The Seahawks beat the Chargers 31-10, and while the score doesn’t mean a whole lot, the way the Seahawks took control in the second half was indicative of Seattle’s very impressive depth.
Here are a few things that stood out as we continue to wonder how it is that Charlie Whitehurst was ever considered a possible starting quarterback in the NFL.
—Seahawks GM John Schneider and company did some work after the draft. Tackle Alvin Bailey looks like a very solid backup option at tackle, Benson Mayowa showed up in the pass rush, and John Lotulelei was around the ball a ton on special teams and at linebacker (though he did over pursue a couple of times, but that’s hardly surprising for an amped-up rookie in his first game). And what do all of those guys have in common? They were undrafted last spring, but now look like players with a real shot of making the team.
—Tarvaris Jackson looked very, very good, though Brady Quinn wasn’t half bad either. Jackson, however, completing 8 of 9 passes for 128 and two touchdowns
—And speaking of Jackson’s big game, 83 of those yards went to Stephen Williams, who had two big catches to show that his strong training camp performance can carry over to games.
—Another player who has had a strong camp and backed it up Thursday night was Byron Maxwell, who had an impressive diving interception and made a few other big plays.
—Rookie running back Christine Michael showed off his explosiveness in the second half after a slow start, and he wasn’t he only impressive rookie runner. Spencer Ware, who the Seahawks have been experimenting with at fullback, did not play fullback in the game, but showed good vision and balance as a running back.
—Recently signed pass rusher O’Brien Schofield looks like somebody who can really help, especially if Chris Clemons isn’t back at the start of the season.
—Second-year D-lineman Jaye Howard, who is trying to rebound after a quiet rookie season, had some nice moments, playing mostly as a five-technique end (think Red Bryant) rather than the DT spot he played last year.
It wasn’t all good, of course.
—The Seahawks had 8 penalties, which isn’t entirely shocking for a preseason opener.
—The starting defense struggled to stop the Chargers No. 1 offense, though they tightened up in the red zone. Seattle’s lack of pass rushers like Clemons, Bruce Irvin and Cliff Avril had something to do with that, but one thing that the Chargers did successfully, and plenty of other teams will do, was try to avoid Seattle’s corners by throwing to tight ends matched up with linebackers.
—As fun as it is to watch Russell Wilson escape pressure and make something happen, the fact that he is having to run around that much in the preseason means there is work to be done for Seattle’s line.
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