It’s no secret that the Seahawks passing game has taken a bit of a step back this season, and while there are plenty of causes for those struggles, from pass protection to a receiving group that lost Golden Tate in free agency and traded Percy Harvin, but Russell Wilson says the struggles are “on me.”
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wasn’t available to the local media Thursday, but he did give a little bit of news to USA Today in an interview, saying that the NFL admitted to making mistakes on two non-calls that should have been pass interference, including the fourth-down pass to Doug Baldwin in the end zone late in the game.
Carroll also talked to USA Today about Marshawn Lynch and his future with the team, saying the running back is “our guy” and that the team would “love to have him back.” Lynch, of course, has been the subject of a lot of rumors, reports and speculation about his future with the team. He has one year left on his deal, but he’ll be 29 next year, an age when most running backs are starting to slow down, and the Seahawks are going to have to pay Wilson this offseason, which will require some extra cap space.
Carroll’s comments are certainly interesting, but it’s worth noting that at this point, there isn’t much else for Carroll to say about a player’s future. In fact last year, hours before Sidney Rice was released, Carroll told reporters at the NFL scouting combine that they hoped to keep the receiver and noted that “we love our guys” when asked about Rice and Zach Miller, who would have also been released for cap reasons had he not agreed to a restructured deal. At other times, Carroll expressed a desire to keep Red Bryant and Chris Clemons, both of whom were released to save money.
As I wrote earlier this week, a lot of the decision on Lynch will likely come down to his health at the end of the season and how the Seahawks think he can handle another year of punishment at 29. This is the second straight week that Lynch has been held out of practice both on Wednesday and Thursday, and with him the $7 million question isn’t whether he’s playing great football right now, but rather if he can do it for another season and a half.
For now, Carroll is going to say Lynch is “our guy” because at the moment he most definitely is. Whether that’s the case this offseason is still up for debate.
From NFL.com, a good look at Arizona coach Bruce Arians, the man behind one of the NFL’s biggest surprises in 2014.
And this is pretty funny from ESPN, a visual representation at the parity of the NFL:
The 2014 NFL circle of parity is complete! The Raiders beat the Chiefs who beat the Pats who beat the Jets… pic.twitter.com/Fa13lwS1tn
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 21, 2014
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