The Seahawks are 0-2 -- and clearly on the way to the Super Bowl.

That's not sarcasm. That's truth -- based on precedent.

Last year, the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl even though Michael Bennett led the NFL in pre-snap penalties, even though the defense couldn't stop short passing attacks, even though the offense rarely used the tight end and rarely gained a yard on a screen pass and even though the Seahawks lost two of their first three road games.

Some things never change. And sometimes there's nothing wrong with that.

Bennett led the NFL with a league-high 13 pre-snap fouls last season, and he is on pace to obliterate that mark after recording five in the first two games this season.

On the first drive Sunday in Green Bay, he was offsides twice -- including on Aaron Rodgers' 29-yard touchdown pass to James Jones against Richard Sherman.

Bennett did it again late in the first half, and the referees messed up when they failed to stop the play after the Packers' linemen jumped in reaction to Bennett. But the play continued, and Sherman was called for a 52-yard pass interference that helped set up a field goal that put the Packers ahead 13-3.   

Carroll was unhappy about Bennett’s penalties, especially because the Seahawks worked all week on not responding to Rodgers' hard counts.

“This is a guy that’s trying to get a great jump on the football," Carroll said of Bennett, "but (Rodgers) got him. He got him three times -- and we worked on it all week long, too.  (Bennett) was really disappointed that it was a factor in the game."

Some things never change. But sometimes that doesn't matter, right?

Another thing that never changes: the Seahawks' ongoing inability to stop short passing attacks.

Quick-passing quarterbacks who can find their running backs, tight ends and slot receivers have always burned Seattle. Rodgers beat them with that strategy in the fourth quarter, completing eight short passes on the 85-yard, go-ahead drive.

"Aaron did a great job of controlling their club with the short passing game at the end," Carroll said.

Maybe one of the these days Carroll and his staff will realize the pass rush is a waste of time against the short pass and will drop a lineman or two into coverage in those situations.  The Hawks actually did it on the goal line on that last drive, dropping Bennett, but Rodgers hit tight end Richard Rodgers for a 5-yard TD.

This was the third straight game -- the Super Bowl included -- in which the Seahawks were beaten by the short passing game. San Diego and Dallas beat them with it last season, too.

Some things never change. But that doesn't always matter, does it?

Another thing that never changes: The Seahawks talk about using their tight ends but rarely do it.

In 2011, they paid Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller a bunch of money to give their offense another dimension. But he spent most of his four seasons -- when he was healthy -- acting as a sixth lineman.

This year, the Hawks made the big trade for Jimmy Graham; and, if they are not careful, he will be the same waste of resources Miller turned out to be. In six of his eight quarters, he has caught just two passes. That includes one reception for 11 yards in Green Bay.

Carroll said the team planned to use him extensively in Green Bay -- four of the first five plays in the script were designed to go to him, yet not one did.

"It's frustrating," Carroll told 710 ESPN on Monday. "We have to find our way to get this done. … We've got to find that part of us because it's a really good part of our offense."

Some things never change. And sometimes it doesn't matter.

And what about the Hawks' total inability to run an effective screen play? Whether it's bubble screens or halfback screens, Seattle sucks at it. Seattle's first play was a screen to Tyler Lockett, who gained nothing. And then, as the Hawks tried to drive toward the tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Wilson's screen pass was picked off. Just another busted screen.

Some things never change. But, hey, there's nothing wrong with that.

Just like there's nothing wrong with the fact that the Seahawks have lost their first two road games. They lost two of their first three last year and still rallied to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. 

Their schedule already was easier this season, and it became more so this weekend when three of their upcoming opponents lost their quarterbacks to injuries. 

The Chicago Bears already have ruled out Jay Cutler for this week's game in Seattle, and Matthew Stafford is dealing with chest and rib injuries two weeks before he and the Detroit Lions are scheduled to play the Seahawks on "Monday Night Football." Then there is Tony Romo, who will not play for the Dallas Cowboys for the next eight weeks -- the Seahawks play in Dallas in Week 8.

So, while we might lament the fact that Michael Bennett again leads the NFL in pre-snap penalties, that the defense again cannot stop short passing attacks, that the offense again is ignoring the tight end and still can't throw a decent screen pass and that the Seahawks are 0-2, history says there's nothing wrong with that.

The Seahawks are 0-2 -- clearly ready for another Super Bowl run.

Image: Mike Morris (Flickr)