On Wednesday I wrote that I was not inclined to make excuses for what is, at this point, a lost season for our beloved Seattle Seahawks.
That remains the case.
However, I will offer up an argument as to why we, the 12s, might want to cut the team a little bit of slack.
Implementing a new offense takes time and isnt helped by (a) having your franchise quarterback spend his offseason in a public spat with the team, and/or (b) losing your QB midway through the 5th game of the year.
Lets start with Shane Waldron.
Dude had never held an Offensive Coordinator position before and was joining a team whose head coach is well known for wanting things his way. Yet the prevailing consensus was that Shane Waldron was going to implement a magic offense, which he would have cribbed from the Rams, and that having Russell Wilson (instead of Jared Goff) directing that offense would keep defensive coordinators awake at night.
Yeah ... that didnt really happen, did it?
Frustratingly, yet not surprisingly, the offense struggled the first few games. Yes, they scored a bunch of points (103 through their first 4 games; 25.75 per game), but their offense basically disappeared for entire halves.
Which brings us to Russell Wilson.
The beloved Seattle icon spent the offseason vocally lamenting the teams inability to keep him upright during the first 9 years of his career.
Personally, I think he had a point - even if he steadfastly refuses to acknowledge the role that he has played (and continues to play) in that equation.
After his agent (reportedly) gave the Seahawks a list of teams that Wilson would waive his no-trade clause for, and after the team (reportedly) turned down a trade offer from the Chicago Bears, the disenchanted quarterback rekindled his friendship with Pete Carroll, even going so far as to make an announcement about their friendship during a press conference at Seahawks HQ.
Whether or not that was window dressing is anyones guess. But ...
Despite the offenses (and the teams) overall inconsistency, Russell Wilson got off to a really good start this year.
Heres his stat line through the first 4 games: 79 of 109 (72.5%) for 1,044 yards (13.2 per completion) with 9 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. His passer rating up to that point was 128.4 which is about 26-1/2 points higher than his career average coming into the season (100.9).
Then this happened.
Seattle, 2-2 at the time, watched Wilsons backup throw an interception with just over 2 minutes left and came up short in Game #5.
And Game #6 (a 3-point overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road).
And Game #7 (a 3-point home loss to the New Orleans Saints).
By the time Wilson returned, Seattles season was on life support with the Hawks nursing a 3-5 record and preparing to face the Green Bay Packers (on the road) and the Arizona Cardinals (at home).
We all know how that turned out.
By his own admission, Wilson wasnt 100% when he came back. Was it too soon? Perhaps.
Some would argue that RW3 at less than 100% gave Seattle a better chance to win than Geno Smith at 100%. Some would disagree.
Me? Ill simply point out (as the News Tribune article I linked to did) that Russell Wilson threw four end zone interceptions since his return and thats not something that (a) he normally does, or (b) a middling team can easily overcome.
At the end of the day (slash season), I am sort of inclined to chalk a lot of this season up to a new offense that never really had a chance to get going and a quarterback who had some misgivings coming into the season and then got hurt (and missed games for the first time in his career).
Personally, I think Wilson will be fine and has many strong seasons ahead of him. Waldron, on the other hand ... I really dont know.
In theory, Waldron could be the greatest offensive mind of his generation, stuck with a bad hand his first go round. He could also be a JAG (Just Another Guy). The truth is undoubtedly somewhere in between those two extremes.
The question is, Will we find out?
Read this article:
The Seahawks offense is still a work-in-progress - Field Gulls
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