Geno Smith did not beat the Detroit Lions. The Seattle Seahawks did. I know this.

In fact, Detriot’s offense actually outscored Seattle’s in this one, and had it not been for rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen’s pick six play on Jared Goff, Seattle might very well have walked out with another game in the loss column instead adding to the win one. If someone labeled that the play of the game, I wouldn’t argue against it.

One might even suggest that had DeeJay Dallas not secured the ball on Nick Bellore’s botched attempt to secure on onside kick at the end, Seattle could/would have lost this game, as well. Dallas honestly had one of the most vital plays of this nutziod shootout.

But all this said, make no mistake about it, Geno Smith had an outstanding game. He hit 23 of 30 passes for 320 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs while running for 49 yards on seven carries and a score. These are the sort of numbers that can earn you an Offensive Player Of The Week title.

He was super efficient again, and was in total control of mostly everything Shane Waldron wanted to run, yet again. This feels like a theme brewing with him.

In fact, if Geno Smith goes into the Super Dome against the Saints, and put up similar efficiency numbers as he has had over the past couple weeks, I think a lot of people are going to have to consider walking back a lot of what they have said about him on the airwaves, and written about him online. In fact, I would say that they are perfectly welcome to start walking it back now.

Through four games, Geno Smith is appearing a lot more capable of a starting NFL quarterback that most were probably thinking he was. There can be little debate in that now.

In four games, he has out played Russell Wilson. Pretty much all stats are backing that up, and supposedly Russell Wilson is on a better team with better weapons.

The irony of Geno Smith’s stellar performance this Sunday is that the guy who might beat him out for Offensive Player Of The Week is actually on the same team. Rashaad Penny ran roughshod on the Detroit defense with 17 carries for 151 yards and two scores, and he saved his best runs for when needed most on critical third down plays that lead to big scampering scores, and a first down at the end of the game that finally iced it for Seattle.

Geno Smith, Rashaad Penny, and DK Metcalf all had a day for this offense. DK and Penny are guys that you should expect to have big days given their talents, but this makes me circle back to Geno.

I’m happy for Geno Smith. In fact, I’m overjoyed. I’m so filled with joy over this, that I hope through the remaining course of this season, Geno gets to enjoy more games like this one than not, and the Seattle Seahawks are playing meaningful football in December and January. It would be great for him, and it would be outstanding for the development of this team.

If Seattle is going to have a top ten pick in next year’s draft, let that pick be the one that comes from Denver. I’m serious about this.

I don’t want to watch this team suck for a top pick. I don’t feel that is how to build a contender. I think you build a contender with the talent already on the roster coming together as the season goes on, and they develop into star level talents.

I want to see Tariq Woolen, Boye Mafe, Abe Lucas, Charles Cross, Ken Walker, and Coby Bryant become blue chip talents that other teams missed out on just like Kam, Sherman, KJ and others were way back when. That is how I want to see my Seattle Seahawks built up again.

So, you know what? Screw this suck for a quarterback thing. Screw it in the pants!

If Geno Smith balls the F out like this throughout the season, good. G-O-O-D!

The idea of Geno Smith turning his career around in Seattle, and them winning because of that is a big reason why I am a long time, diehard, Seattle Seahawks fan. I think this region is hard wired to root for guys like him, and let’s examine that.

In all of the pinnacle points of Seahawk post season ascension, from 1983 on to recent times, they have always risen as an underdog with an underdog at quarterback. Dave Krieg was an undrafted free agent, Jon Kitna was an undrafted free agent, Matt Hasselbeck was a developmental sixth round pick traded meagerly for, and Russell Wilson was a third rounder. These are the only quarterbacks who have ever guided Seattle into playoff games and beyond. A Geno Smith success story in Seattle would fit in well within this group.

Of course, there are a lot of games left to be played, and Geno has to stay healthy, and continue playing well, and I understand it if there are still doubts.. yada, yada, yada..

I would also say that, through these four games now, there is enough encouraging signs from Geno in this Shane Waldron offense to think his high level of play can continue.

Now, as I look at the schedule and see at the Saints, hosting the Cardinals, at the Chargers, and hosting the Giants, with the way this offense is coming on with him, none of these matches seem nearly as daunting as once appeared. If Seattle can sort out its defense more over the next week or so, that’s all the better.

Sorting out the defense feels like the bigger “if” right now, though, to be honest. While there were some positive signs out of this unit at Detroit, this was still a group of defenders who gave up way too many yards and points, even against a what appears to be a talented Detroit offense on the road.

For as fun and timely as the Woolen pick six was, he’s still raw and he’s learning how to cover NFL receivers (so is Coby Bryant). Carroll seems very intent on riding and dying with his rookie corners, though. So the hope is that, they continue to learn quickly on the job.

If I am to say something positive on about this defensive performance, I would say that it was hit and miss, and pretty uneven all together. That would be the polite thing to say about it.

I thought Boye Mafe made some strong plays on the edge against the run, and that was good to watch, but the one busted run that they gave up for a big long touchdown was against a wide alignment where the DTs were split outside of the guards and the ends were wide outside the tackles. That alignment screamed for a draw run to be called inside, and defenders behind the line of scrimmage all seemed to be napping when Jamaal Williams bolted through the gapping hole like a ball shot out of a cannon.

I have faith, ultimately, in Clint Hurtt as a DC, but I will be happy to not see them go “wide nine” like that for a while. They’ve shown that look a lot through these games and have paid prices. Time to maybe set it aside for something else.

That something else could come against the Saints who are probably going to try to pound it more instead of chucking it around like Detroit did in this one. This will be a good week to continue honing in on the run fits and tackling, and maybe a few more tweaks to the scheme.

As bad as the defense looked at many moments against these Detroit Lions, I sense a turn. I think we are going to start seeing them play better, and possibly pretty soon.

It was nice to finally see Sidney Jones playing at corner, along with Ryan Neal more at safety. I like these two veteran players. I keep feeling like Seattle has players on this side of the ball who are decent, and they just need to better sort it out with them. Getting Jones and Neal on the field was a nice start.

I’m here for it. I’m ready for a good defensive showing against the Saints. Let’s do it.

Go Hawks!

It is no joke what these 2022 Seattle Seahawks ave looked like through their first three games. They’re a team that is capable of showing decent spurts of offense, but they can’t stop the run right now, and if you cannot stop the run, you won’t win many football games in a football season.

On the surface, they have a tough task of traveling into Detroit, and beating a Lions team that seems to be really good at running the ball, and scoring points. Even for as banged up as the Lions appear to be right now, they have to be looking at Seattle’s defense, and salivating like an apex predator that their names suggests.

The Seahawk defenders have been playing the run like dainty gazelles. They need to be a pack of angry rhinos, instead.

The good news is that this is still early into an NFL season where Seattle has completely shifted from its traditional 4-3 defense into a new 3-4 looking scheme. Given the fact that off-season training is more limited these days, as is the amount of contact in August training camp, it really shouldn’t be a total shock that Seattle’s shift to a new front has looked sloppy, thus far. It should get better, and I think, as the coaches now understand the players more in it through these early games, tweaks to this defense are coming.

It is just a matter if whether or not the turnaround can happen soon enough, and they will be able to flip the switch against Detroit. I completely understand the doubters on this one. Many are projecting Detroit to be some sort of darling team on the rise this year.

I have a more tempered view of this Lions team. Through three games, they look like they are playing better ball, especially offensively, but injuries are starting to mount, and your best ability will always remain availability in this league.

Is the hard hitting style that Dan Campbell imposed on this team during training camp (as seen on HBO’s Hard Knocks) starting to take toll? I think it’s possible.

They recently lost their defensive leader in safety Tracy Walker, so the backend of their defense will be thinner against Geno Smith, who has been tossing the rock surprisingly well enough for Seattle. They could also be without their star running back, star receiver, among others this Sunday.

So, while I was very tempted to pick Detroit as the winner in this match, I’m going to be the ultimate homer again this week, and pick my Seahawks in this one. I think this could be shaping up into a week for the Seahawks to catch the Lions on the road, and get things better on track.

As bad as Seattle’s defense has been against the 49ers and Falcons, they were at least respectable against the Broncos. I think the talent is there for this defense to be better than what it has been over the past two weeks. That talent just needs to be better used.

Rookie edge defender Boye Mafe, in his limited snaps, is recognized as one of the best run stoppers in the league as graded by the analytic minds of Pro Football Focus (they have him currently in the top ten). Pete Carroll indicating that we will now see him more on early downs in place of Darrell Taylor should be seen as a positive by Seahawk fans. Uchenna Nwosu is a good veteran edge player on the other side, and Darrell Johnson has graded out pretty decently, as well.

Carroll indicated that he likes the new scheme, but the coaches have to do better to adjust it to the talent they have. I found this pretty intriguing, and kind of encouraging, to be honest. I won’t predict what I think those changes will be, but if I had to guess, I would think it might have something to do with the players they have up front.

I went back and looked at old footage of the 3-4 defense Seattle ran with great success in the 1980’s when Chuck Knox was the coach. They were a bit undersized with Jacob Green, Joe Nash, and Jeff Bryant as the main dudes up front, but they used their athleticism more on stunts, and when all three of these guys were working together with the linebackers, it created sort of a beautiful symphony of pressures against the run and pass. They were an exciting front with an attacking mentality.

I’m not saying that these Seahawks of today have the makings of that special unit back then, but I think it is safe to say that guys like Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson, and Shelby Harris are probably better up the field one gapper types than they are as zero technique two gap types like Big Al Woods. In short, I think it’s possible we see Seattle do some adjusting with them, and that might open up things more for the linebackers, as well.

I would also say that by playing against Jared Goff, Seattle doesn’t have to fret about playing against the running quarterback that they’ve had to prepare for going against Russell Wilson, Trey Lance, and Marcus Mariota. This might make Clint Hurtt and Pete Carroll feel like they can turn their guys up front loose more.

As for the Detroit defense, its is fair to say that they are pretty middling of the right now. They also have one of the worst pass rush win rates in the league, and that was before the loss of Walker on the back end. They can only get pressure by blitzing, and without Walker, that could make the backend of their defense even more vulnerable, if Geno Smith is able to find the hot read, and Geno has been pretty good about getting the ball out quickly.

They have also given up six rushing touchdowns through three games, and that feels like a lot. This could be the game to get Rashaad Penny and Ken Walker III smelling the end zone.

So, yeah, I am going to Seahawk homer up in this one, and say it again that I think my Seahawks take this one. I think Seattle will continue getting the run game going with Geno Smith continuing to make good choices, peppering it around, and occasionally taking advantage of Detroit needing to blitz. I also think Clint Hurtt is going to turn it loose a little more against Goff, and that might surprise.

In the end, I see Seattle walking out with the close score win of 20-17. Afterwards, the narrative around this team shifts more positively again as they head into a game at the Super Dome the following week against a struggling Saints team.

I’m saying it now, loud and proud. This game in Detroit is where the 2022 Seattle Seahawks flip the switch and turn it around, and I’m here for it.

Go Hawks.

I thought confidently heading into this game that the Seattle Seahawk offense was going to respond with a better outing than what happened last week. There’s too much talent on that side of the ball to have laid the egg as they did against the 49ers.

They have a good young running back hitting his prime, a good tight end group, and one of the best wide receiver tandems in this league. They also have some makings for potentially one of the better offensive lines with Charles Cross and Abe Lucas at tackle.

All they needed was for Geno Smith to throw it a bit more downfield, and to get a better commitment at running the ball out of Shane Waldron. They did this in this game, and, as a result, Seattle had very little problems moving the rock against a middling Atlanta Falcon defense.

The problem was, however, that Seattle’s defense had another dud of a day stopping the run. On a day where Geno Smith put up good enough numbers at quarterback and Rashaad Penny and Ken Walker got going, Atlanta’s Cordelle Patterson had 141 yard on 17 carries for an average of 8 yards per carry, and I think this was the single big difference in the final score.

These 2022 Seattle Seahawks will not win many games this year if this defense is going to average giving up close to 200 yards on the ground most games, such as been the case for the last two weeks. It practically doesn’t matter who the other team’s offense has at quarterback, tight end, or receiver, if they can simply keep with the run.

So, my biggest take away from this game is that Seattle still has a ton of work to do on defense. It is that plain and simple.

As bad as the Seattle offense was last week against the 49ers, it feels further ahead of the defense. Geno seems to have a handle on what Shane Waldron wants to do, and he can muster it against a run of the mill defense. I’m not sure this Seahawk defense can even handle a bad offense right now.

Through three games, it feels like this defense was really fortunate against Denver on Monday Night Football more than anything else; that Nathanial Hackett bungled the game not by calling for that stupid 64 yard kick attempt, but by letting Russ cook instead of running it against Seattle’s defense.

So, how do they fix it?

Is it the lack of Xs and Os, or is it the lack of Jimmies and Joes?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a great answer. My gut is saying that they don’t have the players to pull off a very good 3-4 defense right now. I think they have some good interior defensive linemen, but they are lacking right now at linebacker, or they just aren’t playing well because they are unsure, and not playing with confidence. It seems there’s confusion in the backfield, as well, but Seattle is starting a ton of youth back there.

If these players are unsure, especially at the edges, then maybe it is a scheme thing. Maybe it’s asking dudes to do too much. When Seattle’s defense was really humming at a high level, there was a simplicity to its scheme, and that freed up good players to play at a hyper high level. San Francisco plays that sort of defense today.

Maybe Pete Carroll should consider scrapping this 3-4 and just go back to the 4-3 he’s always ran. I know this sounds too soon to be suggesting this, but at least the 4-3 is a defense that is traditionally more apt to stop the run. If you can’t stop the run in this league, that’s a death sentence to your season, plain and simple.

Or maybe Seattle needs to lean in further with the 3-4, and just really be a true 3-4 defense instead of being this “multiple” business and showing looks of 3-4 and 4-3 at different times. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a true 3-4 and have been running it for decades. Tampa is a true 3-4.

Pick something and master it. There’s a novel idea.

Or maybe Seattle just needs more time with these young cats to really get what they’re supposed to be doing, and these next few games are going to be a bit of clown show before the light finally clicks. I seem to recall that in the early years of Pete Carroll here in the PNW, his defense had its fair shares of ups and downs before players gained confidence and it turned a corner.

Right now, if you are pulling for Seattle to make it competitive during this transitional year, the best thing that I can say is that through three games they are tied for second place within the NFC West with San Francisco and Arizona, and they play in Detroit next week. This season is not lost, but they need to fix the very obvious.

Pete Carroll and Clint Hurtt have their work to do. Say what you will about Ken Norton Junior, but at least his defenses were mostly able to stop the run. I’m eager to see Hurtt turn it around.

Doing it in Detroit, and winning would be a nice start.

Go Hawks.

Somewhere between the arrogance of Russell Wilson needing to chuck it deep, and the ultra safe dink and dunkness of Geno Smith exists the perfect quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. Right now, we got Geno, and I got his back, but like Coach Carroll recently said, we gotta open it up.

Because, here’s the real deal. Our Seattle Seahawks are paying DK Metcalf too much money for them not to be making him the focal point down field, and taking advantage of his size and skills against smaller defenders. Even if it doesn’t lead to a completion, it will keep any defense honest, if they feel like that threat is genuinely there at any point.

Last Sunday, the 49er defense did not fear that. They knew what Seattle was going to do, and they played stingy against the run, and were very ready for Geno’s short passing. Pete Carroll knows that other defenses will look to do the same if Seattle doesn’t open it up deep.

Expect Seattle to do exactly that against the Falcons this Sunday. It won’t just be to DK either. I suspect we see the tight ends getting more involved again down field, as I would think we will see Marquise Goodwin be more active. as well. Seattle has too much speed to not test safeties more, and while Geno isn’t Russ, he is fully capable to throwing a pretty spiral down field.

This is a good matchup against a middling Falcon defense to get that done. It’s not a defense nearly as good as Seattle has faced with San Francisco or Denver. Therefore, this is spot in the schedule for Seattle to flip the script.

So, I am penciling this down as a get-right-at home game for this 2022 Seahawk offense. In fact, I’m saying book it, even though they will be without starting center Austin Blythe (which, admittedly, the idea of his absence is a bit nerve racking).

Also, in that, I think we see Seattle finally getting Rashaad Penny and Ken Walker going. Make no mistake, while Carroll talked about opening up the passing attack, what he really wants is for his run game to become a big time factor again. It should happen in this game.

If you have Penny on your fantasy team, I think you want to play him this week. He’s due.

Who know who’s also due this Sunday? The Seahawk defenders coming out with their hair on fire against the run.

I see the Seattle defense doing a much better job at tackling and being stouter in this one. Again, they aren’t facing San Francisco’s dominant offensive line and exotic run game. Therefore, this is their get right game because, well, frankly, it has to be, and here’s why.

After the debacle in Santa Clara, I’m sure some defenders are on notice. If they can’t stay discipline and determined against the run, Clint Hurtt and Pete Carroll will put players in the field who will. Carroll already mentioned he would like to see edge defender Darrell Johnson get into the game more because of his stouter play against the 49er run game.

I think that was a message to Darrell Taylor, and I expect him to step up and play more to his potential this week. I think Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton will bounce back, as well.

I’m am so confident in this, I am not even going to waste space typing up keys to the game.

You want some keys to the game? Here’s some.

Run the damn ball like it’s your DNA to do it. Test the Atlanta defense down field with that big athletic freak who wears number 14. Fit your gaps, get off your blocks, and tackle like the ball carrier stole your momma’s purse and gave her a black eye.

In the end, I see Seattle walking away with a satisfying 27-24 win.

I think Atlanta will get some of theirs with their two young high profile targets in Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but it won’t be enough. I think Seattle gets to a lead, and holds onto it.

In the closing minutes, it wouldn’t shock me if Altanta scores against a prevent defense to make the final score more respectable, but this games end on Geno Smith taking kneel downs, and the Seahawks get to 2-1 in this young season.

At least, that’s what I’m pretty sure will happen.

Go Hawks.

When the schedule first came out, I penciled a loss in for the Seahawks in week two, on the road, against what I imagined would be a pretty fired up San Francisco team. I wasn’t wrong.

I even imagined that the loss could turn into a good old fashioned ass whooping, given that the Seahawks no longer had Russell Wilson. I wasn’t really wrong on that, either.

So, it’s weird that I actually thought all last week that Seattle was going to travel down into that environment, and beat these 49ers, who I believe are a vastly better team right now. I suppose I got caught up in an emotional state of delusion after Monday Night Football, when Seattle snuck by the Russell Wilson Denver Broncos, and Geno Smith looked pretty serviceable in his first start as Russ’s replacement.

Honestly, if you looked at his stat lines from this beat down, Geno, again, showed decent efficiency. I know that there’s going to be a bunch of I Told You So’s chiming in that Geno Smith is not an NFL starter after this match, and they may well be right, but let’s be real here; Geno Smith did not lose this game for Seattle.

In fact, when the score was still relatively close, Geno had the offense deep in the red zone, and the Seattle coaches thought that it would somehow be cute to run two wildcat plays with four backs on the field with Geno not at quarterback. It was fun when the first play netted some positive yards not he game with Ken Walker III running it, but it got decisively un-cute when the second play resulted in reserve running back DeeJay Dallas throwing one of the worst wobbly throws for an INT in the end zone that I’ve ever seen in the professional game of football.

Let’s think about what those two plays meant for this offense. Smith finally got the offense rolling enough to score, and then, amazingly, he was somehow not trusted enough to throw the ball into the end zone, that they wanted a reserve running back to make that throw instead. Wow. Let’s scrap that one for a while.

If memory serves correct, Geno Smith also wasn’t on the defense that couldn’t fill gaps or tackle worth a poop in the first half of ball, which lead to easy drives and scores by San Francisco, and I don’t believe that he was blowing any coverages on defense either.

So, no, Geno Smith did not lose this game for Seattle. Not even close.

The good news is that the season is not lost. Seattle is tied in the division with all the other teams, and hosts Atlanta and then plays at Detroit. It’s entirely possible that they could be 3-1 in two week’s time, but they will need to clean things up right now. They can’t play like this on both sides of the ball and expect to win both of those games.

They need to get the run game going, and they need to be able to stop the run, or this is going to be an ugly season. I’m not expecting miracles from Geno Smith, but I am expecting these two things for a Pete Carroll coached team this year; that they will be able to run the ball, and they will be able to stop the run.

Through two games, they have done neither, and Geno Smith can dink and dunk himself to all kinds of respectable efficiency numbers, but if they are not balanced on offense, they will not score enough points, and if they are not able to stop the run, they won’t stop other teams from scoring. It’s as simple as that.

Having said that, they did just play two pretty talented teams who are known to run well, and play strong on defense. So, it is fair to say that this was a tough start to the schedule, and they split these two games. That’s the positive spin, anyways.

But my God!

They must run the freaking ball, and they got to be able to be able to stop the run. I hope that this won’t become my new broken record thingy that I’m writing about every week. Oooof. I need a dozen Rolaids after that thought.

I honestly trust that they will get this run game going, though. Pete Carroll will make a point of that. Given that they are starting two rookie offensive tackles, it’s fair to say that it might take a bit of time, but it’s coming.

What worries me most, however, is the shift to Clint Hurtt’s 3-4 defense, and how that three man front can make it harder to stop the run than the 4-3 front they’ve been known for in years past. Again, it seems like the outside gaps were being exploited early and often, as they were against Denver, and Darrell Taylor, in particular, has to get better as a run defender on the edge.

It did seem like he got better as the game wore on, but he’s got to master playing the run. Boye Mafe played a nice game behind him, and he’s a high second round pick for a reason. If Taylor doesn’t start playing more stout, it’s not out of reason that Mafe could find himself in with the first team more.

But Taylor was not the only defender not showing up against the run right away. The interior defensive line got pushed around. Josh Jones whiffed on a tackles against the run and pass at safety. I didn’t exactly see Jordyn Brooks or Cody Barton blowing up running backs much, either.

It’s a new defense that is going to take time to master, and I get it, if this defense continues to play this bad against the run, I honestly wonder how much longer Pete Carroll is going to be willing to stay with the whole 3-4 look, and want to get back to some of his 4-3 principals.

Things to think about.

Run the ball, and stop the run. It’s really that simple. Hopefully, Pete Carroll and company get back to that this next Sunday against Atlanta. They need to do it. I’m ready for it.

Go Hawks.

Trey Lance and Geno Smith are as about as opposite as can be as quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, I don’t know how they get more opposite.

Lance was a top five pick in the NFL draft last year, and while as raw as can be, he possesses a physical skillset with tremendous potential, if he can figure it out. Geno Smith, however, is ten year vet who started out his career as a starter, struggled, had the team that drafted him give up on him, and then spent most of his career, afterwards, as a backup.. until now.

Geno Smith was also an accomplished four year starter in college who put up gaudy passing numbers at West Virginia while Trey Lance played in only 17 games of football at the small program of North Dakota State. One has to wonder how Geno Smith ended up falling to the 39th pick in the 2013 NFL draft while the San Francisco 49ers felt the need to trade three first round picks to move up for Lance in 2021, but it is what it is. These two quarterbacks will face off with each other this Sunday in Santa Clara.

The implications of this game aren’t just about positioning in the NFC West. If we step back, I think we can seen some interesting implications at play in terms of how the league handles quarterbacks as a whole.

As I have written before, if Geno Smith vastly exceeds expectations as a starter in the league this year, and guides Seattle into playoff contention, that would be an awesome storyline. It would be fun for fans in Seattle, but it would be fantastic for Geno Smith.

It would also be kind of an indictment on how awful the league is on chewing up young quarterbacks and spitting them out. There used to be a time where teams stayed with a young passer knowing that it often takes time to develop properly as a passer in a league where most of the best athletes at the line of scrimmage play on defense because sacks equal big bucks once a rookie contract is up.

Matt Hasselbeck took many years to develop as a passer. So did Alex Smith, and really, so did Drew Brees, and Payton Manning.

People point to all the interceptions Smith threw in his first two years with the Jets but guess who also initially threw a ton of picks? Manning did. Both guys were highly accomplished passers in college who put up all kinds of gaudy stats.

If Trey Lance struggles this year, and is replaced with Jimmy Garoppolo, and Garoppolo goes San Francisco into the playoffs again, it’s likely to put all kinds of pressure on Lance next year to finally get it together in merely just his third season. Seahawk fans can salivate over that scenario, but if it plays out that way, I will feel sorry for the guy.

I believe that the NFL is like a drug dealer when it comes to quarterbacks. It pumps them up to higher than reasonable expectations in order to get fans jacked up, buying jerseys, and putting their butts in the stands.

It also makes the rules on defense easier for receivers to run routes and battle for contested balls, which thus, in theory, makes an average quarterback look better than maybe he would have been twenty years ago. Thus we have Kirk Cousins, and Derek Carr, and Jimmy Garoppolo.

College football is the same type of drug dealer at the position. Every year it hypes up quarterbacks who “could be the top overall pick in the draft” presumably to get fans of NFL teams to watch all the games that college football makes billions of dollars from.

These two entities work symbiotically together. College football produces them, and the NFL viciously spits many of them out.

The league can quickly discard with a young passer for another coming out of college because they know the new guy from college will give fans hope and sell a whole new millions worth of jerseys (see the Jets with Geno Smith to Sam Darnold to Zach Wilson). It’s actually a very vicious cycle.

So, from this perspective, I think it would be really awesome if Geno Smith reminded the league that a dude who as paid his dues by grinding in quarterback rooms and backing up quality starters, such as he has, can be the guy if given the proper opportunity. This actually used to be a reliable model.

Look at the situation in Green Bay in the 1990’s when Mike Holmgren was there. They had Bret Farve as their young starter, but drafted and developed behind him, and many of those guys became quality starters elsewhere once they were traded, or acquired by other means. Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks, Kurt Warner, and Hasselbeck all became good quarterbacks elsewhere by being coached right in Green Bay and being in a quarterback room with Farve.

But apparently that model isn’t a sexy enough seller in today’s standards of football which are dominated by the NFL and college football quarterback drug empires. This is why I think Geno Smith working out in Seattle is so damn intriguing.

And I think there’s legitimate reasons for rooting for a guy like Trey Lance, as well, and hoping that the league doesn’t spit him out if he struggles over the next couples year, which he might very well do. History kinda shows that he likely will.

But enough of this quarterback crap. Let’s preview this matchup between these two bitters NFC West foes in the Seahawks and 49ers.

Seahawks win this game by

Limiting the big runs that Kyle Shanahan will try to get off of this new look Seattle defense in order to put Lance in a good situation at quarterback. There was a lot that I liked about Seattle’s defensive performance against the Broncos on Monday Night. They flustered Russell Wilson enough, and they were incredible in the red zone, but they also gave up some big runs on the ground at times, and I found that disturbing. Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt didn’t sound happy about that either, and neither did his players. They know that they need to be better against Shanahan’s exotic ground game. An adjusted look up front in this game might be the ticket.

Confusing Lance when he has to pass and forcing bad throws and sacks. Seattle needs to trick Lance into believing one thing is going to happen with the safeties, but then something else happens entirely after the ball is snapped. This could lead to Lance throwing balls to places that he shouldn’t, and the other is that it makes him hesitate and hang onto the ball too long to which that leads to sacks. Confusing the young passer into bad decisions is key.

Get the run game going in order to better balance out their offense. Geno Smith played a solid game on MNF. His efficiency as a passer was aces, but he could have been helped more by a better established run game. Rashaad Penny only had twelve carries. That’s not enough. San Francisco is another strong defensive team. The genie is out of the bottle on what Geno is capable of in Shane Waldron’s offense. Nick Bosa and company won’t be surprised. Seattle needs to get Penny and company going in this one to slow down a fierce 49er pass rush. Being patient with the run might be the biggest key on offense in this game.

Geno continuing his steady play as a distributor of the ball. What I loved most about Geno’s play against a good Denver defense was how smoothly he got the ball out on time and to the right spots. He just looked really in control. Geno needs to continue taking whatever the defense is giving, but he’s also got to make some timely throws down field when the opportunity is there. Geno also did this well against Denver. He needs to do it again in this one.

49ers beat Seattle by

Running all damn day long with success. Shanahan probably looked at ten minutes of tape from Seattle’s defense on Monday night, and decided his plan. The 3-4 base defense Seattle has using against Denver had a tough time against the run, and particularly Darrell Taylor on the edge. If I am Shanahan, I am running Trey Lance early and often along with Deebo Samuel, and whoever they got healthy in the backfield. If Lance throws less than 20 times, I’d be happy with that in this one. Once Seattle puts more players in the box, that’s when I open up the passing for deep shots down field.

Stuffing the run and making Seattle one dimensional on the road. Playing good defense always starts with stopping the run first. Seattle got away from the run on Monday Night Football. I don’t suspect that they will do this again on the road in Santa Clara. San Francisco has as tough of a front seven as there is in football. They might have the best front seven in football. They should be ready to show it in this one.

Not letting Geno Smith get into an easy rhythm with the quick pass. After week one, the cat is out of the bag on Geno and what Seattle wants to do with him. They want him to hit the quick passes. I would look for my corners to be prepared to jump some of these shorter routes, and make him hesitant with my fierce pass rush coming his way. Until he’s showed he can test my defense deep, I’m going to ask my guys to be extra aggressive.

Prediction

This has all the makings of a classic Seattle vs San Francisco game. There will be a lot of hitting, there will be mistakes and turnovers, and there will be some big deciding plays. In the end, I’m going with the hotter team coming off the big MNF win. I think the Seahawks take this one 23-17.

There will be times, in this one, where Lance will look more promising than he did in Chicago. The 49ers will have more offensive success, but I suspect that enough critical mistakes will benefit Seattle.

The Seattle Seahawks know what works against Kyle Shanahan’s offense. I actually suspect that we could see an adjusted front from Seattle’s base defense. There are things that Seattle has done defensively in the past that has worked in this matchup, and I think we see a return to that well.

Thus, I think this will be more of an old school match, and in that, I favor Geno Smith to make the better decisions under pressure. Pro Football Focus has been loving Smith all preseason and through this last game in Monday Night. Say what you will about him, but Smith as been making good decisions at quarterback, and also has been making good throws.

When I put all of this together, I see another hard fought game between these two clubs, but see the team who’s quarterback makes the better decisions winning this one, and in that, I ride with Geno.

Go Hawks.

Minutes after the Seattle Seahawks upset Russell Wilson and his Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, 17-16, an ESPN reporter asked Geno Smith if he had anything to say to those who doubted him. He had a short but sweet, and most excellent response, I thought.

“They wrote me off, but I didn’t write back.”

I’m a Geno Smith fan now. I know this much about this 2022 Seattle Seahawk season, thus far. I will ride with Geno, and it’s not just about that mike drop he laid with a wry smile.

No, it’s mostly because Geno Smith played a pretty damn solid game against a tough defense, altogether. Nothing flashy, or eye popping. Just solid. I like solid.

In fact, during the first half of ball, he looked pretty damn.. dare I say it.. flawless.

You could feel that he was in full control of Shane Waldron’s offense. I would even go as far to say that, for the first time with Waldron as the offensive coordinator, I felt his passing attack, and Geno looked light years better than anything I saw out of either quarterback in it last year, frankly.

The ball came out as it was supposed to do it, and went right where it needed to be with accuracy. In that, Geno looked poised, taking advantage of what the defense gave in coverage, and in times where protection started to break down, he even extended plays with his legs for big gains. He stayed strong on in the pocket, threw with confidence over the middle, and was impressively accurate.

When Geno Smith is on it, you can see his skills as a passer. The ball comes out quick with a pretty spin. He can look defenders off, and go through his progressions. He can move well, and he can protect the ball. He did this on Monday Night Football, and frankly, he was the better quarterback on the field.

Russell Wilson had his signature Russell Wilson moments. He extended outside a number of times, and hit his open guy down field. He’s still really good at that, but he did troubling things in this game that I’ve noticed him do more of over the past couple years.

He was less elusive under pressure, and he got lucky on an under thrown ball to Jerry Jeudy that the receiver made a tremendous catch and run score on. He had a couple delay of game calls, and was late on a few open receivers. In a tough AFC West conference, if I was a Broncos fan, I would be nervous of this.

Geno Smith, however, was mostly poised, and on time with is throws. Really, it wasn’t until way into the second half where I thought his play came back down to earth a bit by not feeling pressure as well as he was doing earlier in the game, and throwing a couple errant passes when his mechanics might have gotten away from him.

I also think that he wasn’t helped out by a few holding penalties that killed big plays, and became momentum killers, and the fact that Seattle mostly stayed in its typical bend don’t break defensive mode that had Denver’s offense on the field significantly more through the last two quarters of play. Geno and the offense didn’t have enough time in the second half to really keeps things humming because of these factors, I think.

At the end of the game, however, Geno’s final stat line (23 of 28 pass attempts, 195 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs) was the model of efficiency that Pete Carroll desires out of his starting quarterback. He was a good point guard, a solid distributor of the football, and he did what he had to do against a tough Denver Bronco defense by scoring more points than Russell Wilson did. I was impressed.

I was also very wrong in my beliefs in Geno Smith during all of the preseason. I refused to believe that Pete Carroll was really going to make this guy the starter over Drew Lock.

In fact, I never entertained the thought that Geno was really going to be the guy until Pete officially named him the starter after the third preseason game. I just wouldn’t go there with it.

Now, not only am I there, but I think these Seahawks should ride with Geno all the way this year. He might not be the long term answer here at quarterback, but he might honestly be a pretty decent short term solution, and good steadying force for a young squad trying to find itself post Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner.

If he continues to play like this, and build off of it, and miraculously has these Seahawks in playoff contention in December, then I think a serious discussion should be had about bringing him back in 2023, or further even. It would make sense.

Even if Seattle drafts a quarterback next year, a successfully rebooted Geno Smith would be good for any young quarterback sit back and learn from. Clearly, the way Geno was able to successfully look off defenders in this game, and set up where he wanted to go with the ball, he knows a lot about quarterbacking. Chances are that a rookie quarterback next year won’t have that mastered.

Quarterbacking in the NFL is hard, and there’s not exactly a Patrick Mahomes tree for GM’s to pick a quarterback off of, even if they have a top five pick in the NFL draft (see the San Francisco 49ers with Trey Lance). Given that, I think it’s prudent for Seattle to look both at veteran and draft solutions to the position. Right now, in my mind, Geno has played himself into veteran consideration with this positive outing.

After watching Geno play this game against the Russell Wilson Broncos, I am now entertaining the thought that he could be a great guy for that young gun to sit behind, and soak up the knowledge until he’s truly ready; kind of like how Alex Smith was to both Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Mahomes on their respective teams. Before this game, my thoughts were not there with that. Not even close.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. This was just a start to the season, and a lot can happen, good and bad.

For the Seattle Seahawks and Geno Smith, this was a great start, though. They beat the Denver Broncos and the guy who didn’t want to be the franchise quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks any longer (at least under Pete Carroll).

As a fan, I feel fantastic about that, even though it wasn’t always pretty. There were screw ups by both teams, but Seattle prevailed, and they did it by starting two rookies on the offensive line, and a raw rookie corner.

And there were two fantastic goal line stances from the defense in the third quarter that held Denver scoreless. Who doesn’t love that?!

Mostly, I just love that Russell Wilson didn’t win this game, and that he didn’t cook good enough. This isn’t me simply being petty so much as it is me not wanting to see Russ win this year because of the draft haul we will have in 2023 if the Broncos end up with a losing record.

I mean, yeah, sure, I’m petty as a fan. I didn’t love how Russ and his agent dealt with things in Seattle, and started that whole Let Russ Cook thing, undercutting Pete Carroll’s philosophy about how to win games. I also didn’t love how that created a sharp division amongst Seahawk fans.

So, yeah, now that I think about it, I think it’s fucking great that Pete Carroll beat Russell Wilson by playing Pete Ball, and Russell Wilson lost cooking for 340 yards through the air on 42 attempts and still only managed 16 points. I mean, really, if I wanted to be a dick to all these Russell fans who wanted him to air it out more when he was in Seattle, I would point to this more, but I’m just going to move forward.

Pete Carroll was asked in his post game press conference if this win was validating. He dodged the question, likely because he thought it was loaded in terms of Russ and the drama in Seattle, but let me tell you this, as a fan: this win against Russ and Denver was beyond validating. It was super validating.

Here’s some other following side notes of other things I found joyous.

Uchenna Nwosu looked explosive and impactful as a pass rusher. I see why Seattle spent big free agent money on him. I saw this in practice, as well. That’s validating.

I’m happy for Cody Barton, who I thought played a good, validating game by getting key stops and sacking Dangeruss.

I’m happy for Tariq Woolen for getting through his first NFL start at right corner, and staying with it. It was validating watching him flash his rookie potential.

I’m happy for Al Woods continuing to look at a total bad ass at nose tackle even though he’s the same age as President Biden now. He’s validating for all geezers such as myself.

But really, when I think of validation, I think about Pete sticking with Geno as QB1 all preseason and into this game. Apparently, Pete knew more about Geno than the rest of us. Go figure that.

I’m also ecstatic for Geno Smith getting this opportunity on a national stage to possibly salvage his career as an NFL passer, and making the most out of it. This is a fantastic opportunity for him now, and I’m looking forward to rooting him on every week. I hope he balls the F out all season long.

Because, in the end, most of us love a good underdog story, and Geno Smith turning this opportunity into success would be an absolute terrific sports story this year. I want this to happen for him.

Will it?

We will see, but what a great start by beating Russell Wilson on Monday Night!

Every Seahawk fan should be enjoying this week. I know I will.

Validation is an awesome thing.

Go Hawks.

I’m not certain about a lot of things, especially when it comes to this huge Monday Night Football game with the Seattle Seahawks defending home turf against the Russell Wilson Denver Broncos. Wilson could have a magnificent night, and completely torch his former team. He could also struggle against a new look defense full of defenders who want to prove that the Seahawks weren’t just all about him the last few years.

One thing I am certain of is this; if the Seattle Seahawks lose to the Denver Broncos this Monday night, much of national takeaways will be brutal against Pete Carroll, and John Schneider. The talking points will be about how great Russell Wilson is and how clueless Seattle is as an organization. This has been Colin Cowherd’s shtick for many years now when it comes to the Seahawks, and I think it would probably be at a nuclear on Tuesday, if Wilson gets his “revenge.”

As a Seahawk fan, I couldn’t care less, honestly, and I would advise any diehard fan to do the same. It would be awesome for the Seahawks to beat this Bronco team, and truthfully, it would be better for Seattle in terms of draft position if Denver has a bad first season with Russell. Beating Denver helps that happen.

However, in terms of importance, this season for Seattle will not be about the wins and losses. It’s going to be about playing young talented football players, and getting them well seasoned for the next franchise quarterback likely to come onto the roster next year.

Getting Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Ken Walker, Jordyn Brooks, Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant, Myles Adams, Dee Eskridge, and others to step up, understand, and play the NFL game on a solid level is the real goal. If they end up with a winning record while accomplishing this, then that’s a wonderful bonus.

But Colin Cowherd likely won’t be discussing that on his show, if the Seahawks lose. He will talk about how all-world Russell Wilson is, and how Pete Carroll should just call it quits because the modern game has passed him by. Cool. He’s entitled to his takes.

The truth is that Seattle is playing this game against the Broncos with house money at a casino. In fact, they are playing the whole 2022 with this house money.

They aren’t expected to win this game. They aren’t expected to have a winning season.

I suspect that Pete Carroll wouldn’t have it any other way, and I am here for it.

How the Seahawks upset Russell Wilson

They get inside his head early by confusing coverage, and getting after him. Seattle (and the league) knows Russ has troubles against cover two. I think he’s also had issues against defenses that show multiple looks out of the 3-4, sending pressures in different ways. If Seattle has done a good job not tipping its hand during the preseason at what it wants to do defensively, they could have a pretty clear advantage against their former QB. Darrell Taylor seems to be emerging as the type of edge rusher who has given him problems before, and Quandre Diggs knows him well. If they can pressure him and bait him into turnovers, this could be the golden ticket towards an upset.

Take away the run and force Russ into volume throws. Nathaniel Hackett might want to quiet the Lumen Field ruckus by establishing the run, and having Russ engineer long drives that lead to points. This is what I would do, anyway. If this proves true, the Seattle front seven needs to take care of business against Javonte Williams and company. Just get Russ into third and long situations. Tackling is a big time must for Seattle defenders, and the closer to the line of scrimmage the better.

Geno beats Russ on third down conversions. Another blemish with Russ’s game over the years is converting on third downs. If Geno can be better than Russ at converting on third down, that probably means that Seattle will have won the time of possession battle, which helps the defense, and likely puts Seattle into more scoring possessions. Win on third down, control clock, score points. It’s a nice recipe.

Don’t turn the ball over, and take the ball away. This is Pete’s chief tenet. If Seattle can execute this, they can win this game.

How Russell Wilson gets revenge against the Seahawks

He proves that going up tempo on offense is the best way for him to cook. If he has success going with a quick tempo attack, it could be a long night for the Seahawk defenders. He knows them as much as they know his tendencies. If he can get them in situations where they can’t probably substitute, he could be like a shark smelling blood in the water. This is probably how he wants to cook in this match.

Getting to Geno Smith early and often and rattling him. There’s going to be pressure on Russ to win this game, but I also think there’s going to be some pressure on Geno to prove he can be the guy moving forward in Seattle. Broncos need to confuse and rattle Geno Smith, and Russ knows what Shane Waldron wants to do as a play caller. Denver could a much better feel of Seattle’s offense than Seattle does of Denver’s.

Jason Myers does a horrible job kicking field goals, and Denver’s kicker doesn’t. Enough said on this one. If Denver’s kicker comes through better than Meyers, Seattle probably isn’t going to win this game.

Prediction

Shelby Harris gets his revenge against the team that traded him to Seattle, snuffs out the run, gets pressure on Russ, and helps force turnovers that upset Russell Wilson’s Denver Broncos. Seattle wins a close one, 24-22.

I think Seattle knows what kind of pressures and coverages effect Russell. I think the execute it in front of jacked up Twelves and a national audience.

I think Russell will turn the ball over, and that will lead to short field possession and points for Seattle. Geno won’t look flashy, but he will be the less jittery quarterback of the night, and his stat line will continue to show efficiency.

I suspect it will be a big night for Rashaad Penny, DK Metcalf, Quandre Diggs, and Darrell Taylor. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some flashy contributions from rookies Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant, and Tariq Woolen on defense. I think Carroll is going to play his young guns right out of the gate.

Russell leads a late drive that earns more points for Denver that make the final score respectable, but a failed two point conversion to tie seals the deal. Seattle stuns the world in this one, and it will be glorious.

At least, this is what I think will happen.

Go Hawks.

Dear Seattle Seahawk Fan,

Time to buckle up for a season full of Geno Smith as your starting quarterback, two rookies at offensive tackle, probably a couple rookie corners, as well, and Jason Meyers being depended on to kick a lot of field goals. In short, this could be a test of wills to see how devoted you are on most Sundays.

For me, I’ve said it many times before, and I don’t mind sounding like a broken record again. I’m a diehard. I will be glued to every game, good or bad, and let’s be honest; there could be way more bad this year.

I have accepted the new direction of this team. The roster is being rebuilt with younger talent, and I’m glad. Bring it on!

I also know that this is going to be a process. I’m excited to see how it shakes out, and I suspect that the real test for this franchise will come in 2023, when it’s expected that the next franchise quarterback will be on their roster, one way, or another.

As it always is during this time of the year, I have gathered my expert panel to go over the team, share thoughts, and then offer predictions. This expert panel includes my orange tabby cat, Earl, and my long haired black cat, Kam.

Bookmark this article, and refer to it whenever you need to in good times, or bad. Go Hawks.

Coaching Staff

Curtis: I’m a Pete Carroll guy. I think the dude can still coach and those last couple games of the season, I sensed what felt like a positive turn.. that if they can just get more comfortable with Shane Waldron’s offense, this thing can hum, and if they can change things up on defense and get younger, they can get more hungrier again. I’m excited for Carroll to show the world he can still coach his ass off, I’m a believer in the Waldron offense, and I’m hopeful about what Clint Hurtt will do with the defense. Generally, I’m with this this group.

Earl: Is Pete going to stay out of the way of his offensive coordinator? That’s the big question for me. We know he’s going with Geno because he wants to play it “safe.” That give me a hairball just thinking about it, and I don’t know what the flip to make of this defensive shift to the 3-4. During the preseason, I didn’t see much that got me excited. Clint Hurtt is gigantic, though. I don’t know why, but that matters to me. I like big.

Kam: I’m ready for Hurtt to put the hurt on Kyler Murray, if you know what I mean. (Pause) What? Nobody knows what I mean? (Pause) Hurt on Kyler Murray by Hurtt’s defensive play calling? (Pause) You both really need to lighten up.

Quarterback

Earl: Jesus H Crispy Crunch on a Cobb Salad, you really want to talk about this???? Geno’s going to start, then they are going to go to Drew Lock, and then probably back to Geno, and it will be a bloody miracle if they ever score more than 20 points in a game this year, and I’m being generous with all that. I don’t know why they didn’t go after Baker Mayfield.

Curtis: I’m rooting for Geno to play well. I’m not worried about what that would do for draft positioning next year. I want Geno to play well, and for this team to gel around him. If he struggles, and they go with Drew, I will root the same way for Drew Lock. It would be fun if one of these guys exceeded expectations. If it doesn’t happen, no sweat. Next year is when they will make a real play for a quarterback, one way or another.

Kam: I like Drew Lock. He’s big, he’s young, moves well, has a nice arm, and quick release, and looks like an NFL quarterback. I also think that a potato is a vegetable, so what do I really know? Quarterbacks are a dime a dozen. Running back is where it’s at.

Running Back

Kam: I like Rashaad Penny. He seems like a nice guy, and I’m liking this Ken Walker guy, too, but give me Travis Homer. I think Travis Homer is going to shock the world, and get MVP votes this year. (Pause) What? Does my breath smell like my corn-hole, again?

Earl: Penny always gets hurt, Walker couldn’t make it through a training camp where everyone plays paddy-cakes and sings campfire songs these days because of the new NFLPA safety guidelines, and for some reason, they don’t use DeeJay Dallas enough. So, yeah, I guess you’re right. Travis F**king Homer might get an MVP vote this year because he has to run the ball thirty times a game so Drew Lock or Geno Smith won’t throw multiple interceptions. Let me spell this out to you all; THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS DON’T HAVE A QUARTERBACK ON THEIR ROSTER RIGHT NOW.

Curtis: Watch out for Ken Walker. It’s going to start out the Penny Show, but something tells me that by the end of the season, Seahawk Nation is going to be bonkers about Ken Walker. I’m excited about this guy.

Tight End

Earl: Is anyone other than me outraged that they’re paying Will F’ing Dissly $8 million dollars a year? This is like me paying $8 thousand dollars for a twenty year old Ford Ranger on Facebook. Friends don’t let friends do these sort of things.

Curtis: Dissly is a “culture guy” who is a reliable blocker and a good pass catcher. The finer details of that contract are more team friendly than you are suggesting, but you’re a cat, and you can’t read those fine prints. I keep telling you to stop listening to sports radio and angry podcast types, but you never listen.

Kam: You two need to really stop arguing about Uncle Will. We got Noah F’ing Fant from the Broncos and this dude is going to be a star. Also, I think we are going to see a lot of double tight end sets this year. Ideally, this formation confuses defenses more as to whether plays will be run or pass. You need two good tight ends to run this. I think Seattle has two good tight ends now. Dissly is a solid in-line blocker and receiver, and Fant can more comfortably play the flexed out “Joker” position. (Pause) What? I was Mark Bavaro’s cat in a past life. I know a good tight end whenever I see one.

Wide Receiver

Curtis: DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are two of the best receivers in the league. This is why I think Geno might be alright this year. He’s going to have targets many other quarterbacks don’t have. Marquise Goodwin offers solid depth, and I’m excited to see what Dee Eskridge finally does.

Kam: I wish I was Tyler Lockett’s cat. He seems really nice, and he makes more money than you do.(Pause) Sorry, we’re six years in this relationship now, and I’m looking to mix things up.

Earl: If we loose Tyler Lockett or DK Metcalf to injury this year, we are absolutely, positively, doomed, and maybe we should be. I can’t believe the level of hubris Pete Carroll has exhibited by not going after Baker Mayfield, and forcing Geno Smith and Drew Lock upon our souls. I like the potential of rookie Dareke Young, though. He’s my dark horse.

Offensive Line

Curtis: I think this is going to be an area of strength. I think John Schneider stole candy from a baby by taking right tackle Abe Lucas in round three this Spring, and Charles Cross looks like a legit NFL left tackle for years to come. I like the addition of Austin Blythe at center. I think we will be fine at guard, and I like the depth pieces. This is a promising group.

Earl: Abe Lucas at right tackle gives me wood, and I’m neutered. (Pause) What? I can’t say neutered on the internet?

Kam: This new look O-line is completely the influence of Shane Waldron and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson. Both guys have come over from the Rams, and the change over at tackle is duly noted. The Rams prefer longer more athletic tackles to reach the edges on the outside stretch plays that they run. Both of these young cats are that. Blythe is from that offense, as well. If they hit it right in next year’s draft, they can have a top five offensive line moving forward. Yeah, I also know something about offensive lines.

Defensive Line

Earl: I love the potential of Myles Adams at defensive tackle. That dude was a wrecking ball all preseason. My fear is that Carroll is going to favor older players, and this cat isn’t going to see enough action. He should see action week one against Denver and You Know Who.

Kam: I love Poona Ford. Poona, Poona, Poona. I also like Al Woods. Woods, Woods, Woods. The rest of these guys, I don’t know that much about. Hopefully, they are all really good.

Curtis: Myles Adams looked too good during the preseason to not get into games. I’m hopeful Seattle has something with him as a good interior pass rusher. I think Seattle has a stable of quality rotational guys but no true game wrecker. That worries me.

Edge Rusher

Curtis: Darrell Taylor has a chance to blossom into a star this year. Rookie second round pick Boye Mafe also has a chance to be special. Uchenna Nwosu has serious juice off of the edge. Then there’s always Alton Robinson, who I think is underrated. The is a group full of potential but that potential needs to materialize this year, if this defense is going to make a positive turn.

Earl: Darrell Taylor needs to beast out on Russell Wilson on MNF for me to believe in this unit right now. If he gets to Russ a few times and messes with his head, I’m sold. My God, though, if Taylor goes down with any serious injury, this whole defense is screwed.

Kam: Boye Mafe is going to lead the team with 11 sacks this year. I don’t know how I know this, but I do. I’m also pretty sure that ancient aliens built the pyramids and that thing in Chile. I mean, let’s not over think any of this. Boye Mafe is going to be the sack leader in year one, and ancient aliens crossbred with Neanderthals to create a slave race to which you are a descendant of. I mean, look at your forehead, for goodness sake. This all scans.

Inside Linebacker

Earl: I am terrified about the depth behind Jordyn Brooks, and I’m not sold that Cody Barton is going to be decent next to him. This is where Pete F’ing Carroll drives me nuts, again. When they were running the 4-3, they weirdly stopped carrying depth at defensive tackle. Now that they are running a 3-4, they are only carrying three inside backers and one of them also serves at the fullback. WTF?

Kam: I like Cody Barton. He seems nice, and he’s a hard worker. I like hard workers. Give me a team of 53 hard workers, and I bet I can coach them to the Super Bowl. Not that the other guys aren’t hard workers, but I think Cody Barton is a hard worker. (Pause) I honestly don’t know what I’m talking about, here, and I also think you having us on your panel is a very cheap gimmick for the thirty some odd readers who follow you on a semi regular basis.

Curtis: Well, I think you’re going a great job, and I agree that Cody Barton seems like a hard worker. I think the plan is to try Jordyn Brooks and Barton together on run downs, and when they get into nickel situations, Jamal Adams will be in a linebacker role while Barton comes off the field. This has more to do with how to get the most out of Adams as a blitzing threat. That said, they need more depth pieces here. This area has me nervous, honestly.

Cornerback

Kam: I like the rookies Coby Bryant, and Tariq Woolen, and I really like that fact that Seattle has Michael Jackson on the team again. In case you don’t know, Michael Jackson was a very population middle linebacker for the Seahawks in the 1980’s when they last played in a 3-4, but apparently, he’s lost a bunch of weight, and at age seventy, he’s moved to outside corner, remarkably. (Pause) Also, he shares the name of someone who was a popular pop star from that time.. which maybe is why he was so popular back then. I think it’s a cool story.

Curtis: Tariq Woolen is the guy who could seriously shock the league this year. So much buzz about that guy. He’s almost as big as DK, yet faster, and he is being mentored a bit by none other than Richard Sherman. For my money though, I think Coby Bryant is going to also be special. I’m high about these rookies, and I really like Sidney Jones, Artie Burns, and Michael Jackson, as well. This unit could end of being a strength of the team.

Earl: Tariq Woolen makes me tingly in my whiskers and makes me want you to rub my belly and I f***ing hate it when you rub my motherf**king belly.

Safety

Earl: Quandre Diggs is a stud, but Jamal Adams needs a big bounce back year. Hopefully Clint Hurtt and company can find enough creative ways to use Adams. Figure out Adams, and this is the strength of the team.

Kam: I think Adams should just run around and be crazy. You know, freak everyone out! Every good team needs a loose cannon.. a maverick, if you will. If I were Adams, I’d go run up and line up next to the nose tackle. I mean, what the f**k?! You know, be wild and unpredictable. Look what that did for Ozzy Osbourne. Sometimes you have to just bite a motherf**king bat.

Curtis: No doubt the key to the defense rests with Adams. I think Josh Jones is going to be a dark horse player for this team. We know Quandre is good, but when Adams is playing like a linebacker (which could be a lot), who’s that third safety? Watch for Jones to be the man.

Special Teams:

Curtis: Michael Dickson is a football god.

Kam: Michael Dickson is a super football god.

Earl: Would you two just shut up about the punter. He’s a punter. (Pause) I think they need a better kicker. I don’t care about deep snappers.

Predictions:

Curtis: This will be a very 2011 Tarvaris Jackson-like year. They will beat some teams that they aren’t supposed to beat, and will lose some games that maybe they should have won. There will be the sense of a good offensive line forming, and an explosive run game, and I think there will be an improved defense with more younger players emerging. I think that they finish 8-9, but ironically, so will Russell Wilson with the Broncos. So, there’s that.

Earl: Geno is going to be a disaster, and so will Drew Lock. Weirdly, I think Sam Darnold is going to end up quarterbacking this team in December. I think they finish 5-12. They will have a top five pick to take a franchise quarterback. I like the Anthony Richardson kid from Florida. Who knows what they are thinking, though. I thought they were going to go get Baker Mayfield, and they chose Geno.

Kam: The Seattle Seahawks are going to the playoffs this year. I just have that feeling. Book it. Geno Smith is going to start out solid and get us going with some sweet unexpected wins, but Travis Homer carries the team on his back to the mother-fudging playoffs. That’s right, we finish 10-7, and we beat the Cowboys on the road because, well, they’re the Cowboys, and you heard it here first, right out my meower. Bank on it.

Curtis: Go Hawks.

EarL: Let’s ride.

Kam: Thank you, Sue Bird for an amazing 20 year career in Seattle. An entire generation of sports fans here have grown up watching you lead the Storm, and you are a model for not just young women athletes, but all athletes, in general. I think you are an amazing basketball player, but an even more amazing human being. Go Storm.

Dear Seattle Seahawks Fan,

Are you feeling down in the dumpsters that Drew Lock failed to beat out Geno Smith?

Is it frustrating the Pete Carroll chose to go with a more mature quarterback who understands the ins and outs of the Shane Waldron offense better than a young cat with higher upside?

Was it also deflating when Jimmy Garoppolo looked at the situation in Seattle, and decided that he would be better served taking less money in San Francisco and being Trey Lance’s backup than being a starter up here?

Well, maybe I got this piece here for you.

Like you, I have been entirely dismissive of Geno Smith as the best option at QB1 for these 2022 Seattle Seahawks. Like, it was just a thing I never entertained.

I’ve written about supporting Drew Lock, and giving him a second chance. I thought it would be a great story to get a young guy from the team that traded for Russell Wilson, if he were to turn it around in Seattle. I also believed enough in Lock’s potential upside to champion it, even just for a look-see.

I’ve also, at one point, clamored for Baker Mayfield, and up to a few days ago, I called “bluff” on Pete Carroll’s designs of Geno being QB1, and I suggested that perhaps Garoppolo was, in fact, the real starter in play. In fact, I felt pretty certain he was.

Well, maybe he was, or maybe he wasn’t, but with Jimmy G taking choosing to take less money to stay in the Bay Area serving as a backup, I’ve thrown my hands into the air in submission. I’m going to stop watching Tyler Huntley highlights, as well.

From where I now perch as a Twelve, Geno Smith is the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, and gosh dang it, I’m all in on him now. I’m rooting for Geno Smith, and I really hope you are, too. I think he’s earned it.

He’s been around the league for a long enough time after being kicked to the curb by the dysfunctional NY Jets a few short years after selecting him with a high second round pick in the 2013 draft, and making him their instant starter. Since then, he’s floated around, but he has earned gigs that has put him in quarterback rooms that include Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Russell Wilson. Those are good quarterbacks to soak up knowledge from, and let’s be clear, Geno Smith and Pete Carroll know a whole lot more about football than the average fan scoffing at this present QB situation in Seattle.

This leads me to why I think Geno Smith is the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks for this season. I think Geno vastly outperformed Drew Lock in the quarterback room. I think his overall football IQ is likely significantly higher than Lock’s, and while Lock’s upside is probably quite a bit higher than Geno’s, I also think Lock’s downside is probably much lower.

Geno Smith is the safer choice at quarterback, and for this year, I’m starting to see the reasons why that is likely more important to this club. The Seattle Seahawks are starting a youth movement on both sides of the ball, and they need a steadier leader on this team.

They are starting two promising rookies at offensive tackle, and they need a quarterback who will properly see pressure, adjust protection, and change out of plays, as needed. It’s also vitally important to have a quarterback get the ball to the right spots on the field for receiver development.

On the other side of the ball, the defense needs to be off the field more, and rest to play at its best, and a good way of doing that, is having a quarterback who will protect the ball. While Geno Smith was initially a turn over machine his first couple seasons in NY, as demonstrated last year subbing in for Russ, and again during this preseason, Smith has been pretty good here protecting the ball. He understands what Carroll wants his quarterback to do, and he’s more than willing to do it.

Also, as much as we have talked about upside with Drew Lock, I think many of us have been pretty dismissive of the pretty passes Geno is fully capable of making. Geno can throw a pretty dime from the pocket. He put up crazy numbers in college at West Virginia in a wide open passing attack, and he knows how to throw the football.

In fact, Pro Football Focus has him rated as the third best quarterback all throughout the preseason, and I don’t think these ratings should be entirely discredited. While his QB ratings were never that high, a lot of Seahawk receivers not named Tyler Lockett dropped good passes from him, and PFF noticed this.

It’s also been said from former coaches of his that he is an absolute film junky and just LOVES the game of football. Some feel like he got a raw deal from the Jets (go figure), and Ryan Ryan kinda ruined him early there, and the next coach (Todd Bowles) never had a strong attachment to him.

I don’t know if Geno Smith is going to be super successful in his second chance at being a starting quarterback now here in Seattle, but like I said with Lock a while back when I wrote my piece about him, I really think is would be a fantastic story if it did work out for Smith. In fact, in many ways, I think it might be a better one than if it were Lock.

And I think Geno has many fans inside, and very close to the Seahawks organization. KJ Wright went on a podcast earlier this Summer, and he put in his vote of confidence in Geno. He felt Geno should be the guy. From what he has seen from Geno within the organization, he emphatically felt Geno was the best choice over Baker Mayfield and Drew Lock.

Now, KJ Wright isn’t stupid about football. He played a long ten year career that was largely backed by his football intelligence over his physical skills. Wright has seen Geno as a performer in practices and as a teammate in this locker room. Folks who host football podcasts and who are on the NFL Network have not.

Maybe Pete Carroll knows more about NFL quarterbacks than keyboard cowboys do. Maybe Geno Smith is a better quarterback than most are giving him credit for.

One thing I know for certain, over these next three months, we are going to find out, one way, or the other.

If he fails, then there is always seeing what is there with Drew Lock during a transitional season where Carroll won’t likely feel any pressure of being on the hot seat, but if he exceeds expectations, well, then.. I think we could be in for a treat. I’m ready for the possibility of that treat, personally.

The cupboards of this team are not barren. Seattle has two of the brightest starting receivers in the league. They are have was looks like a deep running back group, and an offensive line that sports two super promising young tackles. They also have a uniquely athletic tight end, a group of young corners who’s potential continues to intrigue, two of the best safeties in the game, and a couple young edge rushers who could become big time stars in short order.

If Geno Smith can efficiently game manager this roster through this season, Seattle has makings of being a sneaky team to watch. I believe that.

And if Geno Smith really breaks out, then all of a sudden Seattle would have to have the NFL Comeback Player Of The Year on its roster, and that would be a truly incredible story. For as fun as the 2022 Seattle Mariners have been, and the Storm have been in Sue Bird’s last season, for my money, Geno Smith being the Comeback Player Of The Year, and guiding the Seahawks into the playoffs would hands down be the most gratifying feeling for me, personally.

It would be this way for me not because I am a bigger Seahawks fan than a Mariners or Storm fan (I am). No, it would be that way because I would be beyond happy for 31 year old Geno Smith who stayed with it, and didn’t give up on a sport where an entire league pretty much gave up on him.

Geno Smith sat for months in free agency this Spring after putting up positive stats in three and a half games in place of Russell Wilson last year. No team, outside of Seattle, even considered him as a worthy backup, much less a potential starter.

Only Pete Carroll stayed with him, and gave him this chance. Now, as the dust of the preseason as settled, I really want him to succeed.

I don’t think it would prohibit Seattle from finding a young quarterback in next year’s draft, either. I’m not convinced the Denver Broncos with Russell Wilson are going to be the class of a brutally tough AFC West division.

Geno Smith could play really well, return as the presumptive starter the following year, and Seattle could still draft a young cat to properly groom behind him. If Geno Smith reaches this sort of success, Geno Smith, with his story, would absolutely be the right guy for any young quarterback to learn from. There can be no debate about that.

Therefore, I humbly submit to the idea of Geno Smith being my quarterback this year, and maybe beyond.

I want Geno to succeed. I really do.

Go Hawks.