After the game, Geno Smith demonstrated a keener eye for the arched brows of reporters than the alignments of 49ers’ defensive backs.
“How many games we lose today?” the Seahawks quarterback asked his quizzical inquisitors. Hearing no responses, he answered himself: “One.”
True. But when it’s the third loss in 11 days, the numbers blur together. Especially the cumulative halftime scores of the three defeats: 37-20. Always being behind amplifies the futility.
Playing the San Francisco 49ers does that too. The 36-24 loss on Thursday Night Football (on the hometown Amazon Prime channel, no less) was the sixth loss in a row to their former NFC West slappies. Although he is new to this neighborhood, rookie coach Mike Macdonald seemed to understand the local gravity.
“It stings to have lost three in a row, to lose it against your division rival at home, prime time, such a great environment,” he said. “We’re not playing well enough to beat the team we needed to beat.’’
Quite obviously so. Then he offered something a little more insightful.
“The players,” he said, “are in the building.”
That means he believes there is roster talent sufficient to win often in the NFL. I agree, mostly.
Two reasons for modest optimism: The Seahawks had in all three fourth quarters the ball and the chance to take the lead. And in all three games, the opponents did not physically dominate. They played more efficient football. But that is solvable deficit, whereas a lack of talent can be fixed, almost exclusively, only in the off-season.
The flop in efficiency likely stems in part from Macdonald being a head coach for the first time at any level, as well as being the first time around for his staff of many strangers. While I can’t prove the claim, I can make a reasonable assumption that the two most egregious plays that went against the Seahawks — Sunday’s blocked field goal that turned into the decisive TD for the New York Giants, and the 49ers’ final possession Thursday that turned an ordinary sweep into a 76-yard run by a third-string rookie — were failures to check pre-snap boxes by assistant coaches.
Perhaps players will own up to physical misdeeds, but I tend to believe Macdonald when he said post-game that “we are looking at what the coaches are asking” of players. These kinds of breakdowns can have multiple sources, but they aren’t that hard to fix.
Patience is, of course, in short supply in a 17-game season, as opposed to 82 games for pro hockey and basketball, and 162 games for baseball. But at least the Seahawks get a few extra days before the next game Oct. 20 in Atlanta. And the fact the re-made Seattle enterprise caught a break with the first three opponents in some degree of shambles means that, at 3-3, they are tied for the division lead with the Niners. So Smith is right; the cliff is still under their feet.
The biggest asterisk attached to the modest optimism is the offensive line. Even though it is easy to cite three turnovers, including two poor throws by Smith that were intercepted, and the defense’s surrender of five plays of 20+yards, the O-line remains the weakest link. At right tackle is Stone Forsythe, a third-stringer; at right guard is a job-share between second-year Anthony Bradford and rookie Christian Haynes; at center is training-camp pickup Connor Williams; at left guard is Laken Tomlinson, 32 and a newcomer, and at right tackle is Charles Cross, the best of the group who isn’t playing that well.
They are collectively the largest reason the Seahawks can’t run the ball. Against the injury-rattled Niners defense, Seattle had 52 yards in 20 rush attempts, which was an uptick over the effort against the Giants (seven attempts and 30 yards by the two running backs). It’s easy to say that it’s harder to run the ball when trailing so much, but it’s plain the coaches don’t trust them to get any hard yards. In the final series before halftime and trailing 16-0, the Seahawks had a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, then failed on three passes and settled for a field goal. That was the most pathetic sequence of Seattle’s bad night — unless it was finding no workaround for the game-long smothering of WR DK Metcalf (11 targets, three catches).
Longtime fans may recall that prior to the current six-game lock-up by the Niners, the Seahawks had won 17 of the previous 20 game between the foes. Or, as Smith put it Thursday, “Margins are small in the big-boy league.”
That’s why it’s plausible to speculate that checking a few more boxes on the newbie coaches’ play sheets may be fruitful. That won’t make up for chronic failures investing in offensive linemen. But as with home ownership, sometimes duct tape and Spackle are enough.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith had a sub-par game Thursday, but his teammates didn’t cover for him. / Art Thiel
It’s been a little hard not to hear Pete Carroll’s “ It’s all about the ball’ In your ears while watching all the turnovers. There’s lots of deficiencies to point to, but for this fan, the turnover ratio is killing the Hawks as much as anything.
The Seahawks have had too many, but several have been symptoms of an imbalanced offense. Since they can’t run the ball, defenses can pressure the passing game more readily.
As long as the current Seahawk administration relegates the offensive line as the team’s lowest priority, they will not succeed as a regular playoff contender. That is their history. We have no reason to believe that will change.
It’s the curse of the long-ago trade of Max Unger.
As with your recent article about the Mariners, I’m more inclined to think it all starts with the owner. Some owners spend like crazy and get little like Jerry Jones. Others spend modestly and lead with true vision and get good (great) results, like the A’s or Green Bay Packers. What is Jody Allen’s vision?
Green Bay Packers? They have over 500,000 owners. Their winning percentage over the last 10 years is 58.3%. The Cowboys winning percentage over the last 10 years is 57.6%. The Seahawks winning percentage over the past 10 years is .603%. Also, note that the NFL has a spending cap, unlike baseball. NFL owners can spend like crazy for facilities etc., but the spending for talent is a pretty level playing field.
It’s not quite the same, Will. The NFL all the major pro sports have a player salary cap — except for MLB. Each sport is a little different, but the purpose is keep a somewhat level field among the various markets to gain competitive balance. As David B points out, facilities and coaches can be loaded up, but Jody Allen doesn’t have to do a thing to make more or less the same profit as other owners. Aren’t monopolies fun?
Thanks Art.
Despite the salary cap, NFL owners can influence the culture of their specific teams. Witness the stability and gravitas of the Mara and Rooney families for the Giants and Steelers respectively, the egomania of Jerry Jones in Dallas, the cheapness of the McCaskeys for the Bears, and the absolutely poisonous rule of Dan Snyder in Washington. Paul Allen’s style was to just write the checks and let the football people run the show. Jody Allen is probably doing the same. I also heard Paul’s estate stipulates the team must be sold by a certain date after his death, and she likely wouldn’t want to rock the boat before that.
I look for Macdonald to tinker with the roster in the coming seasons. Right now, this seems like a Pete Carroll team.
This is a season for evaluation. Macdonald can decide whether to stay with Geno or go a different direction.
There’s been nearly a 50 percent roster turnover for 2024. Smith has another year on his contract, and he’s still a top-10 QB. Can the Seahawks do better by drafting a rookie QB in the draft? Doubtful.
They’re neither as good as their wins showed, nor as bad as their losses showed (and they haven’t been blown out yet). Basically, this is a team in transition with a rookie head coach and a GM going solo for the first time. We’re looking at a .500 season, with a weak division providing the only real shot at the playoffs. Next year’s the real test.