Football is back (sort of). As we navigate the preseason, I always like to take each game with a grain of salt and remind fans that we can’t get too ahead of ourselves. While the game is very real for many players who are trying to make the roster, we can’t forget that we are seeing a lot of guys who will never see the field and may not even be with the team in a few days.
That being said, the lackluster start to the Seahawks’ preseason play is a bit concerning. Again, I am not here to declare that the season is in despair, but there are some red flags that should likely be figured out before the Hawks take on the Broncos in Week 1.
It is a little bizarre that Pete Carroll hasn’t played the starting secondary, a few starting linebackers, or any of his top receivers thus far in the preseason. I know there are risks when you throw players out there, but I am concerned that these guys won’t be ready come Game 1. It is important to remember that this is not the Hawks team(s) of old that were loaded with unquestionable veteran talent. This is a fairly young and new squad, and having everyone on the field for as much action as they can all get in the beginning should be viewed as a crucial way to mature this team and make them gel as a unit.
The Hawks are now 0-2 in the preseason. They lost their first game to the Steelers 32-25, and they just lost to the Bears 27-11. There is a fear that this offense is going to be bad. I am not ready to entirely stamp that considering Drew Lock, Kenneth Walker, and D.K. Metcalf didn’t play, but there were some severe blunders and all-around issues that have to be pointed out.
The Hawks put up just 11 points. That’s a confusing number considering they put up 324 total yards, had more plays run than Chicago, and had just a single turnover.
Here are what concerns me: 13 penalties that resulted in 92 yards lost, a 1-3 conversion rate in the red zone, and four successful conversions on 19 third downs. These numbers are never going to win you a game. These stats don’t even represent the backups playing, but I fear that this might indicate that the coaching staff is not up to par. Whether it be play calling or simple player development, these numbers are atrocious for any NFL franchise in any game. This team feels like it may be undisciplined after watching this contest.
On the defensive side of the ball, the stats on paper will show you that the Hawks played very average football. When you dive into what the stats don’t say, you feel even less confident. Tackling was a massive issue for this team on Thursday. So much, that Pete Carroll went as far as to say that he may cut guys if they can’t do the basic fundamentals of the game correctly.
“I have to check on the tacklers,” he said. “The guys that are missing. I think that’s the most important thing to me right now, I wanna see who’s missing tackles, and uh, fix that problem. I don’t think it’s an epidemic, it looked a little like that last week. We’ve got to clean some stuff up with some guys and you know, if they don’t get it right, then they won’t be able to be here and we’ll get guys that can.”
Carroll said that penalties and special teams were a major issue. In fact, he began his press conference by saying that there is a long list of things they have to work on and get that out of the football that they play. He said they wouldn’t win games if they played the way they did this past week.
Again, I have to reiterate that they weren’t playing most of their starters, and they would have a much different outcome when you bring the secondary in, and you bring in the offensive skill players that were on the sidelines as well. The only player I may be concerned about is Drew Lock, who has COVID-19 and has it pretty bad, according to the head coach. We know that some players have struggled to return after having it, and I hope that won’t be the case for the new quarterback.
The positive is that the Hawks are seeing what is and isn’t working and Carroll said he will be making some personnel changes. This is when you fix these kinks, but there are definitely concerns right off the bat.
