Originally posted by Phil:
As long as they have their core defensive players and Lynch they'll be contenders. I don't think Wilson is that huge of an ingredient....Chacellor, Sherman, Earl Thomas, Bennett etc.
If our QB can find a way to pass on them things would change next season. They have an edge in QB play but Wilson still isn't exactly a consistant dominant force in the passing game. He's good but not elite. They'll probably draft or bring in WR's from FA this offseason. That should help Wilson out some, but as soon as Lynch leaves that team their offense is in trouble. Wilson has a lot of success based off the run.
Niners the same. If we could establish the run against the stacked box it would help Kap with play action, roll outs etc. Kap has to learn how to make teams pay for stacking the box though. It's hard to establish the run running into brick walls. With 2 teams that have great defenses the edge goes to the team with the better QB and running game.
The Cards and Rams are dangerous long term if they figure out a more consistant QB situation. Bradford and Palmer aren't reliable. Heck, Wilson could get hurt at any moment.
I agree in most part apart from Russell Wilson. He is a KEY piece and they will be locking him up next season. He might not be an elite passer per se, but no QB in the league can generate that much offense with his legs. I was shocked when I was checking the stats the other day that Seahawks' total O is ranked 9th now !! Just their last game against the Cards, they generated over 500 yards of offense. Wilson's scrambling ability together with their dominant run game by and large win them ball games, but at the same time it opens up the passing game for big plays downfield. This is their formula to success, they are not going to go off that blueprint anytime soon. They tried it earlier this season much like what we did with Kap and it didn't work when they tried to turn him into a pocket passer.
But, like you said, Beast Mode will be critical to their long term success. If you look at their RB corps, it is absolutely solid, apart from Lynch, both Turbin and Michael are legit power backs in their own right, they are both over 220 lbs, strong and explosive with speed. Having said that, Beast Mode is their playmaker. If they are going to continue to ride this run-first formula, they will need to draft someone who has the potential to replace Lynch. I wouldn't be surprised if they were to go for a Melvin Gordon type prospect next May, that is unless we could beat them to it. If they can find that guy, I would say they can easily dominate the NFL, let alone the NFC or NFC West for years to come.
If I had to put a number to it, I would say 3 more years minimum and don't forget they have already dominated the NFC West for 2 years already, the rest will depend on whether they can find that guy to replace Marshawn Lynch.
But, dominating the NFC West will also depend on how they compare with the other teams in the division. All the other 3 teams including ourselves have something in common, that is they don't have an exceptional QB who can handle that kind of pressure from their No. 1 ranked D. Carson Palmer did it once, but he is injured, old and will not last forever. Kap also did it once, but that was when Frank ran for 110 yards and even then we only won with that last field goal. And finding a top QB talent is hard to do, so it could take a while before that happens. Some may argue Kap could (if he runs), but if that was the case, then we will need to put major investment in our RB corps and O-line. Frank is pretty much done, Carlos Hyde is very promising, but Kendall Hunter is nothing to brag about. We will need a staple of powerful, playmaking backs. Dallas showed us how they can be beat with a dominant O-line and DeMarco Murray. But, Carlos Hyde is not DeMarco Murray or at least at this juncture, we need to give ourselves more options, let's try to get a Melvin Gordon and other top RB prospects in the next couple of years then we might have a chance to turn the tide. If we can't establish the run game against the Seahawks and have to rely on Kap to beat them by throwing the ball, we stand 0 chance. Drafting faster and bigger WRs may help, but that is not unless you can pound the ball to open up the passing game. Even in that Dallas game, Dez Bryant only managed 63 yards, but when you add that to Terrence Willams' 70 yards is enough when Murray and Randle combined for 167 yards rushing, not by much but just enough to get it done.
