Field Gulls
History used to be kinder to dynasties. Steelers, Niners, Ming. You know, the big three. Now it kneecaps them, with notable exceptions. It’s widely known that Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and John Elway are the only quarterbacks to lead their team to Super Bowl repeats in the salary cap era.
Of course, you’ll rightly tell me Brady and Mahomes are no Sam Darnold. And Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce aren’t even in the same discussion as AJ Barner. Silly to talk about those old men when it’s a young man’s league. Plus, Seattle is armed with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the reigning Defensive AND Offensive Player of the Year, a cleated malevolent sprite who breaks ankles for breakfast and swallows souls for Sunday dinner.
Ah, but to frame the Seattle Seahawks’ repeat chances through their offensive playmakers is both unjust and inaccurate. While Mahomes gets the endorsements, Brady gets to play owner in Vegas and Darnold is throwing out first pitches at ball games, the truth remains, defense wins championships, same as always.
Same. As. Always. Which is better news for the Dark Side anyway.
So in honor of the type of defense the 2025 Seahawks played, four D-related reasons they can repeat are listed below; in honor of how the National Football League actually works, three D-related reasons they cannot repeat will follow. Quick apology which is fake: I’m calling them Dreasons.
Longtime fans will easily recall the 2000 Ravens, the 2002 Buccaneers, the 2013 Seahawks, the 2015 Broncos, and other examples from decades of defensive determinism. However, the Brady and Mahomes examples are also arguments for defense. The Patriots won consecutive titles before Tom was in anyone’s top QB tier because defensive guru Bill Belichick assembled a unit that led the league in scoring defense for 2003 and came in second a year later. The Chiefs’ last title came because defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo developed enough Shanahan counter-moves and spooked Brock Purdy in crunch time. Man, that guy would’ve made such a great Seattle DC when we desperately needed one.
Minus a raw milk asteroid hitting the V-Mac midseason, the Seahawks defense will again stake a claim to be the league’s best.
Ernest Jones, Julian Love, Leonard Williams, and Devon Witherspoon shepherded by Mike Macdonald in his third year — those are the dudes I want leading the charge for a repeat that would put Seattle in anyone’s discussion of the NFL’s most storied franchises. I want them angry that people are picking the Rams, and keeping their teammates sharp.
DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy, Jarran Reed and Uchenna Nwosu along the defensive line all at once? Sorry to say, your offensive play is probably wrecked.
Nick Emmanwori being everything everywhere all at once, teleporting from the defensive backfield to the line of scrimmage because he can, sauntering from sideline to sideline, salivating with malice? God have mercy.
Growing role players like Josh Jobe, Drake Thomas and Ty Okada coming into their own,...
