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3:39am
That’s how long I lasted. Then I figured — balls to it, I’m writing the review now.
As appealing as the fourth quarter was, I’d had enough. Half an eye was probably too much as I began to type.
That was absolutely dreadful.
Forget that it’s pre-season week two for a moment. Even forget this is a rebuilding team playing on a short week.
The Seahawks were totally unprepared to play this game today against a comparably retooling opponent. They couldn’t function. Everything was bad.
It was a repeat of last week, only minus the eventual settling down and gradual improvement.
If nothing else, Chicago looked organised and functioning (until a couple of their own special teams snafu’s late on).
The Seahawks were atrocious.
The special teams in particular highlighted that. It was a horror show last week and it was worse tonight.
You had the Justin Coleman cock-up, costing 20-yards of field position because he couldn’t stand in the right spot under no pressure. Jason Myers missed another field goal. Cade Johnson muffed a punt leading to a Chicago touchdown. There were big kick returns for the Bears.
What exactly have they been doing in camp on special teams?
There were a ton of penalties and mental mistakes. Charles Cross — so impressive last week — looked absolutely terrified tonight. He had four false starts and a holding penalty. He was hardly alone though. Gabe Jackson basically turned the ball over by giving away a ‘hands to the face’ flag on a fourth down conversion. Seattle then punted on 4th and 12.
The Seahawks finished with 13 penalties compared to Chicago’s three.
The offense didn’t function aside from a couple of nice runs. I suppose it’s a positive that the runs happened, given how important it’ll be in 2022. But this was beyond ugly. It was unwatchable.
Geno Smith was hardly the singular problem but neither does he inspire anything. The ESPN broadcast worked especially hard to promote his claim to start but this is what games will be like when they don’t dominate with the run. He is severely limited and will never elevate the offense. On the days when things are not rolling, he is not going to carry you through.
A quarterback, even a point guard, has to be able to get things going. They have to provide a bit of inspiration. Not just struggle along when things go south.
Everyone loves to mention the Jacksonville game last season but nobody mentions the awful New Orleans performance. That’s what is coming.
The muffed punt to end the first half, followed by the boos from the sparse crowd, summed it up. Yet they started the second half with a penalty, a three-and-out and then gave up an easy touchdown drive to Nathan Peterman.
That’s about as bad a performance as was physically possible tonight. It’s hard to think of anyone who improved their stock. Abraham Lucas maybe?
Look — we all know what this season is. And I maintain I’m comfortable enduring this season to max out draft position and hopefully get a quality, young quarterback in the 2023 draft.
That doesn’t mean this team and staff are shielded from criticism though. This was a disgraceful showing.
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Geno Smith is basically confirmed as the starter
The quarterback ‘competition’ is starting to feel like a dog and pony show.
For all the talk of the race being on, Pete Carroll’s language suggests otherwise.
Take Saturday’s opening pre-season game. Any enquiries into Drew Lock, or the QB battle in general, were brought back to Geno Smith’s performance. In two separate press conferences, Carroll has referenced that Smith ‘could’ve been 10 for 10’ in terms of completions.
Lock received a more lukewarm review.
Then, on Tuesday, Lock was given an opportunity to play with the starters in practise from the get-go. A first during the pre-season. He was even declared the starter against Chicago. Yet Carroll also stated, clearly, that Smith was still ahead of Lock and in pole position to win the job.
Now that Lock has tested positive for Covid and will miss the Bears game, the writing is on the wall. The competition is all but over.
Lock will only have one more pre-season game to impress. Even if he excels against Dallas on the 26th August, he’s not going to overtake Smith is he? It would’ve already taken a strong outing against Chicago and building momentum.
Carroll is unlikely to hand the keys to Lock off the back of the final pre-season game.
So Geno Smith will be Seattle’s starter. Lock will likely only get an opportunity if Smith performs especially poorly during the season.
It remains the case that there are a couple of ways of looking at this.
Firstly — for all the fair criticisms of Smith — he is a convincing communicator. His statement at a press conference recently that he ‘had Drew’s back’ whatever the outcome of the competition was an inspired line. It’s probably more impactful than any throw he’s completed over the last few weeks.
Leadership is a key aspect of quarterbacking. That line, timed to perfection, perfectly illustrated Smith’s leadership chops.
Lock doesn’t come across poorly during interviews but neither is he particularly impressive or convincing. You can imagine Smith leading this team. He speaks with conviction and authority. I suspect the locker room will be fully behind him because of this aspect, even if there’s a general indifference towards each players’ performance.
Given this is a season where the Seahawks will talk a lot about competing (but ultimately settle for development), having someone who is highly respected in the most important position is understandable. It might cause more issues than it’s worth to change on the basis of ‘upside’ or ‘the unknown’ — despite my own preference for those things.
At the same time, Geno is still Geno. He’s still the player with a career passer rating of 75.7, a touchdown/interception ratio of 34/37 and as he nears his 32nd birthday, it’s a legit possibility he wouldn’t still be in the NFL if it wasn’t for the Seahawks.
They’re probably not going to be much fun with Smith starting, which is the cross a lot of fans will have to bear. Games or wins will need to be earned in the trenches. Seattle will need to win up front — with the pass rush and running game likely dictating whether they have a shot week-to-week.
Personally I don’t mind that too much. It might seem wildly old-fashioned, uncool and against everything the frustrating world of the NFL on Twitter has become to say this. Yet I like physical football in the trenches. I enjoy watching teams run the ball well. I like great defensive line play.
I enjoy exciting, creative passing games too. But if given a choice, I probably would choose a classic Alabama vs LSU slog that finished 9-6 than a Big-12 game that finished 55-52.
Something in between is the ideal, rather than the two extremes, but you get the point.
As a consequence I’ve never felt compelled to be overly negative about Carroll’s brand of football. It does require, however, a proper ‘point guard’ to be enjoyable. I fear Smith will never produce that. I sense the game against New Orleans last season, where he couldn’t move the ball for toffee, will be witnessed more often than a routine win against Jacksonville (the worst team in the NFL last season).
Yet there were some encouraging signs from the O-line and D-line against Pittsburgh — plus the running game was motoring on.
So the Seahawks will give themselves an opportunity to be in some close games and they may sneak a win or two more than people are currently predicting. This is going to be a 2011 type season where there will be some absolute stinkers — but if the running game thrives and if young players emerge, the Seahawks will likely finish as a relatively competitive upstart unit.
Two things seem very certain though. Geno Smith is going to be Seattle’s starting quarterback and the Seahawks will know their top, 100% priority is going to be finding their next franchise quarterback in the 2023 draft.
A gentle reminder that Kentucky’s season starts on the 4th September. Miami begin the night before. Bring on the Will Levis and Tyler Van Dyke showcases.
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J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is now a Seahawk
It felt somewhat inevitable that Ugo Amadi would be cut before the season started, unless he had a sparkling training camp.
His cap hit was $2.7m and moving on saved $2.5m. It’s not the most expensive deal but it was still too much for a player who hasn’t shown enough.
A safety in college, Amadi never really found a spot in Seattle. It’s telling that the Eagles are now listing him as a ‘DB’. That’s part of the problem. He’s not a particularly good nickel corner. He’s not convinced anyone to stick at safety. He can’t play outside and he isn’t a deatbacker type.
So what is he?
As a nickel in 2021 he earned a 43.7 PFF grade which felt warranted. He simply wasn’t very good.
You can carry a versatile depth piece on a cheap rookie deal. When they start costing nearly $3m, it’s time to move on.
The Seahawks have signed Justin Coleman (who played poorly in Pittsburgh) but could also give Coby Bryant a season at nickel or utilise Marquise Blair in that spot. Either way, they’re clearly comfortable with the options they have.
It was reported earlier in the day that Amadi would be cut. This is one of those moments where the Eagles saw an opportunity and the two teams came together to strike a deal before his release.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has been a bust in the NFL. A former second round pick, he’s simply too stiff and robotic. He showed that in college too — he just had a knack for making contested catches and winning 1v1’s.
He’s not particularly fast (4.50) or explosive (34 inch vertical) and there’s nothing spectacular about his profile.
The chances are he won’t amount to anything in Seattle. It’s not the best situation for him that he’s bulked up to 237lbs for a switch to tight end and now the Seahawks want him to play receiver again. Arcega-Whiteside was 225lbs at his combine.
Yet given the pending departure of Amadi anyway, why not have a look at a player once drafted seven spots higher than D.K. Metcalf? Especially when the team has a few injuries at receiver and (quite rightly) isn’t risking Metcalf or Tyler Lockett in these pre-season games.
He may well be cut in a week or two. We’ll see. It’s a shot to nothing.
These are the kind of moves where the Seahawks have struck gold in the past. There’s nothing wrong with having a look.
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With pre-season games, there a whole bunch of qualifiers to consider as you form an opinion.
You constantly have to weigh up good performances vs opponents faced, or acknowledge sloppy starts often happen during the first outing of a long season.
Any review has to be taken with a pinch of salt. I’m not going to pour over PFF grades and try and form serious views off the back of this Pittsburgh game. These are merely observations having finally watched the full thing on Sunday.
Typical Seahawks
Curtis Allen commented in the build-up that he was interested to see how prepared Seattle was for this contest. I shared that intrigue — especially with a new defensive coaching staff and a renewed focus.
Therefore it was a bit disappointing to see a familiar issue in the first half.
The Seahawks have a tendency to start flat in the Carroll era. That was definitely the case again here. They’ve also had a tendency to claw their way back into games — and that was also evident too.
Yet undoubtedly, for me at least, the need to ‘chase the game’ so frequently has cost at least as many games as the mantra ‘it’s not how you start it’s how you finish’ has won. This has particularly been the case in big playoff games.
The result of this pre-season opener was not important but it was disappointing to see a first quarter so maddeningly poor. I won’t blame the young cornerbacks for struggling in their first NFL action but Justin Coleman played like he’s close to the end.
Geno Smith and the offense couldn’t move the ball. He classically burned a timeout then took a sack to end one drive.
The tackling started appallingly and never righted itself.
Special teams appeared discombobulated — in coverage and on the Aaron Fuller brainfart as he tried to field a punt.
They didn’t look particularly organised or ready to play. I’m not sure whether the Steelers were that much better or whether they simply benefitted from this. Yet it would’ve been nice to see a little more control over the game in the first half, rather than the habit re-emerging of needing to improve as the game progresses.
After 12 years of this trend I think this will forever follow Carroll’s Seahawks and it’s tough s**t if you’re hoping for anything else. I’ve long felt the ‘it’s how you finish’ mantra could be refined to include something about not giving yourself a mountain to climb first. Seattle’s hiking boots are well-worn by now.
Geno Smith benefitted a little too much from his TD drive
I watched the first half live and felt Smith was having a poor game until his drive before half-time. The lights suddenly switched on and he moved the ball well. I can’t recall if this was due to a quicker tempo (I’ll need to watch it again) but his final act of the game was a score and that last impression seemed to stick. A lot of the mediocre play that came before it faded into the distance and he got quite the thumbs up on Twitter.
On the other hand, I thought Drew Lock looked pretty good to start. He led an immediate scoring drive, then another (plus a two-point conversion) and appeared sharp and on course to ‘win’ the contest of quarterbacks. Yet he finished with an ugly sack/fumble that lost the game and as with Smith, that final impression stuck.
I think the truth is both players look like a similar level of quality. And that is going to make for a mind-bending level of frustration when the regular season kicks-off for a lot of people.
With the way Carroll spoke after the game, I suspect he’s almost certainly decided internally that Smith is the starter for week one and it’d take something pretty special to change that.
The rookies looked very good
Visitors to this blog during the college football and draft season will know how high I was on Abraham Lucas. At one point, after the Senior Bowl, I also argued it wouldn’t have been a stretch to take Boye Mafe with Seattle’s original first round pick, had they not made the Jamal Adams trade.
For me they both warranted consideration in the first round and it was an absolute home-run to get both on day two.
Lucas looked outstanding, admittedly against a Steelers’ pass rush minus its best player. He blocked with physicality, agility and an edge. He knew where he needed to be — whether it was creating a pocket, latching on to linebackers at the second level or dominating 1v1. He looks every bit a long term answer at right tackle. I celebrated that third round pick with gusto when it happened and this was a really promising first look at a player with massive potential.
Mafe, meanwhile, looks every bit the athletic, physical phenomena his testing suggested. He was fast, explosive and exciting off the edge. He finished with two sacks including a sack/fumble. While many have talked about his raw qualities — I think it’s overdone. Watch him at Minnesota with the way he used his hands and power. He was tremendous at the Senior Bowl — winning in a variety of ways and looking like a natural rusher in the process. Watch his fumble last night. He used his hands brilliantly, then dipped around the blocker and finished. Textbook.
Right before this play he also made a crucial effort-tackle on a big special teams return by Pittsburgh, possibly saving a touchdown.
Mafe’s closing speed on the Kenny Pickett fourth-down sack was stunning. Look how quickly he covered ground.
He’s a scary player, with elite physical qualities.
The idea of Mafe and Taylor producing book-end pressure is by far, for me, the most exciting prospect on this roster currently. There isn’t a duo with their potential around. The Seahawks could’ve struck gold here with two second round picks. It’s a tantalising thought, after years of mediocre pass rushing.
Every year, players last longer than they should. Frankly, it’s barely believable Lucas and Mafe lasted as long as they did. More fool the rest of the NFL.
Generally I liked the defense playing with aggression. It was a pretty vanilla gameplan (understandably) but they still brought pressure from different positions. If this is a sign of things to come, sign me up for that.
The offensive line did a good job
The key to this season is to develop in the trenches and build on the success of the running game. This will set the table for drafting a quarterback next year.
The Seahawks ran for 159 yards and made it look easy at times. The starters and backups all performed well. There’s talent and depth within this group, with the potential to produce a unit for the long term.
How good does that sound?
It was also good to see Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer contributing. Homer looks bigger and more physical, yet he’s retained his quickness. Seattle’s running back group is attractive.
The other really noticeable thing was Charles Cross. He needed to gain good weight in the pro’s and he looks a lot bigger, without any negative impact on his blocking.
Final thoughts
The key takeaway is that while the sloppy first half and horrendous tackling are issues — the areas the team needs to develop in 2022 all shone enough to be reasonably pleased. Again, it’s worth repeating, this season is about setting the table for a new, young quarterback to eat in 12 months time.
My hope for the game on Thursday against Chicago is that the tackling wildly improves, the Seahawks start better, looks like a more settled and prepared outfit and that the team builds on its success up front.
The Bears are in the middle of perhaps an even bigger rebuild than Seattle. So this should be an opportunity for players to impress.
To finish — it was good to watch a pre-season game that wasn’t a flag-fest. The NFL needs to make these games as digestible as possible — not use them as teaching tape for the regular season. Also, well done to the Steelers for playing ‘Half Mast’ by Empire of the Sun in their stadium. What a wonderful track.
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This is also available on ‘The Rebuild’ podcast streams.
This is a guest post by Curtis Allen
The Quarterback Competition
It remains a tight battle with Geno Smith still getting first crack at reps with the #1 offense.
After warmups and some drills, Smith took the starting offense through some scrimmaging while Lock worked a bit with the second team on another field.
However, as the practice progressed and the team came together — Pete Carroll mixed it up a bit, rotating in some of the top WRs like Lockett and Metcalf to work with Lock and also giving him some reps with the top offensive line.
I am certain it would be shrugged off as contingency planning to make sure he could mix and match for the Saturday preseason game against the Steelers but I think it is becoming evident that Carroll really wants to see Lock playing with the top players to get a taste of what he can do with them.
That can also be seen by the drills that Carroll had the team run today. Almost all of them called for passes and good decisions by the quarterback.
They started with a red zone drill. Geno had a nice touchdown throw to Lockett (with great protection as Lockett cleared traffic) and what probably should have been another one to Metcalf if not for yet another brilliant play by Woolen to fight the ball loose (see below).
Lock was more than his equal though. He had an absolutely brilliant touch throw to Lockett for a score. Lockett was lined up to his right and streaked down the sideline. Lock lofted it perfectly into Lockett’s arms in tight coverage. A complete dime.
If that wasn’t enough, he had another touchdown to Lockett on the very next play. Although to be fair, this was the easiest touchdown throw Lock ever had. Lockett had pantsed his defender and gave Lock a wide open target for a pillow-soft toss to him for an easy score.
The passing continued in a ‘third down’ drill. The offense had all of their plays as third downs. Third and 4, third and 7, third and 10, that kind of thing. Didn’t matter if you converted, the next play was a third down with a new distance. Their job was to convert them, the defense’s job was to stop them.
Geno Smith got the first crack with the starting offense vs the starting defense. It was a mixed bag.
On one play, Metcalf was lined up to Geno’s right against Bryant. He completely smoked him and was wide open for a quick slant. Geno did not process the play fast enough and got “sacked” by the defense.
However, on the very next play, Geno hit Will Dissly in the seam for a beauty.
Later in a similar drill, Smith found Metcalf in the middle for a nice gain. He followed it up by staring Lockett down on a third and long and then overthrowing him on the sideline.
He hit Ken Walker with a nice little seam pass that he took and rocketed down the field on. He was then off target on a third and 6 crossing route to Cody Thompson.
You get the idea.
Lock sparkled with the 2’s against the 2nd string defense.
The first play was a third and 10 and Lock had his countdown clock working perfectly. As the rush collapsed the pocket, he saw the middle of the field had been vacated and bolted. He got his 10 yards and slid untouched.
He hit Colby Parkinson on a third and 4, scrambled to his right and hit Penny Hart on the sideline on a third and long and found Cade Johnson with a laser for another first down.
Later in a similar drill, Myles Adams burst through the line. He coolly sidestepped him and delivered a strike.
He was not perfect though. Shortly after, he was flushed from the pocket and when moving right, was inaccurate with a throw to a receiver. It would not have been a first down anyway. But Lock threw it at his feet and it was not pretty.
At the end of the drill Lock was “sacked” but this one appeared to me to be a great job by the defense, more than anything Lock did or did not do. The coverage was tight and the pass rush bottled him up.
I would give Lock a slight edge in scoring today’s practice. He did not make any foolish decisions (one pass looked bad but his receiver slipped and fell) and he stayed in the pocket an appropriate amount of time. That is another way to say his processing was better than Geno’s today.
But he again used his legs to make things happen and the TD throw to Lockett was a standout. I guarantee Pete Carroll will remember that one.
Notes
— Play of the day:
Always Compete‼️ @_Tariqwoolen #SeahawksCamp x @Boeing pic.twitter.com/eDYB0q8FPR
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 10, 2022
Tariq Woolen hand fighting with D.K. Metcalf. It seems like every practice Woolen is doing something impressive. On this one, Metcalf gets two hands on the ball but Woolen refuses to give up and ends up forcing the incompletion.
— Honestly, what I took from this is, this shows that Metcalf is going to get regular practice work in probably his weakest area: contested catches. Both Woolen and Cobe Bryant have demonstrated an aptitude for ball skills so far in camp. Even if they do not get on the field immediately, this can only help the team by getting Metcalf some top-flight practice in this area.
— Speaking of the young corners, I would rather not have Sidney Jones and Artie Burns both injured but this could be a blessing in disguise. It is very possible Pete Carroll will be forced to give his rookie corners all the snaps they can handle in practice and in preseason with the top defense. This could advance their development and bear unexpected fruit later in the season and next year.
— With that in mind, of note is Cobe Bryant did get some work in at nickel but also moved back out to his traditional LCB role later in practice. I appreciate widening your skillset and contributing to the team any way you can, but with the injury situation at corner, it may be most beneficial to have Bryant just focusing on LCB for now.
— Boye Mafe came out early and worked on handfighting drills for pass rushing once again. It is nice to see he is taking his role seriously and working hard to improve. Again, a couple players eventually joined him in the drills but Mafe was clearly a cut above.
— Jake Curhan started with the ones but as practice progressed Abe Lucas moved into the spot.
— Nick Bellore is not a punchline. In the linebacker drills he breezed through the agility drill and destroyed the blocking sled, turning it on its side. The other linebackers gave it a token push. Make all the “I’m in the ‘get off my lawn’ phase of my career” jokes you like. He’s here to show the kids how a professional practices.
— Jamal Adams had a seriously head-scratching moment today. Lining up in a scrimmage, he was out of position and had to be adjusted by Cody Barton to a spot to Barton’s right – not unlike where the MIKE would line up. But once he got set and the ball was hiked, he had a brilliant play. It was a run to his side and he easily knifed through traffic and if he had been allowed to fully tackle in a game situation, he would have blown up the runner for a loss. I’m not sure whether to call that a positive or a negative but the end result was good.
— Pete Carroll appears to be begging one of the young wide receivers to step up and be a punt returner. They all bobbled or mishandled at least one punt in practice today. I get why they had Freddie Swain and David Moore taking punts in previous seasons with a seeming mandate of ‘for goodness sake, just don’t cough up the ball.’
— It looked like Travis Homer pulled something in a run, maybe a hamstring or groin. He limped off and didn’t return but also did not immediately seek out the trainers.
— Ryan Neal did not practice but no longer had the boot on. The ankle injury may not be as bad as thought.
— Now Tyreke Smith appears to have hurt his other hip. He did not participate in practice once again. I am grateful the NFL has adopted the rules allowing players to go on Injured Reserve and come back to play in the same season. With the depth the Seahawks have, he may be a nice choice to stash on IR for a few weeks until he gets up to speed.
This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…
The quarterback competition has been turned on its ear
If Drew Lock ends up winning the starting job, today is the day fans can point to in order to identify when it happened.
Lock was poised, confident and ran the offense well against both the #1 and #2 defenses. Three things immediately stood out to me about Lock.
First, he made good decisions and executed them effectively.
Much was made of his now-infamous opening day throw. I called it “the worst throw I’d ever seen a professional QB make.” Brock Huard called it “a throw that loses you football games.” Pete Carroll called it “as bad a throw as you can make. That’s an example of ‘we’re never doing that again.’” But he quickly added that Lock has not made a single ‘bonehead’ decision since that day.
Is that Pete with his trademark overly positive perspective? No. Lock had several chances today to make dangerous throws into tight windows and considered it but he wisely checked down and found a safer option to keep the offense on schedule and moving forward. Significant progress and something that will be critical for a team intending to focus on the run game.
Late in the first half, he had the offense in field goal range but had time for one more play. He rolled to his right but there was no really good opportunity. He wisely threw the ball out of the end zone instead of trying for the low-percentage play and the team took the field goal and went into the locker room.
At another point in the game, Uchenna Nwosu came completely free off the edge and was in Lock’s face immediately after the snap. Lock coolly sidearmed the ball around him and hit Colby Parkinson in stride for a nice gain. That was a play that a seriously good NFL quarterback makes.
He also made good decisions on when to take shots. At one point he slightly overthrew a streaking Bo Melton in the deep middle. The throw was not perfect but the decision making was sound. He had enough time and protection to take the deep shot and Melton clearly had a step on his man.
It really looks like he demonstrated a high positive response to the coaching since the opening of camp. Lock appears to have ascended closer to what Pete Carroll wants. Be a good steward of the football — be patient — but make the big throw when it is available to you.
Second, Lock used his legs.
It’s almost as if he listened to Brock Huard’s podcast this week. He said Lock would have to use his legs to elevate himself in the competition.
He most certainly did that today. He bought time in the pocket, rolled out to find receivers and also called his own number on run-pass option plays at least three or four times and gained decent yardage each time, converting at least one third down. He may have found an element to contribute that differentiates him from Geno Smith.
Third, he threw into the middle of the field effectively.
Lock found the tight ends down the seam, the wide receivers on slants and running backs on check downs. These are things that can really add a dimension to the offense that has been sorely missing.
Was Lock perfect today? No. Some of his throws lacked accuracy and his timing with his receivers was not always the best. His first handoff to Walker was fumbled (although to be fair, Pete blamed Walker). Also, a drive in the third quarter sputtered.
But overall, it was an impressive display. Lock made a statement today. He’s coming for the job.
What about Geno Smith?
He had a nice drive to open the game against the #2 defense. He found D.K. Metcalf a couple times, had a nice throw to Marquise Goodwin and audibled to Penny runs that appeared to be good choices a couple of times. He brought the offense down the field and Penny ran in for a touchdown at the goal line. Smith kept the offense on schedule and made the throws he needed to.
There wasn’t much to speak positively of after that drive though.
The next drive he could not muster much of anything.
Later, he had a throw that was completely perplexing. He scrambled to his left under pressure and lofted a ball down the sideline to Goodwin that there was simply no way he could get to, yet was in bounds and catchable. Tariq Woolen with his incredible length turned his body and nearly made an incredible diving interception. Why not just throw the ball away?
Coming out of the locker room after halftime, on the first offensive play Geno burned a timeout. The team was not ready to play.
Later they lined up for a ‘four-minute drill’. The simulation was the team had a lead with four minutes to play and the offense needed to burn the clock. After a short run, Geno threw a short checkdown ball the receiver had to fall to the ground to catch and then he got ‘sacked’ on third down. About 50 seconds burned off the clock.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a real horserace. If Lock continues at this pace, he will win the job and have preseason time to develop some chemistry with his receivers.
Tariq Woolen’s star turn
Tariq Woolen played tremendously well today. With Sidney Jones sidelined with a potential concussion, Woolen got plugged into the right cornerback spot with the #1 defense and had several impressive moments.
Woolen had a couple pass breakups, consistently tight coverage and nearly got that interception off Geno Smith with a diving attempt. He had a dogged matchup with Marquise Goodwin and got the best of him more often than not.
He looked good, patiently waiting for receivers to make their break and then reacting, trusting his speed and his ability turn his hips and run. He also seemed to have a very solid grasp of when to hand off his man in zone coverage and get to his next assignment.
I’m not sure his development timeline should necessarily be advanced just yet, but he appears to my eyes to be further along than I reckoned he would be.
Game Notes
— Penalties, penalties, penalties. False starts, delays of game, holdings, defensive offsides. Procedural penalties abounded today. Jake Curhan got at least two false starts for jumping early. Let’s hope they get these things ironed out. Soon.
— Kenneth Walker again looked fantastic. After the fumbled exchange, Walker calmed down and ran with a burst you love to see. On one run, he got to the second level and completely juked an incoming Josh Jones and gained more yards. His touchdown run was a seamless effort that he made look easy with a quick cut to the outside:
K9 doing K9 things 💯#SeahawksCamp x @boeing pic.twitter.com/aju9zKRNZq
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 6, 2022
— Dareke Young had several catches and looked comfortable in the offense.
— The edge rushers looked great today. Darrel Taylor, Boye Mafe, and Uchenna Nwosu all displayed burst off the line, power and bend. Pete Carroll’s comments yesterday about Boye Mafe being used primarily in pass rush packages are a welcome relief. In his post-draft comments, he had mentioned that Mafe had more of an aptitude for linebacker play whereas Tyreke Smith was more of a pass rusher. Thank goodness they’re focusing on Mafe as a pass rusher.
— Jacob Eason laid a claim for the Dumbest Throw of Preseason crown. Deep in his own territory, he took the snap, had a rusher in his face and from his own end zone he threw it to…I don’t know who. He just flipped the ball away but in the middle of the field, with no offensive player within 5 yards of the throw. A defender made a diving catch for an interception at the 3-yard line. Thankfully the play was nullified by a defensive penalty.
