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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is what this preseason game sorta showed me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I want to see more of it.

Go Hawks.

This is my good friend Ashley. Look how goofy this stoned assed motherf***er is!

We had so much fun from the berm watching training camp this weekend. I enjoyed watching tight spirals, and he enjoyed watching a couple middled aged bar hags in Daisey Dukes sitting ten feet away from us.

I got a lot of thoughts to tie into this. So, barrel down, Snowflakes. I am giving it to you straight.

Let me start this whole thing off by saying that I am not going to be delusional and proclaim that the Seattle Seahawks are going to be a top contending team this year. I think they can be a surprise team, and if they can stay healthy enough, I can see them back in the playoffs in Mike Macdonald’s first year as head coach, possibly wrecking the joy of other fanbases.

To say that the new schemes could uncork exciting potentials on this roster is an understatement. I felt all of last year that Seattle had talent on their roster that was not being maximized. What I viewed on the berm felt like a very positive step forward for a lot of those players.

I saw a lot of encouraging signs on Saturday that suggested to me they are on track to be that sort of team.

That said, there still exists a couple things that prevent me from fully buying into them becoming a truly dominant team this year. It really just boils down to two things.

For one, I believe that they play in one of the toughest divisions in the league with a ridiculously talented team in the Bay Area, a talented Rams team, and a team in Arizona that could be on the rise. While I think it is fool’s gold to buy into any hype that Kyler Murray and the Cardinals are going to finally have their shit together this year, I sense the potential of the Rams being on the upswing again, and the ridiculously talented San Francisco F*ck Faces are going to have all kinds of incentive to win it all this year before they have to pony up to make Brock Purdy the highest paid quarterback in the league in 2025.

The other issue is that, at least on paper, while I see a lot of talent spread across this Seattle roster, I see the wee potential of disaster on their offensive line, and at middle linebacker. In short, having your starting right tackle on the Physically Unable To Perform list at the start of this training camp is not the greatest omen to start things off this Summer. Additionally, Mike Macdonald needs middle linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson to stay healthy this, or we could see him forced to use a raw rookie fourth round pick linebacker starting in meaningful games (more on this rook later).

So, as I sit here and type out my thoughts in anticipation for real NFL football to begin, I got one thing I really need to see out these Seattle Seahawks this year.

I need to see some badass, go for the throat, toughness on both sides of the ball.

They got skill players who will make things interesting in games. I have already written about how I think Geno Smith continues to be vastly underrated as a quarterback. We all know Seattle is pretty loaded at receiver and running back. We know they have pretty good talent at corner, and there is some interesting potential on the defensive line. Barring massive amounts of injuries accruing at these spots, we should see Seattle hang with teams this year.

But I need to see a tough, aggressive, badass mentality like we haven’t seen here in a really long ass time.

Here are some of the impressions I came away with from what I saw at practice this Saturday from my seat on the berm that give me hope that Seattle can, in fact, be a pretty damn badass team this year, if they can stay relatively healthy enough.

Watching Geno Smith run this Ryan Grubb coached offense made me feel like I was watching Michael Penix Junior in the Washington Husky offense from the past two years. In fact, Geno looked just like a right handed version of Penix, and this should excite most Seahawk fans.

He was in full command of this attack, throwing perfect spirals to spots on the field where his receiver could easily catch against good coverages. Just like watching Penix in college, Geno wasn’t tossing easy gimme throws, either, but rather putting great passes downfield into windows. Everything from him was pretty damn crisp. This was a lot of fun to watch.

Barring injury, Seattle feels like they have not only their quarterback for now, but it feels possible that they got their guy for a good while, as well. I write this as a person who has been somewhat reluctant to say that Geno can be the long term fixture here, too, but after seeing it in person, I am more sold on Geno than ever. I never seen him look this sharp in Shane Waldron’s offense at this stage of training camp. I’m sold.

In terms of Sam Howell, from what I saw on Saturday, he looked much better than I was anticipating based on negative reviews through the first view days of camp when he apparently struggled. To my eye, he looked interesting, but I think we need to make important distinctions between him and Geno Smith in order to gain a realistic grasp of the Seattle QB situation.

For me, Sam and Geno are two very different styled quarterbacks and it almost isn’t fair to compare them. In fact, they are so different that I think each requires their own specific offense tailored to each of them.

Geno is a classic, tall, drop back passer who works well inside a pocket, but has enough athleticism to make plays outside the pocket, as well. He seems tailor made for the play-calling Grubb used at Washington that took the Huskies to the national title game. Penix was often compared to Geno and now I see why.

Sam, on the other hand, being shorter, I feel needs to be more on the move to find his groove (a la Russell Wilson). He threw on the run well on Saturday, at times, but the times he stayed in the pocket, it felt like he was a bit more hesitant. If Seattle were to operate out of a run heavy play action offense that used a bunch roll outs, I think Sam would be a natural fit for that style of attack. That’s not the Ryan Grubb offense we saw at Washington, however, and I think that if Geno were to get injured to the point of missing a view games, it would be up to Grubb to adjust his attack to better fit Howell.

I still like Howell as a developmental player, but I don’t see this as any contest between him and Geno Smith right now, and now I actually wonder if he would be better served in a different offense, elsewhere. I also wonder whether Seattle should look to the draft to find someone more with Geno’s attributes to groom behind him, eventually, if the Grubb Attack is something they want to ride with as their offensive identity, long term.

These are just my initial thoughts on the QB front for Seattle. Onto some other cool things.

Seattle is loaded with ridiculous levels of talent at receiver, Grubb appears ready to maximize it, and teams with iffy pass defenses are totally going to get royally hosed when they have to play them this year. Jaxon Smith Njigba feels extra in this offense, and DK Metcalf is about to do things that I don’t even want to spoil on this blog. Tyler Lockett had the day off, but depth players like Jake Bobo, Easop Winston, and Dareke Young stepped up and looked sharp. There are good players on this unit who will not make this team, and should probably end up on other rosters.

Ken Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and Kenny McIntosh should show big as runners, and receivers. K9 will probably be the star, but he will be complimented with rock solid talents mixing in behind him. Expect Seattle to use these backs in ways very foreign to what we have been used to in the fourteen years under Pete Carroll. Just wait for it.

Defensively, it felt like players got some good pressures on a few occasions, and I enjoyed seeing that. I think Jarran Reed, Uchenna Nwosu, and rookie Byron Murphy all got pressures for would be sacks (can’t hit QBs in practice), along with undrafted rookie Nelson Ceasar (badass name, by the way), but it was interesting to hear Coach Macdonald say after practice that the pass rush isn’t where they would like it to be at this point.

I wasn’t as alarmed by this as much as I was excited. Macdonald is going to run this side of the ball with very high standards, and I am more than here for seeing the defensive line continually coached up.

They will be coached harder than they likely ever were before in their lives. In that process, they will uncork their chemistry. I have no doubt about that. There is a lot of potential within the defensive tackles and edge rushers to be really, really good this year.

To the naked eye, I expect second year edge rusher Derrick Hall, in particular, to take a big step forward. His bend around the corner seems noticeably evolved from last year, and it stood out at practice.

I thought rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight looked surprising good in coverages, at times. I recall when he was drafted in the fourth round, a few folks labeled that a painful reach. He looks like he belongs in this defense, however, and perhaps this is the biggest reason why we haven’t seen the team make a move to add an addition veteran middle linebacker. Fingers crossed he continues to trend well through training camp and preseason games.

I thought cornerback Lance Boykin looked like he belonged, as well. Boykin was a bottom of the roster player last year who might make things interesting as camp progresses. He is a longer player who found himself well in position at times to make things harder on the quarterback. Make a mental note on him as you watch preseason games.

I really liked how cornerback Tre Brown looked in practice. Seattle feels like it has enough quality depth at corner where I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a trade happen in a few weeks time.

In terms of negatives, I can’t think of a lot. Training camp felt very crisp for the most part.

It was very interesting that they brought talented free agent center Connor Williams in for a workout earlier this week, and are reportedly discussing a contract with him. Given the way the offensive line gave up a few inside pressures, it scans more now. They might see a genuine opportunity to further fortify themselves on the interior of the offensive line.

I would love to see this deal get done. If they cannot rely on Abe Lucas to play a full season, and George Fant is likely going to see a lot of time at right tackle, and McClendon Curtis (massive f’ing dude) is going to be looked at more as a backup tackle than guard, the trickle down effect from this is going to impact the interior depth of the offensive line. That’s not great for an attack that probably wants to beat defenses from the pocket more now than at any point since the Mike Holmgren era.

Getting Williams to lock down center would allow Olu Oluwatimi to serve as a valuable swing interior player who can play center, and potentially kick over to guard. He has enough size to do both.

If they can add a healthy Connor Williams to this offensive line, I am going to go from cautiously optimistic about this team towards being all in on the expectations that they should be a pretty kick-ass this year. This is why I need this deal to get done.

So, just get this motherf***ing deal done, and let’s f’ing go.

Go Hawks!

Good lord, I need football back. These dog days of Summer are wearing thin, and if God wanted baseball to be the greatest sport in America, he would have infielders tackling base runners.

So, I need training camp to happen now, and I don’t know about you, but I am kinda more intrigued about the Seattle Seahawks than I have been in many years. Call it Mike Macdonald and his new coaching staff, and the chance for the team to field an exciting new defense. Call it the fact that I think the Seahawks are more talented than some national projections are indicating, and I am ready for them to be a surprise team.

Call it the fact that I think their quarterback situation is one of the more underrated ones in the league, and one that critics are grossly overlooking. Here are my thoughts on that.

There exists perhaps no other position in sports that creates greater division amongst fans than that of the NFL quarterback. Unless your team is blessed with having Patrick Mahomes, or peak Tom Brady, your fanbase is probably somewhat split about the quarterback, even if it’s a slight one.

No other example is better than this than when the Seattle Seahawks had Russell Wilson in his prime. Wilson had fans who were so devoted to him that they wanted to see Pete Carroll canned in favor of a more innovative offensive minded dude. At the same time, Russ also had loud detractors who felt it was a major mistake for the organization to invest so much in him in the first place, and that his sandlot style would only get this team so far. Both fronts were extremely dug in, much like people just are these days (unfortunately).

When it comes to this most important position, this sorta division amongst fans exists all over the league. If team aren’t winning Super Bowls, either expensive quarterbacks get judged with a high degree of scrutiny, or struggling quarterbacks on rookie deals get discarded way too soon.

Dallas fans are probably very split over Dak Prescott, even though he is perfectly in his prime, and was a leading MVP candidate last year. Critics say he doesn’t win enough in the post season, but to that I would say neither did Matthew Stafford when he was in Detroit. Something to keep in mind, if Dak does hit free agency in 2025.

Dolphin fans are probably very torn over Tua even though he is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league. Charger fans (if there are any), might start losing patience in Justin Herbert if Jim Harbaugh doesn’t get that team off to a fast start.

If the Eagles don’t have a big bounce back season, Jalen Hurts will surely be further scrutinized after he signed his mega contract. So will Lamar Jackson, if the Ravens don’t make a deep playoff run.

If the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals disappoint again, the narratives around Josh Allen and Joe Burrow will start to shift, just you wait. Two years ago, these two guys were thought of as the second and third best passers in the league. Now there are slight murmurings of either regression (Allen) or injury proneness (Burrow).

Also, pressure is going to be on Doug Pederson in Jacksonville to get that team back in the playoffs with Trevor Lawrence. It won’t be enough to make the playoffs, either, as fans are going to need to see Lawrence finally playing at a high level after they just penned him to his monster deal.

And mark my words on this; with perhaps the most talented team in the entire NFL, if the San Francisco 49ers don’t win the Super Bowl this year, you will see division amongst 49er fans as to whether the team should make Brock Purdy one of the richest quarterbacks in the league at the expense of breaking up that roster. It will happen. The pressure on that team to win it all this year (or next) will be like no other pressure in the league.

Then you have this somewhat curious, and under the radar situation wedged up here in the Pacific Northwest with the Seattle Seahawks, and Geno Smith, and Sam Howell.

If you are a big time talking head for EPSN, or Fox Sports, I imagine it is easy to forget about who Seattle even has as a starter even though Geno Smith was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year two years ago, and has been a Pro Bowl player in most recent back to back years. Geno isn’t a superstar veteran, nor is he a young gun with youthful upside generating interesting talking points. He was a fun novelty story two years ago when he beat out Drew Lock for the starter gig and played much better than everyone expected, but novelties wear off quickly.

Way up here amongst the Twelves, however, Geno has both his highly devoted fans, and sharp critics, as any second tier starter would. He has football film junky fans who believe he is solidly a top ten quarterback, and he has some extreme critics who think he is so bad that he is holding this team back (what is it about our society that few people can ever find a solid middle ground anymore?).

In terms of Sam Howell, while perhaps most fans probably see him as nothing more than a backup, there are some NFL insiders who believe in his potential to develop into a quality starter given his youth, strong arm, playmaking potential, and toughness. Count me in with the few who see sunnier horizons with him down the road.

Both of these quarterbacks I find interesting, to be honest.

With Geno, I’ve always liked him as far back as his college days in West Virginia. He threw then, and still throws to this day, one of the prettiest downfield passes that you will see. Give him time, and a proper scheme, and Geno can deliver positive results.

I would say that if Seattle had at least a competent defensive coordinator last year, with Geno’s late season play, they would have probably won that shoot out match in Dallas, and taken that game at home a few weeks later against the Steelers, ended up 11-6, and in the playoffs. Perhaps they would have met another quick exit, but we would still be talking about Pete Carroll coaching this team today.

This is what I believe Geno Smith is good for as the QB1 for this team with this talent, and now perhaps better competency on this coaching staff. 11-6, and a playoff run, and likely another Pro Bowl nod. Geno Smith feels destined to be the new Kansas City Chief version of Alex Smith. I will take that.

He’s a stable veteran presence who understands NFL defenses, and how to attack them. He has a strong, accurate arm, and enough athleticism to extend plays under pressure, which is kinda what you’re hoping for in this modern league of football. Most importantly, he still has a feisty chip on his shoulder to continue proving detractors wrong.

When I look at all of these variables, and the fact that new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is installing an offense tailor made for his exact skillsets, I honestly laugh at Geno’s critics, and how they are overlooking him Seattle. Former Washington State local kid Colin Cowherd can dismiss Geno Smith as much as he feels like he needs to do it, but I would be perfectly willing to bet that Geno finds more success this year in this offense than he has had the last two years with Shane Waldron calling plays, barring injury.

In fact, I think Seattle is poised to catch the league off guard, and I am here for it.

Nobody knows what this team will be in terms of schemes. Grubb has already said that he’s going to change it up a bit from what he did for the Washington Huskies. With Mike McDonald building his defense, he has continued to say that he is going to morph the scheme towards the strengths of the players on this roster, so it stands to reason that simply looking at Baltimore tape over the past two years may not be enough for Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan.

While it might be really easy to write off Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks from an outsider’s perspective, the truth of the matter is that Seattle has the distinct advantage of the unknown in this league. This is the same unknown that rookie head coach Sean McVay had in LA back in 2016 when he inherited a young talented roster that was a hot mess because of the previous coaching staff.

General Manager John Schneider is banking on the innovative and analytic mind of McDonald coming in to take the league by storm. It’s not unreasonable to imagine seeing positive results in year one of his regime, either.

Some NFL insiders see Seattle’s defensive roster as having perhaps better overall talent on it than what McDonald had in Baltimore when he took over their defense two years ago. On offense, while the offensive line feels suspect, they are littered with skill players. Grubb’s DNA is coaching up good offensive lines, so all he needs to do is to improve that unit towards the middle of the pack, and Seattle can probably let it loose on teams.

I feel confidence in this scenario because of Geno Smith. I think Seattle can win games this year because of him, not inspite of him. You are free to scoff at this suggestion. I am free to hold receipts of doubters.

Onto Sam Howell.

I’m intrigued!

Heading into the 2021 college football season, Sam Howell was projected to potentially be the first overall pick of the NFL draft that following Spring. Scouts loved his arm strength, his ability to extend plays with his legs, and throw on the run. Some felt he had a Brett Farve vibe about him with the toughness that he played with. Toughness was the first thing John Schneider mentioned about Sam after they made the trade for him.

The 2021 season didn’t bode well for Sam after a very promising 2020 sophomore campaign that saw him as a Manning Award finalist. Having lost talent around him, his numbers dipped in competition percentage, touchdowns, yardage, and his interceptions trended up.

Then at the NFL combine, he ran a much slower than expected forty yard dash. Being a bit shorter at 6-1, a slower forty can be detrimental to a passer’s draft stock, especially if that dude didn’t live up to the hype during his last season of college football (Brock Purdy is the same height and didn’t put up impressive testing numbers at the combine, either, and was the last player drafted).

Because of all these factors, sure enough, Sam Howell fell to round five where Washington took a flyer on him, and Purdy to the bottom of round seven. I think it is reasonable to assert that Purdy fell to the perfect team who’s situation was unsettled enough at quarterback for him to step forward. I think it’s also reasonable to assert that Howell fell into a situation in DC that was an absolute clown circus from the top down.

Personally, at the time, I thought Howell was a good pickup for the Commanders. I was honestly expecting Seattle to grab in round three, much like they did with Russell Wilson. In fact, he was the one QB in that draft who had the most Wilson-esque vibes to me; a pure passer, with a big arm, who could buy time, and make plays with his legs.

In fact, when the Commanders came into Seattle last November, Sam Howell scared the crap out of me during that game. He wasn’t intimidated playing in front of a large loud crowd. He showed toughness and resourcefulness, and he made necessary plays that almost pulled out an upset.

So, I wasn’t surprised at all that Seattle made this move for him. In fact, I had suggested this very idea on this blog a few weeks before it went down. I loved the move then, and I like it even more now.

The cost of getting Sam Howell was peanuts for this team, and he has two years left on his rookie contract to see what they can develop with him behind Geno Smith. I think he’s potentially a great fit for what Ryan Grubb likes to do with his quarterbacks, too.

What Sam needs to do is demonstrate full command of the playbook, make smart, decisive decisions with the ball, and get the hero ball mentality out of his game. That’s the hurtle he needs to clear to become a quality starter. By what he has said in interviews, he seems very determined to prove that he can do exactly that, and he has the benefit of having some time to grow within this offensive scheme to do so.

So, while it is easy to look at his up and down stats with Washington in 2023, and believe he’s not the quarterback in the future here, I think it’s well worth considering that it was his first season starting in the league, and his results were not dissimilar to numerous first time starters of yesteryear; a list that would include Peyton Manning, Brett Farve, Drew Brees, and Josh Allen. There are other circumstances surrounding his year starting in DC that I think are well worth considering, as well.

Sam Howell was purposefully thrown into the fire as a starter. He wasn’t protected by any sort of balanced attack with a run game. In fact, he threw at a higher volume than any other QB in the league, and most of those throws came off of straight drop backs without the threat of handing the ball off with play action. He started out the season in a promising way, but it all came crashing down in a dismal way by December.

It was like Washington’s agenda was to make it as difficult as it could possibly be for him to see if he could rise above the flaming pits of Hell itself before deciding to go into the following draft targeting a quarterback. He wasn’t protected by any quarterback friendly system like Purdy enjoys in San Francisco. He wasn’t even protected the way Russell Wilson was his rookie year in Seattle with a scheme that leaned heavy on the run, either. Nope, instead, Washington decided to throw him into a pit of hungry wolves with a stick of driftwood to see if he could fight his way out.

Because of this bullshit handling of Howell in DC, I have a strong rooting interest in him now in Seattle, even more so than just than a hopeful shot at nothing to see if we have found our next long term starter. There are a lot of variables that I love to see in a quarterback, but perhaps my favorite is the natural sense of toughness and resolve to battle through adversity. If Sam Howell makes something for himself down the road in Seattle, it will be because of those very traits.

When you look at Seattle’s long history at quarterback, Howell finding success here feels perfectly on brand for this team from Jim Zorn, to Dave Krieg, Jon Kitna, Matt Hasslebeck, Russell Wilson, and Geno Smith. This team finds its quarterbacks under rocks while other teams blow first round picks on them (see New York Jets).

Ultimately, I want Sam Howell to push Geno Smith. I think it’s best for the team if he does this, and I think there’s a very reasonable to expect that it makes Geno better because of it.

After all, Geno didn’t struggle for years trying to convince a coaching staff to believe in him after his flame out with the Jets, only to finally get a QB1 gig again, make the Pro Bowl in back to back years, and then be automatically replaced in the second year of his extension here. He is going to be more determined than ever to prove himself all over again to Macdonald and Ryan Grubb. Bank on that.

This is why I believe it is fool’s gold to think Howell could usurp him this year with this staff. I just think it is more likely that Geno is going to be too good through camp to beat out. He won’t be outworked in this camp.

Why am I so confident in projecting al of this?

Because Sam Howell isn’t going to just idle back, either, and just accept the backup role out of the gates. He had last year to taste the QB1 role in DC, and he didn’t likely endure being thrown into a den of hungry wolves just to wilt into a backup role somewhere else. For the first time in ages, we might actually see iron sharpening iron at the most important position for this team. I can not wait for this.

I am very good with riding with Geno this season (and next year if he balls out big time). I will be honest, however, and say that I am ultimately more intrigued with Sam Howell, given his youth and upside as a potential long term starter.

Right now, the best thing for Sam is to show these coaches and players he’s well worth developing. He does that by showing solid through training camp and preseason games, and continuing to push Geno through the course of the season. He does this by being serious minded, digging deep into the playbook, and studying his ass off looking at tape against opponents. It’s his job to make this quarterback room in Seattle an outstanding one by becoming the best backup in the league.

However this QB situation ultimately shakes out long term, for now, I am just excited to see what this team can be in 2024. I’m feeling a lot of rosy optimism creeping in.

I think they are well positioned to surprise people. I see all the disrespect floating out there, projecting them to either be in third or fourth place within the division. I cannot help but laugh at it all. Hubris is naturally a very funny thing.

It was just the other month when Colin Cowherd called them a talented team without a quarterback. He then went on local airwaves and plainly stated his disbelief in Geno Smith, saying that he is essentially the same guy who flamed out years ago with the Jets, even though Geno has been a Pro Bowler in consecutive seasons, and quarterbacked this team to nine wins in back to back years with good efficiency numbers, all the while having to endure horrible schemes on both sides of the ball.

I can never tell what motivates Cowherd as a talking head, whether because he is from the State of Washington, he feels like he purposefully has to detach himself from the Seahawks with any sort of rooting interest, or if he just simply doesn’t care about sports in the region he grew up on because that doesn’t feed his brand, or if he just simply doesn’t track the teams up here because he’s a big shot down in LA rubbing elbows with the stars. Who knows, but I do know one thing; anyone watching Geno Smith on Sundays over the past two years calling him the same exact player he was with the Jets is a certifiable lunatic, and their opinions should not be trusted. It’s that plain and simple.

Could I be wrong on this stuff with Geno and could Colin Cowherd be correct?

Sure, anything is possible. Maybe Geno, with all of his experiences and life lessons, reverts back to when he was 24 years old and was a loose cannon trying to play hero ball.

I don’t think I’m going to be wrong, though. I think Cowherd is going to be eating crow once again regarding his “home team.”

The Seattle Seahawks have enough interesting talent on both sides of the ball for a seasoned, mature quarterback with a good arm and accuracy step in and find success this year, even if this division is a tough one. This team is built for a guy like Geno to guide it now. This is what I believe.

And that is what I think we are going to see.

Go Hawks.