It’s both one of the most frustrating and comforting realizations about the 2017 Seahawks — that if Blair Walsh had made a couple more field goals at the right time Seattle could easily have finished 11-5, if not 12-4.
The comfort comes in thinking that maybe the Seahawks really weren’t all that far off from being what they’ve been in years past, even if the massive coaching changes and hints of a significant personnel makeover make it clear that Pete Carroll thinks Seattle’s issues were bigger than just a couple of missed field goals.
The frustration comes in realizing that the situation was one of Seattle’s own creating, if forced on the Seahawks by the NFL salary cap, when the Seahawks last offseason debated whether to pay Stephen Hauschka what he figured to get on the open market and at least rely on a tried and true face, or start over with someone who would come more cheaply.