Seahawks Draft Blog

Scouting notes week seven: Quinn Ewers returns, Donovan Jackson & Iowa center impress again, TE’s excel and more

October 13, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Here’s what stood out to me in week seven:

— Quinn Ewers looked incredibly rusty in his return to action for Texas. His accuracy was off all day and it’s a credit to the rest of the team that they still dominated Oklahoma.

It started poorly and never really got going for Ewers. On a 3rd and 14 on his first drive he did well to step into the pocket but then fired way over an open receiver. It led to a gift of an interception for the deep defender. An awful throw.

He then misfired on a third down on his second drive — showing uncharacteristic impatience and rushing an inaccurate throw short to a wide open receiver down the middle of the field. If he keeps his composure there, it’s an easy touchdown.

You kept waiting for the rust to be knocked off and his best form to emerge, especially since Oklahoma offered so little resistance. It never came.

This game alone won’t impact evaluations but teams will be eager to see him play a lot better. He gets a game’s grace after returning from injury. Next week he plays Georgia and then the week after he travels to Vanderbilt. It’s no exaggeration to suggest those two games might define his stock — as well as any potential run in the playoffs.

— Wisconsin left tackle Jack Nelson is an underrated offensive lineman we’ve talked about a lot. I thought he did a really good job against Rutgers yesterday, again highlighting why he’s worthy of our attention.

Nelson dominated the edge rushers he faced showing off great footwork to protect the blindside of his quarterback. His footwork was textbook, he never lost balance and you could see how controlled his hands and body were as they worked together.

However, he isn’t a left tackle. Later in the game Rutgers started testing him with some inside moves and he struggled. He did a passable job at trying to recover and regain an angle but you could see Rutgers were targeting him with this tactic. It suggests he oversets to the edge and isn’t a natural to play the blindside.

I’m not overly concerned by this though because I think his home is at guard. When he can play square, attach himself to a defender and finish, he’s very good. I think he has plus potential kicking inside and could be a value pick on day two.

— While Miami’s Cam Ward has shown in recent games that old habits die hard, Saturday’s game between Alabama and South Carolina was a further sign that people talking up Jalen Milroe as a high first round pick need to chill their beans.

He is still showing no signs of an ability to sit in the pocket, process and move the chains. He had an awful, jittery overthrow on a screen pass that was almost picked off when facing a little pressure. He struggles on third downs in the pocket. He continues to play in a ‘one read and run’ style that is not transferable.

Milroe gave up a safety drifting back into his own end zone then throwing at the feet of an offensive lineman with no receiver in the area. It was terrible awareness. He had a horrendous interception before half-time — throwing into coverage with what should’ve been the last play of the half, gifting South Carolina a field goal after they returned the ball into range.

He then threw another bloody awful interception at the start of the fourth quarter — leaning back, lofting the ball to the back of the end zone. There are two defenders clearly waiting to pick the ball off. This is just bad quarterback play.

Why were people touting a place him for the top-10? Just because he ran around well against Georgia? His only passing touchdown in the game was a wide open easy throw on a blown coverage.

There are things to like about Milroe. He has excellent character, he’s clearly a brilliant athlete and as a runner he can be really dynamic. His arm strength is good and it enables him to make plays downfield. However, he is not showing technical improvement like many are suggesting, he shows no evidence of any progressions, pocket savvy or technical quality. He is a one-read passer who will set off running if the read isn’t open.

Milroe requires major work for the next level and will need time operating with a great offensive leader. He warrants a day two grade for his physical upside but he’s a long way off all of the first round and top-10 chatter some in draft media were chucking out there.

From the same game, I thought Kyle Lennard — who we’ve talked about before — had a terrific game. He slipped inside to push the lineman back using power. He attacked the edge with quickness and burst. He’s comfortable mushing his rush to play read/react. Kennard has done as much as anyone to upgrade his stock this year and he should be in the day two conversation pre-testing and Senior Bowl. He finished with two sacks and three TFL’s. TJ Sanders also commanded plenty of respect from Alabama and the undersized Tonka Hemingway had a nice sack. South Carolina has some quality players on defense.

— Iowa center Logan Jones had another extremely impressive game against Washington. He dominated the interior, using his low center of gravity and explosive power to attack opponents off the snap. I’ve spoken to NFL evaluators about what they look for in a center and the common refrain is they want someone who shoots his hands quickly and plays in attack mode. That’s what Jones does. He drove UW defenders off the line and a lot of Kaleb Johnson’s best runs were up the gut. He also shows off a strong back to drop the anchor. Jones is definitely one to watch. I have him graded in round two.

Exceptional running back Kaleb Johnson also had another blistering day. He is silky smooth and almost glides when he gets an opening. He snakes through gaps with great agility, has the hip work to create big gains and he can cut and explode upfield. He also has the size and desire to finish runs. Johnson is a terrific playmaker and the clear RB2 in this draft with legit big-time NFL potential. I think he’s a top-50 prospect in the 2025 class.

— Penn State tight end Tyler Warren has been on our radar for weeks and we’ve discussed how he’d played his way into fringe first round consideration. He flashed again on Saturday, recording 224 receiving yards in an overtime win against USC.

He’s used virtually as a #1 target. Drew Allar constantly looks for him. It does need to be mentioned that they kept running the same pick/screen to Warren that USC had no idea how to stop. He got a lot of joy from a concept the NFL wouldn’t be toiling with to this extent. However, he can also move around the formation to find soft spots in coverage. He’s a good athlete and he’s tremendously reliable with his hands — making several highlight-reel catches this season.

His touchdown was an incredible contested grab on a 40-yard trick-play downfield. He finished every run after the catch with a thumping hit. Warren also showed agility weaving through traffic. Penn State line him up under center too for throwing trickery or direct snaps/runs. Only Ashton Jeanty has played as consistently well as Warren this season.

Allar threw three interceptions in another performance that just reminded me of my favourite comp — Mike Glennon. The first pick was a poor throw into coverage over the middle. He doesn’t ID the defender and it’s a really poor decision. The second pick — again I don’t understand what he’s reading. He threw into traffic, it’s a tipped pass and it’s picked off. You can’t make these throws. The third interception was a poor attempt at a Hail Mary that didn’t reach the end zone.

In fairness to Allar, he did make two huge 4th down conversions late in the game to keep Penn State alive. Yet his touchdowns were only the double pass to Warren who did all the work in the end zone and a check-down to Nicholas Singleton on a blown coverage. I find it difficult to muster much enthusiasm for Allar and still view him as a day three pick.

— Garrett Nussmeier is a baller. He made some mistakes against Ole Miss but just kept firing back. The errors didn’t get to him and when LSU needed a ballsy throw in a big moment, he delivered.

We’ve talked about how he’s technically the best quarterback eligible for next year and he showed that again here. He doesn’t have massive traits but he’s adept at throwing with anticipation and timing, he makes more NFL-level throws than any other QB in college football and in this contest he showed he can win a big game for his team when the pressure’s on.

Look at the pocket awareness on this throw, keeping his eyes downfield and executing:

This is a NFL play. He shifts away from the pressure and navigates the defender well, keeps his eyes downfield and executes the pass.

On the fourth down touchdown throw to tie the game with seconds remaining, look at the anticipation on this throw:

His footwork actually isn’t great here, he’s hopping to his left for no reason and it takes some velocity off the pass. He actually ends up throwing across his body — not ideal. Yet look at the anticipation and the ability to still execute. The receiver is nowhere to be seen when he releases the ball and it is perfect accuracy to the spot he’s running into.

Here’s the standard broadcast view of the touchdown. There are 30 seconds remaining and it’s 4th and 5. This is the ball game right here:

Nussmeier actually has a lot more natural talent than I think people are giving him credit for. Look at this throw. It’s perfect placement, off-structure and improvised with his footwork. It’s an incredible pass:

In the post-game press conference Nussmeier called it ‘one of the worst games of his career’. He won his team the game and he’s pissed off about the turnovers. I like that. He isn’t flawless and the mistakes and lack of elite traits prevent you from going all-in on a top draft projection. At the moment I have him in round two. I don’t think he’ll declare and will likely prefer a second season starting at LSU — unless he leads a great playoff run and wants to strike while the iron’s hot. However, there is talent here and a technical quality that is beyond most college passers.

One thing I am wary of though is a lack of mobility. Increasingly in the NFL I think the ability to scramble, extend and create is important. Brock Purdy, not known as a mad scrambler, is showing he can do it this season and his game has reached a new level. Nussmeier is very much a pocket passer. Whenever the Seahawks do ultimately draft a young quarterback, I’d ideally like that player to be able to get out of the pocket and avoid pressure when necessary. Not at the expense of being a terrible pocket passer though — and that is where Nussmeier excels.

Another note from this game — LSU tight end Mason Taylor is a really interesting player within this star-studded TE class. If the top players declare, we could see 5-7 tight ends taken in the first two rounds.

— Last week we highlighted UNLV’s brilliant receiver Ricky White III. He had another excellent outing on Saturday, gaining 138 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions. It doesn’t matter whether he’s well covered or not — he makes spectacular, difficult catches downfield. He has ample speed. His body control is excellent. His body type really reminds me of Nuk Hopkins. He has a similar level of sophistication in his route running and concentration too. For me he’s a top-50 talent in this draft class and a good Senior Bowl and combine could propel him into round one. He’s one of the best kept secrets in the 2025 draft.

— Donovan Jackson had a disappointing 2024 season but I thought the Ohio State guard had his best game in a long time last weekend and he followed it up against Oregon. He was powerful and drove opponents off the ball consistently. They often ran to his side and he made key blocks on an early fourth down conversion and a touchdown run by quarterback Will Howard. He pulled to the right side with ease and connected with his blocks in the open field. He stood up well in pass-pro — holding blocks for long stretches to allow the QB a good pocket to throw from. Jackson was beaten on a quick inside move that ended in a forced fumble but it was the only real blemish. He has excellent physical tools and an ideal body type for the position. He looks like the player who once garnered first round chatter and based on the last two games, he’s a top-45 pick. That’s good news for teams in need of a good, young left guard. It’d be something to be quite enthusiastic about if the Seahawks hadn’t suddenly shown they are far further away from contention than simply adding one highly drafted guard.

There was some bad news from the game — Ohio state left tackle Josh Simmons, my top rated tackle on the horizontal board, suffered a suspected season-ending knee injury.

— Nothing sums Shedeur Sanders up better than the sequence that saw him give up an avoidable grounding penalty for a big loss, only to then come roaring back on a 2nd and 28 to complete the perfect touch pass downfield for a first down, only to then throw a lousy interception over the middle. Sanders is very much a ‘yes! no! yes! no!’ type of player. He has all the talent in the world and can make things happen. He also makes big mistakes — none more so than his preference to throw downfield at inopportune times. For example, there was a 4th and 5 situation with the game on the line. He took the snap, assessed his options and then threw a downfield fade to the right sideline. There’s a minute to go. It’s not the time for a deep shot — move the chains. Keep the game alive.

This is already not a good class at the top of round one with a dearth of legit top-10 players. The quarterbacks not elevating to gain position in that range isn’t helping.

It’s also worth noting that Travis Hunter left the Colorado/Kansas State game with an injury. There’s no news on how serious it is. DJ Giddens, Kansas State’s tremendous running back, had a typically productive game. He has a little Alvin Kamara to his game. I think he’s RB3 and a top-70 pick.

— Boise State’s Heisman favourite Ashton Jeanty ran for another 217 yards, this time adding 20 receiving yards, to go with two touchdowns. He again ran with physicality, running over defenders, and had a big 54-yard rush. He’s a top-10 pick.

I am considering posting where my horizontal board is currently, at least through rounds 1-3, at some point this week. I haven’t watched every player and there’s still time for others to elevate their stock. But I want to show where I have certain players graded as things stand.

Why the Seahawks are already facing a critical period under the new regime

October 11, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Ill-disciplined, dysfunctional football leading to a three-game losing streak where the opponents combine for 519 rushing yards. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

So what’s gone wrong and what’s the state of the Seahawks franchise?

1. They don’t have enough quality players

The 49ers can line Nick Bosa up every down and believe in good faith he’ll impact the play. They know Fred Warner, on any given snap, could make something happen. Increasingly they can rely on their quarterback to be far more than a game-manager. Brock Purdy is becoming a legit dynamo as a playmaker.

The Seahawks, with all their draft stock spent and free agent money invested, do not have any blue-chip players. Tony Gonzalez made this point on Amazon pre-game. He claimed the Seahawks don’t have any all-pro’s. I saw the aggregate accounts populating Seahawks twitter having a field day with this, mocking Gonzalez.

He’s right though, isn’t he? Who are Seattle’s special players?

Over the years they’ve neither used a top-10 pick on a superstar like Bosa, nor have they struck gold in the later rounds. When John Schneider and Pete Carroll built the LOB era they constantly found diamonds. Drafting Earl Thomas early, then Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman later on. Finding a franchise quarterback in round three. Trading for Marshawn Lynch, a genuine world class running back and culture/tone setter.

The Seahawks have some good players, some average players, some bad players and some underachieving ones. There’s a distinct lack of greatness, though.

Until they acquire those players, they’ll continue to be a team that is too good to be horrible yet not good enough to be taken seriously as a post-season threat. That’s not a good place to be if you want your football team to play meaningful games after New Year’s Eve.

2. Too many players flatter to deceive

It’s clear there are players on Seattle’s roster that have the physical capability to be better than they’re currently showing. Some failed to live up to their potential under the Carroll regime. The hope was that the change in staff could unlock them and they turn into blue-chippers.

Sadly it isn’t happening. D.K. Metcalf, for example, remains an occasionally brilliant, often frustrating commodity. If he wants to achieve greatness he has to dominate a decimated San Francisco secondary. He failed. The inability to come back to the ball on the underthrown deep-pass before half-time and beast the defender to either make the catch or draw a penalty summed up the worst of Metcalf. Mike Evans makes that play. Metcalf regularly doesn’t. He’s rarely unstoppable, despite his outstanding physical traits.

Ken Walker is showing that physically he might be the best running back in the NFL at the moment. Yet in the last two games they haven’t been able to get him going. Against the Giants they basically ignored the run. Against the 49ers they asked him to bang his head against a brick wall up the gut early and often. Compare this to the 49ers who, even with their injury issues at running back and mediocre O-line, were able to spring massive gains. The Niners achieved 6.9 yards per carry compared to Seattle’s meagre 2.6 yesterday.

Nobody sums up the frustrating tease of this roster more than Dre’Mont Jones, though. A big-ticket free agent in 2023, most fans celebrated his addition. Finally, the Seahawks made a splash on the market. They’d needed an impact, versatile defender like this for a long time. Now they had one.

Jones has been a big waste of money. Making it worse is the way they doubled down on his contract in the off-season. It’s now more expensive to move on from him. He received a pathetic 32.9 grade against the 49ers. His grade for the season is 50.1. He’s grading badly both versus the run (50.8) and as a pass rusher (58.4).

He’s been an epic disappointment. There had to be some hope that Mike Macdonald could get him going but if anything, he looks worse than last season. His cap hit next year is an eye-watering $25.6m. It’s projected to be 9% of Seattle’s entire cap space. Cutting him would cost you $14m in dead money.

Both Jones’ signing and the decision to push some of his money into the future go down as huge gaffes by the front office. He’s their biggest ever outside free agent splash and he’s just become a financial dead weight. Jones is a honking disappointment and embodies the way this roster has plenty of athletic potential but is largely ineffective.

3. The coaches are struggling

This isn’t a big surprise. When you appoint a rookie Head Coach with only two years’ experience as a NFL defensive coordinator, an offensive leader who’s never even coached in the NFL, a defensive coordinator whose only experience previously was as a position coach and a special teams coordinator who only previously did this job in college — growing pains are inevitable.

However, things are starting to unravel. The concern has to be — do they have the capability to stop the rot? Will things continue to regress? Is Leslie Frazier’s presence enough at this point? Do they actually know what to do in this situation — tactically, emotionally and in terms of man-management?

Part of my problem with the latter years of the Carroll regime was their inability to fix glaring issues. The answers were never forthcoming to persistent problems. We’re seeing it again now.

Seattle’s fundamentals are a disaster. They aren’t doing the basics right as individuals, meaning the team frequently is collapsing with no foundation on both sides of the ball. That’s why we’re seeing so many back-breaking mistakes. At the same time — things that should be par for the course such as an ability to tackle, get off a block occasionally, complete an easy third down pass, field a kick, make a routine block or catch the football aren’t happening anywhere near enough.

Macdonald is starting to sound exasperated during press conferences, in part because I don’t think he knows what to do. He’s never been in this position before. At Baltimore it was always fairly plain-sailing. Now he’s facing true adversity and the buck stops with him. He probably can’t recall moments in his career to know how to handle a situation where a lot of things are going wrong at the same time.

You start to wonder if the players feel it too. Metcalf ripping off the headset of a coach to yell at Ryan Grubb was a terrible look and it suggests there might be eroding trust — perhaps from both sides. Geno Smith, meanwhile, looked miserable on the sidelines and he was tetchy in his post-game press conference.

The Seahawks invested in freshness within their staff and clearly hoped that talent and ideas would make up for a lack of ‘been there, done that’ experience. At the moment they look like they’re on the bike but aren’t ready to take the training wheels off.

It’s a little bit worrying because for all the ‘defensive Sean McVay’ tags being attached to Macdonald, there’s little evidence on the field to back that up. His defense stinks, as does the cumulative team product. McVay went 11-5 in his first season as Head Coach of the Rams and won coach of the year. He helped Todd Gurley win offensive player of the season. He famously embarrassed the Carroll Seahawks 42-7 in week 15 — ending the LOB era as we knew it in the process.

Sometimes you realise quickly when you’ve won the coach lottery.

McVay started 7-2 in year one with his only losses being a closely fought defeat to the Seahawks and a beating at the hands of Minnesota, who finished the year 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship game.

Macdonald’s start in Seattle feels very different.

The new regime deserves a period of grace but it doesn’t last forever. Even if we all have to resign ourselves to this being year-one of a structural rebuild and/or transition to bigger roster changes in the future — you still need to see an improvement on what we’re witnessing at the moment.

The fundamentals can’t be this bad. You can’t give the impression you’re a bit lost for much longer. You need to find answers and solutions so that even if you’re going to lose a game, you don’t lose like they are at the moment.

Players and fans need a reason to believe that the people captaining the ship will get you to the shore.

4. The franchise needs a kick up the arse

I remember my first visit to what is now known as Lumen Field. It was a 2006 encounter against the Packers on Monday Night Football. There were a few fans from Green Bay present but make no mistake, they were heavily outnumbered.

The atmosphere was electric and the noise deafening. It was a special environment to watch a game of football and it’s why I became addicted to the Seahawks from the minute the 12th Man Flag was raised that night.

Now look at the place. Primetime games are filled with away fans. The sea of red in the lower decks was again prominent on TV. I bet it was even worse in person. The 49ers fans could be heard loudly chanting ‘let’s go Niners’ at the end.

In the last four seasons where fans have been in the stands, Seattle’s home record is a terrible 19-18. This doesn’t include the Covid season of 2020 when no fans attended games. In that period, their road record is 20-16.

However it has happened, Seattle’s home-field advantage is gone. The mystique of Lumen Field is no longer there. It’s a fading force. I think teams actually relish visiting these days — especially the well-backed clubs with armies of travelling fans paying for the expensive re-sale tickets.

There are other things I could discuss in this section of the article but to me it feels like the franchise on the whole is going through a period of malaise. They’re not terrible or anything like the Panthers. They’re not good either, like the 49ers. This feels like a franchise that deserves to have a 19-18 home record. In every sense, that’s what they are at the moment. Middle of the road. Unexciting. Kind of making up the numbers.

5. How do they get better?

This is the big question and I’m afraid, there’s no obvious fix. It’s not as simple as ‘just draft amazing players’. Well yeah. Everyone’s trying to do that.

The 2025 draft class, as we’ve often discussed, isn’t loaded at the top end. If they end up picking in the top-half of round one again, it might be tricky to identify a player worthy of a big investment.

Then you start to wonder what they should be trying to do. Is it just a case of build up the O-line? Maybe — but it’s particularly thin for O-liners projected to go in round one. How do you fix the glaring defensive issues we’re seeing every week? Geno Smith just turned 34 and remains, to me at least, a pure bridge to the future. Do they need to finally draft a quarterback early? But do you do that in 2025 when the options are not mind-blowing?

The Seahawks had an opportunity to build something with the haul from the Russell Wilson trade but that stock is now spent. How you travel from what they are now to the next step is extremely difficult to map out.

In the meantime, unless they fix things on the field, further question marks will be asked about the players and staff. The GM John Schneider is starting to get heat because he’s the consistent feature remaining from the last regime.

It’s not a great place to be at the moment. There are only a few teams more in need of some reassuring, nerve-calming wins and better performances to just settle everything down.

When the other teams in your division can show an ability to compete and beat the 49ers, even when they’re banged up, and all you do is get handily beaten to the tune of six straight defeats — all while being so fundamentally ragged and losing three-in-a-row — it’s inevitable that concern will grow.

Instant reaction: Don’t be fooled, this was an embarrassing loss

October 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments

The Seahawks didn’t look ready to play again today, as was the case against the Giants. I don’t write that glibly or without consideration.

As with the New York game, they flirted with a comeback. Yet they need to try and fight back because of the way they’re starting games.

And what about that ending? A 76-yard run to kill the game. Nothing sums up the current day Seahawks better than that play.

They gave up 229 rushing yards today, after giving up 175 against the Giants and 185 against the Patriots. Let’s be honest, the Lions could’ve run for way more than the 116 they earned — instead they leaned on Jared ‘no incomplete passes’ Goff.

A period of grace is fine for a new staff. Things need to improve though — and fast. The shoddiness of the play is being paired with confusing game-plans, bad execution and poor body language.

I hate to say it but after watching the defense against Detroit and the total team performances against New York and San Francisco, I’m beginning to worry. They look worse in the last three games than they did at their worst last season.

This feels like an inexperienced staff making a lot of mistakes and learning the hard way. That’s to be expected. But it’s no excuse for failing to get off a block, make a tackle, complete an easy pass to convert a third down or make a tricky catch.

Listening to jubilant 49ers fans chanting ‘let’s go Niners’ in Lumen Field was reminiscent of the Steelers fans celebrating last season.

San Francisco had their way with the Seahawks for long stretches here. It was close for a bit thanks to a kick-off return touchdown and a blown call by the ref’s not to give the 49ers the ball on a botched fair catch.

Don’t blame injuries. Every team has injuries — in particular the 49ers. They are decimated. The Giants moved the ball well enough without their top two playmakers last weekend. The Rams beat this 49ers team with far more serious injury problems than Seattle. The Cardinals also beat this San Francisco team.

At times they look like they’re allergic to tackling. They get pushed around. They never come close to forcing a turnover and rely totally on luck when one occurs (see: the Giants fumble return). They had no sacks today and the pressure felt anaemic. They look low-energy when things start to go wrong.

Mike Macdonald only had two seasons as a NFL defensive coordinator before becoming a Head Coach. It’s starting to show. He’s inexperienced. This is his defensive unit and at the moment, it’s awful. Nothing about what we’re seeing at the moment is encouraging. You need a reason to have faith for the future. At the moment they seem to be scrambled, searching for answers and not finding any.

The offense is a streaky, befuddled frustration. I’m starting to think the Lions performance was more a review of Detroit’s defense than anything else.

On Sunday they allowed a situation to happen where they only ran Ken Walker five times in a game tied at half-time. Today, they didn’t seem to have much of a creative plan at all. Run it up the gut, after spending all week telling the media they wanted to run more. I bet the 49ers didn’t see that coming. Here’s an idea — be balanced and creative in both games. Of course it also helps if the defense can get the ball back to the offense.

When the runs didn’t work, Geno Smith would throw an inaccurate pass and out comes the punting unit.

Smith wasn’t great against the Giants but he was bad here. He was inaccurate. He missed easy throws. He threw two interceptions and now has a 6/6 ratio for touchdowns and picks. He’s very capable of having streaks of absolute quality as we saw at the start of the season. Yet as with the previous two seasons, he also has sequences where he looks like he did today.

There was a stark difference between the two quarterbacks tonight. Brock Purdy was scrambling around, looking like a legit playmaker and dicing up the Seahawks. It did feel like he made up for some of the key San Francisco players missing.

Smith is an athlete but he’s not a big creative scrambler and extender. He felt locked into the pocket. His accuracy, for some reason, was really off tonight. Nothing’s changed for me. He’s a good bridge to the future — but the future the Seahawks must seek. He’s far from the only problem or the biggest problem, though.

I think I finally gave up on DK Metcalf ever reaching his physical potential on the downfield shot before half-time where he just seemed to have no idea how to use his size, length and hands to make a play. The drops, the fumbles, the inconsistent play. He’s a fantastic athlete and can be a brilliant home-run hitter. He’s not ever going to be the physically dominant force Mike Evans is and Julio Jones was.

This is a roster constructed after the Russell Wilson trade. That deal brought a bevvy of draft picks and cap relief. That the same issues continue to show up on both sides of the ball year after year, speaks to the possibility that they’re not as good as I and others have thought.

The Seahawks look a soft touch again. Finesse with a desire to be something different.

The form at home says it all. They’re no good in Seattle. Teams used to dread travelling to the North West. Now, year after year, it looks like a lovely day out for a lot of opponents. The sea of red jersey’s filling the expensive seats at the front is emblematic of a franchise that has lost its sparkle. It genuinely feels like the mystique of this former cauldron has all but gone.

This three-game losing streak worries me. There are so many questions and there’s little cause for optimism. They won three games they were supposed to win and they’ve failed every test since.

Curtis Allen’s week six watch-notes (vs San Francisco)

October 10, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This is a guest post by Curtis Allen

It is eerie how similar this week’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers is with the last time they played them in Seattle, Week Twelve’s Thanksgivings Day game last year.

The Watch Points for that game discussed several of the needs and feelings of a Seahawks team coming off a frustrating loss to an inferior opponent (the Rams).  It was a loss littered with mistakes and poor play, questionable play calls on offense, culminating in a last-second field goal try that did not go their way.

The Seahawks needed to balance out their run/pass mix on offense.

Turnovers were a problem.

They needed to tackle better and generate more pass rush on defense.

All these concerns are once again at the forefront of everyone’s mind as the Seahawks prepare for a critical matchup.

What is at stake in the next few games?  Putting themselves in a position to grab a playoff spot to be sure.  But more than that, beating two division opponents at home may allow the Seahawks to build up a lead in the division and a head of steam that will be hard to close the gap on come December.  Better playoff seeding is also at stake right now.

A win puts the Seahawks two full games ahead of the Niners and gives them the tie breaker as well.  It also means San Francisco will have lost four of their last five going into two very tough games, one against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and one against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.  The Niners could go into their bye week 2-6 or 3-5, needing to practically run the table to get a good playoff seeding.

It all starts tonight.

So those points above are still the main points for this game.

They simply must get the running game going.

The Seahawks’ staff and players have spent the week doing an I Am Spartacus routine over who is responsible for their stunning lack of running plays on offense.

It does not matter who is ultimately responsible.  It does not matter if the whole stadium and both teams know the Seahawks are going to be leaning more on the run than they have to this point.  It must be addressed immediately.

San Francisco is conceding 4.7 yards per rush this year, good for #21 in the NFL.  It is being achieved mostly through the combination of tough 2–5-yard runs with some explosives mixed in.  Arizona had six 10+ yard runs in their win last week.  Minnesota had four in their win.

It is mission critical that the Seahawks successfully run the ball on San Francisco.  It keeps the defense fresh, minimizes some of their Offensive Line issues and allows them to have a little more control of the game.

And this is an important starting point for their success.  It is fair to say that in their current five-game losing streak against the Niners, not once have the Seahawks felt like they had any control of the game.  The best way to defend a Kyle Shanahan offense (and a Sean McVay one, for that matter) is to keep the ball away from them.

Unleash Ken Walker.  Let Zach Charbonnet lower his shoulder and get some tough yards.

And a secret source of rushing yards:  Geno Smith.  Sam Darnold and Kyler Murray regularly took off running and burned the defense when presented with the opportunity.  In a game where Stone Forsythe will be lining up against Nick Bosa, Smith will need to process quickly and go for it more liberally than he has so far this season.  Like this:

The second point:  turnovers.  The Seahawks are underwater at -3.  The Niners were +10 last year but are currently even at zero.

In two of the Niners’ losses, they lost the turnover battle.  In their third they were dead even and forcing a fumble at the one-yard line kept the game competitive.

The defense is on pace for a similar number of takeaways as 2023, so it appears the offense must be the challenge.

It is.  The difference this year is quite simply Brock Purdy.  He is on pace to shatter his career-worsts for interceptions and fumbles.

The Seahawks can redeem themselves nicely with a couple of key turnovers on defense.

That begins with the third key point from last year:  Good tackling and putting pressure on the Quarterback.

The Seahawks have made confident statements this week about correcting their run fits and tackling angles.  They really struggled against the Giants on Sunday.  We will see if they improved, as the team with some of the hardest offensive players to tackle is their next opponent.

George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Jordan Mason force you to wrap up and not let go.

It is not just the Seahawks that have had problems bringing them down.  Have a look at this clip where Marlon Humphrey – a player who has only three missed tackles in his last 32 games – tries to just knock Deebo over with physicality:

That was from the Ravens’ masterful 33-19 win over San Francisco last year – the one that really cemented Mike Macdonald as a choice candidate for head coaching jobs.  It just illustrates that the Niners bring intensity and physicality to their games.  And even in games that the opposition handily wins, there are going to be moments the defense does not come out on top.

That game was also an excellent illustration of attacking the Quarterback and making him adjust his timing.  They sacked Brock Purdy twice, pressured him eight times and picked him off four times.  This game was over by the middle of the third quarter.

Would it surprise you to know that the Ravens only blitzed Purdy eight times?  It sure surprised me.

The Ravens got pressure with their front four and had Purdy feeling pressure that was not there most of the game.  He could have had even more interceptions – he hit Raven defenders in the hands and they were not able to secure the ball more than once.

Can Macdonald do that with his Seahawks squad?  They have been badly banged up and will be missing important pieces Uchenna Nwosu and Byron Murphy.  However, it does appear that Leonard Williams is much closer to being functional and Boye Mafe and Derick Hall are likely to play.

San Francisco’s Offensive Line is not much better than Seattle’s (although to be fair, Trent Williams and Charles Cross are not in the same class).  Brock Purdy is facing a slightly higher Pressure Rate than Geno Smith is.  There should be ample opportunities to make him uncomfortable.

That said, look for Macdonald to dial up some occasional clever looks.  Many of their schemes on defense so far this season have been closer to base than delving into deception packages.  It is possible Macdonald has been playing a bit of a long game, with the twin goals of getting this defense installed in live games and in anticipation of opening up some ideas against a division rival.

What kind of ideas?

Have a look at this play.

Macdonald has Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen and Kyle Van Noy crowding the line of scrimmage with three down linemen pre-snap, looking like a big blitz package.  But none of them go at the snap.  They all retreat to coverage and instead Kyle Hamilton (perfectly synching to the snap) comes roaring in off a nickel coverage spot.

Hamilton gets illegally chop-blocked by McCaffrey and then Aaron Banks decides to flop his 324 lbs on him to make sure he is down.

Meanwhile, Nmandi Madubuike and Odafe Oweh beat their men (really, outlast them with a relentless motor) and chase Purdy, who has taken too much time to process who is doing what on defense.

Purdy is forced into a contested throw that Marlon Humphrey bats away and right into the arms of…Kyle Hamilton, who has gotten up and doggedly gotten back into the play.

It is smarts.  Desire.  Toughness.

That is what it will take to defeat the Niners.  Do the Seahawks have it in them?  We will find out.

Those are the major points.  Scheming is important, but this team simply needs to execute better and raise the level of their intensity to meet the moment.

A couple of additional notes that could also be a crucial factor:

Win the Red Zone Battle

The San Francisco offense has been struggling mightily in the red zone, currently ranking #29 in Touchdown Efficiency with 40.9% of their trips resulting in six points.  Just for reference, last year they were easily #1 in the NFL with 68%.

Kyle Shanahan has expressed bewilderment at their lack of scoring, noting that they have yet to have success in the run or pass game in the most critical part of the field.  How critical?  They went 1-for-6 last week against Arizona in a game they lost by one point.  Does not get more critical than that.

It is not too difficult to discern what a major part of the issue is.  They really miss Christian McCaffrey.  Last year, he had twelve red zone touchdowns (eight running, four receiving).  The rest of the team combined?  Also twelve.

Look at his work last year in that Thanksgiving Day game:

You just cannot replace that level of skill, toughness and desire and the Niners are feeling it.  Also exacerbating the problem is that in five games, they only have one touchdown from outside the red zone on offense.  One!

Adding to that, the lack of time in the pocket is also an issue.  Quarterbacks frequently scramble to buy time and eventually find an open receiver – it is just an inevitability that a skilled player will get open.

This is where the ‘get pressure with four and flood coverage’ plan is at its most critical.  Purdy does not have the strongest arm or the quickest legs.  What he does have is accuracy and touch in tight windows.  Do not allow him the time to deploy those weapons.

The Seahawks have been successful defending in the red zone, currently ranking #11 in the NFL.  That is a small sample size, however, which includes Bo Nix’s first game, Miami and their mess of an offense, and the Giants fumbling the ball at the one-yard line.  The Seahawks gave up five red zone touchdowns to Detroit and it is fair to say the Niners are far closer to the Lions on offense than those other teams.  If they still rank #11 coming out of this game, it will be a good day’s work.

On offense, the Seahawks are #10 in the red zone and that is a legit number.  Four different Seahawks have red zone touchdowns and they are scoring from outside the red zone just as much as they are in it.

They must keep it up and find success with it.

Looking at what kind of play that has worked against the Niners defense this year, a short crossing play where the receiver sort of gets lost either behind or beyond the line of scrimmage has been regularly effective (particularly in the Minnesota game, where a lot of defensive attention is on Justin Jefferson).  Plays like this crosser with A.J. Barner are a prime example:

This can work in any region of the field to move the defense’s eyes around.

Some Other Brief Notes:

— The Niners are banged up in their backfield.  Charvarius Ward is questionable with a knee injury.  Even if he is active, it could be a challenge to keep up with the receivers.  With Talanoa Hufanga going on Injured Reserve, the Niners are thin at the Safety spot.  Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustafa are being forced into the lineup.  They have had moments of good play but PFF is grading both in the 50’s thus far.  The deep middle of the field should be an area where the Seahawks attack with regularity in this game.  Noah Fant needs to be utilized in this way.  Calling my shot: I wonder if these youngsters would bite on a Flea Flicker type play.

— Special Teams once again could be critical.  Dee Williams has not impressed as a punt returner and the coverage teams are in the bottom ten of the NFL.  The sting of a blocked field goal try at the worst possible time Sunday still lingers.  A ‘didn’t significantly alter the game’s outcome’ would be an improvement at this point.  The Niners will be breaking in a new kicker as Josh Moody is out with an ankle injury.  They had to go for it on a Fourth-and-23 at Arizona’s 27-yard line last week because they had no kicker.  It obviously failed and again, they lost by one point.

— I do also think the offense will try some more creative things in this week’s game to shake up the defense and keep them off guard.  Hopefully it will be better than Deejay Dallas trying to throw the ball into a tight window at a critical point in the game.  That said, designing plays and sequences that give Nick Bosa extra blocking attention or simply move away from his side of the field are a fair expectation.

— Look for some explosive plays in passes to the Running Backs.  Both Walker and Charbonnet are good pass catchers and can move well in space.  If they give Walker enough room he will break one.

Scouting notes week six: Eye-catching O-liners, a player the Seahawks might target, Luke Lachey notes, Cam Ward is what he is & more

October 9, 2024 / / 0 Comments

The offensive linemen catching my eye

It’s arguably Seattle’s biggest need area and while the 2025 draft isn’t going to be loaded with options, some are emerging.

I’ve been increasingly impressed with Iowa center Logan Jones. He’s tough and physical at the point of attack, locates his hands properly and he has the athleticism and strength to hold position. He’s extremely athletic and explosive — reportedly jumping a near 37-inch vertical, setting a school squatting record of 695lbs, running a 1.53 10-yard split and a 4.09 short shuttle.

I watched some of his stuff from last year and thought he needed major technical work but he’s definitely improved in 2024. I still think he can be better when reaching up to the second level and connecting with his blocks — but in terms of scheme fit, upside, production, toughness and power — Jones could be a strong option for the Seahawks given their uncertain future at center. I have Jones graded for day two. Parker Brailsford is a very similar player and has a history with Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff. He could also be a good option if he turns pro.

I’ve written a lot about Tyler Booker at Alabama, a former five-star recruit with massive size and plus athleticism. He’s not the quickest when he has to pull and get on the move but he’s not clumsy getting into space. He moves well. As a straight-up blocker he can destroy opponents 1v1. If strength and technique are problems Christian Haynes is struggling with, there’s little sign Booker will share those issues. Haynes didn’t have a prototype body for the NFL, Booker does.

I also think Booker is a perfect character fit for the Seahawks. He could be a genuine option for their top pick in the draft, especially given the way the O-line is playing.

Alternatively, Donovan Jackson at Ohio State had his best game of the season against Iowa on Saturday. He is reportedly also very athletic — jumping a 30 inch vertical and a 9-7 broad, to go with running a 1.59 10-yard split. He was once considered a likely first or second rounder until a subpar 2023 season. The Iowa game was a reminder of what he can do. Jackson is another early-round option for the Seahawks. If he continues to play the way he did against Iowa, he will go quite early.

I think we all want to see physical toughness up front. Jack Nelson at Wisconsin is someone who could play guard or right tackle, even if he plays left tackle in college. He very rarely gets into awkward positions, enabling him to get into opponents and contain. I think if he’s given more square-up opportunities he could excel. For me, he’s a day-two pick. I’ve talked him up a lot.

If the Seahawks end up picking early, it could bring Kelvin Banks into play at Texas. He’ll likely kick inside like Alijah Vera-Tucker because he simply doesn’t have a tackle frame. He’ll likely go in the top-20. Jonah Savaiinaea at Arizona also likely needs to move inside from right tackle. He should go in the top-50.

I currently have Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons graded as my top tackle eligible for 2025. He is the best pass-protecting blind-side blocker by some distance in my opinion — and I’m not sure why he continues to be ignored by a lot of draft media.

I have a lot of other names on my horizontal board but very few O-liners are standing out. It’s thin gruel and you might need to aggressively pursue the players you like early if you want to make sure you don’t miss out. It’s not looking like a great O-line draft but there are options.

Get Luke Lachey in Seattle

I graded him highly a year ago but a bad leg injury meant he didn’t declare. I’ve now watched three Iowa games this season and on each occasion, Lachey has stood out.

I love the way he blocks — both at the line of scrimmage off the edge and also when he needs to get on the move. He just has a knack of locating targets, locking on and finishing. I haven’t seen a better blocker at his position. It’s not surprising given his bloodlines — his dad is former first round offensive lineman Jim Lachey.

Athletically he also has untapped potential in Iowa’s constantly dismal passing game. I genuinely believe, like TJ Hockenson, Sam LaPorta and George Kittle before him, he could come into the league and shock people with his pass-catching skills. He has ideal size and he can get on the move. He’s a very reliable hands-catcher and when he needs to make an athletic move to finish a play, he can do.

There are a few players in the draft I know I’ll probably be banging the table for — although testing and the Senior Bowl impacts things. Lachey is one of my favourite players in the draft. The Seahawks still aren’t getting any bang for their buck from Noah Fant. I’d consider moving on and replacing him with another Iowa Hawkeye. If Lachey lasts beyond round two, I think he’d provide outstanding value.

Ricky White III is one to watch

Sometimes you watch a player and just think, ‘who the f**k is that guy?’ — they stand out that much. UNLV receiver White III fits that bill.

I watched his performance against Syracuse and was blown away. I’ve since watched three more games. He’s a really good player. He has a long, lean frame with bags of juice. His body type reminds me of a poor-man’s Ceedee Lamb or maybe Nuk Hopkins. In terms of speed he can attack the red-line and get downfield. He does create separation. His body control is good and he can contort to the ball and make awkward catches. I like his catching technique — he grabs the ball with his hands away from his body. White III is adept at finding soft-spots in coverage and running away from defenders.

I came away incredibly impressed and immediately stuck a solid day two grade on him — putting him in the same bracket as Emeka Egbuka and Xavier Restrepo. Testing will matter but there’s just something about White III that makes me think he’s destined for an excellent pro career. People are sleeping on him.

Cam Ward is what he is

The hype for Cam Ward reached ridiculous proportions a couple of weeks ago, with broadcasters during games suggesting he could be the #1 overall pick next year.

I’ve tried to push back at this with a detailed breakdown (both here and here) but that’s the sad thing. The over-the-top hype has robbed me of a chance to say he’s taken a step forward this season. Instead of acknowledging that and praising Ward, you end up fighting the hyperbole.

Saturday’s game against California highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of his game.

There’s no denying that he has a playmaking flair and it’s always been there. A Cam Ward highlight reel at Washington State was worth watching. It’s the same in Miami — and he’s flourished playing for a team heavily favoured in all of its games so far.

Yet there are still glaring technical flaws and examples of Ward trying to do too much that will impact his stock when it comes to the NFL.

I’ve noted a few times how he has a tendency to drift in the pocket and go backwards. Here was a classic example from the Cal game:

Ward has a relatively clean pocket here. There’s no immediate pressure. If you freeze the video at three seconds you’ll see he has an open receiver beyond the line to gain (near the left hashmark) and two checkdown options on either side of the field. The commentator claims he looks “so calm, so patient” but the opposite is true. He’s flustered here. His primary read, presumably, isn’t open. So rather than stay poised and go through the progressions, his internal clock panics and he starts to retreat because he probably thinks he’ll get sacked. In reality, the protection is good enough for him to remain in the pocket for longer, then extend with a lateral movement.

The one thing you don’t do is drop back 18 yards behind the LOS while glueing your eyes to one read. Once the defensive linemen break from the blocking, they have a free run to attack you. He tried in vain to get the ball out and fails — but it would’ve been intentional grounding and/or a dangerous, panicked pass to throw anyway.

This is how he reacts in a non-threatening pressure situation against California. What’s he going to do in a muddy NFL pocket? You can’t have him drift like this or reject open targets because he’s stuck on a read. We showed how badly he was doing it against Florida and he’s still doing it now. He has open targets to throw to from a clean pocket and he’s hopping up and down on the spot then retreating.

Then there’s the ‘trying to do too much’ angle as we saw with the pick-six:

This is the kind of turnover we saw at Washington State. You can’t throw these passes. They’ll be easy fodder in the NFL. It’s long been a part of his game.

Ward did a tremendous job helping his team fight back but I’m not convinced he’s enough of a physical specimen to overlook some of these issues that have travelled from the PAC-12 to the ACC. His upside is good not great. I’m not sure he will kick these habits to be a top starter. This isn’t conducive with a player teams take in round one, which is why I maintain he’s more likely to end up in the round three range where teams will feel more comfortable drafting to develop.

Miami has used two lives now against Virginia Tech and California. Ward and his team remain unbeaten but I think it’s important to offer some perspective on a player being talked about as a likely first rounder — when the reality might be something different.

The top player in the draft

I think Ashton Jeanty is pound for pound the most talented player eligible for the draft. Everything about him is exceptional — the combination of power and speed, his contact balance, his ability to break tackles, the way he runs away from defenders. Jeanty is an exceptional prospect.

He’s now forced 49 missed tackles in five games. He would’ve hit the 10-per-game mark had he not been rested for the second half on Saturday against Utah State. He’s forced 10 more missed tackles than the second ranked player on the list. He leads the NCAA for yards after contact (7.95). The second ranked player, Kaleb Johnson, is at 5.60. Jeanty has 20 explosive runs — four per game (again, it would be higher if he wasn’t pulled after winning games for Boise State by half-time).

Travis Hunter is uniquely talented given his ability to play two positions at a very high standard. Yet Jeanty is pretty much playing at an other-worldly level at the moment. He won’t be the first player taken due to his position but I would suggest that as of today, he has a great chance to go in the top-10.

I think the Seahawks will draft this player…

John Schneider attended the Michigan vs Washington game on Saturday through convenience. Why wouldn’t he pop down the road to watch a game featuring legit future NFL players?

However, I do think he’ll have been keeping a close eye on Josaiah Stewart the Michigan pass rusher. I think there’s a good chance he’ll end up in Seattle.

Look at how Seattle’s pass rush depth is taking a big hit this year. They clearly wanted a good rotation going into camp. When they traded away Darrell Taylor, they immediately traded for Trevis Gipson to replace him.

Testing and measurements will be important for Stewart’s stock but the fact he’s excelling for Wink Martindale, Mike Macdonald’s mentor, and having the kind of impact he is — I think he’ll be very much on their radar. He also has the kind of personality and character they like.

Stewart had another sack on Saturday, taking his total to five in five games. He’s currently PFF’s highest graded pass rusher in college football. His pass rush win percentage is 31.3% — also the highest mark.

It’s very easy to imagine they could zone-in on Stewart based on fit, character and production.

Quick hitting notes

— Add Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. to the expanding list of attractive players at his position eligible for the draft. I was really impressed watching his tape this week and believe he’s a day two talent. Miami’s Elijah Arroyo also looks very much like he’s moving into day two contention along with the likes of Lachey, Tyler Warren, Mason Taylor, Mitchell Evans and one or two others.

— I think I have a few players ranked/rated differently to draft media. Josaiah Stewart is my favourite edge, at least until we get confirmed measurements and testing numbers. Impact wise, he’s the only game-wrecker I’ve seen so far. TJ Sanders is my DT2 behind Mason Graham and I think that’s an obvious one personally. Garrett Nussmeier is my QB3, Kaleb Johnson and Nicholas Singleton are my RB2 and RB3, Josh Simmons is my top ranked tackle.

— I’m shocked how mediocre Alabama’s defense appears to be. Typically they have some big dudes up front to get excited about, or some top secondary talent. Deontae Lawson the linebacker packs a punch but I think his lateral agility and speed is a bit sluggish. He’s not someone I think likely goes on day two unless he tests better than expected. Jihaad Campbell is a better athlete but he’s high-cut. Keon Sabb has levelled out after a good start. Georgia are in the same boat. You expect better from both.

Finally, if you missed my latest piece with Puck Sports this week, please do check it out:

Could Jadeveon Clowney help the Seahawks?

October 8, 2024 / / 0 Comments

The Seahawks have a pass rush problem.

Uchenna Nwosu is now on injured reserve and will miss at least the next four games. Boye Mafe missed the last two games and isn’t a sure-thing to feature against the 49ers. Derick Hall picked up an injury against the Giants. After trading away Darrell Taylor, Trevis Gipson’s impact has been minimal to put it mildly. Meanwhile, interior threats Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy are carrying injuries (Williams didn’t look healthy on Sunday).

Per PFF, the Seahawks are the 19th best pass rushing team. This is despite having the fifth most sacks (17), the second most pressures (60) and fifth most QB hits (37). Despite the numbers, they just aren’t testing opponents. They seem to lack that one player who can impact and wreck a game. Minus their key players, this is especially true.

There’s not a lot they can do mid-season. None of the options are ideal. They’re not likely to bring in Haason Reddick and pay him a fortune. Anyone they add is going to come with question marks and compromises.

I mentioned this name on my stream with Jeff Simmons yesterday and it might not be ideal but is it worth considering?

Jadeveon Clowney.

Working with Mike Macdonald in Baltimore last year, he had the most sacks (9.5) in his career. He had an 85.7 PFF grade, putting him among the top D-line performers.

Could they rekindle that relationship?

He signed with the Panthers on a two-year deal. He might want to stay in Carolina, given he attended South Carolina. This might be about more than a competitive opportunity for the player. Yet does he want to play out his career slogging through two seasons on a team being battered every week? Would he prefer an opportunity to go and play for a more competitive franchise?

He also knows Seattle well from his one season there in 2019. I’m not sure if there’s bad blood between the parties after they failed to reunite for the 2020 season and beyond. It’s possible neither the Seahawks nor Clowney want to work together again.

Yet in this situation, with injuries stacking up, is it worth a call? Dan Morgan the Panthers’ GM knows John Schneider well. It wouldn’t break the bank in terms of compensation. A late round flier? Are the Panthers now in a position where they’d consider being sellers?

He did leave Carolina’s last game with a shoulder injury. That would need to be assessed. He has said since the weekend that he hopes to play against the Falcons in week six so it doesn’t sound too serious.

Per Curtis Allen, Clowney would only cost the Seahawks $1.27m in cap space and that will reduce by $106k with every passing week of the season.

They would inherit his $10m salary for 2025 but they can cut him and save $8m.

We all know he’s an inconsistent player. Yet he does provide the ability to wreck the odd game. Adding him to the rotation, with a coach he’s had success with, could offer a boost. He’s also consistently graded well for run defense, including an 80.8 grade when he was last in Seattle in that category.

The Seahawks’ defensive performance was so bad in the last two games, it’s hard to see how they rectify things without getting healthy or adding impact. Jadeveon Clowney isn’t a cure-all problem and you’d have to accept that he isn’t a fire and brimstone player, to say the least. He’s an athletic freak who does things at his own pace. Yet he’s shown he can be disruptive, particularly in big games.

He knows the scheme, the terminology, the language, the Head Coach, the city, the franchise. They could do a lot worse.

Instant reaction: Poor Seahawks deliver a reality check in home loss to Giants

October 6, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This was supposed to be an opportunity to bounce back from Monday Night Football, get to 4-1 and prepare for a critical meeting with the 49ers.

Instead the Seahawks played one of their worst performances in recent memory and delivered a bucket of ice water to early excitement and optimism, sparked by a 3-0 start.

Losing to the 1-3 Giants at home is bad enough. The manner of the display, however, is concerning. It’s especially disappointing given Arizona’s surprise win in Santa Clara.

This is the second game in the row where the defense has looked incapable of making stops. It’s worse than last year at the moment. It’s starting to look like they merely benefitted from Bo Nix’s first start and the hapless Patriots and Dolphins to begin the year. The unit has been destroyed by the Lions and the Giants.

Yes, they’re missing starters. Other players are clearly not 100%. It’s still reasonable to expect a lot more than this.

And let’s not forget — the Giants didn’t have Malik Nabers or Devin Singletary.

The Seahawks looked defensively soft, just as they did on Monday. There was little energy. They couldn’t tackle, with Giants’ ball-carriers falling forward nearly every time.

Consistent pressure was non-existent — even against a struggling Giants O-line. When they took away the deep-ball early, New York simply leaned on screens, quarterback runs and underneath throws. After half-time, Seattle adjusted so the Giants attacked deep.

They ran for 176 yards. The Patriots ran for 185. Jared Goff didn’t have an incomplete pass against this defense.

Daniel Jones ran around like he was channelling his inner Lamar Jackson. Was he wearing a jersey made of wet soap? The Seahawks couldn’t bring him down.

It’s not unfair to expect a lot more from Mike Macdonald’s system. We’re seeing a lot of the same problems carry over from the end of the Carroll era. Where are the answers to the questions being posed? This is about as bad a two-game defensive stretch as you could possibly see.

The offensive performance was equally bad.

This felt like a cocky, arrogant offense today. They got +500 yards on Monday. They waltzed into Lumen Field today and it felt like they thought they could just turn it on again. I bet they’d deny that — but it’s definitely how it felt.

What was the plan? Just throw it around the yard? Everything Brian Daboll and the Giants did had a purpose. The Seahawks looked like a bunch of show ponies. Apart from when they were sulking on the sidelines, of course. The body language was dreadful today.

Macdonald talks about an identity featuring the run. How then can he justify an offensive plan like this, where it’s a total afterthought? How did Ken Walker only have five carries in this game? Ryan Grubb should be in his office first thing tomorrow explaining that.

D.K. Metcalf is a perfect example of the offense in its current state. He’s capable of big, flashy, explosive plays. But there’s also a bonehead error right around the corner.

He had a significant momentum-shifting fumble for the second week in the row. Maybe it’s time to give Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett the whole ‘force-feed’ approach instead if they insist on it?

There was too much pissing around at the line of scrimmage. No-huddle, then a check to the sideline, then a change of play. It just seemed to make things muddled, including a couple of penalties as a consequence.

Geno Smith didn’t do a good job dealing with the pressure. He took some sacks that felt avoidable but admittedly, the O-line was crap again too. Seven sacks given up in total. But why was he asked to throw 40 times? It was hard to watch him slide right before the line to gain in the fourth quarter, only to see an epic fail on fourth down on the very next play.

Doesn’t that fourth-down call speak volumes? You need a yard and you’re messing around in play-action when you claim to want to be a physical football team.

They had a touchdown drive at the end with New York playing prevent but when they had a chance to win with one final drive — they couldn’t deliver. They didn’t deserve to. Perhaps feeling left out of the mess, special teams then gave up a touchdown on a blocked kick to tie.

I don’t know what Grubb was doing today. He and Macdonald were out-coached. The players were outplayed.

Once again, the trench battle was lost on both sides of the ball. If this is going to be a tough, physical team — well we’re still waiting for that.

You learn more in the last two games and Thursday night against San Francisco than you do beating up the remains of the Dolphins, winning Bo Nix’s first NFL start and scraping by a bad Patriots team.

The Seahawks were hammered by the Giants in their own backyard. The scoreline was only close because of a freaky 14-point swing on the one-yard line due to the fumble return touchdown. This feels worse than the Steelers loss last season. It raises plenty of questions. I said during pre-season they’d almost certainly drop a game they were expected to win with a rookie staff. I didn’t figure it’d be like this.

The honeymoon is definitely over. The season is far from over, thankfully. But they’ll need to be a lot better than this. What we saw today was bad. Real bad.

Curtis Allen’s week five watch-notes (vs NY Giants)

October 6, 2024 / / 0 Comments

This is a guest post by Curtis Allen

The Seahawks are coming off their first loss in Mike Macdonald’s tenure, a valiant effort on the road in Detroit that saw their defense overwhelmed by injuries and superior scheming and play calling by the Detroit offensive staff.

How they respond to that loss will give us a glimpse into their fortitude as a team and Macdonald as a coach. This week in press conferences Macdonald appeared a bit irritated about being asked about the Detroit loss, wanting the team to put it behind them. No doubt several glaring defensive mistakes have been on Macdonald’s mind and he is eager to get the team back out on the field and move on from that experience.

It would appear that the Giants are a prime candidate handed to the Seahawks on a silver platter for a ‘get right’ game to build up some confidence for the Thursday Night game against division rival San Francisco.

The Giants are the #29 scoring offense in the NFL currently and will be without top Wide Receiver Malik Nabers and possibly starting Running Back Devin Singletary.

How important are those two players to the Giants? Between the two of them, they are responsible for over 51% of the runs + targets on their offense. Wan’Dale Robinson is a distant third place at 16.5%. No other Giant even breaks 10%.

The shoe is on the other foot this week for the Seahawks, after missing a big chunk of their defensive line against the Lions and taking it on the chin. It is arguable Giants are in even a worse spot, with a pretty poor offense with their starters and having less offensive depth than the Seahawks had defensive line depth, will be hamstrung even more.

On defense, they are very similar to the Lions. They feature talent along the defensive line, but are vulnerable in the defensive backfield. Cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Cordale Flott are rated as two of the worst corners in the NFL through four weeks.

How should the Seahawks play this one?

Make Hay in the First Half

Through four games, the Giants defense has been historically bad defending the pass in the first half of the game. How bad?

They are conceding an 85.2% completion rate, with four touchdowns and zero interceptions for a gaudy 127.5 QB Rating. In the first quarter alone, quarterbacks are 22 of 24 for a 91.7% rate.

Their saving grace has been stiffening in the Red Zone and holding opponents to Field Goals. (Note: the Washington Commanders beat them by kicking seven Field Goals).
The Seahawks must take advantage. Come out firing, mixing the run and pass and establish a lead early in the game and put their injured offense in a bind. That is something well within the Seahawks’ capabilities, especially when you consider the Giants’ vulnerability at defensive back.

What about the talented pass rush trio of Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns?

Oddly enough, the Giants have not been able to generate a consistent pass rush without blitzing. Lawrence has been very good but Thibodeaux has been extremely hot and cold and Burns still seems to be settling onto his new team.

Their two best games from a pass-rushing perspective were against Washington (5 sacks on 12 blitzes for 26% pressure) and Cleveland (eight sacks on 19 blitzes for 29% pressure). The other two games, against Minnesota and Dallas? They only blitzed a combined 11 times and recorded two sacks while Sam Darnold and Dak Prescott picked them apart.

So, the Giants are better when they blitz, yes?

Actually no. Here is the other stat that will take some time to wrap your head around:

In four games, the Giants have blitzed on 42 plays. In those plays, they have conceded a 78.1% completion rate, 332 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and recorded 17 first downs.

The equals a 149.1 QB Rating. A perfect QB rating is 158.3.

Watch the Cowboys burn the Giants’ blitz attempt last week:

Dane Belton poorly telegraphs a blitz coming from the nickel spot. Deuce Vaughn slides over and picks it up and Prescott finds Cee Dee Lamb who has burned Banks and deep safety Tyler Nubin has taken a horrid angle.

That is about as good (and bad) as it gets.

Is it hard to imagine Geno Smith and D.K.Metcalf working out that kind of play, with one of the running backs alertly picking up the blitzer? It is not.

But the Giants must be at defending the run well, aren’t they? No. So far through four games they are giving up 4.7 yards per carry and 28 first downs on the ground, good for #24 in the NFL.

As Sea Mode in yesterday’s comment section pointed out, the Giants are next to last in conceding yards after contact. With Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet, the Seahawks will have weapons for days on which to feast on this Giants defense.

If the Seahawks can take advantage of the Giants not unlike they did last year and build up a sizable halftime lead, they will be able to extinguish New York’s hopes of coming across country with a beat up squad and pulling off a shocking upset.

Keep the Game in Front of You on Defense

An unofficial look at Daniel Jones’ throws through four games shows that a high percentage of those throws targeted Nabers.

The Giants leaned heavily on Nabers to be their dynamic offensive weapon. With him out, there are not many opportunities to threaten all parts of the field.

Robinson is more of a catch-and-make-a-move type of receiver (although a good one) and Darius Slayton has not been used very much (he is on a trajectory for career lows in several categories thus far).

With their top Running Back also likely out, the Giants currently do not have a strength to rely on in order to weather these injury challenges.

As a result, the Giants will likely try to pick their way down the field, piece by piece. Daniel Jones will be asked to carry a much greater part of the offense. Brian Daboll has best utilized Jones when he is getting the ball out of his hands quickly and letting his receivers make plays with their feet.

So far, the Giants have almost completely ignored their Tight Ends in the passing game. Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson only have ten targets in four games between them. It is likely their number will get called ten times in this game alone. The safeties and linebackers will have to be alert in coverage.

In the absence of established runners, he will likely call Jones’ number in rushes more than he is typically comfortable with.

On defense, a pass rush is always good. But this Seahawks team would benefit most by having a flood coverage that is close to the line of scrimmage, surveying and watching Jones’ eyes as he takes the snap, and then closing quickly and securing the runner or receiver to the ground as soon as possible.

The Giants will no doubt try to throw the ball deeper downfield on occasion. But the game will be won or lost within five yards of the line of scrimmage.

This could be just the kind of seek-and-destroy exercise that could restore confidence in the defense and get them mentally ready for a crucial game on Thursday night.

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