This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…
Record: 2-2
Thoughts
I said in my last report card that being a Seahawks fan is a roller coaster. The second quarter was not for the feint of heart. Uncomfortable wins over teams they should have handled easily in Arizona and Cleveland, a tough loss to an underperforming Bengals team that could have been prevented and an old-fashioned beatdown by the Ravens on the road make writing a report card with balance and objectivity a tough assignment.
I am going to try anyway.
MVP
1. Boye Mafe
It is not even close. With Uchenna Nwosu getting injured in the Arizona game and missing the second half and then going on IR, the Seahawks badly needed Mafe to step up.
He has.
The numbers are fantastic this quarter: four sacks, seven pressures, 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
The Seahawks have a star on their hands.
Last year, the problem was Mafe not getting enough snaps. This year? It might be the exact opposite. They may have to keep his snaps at a manageable level.
2. Jordyn Brooks
The defense may be having its challenges but Brooks just continues to produce stats. This quarter, he had 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, two passes defensed, 37 tackles, four tackles for a loss and three quarterback hits in only five blitzes. His strip sack of PJ Walker propelled the Seahawks to a big first quarter.
No soup for you!
đș FOX pic.twitter.com/45BCnHE3Ed
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 29, 2023
Brooks has responded extremely well to moving back to his off-ball linebacker spot and working with Bobby Wagner playing the middle linebacker spot.
3. Tre Brown
Heâs been quietly very effective this quarter. He allowed only six catches on 12 targets, with four passes defensed, had a brilliant interception of Joe Burrow and a fumble forced on Odell Beckham Jr that gave the Seahawks a chance to close the gap in the Balitmore game just before halftime. This year, he has four turnovers forced in six games.
The camp battle with Michael Jackson for the left cornerback spot is over. Tre Brown has emerged victorious, and the Seahawks are better for it.
Rookie of the Quarter
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
He has finally arrived with an excellent quarter.
17 catches on 23 targets with an extremely healthy 12.3 yards per catch say the Seahawks have finally stopped using him as a dink and dunk line of scrimmage receiver. Well, they did on one play — but we can forgive that:
THANK YOU, JSN!
đș FOX pic.twitter.com/oCb4bg8YMb
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 29, 2023
Two touchdowns this quarter have barely scratched the surface.
2. Jake Bobo
Eight catches on nine targets for a gaudy 15.9 yard per catch average and an incredible toe-tapping catch in the end zone for a touchdown.
JAKE BOBO HAS JUST MADE THE MOST INSANE TOUCHDOWN CATCH YOU'LL SEE TODAY!
đș FOX pic.twitter.com/lZaGVNieAE
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 22, 2023
Does that catch look familiar? It should. He is just bringing the ‘wow’ from training camp into live games now.
His blocking in support of his teammates might be just as impressive as his catches. Watch him body a Cardinal defender out of the way for Jaxon Smith-Njigba:
Seahawks rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is off to the best start heâs had this year.
After catching his first career TD earlier in the 1st, he does a nice job here picking up a 3rd down on a screen.
Also, fellow rookie WR Jake Bobo does a great job clearing it out on the block. pic.twitter.com/iYeDN49EaS
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) October 22, 2023
3. Devon Witherspoon
This:
Filthy. đ„
đș FOX pic.twitter.com/60EfiQiazJ
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 22, 2023
Also, because after that magnificent performance in the Monday Night Football game against the Giants, teams have been giving him the Tariq Woolen treatment: They have slowed in their targets dramatically.
And yet, in only four games this quarter, he had five passes defensed and yielded only a 61% completion rate. That includes a tough game in Baltimore, with two missed tackles and giving up six passes on seven targets.
His star has not stopped ascending.
Successes
1. First quarter scoring
The Seahawks were one of the NFLâs best teams out of the gate this quarter, scoring 31 first quarter points.
Their offense executed the pre-set game plan well, the defense forced turnovers and the Seahawks ran the ball explosivelyâŠ
2. Explosive runs in Cleveland game
That was the ‘we need to run the ball more’ game. The Seahawks had 17 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown on the #1 defense in the NFL at the moment.
There were several explosions:
Kenneth Walkerâs 45-yard run:
U Can't Touch This.
đș FOX pic.twitter.com/hMH6NKP77O
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 29, 2023
And Zach Charbonnet finally had his ‘this is why you drafted me’ game, with explosive runs of 21, 20 and 13 yards along with some catches as a safety outlet
Zach Charbonnet Week 8 Every Run, Catch, and Target Seattle Seahawks vs Cleveland Browns NFL 2023
Charbonnet ran the ball 5 times for 53 yards and had 2 catches for 11 yards. #Football #nflfootball #fantasyfootball #nflhighlights #highlights #Hawks #12thman #UCLA #dawgpound pic.twitter.com/XkUBTT9F8P
— NFL Film Study (@NFLFilmStudy) November 1, 2023
3. Jason Myers perfect and Jamal Adams takes a header
Myers has shaken off a rocky start to the season and was 5-5 on field goal tries â including a 55-yarder in Cincinnati to send the Seahawks to the locker room down only by four. He was also 6-6 in PATâs. In an uneven quarter from both the offense and defense, itâs a relief Myers has been there.
And who canât laugh â ironically or not â at Jamal Adams once again face-doinking the ball — but this time in a way that benefits the Seahawks?
HEADS UP play by Jamal Adams đđ€
Seahawks get the ball back with under two minutes to go đ
đș: FOX pic.twitter.com/HHZtDPbV8C
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 29, 2023
Poetry in motion.
Struggles
1. The Baltimore game
The most brutal game in a very long time. The Seahawks were outgained, outworked, outclassed, out-coached, out-physicalâd and plain out-played. It was a horror show.
There is nobody in the organization that is free from blame. The offensive line was manhandled all game. Geno Smith could not make a good decision to save his life. The offense as a whole had several âwhat were you possibly thinking?â play calls. The defense gave them key turnovers and not only could they not capitalize, they often just gave the ball right back.
Tyler Lockett had a miscommunication with Geno Smith on an interception. Iâve said it before, Iâll say it again â when Lockett makes a mistake, it is so very rare that it only serves to highlight how amazingly consistent he has been.
On defense, they gave it a valiant try in the first half, but the offenseâs inability to sustain a drive, the physicality of the Raven offensive line and the x-factor of an electric Lamar Jackson was just too much and the wheels fell off.
Their best players were slow to make plays and their defense just was terribly off as a whole unit at times.
It is yet to be seen how they will react. Is this a stain on the season that cannot be washed off, or is this the intense beatdown that they honestly needed? The character-building funny chapter in a book that has a happy ending with a deep playoff run?
2. Turnovers
Nine turnovers in four games. They are fortunate to be 2-2 with that record.
Six interceptions by Geno Smith. Three fumbles, two of them by Geno Smith.
And yet, that just scratches the surface. Smith threw several passes right into the chest of defenders this quarter. ‘That should have been a pick-six’ is a phrase far too frequently uttered in the last four games.
3. The Offense
In the two losses this quarter, the offense had multiple chances to keep themselves in the game, even win it. They could not convert.
After the Ravens loss, Pete Carroll noted they were 1/12 on third downs and that they had a whole sheet of plays they could not roll out because they just didnât have enough plays to deploy them.
Even the two wins were unsatisfying from an offensive standpoint. After an outburst of a first quarter against the Browns, the offense was completely silent until the fourth quarter when it was do or die time. The Cardinals hung around in their game and it was far less comfortable than it should have been.
Next Quarter Games
Washington
@ LA Rams
San Francisco
@ Dallas
Third Quarter Goals
1. Find your identity
What does this team do? What do they do well? Is there anything that stands out to you? Honestly.
They have a good run defense? They just got plowed by the Ravens.
They have an absolute crack safety trio? Other than Adamsâ header leading to Loveâs interception, can you name an impact play anyone had this quarter?
They have a hyper-accurate if unspectacular quarterback? Geno Smith was a 62% passer with six interceptions and should have had 3-4 more this quarter.
They run the ball well? They ran the ball an average of 18 times a game this quarter.
They have a ton of money invested in dazzling wide receiver talents? Tyler Lockett had one touchdown catch this quarter. D.K. Metcalf? He had none.
This team is a convoluted mess without a clear vision. They need to find one immediately if not sooner.
2. Play Calling on Offense
Every single member of the Seahawks offense is on track for a career-low year. After every single game, there is a star-level player on the offense whose name you only heard once or twice.
It has taken several games to get Jaxon Smith-Njigba integrated into the offense.
None of the Tight Ends have a touchdown catch through eight games. Will Dissly played 100 snaps this quarter. How many targets did he have? Two. He caught one pass for four yards. Noah Fant is on such a bad pace (14 catches in eight games), he might not net a top-level contract in free agency next year. He is so flat.
The running back usage is hovering in the bottom half of the NFL.
The Seahawks have invested enormous amounts of cap space and draft picks into their skill positions. Fans should be complaining that in a 35 point, 400-yard game their favorite player âonlyâ got five touches. Yet we have whole position groups that are close to invisible.
Is it purely Shane Waldron? Or is Pete Carroll also responsible?
The time to work out these issues is past. Cream puffs like the Giants, Cardinals and Panthers are in the rearview mirror. If they do not get up to speed on offense very, very soon, we will have many more games like the Baltimore blowout.
3. Run Defense
This team started out on a good track, with many pointing to their meagre yards-per-rush conceded a few weeks into the season. Jarran Reed was a great offseason addition, Bobby Wagner was not just a folk hero signed for one last go-round and Uchenna Nwosu and players like the emerging Witherspoon were becoming forces.
The wheels have come off. They now sit at #21 in the NFL at yards-per-rush.
We all know that the Ravens game was a disaster but signs of trouble were already brewing.
The Cardinals had four explosive runs on the Seahawks and several just under the threshold of explosive.
The Browns ran for nine first downs. Of their 155 yards gained, 117 of them came before contact. True, their per carry average was under four yards but they committed to the run, schemed for it and the defense could not get them off the field. It nearly won the game for them.
The Ravens game was a disaster. They were simply bullied and beaten into making poor decisions that burned them time and time again.
Acquiring Leonard Williams was a very expensive play. This team must tighten things up. Because when the weather gets cold and rainy — contenders separate themselves from pretenders. A lot of that separation happens on the ground.
Anyone whose ever played organised football for a while has had one of “those” games where every phase of the game is an utter failure.
We just saw that rare happenning but if it were to happen, that time was/is the best to be a bullying run first team, and then success will come.
But we just ran into a buzzsaw at the right time for them and wrong time for us.
Captain obvious also says that the Ravens defenders knew exactly what was coming so Waldron needs to change up the sts or better yet, mothball some of those plays.
Weâve had two games this year that were embarrassments. Letâs not just chalk them up to a perfect horrible storm.
No matter what, we still lost by 34 when we are supposed to be competitive. Too many fans are willing to just move on and not think about it or make simple excuses.
It’s painfully obvious that if we really want to be anything more then 8-9/9-8 Pete needs to be stripped of power or outright fired. It’s been 6-7 years that we need a real quarterback so stop it Jody sell to someone that gives a damn so the Seahawks can clean house and get back to being a real contender before I’m dead.
Too bad Jody wonât fire him. Itâs a shame cause if Paul Allen (RIP to him) was still alive, Im sure Pete wouldâve been gone already. Too bad his incompetent money hungry sister is running the team. Itâs sad cause she wouldnât be running the Seahawks and the Trail Blazers if it wasnât for Paul. She doesnât know how to run a team, look at the Trail Blazers. And she certainly wouldnât know how to choose a head coach so thatâs why Pete and John are running the show for as long as itâs convenient for her. Hopefully she sells the team soon because Iâve been done with Pete for a long time.
I still think Pete keeps Geno Smith in unless they have a losing record.
Speaking of changing coaches, who do you have in mind? I’ve heard there will be 2-3 coaching changes. Seems like that will use up the better coaches that are available.
As far as the coaching staff with 2-3 changes, I wonder who would be gone.
To answer your question, itâs no secret that we need an offensive minded coach. I would love to see someone like Ben Johnson, Eric Bienemy, or Brian Callahan. To be realistic, it is way too early to be looking for a HC considering Peteâs extension runs through 2025. Chances are heâll still be coaching by then. So few more years of mental torture lol
Cha,
Really enjoyed this one quite a bit.
I’d like to see if Bobo is more than a gimmick player w/o game tape in next quarter or if there’s something real to his game.
Like everyone I would assume dejected to be reading at the half way mark….find an identity. Both sides of the ball are rudderless.
The run defense worries me. Anytime I post something elsewhere the same commenter finds me, sets up the big top tents, three rings, a trapeze, a PowerPoint and breaks down how if you subtract this run by AZ, these plays by that team, these other runs over here…we’re really not bad but actually good.
And all I can think is “scoreboard.” We suck at defending the run. Full stop. And the only games where we were good at it is against teams that can’t do it or where Montgomery went out. The end. This team is getting killed in time of possession.
Indeed, yet another year where TOP is concerningly lopsided. Even a good defense is going to tire out if the offense forgets how to convert a 3rd down for long stretches.
CHA is all over the main issues and concerns with the Seahawks. If the Seahawks can’t generate a rush offense, I believe that we will be lucky to see a 2-2 record in the Third Quarter.
While Curtis tries to be fair and balanced, I prefer to be snarky.
LVP Awards- Least Valuable Persons
1. Pete Carroll- Rolling into 2024 with no real plan for the Quarterback position and crossing his fingers on a Geno Smith who was not good in the second half of 2023. Unforgivable to not have a plan at QB
2. John Schneider- The Williams trade just didn’t make sense. Any reasonable scouting instead of just looking at the win-loss talley of the Seahawks would have shown that they are not a real contender in 2024. Geno has been poor and the offensive line has been worse. Wasting future needed draft stock on this season is moronic.
3. Geno Smith- He stinks more than Pete’s Depends. Back to being the QB considered a bust that was ran out of New York. He may not be the problem but he seems incapable of elevating the offense that is stacked with weapons.
LVP has to include Diggs for me. He’s not a $14M a year safety at this point. Aside from a couple good games at the end of last year he’s now been mostly bad for awhile.
Thanks cha. Appreciate the breakdown.
If this team doesn’t get its shit together and do so soon, they could easily lose 6 or 7 of their last 9.
Niners (2x), Dallas, Titans, Steelers.
All defenses ranked between 5 through 13 in points allowed and better than points scored for our offense. Add in the Eagles who are at time of typing, rolling. There’s six.
I know this is overly simple but when the day is done efficiency ( dvoa), hocus pocus ( pff) or other data matters less than did you score enough to win.
Haven’t read through the article yet but I have to ask…
Did Geno miss practice today? I can only find mention of Drew Lock out there.
DK’s out there
Was the practice punch rumor ever confirmed?
No — and if it did happen, short of Geno walking around with a fat lip or a busted eye, we’d likely never receive that confirmation.
It may well all be a load of BS. But the guy who posted the rumour has a sister working in some capacity for the team, it seems. Frankly, as long as it’s nothing serious (eg someone getting hurt) a bit of anger and having it out might not be the worst thing in the world.
I brushed it off initially, but there are some curious things going on.
Agreed it’s not the worst thing that could happen, absent an injury from it.
đ
And dang, he nails Deion’s voice!
https://twitter.com/JoeyMulinaro/status/1721919920387117490
Mafe
https://twitter.com/DaltonBMiller/status/1723033849548914701
1. At some point teams will need to double him.
2. Uchenna still remains a big loss.
I felt like I noticed him getting doubled a lot against Baltimore, especially after the strip sack. I expect that will continue to be the case moving forward.
Will be interesting to see if his great strides continue. I honestly think that could be a good thing for Hall’s progress and even Taylor to start getting some plays going.
Reed getting double-teamed?
https://twitter.com/SethWalder/status/1723039474655924514
Jarran Reed….best free agent move, let’s discuss…
Jones not getting wins and not getting double teams feels right.
Hopefully Williams can take advantage of Reed getting doubled.
I know fans blame Waldron for the play calling. He does deserve some blame but how are we not looking at Pete? Once again weâre seeing the same type of vanilla predictable offense that we saw with Schotteneimer and Bevell. Itâs obvious that Pete is meddling in the offensive game plan. I bet if Waldron was an OC somewhere else I bet he would be better there. Pete once said 2 years ago he wasnât meddling in Waldrons offense so it kinda gives you an indication that he was meddling with Schottenheimer and Bevell.
Same thing on defense. Teams have been catching up to what we do on defense for years. Clint Hurtt is basically Norton, another yes man. We have all this talent and we canât even utilize them right. We are surprisingly running zone coverage over 80% of the time and a lot of that has been passive soft zone coverage. Itâs no wonder we get torched in the passing game. Another problem is the tackling. I donât think Pete and the defensive staff are emphasizing the importance of tackling in practices.
I would love to see what their game plans look like because I donât think they are prepared the right way. Itâs a shame really. Ever since Pete won the SB 10 YEARS AGO itâs like most of fanbase and the Seattle media gave him an accountability free pass for life. When the hell is he ever gonna be held accountable for the same shit that weâve been seeing for a very long time? And I really donât understand how these fans donât see heâs the problem and place the blame on anyome else but him. Enough is enough!!!
On the note of Coordinators is it just Quinn and Bradley who have ended up doing well or at least okay after their time here?
I don’t count Desai because tge defense wasn’t good with the two headed version they had here between Hurtt and Desai and for folks that like the new and shiny the Desai hasn’t shown anything at Chicago, here, or Philly really.
On the note of the offense as it stands now:
I’m putting a ton of this in Pete. Whether he appears to meddle or not whether there’s talent or not its been a very boring offensive attack for years.
Sure there’s been differences along the way and a ton of mostly self inflicted problems…an inability to draft or find oline, penny v. Chubb, others.
I’m having a hard time trying to figure out who decides that we are not running 12/13 personnel where we had decidedly great success last year and spurts of this year and Waldron was a TE coach so instead let’s have less protection for a shambolic line and run three WR sets?
If that’s a Waldron call then he should be axed.
Additionally we have two RB’s most of us rate and most everyone knows Oline prefers to run block. The QB is in a “funk,” ( putting it mildly) and is apparently amazing out if Play Action. 50+% pressure rate and there’s no power run game.
Finally we saw it with JSN early and we’ve seen it for years with DK. A pretty limited understanding of how to use the talent here.
TLDR: the offense has been a mess for years buoyed by a guy who was very good, nearly great for a lot if that time. Now that we have a QB that runs much more hot and cold a lot of the cracks are revealing themselves.
Even with Wilson as QB, the offense (post superbowls) tended to grind it out for little points in the first half. There is a reason Wilson had so many 4th quarter come from behind victories. It’s because they underperformed during the first 3 quarters.
I actually applaud an offensive effort starting on play one. I just wish they could sustain it, because they have plenty of weapons.
Also – since they are once again not throwing to the tight ends. Can we just replace them with offensive guards? Lets at least get some better run blocking.
Jim Harbaugh suspended for the rest of the season (3 games). The reasons seem a little premature and janky! From the letter sent to the University.
âWe impose this disciplinary action even though the Conference has not yet received any information indicating that Head Football Coach Harbaugh was aware of the impermissible nature of the sign-stealing scheme,â Pettiti and the Big Ten wrote. âThis is not a sanction of Coach Harbaugh. It is a sanction against the University that, under the extraordinary circumstances presented by this offensive conduct, best fits the violation because: (1) it preserves the ability of the Universityâs football student-athletes to continue competing; and (2) it recognizes that the Head Coach embodies the University for purposes of its football program.â
âThe existence of the impermissible scheme is provenâ
The Big Ten made it clear to Michigan that there was no doubt that a scheme was in place to gather signs from opposing teams via in-person scouting.
âAs described below, the existence of the impermissible scheme is proven,â the Big Ten said. âWhile other investigatory bodies continue to develop additional evidence of the scope, extent and individual knowledge of the scheme that may advise additional or enhanced penalties in the future, taking immediate action is appropriate and necessary under the Conferenceâs Sportsmanship Policy.â
The Big Ten also said that it had no information yet that Harbaugh âwas aware of the impermissible nature of the sign-stealing scheme.” Remember, itâs not against NCAA rules to steal signs. In-person scouting â whether to steal signs or find out something else â is against NCAA rules.
Okay so it’s a sanction against the University so why not put it on the University instead of the coach??
Michigan’s schedule is so ridiculously easy that something HAD to be done.
Tomorrow is the one day of the year that I root for USC.
The Big Ten has a “head coach responsibility” clause in disciplinary cases, where even if the head coach pleads ignorance, they can be held accountable because they are SUPPOSED TO KNOW whatever is happening on their team on their watch. If one of their underlings did it, they should have known about it and stopped it.
It may be the case that the conference also does not find his claims of ignorance credible, that a scheme as wide-ranging and as long-lasting as this one could not reasonably have happened without him knowing about it. That is ultimately unknown. But even if he didn’t, the buck stops with him anyway.
There’s also the fact that, in Harbaugh’s case, he’s already been suspended once for recruiting violations during COVID, which means that if something happens again on his watch he’s treated as a repeat offender, which escalates the level of consequences.
See Northwestern. Big 10 almost days that itâs your program, you either know or arenât doing your job if you donât know.
Bad contracts. Bad trades. Bad resource management overall. I appreciate when folks may argue for Pete’s job, but those things are John’s responsibility. He’s the GM, and that’s GM stuff.
Unless John wants to tell us otherwise, the actions of the the Seahawks we’ve actually seen year after year shows they DO NOT understand how to make choices in the face of limited resources. The last 2 years gave us hope, but they f’ed it up again, suggesting their wandering into common sense was actually just pure chance, not true strategy.
Extremely simple concepts that you would find in every single introductory or intermediate Economics course about efficient resource use … namely about prioritizing the highest MARGINAL PRODUCT PER DOLLAR, are things they really have NEVER seemed to wrap their minds around. They really don’t get the basics … the Harvin trade, the Graham trade, the Richardson trade, the Adam’s trade (not mentioning the insane sunk cost fallacy contract decisions made afterward), and recently the Williams trade.
They’re all a version of the same mistake made over and over. I don’t want to out myself … but anyone working on PhD studies in Economics or Statistics would wonder about wtf these guys were thinking. Seahawks aren’t making opinion level bad decisions, but anyone with a brain level bad decisions. I honestly don’t think there are people in the building with either the knowledge, or the power, to tell them not to do things that are obviously stupid. As great as they are, John is a scout, Pete is a coach … and neither of them really know wtf they are doing when it’s time to apply true rational thinking to decision making in the of face of resource constraints. They survive because it’s the same everywhere.
Upcoming contracts I have concerns hoe they approach:
1. Lewis. I don’t know what his value will be this off-season. Do they let him walk? If so how does that fit the narrative that consistency is part of the problem? If they let him walk do they scrounge around for a LG veteran and then use a 3rd or 4th for a rookie and take two roster spots and a savings of around maybe 1.5 million ( cheap veteran + cheap rookie vs. Lewis) to ‘shore up’ that spot.
2. The TE’s. One of them is making far, far too much money for any reason. He’s not out there pass blocking, he’s not getting targets. The other two. What is Fant or Parkinsons worth? Neither are doing much of anything. Do both walk? Seattle has drafted an okay amount of TE’s for an okay amount if results.
3. Brooks. If you listen to KJ and I don’t he’s of the mind that we ” pay the money his money.” First of all how? Second of all what’s that amount? 11 million a year? More? He’s short listed to me as player most likely to get a contract above and beyond. He’s playing very well but is that translatable in the future w/o a Wagner to set the table for him.
4. Speaking if which. Does Seattle roll out a bag of money for their favorite son? What’s Wagner worth on year to year deals? Time reaches out and catches us all. I’m going to say it here. Reed is more important this year than Wagner.
5. Geno Smith. The 33 million dollar question. Many fans think “yeah, well, even if he is mid tier you have to pay him that amount,” ala Carr, etc. I wouldn’t want Carr, Cousins, tannehill, Goff on my team for 33 million…
Why would I want a guy who is 8-8 over 16 games and throws a pretty lame 24tds/14 ints in that time for that amount.
6. Leonard Williams and the curious case of not wanting to be wrong with this trade. I’d pay Williams around 6 million a year. Anything more and I think you could be looking at problems with Reed. Seattle on the other hand? I see them giving him a two year, 19 million dollar contract because they paid part of the price now and don’t want to look like dummies for doing so.
Peter- Good list, we know that Pete will want to overpay most of these players, but where does the cap room come from? Cutting Diggs and or Adams?
I don’t see how he can possibly resign everyone, but we will see.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
A list on nfl.com of the top rookies so far this year includes Stroud, Carter, and Witherspoon as 1,2,3, and blog favorite Byron Young at 7th. Playing over 80% of the snaps with 37 pressures and 5 sacks is impressive. Damn!
Very nice to see that Witherspoon is playing well and getting recognized for it.
At this point, the Seahawks need to focus on upgrading the Quarterback position above all else. Right now with the way that CJ Stroud is playing, he is more valuable than Carter, Witherspoon and Young combined. PCJS need to bring in a QBOTF if the want to take the next step towards contention.
Wasn’t the blog favorite Byron Young was from Alabama? That’s the Byron Young from Tennessee.
I see all the grades on the report card, but who is going to detention? Bender? Claire? Brian? Andy? And why are you still here Ferris? The movie’s over. Go home!
Iâm a casual fan with a fair amount of knowledge about the game. My question is this if anyone with in depth knowledge about football wants to answer:
Last year, Seattle changed to a 3-4 defense after years of playing a 4-3 defense. There was lots of conversation here about if Seattle could pull it it offâdo they have the right players and coaches for it. To my untrained eye, it seems Seattleâs defense has improved but isnât a finished product by any means. Does it look like Seattle is trending in the right direction with player acquisition, coaching, and results on the field. Are you satisfied with the progress and think that Seattle should keep embracing this 3-4 defensive concept or think they should scrap it and do something different?
I feel like this whole 3-4 vs 4-3 is a smokescreen. They are still rushing the same amount of players as they always have, between 4 to 5 every pass play. Good defenses can deliver QB pressure with just the line, and don’t need to blitz very often. Seattle has to blitz a linebacker or safety to get pressure.
Also from all I’ve heard a heavy nose tackle is needed to run a 3-4. They didn’t try very hard to pick a nose tackle either, though I had some hopes for Young.
I don’t think their defense has improved at all. But that’s coming after the Ravens game where they were basically shredded in every way. YUCK! Also usually the linebackers are filling holes and making tackles. But this team hasn’t been able to use linebackers effectively. Yes give Brooks his cookie for improving, but they really need two more linebackers.
What are the best college games this weekend?? Anyone we can scout for the blog?
I am watching Michigan and Penn State. Both quarterbacks of interest. The Penn State QB Drew Allar is only a sophomore, but he does have a very high touchdown to interception ratio of 20 to 1. He’s 6-5 and 240 pounds. So someone to keep an eye on in the future.
Well, here’s the Senior Bowl watchlist.
https://www.seniorbowl.com/watchlist/
All the official invitations are going out this week.
10 invites to Michigan@Penn State players.
https://x.com/27mirror/status/1721680376647528496?s=20
IU-ILL of course!
Since PCJS are *obviously* not drafting a QB in the first round because *they have Geno*, and *he isnât the problem!*
You all should be watching Brendan Sorsby the QBotF!
đ
Is that game more important than Washington Huskies vs Utes?? Penix is the Seahawks we our too cheap to draft a quarterback in the first round future!!
Besides, they have to save the first round picks to trade for veteran safeties. Second round picks are used for linemen of course!
Curtis,
What a fantastic write-up! âŠgreatly appreciate all the time that you and Rob put in.
đ
JJ McCaffrey
7/8 passing vs Penn State for 60 yards
Every week it’s either easy opponent or the Michigan roster does it for him.
How is he being talked about in R1?? There’s nothing on tape to warrant this. Not a strong arm. Not particularly accurate. Doesn’t face any adversity.
Yeah they never threw a pass in the 2nd half. Klatt said it was cuz of the o-line having difficulty with the pass rush
Color me skeptical
Honestly, the draft media is awful these days
Just listening to the end announcers waiting for the Utah/ Washington game and heard that. My thought was that he isnât the one they have to ice the game, but heâs a first round pick? I donât see it with him. He just doesnât have to mess up and he might get a national title.
Idk if heâs even a second round pick.
SC State (Spencer Rattler at QB) has defeated Vandy 47-6. B/U QB in for most of the 4-th quarter.
Rattler’s stats: 28/36, 351-yds, 77.8% completions, 9.8-YPA, 3-TD, 1-INT, *0-sacks*, 181.6-QBR. I only was able to watch the last 5 minutes of the game when the B/U QB came in. He was a 6-5/245 underclassman that actually looked pretty darn good, a very tough runner and perhaps one to watch in the future?
There should be no doubt that the Seahawks need to take note and DRAFT THIS KID for QBOTF, they just need to make it happen, any way they can. This is the ONLY conceivable way that the Seahawks can improve from a “very poor” to a “very good” team in the foreseeable future.
Worst case, WORST CASE, he will be fine and a player that wonât get overwhemelwd.
I canât remember the last college quarterback who has impressed me, as a complete player. Heâll be a regret for whoever passes on him.
So…. us?
Let the Tyrod Taylor era begin
I still think heâll be better than Geno right away. Geno gets flustered and seems almost overwhelmed. That might be his biggest problem.
I meant he’ll be great and we’ll be the ones doing the regretting.
Tyler Van Dyke benched today by Miami
Was he bad or was it another Cristobol special?
Bit of both
Since JS dropped the name of Quinn Ewers, with currently a consensus ranking in Round-2 and Rattler is a consensus ranking in Round-3 (obviously, both may change), I believe the Seahawks will draft one of the two with their late round 1-st pick.
Just hear Brock on UW broadcast saying Penix has “very long arms and 11-inch hands “”that helps him with his accuracy, velocity and especially the spin on the ball””, an interesting tidbit to keep in mind!!!!
Consensus from a bunch of people who don’t know what they’re talking about maybe
Rattler has no business lasting to R3
I don’t think the Seahawks can wait on their QBOF, they should use their first round pick for whoever it is. I’m on board with Rattler if that’s who they get.
Rob:
I agree with you about the consensus rankings, they are indeed produced by a bunch of very poor evaluators. Unfortunately, all we have for the National rankings at this point is these projections that are often wrong both up and down in the rankings. As the season goes on, some will wise up and look beyond just stats and actually do a little player analysis. I would expect the ranking for both Ewers and Rattler will go up, how far may be in question. I just hope one of the two will be available for the Seahawks with their late 1-st round pick.
I am FIRMLY behind the thought that the Seahawks need to draft a QB-OTF with their late 1-st round pick. Even if they have to use future draft stock or sacrifice a player to trade up some spots to get their guy, it MUST be done – if not we are in mediocre hell. for years to come.
+ I sure would like to see a certain Husky WR-1 (initials R. U.) as a Seahawk – somehow, someway, he’s a really fantastic and productive player, will likely go in the top 10-20. range. ——> Go UW.
Literally besides his arm strength; nothing Penix shows translates to the NFL in anyway.
I disagree. He has command of the huddle and makes good adjustments at the line. We just saw it on that last series.
Everything is dictated from the sideline.
RE: Penix.
My other big concerns for him are his injury history and his lack of experience behind an ineffective offensive line. His footwork and pocket presence are also in need of complete overhaul among other things. IMHO: If the current consensus rankings of Penix (1-st Rd,) & Rattler (3-rd Rd,) were reversed.it would be much more accurate.
That’s not to say that -IF- Penix was the best QB available with their Rd-3 pick and they haven’t been in position and have missed out on their preferred QB (I’m assuming to be Ewers/Rattler) they take Penix, I’d be fine with that investment and hope they can develop him. At least they could say they drafted a “potential” QBOTF with only a 3-rd round pick whether it works out or not.
Not been impressed with Penix so far vs Utah
Throwing wildly to areas rather than throwing with precision
He is clearly off today.
There really is a LOT of bad info being put out on the internet about this QB class
There is zero chance MPJ can translate to Sunday. There have been so many errant passes when Utah has any semblance of pressure on him. Most QBs don’t thrive when there is pressure around them, but MPJ turns from a Heisman trophy QB with zero pressure to a practice squad player when a rusher is within 3 yards of him.
As much as it pains me to say this because I am not a Ducks fan, they are going to beat the Huskies by at least 2 touchdowns in the Pac12 championship game. This Husky defense is absolutely abysmal.
If they play defense this poorly, yes.
And this isn’t Caleb Williams they’re playing against
I’ve recently had dreams about Williams as a Seahawks QB,
BUT – there don’t seem to be many ways it could actually happen. Williams will be a big STAR for some lucky team.
So, I’m going to try to decode Jim Nagy’s tweet earlier about the 10 players invited to the Senior Bowl from Michigan @ Penn State.
So far I’ve got five.
Michigan
RB Blake Corum
WR Roman Wilson
DB Mike Sainristil (What does that mean in Elvish?)
DL Kris Jenkins
Penn State
OL Olumuyiwa Fashanu (We need to draft another Olu, no?)
The two Penn State tight ends are a lock to be invited
Theo Johnson will likely go in R2
Odunze is a QBâs dream- makes everything look so easy
Brilliant talent
Odunze reminds me of Deandre Hopkins
In the quest for QBOTF I crunched some numbers based on a comment by Joel Klatt about all the qbs who win superbowls played a ton of games.
Looking back to the start of the patriots reign to present day I saw that the average and median games played in college qbs was 37 games.
Flacco and Brady played the least but both were part of programs for three and four years respectively. Playing. Flacco had to sit out for a year at that time.
I really like Ewers. I do have concerns about who will be the bridge qb, who is the qb coach, and will he get the reps needed to succeed under Pete.
Rattler now has 46 starts
I’m here for both.
Just doubts that Pete is the guy for Ewers. Think he needs a special coach like Ben Johnson or similar.
Penix to Odunze throw and catch to go up 33-28 was a thing of beauty
It was. Terrific throw. But that 4th and 2 throw just before was bloody awful and very lucky to be completed.
I keep seeing Geno Smith out there. Picture perfect when he has the time (manufactured by a better than average OL and a spread system), but not so much when he’s under duress.
That didn’t look like a personal foul to me. The defender had both hands on the quarterback’s chest.
Fail.
Horrible call
And there’s the play to win the ga…
WTF
Championship teams do NOT make mistakes like that
Who was the receiver for Philadelphia that did this?
DK Metcalf
I’m serious. I am almost sure he did it vs. Dallas at home in his maybe 2nd season
But you’re right, I think DK did it too.
DK was celebrating too early on that play against Dallas and the ball got knocked out of his hands.
That sounds familiar
https://youtu.be/mMY8q23akCI?si=d_JojWYmzyfa0AYz
There it is đ
Desean Jackson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvPaTX2Ha4E
You da man
Bonehead! I can’t stop laughing đ
Florida State on the 1 yard line about to go up by two scores.
Who is this officiating crew?
Pac-12 Refs, so a Prison Work Release Crew? Many questionable calls but I am still trying to figure out that last Offensive Interference call on Utah?
Horrible call just like the roughing the passer on Washington was. Pac 12 refs are horrible but I will say they’re bad for both teams usually
Will there be PAC-2 refs next year?
On that weird Roughing call the defender probably didn’t apologize for putting two hands on the QB?
Huskies Defense showed up in the 2nd half.
Is Penix’s general strategy “Welp, I’ll throw this 30 yards and hope things work out”?
I took Utah +8 on my accumulator bet so that was perfect
And Missouri to beat Tennessee
(Also took USC +15 which might be less good)
USC should be able to stay close with Oregon. My concern would be that since another Heisman for Caleb and a Playoff birth are both out of reach, are they going to mail in the rest of the season? They sure seem to be a soft team.
They can’t do jack on defense
But there’s been no quit in Caleb — he’s giving it everything
Nice backdoor cover on USC.
The Almighty was watching over your Utah bet
Betting against Coach prime bit me this week.
Which really is killing me because I hit on Bama, Mich, Miami, Mizzou, OHST, LSU, IU, SCarolina and NcSt.
Took USC as well, hoping they lose to soften the blow.
I think TVD just left the game on a cart for Miami.
Apparently, I was mistaken.
I’m sick AF with man flu
I have to be at a Remembrance concert at 9:30am that my daughter is singing in
Then I’ve got a 90 minute drive to go for lunch with some friends and their family
So of course, I’m staying up for another couple of hours gone midnight to watch Texas vs TCU
Sorry to hear man. At least youâve an excuse to blow chunks tomorrow during the Hawks game after Geno throws a third INT
You mean, I need an excuse?
Kinda wish Shane Waldron and Geno Smith had your dedication to the job, Rob.
Just a 2 cent observation.
I looked at the rosters for UW, Oregon, and USC. USC has a small D Line. They are very thin there.
I think Alex Grinch was the fall guy for bad recruiting. That’s on Riley. Maybe Grinch could have done a better job but I remember when he was the hottest DC in college football.
Washington converting on 3rd downs. So that’s what that looks like.