Instant reaction: Seahawks finish with a win in Arizona

The Seahawks saved arguably their best performance for last. This was a crushing win against the Cardinals.

Arizona was strangely flat given what was at stake. I covered the Cardinals last week against the Cowboys for the national radio broadcast in the UK. They took the game to Dallas and earned an impressive win.

Here, they blew an opportunity to win the NFC West — given the Rams collapsed at home against the Niners.

It was if they never really believed they had a shot to finish in first place. Meanwhile, the Seahawks were amped up — led by a coach and quarterback seemingly especially keen to make a point.

Wilson had two really bad turnovers but aside from that, he was superb.

This is why all talk of trading him should be shelved. The people who peddle that viewpoint can never provide a serious alternative plan. They always operate in a cloud of mystery. ‘Draft someone’. ‘Sign someone’. No names are ever attached to these ideas.

There are multiple fan bases who would watch what we saw today and say they are desperate for someone like Wilson to give them any kind of hope for the future.

Trading him for picks in the worst draft for eight years would be beyond foolish.

That means, ultimately, they have to make a big decision over the next few days.

The local media will talk about everyone coming back and we’ll hear about any Wilson trade being ‘click bait’ or a ‘non-story’.

We shouldn’t have to discuss this at a level of working out the validity of Wilson’s dissatisfaction. We all know what’s going on by now.

The quarterback wants to stay in Seattle, ideally. But it’s going to take change at the top. It really is as simple as that.

It’s not that he and Pete Carroll don’t get on. It’s just about completely opposing philosophies on what it’s going to take to be a consistent, serious contender for the next 8-10 years.

As good as this win was — I hope Jody Allen doesn’t kid herself that this is a sign of anything other than a nice ending. Two weeks ago, this same team lost at home to the hapless Chicago Bears.

Wilson’s viewpoint won’t change after today. And he has to be the focal point of the franchise moving forward.

Elsewhere, Rashaad Penny will be a bigger talking point than anyone expected this off-season. Another blistering display creates two difficult questions to answer. Should they keep him and how much should they be willing to pay him?

On the one hand he’s looked excellent in the last five games. On the other, it’s taken four years to see this and there’s a serious ‘fools gold’ vibe to this run — even if he’s looked exciting.

Honestly, I have no idea what they should do. I suspect most fans feel the same way.

Ultimately though I think you have to let him discover his market before making a decision and that means waiting until free agency.

Clearly everyone will be devastated for Quandre Diggs. It was a horrible scene to see him leave the field in tears. I hate that stadium, I’m sure we all do.

Carlos Dunlap playing his best football when the season is over is frustrating but he’s earned a shot to come back and play 17 games next season instead of six.

There should be no doubt what Seattle’s roster strength is right now. It’s the Wilson-to-Lockett combine. That’s the one thing you’ve got you can hang your hat on.

The Seahawks should try to sign Chandler Jones. Pairing him with Dunlap and Darrell Taylor would be exciting — especially if they can add an actual interior pass rusher too.

We’ve finally made it to the end. With the way the Seahawks have played, the extra game and new rules such as the ridiculous taunting penalty, this has been probably my least enjoyable season following the sport along with 2009.

I want to be excited by the Seahawks again and I want to see the franchise make the changes to get us all believing, once more, that Championships are possible.

Pete Carroll is a Seahawks legend. But after 12 years, it’s time. Leave with a flourish and let us remember the good times. Allow us all to move forward and see what the next era brings.

The off-season is here and this is a blog that was made for it.

Let’s go…

Please consider supporting the blog via Patreon (click the tab below)…

Become a Patron!

155 Comments

  1. 12th chuck

    thanks for all your effort this season Rob, it is the best non-biased seahawks site.

  2. lynntrav4444

    Hell of a job this year Rob. Thanks for the measured takes at all times. You are the best Seahawks voice out there, that’s unquestioned. Here’s hoping for some hope this offseason!

  3. Pran

    Something Jody needs to remember while making a decision, what an exciting and competitive division it is. If Seahawks could have avoided 2 of the dumbest losses all 4 teams will be in playoffs.
    We need better coaching and roster to win the division.

  4. bk matty

    whats sad is the classic free agency move Penny just pulled. Dudes been a total fail for 3.75 season, then goes off for 700 yards in the final 5 pointless games with free agency on the line…

    Do you pay up for him based on these 5 games? Or move on based on a failed 3.75 years?

    • Elmer

      That’s an important decision the Seahawks must make. I don’t have the crystal ball answer but have more questions regarding Penny’s startling explosion:

      1. How much is due to Penny himself, finally getting healthy and finding his potential?

      2. How much is caused by the play of the O line? Has the presence of Haynes and Curhan made the O line better?

      3. How much of the credit goes to Shane Waldron, the OC for making Penny and the O line successful?

    • L80

      I find this narrative to be lazy. You are not even bringing up the fact he was injured BEFORE his first training camp and never got going that year. He was just reaching his potential when his knee injury at the end of the season was devastating and he didn’t fully recover until this year, and NOW you are seeing his potential.

      There’s the whole story. It has nothing to do withy free agency.

  5. Scot04

    No Wagner no Adams no problem.
    We need to save the 16.6M. Unfortunately we’re stuck with the other contract.

  6. Jordan

    Keep Russ, bring back Penny and the Jones’s, bring back Diggs, commit to Dunlap and Taylor as your weekly starting DE duo .

    • BobbyK

      No way I think Diggs is available for week one next season. That sucks so bad for him. I think we all despise that stadium.

      • pdway

        any intel at all on specifics of what happened to him?

        • BobbyK

          His leg literally snapped was my interpretation. It was so bad they wouldn’t even show it on tv. So terrible.

          • Roy Batty

            Early indication is dislocation with a broken fibula, also. Having surgery in AZ. Lockett will stay to hang out with him pre and post surgery, since they are very close, long-time friends.

  7. BobbyK

    How horrible would it be to see Penny star somewhere else? His chunk yards are no fluke. Only Jonathan Taylor has more and he has a lot more carries than Penny. You can’t accidentally break that many runs for long yardage.

    If need be, you need to franchise him. Who would have thought that a couple months ago? Surely not me.

    I only suggest the franchise tag because I don’t believe you can trust him to stay healthy. A 1-year contract means that carrot is still dangling. Then you can reassess his future in Seattle.

    This isn’t a guy like Jonathan Taylor who has years and years of proven durability (college/pro) with a high workload. I trust Penny with a franchise tag, but I would not feel comfortable giving him long term security. For one year, pony up. You have to. But it’s too early to give him big bucks long term.

    • pdway

      that’s a smart idea – or at least dangle that you’ll do that to keep his number down from others.

      • BobbyK

        The franchise number for a RB is so much more manageable than many other positions.

        • Seattle Person

          The tag for a RB in 2021 was over 8.5 million. We’re talking about at least that for Penny whom we don’t know whether he can make it through a full season? If we were a rebuilding team, it would make more sense to franchise a player like him. You would be able to afford it and use that opportunity to see if he is your long-term solution.

          Even though we have money, I would like to see that money spent on positions that are higher needs. RBs are pretty good in the 2nd-4th rounds in this year’s draft. It sucked to see our 5-6 million RB out this season because of injuries. Are we ready to invest more in a RB that has missed a lot of games and less proven?

          I agree about a short-term contract. You can’t trust him but I don’t know about giving him 8-9 million. However, I also think Penny might be a hotter commodity in the open market. He’s still pretty young and fast homerun hitters are always valued by teams. In addition, he’s not or shouldn’t break the bank so he might be someone teams target to see if his breakout was truly for-real…

    • Hawkdawg

      The Franchise tag would be a lot of money off the cap for next season. So I guess it depends on what else we’ve got in the cooker… But Penny was a different player this last part of the season. Aggressive, fighting for extra yards after contact, finishing his runs. He can’t make something out of nothing as well as Carson, but he explodes into space like nobody else we’ve had.,

    • Ishmael

      Big agree. It’s the classic thing, funny how often good players manage to get lucky. There’s obvious ability there, very hard to tell from the outside whether things have finally clicked for him, or if it’s been a motivation issue the entire time. He’s been too good in this span to completely let go, so the franchise tag does seem the safest option.

    • cha

      There is no way they franchise tag Penny. No way.

      They’d be insane to do that.

      The 2021 number was $11.112million. The Transition was $8.942m

      It’s not happening.

      • BobbyK

        Didn’t realize you talked to Schneider earlier today. My bad.

        • SpennyDunks

          You don’t have to be snarky. Look at the contracts RBs have signed in FA the last few years and you’ll see why its ridiculous. No one will pay Penny 9M+ based on 5 games.

    • MikeB

      He has looked good when he gets cleanly to the second level. He was good at that in college too.

      Lions and Cards both have been easy to run on. Running up the middle should have been a point of emphasis for today’s gameplan.

      If you get Penny back, then you better have figured out how to get that type of blocking against better defenses like the Rams. If you can create holes for him, then id take a swing at a 2 year deal. If we have another “meh” line like we did this year, then save the money. You wont have a running game against complete teams if our center is getting aaron donalded on every play.

    • Elmer

      Does anyone think that Carson will be back in the NFL, or that we will try to sign him if he returns? Having surgery to fuse vertebrae in the neck makes me think that playing football is not be a very good idea.

  8. Hawkdawg

    To combine Jones with Taylor and Dunlap, we’d have to sign both Jones and Dunlap. Jones would be a tall, tall order….But that would be a fearsome rush, to be sure…

    • Hawkcrazy

      Dunlap signed a two year contract at the beginning of the year so he has 1 year left. Taylor has just completed his second year. As a result we would only have to sign Jones in order to have all 3 for next year

      • Seattle Person

        Getting a legit #1 pass rusher would make things extra gravy. This and an inside presence that can rush up the middle would be great.

        • SpennyDunks

          Should be the two biggest priorities. Im okay with bringing Brown back as I think he’d be affordable. Draft a LT to learn behind him and re-evaluate next offseason. Haynes, Lewis and Curhan/Forsythe is actually looking pretty decent. Maybe draft another guard to compete. Go big at C in FA if possible or sign a bigger name like Orlando Brown and then we’re cookint.

  9. Timothy Burch

    Get ready for Pete Carroll and John Schneider retool 2.0. They will redo RW contract make him highest QB in NFL. CUT and resign Bwagz. Create 60 to 70 million in cap space. Whole offseason going to be about what they do to with that money? JAllen doubles down for 1 year. Pays RW and playcate him with good offseason offensive and defensive line signings

    • Matthew

      …and this may be exactly what Russell Wilson we settle for, ultimately.

    • Rob Staton

      Wilson won’t do that

      • Matthew

        He won’t? If they simply say we’re not trading you, end of…what then? He sits himself down for season?

        • Rob Staton

          Who knows?

          If he hands in a trade request and they say that, it will be a complete f-ing disaster this year

          • Timothy Burch

            I am in the Camp of keep RW and hope his people can force or convince JAllen to go in the direction of your plan A or B. If Pete stays and retains his current powers RW is most likely not going anywhere barring a big time cant refuse offer from another team (3 firsts, couple of seconds, 3rds). RW wont be happy but his ego and or claim to legacy is too important to hold out for a season. Much like Aaron Rodgers hold out this year until season starts.

  10. no frickin clue

    I hope Jody Allen dials up Russ in a day or two and asks him “so are you onboard for 2022? If you’re on the fence, what will it take to keep you here?”

    I can see someone offering Penny big $$ based on the last five games. As tantalizing as that looked, I say we either offer him a one-year “prove it” deal, or let him get a multi-year deal with someone else.

    Feel terrible for Quandre Diggs. That field needs an exorcism.

  11. Alaska Norm

    Thanks for all your work this season Ron. As always I look even more forward to your draft work. It will be an interesting off season to say the least. So many ways this thing can go and I have reservations about all of them. Either way I’m excited to see who we keep and who we bring into the mix. Looking forward to all the opinions… I’m still trying to clarify mine and todays epic win doesn’t help. For now I’ll just enjoy it.

  12. pdway

    “The off-season is here and this is a blog that was made for it.”

    You are much appreciated. Glad to be a part of this community.

  13. BobbyK

    I believe the Seahawks have the best RT situation in the NFL. Curhan is a man’s man. He’s a brawler. The fact he’s under team control for 3 more years at minimal salary is such an advantage for the Seahawks roster moving forward. I love that guy.

    Please note I do not think Curhan is the best RT in the league. I’m just factoring his productivity moving forward and combining with the salary he’ll make. Maybe Whirfs would be better with combining contracts, but he makes more than Curhan and will get bigger bucks in a couple years when they pick up his option.

    RT is the least of our worries moving forward. I can’t remember the last time I’ve actually really, really like an offensive tackle for the Seahawks. Probably when Walt was still playing. Okung was solid but he was always overpaid and hurt.

    • bmseattle

      I’d be way more excited for a Haynes-Lewis guard tandem, than Jackson with either of those two.
      And I agree that Curhan looks promising and should be given a shot over Shell going forward.
      We probably need to resign Brown and then need to upgrade Center.

      • BobbyK

        I’d be more excited for Haynes-Lewis as well, provided it’s Haynes at LG. But if it’s Lewis-Jackson, at least Haynes will be quality depth (assuming he comes back, as he a RFA).

        Makes me sick to think we lose out on having Javonte Williams to pair with Penny and Trevor Penning to play LT for 10-12 years. All because of Jamal Adams.

        I don’t know what they’ll do with LT next year or how they can improve it without resigning Brown.

        Center is the spot that concerns me most. Maybe our starting Center played for Boston College or Notre Dame this past year?

        There’s no way they’ll resign Shell. They’ll go with Curhan and his minimum wage salary at RT. The only thing they will be doing is figuring out the depth at RT.

      • Seattle Person

        I like how Curhan is looking. It should also be noted that Curhan struggles pretty bad vs pass protection. He gives up a lot of QB pressure. Given he’s a UFA and is the discussion for the RT of the future is great! If he is another Giacomini then I’ll take it.

        I don’t know whether they should bring back Jackson with a 9 mill hit next season. The run game looked fine without him today but we’ll see. I would love for Lewis to be moved back to RG and just let him develop at his natural position.

    • AlaskaHawk

      Curhan was a good find.

    • Hawkdawg

      Big Walt was in another league. He made it look easy, like the best ones often do. Curhan will never be that good. But for a first year, free-agent rookie, the way he played, and improved, when he was in the line-up means that he could be a very, very valuable piece going forward.

    • Scot04

      Curhan & Forsythe both look like good young OT depth; but should definitely not be counted on to be 2022 starters.

  14. Hawks4life

    Thanks for another great year of the blog Rob and of course Cha! By far the best place to be for a seahawks fan!

    Now I’m patiently waiting for Pete to announce his retirement in the presser…. ehhh one can wish right

  15. Ashish

    Thank you Rob for excellent coverage one more season in books. First thing in off-season as a hawks would like to see Pete out and then hire a young coach who can leverage Russ strength.

    SDB community and Rob, when we should expect the news ?

  16. Hawks4life

    Pete sure sounds confident he’ll be back next season

    • Matthew

      Of course he will be. Can you guys point to a similar situation where somebody like PC was fired? It’s amazing people are expecting anything else.

      • Jordan

        Maybe Reid and Dungy? But they hadn’t won the Super Bowl with Tampa and Philly.

        McCarthy was dismissed after a long largely successful stint in Green Bay.

        • Matthew

          Unlikely. I don’t mean to come off like a troll here, I just think a majority of the contributors here are hoping for something unlikely. It might have happened with PA still around, but a holding pattern with JA and a trust? No way. I don’t even think with PA it’s a sure thing.

          • Rob Staton

            What’s wrong with hoping?

            And over the last 48 hours, serious journalists have been actively discussing Carroll departing.

            Had they lost today, it’s all people would’ve been discussing.

            So let’s not act like it’s a crazy thought process.

            • Matthew

              Hoping is fine. That’s all it is though, hoping. We’re all hoping…

              • Rob Staton

                No, it isn’t

                I don’t see why you feel the need to go down this road. You don’t know any more than we do

    • Troy

      Yep. Like it or not, I think they are all (Pete, John, Russ) coming back.

      • BobbyK

        That will be fine if they can have a great draft and actually get a legit difference maker or two in free agency. Please be done with the bums like Finney, Olsen, Everett, Mayowa, etc. Get at least a difference maker or two, not a bunch of bums.

        • Matthew

          Just need to do what Rob has been banging on about for 2-3 seasons it seems. Invest in the trenches.

        • STTBM

          Everett’s a fine player Bobbyk. He had one bad game. It’s not his fault Carrol meddled too much and Waldron wasn’t ready. He’s a guy I REALLY want to bring back. Diddly lost that bit of speed and quickness that made him any kind of threat more than five yards past scrimmage with his second major injury. Everett is a star waiting to happen, he a decent blocker, and he’s tough and fiery. He even put up pretty nice stats despite coaching incompetence.

          There isn’t anyone in that price range we can replace him with, either. I for one am going to be pissed if we don’t bring him back, regardless of who the coach/GM are…

      • BA

        They’ll all be back, they’ll strike out in the draft and free agency as usual, and a healthy Wilson will drag them to 10 wins as usual.

      • Rob Staton

        Russ will have a say in that

  17. BobbyK

    I know we like to rag on the defense (for good reason sometimes) but I find it pretty incredible they were able to do what they did without their all their safeties. Adams, Blair, Neal, Diggs… it was pretty impressive to me.

    • 12th chuck

      I think it also emphasizes the wasted resources that we spent on that position

      • Roy Batty

        This.

        Diggs was the saving grace. The rest consist of an over-hyped box safety, a never will be, and an OK but not game changing player.

        The Dline got to Murray today, and they did it quickly. That was the difference maker.

    • Scot04

      It also shows they don’t necessarily need Wagner or Adams. Unfortunately we’re likely stuck with one.
      Unsure Wagner takes paycut, if not he has to go

  18. BobbyK

    I believe we’ll have the 3rd overall pick in the 4th round. Is that correct?

    • Troy

      4th pick.

      https://www.tankathon.com/nfl/full_draft

      • BobbyK

        Thank you.

    • Hawk Finn

      From what I can tell, it looks like our picks by round will be:

      2.41
      3.72
      4.106 (via Jets)
      4.113
      5.151
      7.226

      • Roy Batty

        That is so damned depressing.

        Only 6 picks, and no way in hell they get any comps. Then there’s the first rounder sitting on his ass recovering from surgery on the same shoulder he had surgery on before.

        In two years they will have had 9 total picks and no first rounders.

        That is appalling, and people STILL want to keep Carroll and Schneider.

  19. Ishmael

    Fun way to end what’s been a deeply miserable year, thanks for being the voice of sanity throughout, Rob.

    Can’t see a way forward with Carroll to be honest, and not just for gameplan reasons. For years now the coaching and support staff hires have become increasingly nepotistic and cronyistic, even by NFL standards. It’s become a very poorly run organisation, and the buck has to stop with him. I’d boot every single person involved in the Jamaal Adamas trade, and I’d include Schneider for not resigning on the spot if he really did have his arm twisted by Carroll to make it happen.

    There’s enough talent on the roster to turn things around sooner rather than later. Just need to make some hard decisions fast.

    • Matthew

      Can’t see anyway? What if they just did what they’ve shown in the first couple, and last couple games of the season, and bolstered lines? Is Russ going to OK going to the Giants and think he’s better off?

      • Cysco

        And you trust this front office to bolster the lines? What past events give you any confidence in PC/JS to successfully improve this team. This team is where it is for a reason.

        • BobbyK

          They’ll bring back Pocic and Fuller to compete with BJ Finney at Center.

          • Big Mike

            Championship

            • Cysco

              That was 10-years ago.

              The legion of boom isn’t on this team
              Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril aren’t on this team
              Marshawn Lynch isn’t on this team

              Today’s Seahawks are light years away from the talent level on that championship team. Carroll has had years to improve this team and has failed year after year. Years of blown drafts, terrible free agency periods and a horrific trade.

              There is nothing this front office has done in the last 5-years that should give you any confidence that they are capable of building a team capable of contending for a Super Bowl.

              The vast majority of that championship team has retired from football. It’s time for the coach to do the same.

        • Matthew

          I look at the whole arc of their time here, not just their failures.

          • Matt

            It would be wise to put more weight on the last few years rather than great moves a decade ago.

          • Roy Batty

            Becoming the equivalent of the Marvin Lewis Bengals is not OK for most of us in here.

            A participation banner in the form of a Division title, to occasionally hoist in the rafters, is a depressing reminder of the utter failure Carroll has helmed in the playoffs for a few years now.

            I do not want the current regime to be in charge of upwards of $70 million or more to spend in free agency. They are complete failures at it. They squander it on depth and bargain hunting, instead of top talent. It hasn’t worked in nine years. What makes anyone think it will suddenly change in 2022?

            And the biggest question is, why would Wilson think they will spend it the right way?

            He has watched the same crap happen, right along with all of us, and he has much, much more at stake than us fans.

            For gods sake, imagine if they had actually drafted Humphrey or spent money on a really good center. Would he have even been injured by Donald crashing through the turnstile in the middle?

      • Ishmael

        The ship has been sinking for years now. Picking out a handful of games to wave around is exactly how the team has ended up where it has, in a loving embrace with mediocrity.

  20. Jordan

    Man, Indianapolis. What a disastrous operation.

    • Roy Batty

      Wentz is such a conundrum. Looks good one week, then serviceable, then terrible.

      Rinse and repeat for an entire season, and all the while Taylor is absolutely crushing it.

  21. Donovan

    A few thoughts:

    1. SDB is the best Seahawks site going – thanks, Rob, for all you do!

    2. Penny – Has 11 career games w 10 or more carries. In 6 of those, he’s rushed for over 100 yards. The former star speaks to his injury prone nature & back up status for his career thus far, while the latter speaks to his fantastic production when on the field.

    3. With a healthy Wilson, even with all their warts & poor drafting & roster cap devoted to wrong positions, this team makes the playoffs. They must keep Wilson. From that base, you can retool and be back in the mix quickly. And you can do it with Pete, if RW is so willing. Just, as Rob wrote, spend your FA $$$ on quality, not quantity. The squandering of FA money on quantity rather than quality is probably the biggest lesson to learn from Rebuild 1.0. Let’s not do that again.

    • bk matty

      but they cant stay healthy. carson-penny have been perpetually injured. You are gonna pay Penny for 5 games over 4yrs?

      Oh and the covid cba deal just made Penny millions! Good for him.

  22. cha

    Rapaport with more on Quandre:

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    ·
    26m
    The good news — other than the break — it’s best-case scenario. A closed fracture with no ligament damage. Back on the field in 4 months.

    • BobbyK

      Wow! That is great news considering the alternative.

    • Big Mike

      Considering how torn up he was emotionally, this is about as good as could be hoped for.

      • Roy Batty

        And therein lies the difference between him and Earl.

        Thomas is carted off and gives the finger to Pete. Q is a carted off and players are crying right along with him, with Lockett staying in AZ to keep Q company before and after surgery.

        Q is loved. Earl, not so much. Q will get a contract, somewhere. Earl is seemingly blacklisted by players.

        • God of Thunder

          I’d rather sign Earl’s wife than Earl. Fiesty!

    • Olyhawksfan

      Awesome news. Whether he’s a Hawk or not next year I hope he can continue his career. Seems like a good guy.

    • RugbyLock

      YES!!!

  23. Big Mike

    Just want to say this before playoff schedule is announced:

    The stealers will play on Sunday so they get the full 7 days rest and the Cowboys will play at home vs. SF on Saturday giving them an extra day of rest compared to the 9ers (because they played yesterday). The NFL will do what they can to help.both franchises because that’s how they roll.

    • Big Mike

      I was right about the stealers they will be playing the Sunday night game assuming this game that’s on right now does not end in a tie but I was wrong about Dallas and the niners they are playing Sunday afternoon

  24. Rob Staton

    Thanks for all the positive comments about the blog. It really means a lot.

    • Roy Batty

      Dude, you gotta understand how much this site means to us. It is pretty much the last bastion of reasonable discussion on all things Seahawks. It’s a safe haven.

      Showing gratitude is the least we can do.

      • 12th chuck

        what Roy said

    • Seattle Person

      I agree! I think you talk about a lot of issues that people refuse to talk about. Whether people here agree or not, we can’t disagree that you bring it! Your off-season coverage is top notch. I do wonder though…Because you cover soccer, the amount of player/coach turnover is a lot more often. Star players never stay that long with a team. I think that gives you some interesting perspectives about how and why teams become complacent.

    • Matthew

      Thank you Rob for this space, and your time!

    • RugbyLock

      Thank you very much for all your time and effort Rob! This blog is my first read every day for Seahawks news!

  25. STTBM

    The last two games, Seattle played like they were supposed to all year. In my opinion, it was too little, too late to save Carrol and Schneider. Losing Diggs to a horrific injury was the icing on the crap cake if a season.

    Rashad Penny has become the back everyone hoped he could, but it’s taken so damned long it may end up leaving a worse taste in Seattle fans mouths than if he’d simply failed. And there’s no guarantee his nagging injuries won’t continue to plague him, not that his major reconstructive surgery won’t wear him out early.

    I was certain he was done halfway through the year, and for his sake, I’m certainly glad I was dead wrong. I’m rooting for the kid, and I hope Seattle can bring him and Collins back without breaking the bank. After Seattle let him play enough last year so his year would count, there should be some good feing in Penny’s camp toward the Hawks. Carrol has been steadfast in his belief and support, at least publicly. As much as it pissed me off and reaked of propping up a bad decision, it may look large to Penny.

    But Carrol is 70 and has shown repeatedly that he’s well past his coaching prime. I feel similarly to Rob, that Carrol is done–whether he admits it or not. He flat bungles too many in-game situations and doesn’t seem as on it as in the past, to say nothing of his conservatism that has cost us games that should have been fairly easy wins.

    Schneider has shown he repeatedly underestimated the market, bit with his own players and free agents, and he idiotically came out a year or two ago and adMitted he expected to score great players for submarket rates, just like with Bennett and Avril. Which never happened, and shoes their approach to signing free Gents is a failure.

    Since 2013, Seattle has pretty much blown the Draft and Free Agency. They’ve burned through tremendous amounts of cash and cap space, and while they made great trades for Diggs and Dunlap, their trade for Adams has been an utter failure, and has resulted in a 7-10 record and no playoffs, despite having Wilson, Lockett, Metcalf, Diggs, etc.

    Nothing in the last eight years has demonstrated anything that shows Seattle wouldn’t be better off without both Carrol and Schneider.

    I don’t feel good about it though. I had such faith in both of them, until Carrol brought in Norton and dumped Richard, and pulled Schotty off the scrap heap when this Team was in a position to lure almost anyone to come onboard …And I’m sad to see it end, the last two games were fun. But, too little too late …

    And it’s clearly Wilson or Carrol/Schneider. I’m sticking with our QB in that pissing contest….much harder to replace.

    • Big Mike

      Spot on post

      • STTBM

        Thanks, Big Mike!

    • ontoic

      I haven’t seen evidence that convinces me our situation is such that it’s Carroll/Schneider versus Wilson and one has to go…

      I believe that Carroll and Schneider are fresh off of significant extensions which likely leaves Seattle in a position of having to eat a lot of money to move on.

      and

      The team still plays hard for Pete, or so it appears. I don’t claim to know anything more than the next person, but I believe the team is not at a position where it MUST either move on from RW or PC/JS.

      • Rob Staton

        Russell Wilson dictates it’s one or the other.

        We know that by now.

        Eating money is neither here nor there. It happens in every sport all the time when people get fired or cut.

        As for playing hard… how many people were yelling that after the Chicago game?

        Teams playing hard late in the year, with little to play for, isn’t that uncommon. See the Jags today, or the Lions the last few weeks, or even the Jets vs Tampa Bay.

    • Seattle Person

      Their later round trades have been great! Diggs, Coleman, Brown to a degree. The flashy Lamborghini types have all been flops…Harvin, Graham, Adams.

  26. BobbyK

    If you would have watched the Seahawks/Colts game week 1 and went into a coma for a number of months and just came out of it earlier today to watch the Seahawks/Cardinals week 17 – you’d swear this team was ready to make a post-season rush towards the Super Bowl. Then you realize what a dumpster fire almost every other week was and you’re slapped back to reality.

  27. STTBM

    Rob, thank you for doing the blog. Your writing and opinion pieces on the PC/JS/RW relationship have been excellent reads. Well done.

    Remember to take time for your family, and best of luck in the new year.

  28. James Z

    1st: I agree wholeheartedly with everything Rob said. And 2nd: Kyler Murray has the worst body language and childish reactions and demeanor of any QB I’ve seen in 50+ years of watching football. Contrast that with RW, which is the exact opposite (though frustrating that can be, too, when the roof is caving in and he’s still ‘Mr Happy’). I would take RW over Murray in a New York minute. (I can say that because my wife is from Brooklyn tough I’m from T-town, AKA-Tacoma.)

    • Roy Batty

      To me, nothing comes close to Cam Newton after the SB50. He was the complete opposite of two of the classiest men to ever appear at a podium after a SB loss: Manning and Wilson.

      Manning was humiliated in one of the most lopsided losses in history. Yet, there he stood in his suit, taking questions and being humble.

      Wilson threw a pick that essentially ended a fairy tale comeback. Yet, there he stood in his suit, taking questions and being humble.

      Fast forward to a slouching Newton with a towel, acting like his mom just took away his PlayStation for a week. What a classless child.

      This is the main reason I want Wilson as my team’s QB. He is pure class. He is the embodiment of a professional.

      • Seattle Person

        Yup…Newton and Jay Cutler as well. We also have to remember Wilson on a down year or injured year still had 25 tds – 6 ints and over 3,000 yards.

        • Roy Batty

          Cam was the MVP that year. The face of the NFL.

          Shocking, really.

          • God of Thunder

            I watch Cam Newton’s pressers for his clothing choices. Styling!

            I’m joking. I’m a middle aged conservative dad and husband. But his wardrobe is something to behold.

  29. Gross MaToast

    Thanks, Rob, for an outstanding job of covering what has been a miserable slog of a season.

    I hope it’s not a miserable slog of an off-season.

  30. Alex

    As always very valid opinions. I think they’re generally misguided but nevertheless interesting to read. Pete absolutely gives them the best chance to win moving forward. The article points to the QB not having a viable alternative by “others”. This article doesn’t point to a good coach as an alternative either. I think the culture in general is more important than any one player, even one that’s as popular as Wilson.

    • Justaguy

      Nice try

    • Big Mike

      Wilson’s popularity has nothing to do with choosing him over Pete if it comes to that. It’s simply much more difficult to replace a top level QB than it is to find a coach of quality that can build a good “culture”. Ask the Bears how their search for a true franchise QB has gone since 1950 when Sid Luck.an retired.

      • Roy Wilson

        If the culture is winning, then Wilson gives the team the best chance at maintaining that culture. This season proves it. Hell, Carroll admitted it at a presser. Without Wilson, he stated he most likely wouldn’t have been employed for as long as he has.

    • cha

      I am guessing you have not read the volume of articles Rob has written talking about potential coaching hires should the Seahawks move on from Carroll.

    • Peter

      I literally hate the term culture in pro sports where rosters change so much.

      What’s the culture? Soft defense, a pouting player or two who doesn’t play up to their level, and a HOF qb half the fans think can be replaced with Daniel Jones from the giants or similar?

  31. MychestisBeastmode

    Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Do what to takes to keep Penny. This late season stretch has been elite. Plus he’s flashed in the past.

    Can’t know the future and injuries are likely but not definite. Ideally the contract would be an incentive-laden deal. That way, if he pops then he’s fairly compensated or if instead his body breaks then the cap is spared.

    • Rob Staton

      But what you’re talking about here is incredibly hard to pull off. Tell me a deal where he both is fairly compensated for form like this and doesn’t register on Seattle’s cap if he gets hurt that is realistic and an offer he would accept?

      This is why you have to let him discover his market in FA. You need to know what it is then make a call. He’s been hurt for 3.75 years.

  32. Spenny Dunks

    Love the blog during the season but the off-season is when it truly comes alive. Finally this hell of a season is over.

    In regards to Penny, I think you have to bring him back at this point. Every team in the league will be wary, and I think he likely won’t see much more than the roughly 3M Cordarelle Patterson and Phillip Lindsay signed for. Those are probably the closest comparables, but it is a unique situation.

    I’m still really banging the table for cutting Carson, signing Penny, bringing in another affordable vet that has looked good but hasn’t had much opportunity, and draft a RB in the middle rounds, and letting them compete for snaps is the best way moving forward.

  33. Matt

    Great work, per usual Rob. You provide such quality content, consistently. And everything feels worthwhile, no filler.

    I’m gonna vent for a moment – tonight was the night that I found myself despising a great chunk of the Seahawk fan base. There is a level of animus towards RW that is astonishing to me. It’s not criticism – it’s animosity and jumping on everything as if he is the only QB in the world who has missed a read, thrown a bad ball, taken a bad sack. It seems as if many of these people don’t actually watch much football other than Seahawks because if they did, they’d see Brady miss throws, Rodgers make a bone head play and more importantly, they’d see the misery of what it’s like having a below average QB or no QB at all.

    Selfishly, if a change is not made – I can’t handle this fanbase. I cannot stand another year of RW vs PC. You mentioned in the post game about people putting themselves on a pedastal – there is nothing close to it with other fan bases. These guys really think they in fact know it all – and their outright dismissal of anything outside the party line; just makes me not want to engage.

    I don’t really have a point to this vent other than like you, I’ve grown tired of this turmoil. It hasn’t been fun to be a fan of this team this year. Between boring football and a fractured fanbase…just not very fun.

    All that said – I always look forward to your content. Outstanding work, per usual.

    • Big Mike

      A reminder, the GOAT, Tom Brady threw 2 bad picks in the NFCCG last year in the first half. My point is your statement about these people not watching other QBs make mistakes is exactly correct. Russ isn’t perfect, but he’s very good.

    • Peter

      Preach.

      It’s feels literally like this sometimes. That Wilson and not ALL of the greats have had down years. That Brady and Rodgers fans weren’t asking if they weren’t maybe done.

      Meanwhile Wilson rolls in a “mediocre,” 26 or 27 total TD’s and 7-8 turnovers including fumbles and …… well thats it…I knew he was too short all along to play qb…

      • Matt

        Yep. They think the other guys are infallible. I really love the young QBs in this league – they are studs. BUT, if you didn’t watch them; you’d think Herbert and Burrow were flawless. I’ve watched nearly all of their games; they are no different than RW when it comes to outright dud-games, horrendous reads and passes.

        The difference, of course, is Seahawk fans don’t see it. They see the 5 minute clip every few weeks.

        RW had by all accounts a bad year by RW standards – to your point; he’s going to finish with 25:6 TD:INT, 3000+ yards, and a QB Rating >103. These people are spoiled rotten. He had a devastating injury while playing on a dysfunctional team.

        And let me be crystal clear; be critical of his mistakes. Absolutely. He’s not a sacred cow. But for the love of God – he just passed Dan Marino in TDs in his first 10 seasons. You have to be a mental patient to think “oh he was never very good.”

        Yes, he’s not Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, but guess what? He is significantly closer to those guys than he is to Teddy Bridgewater. I swear these are the same guys who go to a Mariners game and sh.at, “I can’t believe that guy swing at that slider in the dirt for strike 3!” Oh yea? Ever tried hitting a ball going 90 and dropping off the table? But by all means , get that still footage and pretend you have any clue what’s going on in the play from the pre-snap read, defense, progression/read.

  34. Denver Hawker

    Oddly, this season seems nearly identical to last season. For all the one-score magic that was last year, there were a good 4-5 duds this year that we still could have won despite playing like trash. This season could have just as well been the same, playoff-bound flaming turd.

    What also hasn’t changed is getting owned by the Rams. Green Bay was taking souls against us. The discourse about this team seems mostly relegated to returning to playoff form- if we just do a little of this and sprinkle that we’re good. Pete seems content with that.

    The discussion on this team needs to be how can the Hawks compete with the best in the NFC. They are not anywhere closer today than they were at any time last year.

    I hope Jody sees the same penalty riddled non-sense, and inconsistent bag of cats that shows up on Sundays. No plan, just hope and moon balls.

    • Peter

      Initial closing thoughts of this season:

      russ had a down year and the team couldn’t over come that. Russ starts to play well and it masks that this defense gave up 30 to AZ right after 29 to Detroit.

      There’s more too it than that and I’m sure it’ll get broken down but essentially there’s nothing working on this team unless Russ is firing on most if not all cylinders.

      That’s not to say Taylor, etc. Aren’t bright spots. But whole units like LB’s are a liability in stopping 8 minute plus drives. The running game, penny, turned it on recently but almost lost games with it’s five week sub 80 yard games including a 34 yard “effort,” when russ came back.

      Terrible scheming still plagues the team. Slow starts and a total inabiluty to get players going.

      • Seattle Person

        The one thing I keep looking at and wondering about are 3rd downs. The Seahawks were really bad on 3rd downs last season too. Russ being injured this year and other reasons, 3rd downs came back to bite us in the butt big time. The offense…the inability to convert 3rd downs and the amount of times we were constantly in 3rd and long were abysmal. I think this has to do with the play call, line play, and Russ as well. A combination of all those things. I do hope the offense can design plays that will always keep things ahead of the chains. Russ does have to just keep picking up small yards at times instead of waiting for the big plays.

        On defense, I don’t know. The scheme, the play calling, and the players are all question marks to me. I keep seeing talented players not being in position to make plays or being unprepared. We don’t have the best talent and there needs to be upgrades. However, blitzing when the other team and people on their couches can predict is never a good thing. Ken Norton can not be back. We can blame Carroll’s defense but it’s also up to the coordinator to scheme and coach up the players. It’s all a big mystery to me. I just know there have been a lot of good and bad QBs that have carved up the defense the last few years.

        • Kaesotullius

          The 3rd down numbers on offense do stand out. Time of possession was also consistently in their opponents favor by quite a margin.

          • God of Thunder

            Agreed! Time of possession this season was horrendous. The D could not get off the field.

            Russ is almost irreplaceable, short of a major rebuild. He had some off games due to injury but he was not injured all season.

            Norton must go. Wagner at 8 million or not at all. Jones, yes. Put resources where they are needed: OL and pass rush.

  35. Hawks4life

    This raiders chargers game is insane! Imagine being a steelers fan right now

    • cha

      My Steelers buddies are breathing into a paper bag.

      • Hawks4life

        They might as well take the tie at this point. Big Ben is shaking in his boots

    • BA

      The Chargers are a great example of what happens when you have a franchise QB and an organization that continues to otherwise shoot itself in the foot. Seahawks should really take note to avoid this for the last few years of Russ’s prime.

      • Seattle Person

        The Chargers and Bengals have probably the biggest competitive advantage in the NFL. Good QBs on their rookie contracts. Hopefully they load up their teams before their QBs get paid.

  36. SeattleLifer

    Ok now that the season is finally done I can bring myself to post again – between letting things get to me to the point where I was just flat angry in many my postings(towards Pete and a bit lesser extent John) and also out of respect to you Rob as I know some of my Adams posts were playing a part in bringing you a lot of grief I told myself no more posting until the season was over.

    Todays game was all about the CB’s on both teams and our ability to run so effectively. Arizona started down it’s top two corners and lost their third best in Peterson in the first quarter. Our offense always does it’s best against teams with poor cb play. Lockett thrives and DK can even get open in spite of his forward style of route running and even third wr’s can contribute. The past few years we often struggle on offense against teams with fairly good or better cb play.
    Obviously running so well helps everything and helps both our offense and defense. But make no mistake Arizona being down their three best cb’s was a huge factor in this game.

    As anyone who knows me on here knows I am all about losing both Caroll and Schneider and keeping Russ. The tea leaves tend to read that most everybody but Russ would like the band to stay together and retool a bit and that ‘we’re not that far off’, it was just a down year’, ‘Russ got injured’ etc. One can only hope that either Allen/Kolde see inner truths and are willing to make big changes or Russ is willing to risk his life/family roots here in Seattle to try and force needed change. Here’s to hoping things don’t drag on too long into the off-season…

  37. Kaesotullius

    Regarding Penny, he looks good. And, he’s seemed to have improved upon some of the things he started to do before his knee injury. Which, is impressive to do, says something about his ability to get better.

  38. Mike Bara

    Pete HAS to go. With just a few relatively painless cuts, this team can have $80 million in cap space (by far the most in the NFL) and 6 draft picks. The roster can be fixed in a single off-season. But Pete Carroll cannot be the guy making those decisions. If he is, it will be another catastrophe. FIRE PETE now.

  39. Forrest

    Like I said, say what you will, but this team is still competing. They had two big opportunities to pack it in after Wilson fumbled and after Wilson threw the pick. But, they never lost focus.

    • Rob Staton

      Bears

  40. Hughz

    My guess is that Russ, PC, and JS will all be back. I have the think Russ is internally pissed at himself for how he played, albeit injured, and he wants to prove this team can win. If the band does all come back, I’m really hoping the invest deeply in the trenches. It’s the only way we can win with PC style of football.

    Thanks for the all write ups Rob.

    • Rob Staton

      Schefter literally posted an article last week talking up a Wilson trade, from the perspective of the Wilson camp

      • Hughz

        Well we will know soon. Maybe it’s just the way they played tonight but I don’t get the vibe that Russ wants out of Seattle and I don’t think he’s going to force PC out either. I’m on board for a new coach, I just don’t see Jody Allen making that call.

        • Rob Staton

          I don’t get the vibe that Russ wants out of Seattle

          I’m stunned that people still say things like this.

          Read Schefter’s article a week ago.

          Read Rapoport a month ago when he confirmed Wilson had updated his list of suitors.

          Listen to his interview last week about ‘hoping it isn’t his last game in Seattle’ (unprovoked)

          I’m amazed people can’t read the tea leaves.

          • DriveByPoster

            I can’t remember what game it was, but it was early in the season before RW broke his finger. He got sacked & there was a brief shot of him sitting on his arse &, as he looked up, he had an expression on his face as if to say “Not this shit again!”. I think that was the moment that he decided it was ‘my way or the highway’.

            I don’t get the feeling that he’s a hold out type of person, so, if the ‘hawks don’t trade him, he will play next year (although I think Mark Rogers will put max pressure on PC/JS). But there’s absolutely no chance he will stay with them beyond his current contract.

            • Rob Staton

              I don’t think he’d hold out either.

              And thus, if he doesn’t get the change he wants, I think he’ll do everything in his power to ensure it never gets that far.

  41. pugs1

    Rob you have made a more than compelling point for change with PC & JS. I also think there is a fair argument to be made to run it back. I’m a change lean but not going to lose it if they put the band back together for 2022. If Russ is cool with it so should everyone else. Totally agree on investing in the trenches. Congrats on another year on turning out awesome Seahawks content!

    • Noah Parker

      A simple THANK YOU for simply everything. Watched every video, read every article. Consistently top notch content. I recognize that I am a crazed, overly optimistic fan, but after todays win (which should not carry as much weight as Im allowing it) I think they can do something with 60 mil this off-season (sans Bobby) to address the trenches and get back to the top of the NFC west. I’m doing a complete 180 on Russ and Pete and think they’ll both be back next year. Hopefully new coordinators. We shall see…. Thanks again! #buildaroundCurhan

      • Noah Parker

        Oops not meant as a reply

    • Rob Staton

      Russell isn’t going to be cool with it

  42. Robert Las Vegas

    Russell could have squished the whole trade rumors anytime during the entire season but he never really did .

  43. Noah Parker

    A simple THANK YOU for simply everything. Watched every video, read every article. Consistently top notch content. I recognize that I am a crazed, overly optimistic fan, but after todays win (which should not carry as much weight as Im allowing it) I think they can do something with 60 mil this off-season (sans Bobby) to address the trenches and get back to the top of the NFC west. I’m doing a complete 180 on Russ and Pete and think they’ll both be back next year. Hopefully new coordinators. We shall see…. Thanks again! #buildaroundCurhan

  44. Jerd

    I’ve never posted on here Rob. I don’t think so anyhow. I found this blog around the time Cable was pulling Sweezy out of a hat and TEF was the talk of the town. I know this season…. well half a decade has been rough, but thank you so much for hanging with us. My 710 has devolved into something I can’t digest anymore and I’m probably not the only one. (except your spot a couple weeks ago lol) Thank you for the stupid hours you put in and the concise articles without agenda. I just want exciting football again. One last ramble – this is the only comment section I read. Anywhere Ever. That’s a testament to you and this asylum of weirdos

    • Noah Parker

      Spot on, Jerd

  45. BoiseSeahawk

    Thanks for another great season of reporting Rob.

  46. Jason

    Oh man, I would kill for Harbaugh. He has won everywhere he’s gone.

  47. MeatFeet

    Hey Rob, I just want to say that you’re one of the absolute best analysts and commentators in the Seahawks universe, and that you & I agree on very little 🙂

    (e.g. PC/JS will and should be back. But that’s a different discussion.)

    It’s been a frustrating season on the field for sure, but your work has continued to excel. Thanks for all you do. Cheers.

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑