While I am reluctant to put too much stock into a week one loss at home against a tough division rival in the San Francisco 49ers, enough time as passed where dust has settled on a couple thoughts that I have regarding the Seahawks as a team this year.

One thought is that, if it weren’t for the misfortune of a small hand full of bad plays (an early third down drop by Cooper Kupp, a run after catch fumble by JSN, a couple bad coverage plays by Riq Woolen, and Abe Lucas getting trucked into the throwing hand of Sam Darnold by Nick Bosa), the Seahawks could have walked out of Lumen Field with a quality win over San Francisco. Things feel bad after any loss, and they feel worse with a loss at home against a hated rival, but often times, the game itself may not have been as bad as it initially felt. I really believe that this game was one of those.

The other thing that I have been mulling over is that perhaps now is the time for Mike Macdonald to turn the page on a couple of Pete Carroll holdovers who simply haven’t been living up to the hype, and fitting these schemes. I wonder if running back Ken Walker is, at all, system fit for Seattle, and I have the same concern over cornerback Riq Woolen.

Firstly, let’s have a good old fashioned glass half full look at last Sunday’s game

As mentioned in a game recap piece I wrote on Monday, even though the final score of this 17-13 loss at home to San Francisco felt grim, I left the game with an impression that maybe Seattle didn’t really play as bad as some would think, and in another match, they might have easily walked away with a quality win. Today, with more dust settled, I feel more steadfast in this belief.

The Seahawk defense was set to be the star of the day. They pressured Brock Purdy more than he had ever been pressured in a game, and that caused two interceptions. In a world full of coulda woulda shoulda, had Riq Woolen sustained his technique on a sideline ball to Ricky Pearsall, or had he made a dedicated attempt to intercept a desperation throw by Purdy in the corner of the end zone, Seattle could have held San Francisco to 10 points, and walked away with a gritty win where the defense would have been the major storyline.

As for the knee jerking fans who wanted to dump on Sam Darnold afterwards (I saw a lot of your online), the advanced analytics of Pro Football Focus had him graded has the fourth best performing NFL quarterback in week one with an elite 82.6 grade, and he was the top performing Seahawk offensive player in the game, just ahead of Charles Cross, and JSN. While I recognize that in the divided society that we live in, people use PFF analytics to support views on players that they want to defend, and then they want to dismiss PFF grades as hoo-ey when they don’t align with their narratives, I tend to put a lot more stock in their metric grading as the truest judge in the court of public opinion.

Their metric system isn’t just raw data, it looks at the data inside the prism of what plays were called and what the intention was behind them. With this in mind, PFF had concluded that Darnold pretty much did everything he was asked to do to go win a ball game. He took care of the football (the strip sack wasn’t on him), he was decisive getting the ball out to the right places, and he was generally pretty accurate.

Had Cooper Kupp been able to haul in an early third down pass that hit his hands, then late in the game made a stronger attempt to stretch out for a critical third down that kept possession, had JSN not coughed up the football on a catch and run screen towards the red zone, Darnold’s raw stat lines probably would have looked a lot better. He was not the problem for Seattle’s offense.

Now for the K9 bad stuff on Sunday and thoughts as to what Seattle should do moving forward

I think Ken Walker was problem this last Sunday against the 49ers, and I think he’s been a problem for a while. Let me expand my thoughts.

Brian Nemhauser of Hawkblogger mentioned on his podcast the other day that Seattle uses different blocking concepts for when Zach Charbonnet is in the game than what they do for Ken Walker. On top of that, Field Gulls just came out with an article displaying how K9 has a tendency to misread a lot of the zone blocks in front of him, and his impulse is to always look to kick things to the outside instead of properly going where his blocking should lead him towards.

Okay, let’s think about this and really breakdown what happened on Sunday.

Seattle’s lone touchdown scoring drive happened when Charbonnet was the featured runner. Let’s review the plays that happened on that drive.

First play of that series was a six yard run by Charbonnet. Second play was a five yard Charbonett run, and first down. Third play was a 21 yard Darold pass to JSN. Then it is another five yard Charbonnet run. Ken Walker mixes in for a four yard run (good). Third and one, tight end AJ Barner is used as a wildcat QB (interestingly not Jalen Milroe), they gain two yards, and a first down. Four yard run by Charbonnet, followed by another four yard run by Charbonnet, followed by a negative gain by Charbonnet on third down that forces fourth and goal.

Seattle passes on fourth, draws a pass interference, and a new set of downs at the goal line. Next play was Charbonnet punching it in at the one yard line behind left guard Grey Zabel. This concluded a lovely, well managed, well executed touchdown scoring drive.

None of the runs by Zach Charbonnet during this drive were super flashy, but most of them were good positive gains that any offensive coordinator would be happy to take, especially on the early downs getting them to third down and manageable situations for a mature NFL quarterback to operate out of. They were strong, and decisive runs, too.

Decisive is the operative word that I want to use for Klint Kubiak’s offense. It requires it from its quarterback, but it equally requires it from its runners, as well. See the right read quickly and hit it. This touchdown scoring drive is pretty much how you would like to draw it up for this scheme.

Now, let’s look at some of K9’s day on Sunday in comparison to the drive described. Fair warning, it is not fun.

The third possession of Seattle started with a toss run to K9 on the outside right that 49er linebackers read well, and it was a one yard loss, and the next to plays were incompletions that led to a punt. This series was the exact opposite of the touchdown drive led by the running of Charbonnet. The fourth offensive series that followed was even worse.

In the fourth series, the first play was a screen pass to K9, again to the outside right, that All Pro linebacker Fred Warner read well, and it was a negative five yard play that put Seattle in second and fifteen. Adding insult to injury, the very next was an inside draw to K9 that was a minus three yards making it third and eighteen. The third down pass was yet another minus three yard pass to K9. Yikes.

In this damning series, it was three plays, all directed to K9, that led to a whopping negative eleven yards for the Seattle offense. It felt like the San Francisco defenders were completely inside Kubiak’s playbook, possibly knowing exactly how Seattle would try to get K9 going, and they attacked it accordingly.

Now, let’s go back to this notion that Seattle uses different blocking methods for Charbonnet and K9 to fit what each runner’s strengths are, and comfortabilities. I want to break down their final possession just before haft time for you.

Seattle gets the ball back with a chance to grab the lead. First play of the series is a six yard run up the middle by Charbonnet, and it is followed by a 22 yard pass to JSN, there is a nine yard pass to Kupp, a 4 yard run by Charbonnet, an incompletion, and then a brilliant nine yard bootleg run by Darnold that sets up a Jason Meyer field goal that gives Seattle a halftime lead, and good vibes heading into the half.

Notice, if you will, that at that critical juncture in the game, the Seattle coaches trusted Zach Charbonnet over K9 to be on the field executing plays that led to a go ahead score before the half. Let that firmly sink into your mind, and think about why that was the decision.

I am not going to go into all the offensive stats that generated during the second half of this game, but it was basically a lot more of the same as described above. The first offensive possession for Seattle included a K9 run for no gain, and the next time they had the ball Charbonnet gained six yards on a carry, was stopped for no gain, Darnold made a nice third down throw to JSN, and it eventually led to the JSN fumble that was costly. The greater point is that it was largely a continuation of positive results when Charbonnet was featured as a runner, and troubling results when Walker was the guy.

This is purely my opinion on both Seattle running backs, but it is backed by what I saw last year, and what I saw out of this game on Sunday. I think Zach Charbonnet is the guy who you should take to the alter and marry in this offense, and Ken Walker is a fella you can be compelled to flirt with because of some top shelf athletic intangibles, but you maybe should not commit towards, if you want this offense to run optimally as designed by Klint Kubiak.

Charbonnet will give you significantly better decisiveness as a runner, he will offer significantly more toughness inside, and he’s got enough wheels on him to kick it outside, as well, when it is required for him to do so. He does more, he offers more, and most importantly, he does what this scheme asks him to do. He is who you marry.

Far too many Seahawk fans and members of Seattle media have gotten too swept up by the memories of K9’s rookie year, and the home run threat he provides in open space, but there has been enough time, and history that has shown that, with each year with him here, he has gotten less, and less productive as a player. Part of that is definitely due to injuries, but even in that, I wonder how much of his history of injuries has led to more indecisiveness out of him, and how much unwillingness he has to firmly stick his nose inside like Charbonnet does for tough gains.

If he is playing protective, seeking out the big play instead of the tough yards required, he is a problem. If he just does not have the innate instincts as a runner to see the proper places he needs to go, and needs different blocking than Charbonnet does, I think he is also a problem, and ultimately, Mike Macdonald has to be the one to make a tough call.

I know that this is just one game to start the season, and maybe this weekend he does some cool stuff on the road against the Steelers that makes up for it, but I wouldn’t be willing to bet much at that, at this point. The Steelers bring a very physical brand of football on defense, and I think they are more talented up front than the 49ers are in totality.

If I were Mike Macdonald, I would be calling upon on a lot more I formation featuring Robbie Ouzts in front of Charbonnet than I would mixing in Walker. I would consider sticking with that format and using more George Holani with it, as well.

But I am not an NFL head coach, and I don’t know all the ins and outs of play calling. I just see what I see on my television set, and whenever I am at games. I like what I see a lot more from Charbonnet than I do from Walker, and I have felt this way for about a year, now. His flashy is not as flashy as K9’s flashy, but his style just feels more dependable, and reliable.

Even more importantly to the bigger picture of this team, I also think that it is highly problematic if the coaches are having a young offensive line block one way for Zach, and another for K9. It is putting more on their plates, and it is giving defenses very obvious tells as to what to expect when each back is in the game.

If a major goal for this team this year is to get a young line gelling together and becoming good together, wouldn’t it be best for them to put less on their plates when run blocking? And is it not a massive hinderance to the development of the line to tell defenses that Seattle will do one thing for Zach when he is in the game, and then something completely different for K9?

Part of the beauty of this whole Kubiak/Shanahan/McVay style offense is to keep looks the same, but then run different things off of those looks, building, and orchestrating a variety of plays of them to keep defenses unsure and on their toes. There is a rhythm to that designed to lull defenders, and then surprise them. If the defenders see that certain things get called for one back, and other things get called for the other, does that not diminish the ability for this offense to function in its truest intents?

I don’t like it at all. This is why I am out on K9 right now.

Now for the Riq Woolen issues

As for Riq Woolen, I feel like I am equally ready to turn the page on him. I will be very blunt about that, and I have always been drawn to his big play potential.

Like K9, he has all world physical traits to be a dominant player, but he just lacks way too much consistency for me to want to rely on him figuring it out, and if Mike Macdonald really does love Josh Jobe, and he likes others on the roster, as well, I am ready to move on. I am squarely to this point.

This is year four for Woolen, and he had a full season under Macdonald to learn the complexities of this defense scheme. He has also had a full offseason to further grow even further in it, and while I know this is just one game to start the season, good lord, he still showed lapses in basic fundamentals that other DBs in this scheme do not seem to show.

Josh Jobe, like Charbonnet, feels more reliable, and I suspect that if Shaq Griffin got into games, he would offer more consistency in coverage and against the run, if not any real big play potential that Woolen provides. On top of this, I don’t know how much of this particular scheme depends on big play potential at cornerback over doing all the fundamentals correctly. In Baltimore, I don’t think Macdonald had any big play shutdown guys playing cornerback in his league leading defense in 2023. His playmakers were his safeties, and inside linebackers.

Riq Woolen will always tease with his high level playmaking abilities. His length and athleticism makes him a league wide rarity, and the fact that he’s a former receiver, he has very natural abilities to make plays on the ball once it is launched downfield, and he finds himself in decent position.

The main issue is playing with the requisite discipline to put himself consistently in good position. If he could just do that, he has the talent to be the best cornerback in the league, but going into year four now, he has yet to show he can.

Personally, I don’t think it is that hard to imagine that had Shaq Griffin (who played decently as a starter for the Vikings last year) been covering Pearsall down the sideline last Sunday, he would have kept better position, and that the play would have resulted in an incompletion. I think it is also possible that had he been in coverage in the corner of the end zone as Purdy carelessly lobbed up that pass, his veteran instincts would have taken over and he would have made a stronger play on the ball than the half hearted attempt Woolen gave on that play which contributed to a fluky touchdown grab.

If most fans are willing to place most of the blame on Sunday’s loss to Woolen, I wouldn’t argue against that. He has too much talent to not live up to his potential, and this is year four for him to prove that he deserves a big payday on the 2026 offseason.

These two brain farts should not happen him at this stage, and that fact that they occurred in the season opener at home, against a fierce rival, in a contract year to boot, feels almost more unforgivable, and damning. If we see him benched next week, I wouldn’t be upset.

That said, I have a split mindset when it comes to him, as well.

On one side of my brain, I would hope that the embarrassment for being viewed as the main culprit for a tough loss would be the thing to finally make him pissed off for greatness as a player through the remainder of this year, and on Sunday, in Pittsburgh, he plays his ass off against DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers. If I am to wager anything of significance that this would happen, however, I would be incredibly stressed out by that, however.

This leads to my more dominant mindset on Riq which is heaped in great reluctance to ever trust that he will ever put forth all the necessary efforts to be consistently great. I am so hestitant about him that if Pete Carroll came sniffing around dangling a third round pick like he did with Geno Smith, and he was dealt next week, I think I would be feeling pretty good about it for Seattle if that deal were made.

I do believe that Woolen, given his youth, his physical traits, and the premium position that he plays as an outside cornerback, would net significantly more value for Seattle in a trade than Ken Walker would, at this point. In a more simplified defensive scheme, that doesn’t ask as much out of defensive backs as Macdonald requires, I think it is possible that Woolen could do better somewhere else than here.

Here, in Seattle? I am dubious to see it with him, at this point. He should know by now what is required out of him by Macdonald, and he should be more serous minded than what his play demonstrated last Sunday.

Josh Jobe appears to get it. Woolen should, by now, get it, and be playing his ass off in a contract year. This feels like a turning point for him here now where he must decide if he is in, or out.

My conclusive thoughts on what I most need right now out of the Seahawks come hell of high water

At the end of the day, while I would love to see this roster comprised of blue chip players everywhere with elite traits shooting out their nostrils, I want a roster full of what I think Mike Macdonald guys are. I want good football players, who above everything else, are smart, disciplined, serious minded guys, and committed to playing the best brand of football together as they can collectively do.

I don’t need a world class athlete at quarterback if he is not ready to properly read and dissect an NFL defense. I don’t need a wildly athletic runner if he cannot properly see the holes, and lanes he is supposed to attack. I don’t need some long freaky fast corner if he cannot stay fundamental in his coverage skills, and I do not need a tall burner receiver if he cannot run required routes and catch with reliable hands.

I need good, dependable football players across the board, and if there is a smidgen of blue chip talent in there at a few spots, then I think that should be enough to make this team a truer contender down the line. This is the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.

Right now, I am good to see what we got with Darnold. I love what we got with JSN. I am eager to see Zach Charbonnet assert himself as our featured runner, and I feel better about Josh Jobe at corner than I do today with Riq Woolen. There is a long list of other guys on this team that I feel good about, too. I love me some Big Cat Williams.

I just need this team to comprise of 53 Mike Macdonald players to suit up every Sunday, and once that happens, I will judge more sternly what kind of coach I think Macdonald is. This year, even more so than last year, must be about this very thing.

It is time for Mike Guys, and you are either in, or you are out.

Go Hawks.