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State of the team, The roster

Midseason roster report: Can the defense improve?

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Midway through the season, the Seahawks are a game better than we expected — despite a horrendous pass defense that might be the thing that keeps them out of the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks are off to one of their best starts under Pete Carroll, 6-2 (or better) for the third time. With the easiest finishing slate in the NFL, they look destined for at least 11 wins. The question, as it has been all season, is whether their defense will improve enough to help them get to the Super Bowl.

They have been 6-2 or better just two other times under Carroll. In 2013, they started 7-1 and finished 13-3 on the way to a Super Bowl title. Last season, they started 6-2 and finished 11-5 (knocked out of the playoffs by Green Bay).

They look good for 11-5 this season, too. The second-half schedule is the easiest in the league. The tough part will be the division games: They play the Rams twice, starting this week, and Arizona in Week 11. But they also face three NFC Least clubs, plus the Jets and the decimated 49ers. The very worst they should do in the final eight is 5-3, which would net 11 wins.

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Week 9: At Buffalo, X's & O's

These Hawks can’t afford Wilson’s turnovers

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The Seahawks are making Russell Wilson do too much cooking, and it is starting to burn them.

We know the defense is in shambles, which is why this team is not a Super Bowl contender at this point. And that’s also why it is imperative for the quarterback not to turn the ball over. When he does it three times, like he did at Arizona, or four times, like he did in Buffalo, these Hawks have almost no chance.

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Contracts, Trades, Week 9: At Buffalo

Dunlap: ‘I’ve got plenty of years left’

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John Schneider tried to fix his pass-rush mess by the trade deadline Tuesday, but he couldn’t add another guy, so Carlos Dunlap will shoulder the load as he tries to elevate that part of Seattle’s game.

It starts this week in Buffalo, and Pete Carroll said he expects Dunlap to jump immediately into the fray.

Schneider also reportedly tried to add Aldon Smith from Dallas, and you can bet he called on Atlanta’s Takk McKinley and maybe the Jets’ Jordan Jenkins as he looked for cheap help along the D-line. Dunlap was the only guy he could snag for the price he was willing to pay.

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Week 8: San Francisco, X's & O's

Carroll on blitzing: ‘It’s going to happen some more’

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The Seahawks are going to continue to put the heat on quarterbacks via the blitz, Pete Carroll says.

Led by Bobby Wagner’s two sacks and four QB hits, the Seahawks blitzed on 23 of the 49ers’ 45 dropbacks (51%) — their highest rate since 2010, per ESPN Stats & Info. The Hawks had been blitzing about 24% of the time before that this season.

“I thought that the pressure we threw at them helped everybody,” Carroll said. “We just decided to take a little turn. Obviously, we’re trying to figure some things out to get better, and we just put it on the fellas. … With Jamal (Adams) coming back next, it’s going to happen some more.”

That’s good news.

Continue reading Carroll on blitzing: ‘It’s going to happen some more’ →
Week 8: San Francisco

Big win over 49ers keeps Hawks atop NFC

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The Seahawks still control the NFC West – and, for now, they lead the race for the NFC bye, too.

Russell Wilson threw four TD passes, DK Metcalf followed up Tyler Lockett’s career day with his own and Blitzing Bobby Wagner led Seattle’s defense to its best performance of the season (it was a low bar) as the Hawks beat the 49ers 37-27 to improve to 6-1 for the second time ever (the last time was in the Super Bowl title year of 2013).

With Green Bay losing to Minnesota, the Seahawks now control the NFC again. It was a nice bounce-back after the very avoidable overtime loss in Arizona last week.

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The roster

Harrison, Dunlap and green all expected to play next week

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Impatient Seahawks fans and media made a big stink when Damon Harrison was not one of the two practice squad guys called up Saturday. And Harrison put the Snacks-down on all of them.

“All of these theories of why I’m not playing are funny as hell. Y’all reaching. (Bryan) Mone and Poona (Ford) are playing really well. What did y’all expect? You think I didn’t know the situation before I arrived? I’m here because I WANT to be, not because I HAVE to be.”

Keep in mind Harrison has been in Seattle just three weeks. Everyone else had five weeks to get ready for the season. So there is no reason to wonder why he has not been called up from the practice squad yet.

“I don’t owe anybody an explanation for anything,” Harrison said. “I’m working every day and that’s all that matters. No, I’m not out of shape. I’m just not ready to play in a game YET. I’ve been doing this nine years. I know my body. I’m good.”

So Harrison agrees with Pete Carroll that he isn’t quite ready. Expect him to be next week, when he, Jamal Adams, Carlos Dunlap and Rasheem Green all should provide reinforcements for Seattle’s sagging defense in Buffalo.

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The roster, Trades

More deals coming?

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The Seahawks apparently are still in the trade game, both as potential buyers and sellers. Could they marry the two to add another pass rusher?

After John Schneider’s typical shrewd move to add an impact veteran – getting Carlos Dunlap from Cincinnati for B.J. Finney and a seventh-rounder – word is the GM may indeed still be on the lookout for another pass rusher.  

The ideal options would be veteran stars Ryan Kerrigan and Melvin Ingram, with young Takk McKinley and Chase Winovich possible secondary choices. The Hawks reportedly inquired about Dallas pass rusher Aldon Smith, but were rebuffed.

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The roster, Trades

Schneider finally addresses biggest offseason whiff

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Most observers are giving John Schneider major kudos for once again filling a big roster hole by taking advantage of another team’s dysfunction.

The trade for Carlos Dunlap – Schneider’s third October deal in four years — certainly was needed, and Schneider did well to get it done for a mere seventh-round pick and overpriced backup center B.J. Finney, as Cincinnati clearly was eager to get rid of Dunlap. (The GM would do better to add another pass rusher, too.)

But let’s not forget this is the continuation of an ongoing theme: The Seahawks were in this mess because Schneider created it – and then failed to fix it until now, maybe only for now.

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Week 7: At Arizona

Wilson & Co. can’t give up points like that

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The Seahawks’ utterly avoidable 37-34 overtime loss in Arizona was a reminder that this team plays on thin margins and cannot afford three interceptions from its quarterback if it has designs of going very far in the playoffs.

Russell Wilson’s three turnovers, plus a big gaffe by Benson Mayowa, ruined Tyler Lockett’s best NFL game and made moot an unbelievable touchdown-saving tackle by DK Metcalf as Arizona made the winning 48-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in overtime. That knocked Seattle from its undefeated perch and also handed the Hawks their first loss in Arizona since Wilson’s rookie year (they had been 6-0-1).

Continue reading Wilson & Co. can’t give up points like that →