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.