Thursday Night Preview: Seahawks vs. Eagles

Late in Sunday’s game against the Redskins, I was getting ready to write a post about how impressive it was that the Seahawks could come out on a Sunday, not have their A game, yet still manage to grind out a victory.  Then the Redskins dropped 16 unanswered on Seattle to prove definitively that this team is nowhere near the point to where it can win a game, even against a bad opponent, if it doesn’t play to the peak of its ability.  Seattle was a better team on paper, and prior to the game I did write that they should win, but there was a feeling in my gut that they were going to let that one get away.  Contrary to my normal posts comparing personnel and looking at schemes, I’m basing this prediction on much of the same thing.  It’s not just a gut feeling though, but more of a study of the mental makeup and trends of the two teams playing this Thursday.

Most people believe that Philadelphia has quit and since they have nothing to play for, they won’t show up for a game across the country after a short week.  While the first two points are largely true, I don’t believe it will manifest into a poor effort from the Eagles, but quite the opposite.  The Eagles seem exactly like the kind of squad that will take the blowout loss to New England as a blow to their pride and come out with a sharp dominating performance against Seattle, even with the 12^th Man bearing down on them.  It’s after they get this one meaningless in the grand scheme of things win that they will resort back to playing selfish and/or flat the next game or few like they have done all year.  I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them blow out Seattle and even then Miami on the road, then return home and not show up vs. the Jets.  That has been their M.O. all season.  The team is a respectable 3-2 on the road, but just 1-5 in Philadelphia.  Maybe it’s the weighty expectations or pressure that gets to them in front of the harsh Philly fans that are quick to turn on them, but Andy Reid’s bunch seems to be much more comfortable outside the city of brotherly love.  All of their most crushing defeats have been at home.  The back to back fourth quarter collapses against the 49ers and Bills in weeks three and four, the abysmal performance against the woeful Cardinals, and then last week’s 38-20 whooping at the hands of the Patriots.  They’ve usually come out and had their best games after this, and I think that the trend will continue.  After that, they’ll probably be satisfied with showing up for one game and go back to letting people down

As for the Seahawks, regardless of opponent, this seems like a game they are set up to lose.  Much like after the Giant win, they had really started to get some momentum going, and I think that the loss to the Redskins is going to take a lot out of them mentally.  The short week is probably more of a detriment to the Seahawks than to the Eagles, despite being at home.  I do think Pete Carroll is a good coach and has the team on the right track, but it’s a very young team at this point and loses like they just had are very discouraging.  They showed last Sunday that they aren’t yet ready to take the next step forward yet (I repeat yet, wait until next year) and are probably more the type of team to let one bad loss turn into two or three.  They will recover soon, and Coach Carroll will get them turned around to play good football again this season, but I don’t see it happening tomorrow.

He's not the most heralded Philly weapon, but
TE Brent Celek might be the key to the game. (pic from birdsfan.com)

As far as the matchups that an aspiring scout should be looking at, unlike last week, this is an opponent that is better than Seattle on paper.  They’re better than most teams on paper, but haven’t always shown up.  As I said, I think they will this week, but let’s look at what the Seahawks can do to have a chance in this game (aside from just a great effort).  Defensively, Alan Branch should be back in the lineup, and they should be as healthy as they will be all year.  The defensive line’s depth was hurt last week without him and it was much more noticeable than many thought.  Clinton McDonald is having a nice year, but still isn’t playing nearly as well, particularly against the run, as Branch.  With McDonald forced into the starting lineup, the depth of the D-line was hurt, and McDonald isn’t as good when forced to play extra and more important snaps.  At full force, this defense can stop the run as well as any in the NFL, and that will be their main task this week.  LeSean McCoy will be the best offensive player on the field, and the Seahawks must first and foremost limit his impact.  This goes for both the run and passes game.  Seattle has proved susceptible to running backs in the pass game, and it would be a shame to shut McCoy down on the ground, only to see him rack up big plays on screens and dump offs.  Another weakness that we saw exploited last week and many times this year, particularly early in games, is the Seahawks inability to cover tight ends.  Brent Celek is a very good receiver and should be drawing as much attention as anyone from the Seattle defense, but we’ll see if that is the case or if it’s effective.  If he hasn’t had an impact by the middle of the second quarter, he probably won’t, and the Seahawks should be in decent shape.  After that, they will need to worry about Philly’s weapons on the outside, but Jeremy Maclin is out, and a well timed big hit by Cam Chancellor or anyone else in the secondary should give DeSean Jackson the alligator arms we saw last week.

Offensively, the Seahawks should do what they have been doing well over the last few weeks, and that is run the ball with Marshawn Lynch.  Philly will be gearing to stop the run though, so I would hopefully look to see a lot of big sets on the field to take it right at their subpar front seven.  If Seattle can run the ball and control the clock, they can hopefully stay in manageable down situations and avoid letting the Eagles front four pin their ears back and come after the quarterback.  Getting sacks has been the Eagles strength this season, and they usually get them in bunches.  Tarvaris Jackson was not particularly sharp last week, and his receivers even worse, and he can’t’ take too many more hits this year, so you really don’t want to have to see him dropping back 40 times and having to win the game for Seattle.

The Seahawks formula for success is simple, run the ball and play great D, but their margin for error is slim.  I don’t expect them to have their “A” game this week, and they have proven that they can’t win without it.  I have a funny feeling Vince Young is going to have his best game of the season as well, maybe he just likes playing against Pete Carroll, and lead the Eagles to a prime time win on national TV.  I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see a game to the tune of 31-13.  Things will get better again this year, but I just don’t see it this week.  

Week 12 Preview: Seahawks vs. Redskins

The Seahawks proved a lot to me last week, travelling on the road to St. Louis and soundly beating a lesser team.  They avoided a letdown after their big win over Baltimore and continued to play well overall doing the things that have made them successful this year, running the ball and playing great defense.  Still, I find myself once again a bit nervous going into today’s game against the Redskins.  I shouldn’t, since the Seahawks are at home and the Washington is playing horrible amidst a six game losing streak, but I guess I still don’t completely trust this team, which I guess isn’t crazy to say about any 4-6 squad.  The Seahawks should be able to win most all the matchups though, and barring an outright bad performance by them, should be able to win this game if they just keep doing what they have been, although don’t look for another blowout like last week.

Former Seahawk Josh Wilson will return to Seattle and
try to make Pete Carroll pay fro trading him.

On offense, it will again start with running the ball.  Washington’s run defense is decent, but is ranked just 18^th in the NFL, allowing 117.3 yards per game.  They managed to hold red hot rookie DeMarco Murray and the Cowboys to 89 yards on the ground last week, proving they can at least slow down opposing rushers.  The Redskins also boast a pretty good pass defense and a pair of slid corners in DeAngelo Hall and former Seahawks Josh Wilson.  Both are good at playing the ball and adept at taking it to the house if they get their hands on it.  QB Tarvaris Jackson can’t turn it over early like he did last week.  If he does, I don’t see the team being able to overcome it.  He needs to take care of the ball (which he should every week) and hopefully be able to expose Washington’s aggressive secondary players for a big play at some point, which is where the run game will come in as well, as play action is the best way to do that..  I think the real key to the game will be the offensive line, and specifically the new right side.  Right guard Paul McQuistan and right tackle Breno Giacomini were not very good overall last week in any facet of their game.  Both had multiple penalties by my memory, overall they struggled to open up holes for Marshawn Lynch, and Giacomini in particular struggled to hold up in pass protection.  I have faith that McQuistan will improve, as he did last time he was pressed into starting duties on the left side when Robert Gallery was out, but I’m not nearly as confident about the fourth year player from Louisville.  Giacomini was brutal last week regardless of who was lined up opposite him and it will only get harder this week.  The Seahawks have typically struggled more against 3-4 defenses this year, and young linemen in particular always do.  The Redskins are tied for second in the league with 31 sacks, and rookie Ryan Kerrigan, who has six sacks already, will be lined up over the right tackle all day.  If Giacomini can’t slow down the pass rush on his side of the line, it could lead to some big plays for the Washington defense that could tilt the balance of the game to their favor.

You never know if you're going to get Good
 Rex or Bad Rex...but it's usually bad (pic from washingtonpost.com)

The Redskins don’t have much going on offense in any capacity.  The running game has been nonexistent, failing to top 61 yards in any of the last four games.  Mike Shannahan can’t settle on a running back (surprise!), although rookie Roy Helu has been the best of late.  Stopping the run is the strength of the Seahawks defense and their dominating front four, so there should be no problems there.  As expected when they entered the year with Rex Grossman and John Beck in a QB battle, the passing game is also in shambles.  Grossman started the year before he benched for turning the ball over too much, or playing like Rex Grossman has always played.  Then John Beck became the starter and was benched after a few completely ineffective games, or playing like John Beck.  Grossman is back at the helm now, and Seattle will need to take advantage.  Pete Carroll wants to above all else win the turnover battle, and it’s something they’ve done well during this little mini win streak.  If the offense can protect the ball, and the D can coax two or three turnovers from Grossman, then it should be an easy win.  I will say that in the back of my mind I am slightly afraid of the odd day when Grossman decides to blowup (you know, his old routine of having three straight multi pick games, going for 300 yards and three TDs one week, then falling back into his turnover machine mode), but I don’t think this is that day.

In the end, I think that Washington’s defense is too good for the Seahawks to get a blowout, but hopefully it should still be a fairly easy win.  The crowd noise at the Clink should be in full force and have an impact, and I see the Hawks getting a 20-10 victory.

Week 11 Preview: Seahawks at Rams

The Seahawks took their solid game in Dallas and improved upon it for their best performance of the year in beating the Baltimore Ravens last week.  The offensive line took another step forward and Marshawn Lynch had his second effective game in a row on the ground.  The Ravens took a curious offensive approach, throwing the ball 52 times and handing off to stud running back Ray Rice just five times, but the Hawks defense still get credit for handling everything thrown at them, and limiting them to 17 points and 323 yards.  The Seahawks also forced three turnovers, two of those coming from a kick coverage team that had previously struggled all season to limit returners yards, let alone make impact plays like they did last Sunday.  And let’s not forget the drive of the season, when the Seahawks got the ball with nearly six minutes to go in the fourth quarter and never gave it back.  After a couple bad penalties, Tarvaris Jackson made a couple clutch throws, then Lynch showed off both his power and a huge juke move that I’m not sure many of us knew he had in him.  It was a great win at home and really accomplished almost everything Pete Carroll wants from his football teams.  It wasn’t perfect though, and amidst all the euphoria over beating a very good team, there are a couple negative points that should be noted.  First, Seattle had 13 penalties for 100 yards, which is nowhere near acceptable.  The Hawks are the second most penalized team in the league, and can’t hope to win many games, especially on the road, with that many mistakes.  The second low point was all the field goals.  Yes, props to Steven Hauschka for going five for five on his attempts and tying a Seahawks record for field goals, but none of them were longer than 39 yards, and no NFL level kicker should miss from inside 40.  What that means is that the Seahawks offense was at the 22 yard line or closer six times in the game and came away with just one touchdown.  Again, that kind of production is not going to cut it most games, and especially not on the road.  The Seahawks are just 25^th in the red zone TD% at 43.48%, and Tampa Bay is last at 37.50%.  Last week’s 20% TD rate was not an acceptable number.  Tarvaris Jackson had a solid performance and made a couple great throws, but he needs to execute in the red zone better if this offense is ever going to really be effective.

This week, the Seahawks take on a struggling Rams team that isn’t struggling so much lately.  They are just 2-7, but St. Louis has won two of its last three games and even the loss was in overtime.  They’re not a great team, but they are better than they played during their 0-6 start.  Injuries have ravaged the team and been a major factor in their disappointing season, but those that aren’t out for the year are now as healthy as they’ve been all year and they also have a few new weapons now.  One perceived advantage Seattle might have is that they have been very good in St. Louis recently, winning five of the last six games there, although that didn’t help them last year when they went down 20-3.  The Seahawks have looked pretty goofd the last couple weeks, but can they now be consistant?  They looked good beating the Giants in New York and then blew the next three games in a row, including the stinker in Cleveland and at home against the Bengals.

Seattle needs to avoid a drop off after losing the right side of
their young O-line for the season. (pic from kitsapsun.com)

The key for the Seahawks offense is the same as it has been the last few weeks.  Despite the injuries last week to both of Seattle’s top rookie draft pick, RG John Moffitt and RT James Carpenter, the line still needs to play well, particularly in the run game.  The drop off in talent to Paul McQuistan and Breno Giacomini shouldn’t be that big overall, as both have played this season already and McQuistan in particular was pretty good in place of an injured Robert Gallery on the left side earlier this year.  It is the run game where I do worry a bit though.  The Seahawks line has improved its run blocking as a unit largely with power and attitude, and while the two replacement players are decent, neither are as strong or mean as the man they are replacing.  It’s a good matchup though as the Rams are last in the NFL in run defense, giving up 150.6 yards per game on the ground.  Darrell Bevel needs to keep feeding the beast, and I would hope Marshawn Lynch has close to 30 carries again this week and can get over the century mark against St. Louis.  If he can be effective running the ball, it takes pressure of Tarvaris Jackson and helps control the clock and set the tone for Seattle.  Jackson for his part, needs to at least be as solid and effective as he was last week.  Flashy plays and once in a while good games have never been uncommon for TJack, it’s being consistent that has kept him from establishing himself as a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL.  He’ll often look good or even great one week, then proceed to suck for the next two to four before again flashing signs of the talent everyone knows he has.

The Rams RB has been in his own "beast mode" the last few weeks.

It’s a similar story for the Seahawks on the defensive side of the ball, but in reverse.  The team’s big physical defensive front needs to contain Rams running back Steven Jackson, who has been in top form the last few weeks.  Jackson has been a beast in his own right the last three games, rushing for 159, 130, and 128 yards in those games.  He’s looked as dominating as at any time in his career and once again become the focal point of the Rams offense.  If Pete Carroll’s defense can do what it’s designed to do and stop the run to get St. Louis into long passing situations, then it’s imperative for the Seahawks to get both pressure and actual sacks on second year quarterback Sam Bradford.  Bradford’s mobility has been hampered by a bad ankle, and he’s been holding the ball longer than he did last year.  As a result, the Rams have given up an NFL worst 32 sacks so far in 2011.  Seattle is third to last in the NFL in sacks defensively, with the only real threat to get to the QB being Chris Clemons.  Something has to give in this matchup and it needs to be the Rams line.  If Seattle can win that battle, they should be able to force some turnovers and come close to shutting down the Rams offense.  Beyond that, they also need to keep multiple eyes on wide out Brandon Lloyd.  He’s as talented as any receiver in the NFL and is the only accomplished pass catcher on the Rams roster.  If Seattle can keep him from making any big plays, then they can win in a low scoring affair.  I’d recommend rolling coverage his way whenever it looks like they are going to pass and the safeties, Earl Thomas and Cam Chancellor, will have to keep the lid on the defense on his side of the field.

Overall, I’m just not sure this team has what it takes at this point to maintain the level of play they had last week, especially on the road.  I hope they at least give a good showing, but I would predict a 17-13 game in favor of St. Louis this week.  Hopefully, I am proved wrong.  If so, can I think we can all start believing in this team for the rest of 2011.

Aspiring NFL Scout’s Top 5 by Position: Defense (11/16/2011)

I put out my top fives on the offensive side of the ball last week, and now it’s time for the defense.  As I said with the offense, it is still early and these rankings are fluid.  I’ve seen some of these players quite a bit, while others little to none.  I’ve gotta start somewhere though, and this is where they stand as of now.

Defensive End:

Quinton Couples is a step above the rest of the options at defensive end, but it is a deep group.  Jared Crick and Billy Winn have the makings of being very good ends in a 3-4 scheme and should go in the late first or second round.  Crick is hurt, but has time to get healthy and should be good to go in time for work outs before the draft.  Until I hear otherwise, I’m leaving him at #2.  Mercilus has come on like gangbusters and performed against top competition, while Vinny Curry is having another monster year at Marshall.

1.       Quinton Couples, Sr, North Carolina

2.       Jared Crick, rSr, Nebraska

3.       Whitney Mercilus, rJr, Illinois

4.       Billy Winn, rSr, Boise State

5.       Vinny Curry, rSr, Marshall

Defensive Tackle:

Brandon Thompson was the top guy of this group at the beginning of the year and hasn’t disappointed, but Devon Still is having a fantastic senior season and is right on his heels in my opinion.  Worthy has been inconsistent, but has talent, and when he’s been on he’s been great.  Chapman is a good run stuffer who is the best NT candidate coming out.  Ta’Amu was great at the end of his junior year, but has disappointed me most of this season.  He remains at #5 mostly because I haven’t seen enough tape of some of the younger DTs to have them pass him yet.

1.       Brandon Thompson, Sr, Clemson

2.       Devon Still, rSr, Penn State

3.       Jerel Worthy, rJr, Michigan State

4.       Josh Chapman, rSr, Alabama

5.       Alameda Ta’Amu, Sr, Washington

Outside Linebacker:

This is where you might start to find a lot of differing opinions, often based mostly on what position scouts are projecting the player at and for what scheme.  I like Zach Brown as my top guy still, as I have since the preseason.  Upshaw, Lewis, and Jenkins are all good fits for 3-4 schemes and could warrant first round consideration.  I really like Lavonte David, and though I do list him as an outside backer, think he could make a better safety in the NFL.

1.       Zach Brown, Sr, North Carolina

2.       Courtney Upshaw, Sr, Alabama

3.       Brandon Jenkins, Jr, Florida State

4.       Ronnell Lewis, Jr, Oklahoma

5.       Lavonte David, Sr, Nebraska

Inside Linebacker:

Burfect is erratic and can be a bit out of control (both on and off the field), but he’s a great talent and should go in the first round.  Kuechly has great instincts and is the most productive MLB in the country.  Both Alabama LBs are solid, while Te’o has disappointed a bit this year.

1.       Vontaze Burfect, Jr, Arizona State

2.       Luke Kuechly, Jr, Boston College

3.       Don’ta Hightower, rJr, Alabama

4.       Manti Te’o, Jr, Notre Dame

5.       Nico Johnson, Jr, Alabama

Cornerback:

Kirkpatrick and Claiborne both have the size and speed to cover any receiver in the NFL and should be locks for the first round.  I really like Alfonzo Dennard too, and thought he was better than Prince Amukamara last year.  He was out injured to start the year, but has come on strong again.  You worry about Jenkins off the field, but there is no doubt he is great on it, although against inferior competition right now.  Stephon Gilmore is another CB with good size that rounds out my top five in what is a very strong class overall.

1.       Dre Kirkpatrick, Jr, Alabama

2.       Morris Claiborne, Jr, LSU

3.       Alfonzo Dennard, Sr, Nebraska

4.       Janoris Jenkins, Sr, North Alabama

5.       Stephon Gilmore, Jr, South Carolina

Safety:

Not a group I’ve spent a lot of time looking at yet, so it’s hard to rank them at this point.  Both of Alabama’s safeties are very good and should be NFL ready.  T.J. McDonald has made some big plays for the Trojans this year, as has Martin for OSU.  Ray Ray Armstrong was suspended the first four games of the season, and I haven’t seen him play yet in 2011.  I don’t know that any in this group will crack the first round.

1.       Mark Barron, Sr, Alabama

2.       Robert lester, Jr, Alabama’

3.       T.J. McDonald, Jr, USC

4.       Markelle Martin, rSr, Oklahoma State

5.       Ray Ray Armstrong, Jr, Miami

Week 10 Preview: Seahawks vs. Ravens

This week’s Seahawks game preview is going to be a little shorter than normal.  First, I spent more than enough time on my Seahawks midseason report (check out part 1 and part 2), and second, I just don’t really see any matchups that the Seahawks really have much of a chance to win.  The Ravens are better overall at pretty much every position matchup and I don’t give Seattle much of a chance to win today, even with the 12^th man behind them.  I don’t think this will be a very high scoring game, and could be a little boring for the average fan to watch.  I predict a score around 20-6.  In a way, I’m hoping for a game similar to last week, in which despite losing, I thought the Seahawks played a pretty good game, especially from some key units.  Not only would it be encouraging to see the team play another solid game, if they do many of the same things they did against the Cowboys, they could win with a few more points.  Not to say they Hawks are without all hope though.  They play the games for a reason, so here are a couple thoughts on what it might take for them to win.

Thomas will have to play like Reed
today. (pic from Zimbio.com)

First off, Baltimore has had a couple horrible let down performances this season on the road, at Tennessee (after their first big Pittsburgh win) and at Jacksonville.  The best hope is for another flat performance from Baltimore in front of an unrelenting 12^th man in Seattle.  The Ravens offense has been hot and cold all season in general too, failing to really establish an identity.  The first key is for the Seahawks to stop the run like they have all season and force the Ravens to feel like they have to pass to gain yards.  Ray Rice is a great back, but the 2011 version of the Ravens offensive line is suspect and has not been the dominant blocking unit I’ve seen the last few years.  If the Hawks can force Baltimore to rely solely on Joe Flacco, then the key player to contain becomes rookie wide out Torrey Smith.  Anquan Boldin is a great receiver, and will get his catches, but he’s not a game breaker.  Smith has been getting better each week, and getting more involved in the offense,  He adds a sorely needed dimension to their passing game, and if you can take him away, then they lose the ability to go down the field, which also helps to keep the run game in check.  I’m not sure that Seattle has any corner backs that can keep up with him, so they will probably need to roll coverage to his side or double Smith on passing downs with a safety over the top.  It would be great to get pressure on Flacco since he doesn’t handle it especially well, and as I said before, his line is mediocre at best, but I just don’t really see where it’s going to come from on the Seahawks defense.  Baltimore will likely devote two guys to handling Chris Clemons and the rest should take care of itself.  Along the same idea of sacks, is that what the Seahawks really need today are some big plays on both sides of the ball.  I think Earl Thomas is the key to the Defenses chances of winning this game for Seattle today.  Thomas has been playing at a Pro Bowl level this year, but will need to be even better this week.  I’d like to see him be able to play free in coverage this week and try and read Flacco to make a big play.  Flacco can have a tendency to stare down his intended receiver and Thomas can watch for that and break on any balls in his range.  Basically Thomas needs to play like his counterpart on the other team, the great Ed Reed.

Rice will have to make plays vs.
Baltimore like he did in Minnesota
(pic from 6magazineonline.com)

On offense, it would be great to see the line play as well as it did last week or better.  Their growth is not only key to the development of this team for the long haul, but for winning games week to week.  Baltimore boasts what I think is the best defense in the league, so even a performance equal to last week in Dallas might not produce the same results.  The key again will be left tackle Russell Okung.  I thought DeMarcus Ware would have a field day against Seattle’s line last week (I also thought that Dallas would line him up on Carpenter a lot, but they didn’t), but he was held sackless and didn’t have much of an impact on the game, thanks to Okung.  The second year tackle will need to be on his game today against Terrell Suggs to give Tarvaris Jackson a chance to make plays downfield.  Also, if Seattle can have any semblance of a run game, it will help to set up big plays that will be needed to win today.  Think about last week and how well the line played and how well Marshawn Lynch ran the ball, and the Seahawks still only had 13 points and were never really in it.  They will have to make big plays to tilt the balance of the game in their favor.  Like on defense, there is one player on offense that will be the man who has to produce, and that is Sidney Rice.  He’s the only real game breaker the Hawks have on offense, and will have to have his best game of the year today.  If Baltimore’s defense has any weakness, it is in the secondary, which while being better than the last couple years, is still vulnerable at times, especially their corners.  Rice has the ability to get downfield and just make plays over and around defenders.  If he can get one on one matchups, or even any matchup that doesn’t have Ed Reed near him, then Tarvaris needs to chuck it his way and just deliver a good enough pass to put the onus on Rice to make a spectacular catch.  Kind of the old close your eyes and let it fly approach, which I think Jackson can handle.  There’s no way Seattle can methodically move down the field for TDs, so it’s going to take at least a couple big plays to get the scores they need to pull off an upset.  The Seahawks paid Rice a lot of money this offseason, and while he hasn’t disappointed, he needs to really prove why today.

Seahawks Midseason Report Card - Part 2

*Author's note - like part one, this is very long.  Probably too long, but it's my blog, and I don't have any length restrictions or word limits to deal with, and I didn't want to cut anything out.  Part two covers the defense and special teams.  To read part one on the offense, you can go here: http://www.aspiringnflscout.com/2011/11/seahawks-midseason-report-card-part-1.html, or probably just scroll down.

Defensive Line: B

I really wanted to give this crew a higher grade, as they have been a dominant force against the run, holding the opposition to just 3.4 yards per carry, third best in the NFL.  The stat is even more impressive when you factor in how long the defense gets left on the field each game and how many more attempts they have to face than most (50 more than any of the other teams in the top five of that category).  It’s the almost complete lack of a pass rush that brings this group down though.  In a 4-3 front, the bulk of the pass rush is supposed to come from the defensive line, and the ends in particular.  The Seahawks are tied for 29^th in the NFL with just 13 sacks through eight games and only 8.5 of those are from lineman.  Pete Carroll’s 4-3 under scheme is centered more on stopping the run and a defensive end like Red Bryant will never be a sack machine, but the whole point is to get the opposing offense into clear passing situations and then bring in substitution packages that can get sacks.  That has not happened this year anywhere near to the extent it needs too, or even up to last year’s pace when the team was tied for 13^th in the NFL with 37 sacks.  The group is still playing well, and there really are no weak links in the starting lineup.

Many worried that Chris Clemons might have been a one hit wonder with his 11 sack breakout in 2010, but that has not been the case.  He has five sacks through the first half of the year and is the only real threat the team has of getting to the quarterback.  It’s that fact that probably holds him back a bit, as there is no one on the team to take the attention off him when team get into second or third and long situations against Seattle.  He been solid against the run again as well, with 21 tackles and four for loss, and is a great fit for Pete Carroll’s Leo position.

Brandone Mebane is sackless through eight games, but he is doing a good job in both facets of his play.  While not getting to the QB yet, he is doing a decent job of collapsing the pocket and making things uncomfortable.  I’d like to see him get his hands up more to deflect a few passes, but overall there isn’t much to complain about.  He leads all Seahawk linemen with 27 tackles and four tackles for loss and has been a force in the middle vs. run, clogging the middle and either making plays or funneling ball carriers to waiting teammates.

Alan Branch has been pretty good this year, especially compared to what I’d seen from him previously in his career, but he is the weakest link in the Seahawks starting front four.  He’s been solid with his run defense and not made many mistakes, while helping anchor the middle of Seattle’s D.  He just hasn’t done enough as far as a pass rush to really bring what Seattle needs at his position though.  He really needs to be the second best and a legitimate pass rush threat, behind Chris Clemons, in the Seahawks scheme, and that isn’t really happening to the extent it needs to.  The ideal type of player would be a Warren Sapp type player that can go after the QB.  Now finding a player of Sapp’s caliber is not really likely, but you get what I mean.  You’d like him to have maybe three or four sacks at this point and be more of a force getting after the quarterback than he is.  I do like what he has done with the talent he has though and would like him very much in a reserve role in future years.

The Red Bryant effect is for real. (pic from bleacherreport.com)

Once thought to be a myth, because of the very small sample size, the Red Bryant effect has proven to be very much real this year.  Bryant has been even better than in his limited action in 2010 and is one of the main reasons the Seahawks run defense has been so good.  His stats, 17 tackles and half a sack, don’t begin to show how effective he has been.  He has caused the kind of disruption in run game that you usually see end cause in the pass game, pushing back tackles and redirecting backs to places they don’t want to go.  He’s been fairly effective at doing some similar things on passing downs, but still isn’t a real threat of any kind in that area.  Still, he’s doing everything asked of him and more, as evidenced by his two blocked field goals against the Browns.  That Browns game might have been the best I’ve ever seen him play and hopefully we can get more of that going forward.

The Seahawks reserve lineman have been where the team has been let down a bit and really that mostly falls on Raheem Brock.  As I said before, Seattle’s defense is designed to stop the run and get teams into second or third and long positions, were they have to pass to have any hope of getting a first down.  That is where the defensive line rotation really comes into effect.  Most notably, you substitute a pass rusher, on this roster, that is supposed to be Brock, for Red Bryant and let them tee of on the quarterback.  After getting nine sacks in this role last season, Brock has just one sack so far in 2011 and has been mostly ineffective in his very important role.  He really only has one job, and that is to get sacks, and he isn’t doing it.  I don’t see him getting any better this year, and it looks like it is he, and not Clemons, that was the one hit wonder last year (this was not unexpected).  It’s a position that really will need to be addressed via the draft or some other option next offseason and is a big reason the Seahawks have and will struggle on third downs this year (they are currently 24^th in the NFL, letting teams convert 39.5% of the time).  The other primary backups, Anthony Hargrove and Clinton McDonald, have been solid in their roles and I really have no complaints.  McDonald is certainly better and more valuable for this team than Kelly Jennings would have been.  Hargrove brings experience and has been very good off the bench to the point that I think he could fill in nicely if Red Bryant (knock on wood) were to go down for a game or two.

Linebackers: B

I think a “B” grade is perfect for this group and maybe the easiest grade to give of any Seahawks unit.  Since the trade of Aaron Curry, they have been the definition of solid but unspectacular.  The group that starts now have been sure tacklers who are good at being where they are supposed to be.  You aren’t going to get a lot of spectacular plays from this trio, but they are playing up to their ability as a group right now.  Like the line, the biggest detraction from this group is their impact on passing downs.  When you start a big run stopper like Red Bryant at end, you’d like to be able to counter that with a pass rushing threat from the strong side linebacker, but there just isn’t anyone on this trio that can fill that role right now.

David Hawthorne has taken over the mike linebacker role from Lofa Tatupu and been a defintite upgrade over what we’ve seen the past couple years.  He has a well rounded stat line, 54 tackles, three for loss, one sack, and one interception, and has done so over just seven games.  He’s brought stability to the middle of the defense and made some big hits on ball carriers.  He’s not the best middle linebacker in the league in pass coverage, but has looked a bit improved in that department this season.  I have no problems with him in the starting role, and at just 26 years old, would be happy to see him in his current role for the next four or five years easily.

LeRoy Hill, in his return to the team after a year away, has had a very solid season.  He has a good nose for the ball and is on pace for a 100 tackle season.  He’s very solid against the run, but I think he might be better suited for the weak side.  He doesn’t provide the pass rush you’d hope, but he really never has since his 7.5 sack rookie season.  I’m happy with how he’s played and don’t think anyone really could have expected anymore.

Rookie K.J. Wright has played well enough to unseat and warrant the trading of former number four pick Aaron Curry.  Wright has come along very quickly for a rookie fourth rounder, especially since he’s had to learn multiple positions on the fly.  He filled in well for David Hawthorne in the preseason and the first game of the year at middle linebacker, and has now taken over duties on the weak side.  He’s been very solid in all aspects of his game, but in my opinion it remains to be seen if he’s really the answer at one of the starting linebacker spots long term.  He’s definitely good enough to play in this league though and his development in the second half of the season will be something I watch very closely.

The current bench linebackers haven’t all been on the roster that long and thus have not have not had much of an impact.  The only one to record any statistics is Malcolm Smith, who has six tackles so far.  I liked what I saw from Smith in the preseason and would like to see a bit more of him as this year goes on.  Hopefully he can provide a little bit of pass rush from his reserve role that the team currently lacks.  The other two linebackers on the roster, David Vobora and Heath Farwell, are journeymen players and nothing special.

Cornerbacks: C+

The loss of arguably the top two cornerbacks on the Seahawks roster has hurt the depth, flexibility, and abilities of the secondary, but they have done a better than expected job compensating so far.  The two lost, Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond, were the best cover corner the Seahawks had, but are out for the 2011 season and can’t be counted on for the future either.  Without them, the remaining corners have two things in common, they are young and they are big.  I’m curious to see if they can keep competing at the NFL level and if they can improve to the point to show that they can be major factors for next season.  They might not have quite played up to their grade on the whole, but given the circumstances, I thought it unfair to go any lower.

Brandon Browner has started every game at right corner and had some rough days early n the year, but has been improving steadily since then.  Quicker and more athletic receivers have and will always cause him problems, Mike Wallace being the prime example from this season, but he’s held his own against lesser pass catchers and has even shown that he is capable of matching up fairly well against bigger receivers like Larry Fitzgerald if he’s given help over the top.  As you’d also expect at his size, he has been very strong in run support, and is another of the reasons the team is so good in that department.

Rookie Richard Sherman has taken over the starting left cornerback position and played much better than I think anyone would have expected.  The fifth round pick has given up some big plays here and there, but has held his own for the most part.  Like Browner, he has exceptional size for the position and is good against the run for a corner.  He shows the potential to be a quality starter in the NFL.

Roy Lewis, Byron Maxwell, Kennard Cox, and Ron Parker round out the backup cornerbacks on the team.  Lewis is back off the PUP list just in time and is a decent backup.  Maxwell is the another rookie that I will be interested in watching to see how he develops over the second half.  He was a big playmaker on special teams in the preseason, but has had more mistakes in that capacity than big plays in the regular year.  Kennard Cox is another veteran backup who will see some action.  Hopefully Parker won’t have to do much beyond special teams play.

Safeties: A

The strongest positions on the defense are the two starting safety spots.  Earl Thomas and Cam Chancellor have done a great job in every capacity of the game.  It’s really the only position group on the entire team that you look and and can say the Seahawks are set at for the years to come.  Despite the lack of a pass rush and injuries at corner, they have kept the Seattle defense respectable against the pass and limited the amount o big plays they give up.  The lack of big plays is especially impressive, given what a problem that has been for the Seahawks defense for the last few years.  I think the tandem will only get better, not just in their own skill, but if the team can shore up their issue at CB in the few years it will free up Thomas and Chancellor to make more plays.

Thomas could soon be the best free safety in the NFL.
(pic from thenewstribune.com)

Thomas has been all over the field this season and leads the team with 55 tackles.  He also leads the team with five tackles for loss from the safety position to go along with three pass deflections, and interception and one fumble recovery.  In his second year he is playing at a Pro Bowl level and is about as complete a player as you will find at his position.  Despite not being the biggest guy, he is very strong against the run and can blow up plays in the backfield when allowed to play near the line of scrimmage.  He uses his speed and good instincts to excel in the pass game, and if he’s ever allowed to play totally free, he could start creating a lot of turnovers.

Kam Chancellor has shown great improvement from his rookie year and done more than just take over for departed veteran Lawyer Milloy.  Chancellor, at 6’3” and 230+lbs always figured to be strong against the run, and he has been, but his play against the pass is what has made him so good this year.  He has shown coverage ability, lateral quickness, agility, and read ability that I didn’t know he could ever possess.  He has 50 tackles through seven games, a sack, two tackles for loss, and leads the team with two forced fumbles, one recovery, seven passes defended, and three interceptions.

Atari Bigby has been solid backing up at both safety spots and providing a veteran presence in the secondary.  He started one game when Chancellor was out and has 11 tackles and one sack on the season.  He is a capable player that I feel comfortable with in his current role.  Undrafted rookie Jeron Johnson has also seen a little bit of playing time and handled it decently overall when he’s been in there.

Defense Overall: B

The Seahawks defense has been pretty good in the first half of the season, but not great.  They are solid all around, but limitations at cornerback and a general lack of playmakers hold them back from taking it to the next level.  I don’t think there is really much they can do to address these deficiencies in the second half of the year, but if they can maintain the level of play they have been, especially as the losses mount up and if the offense continues to struggle, then I will be impressed.  Currently, they are 16^th in the league overall at 352.8 yards allowed per game, 18^th against the pass at 242.4 yards per game, and 13^th against the run at 110.4 yards per game allowed.  I think they really are a little better than those numbers indicate, which are inflated by the sheer number of snaps the unit has had to face.  They’ve been able to keep the team in games for the majority of the time, although they have had a bit of a penchant to collapse late in the fourth quarter of games we are already behind then.  It’s kind of natural for that to happen, and often it’s because they have been put in a bad position by the offense that has had to make some desperate moves, but I’d still like to see it cleaned up a bit in the second half.  I’d also like to see them make more game changing plays.  As I said previously, they are third to last in the league in sacks with 13 and have just 11 take aways (8 interceptions/3 fumble recoveries), tying them for 19^th in the league.  Last year, Pete Carroll was able to scheme much of the pressure Seattle got with unique blitzes, often from the secondary.  I’m not sure he has the personnel to be able to this season, but if the team is going to win more than a couple games in the second half, the defense is going to have to not just hold, but get the ball back in advantageous positions for the offense to capitalize.  Individually, the sustained great play of the safety tandem is will be a big key in the second half.  Thomas trailed off a bit last season after a strong start, and Chancellor is a first year starter, so seeing them be able to maintain their current high level of play will be a big plus.  I’ll also be watching to see how rookies like Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright develop and evaluate whether they can be key pieces for next year and beyond.

Special Teams: C-

I really wanted to give this unit a lower grade, but the key individual specialists have all actually all been pretty good (and don’t forget the blocked kicks).  It’s the group as a whole that has been really bad.  The special teams have let the team down again and again with costly penalties and giant returns allowed.  It started with the two return TDs by Ted Ginn in the opener and hasn’t gotten much better leading up to Byron Maxwell getting two unsportsmanlike calls against him last week in Dallas.  There have been way too many penalties all year, whether they be off sides on a kickoff, holding on a return, or various others.  They have been too frequent and at times very costly.  The coverage team by themselves would be lucky to get a D- grade.

The group also hasn’t been creating as many lanes for return man Leon Washington, although he himself is also not making as many plays.  Great players get paid big money to make plays beyond what the team around them does, and Washington really hasn’t done that to date.  Yes, he had the return TD that would have won the game against the Browns called back on a horrible clipping penalty that never should have been flagged, but it was.  He also showboated way too early on that return, similar to an instance last season, and it almost cost him the TD.  He’s averaging 22.7 yards on kick returns and 12 yards on punt returns, which are good numbers, but not great, and his longest for either is just 43 yards.  If he were just a random athlete that the Seahawks put back there it would be fine, but Washington has set the bar higher than he is performing right now.

I was not a fan of bringing kicker Steven Hauschka in at the start of the year, but he has performed about as well as he could have to this point.  His missed field goal last week against the Cowboys was his first of the year inside 60 yards.  Overall he’s 10 of 12 on the season, which isn’t bad.  He hasn’t had a chance to make any clutch or game winners, but that’s hardly his fault.  He was brought in largely to get more touchbacks, and that hasn’t really happened.  Hauschka is tied for 25^th among NFL kickers with just 12 touchbacks on 31 kick offs.  It would help alleviate some of the team’s return worries if the kicker could get the ball to the end zone on a consistent basis.

The final specialist on the team, punter John Ryan is having a very good year so far.  Ryan is averaging 49 yards per punt in 2011 and has a 39 yard net average.  He has been good at getting quality hang time and as a directional punter.  Even considering the number of big returns the Seahawks have given up, I never once thought that the onus was on Ryan, it was usually just bad coverage or tackling.  Ryan also is tied for 5^th in the NFL with 14 punts put inside the 20 yard line.  He is having a boarderline Pro Bowl year, but the multiple return TDs against him will probably hurt his chances of making that team, even though as I said, they are not his fault.

Seahawks Midseason Report Card - Part 1

*Author’s note – I was going to put up a full team report in one post, but it started to get really long, and I didn’t want to try half assing any of my analysis, so I’m splitting it up.  This post will cover the offense and it’s position groups, and tomorrow I will post the defense and special teams. I hope you enjoy (if you can get through the whole thing).

The Seahawks lost 23-13 to the Dallas Cowboys last week, but it was easily one of their best performances of the year.  The defense was solid as usual, and the young offensive line played perhaps their best game of the year.  The end result dropped the team to 2-6 on the season, and while it hasn’t all been very pretty, I think the future looks a little brighter after the team’s showing in Texas, albeit that light at the end of the tunnel is probably beyond this season.  So, as many do, it’s time for me to look back on what I’ve seen with Pete Carroll’s squad and what might happen in the next eight games and beyond.  The season is pretty much over as far as contending, but the second half of this season should not be judged on wins and losses, and can still be very much successful.

Quarterbacks: D-

If I was just grading Tarvaris Jackson, it would probably be just a solid D, but Charlie Whitehurst’s performance in Cleveland was the kind of F that you give simply because there aren’t G or H grades.

I was a proponent on seeing more of Whitehurst during the preseason and when the regular season began.  Not to say I thought he was the answer, but my rational was that I’ve seen plenty of Jackson in Minnesota and I know what he is.  Whitehurst was a bit more of an enigma, and after trading a third round pick for him, I wanted a chance to see a bit more before I was ready to toss him aside.  Well, now I’ve seen, and I don’t want to ever have to see him again.  I wanted Whitehurst to have the chance to prove himself one way or the other and he has proven that he doesn’t belong anywhere near a starting job in the NFL.  There’s a reason he was the third stringer in San Diego and why he couldn’t compete with Matt Hasselbeck or even Jackson in Seattle.

Jackson isn't very good, but don't be too
hard on him. (photo from Deseret News)

As for Jackson, as I said above, he is what he is.  I see pretty much the same player that was in Minnesota.  He is a good athlete with a good arm, but just hasn’t progressed as a quarterback anymore this year than in his first five.  He has horrible pocket awareness, doesn’t read defenses very well, doesn’t have great mechanics, and isn’t a very accurate passer.  For the first three games of the season, he protected the ball well, but that was more a factor of him taking zero chances down field than really being smart or efficient with his play.   He was completing 60.8% of his passes, but averaged just 5.4 yards per attempt, which doesn’t cut it.  He also had just three touchdown passes over the first three games to go along with three interceptions (two were on Hail Mary’s though).  He finally opened it up against Atlanta, and was very good in a failed second half comeback attempt in that game.  From then on, four games, he kept his completion percentage right at 60% and his yards per attempt went way up to a respectable 7.9.  However, he still has only thrown an average of one TD per game, four total, over that time and has also now thrown seven picks, including three last week vs. Dallas.  The Dallas game was really his worst of the year in my opinion, in large part because it was the game in which he had the best protection.  It was probably the first game of the year where you could say that every facet of the team played well except for the quarterback.  Jackson isn’t a horrible quarterback, but he’s not very good.  Unless you have a great running game to support him, he isn’t the caliber of player you can win with at the quarterback position.  As of now, he is clearly the best the Seahawks have, and should hold down the job the rest of the year, although I would be interested to see if the coaches ever saw enough progress in practice from rookie Josh Portis to give him some playing time late in the season.

Running Backs: C+

Marshawn Lynch’s overall stats are okay, 97 carries for 398 yards, a 4.1 average, and four touchdowns, but most of that came from his 135 yard performance last Sunday.  He averaged 5.9 yards per carry in that game, compared to just 3.6 on his attempts the rest of the year.  The run blocking wasn’t very good for him through the first six games, but he was also a bit tentative, and was dancing way too much in the backfield for a runner of his type.  Overall, he’s playing about to the same level he has most of his career and should hopefully continue his upward trend.  I’d expect him to come close to 1000 yards by the end of the year.  He’s the kind of back that solidifies you at the position, but will never be able to make many big plays of carry your team.

Leon Washington hasn’t had many touches this year, but has done the most with what he’s gotten.  He’s averaging 6.1 yards per attempt, but has gotten just 21 carries this year.  He’s also caught eight passes, but for just 36 yards.  He’s not the kind of back that you can give 20 carries a game to and expect him to maintain his success, but I’d like to see him start getting 6-10 touches per game going forward.  He seems to have become the clear #2 back ahead of Justin Forsett though.

Forsett has been largely ineffective this year and has rightfully begun to fall out of favor in the backfield rotation.  He’s averaging a measly 2.7 yards on rushes and 6.6 yards on receptions.  He lacks the explosiveness of Washington and the power of Lynch, so it’s hard to really see any reason for him to be a big part of the offense anymore.  He probably won’t disappear from the field completely, as he is the team’s best pass blocker at the position, but don’t expect too many touches going forward.

Another player whose role has decreased as the season has gone on is fullback Michael Robinson.  The fullback position hasn’t been vital in this offense since Carroll took over, and I would hardly consider Robinson a true fullback, but he was seeing the ball more earlier in the year.  He hurt himself on his first carry of the year against the 49ers and missed a few games, and then upon returning, was ineffective and fumbled against the Giants and hasn’t seen the ball since.  The team is probably a bit better off in two tight end sets anyway, but I do long to see a classic blocking back like Mack Strong again.  Given how much the position was utilized by Carroll at USC, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the team look for someone free agency or late in the draft next year.  For now, Robinson is a good special teams player and will continue in that capacity.

Wide Receivers: B

The group was really hurt earlier in the year by the absence of Sidney Rice for the first two games, but it may have ended up being a bit of a blessing in disguise, as it also allowed the added playing time for and emergence of rookie Doug Baldwin.  Rice has been as advertised since coming over from the Vikings as a highly paid free agent.  Yes, he was hurt, but the Seahawks knew he had an injury history when they brought him on.  He has been healthy the last six games and has produced, especially when Tarvaris Jackson has played.  Rice has 27 catches for 435 yards, a 16.1 average, and one TD on the season so far.  Over the course of a full season, you’re looking at around 75 catches for 1200 yards, which are pretty close to Pro Bowl numbers.  Rice has shown good hands and body control, and is really the only receiver that is capable of consistently winning one on one matchups and making plays downfield.  He should continue to play at a consistently high level the rest of the year and I think can still get better over the next couple seasons.

Undrafted rookie Doug Baldwin has been the biggest surprise on the team this year.  He leads the team with 28 receptions and has 434 yards and two TDs to go with it.  Baldwin has showed good hands and precise route running for a rookie and has been the most dependable pass catcher the Seahawks have.  Perhaps most surprising has been his ability to make big plays in the passing game.  As he starts to get more attention in the second half of the season, I don’t think he’ll make as many big plays, but his overall production should remain consistent, and I would think he’ll probably the Hawks’ second leading receiver at the end of the year.

Last year’s big surprise offensive player, Mike Williams, has been perhaps this year’s biggest disappointment.  He hasn’t clicked with Tarvaris Jackson yet and thus has been fairly ineffective.  In fact, at times the overemphasis on getting Williams involved has created problems for the offense and caused turnovers.  Williams is a big bodied wide out that uses that advantage to make up for the fact that he doesn’t get great separation, but if your QB doesn’t have the confidence or ability to throw into those tight spaces, then he becomes useless as an offensive weapon.  Big Mike was solid last year, but not amazing and most were hoping he’d take a step forward this season.  I don’t know if he’s really stepped back, but he remains stuck as a slower possession receiver that drops a few too many balls.  Couple that with an ineffective QB and his seemingly constant injury issues, and you start to end up with a guy that might not be the best option to have on the field for this team.

The rest of the receiving corps have been playing well for their part.  Ben Obomanu will never be a star, but he is solid and consistent.  His 23 catches and 248 yards are good for third on the team and his two touchdowns are tied for first.  Golden Tate hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s made the plays he should and does look to be making some progress in year two.  At this point I might like to see him get some more opportunities than he has been to see if he can really make an impact in the wide receiver rotation in the second half.  The last receiver on the roster, rookie Kris Durham hasn’t played much and hasn’t shown me anything, in pre or regular season action to make me think he’ll ever be a worthwhile NFL player.

Tight Ends: C-

A position group that was once thought to be the Seahawks biggest strength on offense has been a total nonfactor this year.  The group has combined for just 24 catches for 233 yards and no touchdowns in 2011.  The injury to Kohn Carlson did hurt the depth a bit, but the failures of this group start with free agent pick up Zach Miller.  Not all of it is his fault, I think the coaching staff has misused him a lot and Tarvaris Jackson is not finding him as often as he should, but he was a Pro Bowl player the last few years that looked to be on the cusp of being one of the top 3-5 tight ends in the game.  He’s averaging less than two catches per game, has a not had more than three in any one game (twice), and has had two games were he didn’t catch any passes (he also missed one with injury).  Not exactly worth what the Seahawks are paying him.  I think the biggest priority for the offense in the second half, especially as the O-line improves, is to get him way more involved.  If given more chances to catch passes, he then needs to make some plays, because I can’t think of one great play he’s had yet.

Due to injuries, Anthony McCoy has been forced into the backup and at times starter role at tight end and had mixed results.  He seems to be able to get open fairly consistently, but has not shown the hands that he did while making numerous great plays in the preseason.  It’s getting to the point were I kind of cringe every time a pass heads his way, and then am surprised if he does catch it.  He needs to improve his reliability quick, of he may find himself out of the league.  I think Cameron Morrah is a much better receiver, and McCoy isn’t a very good blocker that you would then like to see as the third tight end to round out the group.

Morrah started the season on the PUP list and just came back after week six.  In the two games he’s played, he caught two passes in each and showed to at least be reliable.  He’s not much of a blocker though, so I’d like to see more of the flashes of big play ability he showed last year in the second half this year.  Hopefully once he shakes the rust off, and can hopefully stay healthy, we’ll get to see some of that.

Offensive Line: C

Okung needs to be Seattle's best offensive player.
(photo from ESPN)

This grade might shock some people, and many might disagree, but I base it on two main factors.  First, I expected the young line to struggle this year, especially early and especially without a full offseason to work together.  Second, I have seen improvement, capped off by the performance last game in Dallas that really gives me hope and probably moved the grade up a couple notches from a D+.  The whole thing begins and ends with second year left tackle Russell Okung.  They struggled most early in the year when he wasn’t playing well and wasn’t being utilized like he should have been.  It’s hard to say which caused which, but once the team started putting him out on blindside on his own and he started handling the left side and the opposition’s best pass rusher like he can, then everything else started to improve.  Again, this was all capped off to this point with his performance against Dallas.  Much like he did last year with Julius Peppers, seeing him handle DeMarcus Ware so well was just amazing and gives me so much confidence in the future.  If, and it still is an if, he can continue to do that every week, on a level anywhere close to his predecessor Walter Jones did, then the rest of the offensive line will fall in line.  Now Okung is not Walter Jones, but he does have the talent to be a top three tackle in the NFL.  Hopefully he gets close to there by the end of this season.

Another disappointing Raider signee has been left guard Robert Gallery.  He’s been injured much of the year, which sucks, but you can’t always control injuries.  When he has played though, I haven’t seen a player who is anywhere close to the Pro Bowler we thought we were getting.  He hasn’t been a dominant blocker in the run or pass game and has had too many missed assignments and penalties.  Gallery was supposed to already know this offense and line scheme when he followed coach Tom Cable to Seattle, and was supposed to be able to act as a leader and mentor to the rest of the young inexperienced lineman.  I haven’t seen that happening at all.  Granted I don’t see practices or what happens behind closed doors, but it needs to translate to the field better than it has.  Backup Paul McQuistan filled in pretty well, and at times looked like maybe the better option.  Gallery is the big money guy though, and needs to earn it.  Like the rest of the line, he did play better in Dallas than he had previously, but he needs to do at least that well, minus the penalties, going forward.

The guy who probably needs to show me the most in the second half is center Max Unger.  He hasn’t played as well as I would have liked to have seen, especially early, and more than any other starter, I’m not sure if he’s the answer for his position going forward.  He’s not physically capable of winning one on one matchups inside, and looks overmatched at times.  Now not every center can or does sustain or make blocks one on one against big defensive tackles, but those who can’t need to make up for it in other ways, and that’s what I really want to start seeing from Unger.  He needs to be almost flawless at making the correct reads at the line and picking up or helping out on the correct defender on every play.  Unless he can be consistent in these facets of his line play, then he becomes a liability that can’t be afforded.  Hopefully he can.

Rookie right guard John Moffitt has been maybe the most consistent player on the line.  He’s not the best, but for a rookie third round draft pick, I think he’s played alright so far.  He’s not dominant, nor has he gone without mistakes, but it’s all relative.  I hold a player like Robert Gallery to a much higher standard than I do Moffitt at this point.  I like what I’ve seen and think if he continues to progress as his current rate, he’ll be a solid starting lineman for this team for years to come.

Then there is James Carpenter.  I didn’t agree with taking him with the 25^th pick in the draft and still don’t.  I admit that he was a third round pick like Moffitt, then my opinion might be very different on him, but he wasn’t.  He just isn’t a starting caliber player at this point and needs a lot of help to even be in a position not to hurt the team.  He’s physically powerful enough to be a dominant run blocker, but he hasn’t been anywhere close to that.  In the pass game, he hasn’t shown anywhere near the lateral quickness to stay with any of the better pass rushers in the league.  He has shown some improvement, but not nearly enough to make me think he’s going to be worth the high draft pick Seattle used on him or even pan out at all.  More than anyone, he has been helped by Okung’s improved play, as it allows the Seahawks to consistently offer him the help, be it with a tight end or running back, that he needs on the edge.  It really limits the offense to always have to do that though.  If he is going to work, I think it most likely will be as a guard sometime down the line, but I just don’t see him succeeding as a tackle.  Hopefully I’m wrong, but I haven’t been so far.

Offense Overall: D-

Seattle has the 29^th ranked offense in the league as far as yards per game, at 296.1.  They get that by being 30^th in rushing at 88.3 yards per game, and 23^rd passing at 207.9 per game, while allowing a second worst 29 sacks.  They average just 15.3 points per game, good (or bad) for 28^th in the NFL, and have scored 13 or less in five of their eight games this year.  They’ve failed in almost every aspect of offensive football in the first half of the season and just have not been good enough to win games consistently.  In short, the offense is not good.  Don’t hold your breath either, because it’s not going to get much better this year.  It should get a little better though, and it’s the small steps that fans should pay attention to.

First and foremost is the offensive line.  They are showing signs of starting to come together and if that continues, the running game in particular should start to show more consistent success.  If this team can start to run the ball with effectiveness game in and game out, then they can start to set the tone and keep the team in games by controlling the clock.  They might take a bit of a step back this week against the Ravens defense, but the final seven games of the season will provide a great opportunity for success.  If this group can be solid in the second half, they can position themselves to jump to the next level in 2012 and really put the offense in a position for success for the first time in years.

The passing game unfortunately will probably not improve much overall, but there are areas that I mentioned above that can be bright spots.  In particular, if Zach Miller can start to be a viable weapon in the passing game, it will bode very well for the future of the team.  Along with the continuation of quality play from wide outs Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin, and Seattle will have to feel good about where they are as far as aerial weapons going into 2012.  A bonus would be to see some big plays from Golden Tate either down the field or on screens and short passes.  I don’t see Tarvaris Jackson getting any better though, and that will hold things back and probably prevent the team from winning too many more games.  He will probably have a couple good games in the final eight and show some flashes of brilliance, but on the whole he’ll be very inconsistent and will turn the ball over too much or just fail to make too many of the plays that he should.  He is just a stopgap though, and I think that was always the case.  I don’t blame the front office for bringing him in and hoping for better, as long as they weren’t really expecting too much.  In the end it was still a far better option than trading valuable draft picks and spending big money on players like Carson Palmer or Kevin Kolb, who are really not much better than Jackson.  In fact, I applaud John Schneider and Pete Carroll for showing restraint and sticking to their rebuilding plan in 2011.  Things might not ever look good on the offensive side if the ball this year, but building the foundation of something is never the pretty part.  By the end of December I hope to see a team that I feel confident putting a rookie quarterback (or other option) in charge of and being able to see him have an opportunity for success and growth.

To read part 2 of my midseason report, click here: http://www.aspiringnflscout.com/2011/11/seahawks-midseason-report-card-part-2.html.