The Seahawks recently acquired safety Jamal Adams from the Jets in exchange for two first round picks, a third round pick, and Bradley McDougald. I have very mixed thoughts on this trade, with my gut telling me we will regret this trade down the line. I hate that the Hawks basically mortgaged their future just to upgrade at a position, and a position that's not even one of the most important, like quarterback, offensive line, or pass rusher.
Most consider Jamal Adams the best safety in the NFL. But you know how often there is a new best player at a position? About every 2 or 3 years on average. Some safeties, I will say, have long and lengthy careers that lead them to the Hall of Fame. Guys like Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu played well into their 30s. The only way this trade works in the Hawks favor is if Jamal Adams has a career like those guys, and leads the Hawks to at least one Super Bowl. I wouldn't say the odds of that happening are high.
There is a huge underlying problem with the Hawks which has caused this team to be top-heavy in talent and have a lot of holes on its roster. John Schneider, Pete Carroll, and the rest of the Seahawks management and scouts can no longer draft well. They can't. They have drafted just two players who made the Pro Bowl with the Hawks since 2013, and both (Lockett and Dickson) made it for special teams. Guys like Germain Ifedi, Malik McDowell, and Ethan Pocic (all first or second round picks) did not pan out. And there are a ton of doubts with Rashaad Penny and LJ Collier.
It's because of this lack of ability to find talent in the draft which has forced the Hawks to spend money; to keep their star QB, middle linebacker, and wide receiver. It's forced them to make these kinds of trades that don't help the team in the long run. Remember the Percy Harvin trade? The Hawks did not win a Super Bowl because of that, they won in spite of that. The Jimmy Graham trade was the start of the dismantling of the offensive line, as Max Unger was traded away. And then Jadeveon Clowney was acquired for a third round pick (and a couple players), and it's looking like may only get one (injury-plagued) season out of him.
This trade for Jamal Adams is another transaction in a series of moves that reek of desperation. The Hawks are still criticized for having one of the worst (if not the worst) combinations of offensive and defensive lines in the NFL. Pete and John hope that the stellar play of their QB, receivers, running backs, linebackers, and secondary can make up for the struggles the lines will undoubtedly have. But as the saying goes, "the game is won in the trenches". And without competent line play, we may just get a lot more of the same thing we've seen the last five years: 9-10 win teams that rely on Russell Wilson magic too much and get knocked out of the playoffs early.
Showing posts with label Line. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Line. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2020
Monday, September 19, 2016
What's wrong with the Seahawks Offense? A lot of things
The Seahawks have started the season not quite as well as we would have hoped, starting 1-1 and scoring just a combined 15 points through two games. The defense has only allowed 21 total points in two games, but that was only good enough for one win. So clearly, the problems with this team lie on the offensive side of the ball. Here's what's causing it:
- The offensive line
This might be the biggest reason. I'd say the Seahawks have perhaps two average quality starters on their line (Britt at center, Gilliam at right tackle). The rest are way below average, maybe the worst in their league at their positions. Bradley Sowell may be the worst of the bunch, drawing penalties in both games so far, allowing sacks, and not dominating ANY defensive end on a play. He was a free agent for a reason: he sucks. Glowinski, while filling in for Germain Ifedi, hasn't done that well, especially in run-blocking. Webb has gotten beat by both Dolphins and Rams nose tackles multiple times. Getting Ifedi back from injury will help, but only slightly. The Seahawks have believed the last few seasons that they can rely on offensive line coach Tom Cable to "coach them up", but if you have high school level offensive linemen in the NFL, there is only so much a single coach can do. For too long they have neglected the offensive line, leaving it devoid of talent, and it's costing them.
- The play-calling
Not a huge reason, but some of the runs and designs of the plays so far look insanely amateurish. The plays they've run look like they were designed by a first year high school coach. Bevell, the offensive coordinator, for too long has been like an anchor on the cruise ship of the offense, holding them back instead of letting them go. He was decent when the offense was focused on running the ball and had a decent offensive line that included Okung, Unger, Giacomini, and Carpenter. But with a bad offensive line, we have to adjust the offense to have more quick passes and outside runs, but Bevell has absolutely FAILED to do that. He is still running the offense and calling plays as if we still had a decent O-line and Marshawn Lynch. You give Wilson a coordinator that can utilize him effectively (I personally think Chip Kelly would be perfect), and he would put up MVP numbers.
- The lack of discipline
As my father often points out to me, the offense will almost on a routine basis put themselves in a hole to start or kill a drive by committing penalties. The biggest bugaboos have been holding and false starts. Whatever Cable is teaching our line isn't working 100% because they are still committing multiple penalties a game. In the Rams game, however, it was offensive pass interference that got them. Regardless, this team in the Pete Carroll era has consistently been undisciplined and always been towards the top of the league in penalties per game. Quite a difference from the Mike Holmgren years.
- The defense
Sometimes an offense's best source of offense is its defense. It was definitely a huge part of their scoring in 2013, the year the Hawks won the Super Bowl. So far this year the defense hasn't done their offense any favors. Sure, they're holding opponents to no more than 12 points, but they are not giving their offense good field position, whether it be with 3-and-outs or turnovers. The offense is routinely forced to drive over 80 yards to score, which would be tough to do for any offense in the NFL. The most common scenario is the defense will allow the opposition to get a few first downs, usually not enough for a touchdown, but enough to get the Hawks offense backed up in their own end of the field.
- Wilson's ankle injury
Russ's ankle injury definitely hampered him in Week 2, because the Rams obviously knew he wasn't a huge threat to run anymore. That's basically like losing a starting running back to injury. However, if you go back to before he got injured in Week 1, the offense was still having trouble, so this issue is not that big of a reason for the offense's struggles.
So the question is, how do we fix these issues? Like I said, Ifedi returning should help, but this team needs some outside help on the offensive line somehow, at least at left tackle. Bevell needs to open up the passing game and focus on screens, slants, and heck, even deep passes to get the offense going. The lack of discipline I feel will always be a problem, but the Hawks usually tone down their penalties a bit towards the second half of the season. Knowing this defense the turnovers will start coming which will immensely help the Hawks put up more points. And Russ is bound to be healthy by mid-October at the latest, meaning he should be 100% healthy for games against New England, Green Bay, and Carolina.
One last good thing: There's only one way for this offense to go and that's up. They can't possibly get any worse so long as Wilson is under center. I have confidence this offense will turn things around, and it will certainly help to not have to face a front seven as talented as Miami's or St. Louis's. But keep in mind San Francisco shut out St. Louis and the Jets front seven is definitely top 10. The offense will come around, but maybe not as fast as we'd like.
- The offensive line
This might be the biggest reason. I'd say the Seahawks have perhaps two average quality starters on their line (Britt at center, Gilliam at right tackle). The rest are way below average, maybe the worst in their league at their positions. Bradley Sowell may be the worst of the bunch, drawing penalties in both games so far, allowing sacks, and not dominating ANY defensive end on a play. He was a free agent for a reason: he sucks. Glowinski, while filling in for Germain Ifedi, hasn't done that well, especially in run-blocking. Webb has gotten beat by both Dolphins and Rams nose tackles multiple times. Getting Ifedi back from injury will help, but only slightly. The Seahawks have believed the last few seasons that they can rely on offensive line coach Tom Cable to "coach them up", but if you have high school level offensive linemen in the NFL, there is only so much a single coach can do. For too long they have neglected the offensive line, leaving it devoid of talent, and it's costing them.
- The play-calling
Not a huge reason, but some of the runs and designs of the plays so far look insanely amateurish. The plays they've run look like they were designed by a first year high school coach. Bevell, the offensive coordinator, for too long has been like an anchor on the cruise ship of the offense, holding them back instead of letting them go. He was decent when the offense was focused on running the ball and had a decent offensive line that included Okung, Unger, Giacomini, and Carpenter. But with a bad offensive line, we have to adjust the offense to have more quick passes and outside runs, but Bevell has absolutely FAILED to do that. He is still running the offense and calling plays as if we still had a decent O-line and Marshawn Lynch. You give Wilson a coordinator that can utilize him effectively (I personally think Chip Kelly would be perfect), and he would put up MVP numbers.
- The lack of discipline
As my father often points out to me, the offense will almost on a routine basis put themselves in a hole to start or kill a drive by committing penalties. The biggest bugaboos have been holding and false starts. Whatever Cable is teaching our line isn't working 100% because they are still committing multiple penalties a game. In the Rams game, however, it was offensive pass interference that got them. Regardless, this team in the Pete Carroll era has consistently been undisciplined and always been towards the top of the league in penalties per game. Quite a difference from the Mike Holmgren years.
- The defense
Sometimes an offense's best source of offense is its defense. It was definitely a huge part of their scoring in 2013, the year the Hawks won the Super Bowl. So far this year the defense hasn't done their offense any favors. Sure, they're holding opponents to no more than 12 points, but they are not giving their offense good field position, whether it be with 3-and-outs or turnovers. The offense is routinely forced to drive over 80 yards to score, which would be tough to do for any offense in the NFL. The most common scenario is the defense will allow the opposition to get a few first downs, usually not enough for a touchdown, but enough to get the Hawks offense backed up in their own end of the field.
- Wilson's ankle injury
Russ's ankle injury definitely hampered him in Week 2, because the Rams obviously knew he wasn't a huge threat to run anymore. That's basically like losing a starting running back to injury. However, if you go back to before he got injured in Week 1, the offense was still having trouble, so this issue is not that big of a reason for the offense's struggles.
So the question is, how do we fix these issues? Like I said, Ifedi returning should help, but this team needs some outside help on the offensive line somehow, at least at left tackle. Bevell needs to open up the passing game and focus on screens, slants, and heck, even deep passes to get the offense going. The lack of discipline I feel will always be a problem, but the Hawks usually tone down their penalties a bit towards the second half of the season. Knowing this defense the turnovers will start coming which will immensely help the Hawks put up more points. And Russ is bound to be healthy by mid-October at the latest, meaning he should be 100% healthy for games against New England, Green Bay, and Carolina.
One last good thing: There's only one way for this offense to go and that's up. They can't possibly get any worse so long as Wilson is under center. I have confidence this offense will turn things around, and it will certainly help to not have to face a front seven as talented as Miami's or St. Louis's. But keep in mind San Francisco shut out St. Louis and the Jets front seven is definitely top 10. The offense will come around, but maybe not as fast as we'd like.
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