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John Schneider and Pete Carroll are spending a very minimal amount of cap space towards the group of players protecting their franchise quarterback, and it has already cost Russell Wilson dearly. The Seahawks have invested the least amount of money to their offensive line out of the 32 teams in the league. The $8.7 million Seattle is paying their offensive line this year is nearly $5 million less than the second-lowest paid line, the New York Giants. With the offensive line Seattle has been rolling out there week to week, it is no wonder that their offense has been largely inefficient. Their defense has always been able to mask their problems, take a look at the nine points they allowed in their only postseason win last year against the Adrian Peterson-led Minnesota Vikings. They also only scored ten points, allowed three sacks and Russell Wilson was under duress all game long. The Seahawks, still, allowed their starting left tackle (Russell Okung to the Denver Broncos) and left guard (J.R. Sweezy to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), two of their top three offensive linemen, to walk in free agency.
The offensive line for the Seahawks has struggled mightily this year as well, picking up from where they left off last year, when they allowed the fifth most sacks in the NFL. As mobile as Russell Wilson is, the constant rush has gotten to him and he is nursing both a knee and an ankle injury. Even though they rank 12th in the league for the least amount of sacks, they rank 20th in hits allowed and Russell Wilson’s ability to escape the pocket has generally skewed those stats. According to Pro Football Focus, the Seattle Seahawks have the worst offensive line in terms of pass protection, stating that Justin Britt is the only bright spot on an otherwise struggling offensive line. Pass protection has not been their only issue, as their running game has suffered as well. They rank 30th in rushing yards per game and 31st in average yards per rushing attempt. As an offense that has prided itself on pounding the ball on the ground and effectively using play action, this year has not been that story. Let’s take a look at some plays that have become the norm for this once dominant offensive line.
In this play, the left guard, Mark Glowinski, is assigned to block Calais Campbell and allow Russell Wilson to throw a slant route to Jermaine Kearse. Wilson does not need a ton of time, since it is only a three step drop back.
These two screenshots were taken less than two seconds apart, showing how quickly Calais Campbell sheds his block and gets to Russell Wilson before he can complete his progression. Kevin Minter is also getting a free run at the quarterback while there are three offensive linemen blocking two defensive players. Whether that is Russell Wilson’s mistake, the offensive lineman’s mistake or great disguise by Minter, there is a free runner and basically another free runner since Campbell gets off his block in a little over a second.
There are two main blocks on this play for Christine Michael to gain good yardage on this play. Again, the left guard, Glowinski, is on another one on one against Calais Campbell, while Justin Britt, the center, is going to the second level to block Minter, the inside linebacker.
Both of these blocks are poorly executed, as both Campbell and Minter shed their blocks almost immediately after they are engaged. Christine Michael breaks Campbell’s tackle but is shortly stuffed afterwards for a gain of only one yard. These types of plays are the norm this year for the Seahawks offensive line, that used to dominate the trenches when Marshawn Lynch was the runner in the backfield.
In the week two loss against the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks offensive line, time after time, was beat off the snap. Take a look at this stretch run to the left side of the line.
Take a look at Germain Ifedi, the rookie right guard is tasked with blocking Michael Brockers. Keep an eye on the left tackle too, Bradley Sowell, who is tasked with blocking the middle linebacker.
Michael Brockers runs right through the block and ends up in the backfield, in front of the halfback. Now, Rawls might have been able to accelerate his way out of the backfield had Sowell taken a better angle at the middle linebacker, Alec Ogletree. Instead, Ogletree easily closes the B and C gap, while Brockers is occupying the A gap. This play results in a nine yard loss for Thomas Rawls, due to the fact that he is absolutely zero room and is met way behind the line of scrimmage.
When the Seattle Seahawks have a dominant running game and their dominant defense, they are almost impossible to beat. They will take an early lead by pounding the ball, using play action to beat your defense over the top with big plays, and once when you fall behind early, pass rushers like Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril pin their ears back and get to the quarterback. These past two years, they have not looked like that Seattle Seahawk team, that barely made it to the second round of the playoffs due to Blair Walsh missing a chip shot field goal. This year, they look even more vulnerable, now that Okung and Sweezy are out of town. If the Seahawks hope to make the Super Bowl, they have to fix their offensive line problem, because their offense is 21st in the league in points per game. Seahawks fans can not be expecting this team to go to the Super Bowl if the offensive line, and the offense in total, is performing like this.