As the 2018 NFL season begins, a former NFC superpower out West no longer is as mighty as it once was.
The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the best teams of the past decade, using a fierce defense and smart quarterback play from Russell Wilson to earn two Super Bowl appearances and one title.
But the ‘Hawks’ vaunted Legion of Boom is all but gone. Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Jeremy Lane all have left, and only safety Earl Thomas remains. The destruction of Seattle’s dynasty was always a when rather than an if, but, the why still remains.
But now the pieces are starting to come together.
A piece published Friday by Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop and Robert Klemko shined some light on the downfall of the Seahawks, who missed the playoffs for the first time in Wilson’s career last season, and the rot at the base of the dynasty appears to stem from Carroll’s coddling of his quarterback.
The reported rift between the defensive stars and Wilson has been talked about for some time, but now some former members of the Seahawks are discussing how the treatment of Wilson led to a shift in the team’s culture and ultimately destroyed what Carroll built.
It all started in 2014, when Sherman intercepted a pass from Wilson in practice and yelled “You f&%$@&$ suck!” at the quarterback, an incident the cornerback later admitted to.
Players told SI that following that incident, Carroll called his team leaders into his office and asked them to not be hard on the young quarterback.
“Those same players had been…
