THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks get a chance to prove defense can still win games

So, that’s it for the football season.

Game over.

The Seahawks are cooked.

That’s the overwhelming opinion of oddsmakers in Las Vegas, for whom the NFL is strictly business.

It’s also the feeling of assorted TV and podcast voices, for whom the NFL is another chance to sound stupid.

The combination of Mike Macdonald taking over as coach, along with some uncertainty at quarterback — will Sam Howell grab the job from Geno Smith? — suggests to so-called experts that 2024 could be a rebuilding season in Seattle.

In fact, the cold-eyed money men in Vegas think the public will have little faith in the Hawks.

Remember, the Seahawks weren’t exactly on the doorstep of the Super Bowl in either of the past two years, but they went 9-8 in both of those seasons.

Vegas Insider’s early betting lines predict a serious drop, giving the Hawks a 5-12 record.

Seattle has won just four or less games only four times in 48 years, by the way.

STILL, a tumble from nine wins to five is quite a drop-off, and it makes you wonder why the Seahawks are getting such disrespect.

They haven’t lost any key pieces from last year’s team, unless you count linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks, leading to free agent replacements Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker.

In fact, you can make the argument that the Seahawks could take a step upward.

Opponents exploited a paper-thin defense a year ago, especially with a smash-mouth running game.

That success led to easy pickings with play-action passes.

Bottom line, the Seahawks defense had trouble getting off the field, especially on third down.

Now, here cones Macdonald, a defensive guru who pieced together a fearsome unit as the coordinator in Baltimore.

Naysayers can sniff at the idea of a new coach and ask what he might do without blue-chip players to get big stops.

In fact, Seattle DOES have more weapons on defense this time around — starting with the Hawks’ first-round draft choice (No. 16 overall) Byron Murphy, a 300-pound ball of muscle who dominates at defensive tackle and was projected to be chosen earlier.

Murphy will be a huge help in the middle of the line, alongside Pro Bowler Leonard “Big Cat” Williams (obtained via trade and signed to a multi-year deal) and Dre’Mont Jones, another quality contributor along the line who missed a huge chunk of last year to injury.

Speaking of injuries, the Seahawks also will get back their best edge rusher, Uchenna Nwosu, who pairs with Boye Mafe to put pressure on quarterbacks.

Macdonald’s plan (and the coach intends to make defensive calls himself) obviously revolves around Murphy, Williams and the gang up front slowing down running games and then getting after QBs.

The secondary is solid, with last year’s first pick (Devon Witherspoon) talented enough to play just about anywhere —

and create impact plays.

IN TERMS of a solid roster, these Seahawks should have more ammo than the nine-win teams of the past two seasons, and Seattle made the playoffs in 2022.

OK, so why such little respect?

Yapping TV voice Colin Cowherd, who has made a career of being obnoxious AND wrong a lot of the time, did a guest gig on Seattle radio and picked the Seahawks to finish last in the NFC West.

Cowherd’s reasoning seemed to center on the hiring of Macdonald at a time that the NFL is tilting toward offense.

“I don’t know what to make of Seattle. I have more questions than answers,” Cowherd said. “There’s a lot of unknowns. 

“I also think it’s sort of a transition year at quarterback. The sport is getting more quarterback-centric and more offensive coach-centric. 

“The last several years, the final four coaches (in the playoffs) have all been offensive coaches. The league, the rules, everything is geared toward that.”

Cowherd’s point about offense has some validity, since the NFL wants action — which means points.

Ironically, though, it was Kansas City’s super-stout defense – led by tackle Chris Jones — that decided the Super Bowl against the 49ers.

Defense can still own games.

ON THE other side of this months-early debate, ESPN’s Brady Henderson is more bullish on the Seahawks.

Henderson believes the league did the Seahawks a favor with its schedule.

Henderson’s two main points are Seattle’s bye (Week 10) and the fact that the Hawks will face five teams with rookie quarterbacks.

“I really don’t think you can overstate the significance of the timing of a bye (week) in today’s NFL, when there’s 17 games as opposed to 16, and you want that bye as late as possible,” Henderson said. 

“I don’t think they’re going to complain about having it in Week 10, especially compared to last year when it was in Week 5 — and a benefit of having it in Week 10 is it’s right before the second of those two San Francisco meetings.

“That gives Mike Macdonald some extra time to match wits against Kyle Shanahan.”

As for facing rookies, Macdonald’s defense allowed 9.3 points per game in four shots at rookies last year — including Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud in Houston.

So.

It might be a little early to write off the Seahawks, you think?

I do.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through

Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

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