How to Fix the Seattle Seahawks: Trying to Figure it out with a Fan

What’s Wrong with the Seattle Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks just experienced one of the most painful losses in recent history, and they might very well be on their way to putting out a losing record for the first time since 2011. There’s no way Washington’s Taylor Heinicke should knock off the mighty Russell Wilson, right?

I guess we’re all wrong, and I guess we must accept that Seattle’s fun run over the past decade is coming to an end. During their 17-15 road loss to the Football Team on Monday night, the Seahawks ran 20 plays that accumulated just 43 total yards of offense. How much game clock went by between Seattle first downs? Try 19:16. Washington’s 41:40 total time of possession played a large role in the win, but they only put up 17 points.

It was once again the Seattle offense that struggled. The Seahawks are now 3-8 on the 2021 season. They average 29 points in their three wins but only 15.25 in their eight losses and under 10 during what is now their second three-game losing streak of the year.

But backup quarterback Geno Smith played four of the 11 games this year, right? Maybe that has something to do with it, but Russell Wilson has been off his game since returning from finger surgery on his throwing hand. He’s 0-3 and has averaged only 205 passing yards in three games with his newly constructed finger. Why has he played so badly?

As my roommate, Jake Bogdon, and I were wishing we did anything else with our Monday night, frustrations from the Seahawks fan, himself, were constantly being thrown around. As someone who experienced the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles, I know all about failing to meet expectations. Last year’s football season occurred during a pandemic, so no one cared to ask me about my opinion on my team. So, I want to get into the head of a Seahawks fan. By asking my roommate some questions, I could determine just how much the panic meter is rising and what the organization should do moving forward.

Initial reaction to the game?

“Heartbroken. Right when you think that there could be a play or drive to rejuvenate the team and bring us back, we got all the way then and then “did a Seahawk.” It’s just a bad decision and a bad game by Wilson…again.

The defense has played well pretty much since the Steelers game back in W6. They were the main reason for the struggles early on. Is this a team that just isn’t putting it all together right now, or is it deeper? Is this team more flawed than we’re giving credit for?

“I think there are more flaws, for sure. The defense bends but doesn’t break. There is no reason you should give up around 20 first downs in a single half. Time of possession is huge in the NFL, and obviously that falls a lot on the offense, but the defense is still allowing sustained drives – whether they allow points or not. The defense allows teams to make them tired, the offense does nothing, and in turn, the defense continues to give up yardage. So, I don’t think the defense is the main problem anymore, but I do have a problem with Ken Norton Jr.”

“I think we have stars on the defense that has helped us get there. Jamal Adams, Bobby Wagner, and Jordyn Brooks are stars, but the scheme isn’t right for them. For example, that Adams pick, we ran Cover 2, and it worked out perfectly with Quandre Diggs making a play. But our DC is afraid to play one of his safeties deep, and that’s when we get picked apart. It’s like he strays away from the things the unit is good at.”

“If I could dive into the head of Ken Norton Jr., I would, but I can’t. I don’t know what goes on in his head, but it doesn’t make sense that you aren’t using a guy in Adams that pretty much broke records for blitzing in the past, and yet he now blitzes less than half of the time he previously did. He doesn’t do anything right, I swear.”

Opinion on Jamal Adams?

“He’s not nearly as good as he’s getting paid.”

You mentioned time of possession. It was pretty much 42 minutes to 18. So that falls on the offense, right?

“Did they even have 10 first downs? They might have hit 10 on that last drive.”

And they did.

“They probably got five or six on that last drive, too. The good majority of their first downs came on a single drive. That can’t happen in the NFL. That can’t happen if you’re the Seattle Seahawks.”

Right now, the Seattle Seahawks are averaging almost 100 less yards on offense from last year. Brian Schottenheimer is out; Shane Waldron in. Wasn’t the story of the offseason how brutal of a job Schottenheimer did? So what’s Waldron’s deal?

“I will give Waldron some slack due to the fact that Wilson got hurt early on in the season. We were already struggling before he got hurt, though. He comes back, and something is clearly off with him. But I don’t think Waldron and the players haven’t been able to get comfortable in his scheme, but you have to be able to work past that.”

Who does the blame go to right now?

“Pete Carroll. Everything that he has done has brought us to the position we are in now. Carroll has gotten a lot of power, and he and John Schneider have made decisions on personnel and coaches they wanted to have. Like, why is Ken Norton Jr. still there? Sure, the defense is playing better right now, but has the defense ever performed to where he deserved a stay as an NFL defensive coordinator for longer than 2-3 years? He should have been gone by now.”

How hot is Pete’s seat?

“As hot as any seat could be.”

What’s his future looking like?

“I think Seattle is in a tough situation. Ownership-wise, they haven’t had a strong owner since Paul Allen died. I believe his sister took over, and she has pretty much left everything up to Pete. They’re going to have a hard time getting rid of him, so I think he’d have to take a step down in order for something to change there.”

“I love Pete, but I also think that everything that he has been able to put into the Seattle Seahawks and the NFL is done.”

The Seahawks still have to play 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals. But they also get the Texans, Bears, Lions. Point is there are wins to be had. Is there any hope for a playoff appearance? 9-8 or even 8-9 might be enough this year.

“Well, that would require us to either win out or go 5-1. The crazy thing is, with as bad as this season has been, I can see us winning all six. I would expect a win in at least four. It’s Russell Wilson, and despite his last three weeks, I still believe he can come in and win a game whenever he wants. Take the three we should win, and I still believe he can win the other three.”

“At this point, it’s looking less and less realistic. The longer Wilson’s play continues to be like this, the more you think this is a lost season.”

A fourth overall pick sounds amazing right now. Unfortunately, because of the Adams trade, the Jets own that pick. Without a first-round pick. Is their hope to tank? Or could this be a one-off? There’s no prolific QB in this class anyway.

“I think Russell Wilson plays for a winning team next year. Whether that’s for the Seattle Seahawks or some other team, I don’t know yet. I think the Seahawks shouldn’t be concerned with drafted a quarterback this year. I don’t think any of the quarterbacks we could get this year make a major impact in year one. If we’re getting rid of Wilson, that would mean they’re stripping the ship.”

How would you fix the Seattle Seahawks so that they can be good next year?

After a long pause…

“I think you have to trade Russell Wilson. We have no picks. No stock. A, say, 6-11 Seahawks team isn’t attracting anyone in free agency. The team is just going to be the same. Assuming we get picks for Wilson, I would immediately bolster the defensive line and secondary. I’d also ditch Carroll and Norton Jr. Waldron can stay. But defensively, we need a guy other than Bobby Wagner, because Adams has proved he isn’t that.”

“We also need offensive linemen. Seattle has proven they don’t want to draft or pay the O-Line.”

It doesn’t have to be a blowup, right? Russ is still a top-5 QB in the NFL. Why can’t he come back? I feel like having him is your best chance at being good.

“I’ll tell you what, that Jamal Adams trade has really handicapped us. We can’t make enough changes personnel-wise unless we trade Wilson away.”

“Wilson has been rumored to be gone from the first sign of unrest. We’re in full-blown turmoil! We lost to the Washington Football Team, and they only scored 17 points. You’re telling me Russell Wilson, D.K. Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett can’t score at least 17 points?”

Four targets? One reception? Thirteen yards? Where was D.K. Metcalf?

“Ugh. I don’t really want to talk about that. But I think the missing persons report will come back soon.”

And there were plenty of more frustrations that were left out of this article.

Like Jake said, something needs to change. Whether it’s the coaching staff or the quarterback, expect to see a different Seattle Seahawks take the field in 2022. Tough decisions will need to be made, and the main one will be of what to do with quarterback Russell Wilson.

Russ’s future in Seattle has been in question for a few years now, but this season seems like the tipping point for his career in navy blue and lime green. It’s hard to watch a franchise’s best player come to the end of his journey with the team right before your eyes. Wilson doesn’t become an unrestricted free agent until 2024, but a potential out after 2021 could very well see him attempt to reignite the flame from his prime. As the cherry on top, this drama continues to build on his 33^rd birthday. What a nice present, huh?

Big shutout to my roommate, Jacob Bogdon, for helping me out with this piece. I wish him and his Seattle Seahawks the best of luck down the road.

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