Failure and success are greeted with the same refrain during this time of year, “It’s just the preseason.” You hear those words time and again to temper expectations after a player or team shines or when the opposite occurs. Clichés reach ubiquity by having a kernel of wisdom buried within. How many times have we collectively fallen in love with a player during the preseason only to find they were not even worthy of the NFL? Judging performance when there is no game-planning and inconsistent usage of starters across teams is perilous. All these things can be true, and it is still okay to be excited about what the Seahawks did last night in their first game under Mike Macdonald.
What stood out the most in a dominant performance was how well coached the offense and defense were throughout the game. The defense was fast, disciplined, and physical. I counted just one play where a defender was left isolated versus an offensive player in the open field. Macdonald, Aden Durde, and crew have been emphasizing team tackling all through camp, with drills designed to help players always play in pairs to bring down ball carriers. It showed time and again in this game.
Macdonald has talked about the “run wall” that is a priority to build in his defense. The Chargers tried to be physical and run the ball up the middle. They found no room.
Macdonald has talked about the importance of third down defense and how important communication is to take away what opponents want to do in those situations. Los Angeles finished the game 2-13 on third downs.
On offense, Macdonald and Ryan Grubb have repeatedly talked about how they want to be a physical team that can run the ball. They finished the game with 39 carries and 156 yards rushing.
Grubb has talked about how important it is to be able to convert third and short, and improve overall third down performance. The Seahawks finished 11-20 on third down conversions.
The pattern here is clear. The areas this coaching staff has emphasized are showing up on the field. There is no better indication of quality coaching than when you can foreshadow how your team will play. It shows that not only is your team listening, but that they are learning in a way that translates to the game.
Every coach and leader can say glossy things that they want. Only the best are able to translate words into reality.
The Seahawks were tough, gritty, dynamic, aggressive, and disciplined. It has been a long time since those words applied to this team, even in the preseason.
Defense plays a complete game
Both sides of the ball played well. The defense, though, was especially impressive. It felt like almost every player at every level contributed to the performance.
Byron Murphy was a bull in the middle. He had a tackle for a loss, an almost sack, and multiple pressures where he pushed the pocket back into the lap of the quarterback. He has the potential to be a blue chip player for years to come, and took a promising first step.
Mike Morris had a terrific game with multiple pressures and a pass breakup in coverage.
Nearly every edge player made a play. Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu created pressure off the edge multiple times. Derick Hall had 5 tackles and a sack. Newcomer Jamie Sheriff was impressive in the fourth quarter with multiple pressures.
Tyrice Knight had a solid debut. He had four tackles and was good in coverage. He had made huge strides since OTAs. Tyrel Dodson flashed his physical style, meeting a ball carrier in the backfield and standing him up. Jon Rhattigan had 5 tackles and a sack, and generally looked like the player I loved his rookie year who played with speed and instinct. His injuries seemed to have diminished him as a player the past two years, but he looks all the way back.
Riq Woolen had a pass breakup on 3rd down. D.J. James had multiple pass breakups.
K’Von Wallace had a big hit that led to an interception by Coby Bryant. Ty Okada had a number of good hits and pass breakups. Marquise Blair showed off his length to deflect a pass in the end zone.
That is every position on defense represented with positive plays. There were scant few bad plays, let alone bad performances. There was maybe one busted coverage where I think Nehemiah Pritchett missed his deep responsibility, but I can’t be sure it was his error.
This was a crew that tackled well, and rushed the passer well from both the inside and edge and with just four rushers most of the time. Coverage was sticky and coordinated. Passing windows were narrow. The Chargers offense was helpless. If not for a broken play QB scramble and a 58-yard field goal, they would have been shutout in the home opener of their new coach.
Offense showcases ball control
This was not a flashy game on offense. Sam Howell averaged less than 5.0 yards per attempt passing. The vast majority of the passes were near the line of scrimmage. A fan who has been hearing all the talk of Grubb’s offense being explosive and pushing the ball down the field had to be scratching their head.
Trust me. This offense will have those things in spades.
It was clear that Grubb came into this game wanting to work on and learn a few things. First, he knows the run game is key to what they want to do and has been trailing the execution in the pass game. Run blocking also takes more repetition for the offensive line to build the proper coordination, and it is hard to get true reps in practices where full contact is not allowed.
That made it invaluable to get these 39 chances to run the ball from various downs and distances. Seattle largely did well in moving the Chargers off the line of scrimmage. The focus seemed to be running up the middle, gaining the toughest yards. Kobe Lewis and George Holani stood out for their ability to not just hit the hole, but move the pile.
Kenny McIntosh finished with the most yards (40), but is not strong enough to break many tackles or add yards after contact. It felt like he left some yards on the field.
Holani’s touchdown run was gorgeous and he nearly had another score on a good catch and lunge for the end zone. It would have been great to cap off the drive to start the 3rd quarter with a touchdown, but Seattle was unable to block the Chargers condensed defensive alignment.
Grubb showed he will also utilize the horizontal run game. Laviska Shenault Jr. and Dee Eskridge had productive jet sweeps. Dareke Young can be used in the same fashion.
The best part was seeing the team repeatedly choose to run the ball on 3rd and short, and repeatedly convert by blowing the Chargers off the ball. Christian Haynes, in particular, had some impressive push. Pharaoh Brown also had some notable blocks to create running lanes earlier in the game.
They did all this without Kenneth Walker III, Charles Cross, Connor Williams, or Abe Lucas. There is reason to be optimistic about the run blocking of the Seahawks offensive line and the run game overall. That is not something Seahawks fans could say with a straight face for a while.
Howell did something that will go unnoticed and unappreciated by the average fan, but will be celebrated by his coaches. He played the role of game manager. Almost all of his throws were safe and productive. He only put the ball in harm’s way once. The ball came out fast. He used his legs wisely. Almost everything he did was repeatable and within the framework of the offense.
All that matters because Howell was a player who was sacked 65 times and intercepted 22 times last season, both worst in the NFL. Howell is an improvisational quarterback with a good arm and above average athleticism. He has proven he can make big-time throws in the NFL. He has not proven he can limit his mistakes. This game was a solid step forward in that regard.
His lone touchdown pass came on a throw to tight end Brady Russell who bullied his way into the end zone. Russell is a guy more fans need to familiarize themselves with. His talent on special teams, his infectious personality, and his speedy physical play at tight end could see him be on this roster for many years.
He is solidly ahead of rookie AJ Barner as the third tight end on this team.
Shenault jumped off the screen as a valuable weapon. He caught a couple receiver screens and did his YAC thing, piling up 31 yards after the catch. He also had a 44-yard kickoff return. This guy is a special athlete who can provide something Seattle has not had at the position since maybe Koren Robinson or Golden Tate. Make a simple throw, and let him go to work in space going around or threw people.
Young had a good game as well. As it stands, I still have Young and Shenault as my final two receivers making the roster, which would leave off Cody White, Easop Winston Jr., and Dee Eskridge. That battle will continue over the coming weeks.
What stood out about this performance on offense was how little Grubb needed to risk in order to be productive. Almost everything we saw was repeatable and the degree of difficulty was low.
Robert Mays of The Athletic, described the Seahawks offense under Shane Waldron as a “high-wire act.” The throws Geno Smith was asked to make were difficult and risky. The run game was sporadic and weak up the middle.
Having an offense that can incorporate quick passing, easy throws, and a physical run game has the chance to be far more reliable week-to-week. It also will make the downfield passing attack that much more lethal. Fans are going to lose their minds when they see what D.K. Metcalf and Smith look like in this system.
Special teams needs work
Jay Harbaugh was the one Seahawks coach who likely left this game feeling a bit uneasy about how his guys performed. Jason Myers did his thing by missing an extra point and also not kicking the ball far enough on a kickoff which gave the Chargers the ball at the 40-yard line. Kick coverage was not great, with multiple missed tackles.
There was Shenault’s return and Michael Dickson was excellent, as were his punt coverage teams.
This group may need more time in practice than they have been receiving. The assumption has been some of the special teams work has been done in private to keep even media eyes from seeing what the team is planning for kickoffs. This game made it look more like the group has just not received as much time as other units.
There was a time where Pete Carroll had to make an adjustment to his practice schedule to create more time and attention for special teams. It may be that Macdonald has to do the same if things do not improve as preseason rolls along.
All smiles
For a guy who claims to rarely smile, Macdonald could not help himself Saturday night. He was beaming as he watched his team put all their teaching into action. It is wise to temper enthusiasm when watching a game like this. The Chargers are not the most talented roster out there and were not playing some of their best starters.
That pragmatism may protect your heart from disappointment or your reputation from looking naive. It also robs you of the joy of hopping on the bandwagon early for the full ride. This coaching staff has now demonstrated that they can call their shots.
These players are showing this roster is more talented and hungry than the vast majority of the NFL knows.
The last time the Seahawks had underrated talent, a scheme advantage on defense, and a great coaching staff that had players bought in, we had a lot of fun. We also watched those teams dominate in the preseason.
This was just a step. But if you lift your eyes and look in the direction Macdonald has this team going, it is hard not to get excited about what lies ahead.