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Seattle Seahawks: Can they stay on top past 2015?

By Dan Salem

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The Seattle Seahawks have quietly become an unstoppable force in the NFC. Is 2015 their last hurrah, or can they keep dominating well beyond? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

There has been so much going on in the league this offseason that I find myself forgetting the fact that the reigning NFC champion Seattle Seahawks added the best matchup weapon the conference has had these past half-dozen years.

Everything else that has happened and will happen with Dallas and Green Bay and the other conference contenders pales in comparison to what a healthy Jimmy Graham does for Seattle.

This is even more important in 2015 because after the season, Russell Wilson is due for a contract extension. The cap number is going to hit HARD, meaning the team will be forced to jettison a number of talented and still useful pieces to clear room.

Built upon the depth of its roster, it’s conceivable that this year is the final year of the team’s window if Wilson eats into its cap too much starting in 2016. It goes against logic to think that signing your best player to an extension marks the end of an era, but those possibilities only exist because of the cap and the mountain of money quarterbacks generally make.

Of course, drafting new depth to fill in is the easiest way to avoid that death spiral. Rookies come cheap. Wilson proves there is no better value in the NFL than a star player on a rookie contract. And this organization has been incredibly successful in late-round drafting recently. Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor were fifth-round picks; Brandon Mebane was a third-round pick; Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith was taken in the seventh, etc.

This year, Seattle added a receiving weapon in Tyler Lockett who should provide some big plays the offense has been lacking. It also took a few offensive linemen and made a very intriguing/questionable selection by taking Frank Clark with its first pick.

Clark, the 63rd overall selection, is a massive character question who has already made news for the wrong reasons the week following the draft. I still love what the Seahawks have whether these youngsters pan out or not. But it must be said that Graham and company need to deliver this season.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back

Marshawn Lynch

(24) runs the ball against New England Patriots strong safety

Patrick Chung

(23) during the first quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

The Seahawks are poised to continue their dominance of the NFC West, NFC, and the NFL through the 2015 season. Yet if Pete Carroll and Seattle are as good as advertised, and anything like their new AFC rival in New England, they will not be set back by paying Russell Wilson his due.

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The Patriots have sustained a big time winner well after signing Tom Brady to big money. He’s ‘helped’ the salary cap issues over the years and I expect Wilson to do much the same for Seattle. I also expect the Seahawks to work free agency next offseason, regardless of how their current draft class pans out.

If the 2015 draft class is a flop, then the Seahawks will hit a down year in the future. But that exact statement applies to every NFL team, every season. So throw it away. The 2015 Seahawks are no worse for ware after losing the Super Bowl last season. It’s scary to think that this new team is even better, but its the truth, and the truth hurts for the rest of the league.

Marshawn Lynch may not play past 2015. Jimmy Graham’s career won’t go forever. But none of that matters right now. The Seahawks have the best tight end, possibly the best running back, and a dynamic quarterback that seems unstoppable at times. And I didn’t even touch on the defense.

I’m not yet ready to pick Seattle as the NFC Super Bowl representative next season, but I’ll pencil them in as NFC West champions. That division is theirs, plain and simple.

Next: Seahawks' Tyler Lockett to fill Percy Harvin role

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