Due to family obligations over the next couple weeks, this the only preseason game review of the Seahawks that I am going to publish this Summer. Therefore, I am going to give it my best to make this a good one. Here we go.

From a Seattle perspective, I saw a lot of things to be encouraged about in this game, but let me start with the most important position in football.

The other week, my heart sank into my stomach with the news that Geno Smith got hurt at practice, was going to miss some days, and was getting imaging work done on his knee and hip. This wasn’t the news I wanted to hear about on any level. It was like the dread I felt in high school when someone told me that the girl I was dating was in the bathroom making out with the wrestler dude who never bathes. Fuck.

You see, a few days before that, I was at practice, and what I witnessed from Geno was an absolute marvelous day of crisp downfield passes. I mean, I am talking flawless stuff, and I have been going to Seahawk practices for years, and I cannot recall seeing a better day of passing from a Seahawk quarterback. Not from Russell Wilson, nor peak Matt Hasselbeck. Geno looked that sharp.

What I saw at that practice from Sam Howell was okay. He made some cool plays with his arm and legs, and yet he was also a bit inaccurate at other times. It was no contest, though. Geno Smith looked vastly superior.

So, when this news broke about Geno getting hurt, the Seahawks’ season flashed before my eyes. My gut told me that if Seattle had to rely on Sam Howell through a stretch of games in 2024, they would be hard pressed to make it to the playoffs in Mike Macdonald’s first year as head coach.

One preseason game does not a season make or break for any team, but after watching what Howell did in this game against the Herbert-less Chargers of Los Angeles, my confidence meter about these Seahawks has elevated. This is exciting.

I figured Macdonald would get this Seahawk defense turned around, and in this game against the Chargers, they showed boat loads of promise (more gushing later). Tacklers tackled, and coverage players covered, and pass rushers like rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall made plays. I am fully confident that Seattle is going to see a major defensive turnaround this year, and this game has deepened those thoughts.

What I had major questions about is whether the offensive line could effectively block, and whether Sam Howell could play within himself to find his plays, and be protective with the ball. I think Howell and the offensive line (when run blocking) acquitted themselves well in this one.

In my training camp observations the other week, I wrote that if Seattle were to rely on Howell to win meaningful games, they would need to lean further into the run. Apparently, Seattle agreed with this assessment.

When they leaned into the run against the Chargers, Howell’s game opened up. Success on the ground allowed Howell to roll out, scramble, and make plays with his arm and legs. It was fun to watch.

This is how you are going to best roll with Sam Howell. He’s got a niftiness to him as a scrambler, and like Russell Wilson, with a lower center of gravity and a strong arm, he throws well on the run. His best throws came when it looked like he was potentially going to scramble for yards, and also off of play action. When he throws strictly from the pocket, that’s where it can be more of an adventure with him.

In watching this game, it felt like offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb knew this about Howell, and he dialed up an impressive ground game to compliment him. Honestly, I might be more excited about Grubb’s ability to adjust to the talent he has a quarterback than I am at the quarterback, himself, and that is taking nothing away from Howell. In fact, I am more impressed with Howell after this live outing than I was at training camp the other week.

With Howell, it could be entirely possible Seattle has a young QB2 who might be better on game days that at times during practice. That is not hugely uncommon, but it is something to keep in mind now that we saw him in his first preseason game for Seattle.

Some people want to comp Sam Howell to Baker Mayfield because of his size and the number on his jersey, but looking at him in this game and at practice, I see a different QB in the league to compare him towards. While it is possible that Baker might be his ceiling, I kinda see Gardner Minshew as his potential floor, and that isn’t a bad thing, in my view.

Minshew was an absolute gamer in college for Washington State who, just like Sam Howell, didn’t impress at the scouting combine, and fell in the draft. Since then, he has fluctuated between being a good backup to serviceable starter on and off over the years. This sorta fells like potentially the career Howell might be destined for. I think he could start for a team and do some fun things, but he may never reach more than a middling status, and whatever team he is the QB1 for, might be looking to replace him through the draft or whatever.

This is sorta what I felt I watched with him against the Chargers. He made good throws, made good decisions, but also perhaps displayed some limitations with accuracy a bit, and it felt like Grubb kept the offense simple. I would happily take that in a QB2 for my team. Currently, he looks like a much better backup option than Drew Lock did.

In fact, with the toughness the Seattle offensive line showed in its run blocking against the Chargers, and the speed and strength, and discipline the defense showed, if Sam Howell had to start the majority of the games this year, I think Seattle could still be a surprise team. I think Howell has just enough talent, and Seattle has enough around him on this roster, that they finally have an offensive coordinator to maximize it all in a way that suits Howell.

This is what this preseason game sorta showed me.

Guards like Anthony Bradford and rookie Christian Haynes moved big bodies to clear running lanes for running backs Kenny McIntosh and rookie George Holani, who both looked solid. There was an unmistakable physicality to Seattle’s ability to run the ball inside with power and speed, and Grubb used just enough motion in his plays to keep the Charger defense guessing.

There was also an unmistakable ability for Seattle’s defensive line to play with aggression and toughness. Byron Murphy looks destined to become a star, but rotational players like Mike Morris, and Derick Hall, and Myles Adams looked pretty damn good, as well.

In fact, of all the second year players who might make the biggest positive leap forward this year, I would pick edge rusher Hall as my guy to watch out for. His bend, and power and speed was on display in this game just as I saw it in practice.

But the thing that probably has me most excited about the Seahawks in watching this preseason game is the discipline shown on defense. Collectively, I sensed a unit playing together. I did not expect this so early from these guys who are picking up a complex scheme that Macdonald is bringing over from Baltimore.

Even though Macdonald didn’t show anything super complex, you still felt the allusion of complexity, at times. Mike Morris, for example, would flex out from defensive tackle to being a stand up edge rusher, and properly make a play in coverage at 300 pounds, for goodness sake.

Tacklers met ball carriers and receivers for routine small gains, or limit run after catch opportunities. You don’t have to have a deep understanding of all the nuances of American football to see players in the right places making routine plays.

One of these tacklers who really impressed me in this game was rookie middle linebacker Tyrice Knight. He looked fast and efficient in coverage and in angling up to meet a ball carrier. He impressed me in camp as well, and it was encouraging to see him carry it forward in this game.

Outside of Murphy, he might be the one rookie on defense that Seattle really needs to see positive net gains from, and so far, things look positive. Depth at middle linebacker still feels like a major concern for me, but Knight is doing stuff to mitigate that right now. I need to see this trend continue.

In terms of the secondary and defensive line, I think Seattle looks to have an assortment of riches. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they use nickel and dime packages predominantly.

Backup safeties Coby Bryant and K’Von Wallace played like quality starters. Riq Woolen looks like he has regained his 2022 pro bowl form and has improved upon it. Seattle’s defensive tackle rotation looks tough as nails, and is ready to fuck shit up this year. The young edge rushing talents of Boye Mafe and Derick Hall feel excitingly bright, and I will repeat what I said above; I think Derick Hall is destined to be the breakout player this year.

We just need competent play at middle linebacker, and there were signs in this game that it could be there this year. Tyrel Dodson looked very capable at MIKE linebacker, Knight looked like he belongs in this defense, and, surprisingly, so did journeyman Jon Rhattigan. To me, this is all a sign that Seattle’s defense is being coached up well.

I do not mean this to be a huge knock on Pete Carroll and his great legacy in Seattle, but it has been years since I have seen a Seahawk defense look this fundamentally sound and on point in a preseason game, much less a game midseason. This basic level display of play, of see ball carrier, tackle ball carrier, drop into proper zone, and tackle pass catcher, has me really excited about the potential for the Seahawks this year.

If they can keep Geno Smith healthy enough, Ryan Grubb can fully maximize his playbook much like he did for two years at Washington. I mean, open this sucker up like a 1970’s muscle car on open roads in Montana, not the let’s play it safe stuff that was on display with Howell in this match.

You pair that with this sort of early preseason defensive effort shown from Mike Macdonald’s defense, and it is super easy for me to dream bigger this year for the Seahawks, and what they could do.

I think they now have the play callers in place on both sides of the ball with schemes to get the most out of the players on this roster. That can easily be good for eleven wins barring a bad rash of injuries to key players.

Are they on the same level as the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and such?

I’m not going to anoint them yet, but I am intrigued to find out how far the gap is between them and these more heavily anticipated NFC teams. I have optimism they might be on their way to closing in.

This Seattle team honestly feels like it isn’t just destined to become the Baltimore Ravens out West. It feels like it has the potential to be a hybrid of the teams that just played in the national championship game last January.

With Grubb running the offense, and Macdonald (who was also the mastermind of a dominant defense in college at Michigan as well as a dominant defense in Baltimore) calling the defense, I do dare to dream about Seattle becoming a perfect balanced mix of 2023 Washington and 2023 Michigan at the NFL level. The resulting effects of that union being an offense that aggressively attacks defenses married to a defense that’s number one goal is to confuse and disorient quarterbacks with relentless pass rush and tricky coverages.

What a marriage that would be. If they can gel towards that this year, this is going to be a fun season of football.

This one simple little preseason game against a Chargers team that didn’t have a lot of starters playing (Seattle rested a bunch of starters as well) has elevated my hopes. There is still a lot of work for Seattle to do to get to this perfect unified state of tying its offense to its defense and special teams, and Mike Macdonald acknowledged afterwards, but this was a positive step forward, no doubt about it.

This is going to be a very different Seahawks team than what we have seen in the last several years. You are going to feel them more up front more on both sides of the ball. You will see stronger fundamentals.

Mike Macdonald is not going to likely wow you with his personality. You won’t see him animated on sidelines like we have gotten to enjoy from Carroll for a decade and a half. Instead, you will see a stoic straight forward dude who will not allow his players to get ahead of themselves. Praises will be there from him, but it will be more measured. He will push them in ways in which many have not been pushed yet in their careers.

It was fitting that his very first preseason game was coached against his old Michigan boss Jim Harbaugh. The culture and vibe of this team on Sundays will be more Harbaugh-esque, and I support that with every fiber of my Seahawk fanaticism.

This is the change that I wanted to see happen for the Seattle Seahawks, and I think this game was a good step forward in that direct.

I want to see more of it.

Go Hawks.