Seattle
Seahawks
2018 Record: (10-6) 2nd NFC West
2018 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 26.8 (7th)
Yards: 353.3 (18th)
Pass Yards: 193.3 (27th)
Rush Yards: 160.0 (1st)
Defense
Points: 21.7 (11th)
Yards: 353.3 (16th)
Pass Yards: 240.1 (17th)
Rush Yards: 113.2 (13th)
During the course of the 2018 offseason, the Seahawks
general manager (John Schneider) began the understanding of what his club
required to move forward. Making extremely high end transactions removing top
tier talent from the roster, gave the indication to onlookers that a rebuild
was on the menu. Suffice it to say, Schneider knows how to do his job, and do
it quite well.
Many experts pegged the Hawks to have a down season
amidst dismantling the once formed ‘Legion of Boom’ leaving Earl Thomas as the
lone survivor. Coach Pete Carroll showed his excellence this past season to
adapt and adjust his approach after Seattle began the season with a 0-2 record,
leaving the perception of a failed season front and center. Having a .500
record heading into their week 7 bye, Seattle was proving to be far better on
defense while orchestrating a run attack that would rival the best in the
business.
Over the reaming 10 games of the 2018 season, the
Seahawks continued their run heavy approach on offense while receiving
overachieving effort from their revamped defensive unit, to complete the
campaign with a 7-3 record. Seattle defied all odds this past season with
fantastic coaching and point-perfect schemes to lead them back to the
postseason.
While the playoff run only lasted to narrowly losing
out to the Dallas Cowboys in the first round, the Hawks could hold their heads
high with what they were able to accomplish.
The largest takeaway from this past season was the
wholehearted commitment to run the ball, and run it effectively. Seattle
understood that offensively, they had inadequacies that wouldn’t allow them to
continue to pass the ball to win games, but rather control the clock and look
for that kill-shot when the opportunity arose. Seattle literally ran away with
being the best rushing team in the NFL racking up a whopping 2560 yards.
Another interesting dynamic that came from the 2018
season, was the way in which Russell Wilson was used. Curtailing the amount of
passes was a main objective as throwing over 550 times (as the season prior)
wasn’t sustainable. Wilson’s load was lightened to the tune of his least amount
of pass attempts since his 2013 season with 427. While we would’ve bet money on
the fact that Wilson’s statistics would’ve suffered, he still managed to throw
35 touchdowns on the season, very impressive. Not only did Wilson see his pass
attempts decrease, he also saw a career low in how many rush attempts he took.
This is extremely important to note, as the full reliance on Wilson to carry
this team was removed, and they still were able to stamp their ticket to the
post season.
Our hats go off to the Seahawks coaching staff and
front office for bucking the trends in the NFL and winning their own way!
2019
Offseason WorkBook:
The
Coaching Staff
While the Seahawks continue to employ one of the
oldest head coaches in the NFL, they will again stay the course with pretty
much the entire staff as it was built a season ago.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer did a fantastic
job last season, while Ken Norton Jr. (defensive coordinator) definitely had
great moments. While some change over did occur to specialty coaching
positions and to the training staff, this group is betting big that comradery will
drive greater production in 2019.
The
Offense
When reviewing the Seahawks offensively, we must start
with the offensive line. We preached our affinity for this group at the beginning
of camp, believing they were much better than most gave them credit for.
Having Brown and Fant handle the bookends on the line
became a very sound duo that could rival some of the best in the league.
Teaming up with their center Justin Britt, we felt that would supplant the
weakness of the interior guard play, and in some cases it did. This O-Line was
masterful in opening up running lanes for their backs, but struggled supremely
in pass protection allowing Wilson to hit the turf a whopping 51 times.
Correcting those shortcomings should be a top priority this offseason.
It’s clear that many continue to greatly support the
Seahawks number one receiver (Doug Baldwin) but we are beginning to move away
from endorsing him in the future. Don’t get us wrong, we still believe that
Baldwin can play, and he dealt with a multitude of injuries this past season,
but his outlook is starting to have red flags attached. Tyler Lockett is a
player that made waves in 2018 showcasing his speed and big play ability in the
process. However, we feel he is suited to do the most damage in a complementary
role rather than being the go-to guy. Finding more talent at the receiver
position will be paramount this offseason to help get this passing game back on
track.
While we had moments in the past that would suggest starting
quarterback Russell Wilson shouldn’t belong in the elite category, we have no
choice to agree with those who preach the argument. Wilson continues to turn
out great seasons and is the unquestioned leader of this team. While his
contract will be coming up next season, rumors already have been floated that
his wife would like to situate herself in New York. While it’s all speculation at
this point, where Wilson plays after this season might be a hot topic.
As for the Hawks running back situation, we can’t say
anything negative at this point with Carson and Penny to continue to lead the
attack. Pete Carroll will undoubtedly add running backs in the draft to help
keep their depth strong, but the group should again challenge for top ranks in
rushing yards again in 2019.
The
Defense
When Seattle cleaned house on defense last season, our
expectation was to see a gigantic decrease in production and consistency. As we
sit back and review now, our outlook couldn’t have been more wrong.
Bobby Wagner was the heart and soul of this group last
season absolutely dominating in every aspect. Leading the team in tackles with
a whopping 138, he was the vocal point in keeping this unit moving.
Adding to that, seeing the rise of defensive linemen
Jarran Reed and Frank Clark abuse opposing quarterbacks to the tune of a
combined 23.5 sacks on the season was shear brilliance. It was clear that these
three men where catalysts in the success Seattle had, and must remain moving
forward as the Hawks continue to build this defense.
Seattle has done a masterful job in drafting the next
generation of players to rebuild this unit and will be tested again with more
high-end talent ready to walk to the open market. Long-time Seahawk Earl Thomas
has undoubtedly played his final down for this club, leaving a gaping hole in
center field for this defense. With that said, Thomas was lost all the way back
in week 4 to an injury which gave the Seahawks plenty of time to adjust to life
without Earl on this team.
This group still is leaps and bounds weaker than what
they used to be, but definitely turned our heads when we reviewed the success they
were able to achieve. Adding playmakers to the side of the ball will be a
priority this offseason.
Team
Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
While many criticized the Hawks general manager for cleaning
house last offseason, in our eyes he was being extremely proactive in helping
this club re-tool for the future with little side step.
As of today, Seattle houses a healthy 52 million
(+$52,930,849) in cap space, making them legitimate players to obtain talent on
the open market, while signing their own key free agents. Having quite the laundry
list of players to re-sing (30 players), Seattle will have to make some tough
choices and dish out big money to certain players.
While we know there is no situation conceivable to
witness Earl Thomas coming back to the fold, resigning Frank Clark will be the team’s
top priority. Though we view two others as must resigns (KJ Wright & George
Fant -RFA), Seattle may wavier based on the type of money these players will
request. Outside of that, other players look to be more depth pieces that could
be viewed as interchangeable, but we could see a number of them return to the
mix.
While the Seahawks will have quite the balancing act
in terms of whom to sign, and keeping enough money on the books to entertain giving
a huge money deal the following season to Russell Wilson; cutting bait with
some rostered players always needs to be reviewed.
Though this will seen as unpopular, eliminating Doug
Baldwin from the team would remove a massive 13 million from the books, with a mere
6.2 million in dead money. With his ability looking to be moving in the wrong
direction, this is something that should at least be considered. Outside of
that, restructuring Bobby Wagner’s contract could do a world of good for the
future of this team, as his current cap hit sits with a mammoth 14 million this
season - eating up 7.33% of the team’s total cap.
Ed Dickson and Barkevious Mingo together have nearly 9
million dollars locked up, and could save the club just over 6 million with minimal
dead cap applied, another potential situation for the front office to review.
Either way, John Schneider has done a great job in
keeping things fluid providing him ample opportunity to keep this team moving
in the right direction.
The
NFL Draft
In terms of what Seattle could do in the 2019 NFL
Draft, they currently sit with only 5 picks to their name missing their 2nd
round and 6th round selections.
Based on where this team finished the season, they
hold the 21st overall pick in the first round leaving them little
wiggle room to make big moves. Historically, Carroll and Schneider haven’t been
afraid to move out of the first round completely in order to generate more
draft capital to revamp this roster, to which we may see it again.
Adding depth while hitting on later talent has been a
skill Seattle has been able to recreate more than once in the draft. We fully expect
Seattle to continue to build in the same manner as they have in the past.
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