The Bears’ Parallels With 2012 Seattle Seahawks Are Undeniable
I have been considering putting pen to paper on this one since April.
The Bears clicking on all cylinders the past few weeks was the nudge I needed to connect the dots without feeling like I was reaching.
Chicago has followed a very similar blueprint (both in terms of roster construction and their respective gameplans) to the one the Seahawks laid out for their rookie quarterback 12 years ago, and the two squads have had similar through the first six games.
Both teams want to win in the same ways (at least early in Caleb Williams’ career), with the help of a stifling defense and a solid running game.
QBs
Now, I understand the connection between Russell Wilson and Williams is flawed based on the fact that the latter has been lauded as a prodigy since the second time he stepped foot on the field. At the same time, the former had to overcome the doubters who said he was too small to play QB in the NFL. Wilson has become somewhat of a punchline in recent years, but he was downright dominant throughout much of his tenure with the team, and the fact that he achieved as much as he did as a third-round selection makes his career even more impressive.
The Wilson-led Seahawks may have been one of the best teams of the 2010s, but it still took them some time to click, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Wilson failed to eclipse the 200-yard mark until his fifth career game, and some were even calling for him to be benched after he threw three interceptions in a Week Four loss to the Rams. However, he began to heat up from there as he got more comfortable.
Two wins and four touchdowns later, the University of Wisconsin product led all rookie QBs (in a star-studded class that included Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III) with eight passing touchdowns and a 4-2 record. Williams has roughly 200 more yards with one more touchdown and one less interception, but they both followed a similar trajectory thus far. Wilson went on to throw 18 more touchdowns and only four more interceptions over the final ten games, and I think Caleb will follow a similar trend this year as he continues to settle in.
Also, I think he will take a bigger piece of the pie than the one Pete Carroll allowed Wilson to have early in his career, as the latter never really left game manager territory in year one.
Running Game
When it comes to the running game, Marshawn Lynch and D’Andre Swift couldn’t be much more different in their playing style. However, they are both capable of carrying the load for their offense (even if the brunt of Swift’s impact comes through his ability to make plays as a dual threat out of the backfield).
Swift may have stumbled out of the gates to begin the year (an understatement of the century), but you could make the case that he has been one of the league’s most effective backs over the Bears’ three-game winning streak.
Offensive Line
Likewise, while Chicago’s offensive line has been playing better in the past few weeks, I still have concerns about its ability to hold up against better defenses than the ones we’ve faced.
Unsurprisingly, Seahawks fans had those same concerns about their front five in the 2012 season, as they had two quality starters and three… question marks, to put it nicely.
Defense
The Seahawks’ immense talent on the defensive side of the ball is the aspect that brings the connection home. The ‘Legion of Boom’ moniker was created ahead of the 2012 season as a fitting nod to the talented secondary, and they proved they were worthy of the nickname throughout the year. Richard Sherman developed into one of the league’s premier cover men (much like Jaylon Johnson has done for Chicago).
At the same time, Kam Chancellor earned a reputation as one of the hardest hitters from the safety position (like Jaquan Brisker is in the process of doing). They also had a ball hawk at the other safety spot in Earl Thomas (a similar playmaker to Kevin Byard), and much like Chicago, rock solid depth at the cornerback position.
Talent
While Seattle was most known for their hard-hitting secondary, they also had two elite off-the-ball linebackers in Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, who had similar impacts to the ones Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards bring to the Bears’ defensive unit.
As a whole, the Seahawks defense finished first in the league with only 245 points allowed (the Bears are on pace to allow just over 280 with an added seventeenth game) and were fourth in the league with 31 takeaways (the Bears are on pace to finish with 28).
Seattle finished the 2012 season with an 11-5 record and even won a road playoff game in the Wild Card round. They continued to build their roster in the offseason and pulled off one of the most lopsided Super Bowl victories in recent memory when they beat the Broncos 43-8 in the big game the following year.
I don’t know about you, but I would be THRILLED if we continue following their lead.
PHOTO: Peter van den Berg/Imagn Images
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