THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks keep proving the doubters wrong

Maybe.

That’s the best answer I can give you.

Maybe.

Whenever the Seahawks show signs of having a serious pulse, the emails arrive with basically the same questions.

Are they for real?

Can they make the playoffs?

Could they actually make a run at the Super Bowl?

I understand why people are asking — they’re excited, and rightfully so with the Hawks rolling on a four-game winning streak, leading the NFC West at 6-3, and honestly, looking like they can compete with anybody.

But how far this team can go in the second half of the season, and whether they actually might be able to win playoff games, well …

Maybe.

The thing is, you can make legitimate arguments in either direction.

Part of the curiosity, for sure, goes back to the fact that even diehard Seahawks fans had little or no faith that this would be some kind of thrilling season.

Russell Wilson had been shipped off to Denver, with the Seahawks’ brain trust convinced that their longtime QB1 had lost some mobility — the edge that made him special.

Russ also had become a pain in the butt with all his demands (and another looming contract extension), so when they added it all up, it was time to pull the trigger.

TO THE Hawks fan base, however, the Wilson deal seemed to scream out that the club — no matter how often Pete Carroll denied it — was embarking on a multi-year rebuilding project.

Pete also asked people to trust him on the skills of longtime backup QB Geno Smith, which REALLY felt like a stretch.

GM John Schneider, meantime, likewise insisted that the club had hit the jackpot with a generational draft — something like the 2012 haul that led to a couple of Super Bowls and a decade of excellence.

But …

Fans had to take everything on faith, and even now, we can look back and see that for everything to click, it would require a seriously large leap.

Oh, and then the Hawks lost star safety Jamal Adams for the season.

After that, it was running back Rashaad Penny, also gone for the duration.

All these downers were followed by a terrible start to the season, as the defense — playing a new 3-4 concept installed by coordinator Clint Hurtt — stopped nobody through a stretch of games in which Seattle coughed up historic chunks of yardage (and predictably, points).

Even though Smith played well through those disappointing early losses, and outdueled Wilson in an opening night victory over the Broncos, it was hard to see how the Hawks could be competitive in the division — or anywhere else.

And yet …

Things turned.

Dramatically.

SMITH HAS performed at an elite level, matching veteran poise and savvy with a cannon that no one really knew he possessed.

Geno’s TD throws to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in Sunday’s 31-21 victory at Arizona were both lasers — major-league bullets that needed to be thrown that hard to succeed.

This guy can wing it.

Smith has proved Carroll absolutely right, and it was never more obvious than in the third quarter of the Cardinals game, when Seattle seemed to be cruising 10-7 with the defense owning the game.

Then the hammer fell, as Smith tossed a swing pass to his right for running back Kenneth Walker III — and didn’t put enough loft on it.

Linebacker Zaven Collins made a leaping interception and hustled 30 yards for a score that gave Arizona the lead — and woke up the crowd.

As for Geno, he wasn’t fazed.

Not in the least.

Here’s tight end Noah Fant: “(Smith) was the first one to come to the sideline like, ‘Let’s go, we’re good, we’re good. We’re going to be fine. We’re going to be in this game — and we’re going to win this game.’ ”

THAT PLAY felt like a turning point in the season.

Maybe it will be.

Or …

Maybe not.

But for what it’s worth, the goof didn’t bother Smith in the least.

He proceeded to lead two straight 13-play drives, converting all seven third-down situations on the way.

Each march ended with a touchdown, and ultimately that put the Cards away.

Assuming Smith can stay healthy (ditto Walker and the receiving corps), the offense looks like it can produce points against anybody — although the young offensive line will have to keep Geno upright.

The same type of winning one-on-one battles goes for the rookie-laden defense, which suddenly has turned into an aggressive, physical gang that has the potential to dominate games.


For instance, the Cards’ explosive Kyler Murray just wasn’t allowed to find a rhythm.

Murray averaged just 5 yards per passing attempt and was sacked five times, once each by Shelby Harris, Bruce Irvin and L.J. Collier, and twice by Uchenna Nwosu.

Rookie defensive backs Coby Bryant (four forced fumbles) and Tariq Woolen (four interceptions) have been impact additions.

Linebacker Jordyn Brooks, the team’s leading tackler, insists that the defense may have looked good lately, but that there’s more to come.

“We feel good, man,” Brooks said. “It’s a blessing to see how good this team is becoming.

“The crazy thing is, we’re still far from where we want to be. We’re far from it.”

If Brooks is right, then the answer to your questions about the playoffs changes to a very STRONG maybe.

Fair enough?

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press each week on Tuesday through Friday.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”