Commentary: Don’t underestimate the Seahawks – the championship blueprint is there

Well, the Seahawks did it! They won four games! Exactly what USA Today predicted in their season preview. Except, there’s this one thing: It’s not even November yet.

Which means the Hawks have nine more games to prove how incredibly wrong those so-called experts were.

Listen, we all know that there’s a long way to go. But it’s clear that the last five Seahawks games have shown what this group is capable of, which is a heck of a lot more than most expected this year. It’s clear that the identity Pete Carroll wanted so desperately to re-establish this season is taking hold.

And it’s clear that there’s an attitude – a charisma – within this group that continues to grow as their belief in themselves grows too. And it’s fun to watch, because we’ve seen this kind of thing unfold before – and we know where it has led.

I mean, there’s always an excitement to winning, but there’s an even greater satisfaction that comes with knowing that they’re winning the way they want to win: By being the bullies on the offensive line after two years of consistently being bullied on that line. By being the up-and-coming secondary that was doubted by most, simply because it was replacing The Legion of Boom. And having new defensive stars emerge on the defensive line who had been overshadowed the past two years.

I mean, consider where this team was in 2012, and tell me how different this team is, aside from the fact that Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright and Doug Baldwin are now the experienced veterans who already know how to win, now surrounded by up-and-comers who are desperate to prove doubters wrong? That’s the most encouraging thing of all.

Now, I’m not saying the Hawks are winning the Super Bowl this season, but I am saying that the championship blueprint is there. I am saying that there’s been a precedent set, and even in a league where new philosophies and strategies are continually evolving, the one this team believes in is still tried and true.

And I am saying that some things are just more enjoyable when they’re unexpected, and I think this team fits that bill.

Yes, this team has a murderer’s row ahead. And given the unfortunate way they began the year, just making the postseason seems to be quite the chore. But if they do go on the road, I’m encouraged by what I saw today, and I’m encouraged with what Pete Carroll said after the win.

“It doesn’t matter where we play right now to get the style of play we want.”

It means that this kind of football travels well. And to that end, the Seahawks have put themselves in position at least to do something most people at the start of the year didn’t think possible.