Category Archives: State of the team

Bennett needs to stay healthy, wants new guys to ‘find that line’

August 22, 2016 cc Leave a comment

Bennett at camp Michael Bennett has been feistier this summer than in any other, and it has made plenty of people think he is taking out his frustrations about his contract.

But it’s probably a little more sensible than that: It’s probably about him trying to make sure he gets the extension that should be coming his way next offseason — something he can’t do if he gets hurt before the season even begins.

Speaking a day after he once again was involved in a fight — this time with Bradley Sowell — Bennett said the new players have to “find that line” while competing and learn to respect teammates and not hurt them.

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State of the team, Training camp

Rawls, Graham return to stacked position rooms

August 11, 2016 cc Leave a comment

Thomas Rawls and Jimmy Graham were key players in the Seahawks’ surprising offensive evolution in 2015 — Rawls replacing injury-ravaged Marshawn Lynch and offering more speed through the hole and Graham helping the Hawks become more potent through the air.

Of course, just as the offense started to click in November, both players were lost to injuries in a three-week span.

Considering the severity of the injuries — a torn patellar tendon for Graham and a broken ankle for Rawls — it was no surprise that the Seahawks loaded up at tight end and running back this offseason.

So, as Rawls and Graham return to practice this week, they find themselves on an offense that is even more stacked than the one they helped set a team yardage record last year.

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State of the team, Training camp

Carroll, Hawks discover ‘Road to Character’

August 9, 2016 cc Leave a comment

Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson plan to be clapping about their offense a lot this season (Getty Images) When the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, they were still a bunch of upstarts, misfits and castoffs who really didn’t know what to expect and were just following the Pete Carroll way: Always compete.

By the time they got back to the Super Bowl the next year, they had become seasoned veterans despite still being one of the NFL’s youngest teams.

But they were still young and immature — as so many of them proved during and after Super Bowl XLIX — and they failed to mentally or physically recover from that debacle in time for the next season. They still lacked focus and cohesion early in 2015, and it ended up costing them in the postseason.

But they have rediscovered their sense of purpose this offseason, largely because Carroll has changed the way he delivers his mantra.

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State of the team, Training camp

Cable: Gilliam on ‘pitch count,’ Webb starting from scratch

August 3, 2016 cc Leave a comment

Everyone knows the offensive line is the biggest concern about this otherwise Super Bowl-ready Seahawks team, so it’s no surprise to hear Tom Cable say we are a long way from knowing how that unit is going to shape up.

After Day 4 of camp on Tuesday, the assistant head coach said he was pleasantly surprised at the retention of the spring lessons by the entire unit. But he also made it clear they are just getting going and there is a ton of work to be done as they look for new starters at all five positions.

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State of the team, Training camp

Chancellor’s renewed commitment: ‘It’s about a brotherhood’

August 2, 2016 cc Leave a comment

Kam Chancellor has changed his tune — back to the original refrain — and the rest of the Seahawks are whistling along.

The once-beloved safety lost a lot of fans with his ill-fated holdout last year, and he didn’t win too many back with his average play from Week 3 on.

He made the Pro Bowl on name recognition (as so many have over the years), but the fact is he wasn’t the same hard-hitting leader who had been a major factor in each of the previous two Super Bowl runs.

On Monday, he called his 2015 play “up and down” — which probably was an overly favorable analysis.

Asked what he learned from last year, he said, “I learned that this is a business; this is the NFL. But more importantly, it’s about a brotherhood. We started a brotherhood here, and we’ve got to continue what we’ve started. That’s the most important thing.”

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State of the team, Training camp

Worried about the O-line? Remember 2013?

July 29, 2016 cc 2 Comments

The Seahawks are expecting to compete for a second Super Bowl title this year, and they’re planning to do it with a completely revamped offensive line.

That scares a lot of fans who view the line as the one thing that could keep this team from winning it all — kind of like it did last year.

But, anyone who thinks they can’t overcome that concern probably forgot what happened in 2013.

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Coaches, NFL history, State of the team

With Schneider’s help, Carroll will finish forging his legacy

July 27, 2016 cc Leave a comment

Draft -- Schneider and Carroll It’s no surprise that John Schneider and Pete Carroll are going to be running the Seahawks for at least the next four seasons together. Where else are they going to find a better situation than the one they have built in Seattle?

As Schneider told John Clayton on Tuesday, “You look at all the really good organizations: They have great ownership and they have stability. And I think that’s probably what is most attractive here.’’

Schneider and Carroll have put together a team that is poised to contend for Super Bowl titles for at least the next three seasons (see the projected lineup) — and probably well beyond that. Schneider and Carroll have built an organization with similar staying power to Bill Belichick’s crew in New England.

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

Record-setting defense plans to get better

July 23, 2016 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks’ defense has put together an unprecedented run — becoming the first modern NFL team to go four straight years as the No. 1 scoring unit.

After Seattle shut down Arizona 36-6 in the 2015 season finale to clinch the top spot again, a beaming Pete Carroll said, “I don’t know if there is a record that I could be more proud of than to see our guys go for four straight years and lead the league in scoring defense. I think that is a remarkable accomplishment by a bunch of guys dedicated to the program and what we are doing.”

Carroll’s defense also has given up the fewest yards over the last three years, ranking first in the 2013 and 2014 Super Bowl years and second last season.

That’s a pretty darn good run of defense — and yet the Seahawks know they can become more consistent if they can cover their Achilles’ heel.

Because they have so many veterans on the unit now, the coaches apparently are finally planning to address the soft underbelly of their defense, which has been prone to giving up big chunks of yards and too many touchdowns to tight ends, running backs and slot receivers.

Their plan to fix that issue figures to be one of the big stories of training camp, which begins Saturday.

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Injury report, State of the team

Odds against Graham? Not on this team

July 19, 2016 cc Leave a comment

The future of Jimmy Graham is a hot topic — not just his future with the Seahawks, but the mere prospect of him playing in the NFL for much longer.

Pete Carroll does not seem concerned, but a recent report by ESPN.com reiterated the severity of a torn patellar tendon — the injury Graham suffered in late November — and questioned whether the tight end will be able to make it back.

ESPN injury expert Stephania Bell cited a recent study saying players with TPTs “fared the worst when it comes to rate of return to play and performance metrics like yards gained and touchdowns scored. And their careers were shortened overall significantly. It’s not to say that one individual can’t come back and be phenomenal, but it’s telling you that the odds are against them in terms of returning to form.”

Of course, the Seahawks are all about bucking the odds, and there are reasons to believe Graham will overcome the injury better than previous players.

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Coaches, Contracts, State of the team

Expect new deals for Carroll, Schneider before camp

July 14, 2016 cc 2 Comments

Draft -- Schneider and Carroll Not a big surprise: The Seahawks reportedly have begun contract negotiations with Pete Carroll and John Schneider, who both are in the final year of their deals.

There has been a lot of speculation that both could be interested in leaving the Seahawks for their old stomping grounds — Carroll back to Los Angeles to coach the Rams and Schneider back to Green Bay to run the Packers.

But, they have set up the Seahawks to remain strong Super Bowl contenders for at least two or three more years, so leaving now would make no sense.

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