Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks.
I used to believe that the definition of insanity was to repeat the same actions expecting different results. After watching the Seattle Seahawks‘ debacle in Green Bay, I now know that definition was incorrect. Consistently expecting to close your eyes and hurl a football into the sky and assuming you will complete the pass more than 30 percent of the time is truly insane.
Russell Wilson is literally a mad bomber out on the field, and I can’t take it anymore. The short and intermediate routes were open all night. Tight Ends Gerald Everett and Will Dissly were moving the chains, and running back, Alex Collins looked solid again.
Every time the offense seemed to be building momentum, Russ forced a bad pass to a covered receiver and killed the Seahawks’ drive. This game was an example of the defense taking what the offense gave them.
Tyler Lockett hasn’t scored since Week 2, while D.K. Metcalf has more fights than 100-yard games in 2021. The offense has looked broken all season, and I don’t foresee a magical change coming anytime soon. It’s not for lack of talent, and you can only blame the scheme for so much.
The coaches can’t force Russ to make the correct read or throw to the open man. When Tony Romo is joking about you completing deep balls to the other team, well, that’s not a good thing.
The offensive line and their chronic poor pass protection is always a scapegoat for the fans and, after the last offseason, Wilson himself. They can’t blame the line when Wilson has enough time to drop back and launch jump balls into the endzone.
While the protection wasn’t outstanding on Sunday, it was adequate. Perhaps if Seattle’s MVP quarterback got the ball out in less than three seconds on occasion, he wouldn’t take so many hits?
In a game where the Seattle Seahawks much-maligned secondary held up, and the defense, as a whole, played their hearts out, Russ’s performance was soul-crushing. It was clear to see from his accuracy issues that Wilson hasn’t fully recovered from his finger injury. What he needed to do was just move the chains and eat some clock. Give the defense a breather, and don’t leave points on the board.
Instead, they got the ball back in Aaron Rodger’s hands as quickly as possible. It’s hard to be a bend but don’t break defense when the offense is last in the league for Time of Possession. Rodgers is one of the all-time greats in NFL history, give him enough time, and he’ll find a way to succeed. The Seattle Seahawks defense went from “bend don’t break” to “bend until you snap at the knees.”
Now that we know what’s broken, the question becomes, is this offense something that can be fixed. Is Russ willing to look in the mirror and admit that maybe Pete Carroll is right about occasionally keeping it conservative? At the same time, this isn’t 1990, and Pete’s desire to run fifty times a game also won’t work either. If only there were a compromise.
Wilson and Caroll were both vocal about how excited they were to add Shane Waldron as the offensive coordinator before the season began. He was the guy that would find a way to make everyone happy. Apparently, once the games started, however, it was time to ditch the offense and go back to Gallo ball (I’m trademarking the phrase).
For those of you who don’t follow baseball, slugger Joey Gallo is known for either hitting home runs or striking out. Even big Joey started bunting away from the shift by the end of the season, so maybe Russ will check down on occasion.
At the end of the day, it’s not about Carroll, Waldron, or Seattle’s receivers. It’s about Russ and making the right reads and decisions. Defenses have adjusted to him and the moon ball. Now it’s up to Russ to make his own adjustment and figure out how to turn things around. If not, maybe it’s time to blow everything up and start over next season.
What do you think about the Seattle Seahawks offense and Russell Wilson? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.