SEAN MCVAY SAYS HE HAS ALREADY LEFT SEAHAWKS WELL BEHIND AFTER……

The Seattle Seahawks are probably not going to the playoffs, which is a disappointment after a 6-3 start. That they’re not near the level of the San Francisco 49ers shouldn’t be taken as some unthinkable shock, but more discouraging is the distinct possibility that the Los Angeles Rams could get into the postseason with a roster nowhere near the level of the team that lifted the Lombardi Trophy two seasons ago.

When the subject of Pete Carroll’s future in Seattle is brought up, a common point made in favor of keeping Carroll is the historical success he’s brought to the franchise. On the surface, it’s undeniably true! Two Super Bowl appearances, a first Super Bowl win, nearly perennial winning records, and no consecutive years without a playoff berth. This is all superior to most of the rest of the NFL, let alone Carroll’s coaching predecessors. I mean, who would ever think in March of 2022 that there would be palpable dismay that Seattle could miss the playoffs with Geno Smith at quarterback?

But this is a “What have you done for me lately?” world we live in, and the recent results are not only lesser than Carroll’s early years, they’re nowhere near the second-best in the NFC West.

The pivotal point in the Carroll era occurred in 2017. Sean McVay got hired by the Los Angeles Rams, while Kyle Shanahan got the San Francisco 49ers in the same offseason. The Legion of Boom would eventually dissolve on the field later that year, and the Seahawks would miss the postseason despite a 9-7 record.

We’re in year seven of the McVay/Shanahan/Carroll trio coaching their respective teams, and the difference in success is glaring. Let’s work on the assumption that the 49ers and Rams both make the playoffs and the Seahawks miss out, which at this point seems more likely than not