Cecil (SEA) Class of 2018
Aug 3, 2018 3:50:42 GMT -5
Baltimore Ravens (Goose) and Carolina Panthers (Justin) like this
Post by Cincinnati Bengals (Chris) on Aug 3, 2018 3:50:42 GMT -5
SEA (Cecil) 2010-
Regular Season Record: 73-23 (.760)
Postseason Record: 14-6 (.700)
Division Titles: 4x NFC West winner (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017)
NFC Championships: 3x (2011, 2014, 2016)
Super Bowl Championships: 2016
Goose (BAL): “Well, I have said this many times that Cecil is the best GM in this league. His ability to trade players with value, gather draft picks from desperate teams for good players, and put together packages to acquire players that complement what he needs is the best in this league. He only has one championship, but he does have one after being in the finals numerous times. I may not agree with all his tactics, but there is no denying his ability. As a matter of fact, of the two players going into the HOF, I did not agree with either of their tactics, but there is no denying their success.
Chris (NE): “I fell victim to Cecil when I was a young and naive owner. Playing against him early on as the Cardinals, I knew the only shot I had at the playoffs was to switch teams and divisions, which worked out, as I got my favorite team...lol. He is definitely deserving of the HOF.”
Dave (WAS): “I’d also vote Cecil.”
Erik (TEN): “If T.O. had to wait a year for morality, my vote has to be Cecil on principle.”
Andrew (PHI): “My vote would be for Cecil. I’d rather honor the GMs who stayed than to honor guys who left and will never see this.”
Chris (CIN): “Cecil is undoubtedly the best GM in the history of this league to date. When I first entered the league, I observed what I needed to do to be successful, and used Cecil’s model to form a big part of my strategy in this league, something I’m still trying to replicate. He was also very gracious in offering advice to a young GM, and as a sounding board to a first-time commissioner and LM, and I’m very glad to have had the kind of relationship I did with him for many years. In fact, he was the first league member to contact me after I left the MFL, imploring me to stay or to help form a new league, telling me that I could play a big part in it, and that we needed good owners, despite my owning an 11-21 career record at that point. I guess that allowed me to see a side of Cecil in this league that few others have, that he had that kind of confidence, and saw that kind of potential in me. The two of us have had our dustups, but the league is inarguably better with him, and regardless of method, I applaud him for his accomplishments.”
What can be said about Cecil that anyone who has been in the league for any amount of time doesn’t know? Well, first off, he is the first active member to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and is been the most dominant force in league history. His teams are so infuriatingly good, that it’s hard to ever envision a better team in the league entering the season. He is the #1 reason that the league has manifested protectionist instincts for rookie GMs who are ripe for being picked off from the trade rape. He can virtually guarantee his success because he sits on a pile of assets as large as the organized crime syndicate’s cash heap in Batman: The Dark Knight--a pile of assets he’s gained by drafting well in year-1, and managing those assets or their value, plus extra; trading well with both present and future in mind. And he does all of this while making it look easy. A rookie GM once contacted me about a concern for how many unsigned rookies Cecil had (I believe the total was eight), despite having no roster spots. He wondered how many of those players he was going to have to cut. I told him to be patient, I had no doubts he would get them all signed (Or all of the ones he wanted) without cutting a single player. And just like clockwork, he managed to do just that. Cecil is the main reason that when I used to reach out to rookie GMs and give them a primer, or an orientation of sorts, I always cautioned them against going all-in year one (Aside from the usually obvious reason of: The guy that you’re taking over for left your team in the dumps, and you’re not good enough to win anything yet). I would have them take a look at his roster, and seriously ask them, do you think you’re beating that? Few listened, but even fewer succeeded in making me wrong.
Another one of the league’s original members, we don’t have any 2009 information to share on him, unfortunately. However, starting with 2010, you wouldn’t know that he was destined to take up the mantle of the league’s best all-time. Cecil finished that season exactly .500, 6-6, and in second place in a competitive NFC West, behind then Commissioner Mike’s San Francisco 49ers at 9-3, despite finishing fourth in scoring with 136.7 PPG. He missed the playoffs that year, for the first and only time (So far) in our recorded history.
What a difference a year makes. In 2011, Cecil’s Seahawks were in vintage form, finishing 10-2, averaging 142.91 PPG (Good for second in scoring), and was a Week 12 winner-take-all game away from winning the division crown back from Mike, who finished the year on a 10-game win streak. In the playoffs, he beat up on Tampa Bay in the first round by 45, and then ended league power Brendan or Spudd (CHI)’s undefeated season, and best chance at a championship (As he was the league’s best team that year statistically by over 150 points). Cecil followed that win up by besting Aaron’s Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, collecting his first of three conference championships (To date), and advancing to the Super Bowl, where he dropped the closest-ever Super Bowl result (143.76-to-143.4) to 2017 Hall of Fame inductee Ryan (SD).
2012 went very similarly for Cecil, as he finished 9-3, and with a cherry on top, as he won his first NFC West division title, despite losing to Mike again head-to-head. Cecil once again finished second in scoring (This time only behind fellow 2018 HOF inductee Ryan (DET)), averaging 146.59 PPG. Cecil fielded an unbelievable offense of RGIII (23.5 PPG), Trent Richardson (13.88 PPG), Julio Jones (12.41 PPG), Wes Welker (12.1 PPG), Mike Wallace (10.87 PPG), and at one point Ryan Matthews (9.89 PPG). Clearly, it was an astoundingly-good offense, but why unbelievable? Because it was led almost entirely by players in their first three seasons (All of the above qualified except for Welker). He also cashed in on the rookie years of Griffin and Trent Richardson, who were the offense’s top-two scorers on a PPG basis. How infrequently does that happen? I can’t think of another single instance of this being the case. Defensively, Seattle was quite good as well, containing Bobby Wagner (12.16 PPG), D’Qwell Jackson (11.61 PPG), Richard Sherman (10.99 PPG), Kam Chancellor (8.1 PPG), and Darryl Washington (12.71 PPG) and K.J. Wright (9.39 PPG).
In the playoffs that year, Cecil easily dispatched of Green Bay, and throttled Andrew (PHI) in the second round by 45 points. His bid at a championship of any kind, however, was cut short in the NFC Championship Game, which he lost to fellow class of 2018 HOF inductee, Ryan, by fewer than 10 points.
2013 saw Cecil’s Seahawks fall a rung back down the ladder, dropping to second place in the NFC West, turning the division crown back over to Mike, even while beating him head-to-head, as SEA lost a Week 12 tilt with Chris’ Cardinals that had he won, would have guaranteed him the division title. But this team was nowhere near as good as the previous two iterations, due to a number of factors (Mostly the regression of RGIII (17 PPG), Richardson (6.47 PPG), and the risk of acquisitions Montee Ball (7.84 PPG), and David Wilson (4.38 PPG), who suffered a career-ending neck injury that year). Cecil’s defense was as stout as ever, however, employing Jerrell Freeman (13.05 PPG), Wagner’s 12.94 PPG again, Jackson’s 12.29 PPG, Jonathan Cyprien’s 9.73 PPG, Richard Sherman’s 9.06 PPG, Reshad Jones’ 8.96 PPG, and Sheldon Richardson’s 7.52 PPG, and Ezekiel Ansah’s 5.06 PPG on the DL. The offensive dropoff showed, as Cecil finished 6th in scoring with 134.4 PPG. The Seahawks looked to pick up some serious steam in the first round, scoring 212.16 points (The third-highest single week total, and highest playoff total, in the history of the league), actually doubling-up Tampa Bay. Mike, however, got the final revenge, dumping Cecil out of the playoffs in the second round in a convincing 30+ point route.
Mike’s exit from the league should have started Cecil’s dominance over the division, with three rookie GMs entering the fold in the West, but one of 2014’s surprise teams at least delayed that realization for one year. As always, Cecil’s team was among the highest-scoring in the league (140.39 PPG), finishing second behind an intrepid PHI (Andrew) team that had one of the best seasons of all-time, running roughshod over the league (And then being stunned by 8-seed WAS (Dave) in the first round). SEA entered Week 11 with a 8-2 record, one game behind the upstart Cardinals (Mett), but dropped that game to hand the rookie GM the division. Cecil would reap the benefits of that game in Round 1, however, as earning the top-Wild Card seed, he faced off against the worst playoff team of all-time, the 4-8 NFC South division-winning Atlanta Falcons (Timm). He proceeded to destroy the Dirty Birds by 60, and then followed that up with a 50-point drubbing of Aaron’s Cowboys. Cecil even was able to exact his revenge in the NFC Championship Game, beating Arizona in a rematch of the division-deciding game by 30, earning his second NFC Championship. In the Super Bowl, however, he once again fell short, this time to Garrett’s Steelers, by a fairly routine 24 points. At this point, it looked like Cecil was also set on the same course as Ryan (DET)—always close, but never winning it all.
2015 brought new highs to Cecil’s accomplishments, and to the league record books. Cecil breezed through the NFC West competition so easily that he won the division by 5 games. So statistically dominant was Cecil’s 2015 team, that they finished third all-time in points (158.05 PPG), a number which still ranks third today. The Seahawks’ defense, however, was even more dominant, posting the single-greatest defensive season in league history, with an average of 74.83 PPG. Making major contributions to that unit were Reshad Jones (14.96 PPG, perhaps the best fantasy DB season in history), Navorro Bowman’s 13.06 PPG, Karlos Dansby (11.76 PPG), Ryan Shazier (11.72 PPG), K.J. Wright (9.97 PPG), Avery Williamson (9.48 PPG), and DeMarcus Lawrence’s 6.64 PPG at DL. Offensively, the Seahawks were more than formidable, paced by Julio Jones’ absurd 19.19 PPG, Adrian Peterson’s 15.36 PPG, rookie sensation Todd Gurley’s 15.22 PPG, Tyler Lockett’s 11.82 PPG, Mike Evans’ 11.57 PPG, Travis Kelce’s 9.59 PPG, and Blaine Gabbert’s not terrible 16.97 PPG (More on that later…or now). You may be wondering, did Cecil make such a blunder as to rely on the, at the time, second-string QB of the moribund real-life 49ers to drive this performance car of a team? Decidedly, he did not. Unfortunately for Cecil, he, like everyone else in the Western world, was counting on Peyton Manning to not suddenly implode. Unfortunately, Manning did just that, averaging just 7.54 PPG in 10 games for a Super Bowl-winning Broncos, with a 9-17 TD-to-INT rate. With more than a handful of games by a competent quarterback, we’re likely talking about this team as the best of all-time in our league. And in the First Round of the playoffs, Cecil’s Hawks had no problem doubling up Charlie’s Bears. But, simply average QB play by Gabbert in Cecil’s matchup against the much tougher Eagles (Andrew), plus leaving over 50 points on the bench in some hard to explain lineup decisions (Leaving Gurley and Shazier sitting). It ended the Seahawks’ season prematurely.
Cecil followed up perhaps his best regular season yet with an even better one, once again leading the league in scoring with 152.61 PPG, and resetting the league’s offensive record for scoring at 83.81 PPG (Though this figure was simultaneously bested by Jordan’s (JAX) 92.32 PPG on offense). Those figures still sit 1 and 2 in league annals. Cecil again breezed to his second-consecutive NFC West title by 4 games at 9-3. Though it’s hard to say if the defense was up to Cecil’s impossibly-high standard, as the unit featured ONLY rookie Deion Jones (12.77 PPG), Shazier (12.17 PPG), K.J. Wright (11.72 PPG), Byron Jones (8.17 PPG), Damon Harrison (7.63 PPG) and Cliff Avril (6.13 PPG) on the DL. The offense, however, was as advertised, including Carson Palmer’s 17.81 PPG, Mike Evans’ ridiculous 16.01 PPG, Jones’ 15.6 PPG, Melvin Gordon’s rebound 17.7 PPG, Jeff Fisher’s lack of imagination 11.04 PPG for Todd Gurley, Jay Ajayi’s 13.45 PPG, Doug Baldwin’s 13.04 PPG, Jimmy Graham’s 9.8 PPG, and Martellus Bennett’s 8.79 PPG. As per usual, Dave’s 8-seeded Redskins put up an unbelievable fight (173+ points), almost knocking off Seattle before their playoff run could ever commence, but Cecil weathered the storm with a 178.9-point outing. He also had to sneak by close friend Justin’s Panthers in the Second Round. But by the NFC Championship Game, he had things figured out, beating the first-time NFC title game Vikings (Matt) by 20+, securing a spot in his third Super Bowl, where Sal (BUF) was anxiously awaiting. Sal put up a nice effort (135+ points), but Cecil’s Seahawks registered a show stopping 195, to put to bed any chances of a close game. Finally, Cecil had his hardware, at long last.
In his title defense, Cecil once again blew away the field in scoring, outpacing the league by over 100 points, and leading the league in scoring with an obscene 157.39 PPG, finishing the year 11-1, tied for the league’s best record, and with a 5-game division cushion. However, it was a Week 10 decision that would perhaps define Cecil’s 2017 campaign, as he did not acquire a QB at the trade deadline, not a necessity at the time, perhaps, as C.J. Beathard had just put up a 27+ point game in Week 10 as the real-life 49ers starter. However, San Francisco had acquired Jimmy Garoppolo just weeks before, and likely intended for him to make 2017 starts. Therefore, Cecil had to piece together a QB corps of Beathard, Nathan Peterman (Fresh off of a -17-point game), and Patrick Mahomes, who had yet to see a significant regular season snap, to try to take him through to the Promised Land. And waiting for him there in the First Round was historic spoiler, Dave (WAS), who had backed into the playoffs perhaps by accident at 5-7. Dave proceeded to hang a 150 spot on Cecil (Who started Mahomes, netting him 0 points), pulling off the upset. However, even in hindsight, if Cecil had somehow pulled the move for Garoppolo at the deadline, Jimmy G only managed 8.52 points that week, far short of the 22~ necessary to climb out of that hole Dave put him in.
So even on a down note, as of now, as I intend to update this every season, here’s what we can say about Cecil:
Whereas Cecil is a Super Bowl Champion, a 3x NFC Champion, a 4x NFC West Champion, has finished with a .500 or better record every year, has averaged 9.125 wins per year (Good for a (SEA) .760 winning percentage all-time, just behind Jordan (JAX)’s .792), is our winningest GM of all-time at 73-23 (And our winningest playoff GM of all-time, with a postseason record of 14-6, good for a .700 winning percentage, one of the best all-time), the owner of three 200-point games (Only Brooks has more than one), as well as holding a 4-1 record (3-1 regular season) vs. Mett (ARI), and a 1-3 record vs. Mike (1-2 regular season), his biggest division rivals, we are glad to enshrine Cecil (SEA) into the Canton Dynasty League’s Hall of Fame.
Regular Season Record: 73-23 (.760)
Postseason Record: 14-6 (.700)
Division Titles: 4x NFC West winner (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017)
NFC Championships: 3x (2011, 2014, 2016)
Super Bowl Championships: 2016
Goose (BAL): “Well, I have said this many times that Cecil is the best GM in this league. His ability to trade players with value, gather draft picks from desperate teams for good players, and put together packages to acquire players that complement what he needs is the best in this league. He only has one championship, but he does have one after being in the finals numerous times. I may not agree with all his tactics, but there is no denying his ability. As a matter of fact, of the two players going into the HOF, I did not agree with either of their tactics, but there is no denying their success.
Chris (NE): “I fell victim to Cecil when I was a young and naive owner. Playing against him early on as the Cardinals, I knew the only shot I had at the playoffs was to switch teams and divisions, which worked out, as I got my favorite team...lol. He is definitely deserving of the HOF.”
Dave (WAS): “I’d also vote Cecil.”
Erik (TEN): “If T.O. had to wait a year for morality, my vote has to be Cecil on principle.”
Andrew (PHI): “My vote would be for Cecil. I’d rather honor the GMs who stayed than to honor guys who left and will never see this.”
Chris (CIN): “Cecil is undoubtedly the best GM in the history of this league to date. When I first entered the league, I observed what I needed to do to be successful, and used Cecil’s model to form a big part of my strategy in this league, something I’m still trying to replicate. He was also very gracious in offering advice to a young GM, and as a sounding board to a first-time commissioner and LM, and I’m very glad to have had the kind of relationship I did with him for many years. In fact, he was the first league member to contact me after I left the MFL, imploring me to stay or to help form a new league, telling me that I could play a big part in it, and that we needed good owners, despite my owning an 11-21 career record at that point. I guess that allowed me to see a side of Cecil in this league that few others have, that he had that kind of confidence, and saw that kind of potential in me. The two of us have had our dustups, but the league is inarguably better with him, and regardless of method, I applaud him for his accomplishments.”
What can be said about Cecil that anyone who has been in the league for any amount of time doesn’t know? Well, first off, he is the first active member to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and is been the most dominant force in league history. His teams are so infuriatingly good, that it’s hard to ever envision a better team in the league entering the season. He is the #1 reason that the league has manifested protectionist instincts for rookie GMs who are ripe for being picked off from the trade rape. He can virtually guarantee his success because he sits on a pile of assets as large as the organized crime syndicate’s cash heap in Batman: The Dark Knight--a pile of assets he’s gained by drafting well in year-1, and managing those assets or their value, plus extra; trading well with both present and future in mind. And he does all of this while making it look easy. A rookie GM once contacted me about a concern for how many unsigned rookies Cecil had (I believe the total was eight), despite having no roster spots. He wondered how many of those players he was going to have to cut. I told him to be patient, I had no doubts he would get them all signed (Or all of the ones he wanted) without cutting a single player. And just like clockwork, he managed to do just that. Cecil is the main reason that when I used to reach out to rookie GMs and give them a primer, or an orientation of sorts, I always cautioned them against going all-in year one (Aside from the usually obvious reason of: The guy that you’re taking over for left your team in the dumps, and you’re not good enough to win anything yet). I would have them take a look at his roster, and seriously ask them, do you think you’re beating that? Few listened, but even fewer succeeded in making me wrong.
Another one of the league’s original members, we don’t have any 2009 information to share on him, unfortunately. However, starting with 2010, you wouldn’t know that he was destined to take up the mantle of the league’s best all-time. Cecil finished that season exactly .500, 6-6, and in second place in a competitive NFC West, behind then Commissioner Mike’s San Francisco 49ers at 9-3, despite finishing fourth in scoring with 136.7 PPG. He missed the playoffs that year, for the first and only time (So far) in our recorded history.
What a difference a year makes. In 2011, Cecil’s Seahawks were in vintage form, finishing 10-2, averaging 142.91 PPG (Good for second in scoring), and was a Week 12 winner-take-all game away from winning the division crown back from Mike, who finished the year on a 10-game win streak. In the playoffs, he beat up on Tampa Bay in the first round by 45, and then ended league power Brendan or Spudd (CHI)’s undefeated season, and best chance at a championship (As he was the league’s best team that year statistically by over 150 points). Cecil followed that win up by besting Aaron’s Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, collecting his first of three conference championships (To date), and advancing to the Super Bowl, where he dropped the closest-ever Super Bowl result (143.76-to-143.4) to 2017 Hall of Fame inductee Ryan (SD).
2012 went very similarly for Cecil, as he finished 9-3, and with a cherry on top, as he won his first NFC West division title, despite losing to Mike again head-to-head. Cecil once again finished second in scoring (This time only behind fellow 2018 HOF inductee Ryan (DET)), averaging 146.59 PPG. Cecil fielded an unbelievable offense of RGIII (23.5 PPG), Trent Richardson (13.88 PPG), Julio Jones (12.41 PPG), Wes Welker (12.1 PPG), Mike Wallace (10.87 PPG), and at one point Ryan Matthews (9.89 PPG). Clearly, it was an astoundingly-good offense, but why unbelievable? Because it was led almost entirely by players in their first three seasons (All of the above qualified except for Welker). He also cashed in on the rookie years of Griffin and Trent Richardson, who were the offense’s top-two scorers on a PPG basis. How infrequently does that happen? I can’t think of another single instance of this being the case. Defensively, Seattle was quite good as well, containing Bobby Wagner (12.16 PPG), D’Qwell Jackson (11.61 PPG), Richard Sherman (10.99 PPG), Kam Chancellor (8.1 PPG), and Darryl Washington (12.71 PPG) and K.J. Wright (9.39 PPG).
In the playoffs that year, Cecil easily dispatched of Green Bay, and throttled Andrew (PHI) in the second round by 45 points. His bid at a championship of any kind, however, was cut short in the NFC Championship Game, which he lost to fellow class of 2018 HOF inductee, Ryan, by fewer than 10 points.
2013 saw Cecil’s Seahawks fall a rung back down the ladder, dropping to second place in the NFC West, turning the division crown back over to Mike, even while beating him head-to-head, as SEA lost a Week 12 tilt with Chris’ Cardinals that had he won, would have guaranteed him the division title. But this team was nowhere near as good as the previous two iterations, due to a number of factors (Mostly the regression of RGIII (17 PPG), Richardson (6.47 PPG), and the risk of acquisitions Montee Ball (7.84 PPG), and David Wilson (4.38 PPG), who suffered a career-ending neck injury that year). Cecil’s defense was as stout as ever, however, employing Jerrell Freeman (13.05 PPG), Wagner’s 12.94 PPG again, Jackson’s 12.29 PPG, Jonathan Cyprien’s 9.73 PPG, Richard Sherman’s 9.06 PPG, Reshad Jones’ 8.96 PPG, and Sheldon Richardson’s 7.52 PPG, and Ezekiel Ansah’s 5.06 PPG on the DL. The offensive dropoff showed, as Cecil finished 6th in scoring with 134.4 PPG. The Seahawks looked to pick up some serious steam in the first round, scoring 212.16 points (The third-highest single week total, and highest playoff total, in the history of the league), actually doubling-up Tampa Bay. Mike, however, got the final revenge, dumping Cecil out of the playoffs in the second round in a convincing 30+ point route.
Mike’s exit from the league should have started Cecil’s dominance over the division, with three rookie GMs entering the fold in the West, but one of 2014’s surprise teams at least delayed that realization for one year. As always, Cecil’s team was among the highest-scoring in the league (140.39 PPG), finishing second behind an intrepid PHI (Andrew) team that had one of the best seasons of all-time, running roughshod over the league (And then being stunned by 8-seed WAS (Dave) in the first round). SEA entered Week 11 with a 8-2 record, one game behind the upstart Cardinals (Mett), but dropped that game to hand the rookie GM the division. Cecil would reap the benefits of that game in Round 1, however, as earning the top-Wild Card seed, he faced off against the worst playoff team of all-time, the 4-8 NFC South division-winning Atlanta Falcons (Timm). He proceeded to destroy the Dirty Birds by 60, and then followed that up with a 50-point drubbing of Aaron’s Cowboys. Cecil even was able to exact his revenge in the NFC Championship Game, beating Arizona in a rematch of the division-deciding game by 30, earning his second NFC Championship. In the Super Bowl, however, he once again fell short, this time to Garrett’s Steelers, by a fairly routine 24 points. At this point, it looked like Cecil was also set on the same course as Ryan (DET)—always close, but never winning it all.
2015 brought new highs to Cecil’s accomplishments, and to the league record books. Cecil breezed through the NFC West competition so easily that he won the division by 5 games. So statistically dominant was Cecil’s 2015 team, that they finished third all-time in points (158.05 PPG), a number which still ranks third today. The Seahawks’ defense, however, was even more dominant, posting the single-greatest defensive season in league history, with an average of 74.83 PPG. Making major contributions to that unit were Reshad Jones (14.96 PPG, perhaps the best fantasy DB season in history), Navorro Bowman’s 13.06 PPG, Karlos Dansby (11.76 PPG), Ryan Shazier (11.72 PPG), K.J. Wright (9.97 PPG), Avery Williamson (9.48 PPG), and DeMarcus Lawrence’s 6.64 PPG at DL. Offensively, the Seahawks were more than formidable, paced by Julio Jones’ absurd 19.19 PPG, Adrian Peterson’s 15.36 PPG, rookie sensation Todd Gurley’s 15.22 PPG, Tyler Lockett’s 11.82 PPG, Mike Evans’ 11.57 PPG, Travis Kelce’s 9.59 PPG, and Blaine Gabbert’s not terrible 16.97 PPG (More on that later…or now). You may be wondering, did Cecil make such a blunder as to rely on the, at the time, second-string QB of the moribund real-life 49ers to drive this performance car of a team? Decidedly, he did not. Unfortunately for Cecil, he, like everyone else in the Western world, was counting on Peyton Manning to not suddenly implode. Unfortunately, Manning did just that, averaging just 7.54 PPG in 10 games for a Super Bowl-winning Broncos, with a 9-17 TD-to-INT rate. With more than a handful of games by a competent quarterback, we’re likely talking about this team as the best of all-time in our league. And in the First Round of the playoffs, Cecil’s Hawks had no problem doubling up Charlie’s Bears. But, simply average QB play by Gabbert in Cecil’s matchup against the much tougher Eagles (Andrew), plus leaving over 50 points on the bench in some hard to explain lineup decisions (Leaving Gurley and Shazier sitting). It ended the Seahawks’ season prematurely.
Cecil followed up perhaps his best regular season yet with an even better one, once again leading the league in scoring with 152.61 PPG, and resetting the league’s offensive record for scoring at 83.81 PPG (Though this figure was simultaneously bested by Jordan’s (JAX) 92.32 PPG on offense). Those figures still sit 1 and 2 in league annals. Cecil again breezed to his second-consecutive NFC West title by 4 games at 9-3. Though it’s hard to say if the defense was up to Cecil’s impossibly-high standard, as the unit featured ONLY rookie Deion Jones (12.77 PPG), Shazier (12.17 PPG), K.J. Wright (11.72 PPG), Byron Jones (8.17 PPG), Damon Harrison (7.63 PPG) and Cliff Avril (6.13 PPG) on the DL. The offense, however, was as advertised, including Carson Palmer’s 17.81 PPG, Mike Evans’ ridiculous 16.01 PPG, Jones’ 15.6 PPG, Melvin Gordon’s rebound 17.7 PPG, Jeff Fisher’s lack of imagination 11.04 PPG for Todd Gurley, Jay Ajayi’s 13.45 PPG, Doug Baldwin’s 13.04 PPG, Jimmy Graham’s 9.8 PPG, and Martellus Bennett’s 8.79 PPG. As per usual, Dave’s 8-seeded Redskins put up an unbelievable fight (173+ points), almost knocking off Seattle before their playoff run could ever commence, but Cecil weathered the storm with a 178.9-point outing. He also had to sneak by close friend Justin’s Panthers in the Second Round. But by the NFC Championship Game, he had things figured out, beating the first-time NFC title game Vikings (Matt) by 20+, securing a spot in his third Super Bowl, where Sal (BUF) was anxiously awaiting. Sal put up a nice effort (135+ points), but Cecil’s Seahawks registered a show stopping 195, to put to bed any chances of a close game. Finally, Cecil had his hardware, at long last.
In his title defense, Cecil once again blew away the field in scoring, outpacing the league by over 100 points, and leading the league in scoring with an obscene 157.39 PPG, finishing the year 11-1, tied for the league’s best record, and with a 5-game division cushion. However, it was a Week 10 decision that would perhaps define Cecil’s 2017 campaign, as he did not acquire a QB at the trade deadline, not a necessity at the time, perhaps, as C.J. Beathard had just put up a 27+ point game in Week 10 as the real-life 49ers starter. However, San Francisco had acquired Jimmy Garoppolo just weeks before, and likely intended for him to make 2017 starts. Therefore, Cecil had to piece together a QB corps of Beathard, Nathan Peterman (Fresh off of a -17-point game), and Patrick Mahomes, who had yet to see a significant regular season snap, to try to take him through to the Promised Land. And waiting for him there in the First Round was historic spoiler, Dave (WAS), who had backed into the playoffs perhaps by accident at 5-7. Dave proceeded to hang a 150 spot on Cecil (Who started Mahomes, netting him 0 points), pulling off the upset. However, even in hindsight, if Cecil had somehow pulled the move for Garoppolo at the deadline, Jimmy G only managed 8.52 points that week, far short of the 22~ necessary to climb out of that hole Dave put him in.
So even on a down note, as of now, as I intend to update this every season, here’s what we can say about Cecil:
Whereas Cecil is a Super Bowl Champion, a 3x NFC Champion, a 4x NFC West Champion, has finished with a .500 or better record every year, has averaged 9.125 wins per year (Good for a (SEA) .760 winning percentage all-time, just behind Jordan (JAX)’s .792), is our winningest GM of all-time at 73-23 (And our winningest playoff GM of all-time, with a postseason record of 14-6, good for a .700 winning percentage, one of the best all-time), the owner of three 200-point games (Only Brooks has more than one), as well as holding a 4-1 record (3-1 regular season) vs. Mett (ARI), and a 1-3 record vs. Mike (1-2 regular season), his biggest division rivals, we are glad to enshrine Cecil (SEA) into the Canton Dynasty League’s Hall of Fame.
