Category Archives: State of the team

Don’t expect any major deals from Seahawks

Russell Okung talks with GM John Schneider during minicamp in June (AP)Don’t get too excited about the reports that the Seahawks are working the trade phones ahead of the deadline Tuesday: Any deal they might make almost surely would be minor.

It’s no surprise John Schneider is on the hunt for offensive line help, but the Seahawks are not in financial position to bring on a big-money player such as Cleveland’s Alex Mack or Joe Thomas.

The report that Schneider is willing to trade a receiver such as Chris Matthews is evidence that any deal Seattle makes would be minor. The Hawks are not going to get much for Matthews or Ricardo Lockette, and they surely aren’t going to deal Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett or Paul Richardson.

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Seahawks trying to build what Cowboys have

Cowboys OLThe Dallas Cowboys have what the Seahawks want, but the only way Seattle could get it is by losing a lot more and using first-round picks.

We’re talking about a great offensive line, of course.

If Russell Okung, who injured his ankle in practice Thursday, misses the game in Dallas on Sunday, the Seahawks will end up starting undrafted players at the tackle spots and center, with a seventh-round conversion at right guard and a second-round reach at left guard.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, have invested three first-round picks in their line over the last five drafts, and they lucked into a potential first-rounder when rookie La’el Collins went undrafted due to a murder case he was peripherally attached to.

The Cowboys won a recruiting war for Collins, adding him to an already stacked line that includes left tackle Tyron Smith, the No. 9 pick in the 2011 draft; center Travis Frederick, the No. 31 pick in 2013; right guard Zack Martin, the No. 16 pick in 2014; and veteran right tackle Doug Free.

“They’ve put their money in it. They’ve got three No. 1s playing there, those guys are all terrific football players,” Pete Carroll said. “Tyron was a guy that we loved coming up; he’s a fantastic athlete at the spot. And Zack’s terrific; it’s just a really good group. I think that they made a commitment to it and they’re benefiting from it. I don’t know if they’re the best one — we won’t see everybody particularly – but they’re as good as we’re going to see all year long.”

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Bennett says Hawks became complacent, selfish, unfocused

Michael Bennett (72), Bruce Irvin and Cliff Avril (rear) against San Diego in Week 2 (Getty)The Seahawks are looking to prove this week that they really have awakened from their early-season doldrums and have returned to Super Bowl contenders.

For the record, Michael Bennett has not experienced any hangover — even though he was unhappy with his contract last offseason and considered holding out, as Kam Chancellor actually did. Instead, Bennett has played as well as ever (a bunch of early offsides penalties notwithstanding) — and is coming off a 3.5-sack effort against San Francisco that earned him recognition as the NFC’s defensive player of the week.

In a couple of recent interviews, the always candid Bennett said he chose not to hold out because he is determined to help lead the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl. And he shed some light on the causes, as he sees them, of Seattle’s ridiculous 2-4 start.

To sum it up, Bennett said the team became complacent, greedy, selfish, unfocused — all while getting younger because it has lost some key veterans over the past two years. He said this incarnation of the Seahawks had to learn how to handle losing and needed to regain the trust, chemistry and confidence that had disappeared since the last Super Bowl. He also hinted that XLIX still lingered in the minds of the Seahawks — proof that Pete Carroll did indeed damage his team’s psyche with his stupid call on the goal line at the end of that game.

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P-Rich’s return will mean more later, but just imagine him & Lockett

Paul Richardson goes up for a catch against Janoris Jenkins (Seahawks.com)If the Seahawks actually gave Russell Wilson enough time to throw the ball consistently, the return of Paul Richardson would mean a lot more.

As it is, his impending return — whether this week or after the bye — won’t add much to the offense. Not immediately anyway.

But, if the Seahawks can get to the point where Wilson has time to throw some deep balls, Richardson and Tyler Lockett should offer a great deep duo.

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Remember when the Seahawks ‘slammed’ the door on Hardy?

Greg HardyAs Greg Hardy proceeds to melt down in Dallas right before our eyes – and right before the Seahawks play the Cowboys this weekend — it’s a good reminder that the Seahawks realized what a head case the mercurial pass rusher was and steered away from him.

If you recall, a report out of Dallas in March indicated the Seahawks were willing to match any offer the Cowboys made for Hardy, who was facing a domestic-assault case and a suspension (which ended up being cut from 10 games to four).

The Seahawks did admit to checking into Hardy, calling it their usual “due diligence,” but general manager John Schneider also said they had zero interest in Hardy once they learned the specifics of the domestic assault case.

“We talk about being in on every single deal so we don’t miss out on something,” Schneider said in May. “… Once we found out what was going on with that situation, we were done. It was over. But we had to find out what happened. We opened that door, we looked inside and we slammed it.”

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Offense still has big problems, but Carroll has a plan to fix them

Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson plan to be clapping about their offense a lot this season (Getty Images)It’s a good thing the Seahawks are finishing the first half of the season with a couple of struggling teams, because their offense still has its own issues to reconcile.

Sure, the Seahawks finally finished an opponent Thursday, dominating the San Francisco 49ers like they did last year, but the Seattle offense still functioned only about half as well as it should. And Pete Carroll knows things have to change if the Seahawks are going to win another Super Bowl this season.

Russell Wilson was sacked five times and Marshawn Lynch had to fight too hard for most of his 122 yards. While the line gave the running back some good cutback lanes early on the first drive, it took five tries for him to score from the 3-yard line. In fact, about half of Lynch’s 27 runs went for three yards or less. That explains why his teammates were so fired up by his performance — he did most of it himself.

Carroll thinks Seattle’s mostly neophyte line is getting better at run blocking, based on Lynch’s best game of the season and the 200-yard rushing day at Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago. But the simple fact is the unit is still far too inconsistent. And it is pathetic at pass blocking.

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Can Carroll recapture his ‘distracted’ team?

Rams Carroll Sept. 13As the Seattle Seahawks seemingly sleepwalk through this season, with little sign of their previous hunger to win and killer instinct, it is fair to wonder whether the players have tuned out Pete Carroll and whether he can regain their ear before the season really does spin out of control.

Back-to-back Super Bowls, contract concerns and Carroll’s game-losing call in the last title game all could be culprits in the Seahawks’ late meltdowns that have resulted in a 2-4 record.

Carroll surely lost some players with his ill-fated decision to throw the ball rather than run it with Super Bowl XLIX on the line, and it is clear he has not gained back the confidence of all of them.

On top of that, he has a new defensive coordinator and the Legion of Boom has not been itself.

Kris Richard, the DC, took the blame for the communication breakdown that resulted in Carolina tight end Greg Olsen being wide open to win the game Sunday.

“I stand up and I absolutely accept full responsibility for what happened at the end,” Richard said. “It will not continue. We must get better and we are examining each and every single possible thing we can do to fix it, again, starting with me.”

On the field, though, it starts with the Legion. And, as Earl Thomas said, “We’re not being ourselves. I think we’re distracted.”

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Odds look bad, but Hawks can still win NFC West

“This league drives you to 8-8.” — Seahawks general manager John Schneider.

John Schneider has said it more than once: The NFL is built for parity and staying on top is a tough task.

Well, at a stunning 2-4, the Seahawks have a long way to go just to get to .500, and their playoff chances, based on history, do not look good. Since 1990, just 14 of 168 teams to start 2-4 have reached the playoffs (per NFL Stats). That’s an 8.3% chance.

But, the Seahawks are a team that has been made for rallies, and Pete Carroll and the players are optimistic they will figure out how to close out opponents and get it going. Plus, the NFC West is still very much within reach.

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Different year but same opponent and problems

Panthers parallels

Almost a year ago, the Seahawks were in the exact position they are in now — struggling to find themselves as they prepared to face the Carolina Panthers.

The Seahawks have many of the same problems they had last year at this time: Their defense has had trouble against tight ends as Greg Olsen comes to town; their interception total is uncommonly low; Bobby Wagner is hurt; Marshawn Lynch is a story; the offense is in transition; and Derrick Coleman won’t play again.

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Lynch is back, but does anyone care?

Lynch stretchingMarshawn Lynch is back. But does anyone care?

Lynch was listed as questionable before practice Friday, but coach Pete Carroll said after practice, “He looked really back to full health. … He made it out, looked good, and we’re counting on him playing (Sunday vs. the Carolina Panthers).”

It wasn’t even close to the most compelling storyline for media this week, though. On Wednesday, 11 questions were asked before the topic of Lynch came up. On Friday, Lynch was the 14th question — partly obscured by news that fullback Derrick Coleman had been suspended after his arrest for hit-and-run.

One of the dumb questions asked by a reporter Wednesday: Does Lynch take his old job back? To which Carroll scoffed, “Heck yeah. I think he’s earned that.”

Of course he has. The Seahawks aren’t paying him $12 million this year to have him sit on the bench, especially after he has run for at least 1,200 yards in each of the last four seasons, scoring 56 touchdowns.

But people now seem more interested in whether rookie upstart Thomas Rawls will continue to get playing time.

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