fuego Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 And this is one of their own writers. Brutal. __________ Matt Calkins Michael Bennett’s postgame tirade in Atlanta was just the latest example of how many Seahawks have shown a lack of grace during the 2016 season. They were once a brash collection of misfits. They are now a dismissive group of egomaniacs. They were once known for the resolve they showed in victory. They are now known for the grace they lack in defeat. The Seahawks have been everything from dominant, to mesmerizing, to maddening to heartbreaking — all points on an emotional gamut that has compelled fans for years. But one thing they aren’t is likable. Not anymore, at least. About 20 minutes after Seattle’s 36-20 loss to Atlanta on Saturday, Q13 reporter Bill Wixey asked defensive end Michael Bennett why the pass rush struggled to pressure Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Bennett responded with a profanity-laced tirade centered on belittling Wixey for never having strapped it up in the NFL. “You non-playing (expletive). What did you do with your life?!” Bennett screamed. “What did you do with your lifetime?!” Then came the kicker, when Bennett asked “What injury you play through?! What adversity you went through?!” Actually, Wixey survived Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It’s doubtful Bennett knew that the target of his outburst spent years battling cancer. But it speaks to how out of touch an athlete who just signed a $31 million extension must be to think a playoff loss trumps everyone else’s problems. The diatribe epitomized the sense of entitlement the public has come to loathe in today’s sports stars, and as always with Bennett, it came without an apology. Which brings me to Richard Sherman. Before this season, Sherman was the smack-talking shutdown corner whose bravado generally came with a wink. He was a stud on the field, a self-promoter on social media and to many people’s surprise, a sweetheart behind the scenes. Then came 2016, when he was blasting his defensive coordinator one day, trashing his offensive coordinator’s play-calling the next, and when questioned about his antics, threatening reporters’ careers. And as has become tradition with high-profile athletes, his cover-up amplified the crime. Despite Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s words to the contrary, Sherman insisted he was justified in criticizing OC Darrell Bevell. And despite expressing “regret” for saying he would ruin radio host Jim Moore’s career, Sherman shut down his weekly news conferences because it was a “privilege” to talk to him. Mix insubordination with arrogance and defiance, and you’re all but assured to alienate fans whose closets aren’t teeming with “12” jerseys. But this isn’t just about how the Seahawks handle criticism — it’s about how they handle losing, too. There was Jeremy Lane, who slammed into Packers receiver Randall Cobbduring a kneel-down in victory formation last month. There was Bennett and Jarran Reed, who did the same thing to Falcons offensive linemen in the closing seconds of Saturday’s game. And there was Earl Thomas, who reacted to the Seahawks’ ouster by blasting Tom Brady on Twitter, saying Brady “has the easiest route … put his (behind) in our division and see how he does!” What? Even if the NFC West didn’t have fewest wins in the NFL this year, that’s just a bizarre, random cheap shot. People on social media have said that the Seahawks need to win if they’re going to act this way, but I think that misses the mark. Winning doesn’t justify this behavior, it just cloaks it with a half a pound of makeup. Besides, dignity in defeat is generally the true measure of character. What’s that saying again? “Anyone can steer a ship in calm seas.” The worst part about the Seahawks’ more regrettable moments is that it takes away from some of the locker room’s legitimate role models. Whether it’s Cliff Avril with Haiti, Doug Baldwin with local police or Russell Wilson with Seattle Children’s, you have players dedicating significant portions of their personal lives toward serving the greater good. Whether it’s Tyler Lockett, Bobby Wagner, or K.J. Wright, you have athletes who are perpetually polite despite their rising stars. Kevin Pierre-Louis is an all-time nice guy who had the courage to publicly discuss his battle with depression. The equally warm Thomas Rawls has made it his mission to give all he can to his crumbling hometown of Flint, Mich. And, yes, it would be unjust to discuss Sherman and Bennett without mentioning the positive things they’ve done for the community, too. But fair or not, the Seahawks’ image has become one of malice and narcissism lately. And considering their misconduct generally goes unpunished, it appears to reflect the culture Carroll has created. Right now, the team’s focus is on making the moves necessary to get Seattle another Super Bowl ring. But it should also take steps to ensure that, if the Seahawks do hoist another Lombardi Trophy, people will actually be happy about it. http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/this-season-seahawks-have-crossed-the-line-from-brash-to-just-plain-unlikable/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoomGoesTheDynamite Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) Personally, I think Quinn meant more to them then they realize. He's drive, energy, as well as discipline is sorely lacking on the Seattle D, especially this season. Edited January 16, 2017 by BoomGoesTheDynamite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungHeezy Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Holy formatting Batman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navin Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 They've been unlikeable for the last 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuego Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 2 minutes ago, YoungHeezy said: Holy formatting Batman! Just the way it pasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCEagleATLFalcon Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 The absolute lack of class to blast our O-line in the closing seconds Saturday when we were DEMONSTRATING class by not dropping 40 on them ... That said it all. They did the same thing in the Super Bowl against the Pats. They were furious they'd had the win intercepted from them in that case, furious that they'd been manhandled the whole game in our case, and rather than taking it like men, they responded like children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert_Falcon Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 This guy has said it a million times better then I couldve. But they've been like this for a couple years now and it's now just getting more noticeable and covered by more people. As opposed to getting swept under the rug as it's been recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mazetti Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 7 minutes ago, fuego said: Just the way it pasted. Did you use the option in the reply window to remove formatting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidAndroid Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Surprised he didn't mention Bennett trying to gouge out Schraeders eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesus Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Carroll's excuse today is that Sherman has been playing with an MCL injury. I figured he has been dealing with some kind of arthritis that makes his hand grab jerseys/arms in close proximity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl927 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 That classless crap starts and ends with Carroll, but it won't end until their team is dismal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuego Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 6 minutes ago, Tim Mazetti said: Did you use the option in the reply window to remove formatting? I didn't when I first posted. I went back to do it and now the option doesn't appear after the fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slamee101 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 9 minutes ago, BCEagleATLFalcon said: The absolute lack of class to blast our O-line in the closing seconds Saturday when we were DEMONSTRATING class by not dropping 40 on them ... That said it all. They did the same thing in the Super Bowl against the Pats. They were furious they'd had the win intercepted from them in that case, furious that they'd been manhandled the whole game in our case, and rather than taking it like men, they responded like children. 1) Really liked that Quinn took a knee but after seeing all that pushing and shoving they were doing I halfway wanted us to punch it in. 2) Haven't seen anything about Matt talking to the team but it seems almost certain he was telling them not to get baited into some nonsense. 3) Like Michael Robinson said...bullies don't like to be bullied and I started to feel pretty good when it was clear Bennett and others were losing it because they couldn't just beat us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFanForLife Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Well I don't watch any team but the Falcons so this article was actually "news" to me: thank you for posting it. As a former athlete I can identify with their frustration, but in the high profile world on the NFL they sure came across more like frustrated children than pros. More and more I think Michael Irvin said it best: we did not just beat the Seahawks, we broke them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCEagleATLFalcon Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 3 minutes ago, slamee101 said: 1) Really liked that Quinn took a knee but after seeing all that pushing and shoving they were doing I halfway wanted us to punch it in. 2) Haven't seen anything about Matt talking to the team but it seems almost certain he was telling them not to get baited into some nonsense. 3) Like Michael Robinson said...bullies don't like to be bullied and I started to feel pretty good when it was clear Bennett and others were losing it because they couldn't just beat us. 1.) Heck, I wouldn't have minded Matt pretending to take a knee and then just tossing it in for a touchdown after that foolishness from Seattle. 2.) Yup, that's EXACTLY what he gathered his offense to discuss. He didn't use those exact words, of course, but he made it clear in his post-game presser that was the gist of the talk. 3.) Hands-down my favorite quote coming out of the weekend is the one referenced in the post right above mine: "If you want to beat a team, attack their weaknesses. If you want to break a team, attack their strengths." We broke Seattle's defense. And they didn't take it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlantafan21 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Cliff Avril also tried to take out Schraeders knees 10+ yards away from the play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
⚡Slumerican⚡ Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 26 minutes ago, YoungHeezy said: Holy formatting Batman! My eyes are bleeding from trying to read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconsfan567 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 19 minutes ago, ParanoidAndroid said: Surprised he didn't mention Bennett trying to gouge out Schraeders eyes. Also didn't mention Richard Sherman's cheap shot on the Bills kicker this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosts of Glanville Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Bothers me that the press didn't start talking about the Seahawks garbage attitude until one of them attacked a reporter. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droopy1592 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 What bothers me is their clueless-a$$ don't see how poorly their team, the players' antics, and the cocky fans look to the rest of the NFL. I hate them more than Pats, right under saints. We are going to see more of this next year and if Pete doesn't get control of it some heads will roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBhang Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) Couldn't read in that format. Edited January 16, 2017 by BigBhang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadmeat Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 link is at the bottom. I thought that Seattle was unbearable after Richard Sherman's "I'm the greatest!!" rant. Nothing has changed. Stay Classy, Seattle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerSteve Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 1 hour ago, BCEagleATLFalcon said: The absolute lack of class to blast our O-line in the closing seconds Saturday when we were DEMONSTRATING class by not dropping 40 on them ... That said it all. They did the same thing in the Super Bowl against the Pats. They were furious they'd had the win intercepted from them in that case, furious that they'd been manhandled the whole game in our case, and rather than taking it like men, they responded like children. The Seattle Seahawks are conceited aholes with delusions of grandeur. I see that team trending sharply down from this point onward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBhang Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) Couldn't read in that format. Edited January 16, 2017 by BigBhang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADAMSVILLE GYM Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 post it right! reading this is too much work.♻ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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