Four Reason Why the Seattle Seahawks Will Recapture the NFC West Crown

Are the Seattle Seahawks ready to retake the NFC West Crown in 2009?

Yes! Yes they are, and I’m going to give you four reasons why this statement is closer to fact and not opinion.

First, championships aren’t always won by the most talented team but they are almost always won by the best team. What I mean by this is they have a camaraderie. We journalists like to refer to it as something special and that something special can’t be explained you can see it and can feel it but you can’t explain it.

For the last four years the Dallas Cowboys were supposed to have a Super bowl contending team but routinely fell short because of the cancer in the locker room named Terrell Owens.

Last year’s defending NFC West champs have that same cancer this year but his name is Anquan Boldin.

Last offseason Anquan Boldin demanded a new contract or a trade, and even though those demands weren’t met he showed up and played last season and kept his mouth closed… until the playoffs that is. The result was the Cardinals went 9-7 and played in the teams’ first ever Super Bowl. 

This offseason Boldin has again demanded a new contract or a new trade, but with Boldin's fellow Pro Bowl wideout teammate Larry Fitzgerald signing a four-year $40 million contract, with $30 million guaranteed, before last season, Boldin will probably be as successful with his demands this year as he was last year.

The Cardinals called Boldin's bluff last year and will do so again this year; the result will be the “OCHO CINCO” effect. Go ask the Bengals after going 4–12 if they regret not trading Chad Ocho Cinco last year for the reported first round picks they were offered. Now nobody wants to touch the guy, not even his own starting quarterback.

Boldin is going to be a distraction early and often; and last year when he wasn’t, the Cardinals were 9 -7 and had that special something. Think they’ll be better this year with an unhappy Boldin? Don’t bet on it.

The second reason why the Seattle Seahawks will reclaim their NFC West crown is because since 2001, seven of the eight Super bowl runners up have not made the playoffs.

This list includes the New York Giants (2001), St. Louis Rams (2002), Oakland Raiders (2003), Carolina Panthers (2004), Philadelphia Eagles (2005), and Chicago Bears (2007). The lone exception, you got it the 2006 Seattle Seahawks.

Third, defense wins Championships; we’ve heard that cliché over and over again and will continue to, as the Pittsburg Steelers proved again, until the end of time.

Without question, the acquisitions of DT’s Colin Cole and Corry Redding, CB Ken Lucas, and the drafting of OLB Aaron Curry (who many drafts experts considered the best overall player in the draft) make the Seahawks, on paper, have the best defense in the NFC West. 

The Seahawks lost five games by seven points or less finishing 4-12 in a division that produced the NFC Super Bowl representative the Arizona Cardinals with a 9-7 record.

Upgrading the defense in the Seahawks opinion is the difference between fielding a non- playoff team and championship team; I’m predicting the latter when considering the fortune of the 2009 Seahawks.

Fourth, the 2008 Seahawks, opening day, projected starting wide receivers combined to catch 82 balls for 961 yards and 7 touchdowns last season.

The newest Seahawks’ receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh caught 92 balls for 904 yards and 4 touchdowns last season nearly out producing the Seahawks trio signal handedly, which isn’t much of a surprise with all the trouble last year’s Hawks had keeping a healthy pair of pass catching hands on the field. 

The acquisition of Houshmandzadeh should give the Seahawks their first legit number one receiver since Joey Galloway allowing Nate Burleson and Deion Branch to excel in their more natural roles of No. 2 and 3 WR’s respectively.

Also TJ should command more respect from the Free Safety which should open up running lanes for the running backs, producing more of a balanced attack.

The end result should be a team that scores way more points than the 294 points they scored last year which was second worst only to the Rams in the division, another NFC West team to earn a top five draft pick. For the Seahawks TJ who’s your momma equals “Championship!”