NFL analyst, former Seahawks scout defends 7-10 record prediction for Seattle

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 24: Bucky Brooks of NFL Network looks on during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Every year, the official NFL Youtube channel releases season previews for each team in the league. If you have a spare 15 minutes, the link to the 2026 Seattle Seahawks season preview is here.

I took the liberty of grabbing a screenshot of the most surprising thing (to me) from the video.

One of these things is not like the others...

What the heck got into Bucky Brooks?? Brooks, who was a scout for the Seahawks after his playing career ended in 1999, has generally had a favorable view of the Seahawks. Here, he has them taking a giant step back going 7-10, tying their 2021 record. Hmmm, Jim Mora or Mike Macdonald?

Tough call...not!

So, maybe Brooks just had an off day? He and John Schneider go way back. Brooks was a player for the Green Bay Packers in 1995-1996 while Schneider was there, and they also overlapped in 2000 in Seattle when Brooks was a scout. I wonder if Brooks got a text from Schneider that read Brother, thanks for the bulletin board material!"

In an interview with Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports, Brooks defended his bold call.

Well one, the division is hard," Brooks said. But before we get to division, this a thing I think everyone has to understand-and the 12s have been through this before-it is really hard after you win a title to sustain yourself the next year. Normally that next year you come back there's a few different things. There's some natural complacency that seeps in, the team is never the same, and the energy that you face from everybody is drastically different. With a team that's still on the young side, the maturity that is required to handle that is going to be a lot early.

And then with the changes that you have, Klint Kubiak, who I think is one of the top five play-callers in football, he disappears. You lose the Super Bowl MVP in Kenneth Walker. You have some change that, to me, I just wonder can you catch your lightning in a bottle all over again in a division that is increasingly tougher with the Niners and Rams loading up?"

He also said that the Seahawks don't feel like a 7-10 team" but still stuck to his reasoning, and cited the historic lack of quarterbacks who even win back-to-back Super Bowls, with the ones who accomplished that all Hall of Fame level.

The rest of the NFL official preview video was actually quite positive, and you can see that every other record prediction had double digit wins. Maybe that's why the Brooks take was so surprising. As we inch closer to the new season, there's still plenty of ammo from the doubters" to fuel the fire for the Seahawks.