This feels a lot like last week.
A winnable game thrown away.
And now, the season ebbing away. Bit by bit.
Last week it was Geno Smith’s critical fumble to seal Pittsburgh’s win. Today, it was a whole multitude of things.
Al Woods’ ridiculous penalty on the field goal. Repeating the exact same blitz on 3rd and 10, inviting Alvin Kamara to run for a first down. Marquis Blair’s helmet-hit when Jameis Winston was already wrapped up.
All three of those errors were on the same, game-clinching drive.
There were more though. Most of them Geno Smith-inspired.
He took too many sacks. He was hesitant. He wasted timeouts trying to shift protection.
His performances scared the Seahawks into being so utterly conservative two weeks in a row — they pretty much beat themselves.
Apart from the mistakes above and a weak two-minute drive before half-time, the defense held their own. Yet the offense was miserable and along with Jason Myers’ kicking — Seattle were lucky to score the 10 points they did.
This tweet from Jim Nagy, posted during the second half, felt timely:
Even if you have an established franchise quarterback, you should always be developing a young guy at the position.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 26, 2021
It’s just another thing to add to the list of complaints for this front office, led of course by Pete Carroll.
The thought of having to watch Geno Smith again next week — maybe even for two more weeks — fills me with dread. It’s as scary as any film you might watch over Hallowe’en.
Take away D.K. Metcalf’s improbable 84-yard touchdown catch-and-run and Seattle had 135 total yards on offense tonight.
This game felt like the 2008 loss to the Eagles. It was the dying embers of the Mike Holmgren era but there was still a tiny bit of hope they could get healthy when the game was played.
Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace threw a 90-yard touchdown to Koren Robinson. Everyone got excited. Then the offense didn’t score another point and lost, handsomely, 26-7.
They fell to 2-6.
The only difference tonight is this iteration of the Seahawks are only 2-5. Yet like 2008 they’re legitimately one of the worst teams in football without their star QB.
And like 2008, it feels like major change is overdue.
Another night to forget. Another loss at home (they’re now 0-3). Another season that’ll amount to nothing.
There was no tension in this game despite the close scoreline. There may well be some over the next few days as fans hope and pray that Pete Carroll and John Schneider don’t waste even more future resources before the trade deadline, chasing a playoff run.
Don’t bother fellas. You’ve done enough.
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First 0-3 start at home since ’92. That was the 2-14 season.
Burn it down
what an absolutely depressing shitfest.
Sell the house, sell the kids… time to start the F over.
My bet is they trade a 2022 second and a 2023 first for a player who plays as good as Jamal Adams.
well, did Adams play well today? bad today?
it doesn’t matter cheap players are more valuable than most if not all players.
He played well tonight. The D was solid, except for individual mistakes … and Norton taking too long to adjust to the excellent Alvin Kamara. I bet the players were unhappy about the slow scheme adjustment, it took Norton a half to shift things around.
But even playing well, Adams is not good enough. It’s not a position of need AND he’s expensive. I’d take two second rounders for him in a heartbeat. AndcI’d take a third for Wagner, though it would insult him terribly, just to get him off the books so we can rebuild.
It’s almost pointless to unpack this game. Where do you begin? And where do you end? We’ve got to go 7-3 from here on out to finish with a winning record. Yeah, good luck with that. LOL
The issues with this team, time and time again, are self-inflicted, and I don’t necessarily mean talent and allocation of resources. I mean not having plays for Geno in case no running game ready to go, no surprise plays in the run game (liked the Everett run), and more importantly penalties. They did a good job with drawing them, but they shot themselves in the foot with offsides, penalty on Blair, etc.
Talent and allocation of resources are a bigger issue though
Yeah. Where is the genius OC? And special thanks to the kicker. The defense held the score down though.
The genius OC might in fact be a bona fide genius. But how we are going to know if he keeps running Alex Collins up the middle, presumably on Pete’s orders (unspoken or not)???
Elmer’s prediction for regular season record, made after the last preseason game, was 6-11, 4th in the NFC West, no playoffs. I thought it was pessimistic, now it’s starting to look optimistic. Looking like sellers at the trade deadline.
If only we had assets to sell.
Great take. End of an era
My question is if RW plays tonight, in his kryptonite, wind and rain, how does the game not end up the same way.
looking at their defense, they had Studs at the lbs and running back.
I got Alvin Kamara over RW (and his sidekick Myers) every November like night in Seattle
Fire Pete. I used to always defend him him but hes washed. Alex Collins is not Marshawn Lynch.
🤞 Russ does not want to leave even if we give him the keys/control to hire the coach and players he wants. The only solace is SF looks terrible too.
I think there’s an issue with the coaching staff as a whole, further than Pete.
Starts at the top. Lets get him out and have new coach pick his coaching staff. 7 consecutive runs to Alex Collins and lack of throws to DK is ridiculous.
Lol even the broadcast crew, a fairly dim bunch, and paid to NOT be too critical, couldn’t help but show their dismay at Kamara’s 20+ Touches compared to DK’s … one touch, in the first half.
What a depressing slog of a season. Everything, and I mean everything, that this blog has warned about over the past few seasons has reared its ugly head and this franchise is completely unprepared.
If the value of RW wasn’t clear before, it should be by now, and yet, I think he goes and Pete stays. Pete has ownerships blessing. He’s a name brand coach who’s running the entire franchise right now. I think he loves the power and won’t give it up.
Ownership has to change before anything on the field changes. Anybody got a few billion lying around, or should I start a GoFundMe?
Thanks for the great work, Rob. The next year, or so, should be interesting – for all the wrong reasons, but still, interesting.
Pete doesn’t look like he’s loving much of anything these days.
“We’re so close. It may not look like it from the outside, but we’re so close.”
He’s five games behind Kliff Kingsbury.
Pete is now acknowledging RW’s importance to cover his own rear, as the losses mount.
Narratives/spin I fear: 1) Can’t fire a legendary coach simply because his best player missed a crucial portion of the season. 2) The team was really coming together when Russell got hurt, a sure playoff team otherwise. 3) Waldron (and hence Pete) deserve another season to have a fair chance to show that the new offensive system works. 4) Pete talks enthusiastically about 2022 team, promising to give Tater a larger role.
So true…
https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/1452844738579550208?t=txnelcJ7M24pOU8_8H-lhQ&s=19
PC needs to go. But please keep Russ
This is honestly a worst case scenario due to more than just the losses themselves. I feel like the close losses are only going to embolden Pete, not discourage. “Well we’re a couple of bad bounces away from being 4-3. Let’s dump Russ for a 2nd rounder and roll out there with Geno and Jamal next year. 12-5 record minimum!” Wouldn’t surprise me if that was the thought process.
100% agree, which is why it pains me to say I hope they lose to the Jags.
I won’t hope they lose. I’ll never hope they lose unless it’s a situation where we don’t have a franchise QB and we’re in “competition” to get the No. 1 overall pick in a year where there’s a John Elway, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Trevor Lawrence, etc. type of guy at number one. And I don’t want that to be for a long time.
Pete sounds like he knows this is the last rodeo
Devoutly hope you are correct, and I believe you probably are. But I still worry that Pete’s indefatigable optimism may delude him into thinking he can turn things around in 2022.
For anyone thinking this team would be better off without Russell Wilson, this is what the Seahawks of the 1990s looked like for an entire decade. They were garbage.
“But BobbyK, you’re so wrong, we could get better players if Russ was gone”!
What a brilliant thought (sarcasm)! They could add a Cortez Kennedy who will end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, then draft a Kevin Maewae who will go to Canton and later draft a Walter Jones who will also go there… and still suck because the QB position is so terrible.
For those who are too young to remember 1990s Seahawks football… this was it. Is it fun? The 1992 team had one of the best defenses in the league. Did it matter?
Geno Smith is a compilation of Jeff Kemp, Kelly Stouffer, Rick Mirer, Dan McGwire, John Friesz, etc. In today’s comparison they’re Andy Dalton (getting $10 million), Teddy Bridgewater (getting $20 million), etc. For all the “Russ makes $35 million” people, they just don’t understand that getting a bum like Bridgewater would cost a late-round draft pick AND you’d have to pay him $20 million to suck. Then you’d be saving $15 million. What does $15 million really get you that outweighs going from good QB to crap QB?
To top this clown show off – they have one of the worst draft pick situations going into the 2022 draft.
I’m not in favor of “tearing it down” one single bit. Not with a franchise QB in his prime. But I do feel a season of getting things back in order is necessary. This includes being the team acquiring draft capital when it can, especially hard with no 1st round pick. I don’t want to be the one dumping and throwing picks away. Set a conservative budget and do your best in 2022. Things could go your way because you’re certainly not “tanking”. But draft pick and salary cap scenarios should be played out with the following few years (and beyond) in mind.
Russ is a smart guy – he could get behind this “plan” if presented to him and if he was given the keys to the offense with a coach who shares his vision. Russ isn’t dumb. And when I say being given the keys to the offense – let’s actually try to be a good offense all around. That doesn’t mean never running the ball. But when you do run, how about having the personnel to actually kick some butt in the trenches? You don’t do this with Kyle Dumpster and Ethan Marshmallow as the anchors in the middle of your OL.
Pete Carroll and John Schneider had a long-term vision in 2010. In 2021 it is crystal clear they have no clue what a long-term vision means.
There is such a long list of stupidity in their off-season dealings the last half of their reign in Seattle. So many have been said here recently that they don’t bear repeating, but let me bring one up. Remember when the Seahawks had Justin Britt at Center. He basically wasn’t very good at RT his rookie year and sucked as a LG in year two. Well, the Seahawks moved him to Center in year three and he was pretty decent. He was so decent that the team gave him a big extension prior to his fourth year in the league. Good, right?
Um, no. They used their 2nd round pick on a Center. You know, the same position of the guy they had drafted in the 2nd round three years earlier and who finally found a home at that same position.
But, it’s okay, because it’s easy for a Center to play Guard, too, right? Well, Ethan Pocic was a Center and a “natural center.” He wasn’t a guard. He was all finesse. All the scouting reports indicated he was a “technician” and not a bully. But our geniuses, who claimed to want to be the bully, draft a Center (when they already had a Center) who has absolutely no bully qualities about him whatsoever. This is just one of the many head-scratching moves that makes absolutely no sense. There’s too many head-scratching moves like that as well.
PC looked exasperated during his press conference. He knows it’s bad and he knew he couldn’t much pretend to put a positive spin on it.
I don’t know about anyone else, but the most frustrating thing to me is that time after time the issues educated fans have been screaming about are the exact things that end up costing them. Whether is the o line, the pass rush, no developmental qb, the cbs, the center and on and on it goes… the arrogance of this regime is at its peak detriment.
How many times have we avoided drafting a good center the last few years? Not that that will ever come back to bite us or anything…
I won’t complain about not getting Creed Humphrey because the Seahawks actually drafted one of a small handful of guys in Eskridge on that list I wanted (which included Humphrey). I liked each. But in retrospect, the pick with the best long-term value to your franchise is always the right one. And that long-term vision is something they just simply don’t value anymore. They can say it does, but they prove to us it doesn’t based on their actions.
I thought Carroll looked quite emotional when he said this. And the fact he was talking about the length of time he’s been here — to me, was indicative of a man who knows this is the final year.
Also the reason a Russell Wilson trade was unlikely to happen.
Here’s hoping PC & JS move on. We need change. Whether it works out or not; it definitely needs to happen.
Indeed.
Carroll just spelled out the reality of not having him.
He can’t say those words and then be like… now let’s try life without RW.
Agreed. This is the first time I’ve thought that Pete might step aside. Seems like he’s saying that this is Russell’s team.
I’m not so sure I want JS gone. We know he has influence, but Pete is his boss. It’s possible JS wanted some of the guys who have had great NFL careers over some of the bums we’ve actually drafted. I would have to think, as a GM, he would have been against some of these picks they’ve made where they have thrown all these picks away – but it’s not like he can tell Pete, “No. I won’t pay that for Jamal Adams” like any sane person would. When we’re ordered by our boss to do something, we do it. So, I’m not totally sure how I feel about him.
It’s hard imo to discern exactly how much blame JS should get. When you factor in the reports that JS had a trade he was going to accept for RW that got shot down you also have to imagine trades like the Adams trade most likely worked the opposite with Pete telling him make it happen at all costs. I think Pete has known for a few years his window was closing and he became desperate making poor decision after poor decision. I could get behind JS remaining as GM if Pete’s retires but a full house cleaning wouldn’t hurt my feelings either. I know it does no good to play what if but sometimes I like to torture myself and think about what happens moving forward if Marshwan got the ball on 2nd and goal instead of Malcom Butler. That play altered the course of Seahawks history and they’ve never truly recovered. They papered over some cracks and remained competitive but the house is now ready to crumble.
On the pie chart of stay/resign/get fired, the resign color, already the dominant color IMO, got a little bigger tonight. My attention is slowly starting to shift more toward JS now. He hasn’t exactly burned the house down in the draft for some years now. But with JS, you never quite know what he might have done on his own, or how many times they went Pete’s way. Is JS guilty by association in this way?
It just can’t be overstated how much RW and our regular season records the past 3 years papered over so many misplays from a personnel and team building standpoint. To those who weren’t paying close attention, this plunge we’re in the midst of now probably seems like it came out of the blue, when actually that was not at all the case.
Stuff we’ve been going over and over again on your site,
Wow did he really say that? That speaks volumes.
I think there’s some positives to take (maybe to spin) from these games with Geno. For me it’s clarity – both within the fanbase and, hopefully, the organisation.
1) This team needs to keep and prioritise Russell Wilson. There is no doubt about that now. Selling him for a dozen picks and allowing Pete to rebuild with a game manager QB is not going to work.
2) Wilson is not the problem on offense (hero ball etc) – it’s the outdated scheme driven by Pete regardless of whichever OC we have.
3) Time to get a new, modern HC who can make the most out of the talent we do have (both offensively and defensively). We have more talent than we are currently showcasing.
May seem obvious to some who have championed these points for months. But we’ve the dubious luxury of now having evidence of the team without Wilson and it ain’t good. So let’s take it as a blessing we’ve had this info with a chance to rectify it before he’s gone for good.
Carroll attributing the Kamara TD on defensive confusion it seems like
If the Seahawks are 4-9 and totally out of it I think it would be best for Pete to announce his intent to retire at the end of the season (during the season) if that’s what he is going to do.
Fans are frustrated right now. Some want him gone now (I’m not in favor of that). Some think this should be his last year (me). But by announcing it – I think that would make the last month of the year much more meaningful in this dreadful season. Instead of fans wanting to roast him, I believe he’d be celebrated that final month. And he should be for what he did for us (bringing us that Lombardi that I never thought I’d ever see). I just don’t want anything to do with him moving forward.
Just my two cents on that topic.
Yes. I had a similar thought. We could celebrate Pete. Players could play hard for him. would be a good send off. And we could look forward to the future.
Commit to Russ, move on from this brain trust; it’s stale and over.
If Russ really has eyes on playing to 40 or so the decision is easy. Russ era part 2. When the franchise QB is in place a fresh approach can turn things quickly. Get a DC who will put 26 year old Jamal in the same spot that had him as a multiple time all-pro.
I have to imagine PC/JS might be tired and ready for something new as well. Heads held high, a lot to be proud of and legacy in place. The stewards of the greatest era of Seahawks football. Not many regimes end on top, no shame in a rough ending.
With the way Dallas drafts I’d see about giving the top executive position to Will McClay – atonomy that he will never have in Dallas. For HC: Moore, Roman, Dabbol, Toub, Leonhard would be high on my list.
Anyone feel confident we can beat the Jags? I sure don’t.
Just life without a franchise QB. I mean I don’t particularly blame them for not having a better option than Geno. Most teams aren’t grooming some Jordan Love type on their roster that they took in the first round or whatever. I was watching Belichick put on a clinic against the Chiefs last season but he was stuck with bad QB play without Brady, so what looked like one of the biggest upsets of the seasons turned into the Patriot’s backup QBs competing to see which one was more incompetent as the Chief’s pulled away in the 4th.
A QB like Geno just isn’t good. He doesn’t process things well, his awareness is poor and he wilted at the first sight of pressure. The drop-off from say Cousins or Dak to Geno is much, much larger than the difference between Wilson and those guys in my opinion. That’s why you pony up and pay those Tier 2/3 guys, too. Do they win against the Steelers and Saints with Dak? Probably.
I dunno what’s gonna happen with Wilson, he probably wants to turn the page and go somewhere else, in which case, the only thing I can hope is that at least they can maybe get one of those franchise guys, maybe even Rodgers? Last thing I want to watch is Cam Newton starting 16 games in 2022 unless they’re in full tank mode.
I was at the game tonight and came away with these thoughts:
5 wasted timeouts?
Lockett boneheaded taunting (again Pete’s players lack of discipline).
Another missed FG X2
Not covering RB in the flat, again!
Can’t execute or stop a screen
No identity. Who the heck are we on offense?
Why doesn’t Geno run more? We should call called QB sneek up the middle when they emptied the middle LB. There were big holes for Geno to run, but he didn’t seem interested in taking off.
Losing yards and getting sacked hurts.
Penny should be dropped. Indecisive, doesn’t hit hole with authority, slow
I assume you meant Metcalf, not Lockett?
I think he meant Everett
Thanks for staying up to do this Rob!
I still maintain that the NFL in the UK has the best sports watching window in all of sports – 6pm and 9pm on Sunday evening can’t be beat, for my money. That is, until you hit the prime time games which are brutal. Thankfully when I was there the games didn’t tend to go like this one did.
Gripped tonight by an awful feeling that Pete will hang on, and Russ will be starting for New Orleans next year. Need whiskey.
I think Im ready to see a different QB next week. It probably won’t matter, but Geno has shown what he is, and I dont want to sit through another game of it.
Give me a mystery box.
Anyone want to make a prediction on Kyle Fuller’s PFF grade? Will it be in the single digits?
Who remembers at the end of the first half when they were just going to try for a hard count and Kyle Fuller snapped the ball (fortunately with no time left). Did he think he just missed the play call and needed to wing it?
Thank you for the video reaction Rob!
There are a couple of guys there that just have to go. Penny is the first one. Admit he is a bust and move on. LJ Collier is the next. Kyle Fuller should be cut by any half-decent team after watching the tape, and if JS isn’t able to sign a C before the deadline then he better leaves. Blair wants to be the tough guy but he doesn’t have the brains to do it within the rules. Geno Smith should be the third option at backup against the Jaguars. Luton and Eason can’t do worse. Al Woods, I love his style, but I don’t think he has what it takes anymore.
Jamal played better but not good enough. He’s paid too much to play somewhat better than absolutely rubbish. He should have more impact.
There was this moment with Brooks, who played actually quite well, when he stopped Kamara on 3rd and 1. Wonderful, but they went for it on 4th and 1 and they got it. This kind of result you could also get with a LB that you pick in the 4th round of the draft. And use the first pick for positions that impact the game: a RB, a C, a pass rusher.