Don’t worry about your Seahawks losing this weekend to the Houston Texans. They are as bad of a team as it gets in the realms of professional sports.
They are a terrible offensive team, and they cannot stop the run on defense if it was my preschooler was lining up at running back against their defensive tackles. They are a miserable team, owned by an idiot who couldn’t see the value of positive culture, even if he was soaking in a jacuzzi full of yogurt with Ted Lasso.
I feel bad for their players and fans.
But even though Seattle will travel down there and comfortably handle this sad team, prepare to be underwhelmed by the Seahawks getting this win. Doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the moments, but this will not be the beat down that you are craving.
Pete Carroll will see how bad their run defense is, and how bad their offense is at scoring, and he will instruct Shane Waldron to dial back the passing in favor of a conservative ground game to drain clock and score enough points to walk away comfortably with 5-8 record, and a slim playoffs chance remaining. I think this is the most certain thing to expect from the Seahawks in this one.
So all that fancy quick tempo and variety of pass plays that you saw Russell Wilson do against a tough 49er defense last Sunday probably isn’t going to happen. If this is true, it will be a shame, in my view, because I think there would be a lot to be gained for this offense to further work out the kinks of their hurry up, and show the fans how exciting it can be, and also gain further momentum with it as they travel to Los Angeles next week for a do or die rematch against the Rams.
If the Seahawks were coached by an offensive mind like Mike Holmgren was, I think this is the mode that they would travel with to face this inferior opponent. He would see the value of allowing his star quarterback to gain as much confidence as possible by throwing four or five touchdowns.
But Pete Carroll will see it much differently. Having his future with this team in a wee bit of doubt with team owner Jody Allen apparently not thrilled about how this season has gone, and having lost his star safety Jamal Adams to season ending shoulder injury, all signs point to Pete going the safe route in this one, and I get it.
He should have left guard Damien Lewis back and that will work to further fix a run game that now features geriatric Adrian Peterson and injury prone Rashaad Penny. He will probably feel more the urge to allow Penny to have a big “get right” game over Russell Wilson padding his passing stats and finding further rhythm with his receivers.
Not that Russ won’t have a good outing. I’m sure there’s going to be some pretty deep shots to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf that will happen off of his play action passing. He might even throw for two scores or more in that process, but I think the end result of this game is going to leave you wanting more, especially if you had him starting on your fantasy team based on this match.
I’m going to say at the final whistle blow this game ends in a 24-13 victory. It will feel like a decent enough win, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the score is 21-6 midway through the third quarter before Carroll dials it back on offense to drain out, but I think this final score won’t be reflect how easily Seattle handled this team.
I think it will also have a lot of us going “meh” afterwards, and maybe a little extra annoyed that Seattle couldn’t preserve the win against Tennessee at home early in the season, couldn’t find a way to beat a struggling Saints team (or that team in Washington), and have a record of 8-5 instead of 5-8 with a very slim chance at scrapping it out for the final playoff spot in the NFC.
This is how I am likely to feel, and I won’t fault you if you feel the same. I’m here for you in that.
I’m sorry that you spent hundreds of dollars on airfare, hotel accommodations, and tickets to watch your team play my Seahawks in Seattle on a crisp cold day in December. I’m sure you thought this was going to be the season your team was finally going to stick it to the struggling Seahawks at home with a good ol’ fashioned beat down in front of all those blue and green screaming Twelves that always get under your skin.
Judging by the amount of red jerseys I saw in the stands, you came together in the masses. Much respect to all these Faithful fans making the trek with you.
I don’t blame y’all for making the trip up here to the Emerald City, either. My Seatttle Seahawks have sucked wet butt this year. It’s a statement of fact.
They got no offensive line, no running backs, they got very little pass rush mixed with leaky coverage, and they have had to deal with their banged up star quarterback coming back from major injury while trying to understand this new offense, and he’s been an abject mess.
If your shoes were on my feet, I would have dropped two grand to travel up and see this match live and in person, as well.
In fact, I predicted a blow out in favor of your beloved 49ers. I felt, for certain, that was going to happen, and I wanted to prepare my readers for it. I felt duty bound.
And, by golly, for the first quarter and a half, it looked like your team was going to pull off this royal ass whooping. I’ve seen a lot of bad football in my time, I cannot remember ever seeing a 2nd and 42 play happen. Yikes.
But then your quarterback realized that he isn’t nearly as good as my quarterback, and he threw some stupid interceptions because Seattle’s suspect defense always seems to get inside his head.
And, of course, then my quarterback, Russell Carrington Wilson, decided that he might as well return to the pro bowl standard as he has been for years, and he found ways to play efficiently (with a few stellar throws mixed around) where good old Jimmy G couldn’t see to do that nearly enough.
What’s really weird to me about the whole Russ playing pretty darn good is that he had to go against your defense, which is much better than Seattle’s. I mean, for a while, I was worried he might die on the field, especially when left tackle Duane Brown forgot how to block your third string edge rusher.
Speaking of which, I didn’t really love seeing your guys putting extra mustard on their hits on my Russ, but I was happy that the refs agreed, and threw flags that kept my team in it.
And Good Lord in Heaven, Seattle tight end Gerald Everett was practically handing you the stinking game several times, like he owed you money, or something. I felt terrible for him because he had been playing so darn well lately in losing efforts, I’ve been thinking that maybe he’s been Seattle’s best player on offense, but I almost feel worse for you. He gave you gift after gift with his bad ball handling, and your team couldn’t seize the moments enough.
Gosh, it must really suck knowing that this banged up and tattered 4-8 Seahawk team basically had their way with your playoff hopeful team yet again. I mean, this final score could have been 40-23 if not for Everett’s off game at the goal line.
Now that I think about it, I’m not sure you’re making the playoffs now. That must agitate.
And goodness gracious me, speaking of agitation, having now lost 16 of the last 20 games to Seattle since Russell Wilson came into the league must really be annoying (17 of 21 if we include the NFC Championship game, sorry to bring that one up). I mean, I would completely hate that, if I were you, and now that I think about it, Seattle owning the all time record between these two clubs 30-17 must be kind of annoying, as well.
But I hope you had fun in Seattle. It’s beautiful up here! I hope you enjoyed Pike Place Market, ate some salmon, and bought some nice Native art. I hope the garlic fries in the stands didn’t give you too much gas after witnessing yet another demoralizing loss to my Seahawks.
Like I say, I really thought your team was going to big time beat up on mine. They seemed poised for it, even without Deebo and Fred Warner. I mean, my team’s offensive line couldn’t block an obnoxious tweeter on the Twitter. How in the world was I to expect then to block Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead?
Off topic for a second. Is Kyle Shanahan a good coach?
I think he is, but whenever I watch Seahawk vs 49er games, I can never truly tell. He seems to have a genuine problem beating Pete Carroll who continues to throw away time outs like they were chicken feed on a farm.
Well, it all is what it is. My team owns yours.
It’s not the end of the world, though. There are worse things, like mayonnaise, and TikTok dancing, and not getting herd control over a virus during a pandemic.
Just know, every year of your life, my team is likely to sweep yours, and make peace with it. Trust me, it’s the healthiest path moving forward.
I should know. I have made peace with the fact that my Seahawks can never seem to beat those rotten stinking gawd awful LA Rams whenever it fudging matters. It’s not an easy pill to swallow, but we can do this together.
Peace and love,
Curtis
PS; you have to admit it, though, that fake punt that Travis Homer housed seventy five yards for a touchdown was a pretty sweet trick play to throw at you in the first possession of the game. What a gutsy play call! It makes me think that Seattle’s offense purposefully sucked in that opening series just to set up that play!
Maybe Pete Carroll hasn’t lost it as a coach as some seem overly eager to suggest these days. Hmmmmmm.. interesting.
You have read the San Fransisco 49er injury reports and I know what you’re thinking. With Deebo Samuel and Fred Warner out with injuries for this Sunday’s donnybrook, you are thinking this gives your struggling Seahawks a chance to sweep this club, and finally start getting things right for Russell Wilson and the offense.
There’s an old saying that dates back to the Trojan War. Beware of any Greeks offering gifts.
Brace yourself for what is about to be unleashed upon your eyes this Sunday. The resurgent and blood thirsting San Francisco 49ers are coming into Seattle to make sacrificial lambs out of the busted up Seattle Seahawks, and the outcome isn’t likely to be pretty.
You might likely rolling your eyes at what you assume to be hyperbole that you are reading. I get it, I feel like I’ve been a Cassandra about these Seahawks for much of this season, but the truths as I see them to be with this team do not lie, and therefor, neither do I.
This Seattle team is a hot garbage mess right now, and are in position to get their butts kicked by a superior San Francisco club that hates them with the same bloody fervor that the ancient Greek soldiers hated each and every being that lived behind the fabled Walls of Troy. If you are unaware of that Bronze Age bit of history, things didn’t go particularly well for the folks of Troy once the Greeks got inside the city, and opened up the gates.
To quickly recount, as legend would have it, virtually every male Trojan, from infant to geezer, was slaughtered, and thrown off the walls. Their wailing wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters were beaten, savaged, and forced into slavery.
It’s not too extreme in my mind, that these 49ers are coming into town with similar intentions of inflicting brutal pain and humiliation on Russell Wilson and company right in front of six thousand home town fans. For years, these Seahawks have been the kryptonite that has been around their necks, bleeding into their skin.
They have one emotional connection to Seattle. They hate them a trillion times more than I hate mayonnaise, and mayo makes me vomit.
Now is their opportunity to send Pete Carroll, who hasn’t been able to solve the puzzles of what has been plaguing his team, into retirement. It’s also the time to destroy any remaining will of Russell Wilson wanting to remain in Seattle.
They know the opportunity that is starring right in front of them. They are one good beat down performance away from ending a profound era of football in Seattle, and forcing this struggling team into a massive rebuild. This is what is likely at stake for them.
So, I’m predicting that these hot blooded 49ers will decisively win this game, 35-13, and the final score won’t reflect the accuracy of how humiliating this beat down will be. I wish I could see it differently, but I can’t.
I think this idea of an improved Seattle’s defense is absolutely fool’s gold. I think they are playing a style of defense that is fully committed to a bend don’t break approach that can hold a marginal offense down in the box score points, and that can seem fine to the eyes of many, but I see them differently.
They aren’t a good pass rush squad, and against a good offense, like San Francisco has, they are apt to keep that type of offense in third and short situations for easy conversions, just like what happened against career backup quarterback Colt McCoy when he led the Cardinals into town a couple weeks back.
When I look at this style of defense for the Seahawks and the absolute mess of an offense that they have right now, I just want to look away and pretend that the awfulness isn’t there. There is no way for Seattle to play connected football between what the offense and defense are in their present states.
A bend but don’t break defense only works for you if your own offense can sustain drives and score points. Seattle’s offense can’t do this right now, and given how bad they are up front with the offensive line, and how scary good San Francisco is up front with their defensive line, this has the makings of a blood bath to happen.
How desperate is the situation for Seattle’s offense right now?
Well, they just signed 80 year old Adrian Peterson in a desperate attempt for Pete Carroll to get back to what he knows best by getting back to the run game. And while I admire Carroll’s conviction of circling back to what he knows best on offense, I feel compelled to say “good luck with that” and just watch the Beatles doc Get Back on Disney+ this Sunday afternoon instead of this forty mile a hour car collision into a concrete wall of a game that is all but certain to happen.
But alas, I will watch this disaster, instead. I have been with this club as a fan, through all the good times and bad, from the early 1980’s on. I will be that Trojan Princess Cassandra watching from the safety of my television set, shouting each and every miserable play, “I told y’all so!”
I’m just writing this to you as a fan to let you know that it’s okay not to get your hopes up that Seattle is somehow going to stick it to the 49ers once again in this one. You can choose to watch, like I will, but I hear that Beatles doc is very good, and I’m genuinely excited to watch it. I won’t blame you if you decide to do it instead of dial into this game. There is no judging here at 12th Life whenever someone doesn’t want to smell the rotten milk container sitting in the fridge.
At least we got the Texans next week.
Go Hawks
PS; I should note that it is entirely possible I’m completely wrong on all of this, and the Seahawks manage to win this game, and sweep San Francisco because, you know, Seattle absolutely owns this bitch ass team.
You are what your now 3-8 record says you are. You are a bad football team.
I don’t even recognize you, and I literally do not understand how you are trying to win any ball games.
You are as far removed from being a Pete Carroll coached team as I have ever seen Pete Carroll coach. You can’t run the ball. Your defense doesn’t intimidate. The one player who has carried you in recent years off play action plays is an injured, and out of sorts shadow of himself.
You are asking this injured sub six foot tall quarterback to be a pocket passer with no threat of a run game, and you aren’t trying anything creative to manufacture runs out of spread out formations, or up tempo, or motion sweeps, or any else that might give the ground game any chance against a good defensive front.
My goodness, what in the world is wrong with you?
You are not giving any defenses any wrinkles to be concerned with, and they are hammering your backs and this riddled quarterback. I just don’t understand your thinking.
Also, speaking of your quarterback, it’s hard to watch him being such an indecisive mess. Clearly, he’s not comfortable in your offense, and possibly he’s concerned with his throwing hand in the thick of a rush. Having him try to beat defenses with the quick pass in a collapsing pocket with a sea of rushers heading towards him is a tough watch.
So, why not adjust it to what he is comfortable doing right now?
He seems to like and function much better in hurry up mode, and he looked better in this game throwing outside the pocket than in it in this one. Isn’t it logical that this is should be what this offense should be doing right now?
After all, it is said that good coaching is all about putting players in a position to succeed instead of fail.
Russ is clearly failing to function as a quick game pocket passer. Alex Collins is failing to be the hammering bell cow running back that you are asking him to be. The biggest issue, in my mind, is that you are asking these guys to do the wrong things, and it is killing your team.
Let me be clear with you on this right now. You are a poorly coached team right now. You can’t hide from that fact.
How bad you ask?
If I have to watch nose tackles Brian Mone and Al Woods drop into zone coverage instead of trying to disrupt the pocket, I am going to scream loud noises that will make my next door neighbors call 911.
What, in all things stupid, are you thinking when you are imagining will happen by asking 350 pound men be coverage linebackers?
Your hubris is hard to watch. This has been an issue all season but you insist on still doing this stuff.
Does Ken Norton Junior have pictures of you or your spouse with a farm animal or something?
You should have beaten this Washington Football Team. You had opportunities. They gave you multiple opportunities, but you couldn’t stop crapping yourself with bad play calling, bad execution, and just generally incredibly bad officiating calls from the refs.
Clearly, these refs wanted you to lose because, well, you stink.
Watching you hang in this game against this team from the other Washington was like watching someone being slowly munched to death by a gigantic crocodile. Just when you think this person will maybe get away, the big dumb animal munches half their head off, and then drags their flailing body into the murky deep.
It’s a gross encounter for any viewer.
I’m going to tell you straight up, you are going to absolutely get your ass kicked by the San Francisco 49ers next week, if you do not clean this crap up. They are salivating for it right now.
Of course there were nice efforts like Rasheem Green returning a blocked extra point for a safety score (addmittedly, that was fun), and Russell Wilson hitting Tyler Lockett on some sweet ass deep balls (always pretty to watch), but my goodness, what a waste of good efforts and plays.
How god awful are you?
You are so incompetent that you cannot devise ways of getting your young superstar receiver the stinking ball until late in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. That’s stinking awful bad.
Stop stinking. Win a few games in a row to make us think there is one single reason why you shouldn’t simply blow up this entire organization from top to bottom. Right now, I see very little reason why this shouldn’t happen as soon as the final whistle blows in the last game of this wasted season.
You are too old in too many spots, and not talented enough in others. That’s a bad combo to have going on with your roster, and I get it, but it is no excuse for bad coaching.
This is the roster you put to together. So, coach the bloody stinking awful thing up.
I’m going to start this preview off by saying that I think the Seattle Seahawks are going to lose this game on Monday Night Football. It’s not just a logic based conclusion in my mind.
I’m picking them to lose because I am being emotionally protective as a fan maybe even more than being objective when I look at these two clubs. For my own sanity as a Twelve, I can’t get my hopes up for a win, even though I still believe Russell Wilson is a premiere quarterback in this league, and against a mediocre club like Washington, that should be enough on any field.
But the facts are the facts. WFT has a premiere defensive line that probably features the best defensive tackle rotation in the league, and Seattle’s guards haven’t had a great year against quality interior pass rushers. When you put that together with the fact that Russell doesn’t seem fully comfortable in this Shane Waldron offensive scheme yet, and Seattle’s depth at running back is in trouble, this puts a knot in my stomach as if I swallowed a shot glass.
Also, while I ultimately don’t think the Washington is a serious contender this season, I can’t deny that the club has a magic air about them, and Seattle clearly does not. Just look at the quarterbacks, as they compare.
Tyler Heinicke hasn’t produced an overly impressive stat line as a starting NFL quarterback this season. He has thrown for almost 2400 yards with 15 TDs and 9 picks for a very pedestrian QB rating of 87.6. Yet there is a scrappiness to his play. It’s like he’s playing with house money in Vegas, and he’s just going for it.
On the other hand, Russell Wilson, through seven starts, has thrown for over 1500 yards with 10 TDs and only 3 picks with a healthy 101.2 rating that, on paper, implies an elite NFL franchise QB. Yet anyone watching Russ play through his last three starts will struggle to say that he is playing anywhere close to elite.
Through this stretch against quality NFL defenses, Russ has looked tentative, indecisive, and skittish inside the pocket. In fact, the only stretches in these games where he has played the part of a premiere passer is when Waldron and Pete Carroll have allowed him to go into a hurry up mode with the offense.
Here in line lays the real issue that I see with this new offense with Russell Wilson quarterbacking it this year. Don’t kid yourselves, it’s a massive problem that Shane Waldron needs to sort out soon, if he wants to remain an offensive coordinator in this league.
In a nut shell, I think Russell Wilson would love to score a hundred points a game, scoring as early and as often as possible. He wants to go up tempo not just because it’s a flashy trend to do these days. He likely knows that the best way to take away what NFL defenses have been doing against him is to get the defenders and defensive coordinators on their heels.
Getting the calls in quickly, getting up to the line of scrimmage quickly, getting his play-makers in motion, and making adjustments, puts Russ in more of an aggressive attack mode. He led Seattle to victory in Santa Clara against the 49ers by switching to this style, and he had Arizona’s defense more on its heels during the second half of that pitiful game last week.
Conversely, Pete Carroll would be perfectly fine winning a close game against a club with a good defense 9 to 6, if he had to. He would applaud his defense for giving great effort, he would look at the time of position between the two clubs and note how it favored his team, he would compliment his quarterback for playing smart protective football against a great defense. For him, this would be a great win.
Shane Waldron feels caught in a weird nowhere land as a play-caller between what Russ and Pete both want. This is the big underlining problem.
He was supposed to install in innovative Rams style offense that would feature all these pre snap motion looks, and be an aggressive up tempo offense like Sean McVay runs, and for the most part, it has the look of the same offense we have seen in Seattle for the last few years with only sprinklings of Rams style window dressing.
Defenses are doing the same thing against Russ as they did last year by showing one look pre-snap and then shifting into something else after the ball is snapped. This is the league memo on how to beat Seattle’s short quarterback these days.
Until Waldron starts to be more aggressive with Russ with tempo and window dressing, I think Russ is poised to continue struggling in this offense. In a conventional NFL offense, Russ’s big strength is deep play action passing off of an functional run game.
It’s easy to say that Seattle should revert back to that, but look what they currently have at running back. They got squat all. Running up the gut on first and second downs with Alex Collins and Travis Homer against this WFT defensive line rotation is an insane thought, yet I fear that will be the likely plan.
Looking at the advanced data of that defense, Washington plays the run exceptionally well. However, the one area where they struggle is giving up red zone passing touchdowns. They are near bottom of the league there.
Guess what Russell Wilson is? He’s a red zone touchdown throwing machine.
Seattle can win this game by going aggressive and up tempo with Russ. I’m fully convinced of that.
The problem is that Pete Carroll won’t want to do that on the road on national television in front of a jacked up WFT crowd. He’s likely going to try for some type of 9-6 win.
This is why I have Seattle losing this one, 24-21.
Heinicke will play with house money against a Seattle defense that could be struggling again, and Russ will get some pretty stats while Seattle shifts to a more hurry up mode when they have to chase after points in the fourth quarter. We’ve seen this scenario play out way too much over recent years.
Hope I am wrong. I really do.
I would love nothing more that seeing Seattle pull off this win, any way they can. I just feel like I’ve purchased a ticket to see a movie that I’ve seen a hundred times over in various forms and plot, but with the same predictable outcome. Zoiks.
For another year in a row, and with two different teams, career NFL backup quarterback Colt McCoy has looked better than Russell Wilson in a start against them, too. I cannot shake that gross reality.
It sucks. Colt was accurate, athletic, and decisive. Russ was still rusty, indecisive, and had scatter-gun accuracy with his short throws.
People are going to now take more shots at Russell Wilson and be more vocal about trading him next off-season. They will say Seattle can win with any old quarterback, if we can build this team up enough. It will be faulty logic, unless you want to see this team become the Chicago Bears for the last several decades; a team that occasionally makes a playoff appearance because it’s “built up” enough with talent but never advances far because it doesn’t have a franchise quarterback.
If the Seahawks had a fraction of the talent across their roster as the Arizona Cardinals have, Russell Wilson would have out dueled McCoy in this one, even with all the rust. The problem is that this team isn’t very good, and it isn’t coached very well, either.
Also, if a healthy Kyler Murray had played in this game, it would have been a beat down, and the game would have been over with early. I can’t honestly tell if that would have been worse than what we all watched this Sunday.
After a hand full of games of playing better ball, the Seahawk defense underwhelmed mightily with its lack of quality pass rush and coverage. McCoy was able to successfully game manage a simple plan with the host of weapons that Seattle didn’t have enough answers to slow down.
The Cardinals are a well oiled system on both side of the ball. The Seahawks are still trying to figure out theirs, after ten games. I put that on the coaches.
It was frustrating to watch Ken Norton Junior send two pass rushers at McCoy and drop nine into coverage and see McCoy still find easy completions. When Seattle was able to disrupt, they sent extra defenders, and it looked effective, but then Norton would back off.
Norton’s defense has reverted back to being confusing to the eyes.
What are they as a defense anyways?
I can’t tell if they are a 4-3, or a 3-4, or a Bear front, or what. It looks like the defenders have problems figuring it out, as well.
I miss the days when this defense was coached by Dan Quinn and even Kris Richard. It was a basic tilted 4-3 that could rush effectively with four and drop seven into coverage. They weren’t ever trying to reinvent the wheel with anything, and were mostly a tough out for many teams, even after the Super Bowl years.
And another thing. I’m far from a Russell Wilson apologist, but I don’t know if Geno Smith would have fared against this Arizona defense much better. Yes, Russ was sporadic with his short throws again, but he also made beautiful deep passes that would have been unlikely for Smith to make, and in all three of his starts, Smith never seemed to evade pressure very well and took his share of unfortunate sacks. I actually believe starting him could have made this game uglier watch, and then how does that sit with Russ?
But I fully understand the sentiment with some fans asking for Geno Smith. Russ wasn’t good enough for the second week in a row. He came back from injury earlier than I thought he should have, but I also think that can of worms had already opened, and you might as well keep rolling with him until he’s able to shake off all the cobwebs to his game.
The Ghosts Of The 2008 Seahawks Are Haunting Me
I will say it as simply as this. These Seattle Seahawks this year remind me of the Seahawks in Mike Holmgren’s last year coaching in 2008. They look old, slow, injured, not talented enough, and largely overwhelmed.
In 2008, the Seahawks were a battered old team that finished 4-12, and their legendary coach was cooked. Then owner Paul Allen knew this, and likely ushered Holmgren to step down, at least that was my feelings on the situation.
I now think if these 2021 finish 6-11, that would be a minor miracle. They look that bad.
Pete Carroll looks tired and stressed, and Russell Wilson looks confused and frustrated, and Jamal Adams looks..
.. I don’t even know how to finish that thought. I guess the best way to put it is that I think Jamal Adams has the makings of being a really good run and chase linebacker for a defensive coordinator who wants to use him that way.
On the whole, I think this Seahawks team is a loss at Washington on MNF next week away from needing to play the young guys on the roster to see what they have to work with next year on a major overhaul of the roster. I would start Deejay Dallas at running back, and use Alton Robinson ahead of Carlos Dunlap and Benson Mayowa, and LJ Collier over Kerry Hyder. I would consider playing Colby Parkinson more at tight end, and I would even consider playing the rookie offensive tackles more if I thought it wouldn’t put the health of the quarterbacks in further jeopardy.
I’m not convinced Pete Carroll will see it that way. I think he will favor his veterans and try to win every meaningless game he can. If will want to fight it out to the very end, and I suppose he deserves to do that, but I cannot shake the following thought.
I feel Pete Carroll is well past done in Seattle as a head coach.
I don’t anticipate owner Jody Allen will be willing to trade Russell Wilson for a bunch of first round picks, either. I suspect she is a couple more losses away from beginning the coaching search to find the next head coach with fresh eyes to reset set this whole team around Russ. For all we know, she and her group is working on that now.
However this season goes, I am here for this team. I am with them in all games, good and bad.
This is a tough stretch right now, but I think they are one off-season reset away from being a strong contender again sooner than some will think.
Despite his recent play, Russell Wilson is still an elite quarterback, and DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are still top end receivers. There is young talent on the roster that can be starting fixtures on their defense in Darrell Taylor, Jordyn Brooks, Jamal Adams, Tre Brown, Poona Ford, and Alton Robinson. The cupboard is not bare on this team. They just need more, and they probably need fresh eyes to lead it.
The conclusion of this piece is going to be illogical, and maybe stating that isn’t this best way to start a football game preview, but I feel compelled. After all, the NFL has not been kind to logic this year.
Many fibers that make my brain function tell me that the Arizona Cardinals should come into Seattle, and absolutely smoke this struggling Seahawks team. Even though they got beat up soundly by a struggling Carolina Panthers team last week, up until that game, I’ve been thinking that these Cardinals have been the best team in football.
This is year three for Kliff Kingsbury’s system down in the desert, and I completely underestimated what that could mean for the Cardinals heading into this season. In a nutshell, it means that his core players know that system inside and out, and they can all function together at a fast and furious style of play on both sides of the ball. They are potent, and they know it.
Think of year three for Pete Carroll in Seattle which was Russell Wilson’s rookie year in 2012. In that season, Russ was not the straw that stirred the drink for this club, it was Pete’s defense that had officially evolved into the Legion of Boom, and it was complimented by a power run offense that featured Marshawn Lynch and Russ’s play-making style. Out of nowhere, those Seahawks surprised the masses by beating a handful of good teams, and they became a tough out in the playoffs.
2019 was also year three for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco and that club completely shocked and dominated the football world, narrowly losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. In that season, I thought, without a doubt, they were the best overall team in football.
This year, I look at the Cardinals, and I see a team that has a very 2019 49er feel about them. They are young, talented, well coached, and they are playing in their systems offensively and defensively with a ton of confidence. They sense this is the year for them.
Conversely, the Seahawks feel like they are on the opposite side of the spectrum. While, they have some nice parts in Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and their defense has turned around towards playing good ball lately, on the whole, this team has a bit of a worn out vibe to them.
Duane Brown no longer looks like a top tier left tackle. Damien Lewis has struggled to pick up playing at left guard and probably feels more comfortable at his natural right guard spot. Chris Carson appears broken at running back. Carlos Dunlap has disappeared as a pass rusher. These are players that, at the start of the season, were thought to be impact players Seattle could ride with, and they simply haven’t been.
When you put that together with the fact that GM John Schneider neglected to upgrade their weakness at center, the fact that their top pick in slot receiver Dee Eskridge got injured early and missed a ton of games, the fact that Ken Norton Junior failed to start his defense with a scheme that made sense to the players, and Russell Wilson finally got injured to the point of missing games (and his probably still figuring out the offense with his new coordinator), these Seattle Seahawks appear to the a team that is old, injured, not super talented, and not playing well together in any complimentary way.
They are what their 3-6 record says that they are. They aren’t a good club right now.
Even if Colt McCoy plays this game in place of superstar QB Kyler Murray, these Seahawks are a team that these Cardinals are probably pretty poised to beat. After all, McCoy led a much less talented NY Giants team into Seattle last year, and soundly outplayed Russell Wilson and beat him, when Seattle was the much better team. This year, he is a backup on a team that is a clear Super Bowl contender, and Seattle is a shadow of the team it was last year.
It makes all the sense in the world to predict that not only will these Cardinals beat Seattle this weekend, it also makes sense to predict that they will bury this team. They are the vastly better team and they are probably coming into Lumen Field pissed off from their own disappointing loss over the weekend.
Make no mistake, this game is the Arizona Cardinals’ “get right game.” They are in a tight battle for the NFC West title with the LA Rams, and if they beat this struggling Seahawks team this weekend, they extend their lead in the division. A loss to Seattle would drop them to only having a half game lead over a very talented Rams team that traded their entire 2022 draft to go all-in this year.
These Arizona Cardinals, with or without Murray, are looking at putting Seattle away in this one. Pete Carroll knows this, too.
I watched his press conference this Wednesday, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him so testy with reporters and nervous when talking about the strengths of an opponent. It wouldn’t shock me if he looked at the tape of AZ and thought to himself afterwards that perhaps Seattle had a better chance of winning in Green Bay than they have against this Cardinal club when now Duane Brown has a tender groin, Chris Carson is still in doubt, and Russell Wilson is probably still trying to shake off the rust after missing a month of football.
Carroll knows that this is a game where these Cardinals can take advantage of his struggling club. That coupled with the fact that his star quarterback put unprecedented pressure on his club to win this year, yeah, I get why Carroll might have been testy in his response to the reporter question of dealing with pressures to turn this thing around.
So, as I add all these things up in my mind, I feel like I have reached a very illogical conclusion when I say that I predict that Seattle will win this game on Sunday, 28-23, over the soaring Cardinals.
I’m not going to go into any great depths as to why because, truthfully, I don’t think that there are any great depths to it. There’s just so much weirdness in the world right now.
This 2021 NFL season is incredibly weird. The woeful 49ers steamrolled what should be a dominant Rams team on the most recent MNF game. A horrible Jaguar team embarrassed the Super Bowl contending Buffalo Bills, and a bad Dolphin team beat a good Ravens one.
This is as weird of a football season as I can remember, and in a league that prides itself in parity, yes, absolutely these Seahawks can beat these Cardinals.
If Shane Waldron can dip into his Rams offensive playbook a bit more by scheming creative uptempo run with pass combos, Russ might have shaken just enough of the cobwebs off in Green Bay to have a decent bounce back game in this one. This could be a game where Seattle uses AZ’s aggression against them. They love to blitz, and generally, Russ is good against the blitz.
If Seattle can simply get this W, their schedule softens up to where a four game win streak is not out of the realm of possibility, and if that happens, sitting at 7-6 would make it feel like perhaps that seventh playoff spot is there to go get. So, as much as Arizona has every incentive to win this game, Seattle has more.
I think, as hobbled and distorted of a club as they are right now, Seattle has just enough talent to catch Arizona off guard in this one. Thus keeping all the weirdness of the 2021 NFL season alive.
Whenever my team isn’t doing very well, I always take joy in rooting for chaos. I see a lot of chaos happening in this one. I don’t know how Seattle manages to get to 28 points scored, it might take a defensive score to get there, but I sorta feel it happening.
I think this is gonna be a fun one, and I’m here for it.
In the dark depths of Mordor, Aaron Rodgers prays to his dead Sith grandfather, Darth Magneto.
“Grandfather, I didn’t take that stupid vaccine, just as you would have refused, and the woke mafia has made fun of me for ten days because I lied about my status, just as you would have done, too. Please let me beat that woke ass wuss, Russell Wilson, and his bleeding heart senile coach. I fucking hate those guys. Grant me this victory, and I will kick a puppy dog for you afterwards.”
And gosh darn it all if Darth Magento didn’t listen to his miserable grandchild. Fucking Aaron Rodgers has beaten Russell Wilson once again in Green Bay, and in the final moments of the game, his arrogant smirk was a mile wide for all the cameras to catch.
This was as ugly of a game for Russell Wilson as I’ve ever seen. It’s a reality that you can’t side step.
It’s probably mostly due to the fact that he rushed to come back from injury. I’ve said it on a podcast a few weeks back, I thought coming back for the Green Bay game felt too early. He and Pete Carroll claimed that he didn’t have a problem throwing with his finger, but to my eyes, he didn’t look sharp enough, and at times, looked way too hesitant. But then again, there have been other games in Lambeau where he’s looked like that, as well.
This was a game that I was anticipating would be a loss before his injury, so I’m not overly upset. Healthy Russell Wilson have yet to have a good game in Green Bay.
Still, this felt like a game Seattle could have won, especially had it not been for his two interceptions in the end zone that felt ridiculously forced.
I love Russ as much as the next Seahawk fan, but I gotta be honest, this is a loss that felt like it was mostly on him. I can’t see it otherwise.
There will be takes about this loss that it was Pete Carroll’s fault and/or Shane Waldron’s fault, but Russ again chased after deep passes instead of taking other options that were wide open to him, like Freddie Swain was wide open when he threw into deep couple coverage to Tyler Lockett in the end zone. Maybe it was out of frustration in how Green Bay’s defense had been stymieing him, and some of his throws were out off wack, but Russ has been a starting quarterback in this league for ten years now, and these are throws he shouldn’t be forcing at this point of his career, and good luck arguing against that fact.
When Russ is struggling, these sort of bad decision throws tend to creep up on him. Given the fact that he has always struggled in Green Bay, and he was likely going to be rusty due to his time away from the game and figuring out how to throw with a taped up finger, this game was not a soft landing for his return. I personally saw this coming a mile away.
Part of me thinks Geno Smith might have given them a better shot at winning this, and that’s a really weird thing for me to type. Honestly, I’m not convinced playing him instead would have made that much of a difference. Some of his throws might have been crisper, but I doubt he would have scrambled to extend out of Green Bay’s pass rush as well as Russ did at times. It could have been a really ugly one for Geno, as well, or even worse.
Here’s some other notes.
The Good
Jamal Adams had, by far, his best game of the season, and he was impactful against the run, pass, and as a pass rusher. It seems like during the bye week, Seattle decided to allow him to do what he does best and they unleashed him as a pass rusher. It was nice to see this, and it was really nice to see him pick off Aaron Rodgers in the end zone. When that happened, it gave me a temporary feeling like Seattle could pull this game out in the second half when the score was still only 0-3.
Up through the third quarter, the Seattle defense, as a whole, played a pretty darn solid game. It’s unfortunate that the box score won’t reflect that enough, but because Seattle’s offense was so inept, this defense was forced to play waaaaaaaaaaaay too many minutes of action in this one. They weren’t the reason Seattle lost this game, however.
I thought tight end Gerald Everett had a very strong game, and Will Dissly got into the action on a nice run after catch chunk yardage play, as well.
The Bad
If I were the coach of this team, I probably would have held Russell Wilson back for another week. By all accounts of how long it takes someone to recover from this type of finger injury, Russ probably came back two weeks early. I admire his dedication to get back from injury and rehab, but for my money, it wasn’t worth the risk of him getting it hurt again or struggling to gut out a game that he might have felt better about in another week or two.
Seattle isn’t likely a playoff team this year, and Russell Wilson is the team’s best asset. I would have been more protective and rolled with Geno, and if Russ were to be unhappy about that, I’d deal with that.
The result is Russ having probably his worst performance as a pro in a hostile house that he has always struggled in, and his teammates clearly showing their frustrations as the game wore on. We can argue as fans who would have given this team the better chance at winning, Russ or Geno, but that matters very little in the bigger picture. What matters more is what the players on the field with Russ felt, or the players on Seattle’s defense, who fought valiantly, felt.
I’m telling you all right now, if there exists players on this Seattle roster who felt Geno would have given them a better chance in this one, that’s a bit of a problem, and Russ probably shouldn’t have been starting.
The other thing that, of course, sucked royally was all of the officials being either huge Packer fans, or part of the Anti-Vaccine Movement in America, and thus feeling solidarity with Aaron Rodgers. I’m not even going to list all the fucked up calls in this game that went against Seattle because they all did.
The Ugly
I’m officially starting to worry about what is going on with DK Metcalf. His grabbing the face masks of Chatty Cathy defenders and shoving them in the final moments of the offense being on the field was a very weird melt down to watch unfold. His lack of composure in certain games is starting to become more and more unsettling. Perhaps there is frustrations mounting for him with the play calling, or the quarterbacking, but something doesn’t seem right with him right now.
It’s entirely understandable that he would be upset about this outcome, but he’s got to lay off mixing it up with defenders when the going gets tough because the league has the memo out on him now. He loves to talk trash on the field, but can be gotten to when he is struggling. Defenders are looking for that opportunity with him now. He might want to start slowing some of trash talk down a bit for a while, and just focus on being the best receiver and teammate he can be.
Moving forward
I wasn’t expecting Seattle to win this one. I also had tempered expectations about Russ returning against Green Bay, and I was skeptical how the defense would hold up against Rodgers. I was actually pleasantly surprised about the defense hanging in as tough as they did.
But I gotta be honest. I look at this team right now, and I don’t see playoffs. I don’t even see them climbing much beyond eight wins, even if they do play better ball down the stretch. Even if they are able to beat Arizona next week, those feelings aren’t likely to change, either.
Part of me wants to see Carroll starting to go more with the young players on this roster. Maybe start Alton Robinson and Darrell Taylor more at defensive ends. Start looking at Cody Barton more again. Mixing in DeeJay Dallas more at running back. Starting Tre Brown at corner.
Carlos Dunlap, Benson Mayowa, Al Woods and others aren’t the future of Seattle Seahawk football right now. Tre Brown, Robinson and Taylor, and maybe Barton are. I honestly don’t understand why we didn’t see more Dee Eskridge in this one, either.
But I don’t see Carroll doing that, and I don’t know if I blame him. Even thought this team is now sitting at 3-6, Carroll won’t abandon his optimism that his team can quickly turn it around and make some magical playoff run. He will see that if they can just beat Arizona, the schedule suddenly gets much softer, and perhaps a winning streak awaits.
I can’t honestly fault him for that, but my goals for this team are likely more different than his right now. I see an team that needs a major reset this off-season.
But beating Arizona this Sunday will make things feel better. Maybe, right now, that’s all we need to feel as fans.
Let me start this off by saying that I have been more critical about the Seattle Seahawks this year than I have in probably well over a decade. These 2021 Seahawks have been a challenging team for me to root for in many respects.
I thought we were supposed to see a quick tempo offense that was going to lean into Russell Wilson’s strengths as a thrower.
I thought we were going to see Russ routinely deliver quick passes instead of chasing after deep ones on third and short plays.
I thought I was going to continue to see Jamal Adams used as a third down pass rush specialist, which I thought was the main reason why they traded two first round picks for him.
I thought I would see John Schneider make a trade for Stephon Gilmore, and/or possibly sign Richard Sherman to fix obvious holes at corner.
I thought I would see a healthier and more impactful Chris Carson.
I thought we would finally see tight ends more involved.
I thought this defense was going to be good.
I thought that they were going to be able to persuade Odell to join Russ, but instead he joined the fricking Rams, even though Seattle supposedly offered more money. I don’t think we can say any longer that Pete Carroll is some master recruiter for available free agents, and that kind of blows.
Yeah, this has been a tough watch for me as a Twelve as these many things unfolded. The only thing that has kept me watching every play of every game is my relentless love of this team, and the fact train wrecks are kind of enthralling watches sometimes.
But screw Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay F’ing Packers.
Seattle must go into a stadium that they haven’t won at since 1999 this Sunday, and they must throttle this team and quarterback. It goes well beyond football, and it’s the right thing to do.
Aaron Rodgers is rotting chode of a human being. He’s as big of a know-it-all prick as you will find, and the worst kind of know it all prick is the one who is a high profile quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers has been thinking that the sun shines out of his butt hole since the peewee coach pointed at him and said “you play quarterback.” I have absolutely no doubt about that.
And apparently that Cal Berkley education of his has made him smarter than all the doctors and scientists that work for the World Health Organization, the CDC, and the FDA when it comes to vaccinating in order to curb Covid. Good to know.
I am not going to go deep into all the reasons why it is important for every eligible person with no preventing health condition to vaccinate against Covid. All the experts that work for these organizations listed above have stated very plainly why this is so important, and if you care, you can read up on it yourself from the experts in the field, or listen to them talk about it.. and not listen to some podcasting know nothing on YouTube share their views.
But quickly in a nutshell, if you have read along this far; we want to vaccinate to protect those most vulnerable against a disease that can mutate into more dangerous variants if it finds large breeding grounds of unvaccinated people to thrive in and get smarter. We vaccinate to protect children under the age of 5, and we vaccinate to protect people with underlined health conditions. In the bigger picture, we vaccinate so that we can get beyond Covid, so that it will eventually die off to a safe enough extent, and thus we can eventually return to more normal living.
But a super smart guy like Aaron Rodgers doesn’t get that, or more likely, doesn’t fucking care.
Why should he? He doesn’t have any young kids of his own. And if this dude has shun his own mother in Northern California, why would he ever give a shit about your vulnerable older family members?
The answer is simple. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t care, and really, apparently neither do the Green Bay Packers. The real rub in all of this recent gaga about him lying about his vaccine status is that all parties knew it was wrong all along. That’s why he misled and why the organization buried their heads in the sand.
Rodgers had every opportunity to be open and honest about his position on the vaccine like Carson Wentz did, Kirk Cousins did, and Cam Newton also did, but he chose to mislead. My best guess as to why is probably, most likely, vanity.
He’s engaged to a Hollywood actress, and he had a stint as the Jeopardy host in the off-season. He might see working in “the Industry” as something in his future beyond football, and I’m going to guess that hosting Jeopardy and taking a horse de-wormer to protect against Covid probably isn’t a great look in the minds of Hollywood power players who, you know, follow the advice of the CDC experts. So, he chose to lie in front a camera when pressed about it.
What really impresses me in the way that he went about it was the condescending way he called out others in the league for choosing to stay unvaccinated (as if he was). That’s some Grade A manipulation stuff right there.
And let’s be clear on this, taking a de-worming pill does not make you vaccinated against Covid. Saying that you are “immunized” after taking the stupid thing means diddly swat to containing the virus and slowing the spread. That’s why the experts who are studying the disease are saying to vaccinate, and don’t take the fucking de-wormer.
And let’s be clear on another thing. The league is not forcing players to be vaccinated, they are just making the unvaccinated persons go through extra hoops to make sure that everything is as safe as it can possibly be. Rodgers just didn’t want to go through those extra hoops. Instead, he is choosing to act like a Grade A Karen about it all to anyone who will listen.
Listening to him go from condescending and ultra defensive egotistical prick in interviews last week to some woe-is-me victim this week after Terry Bradshaw called out his bullshit on a NFL FOX broadcast is some serious Karen-esque privileged bullshit we’ve been seeing unfold in real time. There is no way for him to walk that stuff back now.
So, fuck Aaron Rodgers.
I hope he plays on Sunday and I hope Darrell Taylor hits him so hard on a pass rush that he shits himself right in the middle of Lambeau Field. Afterwards, I hope he pisses blood for a week, and I hope the Packers get their asses kicked at home in front of a sold out crowd by a Seahawks team that hasn’t been very good this year.
This isn’t about me being a part of cancel culture or the woke mafia, either. I’m about as much of a bleeding heart as Slayer is elevator music. There is nothing woke about following the urging of world renowned scientists. It’s the most practical thing to do.
But because some certain high profile dumb ass narcissistic political leader in a high office chose to create a pissing contest with these scientists, we unfortunately live in a society where doing the most practical thing against this disease is, in fact, fully politicized. That fucking sucks, and now Aaron Rodgers has kicked that whole hornets nest again.
Listening to him going on a media tour defending his actions is a total joke that, unfortunately, way too many listeners are going to buy into. Now science has to deal with Rodgers being a major miss-information spreader. Fantastic.
“Why should I follow the leagues rules when I don’t agree with them” is not a functional defense no matter how much of a condescending wise ass you come across saying it.
The Green Bay Packers should beat the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday if Aaron Rodgers plays and Russell Wilson plays. They are the better team, and they have a dominant home field advantage. Russell Wilson as always struggled there, even when healthy, and with better Seahawk teams around him. Before the season started, this is the game that I looked at, and thought it would probably be a pretty ugly one for Seattle. I wouldn’t be shocked if it proves true this Sunday.
But Good Christ in Heaven, the Seattle Seahawks absolutely must kick the holy living snot out of this team and quarterback this Sunday, if he’s playing. God yes. It’s the right thing to do.
I gotta confession to make. I’m a middle aged dork who still plays Madden.
I do other things that make me somewhat more cool. I drive a cherry red F-250. I sport a handsome pair of sideburns. I expose my preschooler to hip sounds of The Who, and The Flaming Lips. I listen to NPR, do yoga sometimes, and watch shows and films by Taika Waititi.
But I still play Madden, and apparently, I also use a lot of Star Wars analogies, as well.
Eight games into this 2021 season with the Seattle Seahawks has shown me why I still play this goofy game. It’s an okay game to burn a few hours on when you’re home by yourself, but it becomes considerably more enjoyable when the team you passionately root for sucks, and you have become exasperated to a point of wanting to just rip it all apart, and start new. That’s when off-season mode becomes intrinsically the most enjoyable part of the game.
I honestly wonder what the percentages are with all those Anti Pete Carroll types on Seahawks Twitter who also happen to be full blown Madden addicts? It wouldn’t shock if those numbers were actually fairly high (I see you people).
In my latest attempt on simulating through this 2021 season of Madden, I decided to go about it in Owner Mode. I, Curtis Eastwood, thus became owner of the Seattle Seahawks. How I got to become owner of the Seahawks is a backstory I hadn’t figured out. I just accepted it as true, kinda like how I just accepted that normally meager sized Mako sharks suddenly became gigantic (bigger than Jaws), in the cheesy 1990’s flick Deep Blue Sea. It just happened. But I digress.
Going back to Madden, the game reminded me of a few things true about the Seahawks as it pertains to the league. First and foremost, it reminded me that Russell Wilson is an incredibly talented quarterback. Secondly, it reminded me that, apart from a couple nice receivers, he isn’t surrounded by much premiere talent, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines, and at cornerback, and that all kinda blows.
Being weaker inside the trenches and on the perimeters of the defense generally is not considered good roster construction. This really needs to stop in Seattle starting in 2022, and it’s going to be a challenge to fix because Seattle, for the second year in a row, won’t have a first round pick to acquire top end draft talent for the trenches, and if they manage a second half turnaround, they likely will be picking later in round two before they finally select a player. Thus, the pickle of the situation.
However, when you consider that Seattle can roll it’s currently comfortable amount of cap space into 2022, another off-season strategy becomes more obvious.
If Seattle is to finally invest into their trenches and get back to winning games more at the line of scrimmage again, spending in free agency potentially becomes pretty enticing, especially considering the amount of younger defensive line talent that could emerge as free agents. If Seattle can just be willing to be a bit bigger buyers than they’ve shown in a while, their defensive line issues could quickly get turned around and fixed for the longer haul. That opens up the draft to address the offensive line, and maybe other positions.
It’s worth noting that Seattle should have a good amount of cap space available next year to be this sort of shopper, if they choose. By making a few roster moves to cut some older more expensive vets, they can easily create even more space.
That could help going a longer way to making Russ happy, but it likely won’t be nearly enough.
Time To Fully Commit To Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson has been pretty loud the last few years with what he wants. Let me remind you the ways.
He has been loud about wanting an aggressive up tempo offense for years now. He very likely feels most confident as a passer in hurry up mode, where defenses can’t as easily sub out. He has been asking for this for years, and even with play-caller Shane Waldron coming in from the Rams (a team well known for hurry up), we have yet to see this become a staple of the offense this year.
Personally, I think it probably flies in the face of what Pete Carroll wants in terms of ball control and keeping his defense more fresh, but facts remain facts. The star quarterback has been annually asking for this to be a thing for him.
In 2020, Russ stated at the pro bowl that what he wanted in Seattle was to be “surrounded by stars.” What Seattle chose to give him was a geriatric Greg Olsen at tight end. He then lobbied hard for them to bring in Antonio Brown, and they put forth a very light effort, for reasons probably fairly obvious. Think what you will about AB, but I don’t think Russ particularly enjoyed watching Tom Brady win that Super Bowl in Tampa passing to Brown. Just my hunch.
The lack of aggression from the front offense to surround Russ with as much star power as possible may annoy him even more than the lack of willingness from Carroll to coach an uptempo team.
Speaking of which, I love Pete Carroll. I think he’s a great head coach, and I will take his culture building strengths over clock management and modern day football analytics anytime. I won’t be shy about my feelings on that either.
I actually suspect Pete is going to have the Seahawks playing competitive ball during the second half of the season, and I can easily see the potential of a 9-8 finish, or better, if they get a healthy Russell Wilson back soon enough. I think they can make a decent run at that final playoff spot, and possibly even snag it. It would be remarkable if they did, and I think it would be a testament to Carroll’s coaching, and Russell Wilson’s rare abilities as a gritty play-making quarterback.
I also think that, even if they did make the playoffs and did a little damage there, it is highly unlikely Russell Wilson will want to return as the starting quarterback for the Seahawks in 2022, if Pete Carroll remains as head coach. I think that is especially true if he sees a more realistic window to get traded to a team like New Orleans who has a roster that’s ready built to win now, and has an offensive minded coach who would probably be pretty willing to adjust his scheme to fit what Russ does best. I can hope I am wrong on that, but I don’t think I am.
I think the only way Seattle can hang onto Russ longer term, and make him happy is if there is a total philosophical regime change at the top and it all starts with Carroll, who isn’t just the head coach, he’s also the vice president of the whole team. For Russell Wilson to want to remain in Seattle under Carroll, I think Carroll would have to completely abandon his philosophy in how to win games, and he might also have to give up more control to John Schneider make roster decisions.
He would have to be willing to have an uptempo wide open offense that would operate more out of spread formations.
He would have to be willing to give total autonomy of the offense to Russ and his play-caller.
He would have to be willing to accept that interceptions are an inherent part of that style of that style of offensive and not dial it back when a pick or two are thrown in a game.
He would have to be willing to accept that quick scoring will likely gas his defense and it’s going to be that much harder to have a statistically top ten defense.
He’s going to possibly have to stay out of way the general manager on draft day, if, in fact, it was him insisting that they take LJ Collier and Rashaan Penny with their first picks a few years ago.
Would Carroll be willing to do all this to accommodate Russel Wilson?
I have my doubts, but if I am Jody Allen, and I am looking at all the weirdness that went down with this team last off-season between Pete and Russ, and I’m also looking at how prices of game day tickets are suddenly in free fall with how this team started the season coupled with Russ’s injury, I am making a very easy decision in my mind. I’m telling Pete Carroll and John Schneider that they need to do everything they can to make Russ happy, and they won’t, I’m going to find another coach and GM team that will.
Part of me wonders if she has already given them this exact vibe.
Here’s how I made Russ happy as pie in Seattle in Madden
Going into Madden off-season mode in 2022, I asked Carroll to step aside, even though we finished as a playoff team.
I replaced him with an offensive minded coach from the Andy Reid tree because I believe that is very specifically the wide open style of offense Russell wants to see himself running during the second half of his career.
I also paired this coach with a defensive coordinator who embraces a more attacking 4-3 defense that puts emphasis on rushing with four defensive linemen. This is really getting back to what Carroll’s defenses were before Ken Norton Junior took over as DC. You rush four and drop back seven, and you rely on a deep defensive line rotation (maybe Seattle should simply bring back Gus Bradley or Kris Richard).
I traded Bobby Wagner to the Jets for a third round pick, I slid Jordyn Brooks to middle linebacker, and I made Jamal Adams the weak side linebacker in this new scheme with the idea Adams to function more as a blitzer and a third down rush specialist. Ideally, I would have looked to have dealt Adams, as well, but his salary was cost prohibitive to deal, and I needed as much money as possible hitting free agency.
I cut expensive older players such as Chris Carson, Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder, and Benson Mayowa. I freed up space to bring in two young every down defensive tackles on multiple year deals to blend inside with Poona Ford to give me a young and rich defensive tackle rotation. I added another younger edge rusher to mix in with the promising talents of Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson.
I spent extra cheddar to add a younger vet at corner, and kept Sidney Jones who proved to be cheaper than DJ Reed. With Tre Brown in the mix, I felt I could let Reed go, and I felt better about corner, but still considered it a target with the draft.
I signed younger mid level players with some upside on the offensive line for left tackle, right tackle, and center.
I bargain shopped for a couple somewhat proven veteran running backs.
The only veterans (outside of Sidney Jones) I re-signed off my 2021 Seahawk roster were Qunadre Diggs, Ryan Neil, Gerald Everett, and Will Dissly. I felt good about locking up safety and tight end.
With one pick in the second round and two third round picks, I drafted for offensive line, defensive line, taking a center, tackle, and adding one more young piece to my revamped defensive line. The rest of the way, I drafted for depth at running back, corner, and receiver, and more offensive line.
When I looked at this roster construction, the only position that I felt iffy about was left tackle by not bringing back Duane Brown, but I liked the general competition there with the mid level free agents mixed in with maybe some upside with Stone Foresythe.
Is it a risk not bringing back Brown and going with marginal talent at a critical position? Absolutely, but this is the real life game of Tetris that most GM’s have to play annually, especially with rosters such as Seattle’s where their appear to be so many holes.
I chose to attack the market and draft in the areas where the talent was best, instead of overpaying for marginal talent to fit needs and reaching in the draft to fit other needs. With a team that has so many holes, you can’t hit it out of the park with each free agent signing and draft pick, so I just went to for positions that appeared to be clear upgrades. Free agency showed me that there was better talent at defensive line, so I splurged there. Even though I signed a veteran free agent that I liked at center, I saw a player in the draft that I thought was better, and took him.
But how I mainly chose to make Russ happy was pairing him with a head coach who will devote building an offensive attack catered to all of Russ’s strengths, and adding to the defense a better pass rush to take advantage of teams throwing more in games to play catch up. This was my sole strategy.
This is probably what Seattle will have to do next off-season. It’s not just going to be about making a coaching philosophy change. It’s going to have to be adjusting philosophy in the front office. This could mean that Jody Allen might have to make a tough call on John Schneider as well if the current GM is tied to a risk adverse approach, and doesn’t want to budge off it.
The reality of making Russ happy in Seattle and staying a contender
Call me crazy, but I don’t think Russ cares much for risk adverse coaching or front office dealings. I think he’s a total ‘no risk it, no biscuit” guy.
He wants a front office to be aggressive in bringing in star talents like Drew Brees has had in New Orleans, and Brady now has in Tampa, and what Philly has so often done. He doesn’t want to see Schneider make bottom market deals on former first round pick flame outs to see if their is still something there to uncork that another coaching staff didn’t. That’s not going to cut it for him.
He obviously wants a better commitment to the offensive line, but he probably also wants to see a better pass rush, as well. I think most of us can relate.
There appear to be numerous younger defensive linemen set to hit free agency next off-season that Seattle could go more aggressive for. That would fix one major need, and lock it up for seasons down the road.
They could easily address offensive line holes in a combination of free agency and draft. Nothing wrong with a two headed approach.
In my opinion, they need to stop putting expensive resources into positions that don’t involve the line of scrimmage. They need to stop giving big money to running backs, and safeties, and middle linebackers.
The only way I can see justifying Jamal Adams on this roster is by making him a full time pass rusher because that is what is salary calls out for. I would not have him be a coverage safety. I would use him solely as a pass rushing linebacker, and maybe paired with Darrell Taylor on third downs on opposite ends. That could be enough for Seattle to become a top end pass rush team again.
But really, I think the biggest issue with Russ is devising an offense that will play to what he does best, and that is likely an up tempo attack who’s play caller is unafraid of scoring quickly and often. I’ve watched every single game Russell Wilson have played in Seattle. He is, without question, at his best in hurry up mode. Defenses can’t as easily key on him.
It doesn’t mean he has to throw it all over the place to be happy either. He can hand the ball off uptempo just like the Oregon Ducks did to great success under Chip Kelley some years back. He just likely wants to be the aggressor. He wants to be the hunter instead of being the hunted.
I would love for Pete Carroll to see that light and embrace it as a head coach. I think he has been the best head coach Seattle has ever seen as a sports town. I think this idea from some that he is washed up as a coach is ridiculous, too.
Watching Tennessee physically beat down the Rams on SNF by playing Pete Ball solidifies it in my mind that the league hasn’t completely passed over his preferred style of winning. Far from it.
With all the analytics that are out there, football will always be football. The teams that block better and tackle better will always be more built to win. Tennessee shows us that, even without their superstar running back. So, yeah. I’m still a Pete Carroll believer.
But I also have a really hard to seeing him willing to adjust his philosophy to fit the marquee quarterback in this town, and that’s the rub.
As much as I love Pete, if I have to choose between the franchise player and the head coach, I have to go with Russ. It’s taken me a long while to reach this conclusion, but having Russ out during this stretch of games is very likely the difference between Seattle being 3-5 (which they are), and being 5-3 and in firm control of being a playoff team.
Simply put, Russell Wilson is Seattle’s best asset in professional sports. You don’t typically trade off your best asset. You build around it.
This is how I would cook if I owned the Seahawks.
That said, if all I think is true between Russ and Pete like I think it is, and Seattle chooses to go in a different direction this off-season, and Pete remains, and Russ moves on, I won’t be too overly upset. If Pete still has the culture of this team riding high and has multiple first round picks to play with, I’d be intrigued to see what shakes out of that. I just have a harder time seeing it going down this way.
Of course, there does exist the possibly that I completely overestimated the tensions between Pete and Russ, and they find a way to work it out and stay together. This could happen, and it wouldn’t be the first time my intuitions have been off the mark, but then, again, it’s probably not going to make off-season mode in Madden nearly as fun.
And really, football should be about fun.. I think, anyways.
12th Life 