Instant reaction: Seahawks lose, need a passing game

Anyone remember what you felt like after the opening drive?

I’m struggling to think of a recent Seahawks performance quite as messy as this. There were games in the Mora era where the Seahawks just flat out bailed after going behind early, and there were some heavy defeats in the early Carroll days. This is much more frustrating. The team should be beyond the kind of basic errors we saw today. The Rams didn’t score an offensive touchdown, relied on long-range field goals and surrendered a big touchdown drive to start the game. And they still won comfortably.

This is a defensive unit that consistently flirts with elite status. Man for man, it’s a group that matches up to any in the league. So why can’t they defend third and long? Time and time again, drives against the Cowboys and Rams have been extended after the opponent reached 3rd and 10 or greater. It’s a complete head scratcher. Without going through each play today or against Dallas, it’s hard to work out what the problem is. It’s not an issue defending the screen, something we saw regularly in 201 to extend drives on third and long. It isn’t a draw play or underneath throw that is gashing the team. It appears to be pretty basic – Bradford/Romo dropped back and found open receivers in man-to-man coverage. Are the Seahawks using extra guys in the secondary? You presume so. What’s happening here? If the defense is going to live up to rising expectations, they have to get it done on third and long.

Penalties are killing the Seahawks. The coaches’ stress discipline so much, so why is this continuing to happen? Breno Giacomini is a walking 15-yard penalty. It seems like certain players are taking risks pretty much on every drive, chipping after the whistle or making unnecessary moves towards an opponent. The false start issues didn’t re-appear today but they were replaced by a few other costly flags. The message isn’t getting through here. Some are blaming the coaches, but they preach it so much. Eventually the players are just going to have to engage their brains or take a seat on the sidelines. It’s far too costly and Seattle remains one of the most penalised teams in the NFL.

I’m not going to blame Russell Wilson too much for this defeat. There is a ‘but…’ however. Of the three interceptions he had, one pass should’ve been caught by a receiver and a tight end tripped up leading to another. The other pick came on a cornerback blitz that he really should’ve done a better job handling. Janoris Jenkins moved inside and left a receiver open to the left, but Wilson checked to two options on the right, was hit by Jenkins and the ball was picked. React, get the ball to the left quickly and take what’s on offer. The concern I have with Wilson is a pretty big one. In four starts so far he has really struggled to sit in the pocket and make plays. On the penultimate drive he had pretty good protection on third down, but still panicked too quickly and left the pocket. He was sacked scrambling around trying to find space to throw.

Time and time again he’s leaving the pocket too quickly. If Wilson is ever going to make it as a long term starter, he has to be able to sit in the pocket and make reads. Right now he simply isn’t doing that. I’m not sure whether replacing him is the answer because you might end up switching one issue for another. For every play Wilson gets panicky and leaves the pocket, there’s a play where his superior mobility is a factor. It’s harsh to judge a rookie too early but I think we’re moving into the territory now where we don’t assume Wilson is the answer. For me, the Seahawks have made their bed and need to keep rolling with the guy and hope he improves. But for the first time this season the thought of going back to scouting quarterbacks crossed my mind.

Play calling is still a frustrating issue. Seattle ran the ball well all day and with the score at 16-13 were in the red zone at 3rd and 2. They called a QB draw. If you’re going to run, then run with Marshawn Lynch. If you’re going to throw, then throw the ball. Calling a QB draw was beyond getting cute. It reminded me of the option play on Monday against Green Bay (also on third down). Why get so intricate like that? It’s not a trick play, it’s not just solid football and let them stop you. I don’t understand either call.

On the whole the Seahawks are playing a brand of football that basically compensates for a total lack of a passing game. When the defense, special teams and run game click – they look like a very good team. Yet if one area doesn’t quite have a great day, another unit has to compensate to make up for it. The passing game cannot do that yet. What’s more, they don’t score cheap points. Getting a touchdown seems like a chore for this team – the red zone a place of dread. The passing game needs a complete overhaul and review in the off-season – it cannot be a complimentary piece. By all means create a dominating ground game – but it cannot be your entire identity. Balance must be found.

In 2010, Matt Hasselbeck had only 12 touchdowns and ranked way down the list for QB rating. He had 17 turnovers. Taravaris Jackson had just 14 touchdowns, 13 picks and again was way down the list for QB rating. Russell Wilson appears set to make it an unwelcome hat-trick of bad production for the position.

The Seahawks are a fortunate 2-2 but look more like the 1-3 team they probably should be. This could be a frustrating year overall, with some annoying defeats like this one and some equally tense victories down the road. But it still looks like a team that is going to be around eight wins. Maybe they go 7-9 again, maybe they edge to a winning record at 9-7? Everyone can see that the team is improving in certain areas, but if it’s going to break from mediocrity and become a contender the Seattle Seahawks need a passing game. The front office has to make it as much of a priority as the running game, offensive line, pass rush and secondary – all areas that have improved since the Pete Carroll era began.

List of priorities for the off season:

1. Passing game

End.

46 Comments

  1. MJ

    Great read and couldn’t agree more. Just frustrating to watch. I have been an RW fan, but it’s hard to defend him anymore. Not saying to give up on him, but I am absolutely dreading going 7-9 with a big question mark at QB. That simply can’t happen, but right now it seems to be going that way.

    The defense might be even more frustrating. Never have I seen such dominance with horrific lapses in judgment and poor play. They are not ELITE. Elite revolves primarily around consistency, which this team does not have. Those 3rd and longs are absolute killers. I’d argue that’s more disheartening for a team than a big play TD. It takes away time and sets up another 4 plays.

    The bottom line of this team is that they operate on the narrowest of margins. This is basically code for ‘unsustainable.’ They need to widen that margin and that starts with the ability to throw the ball and make some big plays. If they can establish a lead early on, then go to your bread and butter and demoralize a team by running them into submission. You can’t demoralize a team if you are not winning, plain and simple.

  2. Brandon Adams

    The passing game is the priority, but any negatively comparison of this loss to the Mora regime in even the most glancing style is…well, I can’t defend that. They’re not even in the same hemisphere. The Rams did not win comfortably, they got stopped seven times on third down, hit the red zone twice, won by six, and might not have won at all had they not had a kicker who can hit field goals from MIDFIELD.

    • Rob Staton

      I wasn’t comparing this loss to the Mora regime. I said I was struggling to think of a game as messy as this in recent memory, and qualified that while we’d seen bigger, more depressing defeats in the past (eg Mora) – this was more frustrating because we should be beyond the kind of mistakes seen today.

      And the Rams won comfortably in my opinion. I’m not overly biased to the positive or negative, I think that is fair comment as to my approach with the Seahawks and this blog. Today, I don’t feel like we did enough to win a game of football. They made key plays at key times, we made some plays but when it came down to it didn’t deliver. One great drive to start the game, then two field goals for three and a bit quarters isn’t enough. Sure – they won on a trick play and had a great FG kicker. They also won the turnover battle and had a much cleaner performance.

      Third down play – on both sides of the ball – is just not good enough and the passing game still looks like one of the worst in the NFL. And but for a very favorable decision last week, this would be a 1-3 team. And let’s be right here, could we really argue if that was the case? Our offense is completely lacking in balance and until that changes, we’ll continue to play this level of football.

    • glor

      Well Rob may not compare this lose o the Mora regime, but I will. What did Mora have to work with? why all the hate? PC has TOTAL control of this team, Mora had what Ruskell gave him.

      if anything, this is worse.

  3. Barry

    You hit on it Rob and its the biggest concern I have. If the Hawks don’t call a simple run play of some kind the offence looks poorly ran and executed most of the time. You rarely see a pass play call of any kind that make’s you go “yes good call, smart call”. It doesn’t have to be a big time play or deep throw. Just simple execution and playing to our personnel’s strengths. That has me more worried then Wilson’s height right now. Anyone who thinks Vick or Brees’s (sub) six feet makes a difference should go stand next to the two of them.

    I believe Wilson is a smart kid and can get the job done. But you cant call a game plan like he’s a vet Tom Brady and expect perfect execution. Someone on the staff needs to tear apart the other teams personnel and find miss matches. However little they may be.

    But another multiple INT game in a loss and people will start calling for our $10 mil Qb. Just the way it is.

    • Rob Staton

      It bothers me that there isn’t more variety in the pass game. Have we established one drive yet with a quick-tempo, short passing game? Has Wilson sat in the pocket or the gun and thrown a slant, a hitch, a slugo? It just seems like we have the play action pass or the boot leg. That’s it. And that run game better work or it’s good night Vienna. 16 points vs Arizona, 14 vs Green Bay (still really 7 for me) and 13 vs St. Louis. We are virtually playing without a pass offense. That cannot be right. It cannot be an after thought. It cannot be merely a compliment to the run. We’ve dedicated so much energy to other areas of the team and the pass offense needs to be given full priority going forward.

      • South_Seahawk

        Good post Rob,

        The pass play variety is oddly vanilla. Its either play action or some form of the bootleg. It isn’t creating chunk plays. Isn’t that what play-action is meant to do? Play action is supposed to suck up the safeties so that you can throw it deep over their head. We rarely complete long passes. I dont know who’s to blame with this, whether its that we don’t have WR’s that can get deep, RW doesn’t have a good deep ball, the OL can’t pass pro, or Bevell isn’t callin them right. I dont know.

        In the draft, we need “chunk players”. Marshawn is a great RB, but I still think we could use a Darren Sproles type as a change of pace guy that can pick up chunks of yards. Our TE’s aren’t dynamic pass catchers. And outside of Rice, i dont know who you can count on as a WR. It just isn’t good enough.

        I do look at a replacement at Offensive Coordinator as perhaps our biggest chance of improving our team in the offseaseon. Find a guy that has a reputation as a great OC. Bevell just doesn’t seem like a guy with a great hold on the offense. He doesn’t seem to have a commanding presence like other prominant OC’s.

  4. John

    I really wish we had a true nickel corner. I’ve seen Tru get beat quite a bit. I also wish they’d stop putting Kam in man. Straight up, if I see him line up with the slot receiver, I already know where the balls going.

    All that said, Pete deserves alot of blame this game for letting Fisher climb in his head. After that fake FG, he goes out trying to have Wilson run a two minute drill which leads to 3 points. Then goes onside kick and that leads to 3 points. We don’t win with shenanigans. We win by punching you in the face. Don’t try to trick a trickster and play your game. I felt Carroll let his ego get in the way for awhile after that fake FG.

    Part of me is beginning to think that PC is a great great great talent evaluater but a meh gameday coach. As for Wilson… meh. I don’t put everything on his plate either. Those missed training camp reps and the fact that we don’t have a very good offensive mind on the team play a big role in all of that. RGIII is succeeding because Shanahan is awesome and helping a QB ( i.e. Bootleg Plummer) and they have made that scheme perfect for him. Wilson, not so much. Giacomini pisses me off to no end, (just had to pepper that in).

  5. Charles

    You know Rob.. I like RW and I think he’s a great kid with outstanding character.. However.. I noticed when Matt Flynn played.. It seem so much more precise.. I know it was just the preseason.. But It did seem like he was exactly what we needed. I don’t know for sure if Flynn is the answer at this moment but, It did seem like the execution was more precise and methodical.. Dink and Dunk, throw the occasional deep ball for a strike.. Flynn DOES step up in the pocket.. Classic pocket pass.. One of the issues you’ll have with a rookie is if the O-line ISN’T solidified completely it can rattle a rookie QB and it has. First sign of pressure and Wilson starts running OUTSIDE the pocket even with a clean pocket. Flynn may not have started many games but certainly he can recognize blitzes and hot reads fairly quickly.. He’s seen that much..

    • Rob Staton

      I disagree a little bit Charles. I think Flynn was pretty underwhelming in pre-season and looked like the kind of guy that would’ve been frustrating to watch and easy to scapegoat if the team wasn’t winning. Wilson won the job fairly in my eyes and looked superb in pre-season, but it hasn’t been replicated when the real stuff began. I have legit concerns about him in the pocket, he has to prove he can get it done without a bootleg or play action. That is a big worry for me. And while Flynn would do a better job simply remaining in the pocket, I’m not convinced it would translate to much greater results. The Seahawks are using a philosophy where they appear to want to rely on the run with a passing compliment that includes big plays. If Flynn is only passing 20-25 times a game and being expected to make 3-4 big plays, I’m not sure it’d happen. Flynn is better suited to a 30-40 attempts type game where he plays short and chips away with the occasional shot into single coverage. I don’t much like this scheme because it puts the smallest amount of emphasis on the most important aspect of the modern NFL, while putting unnecessary strain on a good defense and running game. But really for what they want to try and do, Wilson (physically) is the better fit. I’m just not sure the initial fit is the best thing for this team to win as many games as it’s capable of.

      • Charles

        Rob, while I agree Flynn didn’t look great in preseason. That said, I honestly think that Wilson’s height is indeed playing a factor. The fact that his release has to be so high due to his height and his unwillingness to step up in the pocket, has really taken away the middle of the field. In other words, it’s one less threat that from Wilson that Flynn does posses. Even if Flynn’s mobility isn’t as great, I think he can make all of the throws. Wilson hasn’t show the ability to do that, and in fact should have more interceptions as a result of his high release. I’m all for the underdog, but to give the season up for what could be a failed experiment anyway I’m conflicted. I thought that we should have started the QB that has more experience. While Flynn’s game experience isn’t extensive, I think he’s seen enough (As the understudy to one of the best QB in the league) to be able to push through it. We have to know what he have or do not have in Matt Flynn. I don’t think we have enough information either way at this point. Offensively, I think we can agree on, our passing game stinking up the field.

        • AlaskaHawk

          Not to mention we have sunk 10 million into Flynn and never played him. He did set passing records at Green Bay so he can’t be that bad. Does it make sense to have another losing season and then end up trading Flynn without ever playing him?

          I also wonder what happened to quick slants up the middle. They are quick, high success ratio, and good against blitzs, and every other team uses them effectively.

          • peter

            Heck if we can “trade,” flynn with never playing him then I’m all in. In all seriousness, let’s stop with the passing records crap. Rob’s right, Green bay throws the bal WAY more often then Carrol does. The end. How on earth are you expecting passing greatness out of FLynn at a clip of 25 attempts a game? In his Loss against New england he threw 37 times for 254 yards, not exactly world beating. In his record day he had 49 attempts….double Wilson’s attempts per game thus far.

  6. Joe the Jarhead

    The three definites Seattle has this season: 1) Our 3rd down offense and defense is inexcusable. It is the worst I would wager in the league. We are a different team on first and second down than on third. That is the most critical down, and when you are rooting for 3rd and 2 so the offense may actually run and we could have a chance to actually get them off the field is sad. We must fix this. 2) Breno is a complete liability. I know all of us have seen him and his cheap shits and bad attitude- it’s time for Breno to be gone. 3) We DO NOT have the answer at QB. I would have loved to have RW come out and be the man, but the more I watch the more I am convinced that this is something that is just beyond his reach. We can not pass block worth a damn, of course. Our pass blocking is All-Time bad. Chipping Chris Long and then letting him go unblocked? Shameful. Flynn is garbage and would only cement us the overall number one, so let’s all get real. I’m going to start watching Matt Barkley games again and hope for some good luck. Time for us to be honest and pragmatic

    • Joe the Jarhead

      Hahaha Oops that should say SHOTS, CHEAP SHOTS. Freudian slip…

  7. Colin

    This was a bad game. Breno Giacomini killed two drives with his personal fouls. The non offsides call on the sack of Russell killed momentum. This team is just too damn basic.

    The 3rd down draw play in the red zone…. good lord. You’ve gashed that team for 5 a carry all game, and that’s the best we have? Awful.

    Pete’s decision for the onsides…. wow. That isn’t showing faith in a defense, it’s desperation for good field position.

    Gus buddy, you don’t have to play man-to-man on every 3rd down. You can blitz, I promise this secondary can cover.

    Even though everyone is down after this game, there is an upside to everything. If this passing game gets clicking, this will be one of the elite teams in the NFL. Until then, they are just going to be elite at inconsistency.

  8. James

    After looking at the tape of this game, how can Pete conclude anything except that a major piece of his team is failing? If not fixed immediately, it will result in a losing season by a team otherwise good enough to make the playoffs. Fault and blame for the woeful passing game:

    1. The buck stops at Pete’s desk
    2. Darrell Bevell for timid and fearful playcalling
    3. Wide receivers getting no separation
    4. What the hell has happened to Baldwin?
    5. Penalties in the offensive line
    6. An inexperienced QB

  9. Cougfanstan

    Rob. The lack of investment in the offensive skill positions is killing us. Absolutely zero playmakers on offense. We need some speed Frustrating. Worst offense in the league. Hands down

    • MJ

      It’s borderline neglect.

    • Rob Staton

      Well they’ve made an investment – $13m to be exact in two players (Rice, Miller). Plus they did extend Lynch. The issue for me is the way they use those players. The running game is so good, that finding a passing game shouldn’t be this difficult. Yet they cannot find a passing game. Why? I have to assume at this point because of the philosophy which appears to be run, run run – passing game to compliment. That’s not balanced enough. They need to make the passing game much more of a priority in scheming.

      • AlaskaHawk

        Only one high round receiver drafted in last three years. Baldwin is a great story but you can’t keep picking out Undrafted receivers and expecting to succeed. Speaking of Miller, when will we really start using him with passes up the middle?

      • South_Seahawk

        Its funny. The seahawks actually started out the game with two straight successful passes. It was working. We looked damn good on the first drive. We had balance and we scored a TD. I was feeling pretty good about the game. And then its like we got in our own ways. We referred back to Run, Run, pass 3rd and 6. The playcalling just became obvious.

    • Brunanburh

      I’d like to see Wilson trust Zach Miller more. He was a good comfort blanket for some dismal QBs and passing offenses at the Raiders, so surely he can do the same thing in the Seahawks scheme. He just is that bit more proven in the job than McCoy or Moore.

      • Barry

        I agree with Rob that we have spent money on solid known personnel with Miller and Rice. Baldwin’s production wasn’t a unknown “fluke” player after 5 weeks of solid production. You are a known quantity in the NFL after being productive in that amount of time for teams to take notice. I observe not finding the grove between our O-coordinators and offensive personal almost like a lack in trust. We have three known pass catching TEs, WR’s we can get some production done, and all our backs have shown good ability to catch the ball. For the Jets that’s basically all Washington was, a 3rd down back. In short the players are there to get more production then we currently are.

        I think anyone would love to be running with 1-2 rnd talent in the league. But that’s not realistic and there haven’t been many receivers worthy of being drafted around where the Hawks have been the last few years in the first esp. I have been really impressed, well with the exception of Okung (guys was smoked by Nick Reed) with our draft picks since PC and John have taken over.

        – I also agree with you Brunanburh. We need some hot reads that will always be there for those two, regardless of passing lanes. Anything, because Wilson doesn’t have anything to resemble a go to right now. I though him and Tate were in the middle of developing something after watching the Packers game but nothing came of it last week. It seems McCoy has a knack for the fade post but that’s not a route that will be there every play and has to be developed.

        Its so frustrating. Watching the Az how many chances did we get to win it down there within the 10 yrds. Then watching the plays develop in the GB game on the last drive I wanted to pause it and hit rewind because i couldn’t believe that was it.

  10. Darnell

    bright side:

    – Wagner’s speed became apparent.
    – Mebane is Mebane
    -Unger is elite
    – Carp looked completely at home inside on the leftside. Like the rare guard prospect that you could legitamately spend a top 20 pick.

    • MJ

      Great points. Wagner is really clicking and his speed is elite for a LB.

      Glad you brought up Carp. People were too quick to write him off. Won’t b shocked if he’s a top 5 Guard in the NFL by the end of the season. He is a left side player. People don’t realize how tough it is to transition to the opposite side.

      • Barry

        I second MJ, great point Darnell.

        So happy with Carps play and Wagner and Wright are looking special as LBs. The whole D looks more then I thought we’d ever have, and damn I hope Carp can stay healthy and pave some ways for the run game.

  11. Kip Earlywine

    I think Seattle is a legit 2-2. They’ve outscored their opponents on the season, and they’ve out-gained their opponents in 3 of the 4 games. I felt like Seattle was lucky to win against Green Bay, and unlucky in the Cardinals and Rams games. One of the few drawbacks of the NFL is that it’s short season allows for luck to play a very big role in the outcome of a season.

    But yeah, the passing offense is painful. I was a Wilson bandwagon guy in the preseason, but he’s not suited for the conservative offense that Pete Carroll wants right now. If Pete wants to play not to lose, Flynn would fit that role better. If Wilson continues to start, they need to start freeing him up more. And I agree, some of the 3rd down playcalling hasn’t helped.

    A month ago, I didn’t think there was any chance Seattle would draft a QB early in 2013. Now I’m starting to wonder about that. If we had a league average QB- if we had so much as a Matt Cassell or Joe Flacco- this team might be 4-0 right now. I’m fine with starting 2-2, but it’s painful to think about how the team is being held back in the passing game.

    • glor

      Hey Kip, I agree with most of all of your thoughts.. however when I look at the all-22, it seems to me that Wilson is making a lot of mistakes when it comes down to “where” to throw the ball, and “when” to throw the ball. As has been commented on this morning, another very obvious example of this is the pass to McCoy (when he fell down) the pass should have never been intended for him in the 1st place as Baldwin was wide open down the middle.. problem is that it seems that this happens quite often with Wilson (Golden was wide open down the middle on the 1st passing game Monday night also).

      He either can’t see the open receivers, or he can’t process things quickly enough to get the ball out of his hands.. How many “quick” passes have we seen from him?
      Also, I don’t see how Wilson clearly won this job in the offseason, Flynn didn’t even play against KC, and could have done equally well. Wilson played against 2nd and 3rd stringers in the 1st two games.. I think Wilson played well enough that Pete figured he wouldn’t have a revolt if he started him, but Flynn wasn’t bad, he just didn’t rip the opposing D’s up.. of course he was also robbed of 2/3rds of the snaps through the offseason..

      • Rugby Lock

        The robbing of reps argument could be made for RW and MF to be honest. TJax should not have been part of that rotation past the minicamp and the competition should’ve been between RW and MF IMO. I also think that we’re seeing the result of taking so damned long to make the decision. At worst it should have been after the first preseason game with before being the preference. It will probably take a few more games for the lack of reps to be made up for. I am also going to submit the complete lack of continuity on the Oline is a bigger factor than people are making it out to be. Why do O linemen like running plays? Because the blocking is easier! I do wholeheartedly agree that they need to open up the playbook and stop making stupid calls like the 3rd and 2 draw and the onside kick just after halftime. WTF was that malarkey about???

    • Steen

      i don’t know what offense Wilson is suited for, he’s missing open receivers on the limited number of passing attempts he’s getting right now, why should we beleive that number just won’t go up w/ more throws?

      How do you know that they don’t have a league average QB? Why don’t we wait and see Flynn play before making that assessment.

  12. Turp

    If Pete wants to play not to lose, Flynn would fit that role better. If Wilson continues to start, they need to start freeing him up more

    Kip – best summary I’ve read on this so far.

    • glor

      Wilson has shown us nothing in the regular season to indicate that he would do better with more pass attempts..

  13. A. Simmons

    A painful loss. This is Pete Carroll developing a rookie QB along with other mistakes like that dumb onside kick. We’re going to have to wait it out. No way to determine how this will go this early. If it continues on, we’re screwed. If the offense improves, we could be a contender.

  14. Vin

    Great commetns all around. Its hard to argue with any of them. As stated earlier, Giacomini has to go, or be benched…something. He’s the opposing D’s best friend. I dont know how many times his F ups has taken the wind out of our sail. And what’s with the passes on 3rd and short? That screams for a Marshawn, heck even Turbinator, run up the gut. Our bread and butter is the running game and I’d dare any team to stop us on 3rd & 2. But instead, we call pass. WTF?

    RW’s height is starting to become a factor. He’s missing out on the middle of the field. I noticed one play where Obo ran an ‘in’ and settled just behind the DL…enough to make the 3rd and short, but RW missed him completely and I think threw incomplete to the right. And the commentators mentioned how the DL had gotten the timing down on the 3 & 5 step drop so that they’d just jump up to bat his passes down.

    The playcalling…whether its on PC or Bevell….its just horrendous. I dont understand why they’d go after all this talent (Rice, Miller, Moore, Edwards) but not use it….even a little bit. I’d rather they lose throwing everything at the opponent, than to rely on Run, Run, Pass. I know its not that simple, but with all that talent we have, I dont think it has to be that hard either. I just really want the team to succeed, just like everybody else.

    • glor

      There have been some questionable play calls, however execution is why we are loosing games right now.

      • Rob Staton

        Execution is poor, but there’s no excuse for a QB draw on 3rd and short when you’re running 5 YPA and in the red zone.

  15. Cougfanstan

    Rob. In terms of a lack of investment in offensive skill position, I was not counting the attempts at free agents. I’m talking about draft capital, why invest so much in terms of Oline, if u have no playmakers on the outside. I don’t understand why Schneider has ignored the offense? How many years ina row do we have to finish 28th or so in offense and scoring before we make an investment in the draft? I appreciate the running game. But it must be balanced with at least some down field threat. Do u think we might need a receiver or 4 in next years draft?

    • Rob Staton

      I guess it depends Stan – because I’ve seen Zach Miller be Oakland’s best receiver by a mile for four seasons in a row prior to coming here. I’ve seen Sidney Rice act as a #1 receiver in Minnesota (when healthy). They did draft Golden Tate in round two and I like Anthony McCoy more than most. But the offense – in my opinion – is too heavily weighted to the run. I don’t think we’ll ever get the most out of the weapons on offense if the team is only throwing when it has to on PA’s and boot legs. While that’s the case… I’m not sure they’ll ever max out the talent on offense.

      • Colin

        And who is ultimately responsible for that, Rob? Pete, for ignoring our offense in the draft as much as he and John have, or Darrell Bevell, who is the anti-Jim Harbaugh, having 0 offensive creativity and is the most predictable playcaller in the league.

        • Rob Staton

          I still hesitate to say Pete has ‘ignored’ the offense in the draft. In R1 they’ve taken 2/4 picks on offense, in R2 they’ve used 1/2 picks on offense and in round three they’ve traded for a QB, drafted for a QB and drafted a right guard. Not to mention big investment at WR and TE and trading for Lynch. So nobody’s ignoring anything in terms of personnel, it’s just the scheme/vision which needs to be adjusted to a more balanced attack.

  16. shah8

    So, RW isn’t going to get the plethora of excuses that Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert got last year, eh? Not that one really wants that kind of nastiness–neither are particularly good now, even if they are playing better this season.

    Perhaps compare him with Andrew Luck. Has more yards and one more TD compared to Wilson, and a much high Y/A and AY/A. Thing is, he has the same number of interceptions in one fewer game as well, and from what I’ve seen, three were against one truly good defense. More than that, at least one of those interceptions were a result of Luck trying to do what his arm wasn’t really capable of. RW has better excuses for virtually all of his ints. Luck does do more passing attempts and does more yards, but he kind of has to. Donald is simply less sexy than Marshawn. RW has also faced serious defenses in every start.

    In any event, even after the SF game, I would rather have RW over Christian Ponder in a micro-second. I would probably rather have RW over Matt Flynn. Which leads to something that really needs to be said: Matt Flynn does not have the physical capability to be a regular NFL starting QB. I suspect he would have some success early on as defenses this year have responded to the deep passing explosion last year in rather effective fashion, such that Christian Ponder is taking advantage of the cushions + real stars like Harvin and Peterson to bubble screen teams to death. Thing is, defenses will start customizing to offenses as time goes on, and we saw some of that with Detroit and their hapless secondary shutting that down. Thank goodness they can’t do discipline or ST play. Matt Flynn will see the same thing, and we’ll see Cassell-like offensive implosions–despite awesome RBs and WRs.

    What’s reality, is that Tarvaris Jackson, despite not being the greatest QB ever, was still effectively above replacement level. We’re seeing the adjustment to that QB change. Doing it again for a rookie QB who is frankly much more effective than most rookie quarterbacks have been (remember Freeman in ’09?), in favor of a journeyman QB who was picked late for reasons more concrete than Tom Brady or Joe Webb, is likely not to be an effective move. I still remember Caleb Hanie’s one good game that subsidize that Chicago hell a year later. Absent an injury to RW, I do not think Carroll will bend to fan sentiment.

  17. South_Seahawk

    One thing that concerns me is we have seen that offensive players aren’t getting better once they get in Seattle, they are getting worse. Sidney Rice was a borderline number 1, not anymore. Zach Miller was considered a Top 5 TE in Oakland, can’t seem to get him involved here. Leon was a legit change of pace back with the Jets, now he doesn’t even get many carries. Evan Moore hasn’t been utilized.

    The only player that has gotten considerably better since coming to Seattle is Marshawn Lynch and he actually was a legit back in Buffallo, he just wasn’t getting enough carries.

    Its frustrating because we look to the other side of the ball and it seems like every move has worked. Red, Browner,Clemons, Branch. It’s like every move has been successful and every defensive player has gotten better since coming to Seattle, just wish we could see that on offense.

  18. Phil

    I’d have to re-watch the earlier games, but I’ve got this suspicion that RW’s height (or lack thereof) really hurts him (and the Seahawks)on the 3rd down and 3 or 4 yds. to go situations (hence their poor 3rd down conversion rate). I don’t think he feels comfortable throwing unless he has a clear passing lane so I think he suffers on passing downs when he has to make a quick 3-step drop to complete a slant or some other quick route. Sure, he can complete these passes in less obvious passing situations, but I don’t see him having much success in obvious passing situations unless he rolls out, bootlegs, or takes a deeper drop.

    I actually think his passing skills are better suited to an offense that downplays the shorter routes and looks for the intermediate and deep routes. But, the Seahawks don’t appear to have receivers that can threaten the opponents defenses on these routes.

    The opening drive was impressive from the start. The offense threw the ball on first down and seemed to use the pass to set up the run. But, after their initial success, they seemed to go conservative (and predictable) again.

  19. A. Simmons

    I watched our pass plays again.

    Love to see what Rob or Kip think of Giacomini the pass blocker. I counted six or seven plays Breno fell down or missed his block allowing pressure on Wilson. We had at least two times we completely missed picking up obvious rushers like 94 Robert Quinn lined up wide and a corner blitz. There were at least 13 of 30 pass plays where the pass protection allowed penetration that pushed Russell off his spot in the pocket.

    Giacomini was a liability in pass blocking against St. Louis. And he had those two egregious roughing penalties. Maybe Rob needs to start looking at RTs in the later rounds.

    • Rob Staton

      I would honestly play McQuistan there unless they truly believe he isn’t capable of switching to RT. Giacomini has been a liability in more ways than one this season. But hey – as Mike Shanahan said in pre-season – “name me a team who does have a great right tackle?’

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