It’s that time of year again – football season!
The Seahawks opened their 2018 Training Camp on Thursday. Hundreds of fans lined up at The Landing in Renton as early as 5:30 a.m. to be some of the first fans to see the new-look team.
All the training camps open to the public are sold out already. It's a sign that despite the changes the team underwent during the offseason, the Seahawks fever is still real.
Those changes were significant. The Seahawks released cornerback Richard Sherman. Safety Kam Chancellor announced he was not medically cleared to play, and defensive end Cliff Avril also stepped away. Both Chancellor and Avril suffered season-ending neck injuries last year.
The Seahawks also said goodbye to their Offensive and Defensive Coordinators, Darrell Bevell and Kris Richard.
Of course, the big elephant in the room – Earl Thomas and his contract situation. Thomas, who is undoubtedly one of the most important players on the team, said he will not attend training camp without a new contract.
The Seahawks for their part, have the leverage and ESPN reported they’ve said there’s “zero chance” a new deal would be negotiated if Thomas doesn’t show up.
Fans are mixed in their optimism for the season. We put a whiteboard up outside for the people waiting in line and one by one they came and added their prediction for the team’s season.
Some said 16-0. Others, 11-5 or 10-6. Only one had the Seahawks under five hundred; that fan put them at 7-9.
The Seahawks first preseason game is August 9th vs. Indianapolis. They open the regular season on October 9 in Denver.
