We are now through eight games of the 2019 NFL season, our beloved Seattle Seahawks sit 6-2, and we all know what this means; mid season grades. Yay!

I have sat down with my expert panel and we have poured over the tape, and.. well, no we haven’t. I’m a middle aged burn out running on selective memory, and my expert panel consists of my tabby cat, Earl, and my black kitty, Kam, and they don’t have the NFL Game Pass to watch any all-access footage. So, we just sort of sat together, haggled, rubbed bellies, bit wrists, and we came up with the following grades. Hope you enjoy.

Quarterback. A+

Curtis: Russell Wilson has never started a season stronger. This is the best I’ve ever seen him, and I’ve always thought of him as a top five level quarterback. He’s a legit MVP candidate.

Kam: This team is 6-2 because of Russell Wilson. If they had Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback, they might be 2-6, or worse. For this team to win games, they need to consistently have great quarterback play, and for the most part, that has been RW.

Earl: Chris Carson deserves to be mentioned as a factor as to why this team is 6-2, as does Tyler Lockett, but Russell Wilson has been amazing. If he was supported by even a halfway decent defense, this team could easily be 8-0 right now, just like the 49ers and Patriots. I should be happy about 6-2 but I just feel darkness in my soul when I think about this. Darkness, I say. Darkness.

Running Back. A-

Earl: Chris Carson is the man. I wanted them to trade Rashaad Penny to Tampa for tight end OJ Howard before Tuesday’s trade deadline. That’s how much I think of Penny. Nice player, I suppose, but Carson da’ man.

Curtis: I don’t want to get into this again. Tampa was not going to trade Howard for Penny straight across, and to be honest, even if Seattle were to deal him, Chris Carson has never played a full healthy season of football ever. Never ever. This team needs Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson together.

Kam: I like Carson and Penny just fine, but is it just me, or doesn’t it seem like CJ Prosise should also see more carries? I’d kinda like seeing him more involved. I don’t know why you two are looking at me like that. Do I have a poo stuck on my tail?

Receiver. B+

Earl: Tyler Lockett is a Jedi Knight, or something. I don’t know what water he’s been drinking but keep him guzzling it. DK Metcalf has looked a lot better than I thought he would as a rookie. David Moore has been a little disappointing, though. I thought Moore was supposed to be the breakout player here.

Kam: Lockett is playing like a top five receiver in the league, and DK seems like a star in the making. Everyone else behind them just sort of feels more like a guy. I want to see more out of Moore. Wouldn’t you know it? This feline is a poet.

Curtis: You can’t rhyme “more” with “Moore.” That’s just stupid. Kinda cute, whatever. Lockett is playing like the best player on the team not named Russell Wilson. DK has been the most pleasant surprise of the season for me, and I think we will see David Moore start to take off more as the season moves along.

Tight End. B-

Kam: This group would have been graded an A if Will Dissly wasn’t lost to the season, again. Sorry subject. I feel a hair ball coming up.

Curtis: Still feels like a punch to the gut that they lost Dissly again. I was hoping they would pull off a trade. I’m fine with Luke Willson and Jacob Hollister. Fingers crossed that Hollister comes along quickly.

Earl: Loosing Dissly was like that dude on Game of Thrones who was fighting that really big dude, and pretty much had him killed, but then he starts dancing around, and acting like a jackass, and then that really big dude grabs his head and squishes it like a grape. Just so shocking and wrong and horrible and.. why? Why did this have to happen?

Offensive Line. B-

Curtis: It’s tough grading this group because it’s been kind of banged up, but I feel there has generally been decent pass protection in most games, and they’ve opened up holes for the backs. Germaine Ifedi seems to have been playing a lot better lately.

Kam: The line has been okay to decent. I worry about the age on this line with Brown, and Iupati, and Fluker, and now depth is going to seriously be tested with the loss of Justin Britt.

Earl: This group hasn’t been as strong as I thought they would be, but they also haven’t been Tom Cable bad, either. I actually think Joey Hunt will be fine at center. We just can’t lose Brown and one of the older guards. Man, that just sent a cold chill down me spine.

Defensive Line. C-

Earl: This has been the biggest area of disappointment for me. Jadeveon Clowney has been practically doing it all by himself as a pass rusher, while Ziggy Ansah has felt like an expensive free agent bust. My only hope is that Jarran Reed starts rolling now that he is back. This is the area that they have got to attack aggressively next season to fix. Does first round pick LJ Collier look like a player to any of you? Honest question.

Curtis: I almost wanted to give this unit an incomplete. Ansah has been slow to come back from injuries, and they lost Reed for a six game suspension. I think they were hoping more from Poona Ford and Rasheem Green. So far, it feels like the younger players haven’t really stepped up much. Quinton Jefferson might be the best player on the DL outside Clowney. They need better play here. Reed gives me some hope.

Kam: Fellas, y’all gotta relax a bit. They are just getting Jarran Reed back. Al Woods has been pretty good against the run, Poona has flashed, Q Jeff has been playing well, Clowney has been playing well, and they are just starting to get Ansah back. No one was saying this was going to be the team’s strength. Chill-ax a bit here.

Linebacker. B-

Kam: Bobby hasn’t been playing as good as he was last year, but he is still pretty darn good. KJ will make the savvy play here and there, but just doesn’t seem like he has the same juice. Kendricks will make a splash play, but then also misses tackles. I say let’s start seeing more Cody Barton and BBK.

Earl: Bobby is still good, but has he been playing like the best linebacker in the league good? Not so far. KJ is toast. Kendricks is okay. We can talk about getting the rookies more involved but how about we just go back to running more nickel, and pull one of these guys off the field?

Curtis: Bobby needs to play better, and I think he will. I could stand to see more of Barton and BBK sprinkled in. Just get more speed out there.

Secondary C+

Curtis: Shaquill Griffin has been the real bright spot of this defense. Unfortunately, the safety play has been spotty, and Tre Flowers has had some ups and downs. That said, I’m really hopeful that by starting rookie Marquise Blair and adding newly acquired Quandre Diggs, this backfield is going to be a lot more explosive, and that will be the spark needed for this defense. Fingers crossed here.

Earl: Marquise Blair makes me warm and mushy inside. Pete Carroll must keep him on the field as much as possible.  My biggest concern is depth at corner. If they lose Griffin to injury, I just.. I can’t. I will poop on your pillow.

Kam: Griffin, Diggs, Blair, and Flowers. That’s the starting foursome that I want to see. That’s the backfield that will give you the most speed and pops. That makes me want to roll around on your feet until you pet me, and then I bite you.

Special Teams C+

Earl: Who the #$%* cares about special teams?

Curtis: I do. Michael Dickson has had a bit of a sophomore slump. Jason Myers hasn’t been bad but hasn’t been pro bowl good, either, and the coverage units have been spotty. They all played great against Atlanta, though, so maybe they turn things around.

Kam: Who the #$%* cares about special teams?

Coaching. B

Kam: Pete Carroll doesn’t always do the best clock management stuff, but he has a team with marginal talent at 6-2, largely due to the play of his quarterback, but still, I gotta credit the silver fox. He’s good.

Earl: Pete is Pete. He will always have his roster believing, and fighting. I actually think  Brian Schottenheimer has been doing pretty well calling plays for Russell. Ken Norton on the defense, however, not as wild about. I don’t even know the name of the special teams coach. Does anyone really seriously care about special teams?

Curtis: I think Carroll has done a solid job getting the most out of these players. The offense is way ahead of the defense, which is weird for a Pete Carroll coached team. It is what it is, but I think Pete will have them playing their best ball in December.

Closing Thoughts

Curtis: Tough part of the schedule lays ahead, but I think the team will find a way to go 5-3 in those games, finish with a 11-5 record, and make the playoffs. Go Hawks.

Kam: I think Russell Wilson will be jobbed out of the MVP for Aaron Rodgers, Seattle  squeezes into the playoffs, but beats Green Bay in Green Bay and that will be Russell’s revenge. Go Hawks.

Earl: The San Fransisco 49ers terrify me.. on every level. Holy #$%*. Seattle has got to play their best ball in the second half of the season, or it’s going to get ug-il-y, ya know? Go Hawks.