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How to Fix the Seahawks: Part One–Offense

By Ben Renner

Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks tackle George Fant (74) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The game ended in a 6-6 tie after overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks tackle George Fant (74) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The game ended in a 6-6 tie after overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks tackle
Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks tackle /

The Seahawks Ranked Last in Overall Offensive Line Play

Last. 32nd out of 32 teams, according to Pro Football Focus. Much has been made of the lack of investment that the Seahawks put into their offensive line this season. They spent about a third of what the average NFL team spent on their offensive line in 2016 and it showed. Offensive line and assistant coach Tom Cable tried to coach up his ragtag bunch of big men and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell tried to hide his line’s deficiencies (more on that later), but the fact of the matter was the Seahawks just weren’t that talented up front on offense.

Pro Football Focus graded the Hawks’ best lineman, center Justin Britt, 80.5–16th in the league. The rest of the line graded out in the 50s, with the best of the rest, left guard Mark Glowinski ranking 63rd in the league. Not good.

There are two schools of thought as to how to improve the offensive line: Bevell, Cable, and head coach Pete Carroll preferred to try and get this unit to gel and play better than the sum of its parts. Maybe if they could just run-block better, the offense could survive on Wilson’s scrambling ability and Thomas Rawls‘ ability to pound the rock. It worked in stretches this season, most recently against Detroit in the Wild Card round. But at other times, it was frighteningly bad (see the 6-6 tie in Arizona).

Carroll and general manager John Schneider invested more heavily than usual in the offensive line last offseason, when they spent a rare first-round pick on offensive guard Germain Ifedi. Ifedi had a, shall we say, uneven rookie season. He’s too young to cut loose altogether, but he’s an example of how building through the draft doesn’t always immediately translate into a better team. Maybe with another training camp of Cable whispering into his ear and “gelling” with his fellow lineman can develop him and the entire unit into an effective line. Perhaps patience is the best way to fix this heavy detriment to the team, especially if the Seahawks draft another lineman this April.

Seahawks
Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Bradley Sowell reacts as he is helped off the field by trainers after suffering an injury in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The game ended in a 6-6 tie after overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Then, there’s the other school of thought: blow it all up. Fans have been calling for Bevell’s head all year. Some are sick of seeing the same problems every year on the o-line and want Cable gone. It doesn’t appear at the moment that either men are going anywhere, but at least spending a few million dollars on a proven left tackle who’s played football for more than one year makes sense.

Schneider has been aggressive in trying to fix roster holes in past offseasons. After The Play That Will Not Be Named at the end of The Game That Will Not Be Named, Schneider shipped Pro Bowl center Max Unger to New Orleans for a guy who couldn’t be knocked off his route from the one yard line. Last offseason, Schneider drafted three running backs to replace Marshawn Lynch. (He also drafted three offensive linemen). We’re all waiting to see his approach to fixing the offensive line issues we all know about this offseason.

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