Seahawks shook off midseason drama to return to top
RENTON, Wash. - Some Seattle Seahawks players were upset by what cornerback Richard Sherman called a lack of transparency' when management abruptly traded mercurial wide receiver Percy Harvin to the New York Jets on Oct. 18.
Though the Seahawks stood at 6-4, their season was in jeopardy. There was locker-room strain, bitterness, some expected post-Super Bowl selfishness, injuries and a feeling that the defending champions had lost their cohesiveness prior to facing the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals in late November. That's when coach Pete Carroll summoned his team leaders, basically imploring them to clear the air.
"Pete didn't say much in the meeting, but all the team leaders were a big part of it," Sherman told Paste BN Sports on Tuesday. "Some guys weren't happy with the transparency of the trade. It's different when everybody understands it's coming and knows he's going to be gone. But guys were more frustrated because they didn't trust enough in us to show transparency. They came and got Percy at a walk-through on the way to the plane (to St. Louis).
"Guys got over it."
Just not right away.
Safety Kam Chancellor isn't the vocal type, but he was the one who spoke loudest and longest at that Nov. 19 tipping-point meeting. It changed the course of Seattle's season and has the top-seeded Seahawks (12-4) again resembling the dominant favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLIX.
Chancellor urged his teammates to rediscover that misplaced heart of a champion and the team-first mind-set that allowed them to capture the first Super Bowl title in franchise history.
"It was mainly about us respecting one another," Chancellor said. "I said a lot of stuff that I felt needed to be said. We cleared a lot of things and became closer. We started trusting in each other a lot more. You have to have love for your brothers to win."
Since that Kumbaya summit, the Seahawks have regained their defensive swagger, allowing a total of 39 points during their six-game winning streak.
And despite the Harvin trade and the free agent departures of receiver Golden Tate, defensive end Chris Clemons and Red Bryant, these Seahawks are different and stronger.
They've weathered more adversity this season than last season, when they craved national respect. Now they are chasing history.
Distractions and swirling negativity are what tend to fray defending champions, preventing a Super Bowl winner from repeating since the New England Patriots in the 2004 season.
"It's what happens after you win a Super Bowl," linebacker Cliff Avril said. "Possibly some of it was ego. As a group now, we're playing at a higher level than last year."
They wouldn't be rolling into Saturday night's divisional round without that season-saving intervention due to Carroll having his team's pulse.
"It was a key moment in our season," defensive end Michael Bennett said. "It's like being married when sometimes you feel everybody in the house is against each other.
"Our bond as a team is even tighter. And that bond is why you win championships."
Follow Jim Corbett on Twitter @ByJimCorbett.