Category Archives: State of the team

#SEAvsARI, State of the team

Hawks ‘knocking on the door’ of becoming a contender

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As the Seahawks prepare for a big division game against Arizona on Thursday night, they are “knocking on the door” of becoming a complete team.

They have scored 75 points over the past two weeks, second only to Detroit’s 90 – but more than Baltimore (71), Buffalo (61) and surprising Indianapolis (70). The Hawks are still middling in most of the subjective power rankings, but they have the No. 1 team in the league, based on DVOA.

Special teams have been huge in bolstering that point total. The Hawks have the best special teams in the league (by DVOA), having scored in consecutive games and also blocked a kick vs. the Saints to set up another quick TD.

The defense ranks fifth – thanks to stellar play by the top three defensive linemen and by corners Josh Jobe and Derion Kendrick.  

The offense ranks sixth, thanks to Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Darnold said the offense is “knocking on the door of becoming what we want to be.” Once that happens, the Hawks will be a complete team and true contender.

The NFC West is the best division in the league, with nine wins among the four teams. So the pressure is on the Hawks to beat Arizona on Thursday and keep up with the undefeated 49ers, who have been winning with Mac Jones at QB (but also just lost Nick Bosa for the season).

Let’s look at the contributions of each of the three squads that have made the Hawks one of the league’s best teams over the past couple of weeks.

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Coaches, Franchise history, State of the team

Hawks are setting up for another 2012-13 run

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We haven’t seen Sam Darnold and the starting skill players in action yet – that apparently will happen a bit this week against the Chiefs – but the first preseason game showed everything we need to know about what this Seattle offense is trying to do.

If it succeeds, as we expect it to, the Seahawks should be well poised to repeat their 2011-13 ascent and come away with a Super Bowl trophy in Mike Macdonald’s third year (like Pete Carroll did in his fourth year).

Let’s run through the similarities that make us think this is how it is going to go.

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Coaches, Contracts, State of the team, X's & O's

Hawks will extend Geno; Kubiak has ‘best vision’ for using DK

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While the Seahawks are certainly likely to move on from a few highly paid players, one thing has become very clear over the last couple of days: Geno Smith and DK Metcalf will be back in 2025.

Mike Macdonald and new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak both emphasized Smith is Seattle’s quarterback and said they have big plans for Metcalf.

In an interview with FOX 13, Macdonald said Kubiak will “utilize the entire roster,” Smith can help the Seahawks win the Super Bowl and Metcalf will be the “main focal point” of the passing game.

Macdonald seemed to put all of the scuttlebutt about Smith and Metcalf to rest with his strong words about both. And NFL Network also reported on Super Bowl Sunday that the Hawks plan to give Smith a raise while keeping themselves “flexible” to acquiring a long-term quarterback.

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State of the team

Despite poor 2024, Schneider has built a solid core

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The Seahawks have missed the playoffs in three of the past four years and now have the fourth-longest drought from the NFC title game (12 teams have made it since they did in 2014), so fans and media have started to point the finger at John Schneider.

After a particularly bad 2024 in which the general manager missed on most of his free agents and put together the Seahawks’ worst offensive line since 2016, many are calling for his job.

But let’s be very clear: Jody Allen is not going to fire Schneider. Not when Mike Macdonald, the coach he just hired, led the Hawks to 10 wins in his first season by turning around a defense that had wallowed in the NFL’s depths in Pete Carroll’s last few seasons.

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State of the team, Week 8: Buffalo, X's & O's

Hawks have given away three games — and that’s on Macdonald & the lines

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In the wake of the most embarrassing Seattle performance since the Seahawks were demolished by Baltimore last season, Brock Huard posited an interesting poll:

Our take: There is a lot of blame to go around.

The Seahawks are weak at the interior line positions on both sides and are getting pushed around by good teams. That’s John Schneider’s fault.

The Hawks have given away three games with poor prep and mental mistakes. That’s Mike Macdonald’s fault.

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State of the team

Defense is nearly whole, but Metcalf is injured, so it’s time to finally unlock JSN

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One of these days, the Seahawks will be whole – or at least we can dream they will be.

For now, we have to be content with the fact that we might finally see the defense as complete as it has been in weeks. It will still be at a disadvantage against the Buffalo Bills this week, because the defense is breaking in a new middle linebacker and the secondary is meshing a new combination yet again.

Meanwhile, the offense is likely to be without DK Metcalf — and that means Ryan Grubb needs to figure out once and for all how to get the most out of Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

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State of the team, X's & O's

Predictable problems and historic lack of takeaways are hobbling Hawks

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Before the season, we projected the Seahawks would win nine games. It was fewer than many optimistic fans were picking, but we saw a tough schedule and had big questions about the offensive line and run defense.

After a soft 3-0 start, the Hawks have come back to Earth against better teams and sit at 3-3 largely because their offensive line and run defense have failed them.  

They gave away the game against the Giants with mistakes in every phase, and then they followed that up by making a bunch more mistakes against the 49ers in a game they could have won if they had played it more cleanly.

“Right now, we’re just coming up short,” Mike Macdonald said. “We’re just not doing the things that good football teams do to win football games.”

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Coaches, State of the team

Players: Macdonald and ‘right coaches’ bring ‘urgency’

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Amid the hullabaloo by some overly nostalgic fans about Mike Macdonald’s rearranging of the VMAC, his players seem to get it. They know Pete Carroll’s missing hoop and the temporarily blank walls are a metaphor for a clean slate, a new beginning.

They also know the expectations are much higher now and being delivered in a more defined, exacting way than Carroll and his staff were doing over the last few years.

It’s all as it should be, and the smart ones – players and fans – understand that. The players who don’t won’t be around very long. And that’s as it should be, too.

The core leaders of this defense – Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu and Julian Love – sound bought in.

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State of the team

Carroll’s ‘not worn out,’ but his coaching style is — will Jody Allen agree?

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“I plan to be coaching this team. … I’m not worn out. I’m not tired.” – Pete Carroll to Seattle Sports 710

Pete Carroll might not be worn out or tired, but his coaching principles sure seem to be. He will never admit it, but the game officially has passed the 72-year-old by and it is time to retire.

Unfortunately, he is not interested in doing so and the only way we will see a new era is if Jody Allen decides she too has seen enough of the withering Carroll regime.

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On the air, State of the team

‘Lay the hammer down’: Wright nailed the truth about the Hawks

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“The season is not over, but just the sour taste that has been in our mouth since Day 1 hasn’t really left. It hasn’t been right since Day 1. … Something’s missing.” — K.J. Wright on Seattle Sports 710

It was great to hear K.J. Wright speak the brutal truth about these uninspired, inattentive, nonchalant Seahawks this week.

The former team star, speaking on his Seattle Sports 710 radio show, ripped the immature antics of DK Metcalf and Jamal Adams, the poor play of Darrell Taylor and Riq Woolen, the out-of-the-picture Quandre Diggs and even, subtly, his venerable friend Bobby Wagner.

With all of the bad attitudes and/or terrible play, Wright said Pete Carroll needs to “lay down the hammer.”

“I am pleading with him this week to really and truly lay down the hammer, lay down the law with these guys. Enough has been enough.”

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