I feel pumped.
I think it has to do with what one's hopes are based on. So far, we have not run that high-octane offense that threatened to set us apart. We aren't flashing as we did early last year. If one's feeling for the team is based on expecting that, then I can see why one might feel blue.
I just see it differently. A great team, a dynasty, builds through stages. The first stage is the fireworks era, when a team bursts magnificently on the scene.
But that era usually flames out. Look at us under Martz: 3 years, then a drop off the cliff. Martz couldn't take us to Stage 2.
In Stage 2, a team is competitively mature and tough. It knows how to win games. It isn't focused on fireworks, but it knows how to win and win and win.
Look at SEA. They often look like crap. But they hang those wins up year after year.
That's what I am seeing. Are we "better"? Well, that depends on one's standard.
I do think we are clearly tougher and more mature. I think we're harder to beat. And I love it.