Seahawks left wondering where it all went wrong

RENTON, Washington — An unfamiliar situation played out inside the Seattle Seahawks headquarters on Monday with packing boxes being filled and memorabilia getting autographed far earlier than any season in recent memory.

For five straight seasons, the Seahawks didn’t just play in January. They won at least one playoff game in each of those seasons.

It made Monday’s site of clearing out lockers at the conclusion of the regular season jarring for those who became accustomed to only knowing playoff football during Seattle’s five straight years in the post-season.

“At the end of the day it’s just disappointing. I think everybody is disappointed,” Seattle tight end Luke Willson said.

Only five Seattle players on the active roster from Sunday’s finale were around the previous time the Seahawks didn’t make the postseason in 2011.

The tweaks and changes made by Pete Carroll and John Schneider were starting to take form by the end of the 2011 season, and the drafting of Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner before the start of the 2012 season was a catalyst in Seattle’s rise to being a mainstay in the post-season.

So is this 9-7 season and missing the playoffs the start of a backslide and the first step in a rebuild?

“We want to obviously get better because the trend that we are on right now is not good,” Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin said.

Universally the Seahawks believe they’re not that far away from still being among the elite in the NFC. Three of their losses were by a combined eight points and in part were due to kicking woes from Blair Walsh, including his missed 48-yarder in the final minute on Sunday in the 26-24 loss to Arizona.

The 42-7 blowout loss to the division champion Rams was the only game Seattle lost by more than one possession.