crying back to us and begging for our forgiveness. But they must know we won’t be hurrying back to them so fast.