Jamal Adams is the best safety in football. He can stop the run like nobody else, and brought emotional motivation to a Jets team which, seemed lost at times during the season. Yet, by trading Adams away, the Jets are in a better position than the team that traded for him. New York has four first round picks over the next two years, a quarterback on a cheap rookie contract, as well as young talent around the roster. Meanwhile, Jamal Adams finds himself on a team convinced they are ready for a Super Bowl run, despite all the signs pointing otherwise.
The Seattle Seahawks have made the playoffs four out of the last five years since losing Super Bowl 49, despite the medias suggestion that a rebuild was necessary. This is entirely due to future Hall of Fame Quarterback Russell Wilson who has emerged as an all-time talent. Year after year, Russell Wilson puts the Seahawks on his back and manages to bring them to the playoffs regardless of the minimal support around him. So now that Russell Wilson is paired with such a talented defensive player in Jamal Adams, the Seahawks should be Super Bowl bound right? Wrong.
Although Russell Wilson is the reason Seattle has made the playoffs, he hasn’t done so hot once he got there. His first three years in the league, Russell Wilson was blessed to have arguably the greatest defense ever on his team which is a huge reason Seattle won the Super Bowl in 2013. That same defense got them to a second Super Bowl in 2014. Although I’m sure everyone remembers, Super Bowl 49 infamously ended with Russell Wilson throwing the game losing interception at the goal line. Since this significant moment in NFL history, Russell Wilson has consistently underperformed in the postseason.
Just one year after the tragic Super Bowl defeat, the Seahawks once again found themselves in the playoffs ready to get revenge on the league. Despite a terrible performance from Wilson in the wildcard round, Seattle won a playoff game against the Vikings due to a missed chipshot field goal. The next week, Wilson struggled early and his team fell behind the Carolina Panthers 31-0 at halftime in a loss. But one year of negative playoff performances is no big deal for a quarterback on the level of Russell Wilsons as long as it doesn’t happen again. But it did.
In 2016, the Seahawks were back again and on the prowl. It was time they asserted themselves as a historic team. After beating the 9-7 Lions in the wildcard round, Russell Wilson flopped yet again against the Atlanta Falcons in a blowout loss. The Seahawks missed the playoffs in 2017, and lost in the first round in 2018. But this past season, Russell Wilson was being recognized as one of the best players in the NFL. Wilson proved this to the world by beating the injury riddled 9-7 Eagles in the wildcard round, and losing to the Green Bay Packers one week later.
These games serve as a confirmation that Russell Wilson does not step up his game when playoff time comes around, and even regresses a little bit. Trading for a great safety on defense will not be the difference they have been looking for. A quarterback who struggles in playoff time damages any teams chances of winning the Super Bowl, and adding one player will not help Seattle overcome their 22nd ranked defense in 2019. Do not be surprised if the Seahawks lose in the first round despite sky high expectations.
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