Tag Archives: Shane Waldron

Lots of credit to go around so far, including Waldron

November 4, 2022 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks had a heck of an October, going 4-1 to leap into first place in the NFC West, and credit has deservedly been shared by many players – Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker III and Tariq Woolen pulled a trifecta of monthly NFC awards.

Clint Hurtt also has gotten a lot of credit for flipping the defense – since Week 6, the Hawks have cut points allowed in half (30.8 to 15), rushing yards almost in half (170 to 92) and passing yards by a quarter (260 to 198) while tripling their sack total (six to 19).

But another guy who should get some credit is Shane Waldron. The second-year OC took some heat early in the season for getting too cute – the worst example coming when he trotted out four RBs against the 49ers and DeeJay Dallas threw an INT at the goal line.

But Waldron has presented a variety of formations and some great concepts that have helped Smith and the offense succeed beyond anyone’s preseason projections. They are the No. 4 scoring offense in the league, at 26.3 ppg – behind only AFC powerhouses Kansas City (31.9) and Buffalo (29) and undefeated Philly (28.1). The Hawks are the No. 7 unit by DVOA.

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OTAs, Video, X's & O's

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

May 11, 2022 cc 3 Comments

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

It’s adjust or bust

November 23, 2021 cc 2 Comments

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

November 21, 2021 cc 3 Comments

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.

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State of the team, Week 11: Arizona, X's & O's

Last chance for Wilson to prove he has not hit his ceiling

November 19, 2021 cc 5 Comments

In the wake of Seattle’s embarrassing shutout loss in Green Bay, the topic of Russell Wilson’s future with the Seahawks came back to light – with numerous national media revisiting the prospect of a split after this season.

While plenty of fans and media still cling to the myth that Wilson has been failed by the franchise and is a victim of mismanagement and poor coaching and personnel, that’s the bass-ackwards way of looking at it. Wilson is a double-edged sword who always has been half the problem, and he needs to adjust his play if the Seahawks are going to flip things around over the final eight games.

We do agree with all of those people on one thing though: This should be the final test of whether Wilson should stay Seattle’s quarterback going forward.

If he can’t adjust – if he and Shane Waldron cannot agree on how to proceed, if he remains a one-dimensional passer, if it becomes clear he has hit his ceiling — it may indeed be time to trade him.

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Week 10: At Green Bay

Wilson’s ego leads to shutout as Waldron continues to struggle

November 14, 2021 cc 1 Comment

Russell Wilson’s ego led to the first shutout loss of his career, and Shane Waldron did not do his part to stop it.

Waldron put the game in the hands of Wilson, who was Russ-ty as he came back from a month off and played in frigid weather in Green Bay. The result: 17-0, the first shutout loss of Wilson’s career.

The Hawks were running the ball well and needed to do it a lot more. Alex Collins was over four yards a pop. Lanes were there.

But Waldron let Wilson throw air balls, wobblers and end zone interceptions instead of mixing in the run to keep it manageable for the still-recovering QB.

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Week 6: At Pittsburgh

At 2-4, season is not over, but Hawks have no room for error now

October 19, 2021 cc Leave a comment

“Postponing judgment is a powerful tool.” – Pete Carroll

As much as some fans might want to put the nails in Seattle’s coffin after just six games, the simple fact is the Seahawks (2-4) are still breathing – the season is far from over.

But they are going to need to win their next two home games if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.

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Week 5: L.A. Rams

Rams week is why Waldron is here

October 6, 2021 cc Leave a comment

“We have a lot of respect for what they do, obviously, so much that we brought it here.” – Pete Carroll, on the Rams and Seattle’s own ex-Ram, Shane Waldron.

Shane Waldron had an inconsistent first month as Seattle’s OC and clearly has not yet found his rhythm as a playcaller – the offense has failed to play a complete game as the Hawks have started a disappointing 2-2.

But, like it or not, his warmup is over and it’s show time. His former team is in town for a nationally aired Thursday night game, and it’s time to show exactly why Carroll and Russell Wilson brought Waldron to Seattle. He’s here to beat the Rams, first and foremost.

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Week 3: At Minnesota, X's & O's

After Week 2 failure, Waldron faces big test

September 24, 2021 cc 1 Comment

In the wake of a horrific upset loss to Tennessee and with a tough four-game stretch looming, Shane Waldron’s first test has arrived quite quickly.

If the Seahawks are going to stay in the race for home field, Waldron is going to have to rebound from a poor second game by scheming more like he did in the opener, and he is going to need to get Russell Wilson to follow his lead.

It all starts in Minnesota on Sunday.

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Week 2: Tennessee

‘We screwed that up’

September 20, 2021 cc 2 Comments

“We screwed that up.” – Pete Carroll on 710 ESPN

The Seahawks’ first two games have taken the fans on an emotional rollercoaster. They had everyone’s hopes up after a great Week 1 win in Indianapolis, only to follow that up with one of the worst home losses of Russell Wilson’s career.

The pathetic 33-30 overtime loss to Tennessee was right down there with Washington in 2017 and the Giants in 2020 for Wilson’s worst home setbacks.

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