The 2023 Seattle Seahawks Year in Review

[flyerhawk]

Well the season is over. And we will find out whether there will be big changes or not soon enough. But I figured I would just list my observations from the season, what went right and what went wrong. We'll start off with the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good

• We look to have had another good draft class. Spoon, JSN, Charbs and Bradford were all starters in their first year. Olu showed some promise. Derrick Hall showed signs of life at the end of the season and could hopefully take a step up next year.
• Julian Love was a great addition. He really helped offset the mostly absent Adams.
• The Walker/Charbs backfield looks like it could be one of the best in football for the next couple of years.
• Colby Parkinson showed that he is a legit NFL tight end. Hopefully we can re-sign him on a reasonable deal
• Geno when he had good protection was actually quite good

The Bad

• The injuries to Cross and Lucas in the 1st game really haunted the offense for the entire season. Cross came back but was very inconsistent and Lucas never really recovered. The rest of the OL was wildly inconsistent, in part because of injuries but also because it's just not that good.
• Despite having 2 quality backs, our running game too often sputtered. IMO, this was as much about poor blocking assignments as it was about the talent on the OL.
• Because of our inconsistent OL play, we too often had to keep in 2 players for pass pro. It's one thing if you keep 6 or 7 on the line to block because the other team is blitzing a lot. It's another if you need 6 or 7 to block 4. That means that the receivers are expected to do way way too much.
• It is baffling to me why this team simply cannot execute an effective blitz beater screen. I feel like we are the only team in the NFL that just stinks at this. We can blame Geno, I guess, but we were just as bad with Russ.
• Geno when he was pressured really struggled

The Ugly

• Run defense. In the last 3 games the defense has given up 570 rushing yards. I don't care if we have the 99 Rams offense, no team can win doing that. The Cards were deploying a lot of 13 formations and just bullying us off the ball. A whole bunch of us were lamenting how this team didn't get enough bulk in the offseason and Pete assured us he had a plan. He clearly did not, or it was a bad one.
• The only thing more baffling than our inability to execute a screen is our inability to defend a screen. It is infuriating to see this team give up 9 yards on a 3rd and 8 screen. Really unacceptable
• Pete is simply incapable of adapting his gameplan to fit the situation. If you have a defense that is struggling, you can't play safe football the entire game. You have to be more aggressive earlier in the game. This team has the offensive firepower to take early leads but we are simply too focused on a safety first approach which is fine when you have a strong D but terrible when your D is giving up 150+ yards a game on the ground.

Sadly, I don't see any realistic way that this team changes in any meaningful way while Pete is the HC. And I don't see Pete leaving. So we can expect to see much the same next year.

 

[flyerhawk]

Going forward, IF the team actually moves on from Pete I do think there is a decent chance things can turn around. There is talent on the team and it is a young team with most of their key players being 3rd year or younger players. Here are some of the things I think have to happen.

Get more beef on the DL. Regardless of the system we wind up playing next year, this team was getting pushed around way way too much by other teams. The defense has way too many players of a similar type(Mafe, Hall, Taylor on the edge. Jones, Reed, Williams on the inside). It's not that any of those guys are bad, but they were expected to do things they aren't suited for. None of Mafe, Hall, and Taylor can be point of attack edge players and none of Jones, Reed and Williams are actual nose tackles that can clog up lanes.
Create gameplans that are more up tempo. Pete's system relies on having a strong defense. Until we have one of those, we need an offense that can put up points in bunches. That means being more aggressive, even if that means more turnovers. If we can get early leads, teams won't be as willing to pound the rock on us.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Despite having 2 quality backs, our running game too often sputtered. IMO, this was as much about poor blocking assignments as it was about the talent on the OL.

Poor blocking assignments? Could you expand on that, because I'm not sure what exactly you mean by that.

 

[JMR]

One thing that jumped out at me after the dust sort of settled on the season yesterday is how difficult our schedule ended up being. It wasn't just the 4 or 5 game stretch around Thanksgiving, either. We played 10 games against teams that finished with double digit wins. Every team that beat us is in the playoffs except for the Bengals, who did finish last but with a winning record in the AFCN. We played 4 games against the top 3 NFC playoff seeds, 3 of which were on the road. We also played on the road at the AFC 1-seed. I am pretty sure we were the only team in the league that had to play 5 games against 4 of the top 5 scoring offenses (Dallas, SF, Balt, Detroit) in the league, with 4 of those 5 games on the road. That is a rough road to survive to make the playoffs and give the appearance of year over year improvement. There is at least a fair chance that we played 3 games against the teams that will represent the AFC & NFC in the SB. They eye test says this team did in fact take a step back, but how much of that is about the schedule? If you think the answer is none, then why do we even worry about how the schedule looks when it comes out? If we could have played SF yesterday while they were resting essentially ever key player, there is a huge chance this team has 10 wins instead of 9 and in the playoffs.

A tough schedule wasn't the only factor though. To me, the most frustrating parts about an overall very frustrating season:

• Offensive futility. On paper, this is a more talented offense than what we had last year, but the results didn't bear that out. This unit struggled mightily way too often, particularly on 3rd down and in the red zone. I believe at one point we saw 14 straight fails on 3rd down. In 6 of our 8 losses, we scored 16 points or fewer. Why was it such a downturn from last year? Some will undoubtedly lay most of the blame on Geno because that is the low hanging fruit. Others might point to injuries and/or poor play on the line. Maybe some will say playcalling. I don't think it's just 1 thing. Geno didn't play as well, no disagreement from me. We definitely had O line injuries, especially early in the season and then again toward the end. We also call way too many of the pass plays behind the LOS that we just don't get much out of, and we shoot ourselves in the foot on 2nd down to make 3rd down even more difficult. There is no way a team with this much offensive talent should struggle as they did to put up points, and ultimately that has to lay at the feet of the person(s) at the controls.
• Tackling. I can understand to a degree giving up ground when we played so many top offenses, but I specify tackling because how it completely disintegrated these last few games into something you might see from a bad low level high school JV team. The run D was weaker than paper mache, and yesterday it got to the point where it looked like guys were just standing around during run plays and waiting for someone else to make the tackle. Run D is a mindset, an attitude. This defense was defeated down the stretch in that way, and you could see it. The tackling was largely poor most of the year (and a couple players were sat down because of it), and to repair or change this mindset probably requires new leadership because it's just that bad. I don't know how we run it back and have any hope or expectation that it will be different next time.
• The Pittsburgh loss. This was the most disappointing loss of the season. We were right there, playing at home against a team with recent b2b losses against 2-win teams and down to its 3rd string QB. Right in front of us was a clear and attainable win & in path to the playoffs, and we came out and just got trampled. Even as razor thin as the margin of victory was yesterday, you hold up against the Steelers the week before and now you're winning your way into the post season on a 4 game streak and actually carrying hope that you might be able to steal one at Dallas or Detroit. But the way things fizzled in the final home game of the season, there wasn't a whole lot there to inspire confidence about the way ahead.
• Swept by the Rams, again. 2022 was an aberration with how fortunate we were to face them when they had key injuries both times (again, scheduling matters), but the Rams games were next 2 most disappointing losses of this season. All that hope and expectation week 1 just to be turned down by them again, and then a 1 point loss in LA when we went into the 4th quarter with a lead. Sean McVay is the Lucy that keeps yanking the football away from Pete Carroll's Charlie Brown. Will it ever end? Will Pete end his time in Seattle never really figuring out how to beat McVay's Rams? It sure appears that way. What is it about his matchup that we just can't figure out? Even in the Jeff Fisher days, they would get the best of us often even they were terrible.

Right now my outlook on the team is very similar to where it was 3 years ago after we lost at home to the Rams in the playoffs following a season where we were 12-4 and won the division. Back then, I was convinced Pete had done all he could do here and that it was just time for a new voice and fresh ideas. Last season seems like fool's gold right now, and I am back to thinking wholesale change is required to get this organization turned around. Just way too much going wrong right now to have faith that it can be fixed by the people who are here.

At this point it's probably more likely than not that Pete is back for 2024, but we need to replace both coordinators. Waldron is not the right fit here, and I know "it's Pete's defense" but you still need a mental transition/separation from how the defense caved in on itself at the end of this season.

 

[flyerhawk]

Poor blocking assignments? Could you expand on that, because I'm not sure what exactly you mean by that.

On any given play, each blocker(linemand, TE, RB, etc) is expected do something post snap. That could mean cover a gap or a player or a direction. We routinely had plays where there would be 2 linemen blocking one guy while another guy was untouched, especially on running plays. This is why we seemed to have 3 or 4 running plays every game where the back was hit right as he got the ball.

Truth be told, we had a LOT of blown blocking assignments yesterday but Walker was able to hide it because he reversed the play to the complete opposite side.

We had similar issues on pass pro. I remember one play yesterday with Charbs in the backfield. He was on the left side but moved to the right side despite the pressure coming from the left side. Now, that could be completely on Charbs not adjusting but it was strange to see him move to the right when the pressure was coming from the left.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

On any given play, each blocker(linemand, TE, RB, etc) is expected do something post snap. That could mean cover a gap or a player or a direction. We routinely had plays where there would be 2 linemen blocking one guy while another guy was untouched, especially on running plays. This is why we seemed to have 3 or 4 running plays every game where the back was hit right as he got the ball.

Truth be told, we had a LOT of blown blocking assignments yesterday but Walker was able to hide it because he reversed the play to the complete opposite side.

We had similar issues on pass pro. I remember one play yesterday with Charbs in the backfield. He was on the left side but moved to the right side despite the pressure coming from the left side. Now, that could be completely on Charbs not adjusting but it was strange to see him move to the right when the pressure was coming from the left.

Your talking about using double teams by the OL? Teams like the 49ers do this all the time.

 

[flyerhawk]

Your talking about using double teams by the OL? Teams like the 49ers do this all the time.

There is nothing wrong with double teams. In fact teams normally have at least one double team when the other team is just rushing 4 since there are 5 lineman blocking 4 pass rushers.

But when a team is only rushing 4 and you have an unblocked rusher, that is a clear indication that either a player failed to execute the proper blocking assignment or the blocking assignments were flawed to begin with. Usually the center is expected to call out assignments pre-snap if they need to be changed.

 

[Destroydacre]

100% failure of a season imo. Nothing else really to say about it.

Wish the owner cared more, but honestly just expect minor and superficial changes to the staff and roster, and next year we'll see the same mid Seahawks team that we've seen the last 6-7 years that will hover around the 7 seed but never actually go anywhere.

 

[JMR]

Who stays and who goes? Of noteworthy names still under contract for 2024, here are my thoughts on who should not be back:

• Jamal Adams. It's not a huge cap savings ($6M) if he's cut, but it's time. He once again missed a wide chunk of the season for injuries, and he's too much of a liability in coverage to be an every down player at safety and just not durable enough to survive as a full time LB.
• Quandre Diggs. He's been good here, but his play took a step back this season. He's also north of 30 now, and there's an opportunity for an $11M cap savings. Seems like a no-brainer that he is cut.
• D'Wayne Eskridge. What a disappointment and waste of a 2nd round pick. I had so much hope for this guy to be the Robert Woods type player in this offense with crossers and jet sweeps. Just never materialized due to injuries and character type issues. Only a $1.5M savings to cut him, but buh-bye. Open up a roster spot for someone who can contribute.
• Bryan Mone. Maybe not a real noteworthy name, but believe it or not we can save nearly $6M by cutting him. I think he missed pretty much the whole season anyway.

Bring these guys back, but gotta re-structure for it to make sense:

• Tyler Lockett. He's still a productive player, but I think he's showing signs of slowing down. He had 0 plays of 40+ yards this year and didn't seem to be as involved down the stretch. JSN is on a trajectory to take over the WR2 role soon enough, and TL is just not good enough at this point in his career to justify $27M of cap space. I just cannot see the team gulping down more than $50M of cap space on 2 WRs.
• Geno Smith. I don't think he's worth a $31M cap hit, but we also just don't have a viable alternative in hand with Drew Lock scheduled to be a UFA. His numbers were down from last year, but he was actually better in crunch time this season. Spread some of that money around to bring down the '24 cap hit, and it would be worth buying 1 more year to find the next guy (to include allowing a '24 draftee to learn on the bench for a year). 2/15 is probably going to tell the story here. $12.7M of his 2024 salary guarantees the following day.
• Dre'Mont Jones. He's good enough to keep around, but he's not good enough to count for $18M of cap.
• Will Dissly. My heart kept me from putting him in the other list, but he just can't be here for $10M when he's such a small part of the offense. I suppose he's still a good blocker, but he's never really progressed as a receiver after showing promise in his first couple seasons. Without a massive restructure, he's probably a cap casualty.

Looming free agents to bring back:

• Leonard Williams. A good not great player, but the optics are rough if you don't get more than a half season out of a 2nd round pick traded to bring him here.
• Bobby Wagner. Not the player he once was, but he's still good enough to be effective on 1st and 2nd downs. Also the clear alpha on the defense. Needs help and a load management plan.
• Jordyn Brooks. Clearly not playing at 100% yesterday, but he had a very solid season. If you don't bring him back, you have a massive hole at LB.
• Drew Lock. Quality backup, and right now we don't have a better alternative for QB2. Would he accept a backup role, or does he want to go somewhere else with a better chance to start?
• Damien Lewis. Hasn't really built upon a strong rookie year, but you gotta have OL bodies. And he won't be expensive. I bet he leaves though... SEC guy and originally from Mississippi, probably pining to play closer to home.
• Colby Parkinson or Noah Fant. Pick 1 I guess. Our TE usage faded this year, but both of these guys had their moments. The TE position on the whole was confusing to me this season. It looked like it was taking off last year, then this year it didn't really hold altitude. All the TEs on our roster are just role players.

I could take or leave pretty much everyone else.

Areas I think we need the most free agent help:

• Interior OL. Would be nice to have more than a 1 or 2 year answer at Center for the first time in a while. Constantly going with multiple youngsters on the line might be hurting us as well. A quality veteran free agent is in order.
• LB. Both Bobby and Brooks are looming UFAs. Even if both are back, we don't have much else at LB if you don't count edge players like Mafe & Nwosu. This position could very well get some love in the draft.
• WR. If Tyler isn't back, you have 1 proven player at that position and 2 guys coming off their rookie years. If JSN inherits Tyler's role, you'll need a complimentary player like we had in Goodwin and David Moore. Bobo is a fan favorite but also athletically limited.

 

[flyerhawk]

So it is possible that Pete is just being rah rah and Jodie hasn't made a decision yet but it sure does seem like we are stuck with another year of Pete as HC.

He'll probably fire Clint Hurtt. Maybe he'll fire Waldron but probably not. We'll move the decks chairs around some more and Pete will keep telling us that the ship is just fine. And we'll wind up with 8-10 wins again next year and an early round playoff exit.

1 playoff win in 7 years. Against a broken Carson Wentz.

 

[MrS]

So it is possible that Pete is just being rah rah and Jodie hasn't made a decision yet but it sure does seem like we are stuck with another year of Pete as HC.

He'll probably fire Clint Hurtt. Maybe he'll fire Waldron but probably not. We'll move the decks chairs around some more and Pete will keep telling us that the ship is just fine. And we'll wind up with 8-10 wins again next year and an early round playoff exit.

1 playoff win in 7 years. Against a broken Carson Wentz.

Wasn't that win against a 40 year old mccown or something?

 

[flyerhawk]

Wasn't that win against a 40 year old mccown or something?

Yeah. We knocked out Wentz and limped through a win against McCown. Good point.

 

[Screamin12th]

My Take on the Season

Jamal Adams makes the team worse when he is on the field ( been saying that for years ) Thank god he rarely is on the field like normal.
Woolen had a 2nd year slump, we use to see this happen ALL the time with 2nd year players. He will bounce back.
The defense is complete trash and there is no hiding that fact and the finger is pointed directly at Pete AND Hurtts.
The hawks went out on a limb giving up a 2nd round pick for a rental player and that was a very bad move. AGAIN
Geno had the 2nd best season of his career this is a little better than you can expect from him going forward. He was the 19th rated QB in the NFL ( Below average ). Drew Lock looked about the same as Geno but with a stronger arm, Thing is Drew Lock is young enough to still improve.
The offense has weapons to carry a QB and can help him mature/grow so now is the time to pull the trigger.
Cross had a horrible year, He doesn't look like a true franchise LT and Lucas ... he needs to get healthy. oline did well for the mess it was in when taking everything into account. Geno was sacked 15 times less this season over last season but he also played in 2 less games. Still i dont think they would have given up 15 sacks in 2 more games. Oline needs a RG Olu needs to take over full time at Center Lucas needs to get healthy and Cross needs to play better or get replaced, even Lewis had big issues.
Bobby had a good season but he also hurt use because he was put into positions he shouldn't have been put into with his declining skill set.
Our safeties are overpaid and underperforming, time to cut bait and go young. Brooks flashes but he looks to be a solid backup/Depth player not a true starter. Our edge rushers which we have a ton of did not perform once Nwosu was lost, even Mafe fell off.


Pete need to go completely hands off on the defense if he isn't all ready and if he is then he 100% needs to fire Hurtts like yesterday.

The season went about how i expected though and that always sucks when you have feelings they are mediocre at best . I was hoping i was wrong all year long and they would just gel and launch.

with that all said i am very optimistic about 2024, I think we beat the Rams once and might even take one from the 49ers. Of course we need some better coaches in here on the defense and offense. If Pete can't take his hands out of the pie then he might have to be replaced also. Get a DC and OC in here you can 100% trust and don't micromanage it. Early Rumor is Quinn will become the Hawks Head Coach, don't know how i feel about that.

 

[seattlefan75]

We definitely under performed this team has way too much talent to not make the playoffs. It was awful that we lost to the Rams opening day and losing to the Rams coming off a bye and was the reason why we didn't make the playoffs.

I think the problem with this team is exactly what KJ Wright says. They lack accountability back we the defense was great if they were underperforming someone would be on the sidelines screaming at their teammates to be better and motivate them. With this team or at least the defense if they got took down the entire field and scored on they would act like damn they got us well that's how it goes its football type of attituded. It's like the team went from wanting to be perfectionist to oh well I am happy to be here in the league. The old team would die before losing to the Rams and 49ers 4x this year.

 

[Anointed One]

Sounds like Pete Carroll will be stepping down as head coach. He will be remaining with the organization and some other form. Rumors are that Dan Quinn could be coming as the next head coach

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Sounds like Pete Carroll will be stepping down as head coach. He will be remaining with the organization and some other form. Rumors are that Dan Quinn could be coming as the next head coach

I want Ben Johnson but sounds like he's in high demand already. I really hope Seattle didn't wait until today to make that decision (and it was already in the works). 3 days after your season is over is WAY too late to start announcing changes.