After Pete Carroll completed his usual, midweek press conference, the gathered media waited for cornerback Richard Sherman, who usually follows the coach to the podium.
But on Wednesday two weeks ago, Bradley Sowell unexpectedly walked into the main auditorium at Seahawks headquarters. He, not Sherman, took the spot behind the microphones and lectern.
The rarity spoke to the Seahawks’ most encouraging development over their first four games.
Sowell is an offensive lineman. Their unexpected starter at left tackle, in fact.
Sure, he is an engaging interview. He has interesting anecdotes — such as a great golf game for any man, especially one 6-foot-7 and 309 pounds. But before this season began, the idea that Seattle would thrust one of its blockers onto a stage for questioning would have seemed almost cruel. Why would the team shine any more light on its most problematic position?
The offensive line was supposed to cause as much angst and embarrassment in 2016 for Seattle as the presidential election is for the United States.
OK, not that much.
But Seattle’s linemen were expected to be a problem this season, not subjects of team promotion.
Yet through this past weekend’s bye, the Seahawks can cite specific examples of how their line — with new starters in four of the five positions — is not sabotaging the season, but is, in fact, one of the mains reasons Seattle is 3-1.
“The offensive line is exciting to see,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “They’re really talented. They move well. They’re strong.
“Those guys are really solid. They are making great calls. Their protection calls are great. I’m changing the calls and they’re getting it just right.”
Not all the time, of course. Wilson suffered a high-ankle sprain in his right leg Sept. 11 when Ndamukong Suh sped past right tackle Garry Gilliam in the third quarter of the opener. Wilson’s immobility the following week at Los Angeles is a big reason the Seahawks scored their fewest points in five years in a 9-3 loss to the Rams. Wilson then suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee Sept. 25. The ankle kept him from getting around San Francisco’s Eli Harold on a sack he normally would have avoided.
But Wilson didn’t get ruined. Neither did that line.
Wilson played through the injuries. The line provided a pocket from which he threw for his first 300-yard day of the season Oct. 2 in a 27-17 win over the Jets.
Seattle allowed 31 sacks in its first seven games with more experienced starters to begin last season. It is on pace to allow 16 in the Seahawks’ first seven games this season.
Justin Britt is starting at center for the first time, his third position in three seasons. Sowell, an expected backup, is starting at left tackle for the first time since he was with Arizona four years ago. Second-year man Mark Glowinski is debuting as the starting left guard. Germain Ifedi, the rookie first-round draft choice, missed the first three games with his own high-ankle sprain before debuting against the Jets. He was the team’s most impressive and nasty blocker this preseason.
“We still have a game out there that we wish we would have gotten, but we’re coming around,” coach Pete Carroll said at the one-quarter mark of this regular season. “We’re moving forward and moving in a good direction.”
Carroll’s main reason for saying that: the pass protection — especially for a quarterback who’s been unable to move away from trouble.
“At this time last year, which isn’t a great marker … we gave up (16) sacks. We’re at nine right now,” Carroll said.
Then the coach threw a quick jab at those many doubters of the line.
“We’re off to a better start maybe than you guys or anybody thought,” he said last week, “and we’re going to get better, I hope, moving forward.”
The line still has to be more consistent in its run blocking. Not by blowing guys off the ball — Seattle’s zone-blocking schemes don’t require that — but simply by creating more run lanes.
Last season at this time, Seattle was averaging 128 yards rushing per game with Thomas Rawls as the featured back after he replaced the injured Marshawn Lynch. This season, Rawls has been out with a cracked fibula and the Seahawks are averaging 93 yards per game.
Christine Michael is basically the running game all by himself, and Wilson’s injuries have cut his rushing yards from 158 after four games last season to just 28 yards now.
Michael is making decisive cuts in his rebirth during his second go-round with the team, but he’s often had to avoid defenders who have been in the backfield as soon as he’s gotten handoffs. And if he doesn’t get more help, he’s likely to get hurt, too.
Despite having no more legs to injure, Wilson’s passing is 159 yards ahead of this time last year, when he ended up the first Seahawk to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. He’s thrown the same amount of touchdowns (five) that he had after four games last season, with four fewer interceptions (just one).
But Wilson’s passing game has worked from the pocket when teams such as the Jets and 49ers have stacked defenders near the line to stop the run. For Wilson to keep throwing like this, the running game needs to get going.
Wilson’s improved health should help that, but the line needs to stop foes from getting into the backfield. Having Ifedi back will help. Immensely. And Rawls needs to get healthy for this running game to be at full capability.
The defense doesn’t need to change a thing. It’s been exactly what it’s been for the past 4¼ seasons — dominating and generally averse to allowing points. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril at ends, Bobby Wagner at middle linebacker and Richard Sherman shutting down a third of the field in the secondary are why Seattle is allowing 13.5 points per game, third in the league. That’s four points fewer than its average allowed last season, when the Seahawks became the first team to lead the NFL in fewest points allowed three straight years since the 1950s Cleveland Browns.
“I think we’re seeing the consistency on our defense that we really can count on,” Carroll said.
It’s vital to the Seahawks’ chances in January’s playoffs that they don’t give away any more games in October. The Seahawks play host to Atlanta on Sunday before going on the road for three of their next four games. Seattle goes to Arizona, which though off to a 2-3 remains Seattle’s biggest threat in the NFC West and should have concussed QB Carson Palmer back by Oct. 23. The Seahawks’ last game of October is at New Orleans, where the Saints still don’t have a defense. After a Monday night home game against Buffalo, the Seahawks are at Tom Brady and New England in a Sunday night showcase Nov. 13.
When the Seahawks return to action next week, Wilson will be as healthy as he’s been since the opener. The bye also should help heal wide receiver and Pro Bowl kick returner Tyler Lockett’s sprained knee, top wide receiver Doug Baldwin’s sore knee and back, tight end Jimmy Graham’s surgically repaired knee, third-down running back C.J. Prosise’s broken hand and rookie tight end Nick Vannett’s high-ankle sprain.
Carroll last week said “we have a chance” to be the best of his seven Seahawks teams. That includes the two that went to the Super Bowl, and the one that won it three seasons ago.
“I’m pretty fired up about our team right now,” Carroll said.
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