Category: Front Page News (Page 37 of 367)

Here’s what I’m watching this week in college football:

Alabama vs Tennessee
Miami vs Virginia Tech
Arkansas vs BYU
Oklahoma State vs TCU
LSU vs Florida
Stanford vs Notre Dame
Clemson vs Florida State

British TV isn’t showing as many games this week so I’m relying on ESPN Player but will try and get through all of these by Monday.

It’s believed Will Levis and Bryce Young will both return this weekend.

Rather than do a full quarterback breakdown this week — I want to recommend watching a player on TCU’s defense.

I’m really enamoured by junior safety Abraham Camara.

He wears #14 and you’ll notice him for his hitting. He is an outstanding hitter when he connects. He plays with great anticipation, he’s extremely quick and he flies to the ball. He is a toner-setter who is very passionate on the field — you see him react to big plays and he packs a real punch with a good size/speed combo.

When Camara has to drop in coverage he shows off a great back-pedal. His range is good for a hitting safety. I watched TCU vs Kansas and he had a brilliant PBU on a fourth down.

In the first month of the season he was second in the Big-12 for forced incompletion percentage:

1. Malik Dunlap (TTU), 35%
2. Abraham Camara (TCU), 29%
3. D’Shawn Jamison (UT), 27%
T-4. Korie Black (OKST), 25%
T-4. Ekow Boye-Doe (KSU), 25%

And he led the conference in QBR when throwing his way:

1. Abraham Camara (TCU), 18.8
2. D’Shawn Jamison (UT), 35.1
T-3. Josh Hayes (KSU), 39.6
T-3. Tayvonn Kyle (ISU), 39.6
5. Kalon Gervin (KU), 55.1

There is a big negative. He doesn’t wrap-up his tackles well enough. There are moments where he dives head or shoulder first and doesn’t connect. I’ve seen a couple of bad whiffs. But the hits are so bone-crunching and his athletic traits so appealing — I’d roll the dice to work on the finer details of his tackling.

If you get a chance to watch TCU today check him out.

I’m also particularly interested to watch K.J. Henry at Clemson again — a pass rusher who deserves far more attention. I want to watch Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman against Alabama. He gashed them for a 70-yard run last season so I want to see if he can have another impact today. (Edit — Tillman is out injured). I’m looking forward to watching Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller again.

Plus, of course, I’ll be watching all of the big name quarterbacks as usual.

This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…

Record: 2-3

Thoughts

What a rollercoaster. There has been some dazzling, unexpected successes and some equally infuriating difficulties. It is too easy to focus on one to the exclusion of the other. Let’s try to strike a bit of a balance with an objective look at what the first quarter has shown us.

MVP

1. Geno Smith

Easiest choice on the whole report card. Geno has been a revelation so far and far exceeded expectations with his play.

A 75% completion rate, a 9/2 TD/Int ratio, only nine sacks and a QB rating of 113.2 only hint at the breakout we have witnessed from him so far.

It is the decisiveness. The use of the tight ends. The movement in the pocket to buy time and then running when out of time. The fact that he is not afraid to throw downfield and give his wide receivers a chance to make a play on the ball.

All these things are propelling the offense in the way it has been designed to do.

A large chunk of this play I personally only saw the slightest of glimpses and hints of when I attended three training camp days and the mock game. I thought in a fair competition, that Drew Lock had more potential to elevate the offense. Geno has proved that wrong on every level and I am thrilled to say that I was wrong.

2.Tyler Lockett

Imagine if I told you the day after Russell Wilson was traded that Tyler Lockett would explode out of the gate and be on track for career highs in targets (136), catches (108), yards (1380) and first downs (61) after the first five games?

That is exactly what he is doing.

Lockett has found another level to ascend to — it doesn’t matter who is throwing, if the quarterback can get him the ball, he will make plays. The legendary Wilson-Lockett mind meld connection that was severed with the trade this spring has not affected Lockett’s production one little bit.

When you look at the Seahawks’ roster up and down from a salary cap perspective, you see many players that are not earning their salary. Lockett is one of the highest paid Seahawks in the locker room and is earning every penny and then some so far.

He had a fumble on a punt return but that is so infrequent and out of character for him it is hard to hold that against him (unlike Metcalf, who is still having ball security issues). And in a way, when he makes a mistake, it so jarring it highlights how efficient and safe he is as a player.

3.Tariq Woolen

This is not a sentimental choice, giving him extra consideration as a fifth-round rookie with a dazzling skillset that somehow made the team and has started all five games.

No one player on the defensive side of the ball has done more from his area of responsibility to change the outcome of games than Woolen (with all due respect to Al Woods).

Let us count the ways…

Three interceptions. None of them are of the cheap variety. One of them he returned for a touchdown.

Four passes defensed. Allowing a very low completion percentage when targeted.

A fumble recovery. Blocking a field goal that got returned for a touchdown by Michael Jackson.

The Seahawks have struck gold here.

Honorable Mention: Will Dissly

14 catches in 15 targets, three touchdowns (he needs just one more to tie his career high), five first downs, great run blocking and a 71.6 PFF score. This is the Will Dissly the Seahawks have so sorely needed the last three seasons.

Rookie of the Quarter

1a.Tariq Woolen

See above. His impact has been definite and immediate for the Seahawks. Nobody – including Pete Carroll – could have seen this coming. He was already a steal in the fifth round for his measurables alone.

He has demonstrated that he is so much more than a scouting profile though – he has ‘put all the tools in the box’ by translating those measurables into fantastic play the field. That blinding 4.26 speed has shown up in game situations, whether it be closing the gap on receivers to make plays on the ball or chasing down breakaway runners. He has also demonstrated a fantastic under-the-radar quality — he is hard-nosed and physical with receivers and backs in the running game.

The crucible of the offseason camps and constantly lining up across varied skillsets at the wide receiver position has revealed a whole new depth to his game. He is poised, has above average technique (in the Saints game he executed a jam on the receiver so perfect the referees flagged him for holding) and thanks to his work in practice against behemoths like D.K. Metcalf and speedy mighty mites like Marquise Goodwin, he has a strong well of experience against different types of receivers to draw from.

1b.Abe Lucas

Outline for me the absolute best-case scenario you could envision for Lucas this spring. Now tell me he has not done everything you could have possibly imagined.

Thanks to the early identification by Rob, we have all had a chance to track his progress since last fall.

He looked great at the Senior Bowl, then blew the combine up with a performance that got puzzlingly little response from the scouting community. He slipped in the draft while the Seahawks addressed other gaping needs. The Seahawks then ran the card to the podium in the third round, while all SDB popped champagne corks.

He had a great camp and won the starting right tackle job. He mauled people in the run game and was technically proficient in the passing game in preseason.

And when the lights came on, they were not too bright for him. He has taken on all comers and not only put up a performance that stands with the best rookies in the NFL but the best right tackles in the NFL period.

One of the biggest signs of respect came in Week Two. The Niners defense was not getting much push from Nick Bosa lined up over Lucas, so they moved him inside to work in the interior and Bosa immediately caused trouble there.

One game and change into Lucas’ first NFL season.

At this pace a Pro Bowl selection is not too far out of his reach.

3.Boye Mafe

Mafe had a couple dazzling plays in the preseason. In comparison to the two rookies above him, he has not had a massive impact in the regular season so far.

That does not mean his performance so far should not be acknowledged. On a team with incredible challenges on defense he has a sack, 11 solo tackles and a 62.1 PFF rating in only 37% of the snaps so far this season.

He has been name-checked by Pete Carroll several times as a candidate for more snaps as other players have been banged up. More snaps are not always proportionate to more production as a player but Mafe has earned every chance to show us whether that is true for him or not.

Honorable Mentions-Charles Cross, Coby Bryant, Ken Walker

First off, Isn’t it great we have so many rookies playing, and playing well, that we have to have three honorable mentions?

Cross has stepped into the starting Left Tackle spot and has not given anyone pause to think that was a mistake. He has adapted to the NFL well in both the passing and run game. His technique challenges are evident and he has taken a couple of badly timed penalties to kill key offensive plays. The foundation is there though.

Bryant has not surprisingly struggled to adapt to being a nickel corner. His ball-skills are evident however with two forced fumbles. Along with Woolen, the Seahawks now have corners who can create turnovers, something sorely lacking in recent years.

Walker had two runs this quarter that gave fans just a taste of what he is capable of. With Penny’s injury, he is no longer a supplemental weapon. He is the main attraction now. How he handles being the focus will be very intriguing to watch.

Successes

1.Explosive Plays on Offense

The offensive fireworks have not been limited to just a few players. Everyone is contributing. Besides the star players, Travis Homer, Colby Parkinson, Deejay Dallas, and Noah Fant have explosive plays. Even Geno Smith has three explosive runs for crying out loud.

The only key offensive player who does not have an explosive play yet is Dee Eskridge and we know that is just a matter of time.

In fact, the long gainers have come so frequently, the defense is having trouble catching their breath before going back out on the field. This offense is not plodding along in any way.

2.Beating Denver

That home opener against the Broncos was a game set by the football gods. Everyone knew what was at stake and the flood of emotions that would surround that game. ESPN even moved off their traditional double-header Monday Night Football season opener in order to feature this particular game.

It was a buildup of years of pent-up emotions on all sides. This game had polarized everyone and was appointment watching.

The crowd was rocking. The defense had two key takeaways. Geno Smith came to play and managed to do enough to win.

Russell Wilson found out that for one game, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.

It was a pure expression of what Seattle Seahawks football has been like in the past decade. Exhilarating, infuriating and incredible.

3.The Rookies

Where would the Seahawks be right now if they did not have this rookie class?

The foundation for this team is materializing right in front of our eyes. Players are getting critical snaps and opportunities, whereas in the past rookies were either injured badly or held back for seemingly ages while do-nothing veteran players occupied their precious development snaps.

Tariq Woolen, Abe Lucas, Ken Walker, Boye Mafe and Charles Cross look like foundation stones that will get second contracts with the Seahawks. Maybe a third.

Coby Bryant has undeniable skills. It will be fascinating to see if the Seahawks intend to keep him at nickel or move him back to his natural spot at outside corner.

The Seahawks knocked this draft out of the park. How sweet it will be watching this class grow up together.

Honorable Mention: Uchenna Nwosu, the Tight Ends

In a sea of defensive confusion and chaos, Nwosu has proven to be an excellent free agent signing by the Seahawks. He seems to have taken to a very critical role in the 3-4 defense extremely nicely. He has two sacks, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, seven quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and that all adds up to a 73.8 PFF rating.

The only concern is he is playing 80% of the snaps. The Seahawks will need to walk that back in order to keep him fresh for 17 games.

*****************************

Last year the tight ends had 99 targets, 39 first downs and five touchdowns.

This year they are on pace for 132 targets, 55 first downs and 14 touchdowns.

The cost/benefit for the group is finally swinging out of the red and into the green. Hallelujah.

Struggles

1.Defense: Discipline

For every explosive play the offense gains, the defense gives one up.

For every sustained drive the offense gets, the defense gets flagged while stopping a team on third down and the drive is extended.

Tackling is a trip to the zoo. Gaps are wide open.

Veterans are not carrying the newer and younger players. Quite the opposite.

It has gotten to the point where the teams are running plays the Seahawks have seen several times and they still cannot stop them.

Every fundamental area on the defense has been lacking. Lining up correctly. Knowing where the gaps are and who is responsible for them. Making sure key offensive weapons are accounted for.

The worst thing might be, we don’t know if anybody cares.

Quandre Diggs has openly spoken about their issues but backed up his words with listless, unmotivated play in recent games. Al Woods has earned the freeness of speech to be forthright with the press but nobody in the locker room seems to be responding.

Pete Carroll and Clint Hurtt have yet to give us a concrete answer about the challenges they are having, other than to stick to bland generalities about ‘working hard’ and ‘it will happen’. Or put another way, the same things we have heard in previous seasons about defensive problems. When you hear flat excuses for three seasons running, they just ring hollow.

This is unacceptable effort and execution for even high school football. For a professional football franchise led by a head coach with a lifetime of defensive experience, it is inexcusable.

2.Defense: Too Many Key Players Not Making Key Plays

Even for all the scheme, coaching and mistakes challenges everyone is having, you would think at least one player of this group would occasionally just have a singular play where their talent and instincts overcome it all.

Jamal Adams lasted 15 snaps before getting hurt. He did manage to take another throw off his facemask when the Seahawks desperately needed a turnover.

Quandre Diggs has yet to make a game-changing play this season. An interception, a guided-missile type hit that fires the defense up or a pass breakup that only he can make.

Darrell Taylor – his 6.5 sacks last year felt like a huge redemption after a lost rookie season. The light came on and fans finally breathed a sigh of relief that they might have a young pass rusher to build around. This year? He appears to have been swallowed up by a new scheme, more snaps and more assignments in the run game. In the first quarter last year, he was literally saving the Seahawks points on defense with key sacks. This year you have to squint your eyes at the television to find his #52 on the field.

Jordyn Brooks has yet to record a single tackle for loss this season and unbelievably has gotten worse in pass coverage (conceding a whopping 15 yards per target, a touchdown and a 139 QB rating).

Shelby Harris has no sacks and only 1 tackle for a loss.

There are millions of cap dollars and several high draft picks invested in this group. The Seahawks are getting almost nothing in return.

3.Defense: The Totality of this Group

They are the second-worst scoring defense in the NFL. Detroit is last by an eyelash.

They are currently the worst run defense in the NFL.

There are currently only 3 teams with less sacks than the eight they have logged so far. Two of those eight sacks have come from blitzers (Cody Barton and Coby Bryant).

Last spring, when Pete Carroll told the press “We have been arrogant on defense”, fired Ken Norton Jr and released the underachieving Bobby Wagner. We all breathed a big sigh of relief.

Finally, the moves to right this ship were being made.

If we only knew.

The defensive collapse has been just a big a shock as the offensive surge.

Next Quarter Games

Arizona
@LA Chargers
NY Giants
@ Arizona

Goals

1.Fix The Defense

Something. Anything. Give us something to believe in.

With the way the offense is playing, we do not need the defense to be a top-10 unit. Just middle of the pack.

Start slowly and build.

Have the guys knowing their assignments one week. Minimize the penalties the second. Work on creating some pass rush the third. And so on.

2.Keep the Running Game Afloat

Rashaad Penny is out. It’s Ken Walker’s gig now.

A critical ingredient of keeping offensive balance has been affected. It is a huge step in the right direction that Walker came into the game in relief of Penny and busted off a 69-yard run. Teams have that on tape. And now they know they cannot afford to ignore the running game with Penny out.

That does not mean ‘business as usual,’ running out the exact same package of plays for Walker that you otherwise would have for Penny.

You do not need to ram him up the middle so much. Back off that a little and get Walker in space. Let him stretch his legs a little and fire up some of that electricity to get defenders wary of him. And then hit them with some of those inside zone runs.

Spread the load out. Get Deejay Dallas some plays. Design some package plays for Dee Eskridge.

Maybe even Dareke Young should get in on the action a little. Word was he could become a scout-team Deebo Samuel type player. Why not work a little of that into the offense?

The team is in a very precarious position at this moment. With the defense so poor, the offense cannot afford to falter even a little, lest the game get totally out of hand.

This might be like tuning a Formula One racing car. Slowly make a small tweak and see how it performs. Then make another. And another.

Shane Waldron and the staff will need to keep progressing in their game planning and calls.

3.Keep Incorporating the Young Talent

Justin Coleman is close to coming back. What does that mean for Coby Bryant? Can they try him out at the outside cornerback spot?

Phil Haynes has started to take snaps from Gabe Jackson. Let’s see that continue.

Alton Robinson and Tre Brown should be back off Injured Reserve this quarter.

They badly need Robinson to work into the rotation. They have Mafe, Taylor, Nwosu and whatever veteran who they can get off the street playing those two spots.

Dee Eskridge must get more involved in this offense. It is easy to look at the top two wide receivers and the tight end group flourishing and shrug at Eskridge. He should be the x-factor, the ingredient teams just cannot account for because Lockett and Metcalf have the defensive backs occupied and the tight ends have the linebackers spoken for.

On top of my usual quarterback scouting, I’ve been pouring over tape looking for any draft-eligible non-quarterbacks who catch the eye. Today I wanted to highlight a few names before going into my QB notes.

It is really, really hard to find legit first round prospects for 2023 but I do think there are players likely to be available on day two or three who can develop into key contributors at the next level.

I’ll produce a horizontal board soon, listing where I think certain players deserve to be graded. It’s very early, so things can still change.

Christopher Smith (S, Georgia)
A productive senior with five interceptions since the start of last season, Smith is an impressive player with starting potential at the next level. He absolutely flies to the ball with superb closing burst and a downfield, attacking mentality. You see him shift from deep coverage to the LOS in no time, shooting to the ball-carrier. He has terrific range on the back-end and can cover ground quickly to reach the sideline to support a cornerback or break on the ball. He has that ‘eraser’ style where he can give the quarterback a look where he feels confident he was a 1v1 on the outside — then he has the speed to react, run and play the ball. He’s generally in the right spot when he needs to be and his play recognition is top-notch. His stock will depend on how well he tests but he’s a very interesting free safety prospect who appears destined to be a starter in the NFL. Right now a second day grade appears reasonable.

Drew Sanders (LB, Arkansas)
This was a fun tape to watch. Sanders is basically a poor-man’s Micah Parsons. He carries a classic linebacker mentality and has punishing hits on tape, has shown he can work through traffic and flow to the ball-carrier and he looks fast and at ease in the Arkansas defense. He splits his time between traditional middle linebacker and edge rusher. Despite not having typical length for the role, you see plenty of quickness and agility. He can bend off the edge, straighten to the QB and he’s very effective as a situational rusher. Sanders also has a great get-off and that works off the edge. He also does a reasonable job to blitz the A-gap. That’s why I think there’s a bit of Parsons to his game. He can be a combo-linebacker who acts as a plus-rusher in certain situations. Parsons was a freakish athlete and Sanders won’t test anywhere near his level — but there’s still plenty to work with. So far in 2022 he has 6.5 sacks, 7.5 TFL’s four QB hurries, two forced fumbles and two PBU’s. So the production is incredible. He ran a 4.65 forty at SPARQ, jumped a 35 inch vertical and ran a 4.31 short shuttle. Sanders also diagnoses plays expertly. There’s clear evidence of him noticing a quick throw to the outside and then right off the snap, rushing straight to the ball-carrier. He’s rarely in the wrong position and does a good job competing along the front seven. He appears to have an old-school mentality with a modern-day profile. I do worry, however, if you try to make him a traditional linebacker whether he’ll be wasted. The team drafting him has to be creative. He transferred from Alabama and has a year of eligibility remaining so he might not declare. Depending on testing, he could be a top-50 type.

Nick Figueroa (DE, USC)
I was really surprised by Figueroa. He won’t be a high pick but he plays with an athleticism and intensity — combined with his size — that would make me want to take a shot at the next level. He’s big and physical, playing with a great motor. He has shown the ability to bend off the edge and straighten to the QB which is impressive given his frame. He has NFL size and he’s just a very active rusher — always moving, always churning the legs. Tackles never get a breather when he’s lining up against them. He plays to the whistle too. Figueroa has powerful hands and can jolt blockers backwards. He’s also a very capable bull-rusher and can drive his blocker inside to create stunt opportunities off the edge. He needs to finish better to get those sack numbers up but for me he’s a player who could be an intriguing project who plays his best football in the NFL.

Tuli Tuipulotu (DE, USC)
Sticking with USC, one of the hardest projections I’ve come across this year is Tuipulotu. Hailed by everyone as the heart and soul of the Trojans’ defense, there’s no denying he’s effective. In a down year for pass rushing in college football he leads the nation with seven sacks. He also has 12.5 TFL’s. I just can’t work out what he is. Tuipulotu is listed at 6-4 and 290lbs but he looks squatty to me — like he’s probably a little bit shorter and maybe doesn’t have great length. That would limit his ability to play defensive end in a 3-4 and he might have to kick inside. It’s not always easy to tell though — bring on the off-season measurements. His tape is a mix of highs and lows. There are plenty of plays where he gets flushed out and even pushed around a bit. Then there are plays where he wins through sheer effort to work to the quarterback and he’s shown an ability to make tackles miss with agility and quickness to bend the arc. His effort is good and I just wonder if he’s someone who could come in and provide a better fit in Seattle’s new scheme at DE and while he might be a bit hit and miss, he’ll flash enough to make an impact.

K.J. Henry (DE, Clemson)
Of all Clemson’s big name defenders, Henry is the one who has impressed me the most this year. He’s an electric edge rusher — so quick and sudden. He can bend brilliantly to round tackles. His initial burst and quickness puts blockers on the back-foot immediately. As an outside linebacker prospect, he has shown the ability to drop in coverage. Henry has always had massive potential as a former five-star recruit but it’s taken a long time for it to shine through. His stat line (one sack, 4.5 TFL’s) isn’t impressive either — yet on tape he just shows up time and time again. He’s more impressive than Myles Murphy for me. According to people in the know, he’s also the emotional leader of Clemson’s defensive unit. He’s more potential than proven production and his NFL future will require some projection. That said, for me he’s firmly in the second round conversation and if he can get those production numbers up and have a great Senior Bowl, he could even sneak into round one.

Mazi Smith (DT, Michigan)
It’s not often you get a fun-factor from watching a 326lbs nose tackle but Smith is quite the watch. You wouldn’t be able to guess his size watching tape because he has a quickness to his game that is unnatural. He also has a terrific swim move and he can create consistent penetration into the backfield even if the sack numbers (only half a sack so far) aren’t there. He also absorbs plenty of double-teams and while he can get pushed back at times (and certainly isn’t the great wall that Jarran Reed was at Alabama) he also has the ability to plant an anchor. He’s a very active player — not a game-wrecker but potentially a plus starter. He was top of Bruce Feldman’s ‘freaks list’ for 2022 and can reportedly jump a 33 inch vertical and a 9-5 broad jump. He’s been clocked running a 4.41 short shuttle and a 6.95 three cone. If he repeats those times at the combine, he will likely be a first round pick.

Jake Bobo (WR, UCLA)
Bobo is likely to be a day three pick depending on how he tests but my advice would be to find a way to get him. He’s 6-5, 215lbs and just such a fluid route runner. He is so precise with his movement, his subtle change-of-direction deceives cornerbacks and he understands how and where to settle down in zone to provide an outlet. Bobo consistently catches the ball away from his body with great technique. He’s an ideal safety valve who can be a third down conversion machine. He also has the size to be a red zone dynamo. He’s shown evidence of quickness and the ability to make people miss — even if his movements are a little bit rigid and certainly I wouldn’t expect amazing agility testing. Another thing he has are long vines for arms that help him high-point the ball to win 1v1’s. Is he quick enough for Seattle, given their need for speed? I don’t care. I think he’ll be a player who is consistent and productive as a third option. UCLA’s triplets of Bobo, Zach Charbonnet and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are all going to provide great value in the draft.

Zay Flowers (WR, Boston College)
Now this was an exciting watch. Flowers’ change of direction is absolutely incredible. It’s like watching a formula one car darting in and out of a chicane. He’s just so sudden and flashes electrifying cuts and the ability to break and create easy separation. With the ball in his hands he’s also creative and very capable of making multiple defenders miss. He’s a joy to watch. He’s also competitive with the ball in the air despite his diminutive size (5-10, 172lbs). He has special qualities. His ability to go through the gears and change direction is unique, I can’t recall seeing anything like this before. He should secure a day two grade with the potential to go higher.

Jaelyn Duncan (T/G, Maryland)
He’s playing left tackle for the Terrapins but he bends at the waist, doesn’t have natural knee flexion to drop and sit and he looks like a player who would benefit from kicking inside. Against Purdue at the weekend he was beat badly off the edge by an impressive sophomore pass rusher. You do see snaps where the feet and hands don’t work together. However, when he gets into position well — he’s athletic enough to stick once he locks-on. His kick-slide is very good and with his size he’s difficult to manoeuvre. Put him at left guard and let him come off the ball and drive at people. Use his athleticism to pull at guard and get up into space at the second level, rather than asking him to mirror elite speed off the edge. I’m not sure we’ll see Seattle’s O-line at its best until they have converted tackles at guard like the Rams use. For me Duncan looks like a day two option.

Ventrell Miller (LB, Florida)
Miller has really impressed me so far this season. I’m not sure he’s going to blow anyone away with his testing (he was a former three-star recruit) but his play has been consistent, effective and he holds Florida’s defense together. He’s also a warrior. He broke his foot against Kentucky and missed the USF game — a contest where Florida’s defense was consistently gashed in the running game (giving up 286 rushing yards). He’s taken pain-killing injections ever since, padded up and things have improved greatly. The Seahawks have repeatedly sought great athletes at linebacker and have focused on speed, agility testing and explosive traits as a priority. Miller isn’t going to run particularly fast or jump high. He might not have the athleticism to be effective at the next level. But what he does is fill gaps, run to ball carriers, play his heart out, do his job and the Seahawks need a lot more of that on defense.

Quarterback notes

Let’s be realistic about Hendon Hooker

He got a lot of publicity over the weekend after a win against a transitioning, bad LSU. His performance was a mixed bag and some issues (inconsistent accuracy, propensity to miss easy throws while also providing highlight moments) showed up again.

He started the game feeling his way into things with some WR screens. With LSU playing a sloppy first quarter, the Vols didn’t have to exert too much energy to race to a 13-0 lead.

Then with 14:45 left in the first half, he threw a wonderful pass for a long touchdown. It was a beautiful throw, one of the prettiest of the season so far, to the left corner of the end zone. He lobbed it from the 50-yard line with precision and ideal touch and velocity to get in behind two LSU defensive backs and allow the receiver to run right under it. It was a fantastic play and a strong indication of what he’s capable of.

But then there were the issues that haven’t really been discussed this week amid all of the hype.

He didn’t recognise a blitz with 9:51 remaining in the first half, was absolutely hammered sitting in the pocket and fumbled. Tennessee were fortunate a running back reacted quickest to retrieve the ball.

On his next series Hooker then threw two wayward, inaccurate WR screens for incompletions that should be bread and butter throws. He then missed over the middle on 3rd and 10.

In the next series he missed again on another throw down the seam, forcing Tennessee to resort to the WR screens again to try and re-establish some rhythm. Yet the struggles continued. He had a wide open receiver by the left sideline, double-clutched, then threw late and high and missed his target badly. On 2nd and 10 with 15 seconds in the first half remaining, his receiver settled down at the marker needed to get a field goal. I paused the screen and the nearest defender is 10 yards away. All Hooker has to do is throw softly in the general area of his wide open target. Instead he throws badly behind and it’s incomplete. It’s a horrendous throw.

He made amends on his next pass and they got their field goal —- but you can see where I’m coming from with these inaccurate passes.

Hooker started the second half with a nice QB draw for a big gain, then followed up with a touchdown pass on a slant after the covering LSU defender fell over.

He then had an awful fumble deep in his own half on another QB draw where he was loose with the football. Again, the Vols were tremendously lucky that one of their players recovered it. On 3rd and 11, he threw into thick coverage and was fortunate the pass was knocked away rather than picked off.

Overall nothing about this performance changed by opinion of Hooker. LSU were disgustingly poor and he made some good plays, one great play and also had some ugly moments. I still think he’s a player to be drafted in the third or fourth round range to develop and possibly use as a plus backup, rather than someone I’d expect to start in the NFL. He faces Alabama next which should be interesting.

Same old, same old from C.J. Stroud

Statistically people will think Stroud had a major performance against Michigan State. He finished 21/26 for 361 yards and six touchdowns (plus one interception). Yet the same positives and negatives showed up yet again against MSU and their horror show of a defense.

On the positive side — he had a sensational third and long throw downfield, launching off his back-foot and off-platform with no balance, dropping it beautifully into a bucket for an inch-perfect, incredible throw that leaves your jaw dropped. It’s just sensational touch and accuracy.

He also had a couple of really well executed back-shoulder throws for touchdowns to the front corner of the end zone. He seems to like those.

On the negative side — you continue to see the intermediate accuracy issues. He had a horrible miscommunication on his second series leading to a pick-six. Most of the touchdowns were easy against a useless defense.

It’s impossible to deny Stroud’s talent and potential. He can make magic happen. There’s also so much he has to learn and he has to complement the spectacular with the basics. He needs to do the little things well and learn how to properly read coverages, manage an offense, make adjustments and execute with greater consistency — all without the supporting cast he has at Ohio State.

He will go early because of the talent but he’s far harder to project than Will Levis and for that reason, probably ends up being the second quarterback taken.

Anthony Richardson shows off his potential again

Florida’s quarterback again flashed insane physical talent in the win against Missouri. He had a huge run on 4th and 2 to set up a crucial touchdown. He also had an outstanding thrown on the run for a touchdown.

That said, he also stuttered in the first half and had another interception later on (although I think it was a little bit unlucky this time).

I just can’t get out of my head that if Richardson gets time and is developed properly, he could be a superstar. I don’t know if he’ll declare this year but he might be Seattle’s best bet for someone they can realistically get to — then redshirt — and feel good about the long-term investment and upside.

If Levis is destined to be the top pick and if Stroud joins him in the top-three — you’re going to find it hard to move up. Re-signing Geno Smith and selecting Richardson wouldn’t be a bad plan and could set the team up for the long term at the most important position.

BYU’s Jaren Hall sees slump continue

He started the Notre Dame game with an interception on the first snap. Hall feels the pressure and for some reason the ball just comes out fluttering. A total duck and an easy interception.

With 13:04 left in the first half he stared down his receiver to the right hand side, throws an inaccurate pass behind the intended target and it’s a dropped interception that would’ve been a pick six. Awful.

He then takes a horrendous safety in his own end zone. He needed to get rid of the ball and do something other than just stand there waiting to get hit.

Hall finished the first half with eight passing yards.

His first two touchdowns were easy — a red zone conversion to a wide open receiver and a blown coverage.

He had a cice throw to Kody Epps late in the game over the middle — showing good anticipation and placement. He also suffered from a couple of drops that should’ve had DPI flags before each receiver was given a chance to fail to make the catch.

Generally speaking though he was just off for most of the night. Even on a wide open pass in the third quarter, he somehow managed to throw behind his target. In the last two outings Hall has looked nothing like the player who started the season so well. Next he faces Arkansas. He needs a big game there because his stock is slipping.

Tyler Van Dyke has a bounce-back game

Watching the Miami vs North Carolina game made me quite angry. What Mario Cristobal has done to TVD — even in a productive performance — is staggering. He is a shadow of the player we saw at the end of last season.

I say that even after he went 42/57 for 496 yards and three touchdowns. He started really jittery — as we’ve seen a few times. His timing and accuracy was off, he looked nervous. Last season he looked like the man — he came out throwing, dominated opponents and exuded confidence. Cristobal has made him a quivering wreck.

Thankfully he snapped out of it just enough for some of the old magic to return. Some of the typical seam throws and mid-range passes he’s so good at started to connect with accuracy and touch.

He had an amazing touchdown under pressure right before half-time. With a defensive tackle draped all over him, clinging to his leg, he had the strength and wherewithal to somehow get a throw off and find a receiver in the end zone. A magical, creative play.

TVD was virtually flawless on third downs all night and his third touchdown was nicely thrown with lots of flight. He drove the ball into tight windows and he looked a bit more like the 2021 version.

That said — to me it would still be best for him to transfer at the end of the season and go somewhere better in 2023. My shout is still Kentucky to replace Will Levis. Van Dyke has the talent and the ability — but he’s playing in a horrible, conservative offense for a coach who is developing a reputation for making good QB’s underperform.

They’ve also lost three games in a row.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson delivers again

For all the talk about Hendon Hooker and Michael Penix Jr — DTR doesn’t get anywhere near the same attention. Why?

He is playing brilliantly and leading UCLA to an undefeated run stretching into last season.

This was another top performance against Utah. He looks in complete control of the offense. He’s throwing accurately and on time. His arm strength is good and allows him to make plays around the field. When he needs to make a play with his legs he can. He’s showing to be a fantastic point guard.

The only blotch on his copy-book was a late pick-six which was poorly thrown. I have no idea why they were throwing anyway — there were seconds left and the game was won. Run the ball, run down the clock. What were they doing?

Even so — he finished 18/23 for 299 yards and four touchdowns with a QBR of 94.9. He also ran a touchdown in from short range. I also liked his fire on the sideline in this game. He’s leading this team superbly.

I think he’s brilliant and well worth considering in the middle rounds.

I don’t have a problem with drafting a couple of quarterbacks in 2023 — a high pick and a later pick. I’d even be open to adding Taulia Tagovailoa as an UDFA too. It’s a deep class and you might as well take a few shots to find the eventual successor to Geno Smith.

Speaking of Smith, if you missed this earlier, check it out…

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This is also available via ‘The Rebuild’ podcast streams.

There’s a new draft notes article coming later today.

I wanted to wait until after the New Orleans game to post this.

After all — I’d witnessed the Saints come to London, devour Minnesota’s offensive line and turn Kirk Cousins into the check-down-Charlie he has a tendency to become.

This was a real test. Not the cakewalk we saw in Detroit or against the Falcons.

Geno Smith passed the test with flying colours.

I don’t need to post all the rankings and statistics that other people have researched — you’ve probably seen them all by now anyway. The ‘TLDR’ version is simply that he’s in the top-five in virtually every quarterback-relevant metric. He is currently PFF’s highest graded QB with an outstanding 90.2 grade.

Frankly, he’s been a revelation.

Yes there have been some slow moments. The first three games saw the offense grind to a halt after half-time. They failed to score a point against the admittedly excellent San Francisco defense.

Yet the performance in New Orleans, despite the upgrade in opponent, once again showed off what Smith has done so well to start 2022.

A lot of people are praising his ability to execute the offense (which he is doing very well). I think he’s gone beyond that. I don’t think he’s just ‘functioned’ his way to a 90.2 grade. I think he’s actually in attack mode.

He’s taking the fight to the defense. He’s throwing with confidence, poise and more than a hint of aggression. However, the accuracy and timing remains.

It’s been so impressive to see him throw to all levels of the field with so much skill. The touchdowns to Tyler Lockett on Sunday were textbook and brilliant — the kind of throws we’d all be amazed by if Justin Herbert was the one throwing the pass.

He’s taking the chance to challenge defenders 1v1, he’s throwing over the middle, he understands when to check down, he’s being creative with his legs. Geno Smith is playing like a X-factor talent.

He is making the most of his two key receiving weapons. The tight ends are a dynamic factor in Seattle for the first time in the Pete Carroll era. The Seahawks have the #1 offense per DVOA and it’s not an illusion or a red-herring.

It’s simply that Geno Smith is playing that well.

I’m happy to admit my concerns have so far been proven completely wrong. In fairness, I don’t think anyone expected this — short of those investing blind faith. But I was especially critical because I expected a player who would function against bad opponents then be shut-down by moderate-to-good opponents.

I thought he would be a turnover risk when pressured or when feeling the need to score and keep pace in explosive games.

None of that has been the case. He’s instead been attack-minded and dynamic without risking turnovers. Smith has elevated his play far beyond anything we saw in his previous stints as a starter, or any snaps he had in pre-season with the Seahawks.

He deserves tremendous praise — which he is getting from the fans and media — and he’s developing into something of a cult hero. A phenomena.

If it continues the Seahawks should start talking him up as ‘comeback player of the year’ during media conferences. Get a little momentum behind the campaign.

It’s actually a shame the defense is so horrendous that he isn’t getting the support his play deserves. Even if the unit were middling, they’d have a chance to win any game with the offensive output they’re producing.

It’s not only Smith who deserves credit though. The receivers and tight ends are stepping up too. The two rookie offensive tackles are providing great confidence for the future with the way they are starting their careers. Shane Waldron is creating the kind of production we all hoped a Sean McVay protégé would provide. Pete Carroll deserves credit because his faith in Smith has been unwavering and it has been repaid.

This season is about finding green shoots for the future and the offense is certainly delivering that. This is good news.

Admittedly there are still 12 regular season games remaining and things can change. If this continues though, it’s a big positive for the Seahawks.

So what does it mean for the future?

A lot of people are already talking about extending Smith’s contract or at least retaining him for next season. On his current trajectory, that would appear to be a no-brainer. There are some things people need to remember though.

Firstly, he will be a man in demand if he keeps this up. If Kirk Cousins can set records for guaranteed money as a free agent — don’t put it past someone making a humungous offer for Smith if he continues his fine play.

The Seahawks don’t have much cap space to play with in 2023. The media keep talking up their spending power because Russell Wilson’s dead money comes off the books. Most of it has been spent already. Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, for example, will cost a combined $36m against the cap next season. D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will cost $31m. Uchenna Nwosu and Shelby Harris account for nearly $26m currently. Will Dissly and Noah Fan will cost $17m.

As of today, Seattle is only projected to have $32m in effective cap space for 2023. They can create more but not much more — and will create holes that need filling on the roster if they start cutting veteran starters.

Making the situation worse is the fact they only have 33 players contracted for next year — the third fewest in the league.

The $32m in cap space will evaporate quickly as they fill out their roster.

They simply don’t have a lot to play with, unless they want to extend Smith on a long-term contract and produce a smaller cap hit for next year. That would be a risk given he turned 32 yesterday and might not benefit from the ‘surprise’ nature of his 2022 re-emergence in future seasons (or even later this season).

If he continues to play this way, he might even start asking for major money. The top quarterbacks are being paid $50m a year these days. He wouldn’t get near that — but Jimmy Garoppolo’s last contract paid him nearly $28m a year. That’s not unreasonable for a player performing like he is at the moment. The Seahawks couldn’t afford that unless, like Garoppolo, it was a five-year extension.

I think the Seahawks fully intended to have a quarterback in 2023 that was on a rookie contract. I think they spent accordingly this year because they anticipated not spending at quarterback. I think that was their plan.

Smith’s form has probably surprised them as much as it has us, regardless of what Carroll might say about believing in Geno. If they truly believed, he wouldn’t be on a proportionally tiny one-year contract which now looks great value for 2022 but a problem when the season ends.

It might force the Seahawks to run the risk of losing Smith if another team bites and snatches him away. Ideally they keep Smith and draft a quarterback and have the best of both worlds — but they could end up having to go the rookie route anyway.

It’ll be fascinating to see what his market ends up being.

I also hope the Seahawks show restraint and more or less stick to the plan. Smith is into his 30’s and not likely a long-term solution. It’d be great if he could be Seattle’s answer to Alex Smith in Kansas City. That way, they can be aggressive to find a long-term successor, redshirt them like the Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes and possibly get a handsome trade return for Smith when it’s time to pass on the baton.

While the top priority might appear to be fixing the defense — as I’ve spent considerable time noting recently — the answers are unlikely to come in the first round of the 2023 draft. This is a class with a collection of four highly talented but different quarterbacks plus Will Anderson and Bijon Robinson who deserve a high-ish first round placing. After that it’s extremely hard to identify top-15 players, game-wreckers and playmakers on defense.

Getting a young quarterback in a good year for the position at the top of round one remains a very enticing proposition.

Fortunately I also think there are defensive diamonds to be uncovered on day two and three and I’ll write about some of them in an article due out this week.

As Smith continues to excel and be Seattle’s ‘MVG’ (rather than ‘MVP’) — setting up a Smith/Mahomes transition would be the best thing to do for the long-term future of the franchise. That might mean negotiating with Smith now, taking a slight gamble that he continues his great form while also getting a bit of a discount because you’re securing his future today and placing a bet on his continued success.

He might wish to bet on himself, of course. He also might appreciate a show of faith and some long-term security that probably felt a million miles away just a few months ago when he was simply fighting to win a starting job.

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This was a slightly different scouting week, with two big name quarterbacks not featuring.

Will Levis has been sacked 18 times in five games and finally, the beating caught up to him. He missed Kentucky’s game against South Carolina. It probably boosted his stock because without him, the Wildcats fell to a horrible home loss to struggling South Carolina.

Bryce Young was always likely to miss time after leaving Alabama’s game against Arkansas with a limp arm. He didn’t play against Texas A&M and ‘Bama were fortunate to escape with a win.

It gave me a chance to focus on other players, specifically non-quarterbacks, over the last 48 hours. I have an article coming this week breaking down a collection of prospects who’ve caught my eye — along with my usual QB notes.

But I’ll stress again — I am really struggling to find legit top-15 players for the 2023 draft.

I suspect two quarterbacks — Will Levis and C.J. Stroud — will go very early. It’s possible Bryce Young goes very early too although that will depend on how teams view his size and thus, his durability. Anthony Richardson’s ridiculous upside could also mean he is a high first round pick, despite his mixed 2022 season so far.

Will Anderson is not a Myles Garrett or Nick Bosa level player but he is the best bet at acquiring a defensive playmaker. He will go early.

I think many teams will have Texas running back Bijan Robinson as possibly the highest graded player on their board although his position will have a say in how high he goes. In a weak top-end, he could easily go in the top-10. I wouldn’t be shocked if Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs is also rated very highly.

Michael Mayer, the tight end from Notre Dame, could also go very early if he tests well at the combine. His change of direction skills at his size are freakish and he’s been a highly consistent, productive weapon for the Irish.

Bryan Bresee missed his second game at the weekend with a kidney infection, having also missed time due to the sad passing of his younger sister. Unfortunately, having missed most of last season with an ACL, it’s hard to project him given how little he’s playing. I know he’ll test very well at the combine so there’s an upside projection that could get him into the top-15.

Jalen Carter is also injured and missed Georgia’s latest win. It’s unclear when he’ll return with Kirby Smart being quite vague at his press conference today. I am not convinced he’s the top-10 pick many project and without a fantastic combine, is more likely to be graded in the later first round.

There’s a dearth of draft-eligible game-wrecking defensive linemen. I am yet to see a single linebacker worthy of a first round projection. The safety position is weak at the top end. There are cornerbacks who can emerge but it’s tricky to project them on tape because teams are avoiding them (and still moving the ball).

That’s not to say good players and rough diamonds aren’t there. Clemson pass rusher K.J. Henry, for example, could end up being a day-two steal. His upside and potential is top-notch — but it’s taken him years to make it happen at Clemson and despite his improved play he has one sack in six games.

I like the depth later in the draft and I think good players can and will be found. At the top of round one, however, it’s a mess. It’s virtually impossible to find players worthy of a legit first round grade.

Currently, the Seahawks would gain the 10th and 11th picks in the draft. There’s a long way to go in the season — but if it finishes that way or something similar (and I suspect it might) I think the best thing to do would be to trade up.

Carolina have to be the red-hot favourites to get the #1 pick now that Matt Rhule has been fired and they are embracing a tank. They’ll likely start to sell-off assets.

Seattle needs someone like Pittsburgh or Las Vegas to keep losing so they can get into range for a trade. This is shaping up to be the worst top-15 in many years. Moving up to get a quarterback or Anderson is the smart move. Currently, anyone watching a lot of college football can say with a high degree of confidence you will not be able to find two players at #10 or #11 that can elevate Seattle’s struggling defense.

Furthermore — and people keep forgetting this — Geno Smith is a free agent in 2023. There’s no guarantee he’ll be back. And if he keeps playing the way he is currently, he’s going to be extremely expensive.

Right now the Seahawks only have $32m in effective cap space for next year because of decisions such as committing $36m in cap hits to Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. We shouldn’t assume Smith will be easy to retain, or that a young, cheap quarterback is no longer a need. Or, for that matter, that the defensive players exist in this draft that can change the fortunes of a unit that has started each of the last four years badly, has gone through different coordinators and coaches, tweaks and changes and cannot find a formula that works.

I suspect a trendy viewpoint among fans will be to go defense with their two first round picks and then wait on the quarterback until round two or even three. I cannot stress enough — unless you can get to Will Anderson, I’m not sure any defensive player is going to tilt the balance of this unit from shambles to acceptable. Even he is unlikely to have a Bosa/Garrett/Parsons level impact.

And as I continue to absorb 6-8 college football games a week — including tape of all of the big name QB’s — I cannot say with confidence there is a quarterback worth taking beyond the top group. Perhaps UCLA’s vastly underrated Dorian Thompson-Robinson could be the exception (and if you’re drafting him, make sure you grab Zach Charbonnet and Jake Bobo while you’re there).

That is why I’m so eager to see defensive improvement. This team cannot create excitement and faith in the future without the defensive unit performing better. They don’t have to be elite. Pete Carroll wants complementary football. So complement your offense — which is performing way beyond realistic pre-season expectations. Become average rather than abysmal on defense and you’ll win plenty of football games with the offensive production you’re currently churning out.

Create an environment where scoring 103 points in three games gets you a winning, not a losing, record.

We need to feel good about players like Darrell Taylor, Jordyn Brooks, Poona Ford and Quandre Diggs — not wondering aloud how we replace them, in a scheme none of us can say is actually any good or suited to your key players.

The top of the 2023 draft class isn’t going to be a knight in shining armour for the Seahawks defensively. The players already on the roster need to be better. The answers are going to need to come creatively — via wise trades, solid drafting and good moves in free agency. They need to put their players in a position to succeed. I’m not sure this scheme suits them at all. The evidence certainly suggests it doesn’t.

We need to see defensive green shoots on the field in the coming weeks.

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Well, what is there left to say about this defense?

The Seahawks have scored 103 points in their last three games and won only once.

The unit is a shambles. It’s woeful, tragic, embarrassing.

The biggest concern today was supposed to be how the offense would handle New Orleans’ pass rush. Instead, they moved the ball well. Geno Smith had another strong outing. They had explosive plays in the passing and running game. The offense did its job.

All the defense had to do was hold up their end of the bargain against a Saints team missing two key receivers. Then, they lost a third key receiver. They were starting their backup quarterback.

Instead they gave up 438 total yards. They gave up 8/14 on third downs. They conceded another 235 rushing yards.

They allowed Taysom Hill to run all over them.

The ugliest moment came when they were defending a one point lead and New Orleans lined up a formation that included zero receivers. Everyone knew what was coming. And it’s Taysom Hill not Saquon Barkley. Watch your gaps, contain, get the job done.

Nope. A 60-yard scoring run.

Hopeless.

There’s no pass rush. They are virtually playing without one at this point.

The linebackers are playing so badly it beggars belief.

Quandre Diggs appears lost.

And before anyone plays the youth card — this is a unit that has expensive, experienced players and high draft picks at every level. There’s no excuse to be this bad.

We’re not talking about growing pains here. We are talking about a mess.

It’s not good enough. This is the fourth year in a row that the defense has started the season performing abysmally. Growing pains for young players you can live with. An entire unit consistently playing this poorly?

We’re overdue an improvement.

It’s time for serious questions to be asked.

This is a guest article by Curtis Allen. After the game today tune into the instant reaction live stream which will be available on here and on our YouTube channel

Now comes a real test.

After a training camp, three preseason games and a month of games that count, the Seahawks are quickly running out of excuses for their poor play.  Adjusting to a new defensive scheme should not take this long.  Veteran players should be leading the way, not getting outplayed by rookies.

Something’s gotta give.

The Saints just might be the perfect test to see where the Seahawks are.  They have a talented roster made up of veterans and some exciting young players, an established record of success against the Seahawks and a chip on their shoulder thanks to two very close losses this year.

They are also a fit for the Seahawks because they are coming off a game a few time zones away in London, are banged up and have not been nearly as tight under Dennis Allen as Sean Payton had them.  They are currently worst in the NFL in giveaways and turnover ratio, are second-worst in penalties called and have been slow starters.  

It betrays their effectiveness in the other areas of their game.   It should surprise no one that they are both 1-3 and favored to beat the Seahawks on Sunday.

How can the Seahawks take the next step with a win?

Control the Game Script

This game might be the ultimate test of strategy and gamesmanship.

The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL in first quarter scoring so far this season.  The Saints are one of the very worst.  It is hard to imagine a Saints team coming back from London, with an unsteady quarterback situation and missing a star player like Michael Thomas coming out of the gate quickly.

That’s the good news. 

The bad news?  The polar opposite is also true.  The Seahawks are one of the worst scoring teams in the fourth quarter on offense – and one of the worst defensive teams – while the Saints are one of the best on offense.  They have scored nine touchdowns this year, six of them in the fourth quarter.

The Saints close like a freight train and play fantastic when their backs are up against the wall.  The Seahawks like to build a lead and pray to the heavens above that they can hold it until the clock reaches zero.

With the way the defense has performed to date, it will likely fall on the offense to carry more than their share for this game.  They will need to capitalize when the Saints come out of the gate slowly, turn the ball over or shoot themselves in the foot in other ways.

They will also need to not let off the gas pedal.  If they have a 14-3 lead in the second quarter for instance, they will need to avoid the temptation to simply maintain their lead by playing conservative football.  They need to build on it.

The fourth quarter will be the time to try and drain the clock.  Keeping the ball out of the Saints’ hands with a lead will be critical.  It will require a level of planning and execution they have not accomplished as of yet.

Do Not Let Alvin Kamara Take the Game Over (Again)

If you could go into a lab and build a player to specifically attack this Seahawks defense, you’d get Alvin Kamara.

He is fast, hard to tackle and deployable as a real weapon all over the field and the Seahawks defense has arguably had more trouble with this one player in recent seasons than anyone else.

His last two games against the Seahawks:  55 touches, 340 yards, 14 first downs and 3 touchdowns.

That is about as good a two-game stretch against any one team as you are likely to find in the NFL.

Here is what makes Kamara so good when he plays the Seahawks — yards after contact in the run game and yards after the catch in the passing game.

72 of those rushing yards came after contact and  222 of the receiving yards came after the catch.

Tariq Woolen is correct when he said Kamara is “like water” when you are trying to tackle him, so smooth and silky.  He may not be the biggest or the fastest but he is incredibly hard to take down on the first try.  He has balance and a fierce determination to stay on his feet.  Package that with an innate ability to present unclean angles to the tackler and his ability to absorb contact and it’s no wonder he annually is in the top two or three players in broken tackles.

With the lack of effort and the open lanes we have seen from the Seattle defense so far this season, getting Kamara to the ground effectively might be the difference between winning and losing Sunday.  Kamara is that good and the Seahawks have been that bad.

The best thing I can say for defenders is to have a tackling plan for Kamara.  Watching tape, I cannot tell you how many times I watched defenders think they can just knock Kamara down with a shoulder-to-shoulder type hit.  Maybe it is because Kamara is not the biggest player.  Maybe defenders are just programmed that runners his size fall down when you hit them that way.  I am not sure.  But everyone needs to be committed to wrapping Kamara up, no matter what.  Got that, Cody Barton?

Pete Carroll is absolutely correct when he speaks about knowing the situation when tackling.  There are times when you blow the player up, times when getting him to the ground is the best option and times where the best thing you can do is grab on and wait for help to come.  The Seahawks currently have no concept of those times.  That seems like a pure coaching issue but that is where we are right now.

Given how poorly the defense has played these first few weeks, it is hard to have much faith that the defensive staff will get this problem corrected with three days of practice and a couple of film sessions.  Kamara presents a serious challenge in tackling.  If anything, we will be able to gauge the coaching staff’s effectiveness with as big a test as it gets on Sunday.

One thing we can praise the defense for with Kamara is the halftime adjustment they made last year to combat his effectiveness in the passing game.  Her burnt them to a crisp in the first half with eight catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.  The Seahawks responded by double covering him when he ran routes in the second half.  Result?  Only two catches for 19 yards.

Jameis Winston struggled with his security blanket taken away.  He was 5-for-15 in the second half targeting everyone else and was sacked twice and the Seahawks were nearly able to close the gap and squeeze a win out.

To be fair, the Saints did not have much in the way of receivers in that game.  Now, they have Chris Olave and Jarvis Landy (Michael Thomas is out).

It is also possible Kamara will not be 100% as this is his first game back from an injury.

Still, with the amount of damage he has done to the Seahawks’ defense in the last two games, nobody on the defense should get set in their pre-snap positions without knowing exactly where #41 is and what their assignment is for him.

Win the Receiver-Corner matchups

Get your popcorn ready for Metcalf-Lattimore II.  Last year Metcalf tormented, taunted and abused one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks with a signature performance.  It is a shame the Seahawks could not get him more touches.

What is in store this week?  Metcalf threw some serious cold water on the ‘Jeff Okuda is becoming a lockdown corner’ party last week.  Another dominant performance would take some real heat off this poor defense and further cement his legacy.

Tyler Lockett and Bradley Roby should be a great matchup as well.  One underrated thing we are learning about the Seahawks’ offense post-Russell Wilson — chemistry with Tyler Lockett was not a sole possession of Wilson that left with him when he went to Denver.  

Lockett makes his quarterback look very, very good as long as he is competent in getting him the ball.

Both Roby and Lattimore are scoring in the 50’s in PFF rating this year.  So this should be a very big test for them to see how they are really doing this year.

How about the other side of the ball?

Chris Olave is quickly taking his place among another great crop of talented young receivers.  The Saints traded third and fourth round picks to move up five spots in the first round to select Olave at #11 and he is rewarding them with a great rookie season only four games in.

A matchup with fellow rookie Tariq Woolen will be fantastic television.  Will it happen?  The Saints line up Olave all over the field but at the moment he is predominantly lining up on the right side.  So, Sidney Jones or Michael Jackson will likely cover him the majority of snaps.

Woolen will not be bored, though.  He will have Jarvis Landy to cover.  He has been one of the NFL’s most productive wide receivers and is looking to recover from a down year and a change of scenery to New Orleans.

Can Geno Redeem Himself?

Week 7 last year was Geno Smith’s second start and his third game for the Hawks in 2021.  

His play was dreadful.

He was 12-for-22 for 167 yards and a touchdown.  He was sacked five times for 38 yards, so his net passing yards were 129.  Eighty-four of those yards came on one play — the busted-tackle D.K. Metcalf touchdown in their first series.  So put another way, he only managed a measly 83 yards of passing the rest of the game.

He was hesitant.  He was jittery in the pocket.  He scrambled only once, gained 12 yards and then shut that down for the rest of the game.  He threw two terrible balls right to Saints defenders that should have been intercepted.  Freddie Swain was targeted more than Metcalf or Tyler Lockett.  You get the idea.  

It did not help that the running game could not generate much of anything – linebacker Demario Davis owned center Kyle Fuller in this game and Rashaad Penny was M.I.A. – or that Jason Myers missed two field goal tries, or the weather was inclement.  But Geno did nothing to elevate his team’s play.

Not many things would help the Seahawks more than for Geno to put that behind him and turn in a solid performance in this game.  A duplicating of his game last week against Detroit is too much to ask.  Remember – the Lions are on a historic pace for ineptitude on defense this year.  They might go down in the record books as one of worst defenses in the 21^st century if they do not get their issues sorted out.

New Orleans poses a much greater challenge.  They have a good defense, with some pieces at every level that needed to be accounted for.

The defense has put up good numbers for being hamstrung a bit by the offense.  They lead the NFL in giveaways so far this season.  Absent that, the defense likely would look much better.

One matchup that should provide some intrigue is how they defend tight ends.  Through four games, the Saints are the best in the NFL at defending tight ends.  Granted they have not faced a murderer’s row just yet but Kyle Pitts and Cameron Brate are nothing to sneeze at.  They will face a good challenge with Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson and Noah Fant coming into New Orleans Sunday.

Here is the primary assignment for Geno in this game — make good reads and good decisions.

Why?  The Saints are 30^th in the NFL in blitz percentage so far this season.  They are preferring to keep defenders in the backfield and force the quarterback to go through his progressions.

As a result, they are clamping down on explosive pass plays, only giving up 36 first downs through the air, good for fourth lowest in the NFL.

The tradeoff is their quarterback pressure percentage and sack numbers are in the cellar.  Bottom five in the NFL.  Here’s where 2022 Geno can run circles around 2021 Geno.  He will have time to process.  He will need to be patient and slowly plod down the field at times.  A little bit of dink and dunk might be just what the doctor ordered.  Sprinkle in some timely scramble runs when he sees them available.  Bide your time and then take a shot or two to your downfield threats.

Currently the offense is running out a 40/60 run/pass split.  While that feels like a bit of a mockery of the “run first” mantra Pete Carroll preached for years, Smith has settled into an approach Carroll is far more comfortable with — take care of the football, take what the defense gives you and take your shots when they come instead of trying to make them.

Can he keep doing that against a far better defense than Detroit’s?  How Geno controls the tempo and pace of this game will tell us a lot about the Seahawks’ chances for a successful offensive season this year and whether Geno has a chance to put together a full season of good play.

Here’s what I’m watching this weekend in college football:

Missouri vs Florida
Tennessee vs LSU
Ohio State vs Michigan State
BYU vs Notre Dame
North Carolina vs Miami
Alabama vs Texas A&M
Oregon State vs Stanford

I’ll also be attempting to get access to the other key games involving quarterbacks as usual. I’ve also been busy watching non-QB prospects this week and have a whole bunch of notes ready to publish (stay tuned).

Quarterback watch

I’m not expecting a difficult day for C.J. Stroud against Michigan State. For well over a year now, the Spartans have been disgusting defending the pass. Stroud should have a field day here.

The game I’m probably most interested in is Jaren Hall and BYU against Notre Dame. This is the start of an intriguing double header for Hall (he faces Arkansas next week). Can he perform better than he did against Utah State? Can he go and get a big win against the Irish?

We’ll see if Bryce Young plays against Texas A&M. He’s listed as a game-time decision. This game is particularly intriguing given the bad blood over the summer between Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban.

Tyler Van Dyke will start for Miami against North Carolina. There’s no doubt he’ll be fighting for his job now. I’ll watch the game and check him out but it seems clear his best bet will be to transfer in the off-season and have another go next year. I still think Kentucky would be a good destination for him in 2023.

Speaking of which, UK and Will Levis host South Carolina in a game they really should win. They need to bounce-back from the defeat at Ole Miss.

I will watch Hendon Hooker for Tennessee against LSU and Tanner McKee for Stanford against Oregon State. Elsewhere, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and UCLA host Utah in a very interesting game I wish I had access to. The Huskies and Michael Penix Jr go to Arizona State.

The Florida game against Missouri will have already started when I get home from work but I’ll watch it all back on catch-up. It’s a good test for Anthony Richardson against a Tigers team who pushed Georgia all the way last week. K.J. Jefferson and Arkansas go to Mississippi State. I would like to watch this game — but not to see a quarterback. More next week.