Before I get into Curtis’ notes from the 28th July, remember to check out the new show tonight at 5pm (and subscribe to the ‘Seahawks Collective’ channel):
This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…
The first day of training camp in pads lived up to the billing. The players seemed anxious to get into some real, physical football. The practices were spirited and competitive, but not all that chippy.
By all accounts, the defense won the day. So many elements of their play were at the forefront. Nick Emmanwori had a fantastic body-contorting interception and returned it for a touchdown. He lined up on the edge, looking like a blitzer, then dropped into coverage undetected and took advantage of a poor throw by Jalen Milroe. Riq Woolen picked off Sam Darnold. Interior linemen like Quinton Bohanna and Jarran Reed got their hands up and batted passes down. And once again, the Defensive Line proved too much for the Offensive Line when the play called for the Quarterback to scan the field and progress through reads.
It was not all bad on offense though. In fact, there were some encouraging signs.
Running Game Coming into Focus
With the pads on and more physical play permitted, you can see more clearly how the running game is going to take shape.
The offense had several successful runs in the wide zone scheme. They ran around the edge and between the tackles and kept the defense guessing a bit about where they were going next. A delayed handoff with the runner taking the ball into the middle of the field yielded good yardage several times.
Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet took turns with the top offense. While it was not as if they were running all over the defense, they definitely had moments where the Offensive Line made room for them, moving bodies inside or sealing the edge for a sideline run. Damien Martinez looked better with the pads on – no shock there. He seems intent on helping fill the gap left by Kenny McIntosh’s unfortunate injury.
You should know that Mike Macdonald does not agree with me. Twice in his press conference he mentioned that the offense did not run the ball very well today.
Judging the running game in camp is tricky. Defenders are not fully allowed to tackle or bring runners to the ground, so runners can spin out of ‘tackles’ and gain more yards than they would have in live game action.
However, the concepts are coming together. You can see what they are trying to do, and with a trio of talented runners and a tight end group that is versatile, they can disguise their intentions and force defenses to give them room to work.
I think that part of the offense is further along than at this point last year.
The Quarterbacks
Once again the performances today reflected the depth chart. Sam Darnold is clearly the starter, Drew Lock is a capable backup that can win you a couple of games and Jalen Milroe is a talented work in progress.
Darnold had a little more of a challenge today with both the pass rush collapsing the pocket and the backfield providing tight coverage. In a Red Zone drill without a pass rush — Darnold hesitated, trying to find a target. He drifted a bit then drilled a pass to Ken Walker in tight quarters for a score.
The offense ran a two-minute drill with quick passes and a couple of the delayed handoffs with success. The pass rush could not get home and the offense hurried to the line to keep them off balance. Darnold ran it extremely well.
Drew Lock was similar, but minus about 10 percent. He is still adjusting to finding his reads and making quick decisions. When his first option is open, he is very effective. When he has to scan the field, he can take too much time to make a decision. That said, he also ran the two-minute drill well and earned a field goal. He had the throw of the day, a pinpoint laser down the seam that reminded me of this gem by Geno Smith last year.
Jalen Milroe was better today than Saturday. He had some good and bad throws in drills without the full defense. He had two throws that were far better than the highlight throw from Saturday: one was a throw where he drifted to his right, scanning with this head up and threw a beauty downfield to Foster Montorie tracking his motion towards the sideline. The Josh Allen’s and Lamar Jackson’s make that throw in their sleep, probably about 4-5 times per game. Milroe is capable of it, we need to see it and he needs to know he can make it.
He followed that gem with a wobbly duck on the next play.
The second great throw came in a full scrimmage. Milroe threw an absolute bullet on a quick slant. The defender was glued to the receiver and even got a finger on the ball, but it had such velocity he could not change the trajectory and it continued to the receiver for another perfect play. He will need to throw that pass a few times a game if he is to become an effective starting Quarterback.
He later threw that pick-six to Emmanwori. It was a drill with the Seahawks backed up on their own two-yard line. The offense needs a few yards of breathing room far more than they need a long gainer. Milroe was in his own end zone, feeling the pressure and threw a pass without much conviction behind Brady Russell. It should have fluttered helplessly to the ground but Emmanwori made a fantastic play on the ball.
Now it is just making those routine throws repeatable and those poor ones a rarity.
I should also note: We have yet to see any designed Milroe runs or special gadget plays. The Seahawks are wise to keep them under wraps and help him stay focused on his development.
And again: Kudos to Milroe for taking reps on the sideline when he is not scrimmaging.
Other Notes
— The Offensive Line Experiment continues. Today, the Seahawks used even more different combinations in the first and second units. The only constants so far have been Charles Cross at Left Tackle and Grey Zabel at Left Guard. They have taken every snap with the first unit. Force me to guess the Week One line and I’d say Cross, Zabel, Oluwatimi, Sundell and Lucas.
— This is reminding me of last year when the Seahawks tried to work with Oluwatimi and Nick Harris well into Training Camp and then brought in Connor Williams in August and moved on from Harris.
— Michael Jerrell has taken a lot of snaps at Left Tackle with the second unit and looks serviceable there.
— I think Eric Saubert is close to a lock for the roster at this point. He will be a great Special Teams player and has experience as a pure blocking Tight End. Elijah Arroyo takes Noah Fant’s spot as a Tight End who can stretch the field and AJ Barner appears to be ready to be a versatile weapon who can help the Seahawks disguise their offensive intentions. Marshall Lang has made some nice catches but it appears Brady Russell is the choice if they want to keep four Tight Ends.
— They will keep four Tight Ends. Last year, only one NFL team had two tight ends who each played more than 60% of the offensive snaps: The New Orleans Saints. Tight Ends are in Klint Kubiak’s offensive DNA.
— Mike Morris busted through the line for a safety in the drill where the offense had the ball on the two-yard line. Mike Macdonald praised his play after, and said they have a specific role for him. He does need to keep working but he may yet have a shot to make the final roster.
