But the point was whether or not the team was "significantly better" and I'm saying there's no way to say that. All of those players, even if mediocre, have to be replaced, and are those replacements better? All those rookies have never played a snap in the NFL, and rookies often don't produce - ESPECIALLY in the first year. Bobby may have been tailing off - from best in the game to 2nd team All-Pro. You can't just shrug that off. Brown is old, but still made the Pro Bowl at one of the most difficult-to-replace positions in the game. Shell was a mediocre veteran - but how many of our recent draft picks have been better than mediocre veterans?? DJ Reed was EASILY the best CB we had, and Dunlap was EASILY the best pass rusher.trharder wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 7:46 pmBobby was one of the best, but he was tailing off. He was a sure tackler last year, but he no longer made big plays.SeattleAddict wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 4:00 pmIn addition to QB, we lost a first ballot HOF MLB, the guy that made all the defensive calls. We lost a potential HOF left tackle. Both were Pro Bowlers last year. We also lost our veteran right tackle, our far-and-away best CB, starting center, best pass rusher, starting TE, and two more DEs that took a lot of snaps. I might throw Carson in there, too - assuming he's done, we lose our best RB, too. That is a LOT to replace with unproven rookies to say we're even AS GOOD, much less BETTER, and a far cry from SIGNIFICANTLY better. Other than Nwosu, I don't think any free agent signings are impact players, much less upgrades. Blythe might be a slight upgrade IF he has anything left.
So, we lost our best O-lineman, our best D-lineman, our best TE, our best CB, our best LB, and we just tossed aside the "other than QB", where to use Madden ratings, in the most important position on he field we went from a 95 to a 70 (I know Madden ratings don't mean anything, but using it to emphasize the huge drop here). The QB makes players better or worse - with that kind of drop off, do you think Lockett and DK will look better or worse?
Duane Brown was old AF. It was just time.
Brandon Shell was just a guy. Currently still a FA.
We lost DJ Reed to a 3yr $33mill deal. The Seahawks originally claimed him off waivers.
I don't even know who the center was.
Who was this pass rusher - Dunlap?
Gerald Everett was inconsistent on a good day and single handedly lost us a game.
The 2021 team was old and uninspired. A hypothetical status quo 2022 Seahawk team would have been no better and likely worse.
I could go on and on, but the point is the only way this roster is better is if all the rookies play at or above the level of the people they replace, and THAT is a tall ask. Now, if the argument was that the team got younger and the future looks promising (save for QB), then I'd agree. For THIS year, though, the roster is NOT better, and definitely not significantly better.