Geno Smith, D.K. Metcalf, and Ryan Grubb have come to training camp on a mission. Julian Love acknowledged after practice that Grubb “has them dialed in.” I mentioned yesterday that it was impressive to see a new NFL coordinator come in and not have any sloppiness. Only one false start. Almost zero communication issues. Just the simple operation of snapping the ball and getting the proper play called and run is often a struggle early on. Today, the starters on offense made that seem too low a bar.
Smith is playing as well as any Seahawks quarterback I have watched in training camp. Granted, Mike Macdonald indicated things are “pretty vanilla” so far, but I think that undersells what they are doing. It is not like the offense is winning every time when Sam Howell and PJ Walker are out there. More on that later, but if it was simply a matter of things being easy for the offense, you would think that would carry through every group out there.
Smith and Metcalf are cooking. I cannot remember a single incompletion between that duo through two days. And the degree of difficulty for some of these completions is incredibly high. Early on, Smith hits Metcalf along the deep left sideline for a gorgeous back-shoulder throw that Metcalf adjusted for perfectly. It was an impossible pass to cover for Riq Woolen, who was blanketing Metcalf up the sideline.
Metcalf would later make a one-handed grab going low to the ground before stepping out of bounds. He had multiple contested catches on various sides and depths of the field. This is a player who has had trouble being an efficient receiver, with catch rates in the 50-55% range. He looks like an absolute problem in this offense and with his chemistry with Smith. If you have been hoping to see Metcalf reach his seemingly limitless physical potential, early indications are very good.
It has not just been Metcalf. Smith has rarely thrown incompletions. I am not logging stats, but I would be shocked if his completion rate was under 80% through two days. It might be closer to 90%. The ball just is not hitting the ground.
A lot of that credit goes to Smith, who is making the right pre-snap read, delivering the ball on time and with accuracy, and making it impossible for the defense to focus on any one type of play or part of the field.
Grubb deserves a ton of praise, though, as well. He is using the headsets just like real games to call in plays, and he is giving the defense fits. One of the biggest “hallelujah” differences I have noticed so far has been the constant inclusion of quick pass check-downs for the quarterback should the primary read be covered or there is a chance for an easy few yards.
This looks like an offense that will happily take profits underneath, without sacrificing explosiveness downfield. Smith hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba multiple times, often in the middle of the field. Noah Fant made more catches. The running backs are involved. Tyler Lockett made his catches. Jake Bobo made some plays. Even Pharaoh Brown caught a couple deep down the seam.
If I had to sum up this offensive approach from Grubb so far in one word, it would be, “answers.” Too often under Shane Waldron, the Seahawks offense ran into defenses that flummoxed them. If their pre-game plan did not work, they were kind of stuck. Grubb’s offense looks far more equipped to be the one leaving defenses scratching their heads.
The easy retort would be that this sure sounds like the defense is still terrible. As well as the starting offense has played, it has not felt like the defense was playing poorly. These are not busted coverages. There were tipped passes, and even an interception from Julian Love on a beautiful read. Defenders are often in either tight coverage or right there to make the tackle after the catch.
You have seen “maestro” offenses that are so tough to stop that great defenses struggle to get them off the field. Without saying this offense is at that level, the vibe is similar to those types of teams.
It is two days. It is without pads. There is almost nothing to learn about the running game. There are tons of caveats. That should not diminish the quality two days the starting offense stacked together.
News is not as good about Howell
You never want to overreact to a couple of early practices. That said, Sam Howell has struggled mightily. He was consistently late in delivering throws again, and forced multiple passes to well-covered receivers. It was bad enough that he appeared to be losing some confidence as the day went on. He did redeem himself with a great throw to Laviska Shenault Jr. for a late touchdown, but it has been bad enough that there are already questions about whether he is an upgrade over Drew Lock.
My current gut feeling is that Howell is a backyard baller, who will do better creating off-script plays in games than he does in practice. This guy has started 18 games in the NFL and has put some excellent throws on film. He has talent. He is still just 23-years-old.
I found myself wondering just how bad the coaching was in Washington to have him look this unpolished. Instead of a guy who is going to push Smith for the starting spot, I now have him slotted as a developmental project who will hopefully learn under Grubb and Smith.
Derick Hall has my attention
Anyone who has read this blog or watched my shows knows I have not been a big Derick Hall believer. He has caught my eye through the first two practices.
Not only does he have ridiculous legs, but he appeared to be turning the corner in edge-rushing drills more sharply than even Boye Mafe. He has always had power. He appears to have a bit more bend and quickness this year. That has translated into some nice pressures during team drills. He and Leonard Williams combined on a nice would-be sack on a twist on one play. I hope to speak with him and learn more about his journey as he heads into year two. Be sure to check out the YouTube channel for all the interviews and extra content.
Teaching teamwork
I spent a fair amount of time watching Aden Durde and the defensive coaches work with the front seven. The process is quite different than what we saw with Pete Carroll where position groups would do position-specific drills.
Macdonald and Durde have stations that teach different concepts and each position group rotates through them. One thing they seemed to focus on today was the concept of team tackling. Whether it was defensive linemen or linebackers or edge defenders, they were asked to work in pairs to bring down a runner or receiver.
The concept reminded me a lot of soccer drills I did growing up where coaches would break down the game into 2v1 situations, that then can build up into multiple pairs of players understanding how to defeat a single opponent in tight spaces.
How often do you remember an opponent completing a pass in the flat with a Seahawk defender on either side of him, only to see the receiver run right between the defenders? Our collective foreheads are sore from all the slapping. These coaches were working to make that a painful memory instead of a painful future. Rallying to the ball is the hallmark of any great defense. That appears to be a big goal for this crew.
Durde feels like an underrated hire
This was my first chance to observe the new defensive coordinator in person. He was loud and encouraging, while being quick to point out an error or way to improve. He was detailed in his drills for the defensive line and edge players. At one point, he got down on one knee and extended his hand to give the edge rushers a target for how low he wanted them to be coming around the corner.
Durde was less heralded than the hire of Macdonald, Grubb, and maybe even Scott Huff. We may find that he becomes a head coaching candidate sooner than most think. He has the presence for it.
Quick hitter notes
- Tyrice Knight was getting plenty of reps. He had tight coverage on Bobo to force an incompletion early, but appeared to not get proper depth on a drop that led to a JSN touchdown later. Growing pains for the rookie, but growing seems to be happening.
- Mafe appeared to beat Charles Cross on one snap for what would have been a sack
- AJ Barner caught the first pass I had seen to him. He is not the fleetest of foot, but is clearly a physical guy who looks to run people over.
- Hayden Hatten, the undrafted free agent receiver, had a couple of nice catches on out routes.
- Woolen had a nice pass break up that tipped the ball in the air and Devon Witherspoon dove to make the interception. Refs ruled it was pass interference on Woolen. I did not agree with the call.
- The team has replay screens around the field and it was fun to see players utilizing them to see what had happened on the previous play they were involved in. Seems like a good learning tool.
- Mike Morris had a tipped pass and some pressure, albeit against depth players.
- Dareke Young looks strikingly similar to Ricardo Lockette, and not just because he wears the same 83. He had a couple big plays, including one slant where Tre Brown appeared to trip or simply bounce off the muscular Young. Watch out for this guy. He is a specimen.
- Dee Eskridge continues to be one of the favorite players for other players to call out unprompted. In my interview with Jerrick Reed II a couple months back, he called him one of the slept-on players. In my interview with K’Von Wallace today, he also name-dropped Eskridge as a guy who had been making them miss. Eskridge had a few catches today, and looks solid.
- Cody White had a couple nice plays on throws from Walker
- There was a cool moment where Smith jogged all the way across the field a few minutes after having thrown the pick to Love. He wanted to dap up each guy on the defense for what he thought was a great play. That was not something you normally see, speaks to the person and leader Smith is becoming.
- The big pass from Howell to Shenault happened when rookie Nehemiah Pritchett lost track of Shenault and let him sneak behind him
- Pritchett’s Auburn teammate, D.J. James has a nice pass breakup, but also gave up a completion or two