This is also available via ‘The Rebuild’ podcast streams

Coming into the season, I really had only three main hopes for the Seahawks.

I wanted to see a foundation built through the young, new offensive line. I wanted to see the running game be consistent and productive. I wanted the defense to function and look like a unit that could be a strength going forward.

So far, we’re seeing positive signs with the O-line. The running game has been more miss than hit so far but hopefully the Detroit game is a sign of progress. The defense, however, has been an abomination.

I think there are two key problems.

Firstly — the scheme. As noted a few times over the last couple of weeks, it feels like a ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ of ideas. You’ve got Clint Hurtt and Sean Desai and their background with Vic Fangio. And you’ve got Pete Carroll.

Increasingly it looks like a jumbled collection of compromises rather than a clear, focused plan. This isn’t a new thing under Carroll. Think back to when he basically ran the offense with Darrell Bevell and Tom Cable. Or last year when he retained Mike Solari despite appointing an offensive coordinator with a totally different blocking philosophy.

I’m sure there are examples where collaboration has worked and presumably that’s why Carroll dabbles in it. At the moment, however, it feels like the Seahawks would be better off with their Head Coach either just relinquishing control and letting Hurtt and Desai get on with the job, or he should insist on returning to his tried and trusted scheme and just get on with it.

The problem is — if he does that, it means training camp was virtually a waste of time learning the tweaks and changes. Plus, there’s barely any point having Hurtt and Desai in their roles if they’re going to be made to run another man’s scheme.

On the other hand, the current setup is destroying the production and form of players such as Darrell Taylor and Poona Ford — people they need to be performing. The linebackers are a walking disaster zone. Nothing is working.

Personally I think they have to resort to the Carroll defense. If nothing else — putting Taylor back at SAM/LEO as a kind of situational rusher will at least, hopefully, get him back on track. It’ll help Ford. They don’t have a Carlos Dunlap type any more which is an issue. It just feels like this simplified defense might make for fewer glaring errors.

The second problem is talent.

It’s not that the Seahawks are awful everywhere. They just don’t have any blue-chip studs or game-wreckers. They have young, unproven players and average (or worse) people on defense.

None of their defensive tackles create consistent interior pressure. None of their edge rushers are even at the level of a Frank Clark in 2018. Nobody on that D-line scares opponents, draws protection or can win consistently 1v1.

At cornerback — it’s great that Tariq Woolen has started well and there are rightly high hopes for the future. At the moment though, he’s a rookie. And the player across from him is Michael Jackson — or a collection of other no-name types. The Seahawks don’t have a top-tier corner they can currently rely on to shut down key opponents.

Josh Jones has been a liability and Quandre Diggs is a solid but unspectacular free safety and always has been.

The less said about the linebackers the better.

Most people can see the talent problem and increasingly it’s being suggested that with four picks in the first two rounds next year, Seattle’s draft focus should be defense, not quarterback.

That would be a huge, glaring error.

Firstly, as noted yesterday, it’s about the players actually available in this draft. Currently it’s really hard to find legit top-10 or first round picks, especially on defense. At quarterback — there are at least three (maybe four) players who legitimately can be graded high.

You can only play the hand you’re dealt. In the 2023 draft — it’s stacked up to go and get your quarterback of the future. That’s what the draft is offering you.

Besides — as well as Geno Smith is playing this year — he is not the future in Seattle. He is the present.

There’s only really Will Anderson who fits the bill as a legit top-10 pick and potential game-wrecker. I wish I could provide more names. It would make my life easier, writing a Seahawks Draft Blog, if the 2023 draft was loaded with blue-chippers.

Sadly — it isn’t.

Jalen Carter — often projected to the top-10 — has zero sacks and zero TFL’s in five games for Georgia. He is a solid defensive tackle worthy of the second half of round one but he’s not going to wreck games from the interior.

Bryan Bresee — who I really rate — is extremely agile and athletic for his size. He has the best chance, I think, of elevating into the top-10. However, he’s missed games recently after a family tragedy and when he has played, he has again looked more of a really solid defensive tackle rather than someone who is going to consistently collapse a pocket.

Michigan cornerback DJ Turner flashes talent but is rarely tested. It’s the same story for Georgia’s Kelee Ringo.

Mazi Smith — the top name on Bruce Feldman’s ‘freaks list’ is having a good year but is more of an athletic nose than an impact three-technique.

I think Clemson pass rusher Myles Murphy is a bit overrated but admittedly — he looked quicker than last year in the game against NC State and had an impact. I will continue to monitor him. His team mate K.J. Henry might be better. I also want to watch more of Michigan’s Mike Morris.

I really like Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson but is he more of an athlete at this point best served in a blitz-heavy scheme than someone you want to lock down the middle of the field and play with consistency and discipline?

At the moment there’s no obvious Micah Parsons type in this class. No Devin White. Not even a Jamal Adams.

Unfortunately, it’s not going to be much easier to find solutions in free agency. Assuming the likes of Bradley Chubb, Roquan Smith, Jessie Bates and Da’Ron Payne are out of reach or franchised, there aren’t a ton of viable options set to reach the open market.

And please — no more big trades for veteran players.

It’s going to be up to Seattle to develop the players they’ve got, make intelligent additions and draft well. There are no quick fixes here.

The good news is that, like the 2022 draft, this looks like a class that is light at the top but could have some depth going into days two and three.

One player I really like and mentioned over the summer is Louisville linebacker Monty Montgomery. He’s tough, impactful, loves a hit and has started to come along after a slow start to the season with four TFL’s, two sacks and an interception. He won’t be a high pick but he’s someone to monitor with eventual starting potential at the next level. Nobody talks about him — which is fine. Let him fly under the radar. I get the feeling teams will love his play.

Players keep flashing at safety when I’m doing the quarterback scouting. Utah State’s Michigan transfer Hunter Reynolds plays fast and quick and can hit. John Torchio was a rare bright spot for Wisconsin in a miserable game against Ohio State — playing with range, physicality and making a great interception.

Georgia’s Christopher Smith is an easy player to like. He plays with instinct and toughness. Tulane’s Larry Brooks is a serious player who again might not be a high pick but he has something about him.

There’s also Jalen Catalon at Arkansas who has drifted off the radar as he’s collected injuries but he could provide great value next year.

At defensive tackle — I don’t think there’s a huge drop-off from the names being touted early in round one and Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton. Off the edge — Florida State’s Jared Verse has made a great start after transferring from Albany. I want to see him test but the early results are good.

The key is going to be continuing to find diamonds as they did this year with Woolen and Abraham Lucas. They are going to need to repeat the work of the early 2010’s where they get supreme talent in unpredictable ways. A clever trade, a day two or three draft pick. I don’t see the alternative options. I wish it was easier to say — ‘draft these two players’ and the problem would be fixed.

The draft depth stretches onto offense too.

I spent part of yesterday studying Zay Flowers, the receiver at Boston College. He’s electrifying and could make a great (and needed) WR3. West Virginia’s Bryce Ford-Wheaton can be inconsistent but he has an exceptional size/speed combo. Jake Bobo was incredibly impressive for UCLA against Washington last week and has deceptive quickness and good size.

Receiver looks to be a position of strength with the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njibga and Jordan Addison likely to go early. I like TCU’s Quentin Johnson too despite his quiet start to 2022.

We might not see the best of Seattle’s O-line until they go ‘full Rams’. LA created a productive zone-blocking line by using converted tackles to play guard. The Seahawks are still using heavier, power-blocking guards. If they pivot to try and get their answer to Austin Corbett and David Edwards — they might look at someone like Zion Nelson at Miami or Jaelyn Duncan at Maryland.

It’s also worth noting that LA’s Edwards is a free agent in 2023.

There are high quality running backs available. Bijon Robinson of Texas and Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama could both go in the top-15. Yet UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet and Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez could provide great value later on.

The opportunities to get talent/depth are very evident — but the options early in round one could be limited. That’s why it might be better to position yourself to get your guy at quarterback — while you have the opportunity to do so — then take advantage of the depth later.

There is going to be a big rush to get at Will Levis — due to his experience in a pro-style system, the incredible athletic traits, character and the way he is battling adversity and succeeding at Kentucky. The Seahawks are one of the teams able to make a big move due to their 2023 stock. If it’s simply not possible to get to Levis — they could (and should) pivot to the other options who might need more time to develop — with Geno Smith (so far) proving to be a viable go-between.

This is going to be a process without easy solutions on defense. Drafting well on days two and three and developing what you have will be the key.

That is why it’s imperative they sort things out pronto this year. They need to be adding and building in the off-season — not tearing things down and starting from scratch.

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Time for the QB notes from week five.

Before we get started though, I wanted to briefly return to a topic I discussed last week about the broader 2023 draft class.

Every week I keep adding names of players to my watch-list. Players who stand out and warrant another look down the line. What I’m struggling to find, however, are players who deserve to be considered early first round prospects.

I do think this needs to be highlighted. I appreciate that currently Seattle’s defense is an abomination and Geno Smith is playing well. However, finding blue-chip defenders as an alternative to drafting a quarterback in 2023 is going to be incredibly difficult. Aside from Alabama’s Will Anderson, I just don’t think they’re there.

On the other hand, there are quarterbacks that warrant consideration early in round one. With two first rounders and two second rounders in 2023 — the Seahawks have the potential to be aggressive if they want to be.

Some of the defensive players being touted as top-10 picks, I just can’t see it. Take Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. He’s a good player. He isn’t a game-wrecker though.

So far, in Georgia’s five games, he has:

0 sacks
0 TFL’s
4 tackles
1 Pass break-up

I think he’s a very capable interior presence you should consider in the second half of round one as a steady, controlling lineman. But he isn’t Gerald McCoy, Ndamukong Suh or even Quinnen Williams.

Increasingly as this college season develops I’m starting to think the 2023 draft will be similar to 2022. There will be a dearth of legit top-10 players but a reasonable amount of depth overall as you go into days 2-3.

What you do have, that we didn’t see this year, are a handful of quarterback prospects you can invest in and have faith in to be an answer. Plus Will Anderson as a blue-chip pass rusher.

Geno Smith turns 32 in seven days and while he admittedly is the man for the present, I don’t think many people see him as the man for the long-term future. Drafting a quarterback has to remain Seattle’s priority.

I’ll have an article on Seattle’s defensive struggles — and how they might be able to fix them — later this week.

DTR proves he’s underrated, reality bites for Penix Jr

Friday’s game between Washington and UCLA validated something that we’ve been pretty consistent with on SDB. The hype surrounding Michael Penix Jr went too far and Dorian Thompson-Robinson remains underrated.

Firstly, Penix Jr.

There’s no doubt that he’s been a fun player to watch so far. I’ve now watched Washington twice and it’s clear they made a good decision in appointing Kalen DeBoer. That said, we also have to embrace what DeBoer brings to UW.

His system is going to produce. It’s wide open, well crafted, multi-faceted and does a lot of the heavy lifting for quarterbacks. It’s why Jake Haener was able to throw for +4000 yards last year at Fresno State.

I would imagine that for as long as DeBoer is with the Huskies, they’ll have a productive quarterback. Offensive production will never be a problem. The key to them having eventual success will be putting a complementary defense on the field that is good enough to really challenge.

Penix Jr picked UW because he worked with DeBoer at Indiana. He knew the scheme and therefore, it’s no big surprise he started the season well against some bad opponents (including Michigan State’s ridiculously awful pass defense which remains among the worst in all of college football).

Yet every week I was getting more and more messages about Penix Jr, with people increasingly touting him as a legit NFL prospect. I hope this UCLA game will add a bit of perspective to the discussion moving forward.

For starters — I wasn’t aware that when Penix Jr was sacked in the second quarter of this game, it was the first sack he’d suffered all season. That’s remarkable, when you consider Will Levis has been sacked 18 times in five games. It took until mid-way through Penix Jr’s fifth game to receive any serious pressure.

It speaks to the environment he’s come into.

The scheme requires very little from its quarterback other than to execute. Everything is set up for him, he receives his instructions from the sideline and very rarely does he ever progress to a second read. He does do it — and did it for a touchdown in this game, coming off his intended target and throwing to a wide open receiver in the end zone. Yet more often than not it’s a case of snap, do what you’re told to do and the well-crafted offense will sort things out for you.

As a consequence, when things go wrong, you have to be able to adjust and improvise. In this game, Penix Jr could not. He threw two horrible interceptions as a consequence.

The first came with 8:08 left in the second quarter. He stares down his intended target, telegraphing the play. The little bit of pressure means he can’t step into his throw so he’s flat-footed on release. The pass has no mustard on it and was an easy takeaway.

On the very next play, DTR throws a touchdown for UCLA — rubbing salt into the wound.

His second interception again happened when Penix Jr stared down his intended target. The defender is watching him all the way. It’s a slightly later throw and completely telegraphed. Easy pickings.

At one point Andre Ware, who was commentating, congratulated Penix Jr for throwing accurately into triple coverage. For me it just highlighted the problem. If the scheme tells Penix Jr to go to this receiver, he will do. Regardless if it’s triple coverage. And sure — it looks nice when it comes off. Try doing that in the NFL though.

Even at the college level, you need to be able to come off that look and make progressions to find the better option. In the NFL you don’t get to look at three arts-and-crafts boards being held up on the sideline giving you instructions on everything to do.

Aside from all of this, I thought Penix Jr just looked mostly unspectacular. When the easy, well-designed plays weren’t there — there were inaccurate passes to go with the nicely thrown balls. His throwing motion is elongated and problematic. He’s not particularly elusive or dynamic as a runner.

And that’s before we go into his injury history which is extensive.

I don’t want to piss on anyone’s bonfire here. Washington are much more fun to watch than they’ve been in years. Kalen DeBoer gives the team hope for the future. But Penix Jr should generally be an afterthought for the draft. And that’ll largely be the case throughout this year, even as he continues to put up big numbers in this uber-friendly quarterback system.

Thompson-Robinson also receives a lot of the same benefits. His scheme doesn’t demand too much from him. He doesn’t need to progress through numerous reads. In this game, he also benefitted from the brilliance of Zach Charbonnet and Jake Bobo’s knack of getting open.

That said, he just executed better. When key conversions were needed, he delivered. He was accurate and decisive. He didn’t give Washington a sniff of a turnover. He also provided much more of a threat as a runner — including one electrifying hurdle over a defender.

I’ve liked DTR for a long time. I appreciate he doesn’t have the traits of the bigger name QB’s eligible for 2023 and as a consequence, his stock will be somewhat limited. By all accounts he’s probably looking at round four as a ceiling. I still think he has a playmaking quality that many other players — who get a lot more publicity — simply don’t possess. If you need more convincing, check out his 68-yard touchdown scramble against Bowling Green.

He deserves more attention than he gets.

Same old story for Kentucky’s O-line

In many ways, Will Levis should probably be grateful. His offensive line is giving NFL scouts a good look at how he battles adversity week-to-week.

C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young can only dream of such an environment.

I’m only half-joking. Part of the problem with analysing quarterbacks at Ohio State and Alabama is the sheer mismatch in talent they benefit from, playing for the teams they play for. Then you throw in how much the Ohio State system holds Stroud’s hand and it creates an extra layer of suspicion.

Then you watch Levis. He takes snaps under center. He reads the defense without needing to look at cards on the sideline or hand signals. He’s playing in a pro-style offense.

And he’s getting hammered every week.

It’s like he’s already in the league.

Levis was sacked three more times against Ole Miss in a game Kentucky should’ve won. One of those sacks was a safety that led to his finger being broken or dislocated on his non-throwing hand. The third sack led to a fumble that ended the game.

He’s now been sacked 18 times in five games.

The Wildcats also surrendered nine TFL’s in this game alone.

Yet, as mentioned, they still should’ve won.

The kicker missed a field goal and an extra point in a three-point loss. They were all set to score on a brilliant kick-return, until the runner was tripped up by a team mate.

Levis had another fumble in the game on a QB-keeper where a defender lowered his head and levelled him at the crown of his helmet. They didn’t even review whether it was targeting.

The quarterback himself wasn’t blameless. The sequence at the end was a bit of a mess. A potential game-winning touchdown was taken off the board because Levis rushed the play in the red zone with less than a minute to go. He spotted a 1v1 matchup he wanted, rushed to get the snap off and a different receiver wasn’t lined up properly. False start (called an illegal shift). It was a shame — his fade pass was caught well and he ID’d the right situation, he just needed to let everyone get set.

Overall though, I saw enough in this game to feel comfortable with my projection as Levis as a high pick, perhaps even the highest in 2023.

He moved the ball well at the end with some top-level pro-throws and processing. When he had time in the pocket, he was surgical. Indeed the way he commands this pro-style offense, makes reads and goes through progressions is a world apart from any other draft-eligible quarterback.

Increasingly I think Levis is going to be the guy teams want. I think there’s going to be a real clamour for him at the top of round one, with teams believing he is best equipped to start early. He is the best combination of pro-style experience, extreme athletic and physical traits, character and performance.

The fact he’s doing what he’s doing with a non-ideal supporting cast too — which is likely what he’ll get early in his NFL career if he’s a high pick — is another feather in his cap.

Bryce Young injures his shoulder

It was a really strange sequence that led to the injury. Young was on the field, seemingly OK, threw a standard pass and immediately his arm went limp. He left the field, threw his helmet to the ground in frustration and entered the medical tent.

Young’s reaction was alarming — it was as if he knew something serious had happened.

Yet later in the game he was back on the sideline, all smiles, cheering his team mates on. He was only considered ‘questionable’ to return — suggesting it wasn’t a serious problem. And yet how many non-serious injuries leave your arm limp?

TV footage also showed an earlier play where he was tackled, and briefly clutched at his shoulder.

Gary Danielson, commentating for CBS, said the following:

“I tore my rotator cuff on a play exactly like that. You don’t know it’s hurt until your next throw.”

Details on Young’s injury are limited at the moment. It does speak, however, to some of the concerns relating to his NFL future.

Despite being listed at 6-0 and 194lbs by Alabama, it’s well established by now that this isn’t accurate. As Todd McShay noted last week, he’s been measured by NFL people at a shade above 5-10 and around the 185lbs mark.

At Alabama, Young faces very little adversity. He plays behind a bunch of all-star offensive linemen who typically overmatch opponents and he’s supported by 5-star talent at the skill positions. Unlike Will Levis — he rarely faces a battering in the pocket. He doesn’t take a lot of damage.

At the next level, he won’t have that luxury. He’s going to get hit. He’s going to be moving around a lot more. Can a player who is this small last the distance? Because there simply isn’t anyone his size doing it in the league.

Young is a good player but there’s no getting away from the fact this is a question NFL teams will have to ask ahead of the 2023 draft.

In terms of what he showed against Arkansas, his first drive ended with an interception. The receiver was hit in his route and it prevented him from being in the right place at the right time. The ball hit his fingertips and deflected straight to a defender.

Alabama were messy to start. One of the receivers had a horrendous drop to start the second series. Then Young fumbled a snap, nearly leading to a turnover. He then threw wild and high on a pass into the flat. But, with this being Alabama, he then hit a slot receiver down the middle who simply out-ran everyone for an easy touchdown.

His next touchdown was a similar cakewalk. A receiver released downfield and was so wide open, it’s as if he was fielding a punt. Young executed the pass to set up a walk-in touchdown on the next play for the quarterback.

On the play where he scrambled to initially possibly injure his shoulder — he had no reason to bail on the pocket. He scrambled his way into bother by running towards the sideline, just because Arkansas blitzed. The protection was fine and yet he bailed on the pocket. He has a tendency to do this — probably because of his height. One of his egregious interceptions earlier this season came on an unnecessary scramble, followed by an ugly heave downfield.

The talent is there. It’s a quandary projecting a 5-10 (ish), 185lbs quarterback to the next level though. That’s just the reality.

As for his opposite number in this game — K.J. Jefferson — I’ve never felt particularly excited about his pro-potential and nothing about this game changed that. I just think he’s limited in terms of mobility and processing. He has the arm to make some pretty throws at times but I’ve never once watched him and felt like I was watching an eventual NFL starter.

C.J. Stroud has another one of ‘those’ games

I want to love Stroud but I simply can’t go there. He has too many games like this where he’s just off.

Stroud is capable of throwing the most impressive passes I’ve seen at the college level, since I started this blog in 2008. I keep saying this.

Yet too often this is offset by the basics just not being good enough. Intermediate accuracy, timing, making the right reads.

And then there are plays like this:

Avery Young picks off CJ Stroud 👀

CFB Live Blog: https://t.co/LXPH5piOFM

pic.twitter.com/5SNbkFmOJv

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 1, 2022

What on earth is that?

What is he seeing?

He has one receiver, blanketed by four defenders. He stares down his intended target, telegraphing the pass. He should never, ever attempt that throw. He tries to fit it in there anyway and quite deservedly, is picked off.

That is just rubbish, I’m afraid. It speaks to a player who has his reads made for him at the LOS, perhaps trusts his arm too much and doesn’t have the ability to sense the obvious danger there, come away from his target and do something else.

He finished 13/22 for 154 yards, two touchdowns and the pick.

His first score was an easy seam throw thanks to the massive separation from the receiver. His second was a simple red zone slant.

Ohio State leaned on their running game in this one and dominated, so Stroud’s iffy game didn’t matter. Yet all a performance like this does is validate some of the concerns I’ve voiced in the past. Not just about Stroud — but about quarterbacks from Ohio State in general.

You can have all the talent in the world. If your college experience is to play with 5-star players on your O-line and skill positions, have your reads made for you to the point you’re told what to do — and all you have to do is execute — how is this preparation for the next level?

A consistent run of Ohio State QB’s — some very high picks with a lot of physical talent — have come into the league and they just haven’t been able to adjust to life outside of the comfortable college bubble they play within.

Stroud is more talented than Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins, Cardale Jones and others. But it’s impossible not to have some concern about his ability to fair any better at the next level. I think he’s going to need time — possibly even a redshirt year — to really get to grips with the challenge he’s going to face. The extreme arm talent could get him through some growing pains — but we’ve also seen that sometimes, it isn’t enough.

I’m not sure what to make of Max Duggan

What is he? He’s playing very well. But he also lost his job at TCU and is only starting now because the other QB injured his knee in the opening game.

His first touchdown for TCU against Oklahoma was a complete duck — thrown too high, with a wobbly spiral that hung in the air for an age. The receiver did a good job tracking it to complete the catch. At the next level, it would’ve been batted down at best — picked off at worst.

For Duggan’s second score, it’s a complete busted coverage and the receiver is stood downfield completely on his own.

Admittedly his third touchdown — a 67-yard run — was impressive. And he can run — no doubt about it. He gets the legs pumping and he can move. He’s a strong straight-line runner rather than an exciting, elusive pressure avoider.

He had another strong run later in the game and threw some nice passes over the middle with ample velocity. Duggan had another long coverage-bust touchdown before running in a final TD.

I can’t get a feel for his upside and some of these scores were classic Big-12 (bad defense). I’ll continue to monitor him.

Yep, I still can’t quit Anthony Richardson

The physical upside is completely off the charts and he continues to show enough technical quality to want to believe in him — warts and all. It might take two years of pain in the NFL but the end-game could be an elite quarterback.

I appreciate he was only facing Eastern Washington on Sunday but here’s how his day started.

On Florida’s first offensive snap, Richardson throws it from his own 18-yard line with minimal effort, reaching a receiver at Eastern Washington’s 25-yard line. It was freakishly easy for him to lob the ball that far. Big touchdown.

Then on their second offensive snap, he dodges and weaves through defenders on a 45-yard scramble.

Later, Richardson threw an incredible pass to the right sideline with a defender clinging onto his ankles. Somehow he stayed on his feet and armed it out to the sideline with velocity and accuracy.

His second touchdown was a beautiful loft following play-action. Lovely touch on the pass to drop it in over the defender.

I appreciate there are also problems to acknowledge. He had an interception that was a lazy lob downfield, underthrown into good coverage. It’s a big mistake and he should never have thrown that pass. I think he got too comfortable with the score being 35-3 and thought he’d throw it anyway.

And that’s part of the issue. He has a lack of playing time and he’s going to have to work through some issues.

But again — so did Josh Allen. So did Patrick Mahomes. So did Lamar Jackson.

I would put him in the Allen-level range as a physical freak of nature who needs to work on the technical side of the game, cut out mistakes and then the world’s his oyster.

Richardson’s physical talent is that good. It doesn’t mean he’ll deliver on his potential because the game requires more than just physical traits. Yet he has so much to offer — I can’t help but secretly hope the Seahawks will draft and develop him because he definitely could be a star in the making.

If they win too many games to be in the hunt for Levis, Stroud and maybe even Young — it wouldn’t be the worst situation to select Richardson with the objective of developing him, creating the chance to use your other high picks to address other areas of the team.

That plan would only be feasible, however, if Richardson turns pro. That’s unclear given his inconsistent start to the season.

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The way things are going, the Seahawks will get an invite to replace Texas or Oklahoma in the Big-12.

Once again the defense was an absolute horror story — and I’ll come to that in a moment.

Firstly though, the positives.

I really liked the offensive gameplan. There was a lot of misdirection and movement. The Lions couldn’t stop any of the throws where Geno Smith got on the move and one of the receivers or tight ends ran adjacently.

Granted, better opponents will take this away and the Seahawks will need a counterpunch. That is part of their issue, at times. In this game though — the Lions had no answer. The Seahawks filled their boots and rightly so.

They did an excellent job of getting their key playmakers involved too — with D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett heavily involved.

I’ve long thought Smith would perform well in the games against weak opponents and struggle badly to move the ball against good defensive units. I feel somewhat validated in that opinion, given the way the Niners game went and the second half against Denver. Yet I’m also happy to admit he has exceeded my expectations after four games.

The big plus, for me, is that he doesn’t threaten to turn the ball over as much as I thought he would. He’s also been a lot better at spraying the ball around than I envisaged. Smith doesn’t have a massive arm to drive the ball for major explosive plays but he’s been very impressive on the mid-range throws. The ball is getting to the target and he’s completing a lot of passes. They aren’t just relying on the dump-offs and underneath stuff like Kirk Cousins did in the frustrating London game against New Orleans earlier today.

So far Smith deserves credit for the way he has played. He’s not the future but he can be the present.

Abraham Lucas is everything we thought he would be. It’s a total joke he lasted until round three and what a masterstroke by the Seahawks to select him. I paid close attention to him in this game and just loved every minute. Great pass-pro, bludgeoning in the running game but it’s not just the power — he wins with subtlety, technique and athletic quality too. He’s looking increasingly like a top, top player in the making.

Tariq Woolen has two interceptions in two games and the one here — stealing six cheap points — was arguably the difference in the game. It’s the one major defensive play that happened. He is still very rough around the edges in coverage but his upside and potential, due to his physical profile, is extremely enticing. I graded him in round two and again — it’s nuts he lasted as long as he did.

The running game still looks very awkward and inconsistent and relied on big splashy plays today — but kudos to Rashaad Penny for hitting his home-runs. We needed to see a return to that and he delivered.

Now the not-so-good stuff.

Cody Barton and Josh Jones should be benched. Surely there has to be better options than these two? Especially Barton. It’s stunning how they didn’t sign or draft proper competition for him this year. He’s all over the place.

I called for defensive improvements this week and none were found. Detroit were missing their best offensive playmakers and the Seahawks still gave up 520 yards, 5.8 yards per run and 7.9 yards per play.

The Hockenson catch-and-run for 81-yards and the Jamaal Williams long touchdown run — my word. This isn’t good enough. And while it didn’t cost them today — there simply has to be improvement soon or serious questions need to be asked. This unit is appalling. Somehow, it’s starting to feel even worse than the Ken Norton years.

I wish I’d put money on T.J. Hockenson having a career day — it was obvious.

As well as Abe Lucas is playing — I think some of the concerns about Charles Cross voiced pre-draft remain an issue. It’s still early days so of course he has time to improve. I’m not writing him off at all, so don’t think that’s what I’m saying. But he has to get stronger and the technical flaws with his footwork he showed at Mississippi State are still cropping up.

My final thought is — I can sense increasingly people are going to move off ‘draft a quarterback’ and pivot to ‘draft defense’ next year. My response to that would be — tell me which defenders you’re drafting because I haven’t see many blue chippers in college eligible for 2023. And you need a long term quarterback. That will remain the priority for this team until it is solved.

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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

When the 2023 schedule was released, most Seahawks fans were intrigued by the first few weeks of the season.  After the big opener against their blockbuster trade partner, they had a very manageable stretch to ease their way into the season.  Games against a rival they have historically dominated (San Francisco) and two of the worst teams in the NFL (Atlanta and Detroit) had fans thinking they might at least split those first four and get some forward momentum for the tough stretch that followed.

Well, here we sit after two demoralizing losses that featured disastrous defensive performances that Pete Carroll is once again struggling to account for.  A 2-2 split would be a welcome sight at this point but what this team needs even more than a win is something to hang their hat on.  Some progress fans can see in order to start building some enthusiasm for 2023.

The Seahawks desperately need to put in a better performance Sunday.  The state of this defense is deplorable and while the offense is not as bad, they are not equipped to handle the pressure of consistently needing to outscore their opponent in a boat race every week.

And yet, that is exactly what we have to look forward to on Sunday.  Both the Lions and the Seahawks have biscuit-dough-soft defenses and some exciting weapons on offense.

The main difference between them?  The Lions are badly banged up.  Star offensive weapons D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown will not play Sunday.  That comes on the heels of losing top safety Tracy Walker for the season as well as a whole random assortment of smaller injuries that other guys are dealing with.

Opportunities like this to play a game against a team without their two primary offensive weapons and one of their top defenders only come once or twice a season.  Seattle must take advantage.

Somebody Has to Make a Play on Defense

They really need something tangible they can point to on defense and say they are making progress.  Right now, they are near the league bottom in several crucial categories and they need something to build on.

The front four are not even lining up properly.  Fully grasping what they are being coached to do seems like a monumental task.  

Jordyn Brooks is struggling to have any impact at all.  Cody Barton cannot stop keying on the fullback and taking himself right out of the play – watch him do it for the second week in a row.

The safeties are overextended between handling their regular assignments and needing to tackle runners who have not gotten touched by anyone on the front seven.

They are historically bad in run defense.  Third downs are being conceded at a 48.56% clip.  Costly penalties are extending drives.  They have averaged 7 missed tackles per game.  

The only way you can play that badly and get away with it is to generate turnovers at a league-best level.  They are not doing that.

Enough is enough.

The veterans on this team should be professionally embarrassed that rookies like Boye Mafe and Tariq Woolen  – three games into their NFL careers – are having a bigger impact than they are.  Uchenna Nwosu is the only veteran addition that is carrying his weight.

Three full games of missed assignments, bad presnap reads and very little impact on the opposition’s game plan is more than enough.

Shelby Harris needs to fill a badly needed role on the defensive line by getting some inside pass rush.

Darrell Taylor must remind the Seahawks why they spent so much draft capital and displayed so much patience in his rookie year rehab.

The defensive linemen cannot keep getting pushed around this badly.

Quandre Diggs needs to start playing like Quandre Diggs.

The Lions have been very effective on offense so far this season.  But again, their impact starters are all badly banged up and even their second-level players like Josh Reynolds, D.J. Chark and T.J. Hockensen have appeared on the injury report this week.

Here is the question for the defense.  Can they take advantage of a diminished Lions offense, or will we be reading stories Monday morning of how the Lions’ coaching staff still managed to move the ball effectively with their second-stringers?

Another poor defensive performance against this badly handicapped offense will further expose this team and this administration as inept and make the questions grow stronger and louder.

****

That said, how can the Seahawks effectively defend this Lions offense that is scoring 31.7 points per game, good for second in the NFL?

This week, it begins and ends with Jared Goff.

The Lions have put him in a fantastic position to succeed this year.  They have an offensive line that is extremely solid, an effective running game and receivers that really challenge a defense.

That takes a lot of the pressure off him to carry the offense.  He can operate with a limited schedule because of the support staff all around him.

Let me throw some stats at you.  He has been sacked a league-low four times this year.  He is being pressured on only 18.5% of his dropbacks — a fantastic number.  How?  

It is not just the offensive line.  He is getting rid of the ball very quickly.  He is averaging only 2.3 seconds of pocket time per dropback and as the above numbers are showing, it is not because he is constantly under siege.

Look at this graph (and notice who #2 is)

Their offense is working because they consistently call for Goff to get rid of the ball as soon as he possibly can.

The Lions have found something that works with Jared Goff’s limited abilities.  Hand it off to your explosive runners and let them move the ball downfield.  Run some play action with designed pass plays that are one-look and throw and let them gain yards after the catch with their athleticism.  Take the snap and throw quick slants.  The margin of error for him is healthy because they are getting yards from the ball being in other players’ hands.

Well, guess what.  With his two favorite playmakers out this week and some others banged up, he is going to have to take more of the burden and that is fantastic news for the Seahawks because at the end of the day, he is still Jared Goff.

Watching him play this year, it is remarkable how much he telegraphs his intentions by not even looking at anyone but his primary target.  He practically must throw to his first read for the play to be successful.  Anything else is an adventure.  On one play in the Washington game in Week Two, his primary read was in triple coverage and Goff still tried to fit it in and nearly got picked off.

Yet incredibly, with that simple of an offense to work with, he is still only throwing at a 58.9% completion rate.

With Swift and St Brown out, the margin for error narrows to an uncomfortable degree.

It will be very interesting to see if the coaching staff keeps the bulk of the plays the same and just plugs in the replacement players, or whether they try to roll out some new plays to catch the defense off guard because they have not studied these replacement players in those plays.

I am guessing it will be the former.  Goff is just too limited to get him quickly up to speed on plays with any kind of complication that takes processing power.

If that is the case, the strategy is obvious.  Get the corners up on their men.  Press them, take away the easy catch and run and make Goff hold onto the ball and think.  Safeties and coverage linebackers, read his eyes.  I would be comfortable gambling by instructing the defenders to break on his first read and make him pay for his lack of vision.

Make Jared Goff beat you.

Execute on Offense

For all the flaws on defense, if the offense gets just a little bit better, they beat the Falcons on Sunday.  A bad penalty here, a communication breakdown there and a poor reaction to halftime adjustments have all added up to keep this offense from truly realizing its potential.

The lack of second-half scoring has been well documented.  When the Seahawks were once kings of the halftime adjustment game, they appear to have regressed badly and are getting roundly beaten in this very specific area of game management.

One of the biggest culprits is their tight end production.  The Seahawks have finally started to utilize them effectively after years of wasted resources at the position.  They have three of the team’s four touchdown catches, something considered unthinkable in recent seasons.  However, nearly all their gains have come in the first half of play and they’ve been effectively erased in the second half of the game.

Have a look at the split of their stats as a group through three games:

First Half:  15 catches / 191 yards / 8 first downs / 3 touchdowns

Second Half:  6 catches / 27 yards / 1 first down / 0 touchdowns

That is a serious drop in effectiveness.  The other two offensive areas (running game and wide receiver catches) also are showing a decline in the second half but not nearly as sharp as what the tight ends are doing.

The coaching staff must solve this.  It would appear that teams are rotating their safeties to cover the tight ends more often in the second half to effectively minimize the athleticism gap between the tight ends and coverage linebackers.  It is possible the team could design and utilize some more plays that take advantage of the height and reach of the tight ends to counter this.  Perhaps it is as simple as stretching the field with the wide receivers to make the defense a little more pliable and opening up some room underneath.

If they can solve this second-half swoon with the tight ends, they will get more first downs, which means more series, more chances for impact runs and deep shots to the wide receivers and more rest for the defense.  The impact of addressing this issue successfully needs to be understood by the coaching staff.

Win In the Running Game

The Lions have been only slightly better in run defense than the Seahawks this year.  Where is their defense the weakest?  They have been absolutely gashed between the tackles in the run game.  Miles Sanders (Week 1) and Dalvin Cook (Week 3) have had tremendous success running inside against this defense this year, combining for 115 yards and five explosive runs on only 10 attempts.

The Lions have not significantly added much to their interior defensive line since the last time the Seahawks faced them in Week 17 last year.  That was one of Rashaad Penny’s signature performances.  He ran 25 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns.  What area of the Lion defense did he attack?  Have a look:

Look at all those green 5+ yard runs right up the gut.

It was a fabulous performance.  Feel free to watch some highlights of his day.  You will see the interior at times giving Penny just enough room to get skinny and at others, just blowing lineman off the line of scrimmage.  It was like an express lane to the second level.  By the end of the day, Lion free safety Tracy Walker was becoming quite familiar with Penny.  Walker had no help from the front seven, as you see him being the lone player to touch Penny more than once.  If Penny can come even close to duplicating that performance this week, that will go a long way towards steering the team towards success.

It is also about time that Ken Walker get more involved in the offense.  He had a tantalizing run Sunday against the Falcons.  He can run inside and be used all kinds of ways outside.  A nice homecoming of sorts for him could be in store.

If these two can have the kinds of performances they are able, the offense can control this game and really build some confidence for the next stretch of games.

But as we know, the running game is not all about the backs.  The interior of the offensive line has been horrid so far this season.  They have made Penny and Walker earn every single yard when they run inside the tackles.  Nothing has come easy for them.

The PFF’s for the group are hard to look at.  Lewis leads the group with a 53.7.  Jackson has a 51.9.  Part time starter Phil Haynes is clocking in with a 43.3.  Free agent addition Austin Blythe is somehow making Kyle Fuller look like a preferable option with a terrible 39.6 rating.

What was supposed to be a steadying presence with bookend rookie tackles learning the ropes has been ghastly.  Once again – just three games into their NFL careers – the rookies are showing the veterans up.  That is not acceptable.  The Seahawks need the interior of the offensive line to click as badly as they need the interior defensive linemen to get their act together. 

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

Washington vs UCLA
Kentucky vs Ole Miss
Oklahoma vs TCU
Alabama vs Arkansas
NC State vs Clemson

The TV gods are being very generous this week. All of the games apart from Kentucky vs Ole Miss are being broadcast in the UK — and I’ll be able to watch Will Levis against the Rebels using ESPN Player.

I’m starting this open thread a day earlier than usual so people can pass comment on the game tonight between Washington and UCLA. I won’t be watching this game live but will watch it on playback on Saturday morning.

Quarterback watch

I want to start with some thoughts on Jaren Hall from last night. This was far from Hall (or BYU’s) best performance. It was sloppier than his stat-line (17/27, 274 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions) suggests.

Utah State mixed between tricky opponent and hopeless. BYU’s first drive lasted two plays — two wide-open, easy throws were all Hall needed to get his first score. After that, however, the Aggies tightened their belts and forced a few uncharacteristic errors.

Hall’s second drive contained an awful dropped interception. He was flat-footed on the throw, inaccurate and lobbed it straight to a defender. This would’ve been a costly turnover deep in his own half and Hall was lucky to escape an ugly pick.

It was the first of three straight drives that ended with a punt. On the third of these drives, Hall took an avoidable sack (I have been saying he shares some of Russell Wilson’s traits).

He then sacked himself to end a drive that included a horrible dropped pass in the end zone that took a score off the board for BYU.

There were a few grumbles and groans from the home crowd but they re-grouped after half-time. Hall showed fantastic ball-placement on a 14-yard throw to the front right corner of the end zone. It was perfectly thrown — giving the receiver every chance to grab a touchdown.

Even then, on the next drive he could’ve had another turnover. He led his receiver too much on a throw and almost got him hammered by a lurking defender. The pass tipped off his fingertips and was fortunately caught by another receiver rather than a defensive back for a fluke completion.

His third touchdown was another easy, no-coverage/no-resistance jolly-up. An early Christmas present from Utah State.

I wanted to be wowed in this game and if anything, it was a bit underwhelming. It was certainly the least impressed I’ve been by Hall this season — having watched all of his games. BYU play Notre Dame and Arkansas next — so there’s a great opportunity to make a greater statement than he did here.

The game tonight involving Washington and UCLA involves the increasingly hyped-up Michael Penix Jr and the slightly underrated Dorian Thompson-Robinson. I understand why Husky fans are getting excited but a little bit of perspective is required with Penix Jr. He came to UW because he’s familiar with Kalen DeBoer and his scheme which, let’s be right, is very QB-friendly. No doubt he’s made some impressive throws recently but I also think his release is quite elongated and he has a history of injuries. It’s just something to consider. No doubt, though, this should be a fun game.

Will Levis vs Ole Miss will be box-office viewing. The Rebels have the more talented roster (by some distance) but Kentucky has the better QB.

Bryce Young gets to shoot it out with K.J. Jefferson in the Alabama vs Arkansas contest. C.J. Stroud and Ohio State host Rutgers. Anthony Richardson won’t play until Sunday after Florida’s game at home to Eastern Washington was pushed back 24 hours due to Hurricane Ian.

Tanner McKee and Stanford take on Oregon in a late game on Saturday evening. It’s a weekend off for Tennessee and Hendon Hooker. Miami also has no game this weekend — meaning we’ll have to wait a week to see if Tyler Van Dyke remains the starter.

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While the Seahawks’ defense goes about proving it’s more ‘Rings of Power’ than ‘House of the Dragon’ — the 2023 quarterback class continues to provide a welcome distraction.

It might not be the other-worldly group the media has spent considerable time promoting but it’s certainly intriguing enough to discuss week-to-week.

Ever since watching Georgia’s game against Kentucky last October, I’ve been talking up Will Levis. I hoped he might declare against expectations for the 2022 draft.

Increasingly he appears destined to be a very high pick in 2023 instead — and Kentucky are not backward in coming forward about their expectations for him.

Before the season started, Head Coach Mark Stoops predicted he would be the next #1 overall pick. This week, offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello repeated the claim:

“Will is as talented as anyone I’ve evaluated the last five years. The only two guys I would compare him to, where you could see it clearly, would be Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. I think he will be the first overall pick in the draft.”

Scangarello has a deep NFL background. He was Kyle Shanahan’s quarterback coach in San Francisco for two years between 2017 and 2018 before spending 2019 as Denver’s offensive coordinator. He was a senior offensive coach for the Eagles in 2020 before returning to the 49ers in 2021.

It’s not often you hear coaches speak so openly about a player in this way. Part of it, of course, will be promoting Kentucky to future transfer candidates. If Tyler Van Dyke transfers, for example, Kentucky would be a prime location. It doesn’t hurt to highlight the incumbent’s success (and NFL credentials).

Yet it’s also indicative of what Levis has become. He has everything — traits, leadership, pro-style experience, evidence of going through progressions, improv skill, incredible athleticism.

The comparisons to Josh Allen and Justin Herbert are not unfair and have been similarly voiced by the likes of Jim Nagy from the Senior Bowl.

There’s also this from an unnamed NFL personnel director, who has scouted Levis extensively and watched him live this season:

“He just needs to continue to work on his pocket poise, his timing and his accuracy under pressure, but he’s one of the more intriguing quarterback prospects in this class,” the personnel director said. “Josh Allen had some inconsistencies with accuracy and timing as well, but we’ve seen how that has played out.

“As [Levis] gets more comfortable and better rhythm in this scheme, I feel like he will be playing even better football at the end of the season than what he’s putting on tape right now. He has all the physical traits and a lot of upside.”

There’s the added factor that Levis is playing behind a porous offensive line with weapons who transferred to the team only this year. C.J. Stroud, on the other hand, is sitting in a perfect pocket most games throwing to an assortment of 5-star skill-players — all while receiving his reads from the sideline.

Don’t be shocked if there’s a battle next year to acquire Levis. I wouldn’t be surprised, given John Schneider’s preferences at the position in the past, if the Seahawks use their hefty draft stock to ensure they get him.

Ultimately it won’t matter if the defense continues to be more Galadriel (“There is a tempest in me!“) than Daemon Targaryen. They’ll be picking early enough to avoid any drama.

I can’t let Anthony Richardson go

Regular visitors to the blog will know I’ve toyed with the idea of letting the Florida quarterback learn his craft, ignoring his draft potential for now. After all — his form is fluctuating, he’s majorly inexperienced and it shows on the field.

Yet I re-watched the Tennessee game this week and I just can’t leave him alone.

Richardson has remarkable physical talent. I’m talking about NFL MVP level talent. You watch him and think — if he can just put all this together, he could be a superstar. He can be a more nimble, quicker version of Cam Newton — with the ability to throw on the run and improv at the level of the current NFL greats.

There are plays against Tennessee where he throws on the move and you just have to sit back in amazement. His arm strength is remarkable and some of the throws he makes have a ‘wow’ factor that screams ‘special’. His pocket manipulation can be scary good.

He is clearly a long, long way from being ready. And he might need college starts rather than NFL redshirt years to reach the required level.

If he declares though — regardless of what happens between now and the New Year — I’d have a degree of interest. I’d be willing to go through the growing pains too if necessary.

I just get the sense that like Josh Allen (who was awful at Wyoming) he could start slowly, erratically and maybe even painfully — then a couple of years in, if guided by the right offensive coach, bang. He could be something very, very special.

Jaren Hall and BYU in action tonight

They take on Utah State in what should be a good showcase for Hall to impress. I really like him — he’s elevated his play this year and he looks superb. I’ve watched all of his games and said several times — he looks a lot like Russell Wilson with his escapability, lofted downfield passes and arm strength.

His age (25-year-old rookie) and size (6-1, 205lbs) likely keeps him in day two but there’s a lot to like here.

If you haven’t checked him out yet — try and watch the game this evening.

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

Todd McShay shares our QB sentiments

ESPN’s draft analyst tweeted the following earlier today…

The clear-cut top-3 QBs in 2023 class are CJ Stroud, Bryce Young and Will Levis. Tyler Van Dyke and Anthony Richardson are loaded with traits but have disappointed. Talking to NFL scouts, these QB’s are rising fast: BYU Jaren Hall, UT Hendon Hooker and Fresno St Jake Haener.

— Todd McShay (@McShay13) September 27, 2022

This is very similar to what we’ve been saying on SDB over the last month. A ‘top three’ has very much emerged in terms of this quarterback class.

If the Seahawks are going to take a QB early in round one — it’ll almost certainly come from the Levis/Stroud/Young trio.

Tyler Van Dyke is more likely to transfer than declare at this point. My recommendation to him would be to go to Kentucky in 2023, replace Will Levis and play within a pro-style offense in the SEC.

Anthony Richardson doesn’t appear ready to be considered for the pro’s (which isn’t a surprise given his limited number of starts). He has all of the tools but needs time to develop and learn his craft.

It’s also interesting that McShay name-checks Jaren Hall among his ‘risers’.

Hall has been extremely impressive for BYU — far more impressive than I thought he would be based on a study of his 2021 tape. He’s an older player (he would be a 25-year-old rookie) but he has a good arm, useful mobility, a creative flair, I like his throwing base and general technique, he appears to be a strong leader and he’s playing well even in challenging games (eg Oregon).

I still think his age and size (6-1, 205lbs) likely keeps him in day two but there’s an awful lot to like. I’ll also keep saying — it’s not just the #3 on his jersey that is reminiscent of Russell Wilson. He lofts touch passes in an almost identical way to Wilson at Wisconsin. He avoids pressure with similar moves (twisting away from pass rushers, throwing well on the run). He gets good height on his deep ball.

If the Seahawks win too many games to get close to Levis/Stroud/Young — the player I’d have my eye on is Hall.

I’m less enamoured with McShay’s two other suggestions of Hendon Hooker and Jake Haener. I think Haener is a fairly limited player, best suited to a system which relies on scheme over physical traits. He lacks the big-time physical traits but he’s also small (6-1, 200lbs).

Hooker meanwhile is playing well for Tennessee but there are issues you only notice if you study the games in depth.

For example — Florida’s defense was horrendous on Saturday. They gave up an enormous downfield pass by simply forgetting to cover a receiver on one play — then gave up a touchdown when the linebacker neglected to cover the running back in the flat. He had some very easy throws — gifts — from his opponent.

He also plays a lot of one-read concepts and rarely has to go through more than his initial read. You see a lot of half-field reads and at most he’ll offer a head-fake to hold a safety before going to the intended target.

His accuracy is inconsistent — he’ll throw high and wide and he took unnecessary sacks against Florida, including on a 4th & 8 play that led to a fumble.

Hooker does have good athleticism and he’s elevating the Vols to a level they haven’t been in a long time. I do think he’ll find the step up challenging though, based on what the tape shows. I suspect his stock will be limited to the middle rounds at best. There are also impressive throws on tape which make you think he could make it work at the next level — but there’s a degree of projection involved based on his tape/scheme and he might need a fair bit of time.

It’s validating to see what McShay is saying though — in particular the emergence of Will Levis as a legit, high first round pick (a train we’ve been on for almost a year).

If you missed my interview with Levis from a couple of months ago — you can check it out here.

Further evidence a Seahawks sale is imminent?

This was an interesting one earlier today…

Colts owner Jim Irsay believes the Seahawks will be for sale in 2024. https://t.co/JxcsaaRE0D

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 27, 2022

By now most people are aware of the situation. Jody Allen is permitted to sell Paul Allen’s key assets to fund his philanthropy. She and the current Seahawks ownership group are nothing more than a holding pattern. It’s the same for the Trailblazers.

However, per the terms of the agreement with the City of Seattle, a sale before 2024 would cost the team hundreds of millions. So the timeframe is set in stone. Presumably negotiations would take some time, possibly dragging into 2025.

This is why Pete Carroll received a five-year contract in 2020. It was convenient for the holding ownership group to hand off the football operations to a vastly experienced Head Coach and VP of football operations. Especially one who, when he received that new deal, was leading a winning football team.

The problem is a lot has changed since 2020. Russell Wilson is gone. The team has started to lose games. The defense looks absolutely hopeless again — as it has done at the start of every season for however many years now. The ultimate power that Carroll wields suddenly feels like it could be a hindrance rather than a convenience.

The franchise badly needs strong leadership and fresh ideas. It’s gradually been going stale for some time. It also needs to move on from the never-ending Russell Wilson talk. As I was watching Richard Sherman and K.J. Wright talk about Sherman’s favourite topic on a podcast last week, it dawned on me that we’ll never be able to move on until everything is different in Seattle — including the Head Coach.

We need a new era of Seahawks football where the drama of yesteryear is consigned to the history books.

It’s too easy to dismiss a coaching change by assuming it won’t happen, due to the imminent future sale. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be discussed. That doesn’t mean an intrepid reporter or two couldn’t or shouldn’t dig a little bit to find out whether it’s plausible financially. Does Jody Allen have the means to do it? Because if she does, she has a responsibility — as the custodian of this franchise — to consider it.

Sitting on your hands, even if you have to sell in the future, and letting the franchise drift should not be acceptable. Not for the fans of this team who will be here long beyond 2024/25.

Losing games isn’t a problem. This year was always going to be a slog as the team develops and rebuilds. It’s the manner of the losses that counts.

If the defense is this shambolic — as it has been for too long — why should fans be expected to invest any faith? Especially when the same problems pop up year after year?

There should be pressure on Carroll to deliver improvement and fast. We need to see more from the defense and from the running game. We need to see that this is a blossoming team, not one that can’t tackle, cover or put points on the board in the second half when the game of adjustments is typically lost.

There is such a thing, during a rebuild, as losing ‘the right way’. I would suggest the last two games are examples of losing ‘the wrong way’. What, exactly, is the plan on defense? Instead of leaning into the Vic Fangio background of the new staff, it just looks like a Frankenstein’s monster of Carroll’s back-catalogue. An idea taken from here, an idea taken from there. The results are not good.

When you’re a defensive-minded Head Coach, this is supposed to be your calling card. Seattle’s defense, to put it bluntly, has been bloody awful for too long. We’re seeing players like Darrell Taylor, Poona Ford and Jordyn Brooks — supposedly the future — actually taking significant steps backwards.

If this goes beyond a temporary struggle and turns into a consistent problem — it’s high time more people started to question whether the person in charge is the right man for the job. At the moment, it still seems like a fringe topic. Perhaps even a taboo subject.

Twelve years is a long time to be with a team. Few coaches last that long without things declining to the point of a fresh start being badly required. We’re arguably seeing the same issue in Pittsburgh currently.

With coaches like Mike McDaniel and Nick Sirianni showing what is capable with a fresh outlook and some new ideas — it’s becoming harder and harder to stick by a formula which hasn’t produced serious results for a long time.

Improvement must be witnessed in the next few weeks. Not for the sake of the 2022 season — but for the sake of faith being restored in the head honcho.

It shouldn’t be that Carroll gets to dictate the length of his tenure in Seattle. The team doesn’t exist to indulge his wants and needs to the point where he decides when he’s had enough.

Carroll has to prove he still has some of the old magic left. He should have to prove he’s the right man for the job for another three years.

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When you have a result and a defensive performance like we saw against Atlanta on Sunday, I really wish I could offer some positive draft news as a silver lining.

It’s not my intention to instil misery. I wish I could comfort myself, let alone any of you, with some exciting draft talk.

The reality, I’m afraid, is quite the opposite.

I’m going to get onto week four for the quarterbacks in a bit. Firstly though, I want to offer a quick general thought on the 2023 class.

Where are the top-10 picks?

We’ve already had a third of the college football season and I’m struggling to find legit early first round prospects.

I think there are three quarterbacks that could/should go in that range. Alabama’s brilliant pass rusher Will Anderson is absolutely worthy of that kind of rating.

Apart from that, it’s tough sledding.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson is worth a top-10 grade but his positional value plays into this situation. I think, at the moment, it’s likely he’ll go in that range simply because the alternatives aren’t there.

I’m a big fan of Bryan Bresee the defensive tackle at Clemson. Any defensive tackle who can run a 4.21 short shuttle warrants attention. In three games though, he has two TFL’s and half a sack. He’s not necessarily an ‘impact’ pass rusher who blows up games — rather he looks like a player with the athleticism to make plays just not on a game-wrecking level.

Michael Mayer and Jaxon Smith-Njibga are very good but are they worth top-10 picks? There are cornerbacks who could work into that range such as Kelee Ringo and D.J. Turner but so far they’re just not being tested. Linebacker Trenton Simpson is extremely athletic but in four games he has half a TFL and that’s it. For me, Jalen Carter is more of a late first rounder than a sure-fire blue-chipper. Mazi Smith, the defensive tackle at Michigan, looks like he has the athleticism and dynamism to perhaps work his way into the top-15.

Pass rusher Will McDonald, a player the league supposedly rates highly, has 1.5 sacks in four games. Myles Murphy, a player I think is a bit overrated, also has 1.5 sacks in four games. It’s tricky to work out what Nolan Smith even is at the next level (he’s 6-3 and 235lbs) but he too lacks production so far (one sack in four games).

Kayshon Boutte — touted by many in the media as a high pick — has 93 receiving yards in three games and zero touchdowns. Quentin Johnson — who I really like — similarly has just eight catches for 73 yards at TCU with zero touchdowns. Jordan Addison has started very well at USC. I do wonder about his testing results — his combine/pro-day workouts will be intriguing.

At the moment it’s hard to work out who the non-quarterback early first rounders are. At least this year you had some ‘big name’ talents like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Derek Stingley Jr, to go along with three top-10 offensive tackles and some high picks at receiver. Right now — the 2023 class looks quite poor at the top end aside from Anderson and the quarterbacks.

Before the Falcons game I was thinking about this and contemplated the Seahawks being very aggressive to ‘get their guy’ at QB while they had the draft stock to make a big move. I think that might be fairly likely unless their draft position means they don’t need to be aggressive. I’m just not sure what the alternative plan could be.

There will be fans watching the defense on Sunday, pining for additions there. With more people casting their eyes to the non-first round QB’s, I suspect discussions will be had this week online and on the radio about pumping resources into the defense and going with a QB later on. Or at least spending their highest pick on one defensive player.

John Schneider being at the Stanford vs Washington game on Saturday might fuel that discussion, with Michael Penix Jr facing Tanner McKee. It’s important to note, however, that when NFL teams play games close to college match-ups involving two highly rated QB’s — they often arrange their weekends around it. Had the Seahawks been playing at the Titans on Sunday, I’m sure Schneider would’ve paid a visit to watch Hendon Hooker vs Anthony Richardson instead (as the Raiders’ staff reportedly did).

I’m increasingly a big fan on BYU’s Jaren Hall myself and I think he’ll probably be a day-two type. Yet it’s hard to find the defensive pieces — short of Anderson (who could be the #1 pick) — to justify avoiding the high picks at QB to try and flesh out your defensive talent.

After four weeks of college football, this isn’t looking like a particularly blue-chip heavy first round. I would suggest you have Will Anderson, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, Bijan Robinson and possibly Bryan Bresee or Mazi Smith, on top of maybe Kelee Ringo and D.J. Turner. You might be limited, however, to the first four names on that list.

I wish I had better news.

On to the quarterback reviews…

Will Levis impresses with no help

There are harder (although perhaps not ‘tougher’) opponents upcoming for Kentucky over the next few weeks — but Levis played very well against Northern Illinois despite receiving precious little help.

There was one glaring error, which I’ll come onto, but otherwise this was a fairly impressive display.

Increasingly it feels like Levis’ supporting cast is going to bite him — or cost Kentucky a chance to do something special this season. The offensive line has been dreadful every week and gave up another five sacks on Saturday. That’s 15 sacks for the season now in four games — despite facing Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio) and Youngstown State.

Ole Miss, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Tennessee (their next four opponents) must be licking their chops.

ESPN described Levis as being constantly ‘under siege’ in the pocket in their post-game report. They weren’t kidding.

Despite this, he started the game with an eight-minute touchdown drive which was methodical, patient and well crafted. His second drive ended with back-to-back sacks. Welcome to the 2022 Kentucky Wildcats.

His third drive produced this incredible touchdown:

The @will_levis poise 🤩. The @RobinsonTayvion speed 🏎💨

(Via @SECNetwork) Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/aaemAKebsx

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 25, 2022

What a play. He stands tall in the pocket, knows he’s going to get hammered but just waits that extra second to allow the play to develop. Look at the velocity he generates with just a flick of the wrist. Teams will salivate over a play like that — vision, toughness, arm strength. Wonderful.

On the final drive of the first half, he also showed he can throw with perfect touch. Levis delivered the perfect pass only to see it dropped badly by the receiver.

The start of the second half contained the massive, glaring error.

Levis had a horrendous near interception. He stared down the receiver, had an extra hitch leading to a late throw and had no business throwing the pass where he did. The defender dropped the pick and he was incredibly lucky. His footwork was stodgy and lazy. It was a poor play in every sense and deserved to be punished.

This is something he needs to get together in the coming weeks. Levis’ footwork, base and throwing angles are typically very good. Yet he does have the habit of getting a bit loose at times. Last week it led to a sailed pass and an interception. This one should’ve been picked too.

I’d be more concerned if his technique wasn’t typically very good. It’s also worth noting that C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young have also had plays like this too.

His very next throw was a touchdown for 70 yards. Because of course. NIU were punished for failing to make the big interception. It was a great play design by Rich Scangarello and the execution to exploit a soft coverage was textbook. Levis just had to deliver the ball to his crossing receiver, he did, and it was a big YAC score.

Levis was excellent on third downs in this game. Kentucky converted 10/16 — many of which were throws — and were also 2/2 on fourth down.

He is running a pro offense and there’s so much to like about how he operates within the scheme. You can clearly see him going to three progressions. He converted third downs by going to a check down after running through two initial reads. This cannot be underestimated. He knew the down/distance, he was conscious of what was required to move the sticks, he has mastered the concepts within the offense. It’s why he looks the most prepared to start in the NFL of the 2023 class.

With 11:02 left in the game he had a fantastic deep shot which was dropped. It was perfectly thrown, he flashed his amazing arm and he was sliding to his left which added a degree of difficulty. The throw deserved a 40-yard TD rather than a drop.

He did get another score on 3rd and 12. Again Levis did brilliantly to stand tall despite a ton of pressure on a blitz — delivering a brilliant pass. The receiver made a defender miss and ran it home.

Overall this was a superb display, cementing his placing as a high draft pick. He finished with 70% completions, 303 passing yards and four touchdowns. The one error was a bad one but not a costly one. The next few weeks will be a great challenge and a test of Levis’ capabilities.

A quick aside — Brock Osweiler was commentating on this game and was great in the booth.

Tyler Van Dyke is benched

Mario Cristobal is not a good Head Coach. He didn’t make the most of Justin Herbert in Oregon. His team had their pants pulled down by Utah twice last season. Now he’s ruining talented young quarterbacks with his archaic, predictable, boring offense.

Look, TVD isn’t blameless. He’s been hesitant all season. He’s making mistakes as he did with his first interception on Saturday. Yet look at the second pick. They throw this pass all the time in the Cristobal offense. I’ve been banging on about this since the Herbert years in Oregon. If a random bloke in Rotherham picks up on it — is it any surprise opponents are too?

Middle Tennessee State did their homework and had their defensive lineman get in the predictable passing lane. Tipped, picked, pick-six.

Cristobal has turned a prolific passing QB who sprayed passes all over the field into a quivering wreck. Last season, his first as a starter, he scored 26 touchdowns and threw just six picks. He led Miami into Pittsburgh and out-duelled and beat Kenny Pickett and the ACC Champions.

It’s taken four games to make him look crap in this rubbish offense.

Who knows what happens now? He needs to get away from Cristobal. Either via the draft or via transfer.

Miami made a huge mistake in their coaching decision during the off-season. They and Cristobal deserved to be humiliated by MTS.

Some of the same issues on show for C.J. Stroud

There is so much to like about Stroud. The way he started the game was quite incredible.

His first big throw was beautifully placed in front of the safety, perfectly timed, with ‘wow’ velocity. It was special — the accuracy and the arm strength were different class. His second big throw was placed over the linebacker and in front of the safety. I almost stood and applauded the TV. A lot of players can’t make these types of throws.

His first passing touchdown continued the hot start. There was motion to the left and Stroud himself ran to that side. The defense flowed with the movement and didn’t cover the tight end running to the open space on the right hand side. Off balance, Stroud throws it back across to that side with ease. It’s not easy to execute but he made it look that way.

His second touchdown was an easy play action, he moved to the outside, the TE peels out to the flat. Simple toss once the defenders committed to Stroud running.

He was decisive and made the plays he needed to make.

But then there are the obvious issues we have to keep noting.

He threw an interception before halftime that was just awful. He patted the football unnecessarily and hesitated. Inevitably he throws late and off target. It’s too high and sails over receiver. The Wisconsin defender makes a great catch but it was a bad error from Stroud.

Then with the first throw of the second half he doesn’t read the dropping DE and almost throws a pick six straight to him.

This highlights another issue with Stroud and Ohio State quarterbacks generally. Everything is done for them. Great O-line, great weapons and they receive reads from the sideline. Before every snap he’s basically told what to do. He looks across at the coaches who tell him what the read is and then he gets to try and execute with an elite supporting cast.

For the most part he does a great job bringing it together. This isn’t translatable to the NFL though. And for all his clear physical talent — he isn’t going to have this supporting cast, facing overmatched opponents with coaches holding his hand in the pro’s.

It’s why so many Ohio State QB’s look amazing in college and flame out at the next level.

It took Wisconsin ages to work out a plan. In the second half they started dropping into two deep safety looks and had their LB’s dropping deep to send everything underneath. Stroud threw dangerously into that coverage, had a pass tipped and could’ve been picked again.

But just as it was all starting to get a bit frustrating — he absolutely fires in a slant for a hot touchdown. It was, admittedly, a dangerous throw. The safety was right there to make the pick but there was enough arm strength to force it by the DB. He has a great fastball and is very capable of fitting the ball into tight windows with tremendous velocity.

This is how I would sum up Stroud. Physically, I can’t remember seeing many players with skills as good as his. His ability to throw a laser with accuracy and make ‘wow’ plays is pretty remarkable. When he’s playing well, you just end up shaking your head in wonderment at times. At his best he’s a joy to watch. On top of this I like his base and his throwing motion. Stroud’s technique is a lot better than Justin Fields’ ever was.

Yet the caveat is he does get sloppy, he has got an amazing supporting cast and unlike with Levis — all the hard stuff (reading coverages) is done for him.

He could easily be the #1 overall pick based on talent. He could also need a fair amount of time to learn how to lead and run a NFL offense.

It’s very easy to imagine him being a NFL star or the latest Ohio State QB to flop. Quite rightly, someone will roll the dice on his special qualities. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s as the first player taken, or even the first quarterback.

On a different note — I really enjoyed watching Wisconsin safety John Torchio in this game. Big hits — a brilliant catch on the Stroud interception. He looked athletic, tough and impactful. He’s a senior.

Hendon Hooker vs Anthony Richardson

A lot of people ask me about Hooker — and increasingly ask why I’m not that high on him as a pro-prospect. I appreciate why that’s hard to comprehend with the Vols winning and Hooker putting up big numbers.

I think this game, despite Hooker’s success in it, highlighted what I’m trying to get across.

Several of his big plays were wide open, easy throws. And when I say wide open — I mean no defender in the same postcode as the receiver. He threw a handful of inaccurate passes that were fairly reckless — throwing high or wide of the target. He had a sack/fumble on 4th and 8 where he simply had to know you’ve got to get the ball out. He took far too long in the pocket. He took avoidable sacks.

I’m not completely blind to what he does well. He has impressive athletic qualities. His arm strength is good and he made some nice throws. He had a great improvised scramble for a good gain. He is elevating Tennessee and for the first time in years, they’ve found a productive QB.

I do think, though, that he’s more of a really fun, productive college QB than someone who necessarily will be a high pick. There’s a lot of one-read stuff. His scheme sets the table for a lot of what he does. He’s not always particularly accurate.

This isn’t me saying he’s useless or has no NFL future. I’m just trying to be realistic about his stock. Increasingly now — as soon as a college quarterback puts up great numbers, they get talked about as a high draft pick. We’re seeing it with Michael Penix Jr and others. Yet we’re living in an era where offensive production at a prolific level has never been more common, especially when we see very creative offensive coaches running a lot of college teams.

It’s important to remember that production, however good, doesn’t dictate stock or a projection.

On Anthony Richardson, this was a nice bounce-back game. He made better decisions, made several ‘wow’ plays of the ilk we saw against Utah in week one. This was a marked difference from his previous two outings.

He did fumble on a horrible looking quarterback-keeper that more or less ended the game as a contest — but even then, with time running out, he led a couple of touchdown drives when it would’ve been easy to press and make mistakes. His interception was only on a Hail Mary at the end of the game.

It’s hard to get a read on his stock. He basically has everything physically. He just looks inexperienced and undercooked. In time, everything is there to be special. You’ve just got to let it develop.

It’s very easy to forget that Josh Allen was fairly hopeless at Wyoming. Mistakes galore. Never elevated his team. He had some really ugly games. Now he might be the best player in the NFL — because he’s a physical freak of nature. Once he had time to develop, he delivered on his outrageous potential.

I do wonder if the same thing could happen with Richardson. He runs a 4.4. He has a special arm. He has ideal size. We saw touch passes in this game. He has shown an ability to process within a pro-style offense.

He might need a couple of years to learn but the upside of Richardson is basically unmatched. The question is whether he’ll deliver on the unreal upside or whether he’s just an amazing athlete.

Jaren Hall with another good game

No quarterback has surprised me more, so far, than BYU’s Hall. He looks a different player compared to last season (when he was supposedly playing through an injury).

Wyoming put up a heck of a fight on Saturday and yet, as with Oregon the week prior, Hall’s performance was consistently really strong.

He wears #3 and it has to be said — he does look a lot like Russell Wilson at times. There’s no getting away from that.

He improvises well — twisting and spinning away from pass rushers to extend plays and then throw confidently on the move. His touch and loft passes are so similar to Wilson’s at Wisconsin it’s uncanny. He throws with great base and positioning — with his shoulders consistently square to the target.

He doesn’t quite have Wilson’s arm strength but the more I watch of Hall, the more I like him. As a day two option with major upside — I think Hall is worth monitoring.

Bryce Young’s very easy day

Alabama played Vanderbilt and predictably, it was a walk in the park. Everyone was open. The running backs ran riot in the running and passing game. Young had all the time in the pocket. On one play with 15 second left in the first half, he threw to an area where two receivers were open, next to each other, in the same five-yard radius.

It was hard to learn anything from this game other than to say Will Anderson is fantastic and he remains a very realistic option to go first overall.

If you missed our post-Falcons reaction show, you can watch it here:

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