Tag Archives: Alton Robinson

Pass rush: How did Hawks turn strength into weakness?

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.

Continue reading Pass rush: How did Hawks turn strength into weakness?
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Surprising 3-0 start has been costly, too

We thought the Seahawks would be 1-2 at this point (on the way to 11-5), so 3-0 is a nice surprise – especially as they give up 400 passing yards and 28+ points per game.

It has been costly though:

The margin of error is so small for this defense-poor team. For the second straight week, a HUGE offensive mistake made the game closer than it should have been. DK Metcalf showboated on what should have been a 63-yard TD catch, and cornerback Trevon Diggs punched the ball through the end zone from the 1.  

Continue reading Surprising 3-0 start has been costly, too

Cheap Hawks swapped Thomas & Clark for 3 pass rushers and a guard

Draft logo 2020Once upon a time, the Seahawks had the NFL’s top-paid players (or close to it) at three defensive positions, along with the No. 2-paid quarterback.

In 2019, they made Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner the league’s top-paid QB and middle linebacker — but they have not been interested in paying anyone else in that stratosphere since 2017, when they gave Kam Chancellor another top-three deal.

They didn’t want to pay Earl Thomas and Frank Clark in 2019, and they don’t want to pay Jadeveon Clowney this year.

Basically, they don’t want to pay elite pass rushers. So they used Thomas and Clark to draft a few. And, like it or not, they are counting on those swaps to work out.

Continue reading Cheap Hawks swapped Thomas & Clark for 3 pass rushers and a guard

Hawks hit one big need, but missed two

Draft logo 2020The Seahawks hardly did a thing we expected them to in the draft.

They had three major needs – edge rusher, defensive tackle and offensive tackle – and we also expected them to move down from the first round to end up with five Day 2 picks in a draft that was especially loaded in the second round.

But, they didn’t accomplish most of those things. In fact, it’s the first time since 2015 that they did not address two of their top three needs in a draft.

Continue reading Hawks hit one big need, but missed two