Category Archives: X’s & O’s

The roster, X's & O's

More ‘bad ball’ from the defense means it’s time to look ahead

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Now that the Seahawks have proven how far they are from contending, with another double-digit loss to the 49ers, attention for most is turning to the future of this franchise. How do they get where the 49ers are?

Pete Carroll’s team is technically still in the playoff chase, but the odds are against the Hawks making it. They are 6-7 with four straight losses – something Carroll hasn’t been a part of for at least a couple of decades — and probably will go 2-2 in the final four to finish 8-9.

The Hawks are among the league’s many mediocre teams: 13 are 6-7 or 7-6. The 49ers are the clear class of the NFC, if not the NFL, and Seattle has been beaten by that Super Bowl contender by an aggregate score of 59-29 (average of about 30-15) twice over the past three weeks. So we know the gap between the Hawks and Super Bowl contention: two touchdowns.

But no one really knows what the solution for this team is. Many want Carroll gone (whether he is fired or retires). Others want coordinators ousted. Others want better players at key spots. Some people want all of the above.

One thing’s for sure: Something has to change.

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

Carroll won’t win another playoff game unless he creates a ‘conflict defense’

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It’s very difficult to see Pete Carroll ever winning another playoff game unless he changes the way his defense plays. We’ve seen the same thing for six seasons now, which is enough to know it is more than just the players who are at fault.

Last Thursday in Dallas, the Seahawks’ offense finally snapped out of a two-month funk and looked like the unit we expected it to be all season, but the defense remained a broken record playing the same old sad-sack song.

The offense was surprisingly competitive against the Cowboys in the 41-35 loss, but Seattle’s slide continued as expected – now four losses in five games. And, with a terrible defense yet again, there is no encouraging sign the Hawks will be able to beat San Francisco and Philadelphia in the next two weeks to stop that skid.

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Week 6: At Cincinnati, X's & O's

As defense gets better and better, Smith is regressing

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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.  

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OTAs, Video, X's & O's

Hawks still looking, but Waldron breaks down Lock’s positives

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Pete Carroll recently told KJR that the Seahawks did not draft a QB because they considered Drew Lock, a 2019 second-round pick, to be better than every rookie passer.

Carroll also said the Hawks will not trade for a veteran QB at this point, but he and John Schneider also said they will “keep looking” for possible upgrades at QB.

Meanwhile, as Lock and Geno Smith begin their QB competition during Seattle’s OTAs, Shane Waldron broke down some film on Lock from his Denver days.

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Free agency, The roster, X's & O's

Hurtt’s talk of 3-4 foreshadowed recent moves in front seven

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Clint Hurtt was not kidding when he said the Seahawks’ defense would be different in 2022.

After he was promoted to coordinator, he said, “The 3-4 system is something that I’ve really embraced and obviously Vic Fangio is a big influence. … There’s going to be some element of that. I will say we’re going to be multiple. …

“You have to adjust along the way,” he said, “and sometimes that means you have to adjust your scheme. That’s where we’re going into a transition right now.”

That transition has been very clear in the personnel moves the Seahawks have made in the first week of free agency. Gone are Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder and Benson Mayowa – replaced by Uchenna Nwosu and former Seahawk Quinton Jefferson.

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Coaches, X's & O's

Hurtt has plans to improve defense

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Pete Carroll apparently has given recently promoted DC Clint Hurtt carte blanche to remake Seattle’s defense in Vic Fangio’s image – and it certainly sounds like Hurtt knows what he needs to do.

Among his revelations in his first appearance as DC, Hurtt said the Seahawks are at least partly changing their scheme from Carroll’s long-favored Cover 3, they will be more aggressive in both the pass rush and coverage, and Jamal Adams will be used closer to the line of scrimmage (as we all know he should be). Hurtt also expects new/old sidekick Sean “Doc” Desai to help with quick in-game adjustments.

The result should be fewer D-linemen dropping, fewer open zones, more man, more blitzing, more turnovers — and better defense.

A look at what is changing and what Hurtt said about the changes:

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X's & O's

With Wilson as QB, Hawks need to run the ball if they want to get back to Super Bowl

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Pete Carroll said he thinks Russell Wilson is going to return in 2022.

We’ll know the real answer to that in two months. If Wilson is back, though, he needs to be OK with the Carroll Way, because it is the best way for this team as long as Wilson is the quarterback.

It is well known by now that Wilson wants the reins of the offense, to put the team on his back and carry it to a Super Bowl. Well, for seven years, he has proven he cannot do that. He needs a strong running game and stingy defense. It’s what the Hawks had during the Super Bowl seasons, and it is what they will need again, especially if Wilson is to remain their QB.

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Week 12: At Washington, X's & O's

Pass rush: How did Hawks turn strength into weakness?

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Next to the offense’s total faceplant, the lackluster pass rush has been the biggest surprise of the Seahawks’ season.

Although the defense has improved markedly in key areas since Week 4, it has been somewhat stunning that Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder and the rest have not been able to get to quarterbacks. This unit was easily the strength of the defense entering the season – yet has underperformed expectations.

But it is not simply a matter of those guys suddenly stinking. A lot of the blame lies with Pete Carroll and Ken Norton Jr. They have eschewed the pass rush at times and simply have not created any chemistry because they keep mixing and matching rotations.

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Week 11: Arizona, Week 12: At Washington, X's & O's

It’s adjust or bust

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A year ago at this time, the Seahawks were in the midst of an offensive meltdown that had started in Week 9 and dragged on for most of the rest of the season because Brian Schottenheimer and Russell Wilson stubbornly refused to play ball the right way.

The only time they altered philosophy was in a Week 15 game at Washington, where they used a quick, short passing game to pull off a 20-15 win.

Now, nearly a year later, the offensive funk has protracted across a new offensive coordinator as they head to Washington again. Will Shane Waldron and Wilson make the adjustments like Seattle made last year – and then sustain them?

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Week 11: Arizona, X's & O's

Lockett & Wilson see failure differently, which explains a lot

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In the wake of a familiar pathetic offensive performance in a 23-13 loss to Arizona, Tyler Lockett and Russell Wilson’s words illustrated exactly why the Seahawks are struggling.

Lockett spoke the truth: The Seahawks rely on big plays and are not good when those fail because they are bad at making in-game adjustments.

Lockett also told FOX 13 Seattle that defenses are playing the Seahawks differently than they play everyone else, based on the film the Hawks watch in preparing for each game. “They’re not giving us the same looks that they’re consistently giving every other team.” Lockett said the Hawks then do not adapt quickly enough.

Wilson, on the contrary, said he didn’t see the Cardinals do anything different, that it was all stuff he had seen before and adjustments were not the problem. “We just didn’t play clean,” he said.

The difference in viewpoints explains a lot about why the Seahawks are failing on offense.

Continue reading Lockett & Wilson see failure differently, which explains a lot →