Leonard Williams trade makes good defense better, puts pressure on Geno

As Pete Carroll is fond of saying – and said again Monday morning – the Seahawks “are always competing.” But, every three years or so, you can count on John Schneider going for it even bigger than usual.

On Monday, Schneider pulled off his first deadline deal since 2020, acquiring Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams from the New York Giants in a bid to further strengthen Seattle’s ascending defense. It’s a move that puts even more pressure on Geno Smith to play mistake-free football.

Continue reading Leonard Williams trade makes good defense better, puts pressure on Geno

As defense gets better and better, Smith is regressing

Over the first month of the season, Geno Smith had done a decent job of surviving, sometimes overcoming, the loss of both tackles and intermittent other injuries along the Seahawks’ offensive line.

The Seahawks had few explosive passing plays and were terrible on third downs, thanks to playing so many backups on the line, but Smith had managed to avoid any big mistakes (just one interception).

But Sunday in a 17-13 loss in Cincinnati, he played probably his worst game since becoming Seattle’s starting QB and ruined a great performance by a resurgent Seahawks defense.  It cost the Hawks a chance to gain ground on San Francisco in the division.  

Continue reading As defense gets better and better, Smith is regressing

After 3-1 start, Hawks need to become more than just survivors

The Seahawks spent the first month of the season merely surviving — overcoming a decimated offensive line, injuries in their secondary, big passing numbers from opposing quarterbacks and poor third-down performance on both sides, among other things.

They managed to hit their bye week at 3-1, thanks to an OT win in Detroit and victories over Carolina and New York, which are a combined 1-9 after both lost yet again in Week 5.

The Seahawks used a stunningly stout run defense, some big takeaways and some great offensive coaching to make it through the first month. Now they need their offensive line and secondary to get healthy so they can fix issues that otherwise will cost them against the good teams they are about to face.

Continue reading After 3-1 start, Hawks need to become more than just survivors