After a fractured season, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he can’t wait to get back to work. He might want to start by improving the offensive line, adding depth in the secondary and at running back and also becoming more of a disciplinarian.
A six-month grind, a slew of injuries, a season defined by turmoil. An incessant media microscope, a series of misguided outbursts, and a sobering postseason ouster.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he knows “it sounds stupid” that he already wants to get started on next season, but it actually makes perfect sense. Considering he just endured the most volatile year he’s had since coming to Seattle, it figures he’d want to move forward as quickly as possible.
But wanting to coach and actually improving this team are much different things. The Seahawks seemed to have gotten stuck in a rut over the past two seasons, as their divisional playoff game losses would indicate.
So now that the offseason has again arrived earlier than hoped for, the question becomes: How do the Seahawks get better? Well, there’s no one solution, but you can start with …
Shoring up the offensive line. There’s no getting away from this anymore. The Seahawks allowed more sacks than all but five teams this year, and — surprise, surprise — none of those five teams had winning records. Beefing up the rest of the roster at the expense of the five guys upfront was a failed experiment that likely kept Seattle from securing a first-round bye. Yes, the O-line had its moments — the most notable one coming in the playoff win against the Lions, when it helped pave the way for Thomas Rawls’ 161 rushing yards. But there were too many times this year when a lack of protection was the most glaring impediment to Seattle’s offense.
It doesn’t matter how mobile Russell Wilson is or how much money the Seahawks have thrown at their defensive Pro Bowlers. Teams that don’t invest in their big boys aren’t going to realize their big dreams. But that doesn’t mean the Seahawks couldn’t use an extra speedster or two, and right now …
They need to add depth to their secondary. Any teacher who’s been asked to write a recommendation for a student they didn’t believe in could probably relate to Carroll Monday. When a reporter asked about cornerback Jeremy Lane’s play this year, Pete responded “Jeremy played a lot of football this year. He was in the middle of a lot.”
That was probably the most laudatory thing Carroll said before expressing disappointment in Lane’s tackling ability, but the tone reflected what’s become a hard truth to accept — that the Legion of Boom isn’t what it was. Free safety Earl Thomas missed the last few weeks of the season, and his replacement, Steven Terrell, was exposed in multiple games. Strong safety Kam Chancellor missed four games in the first half of the season, of which his team won just two. And according to Carroll, cornerback DeShawn Shead suffered a “significant” ACL tear vs. Atlanta on Saturday, while Richard Sherman battled an MCL injury for the second half of the season.
Seattle is a team built on defense, and at the core of that defense is the secondary. As far as priorities go, the back end needs to move to the front of the line. But while they’re at it, the Seahawks might also want to …
Get another running back. Or six. There is no doubt the front office is aware of how valuable a productive tailback is. The Seahawks drafted three of them last year despite having Rawls and Christine Michael on the roster. Still, Rawls and C.J. Prosise were hurt most of the year, and when the offense was forced to lean on Michael, it was held in check by every capable defense. Moving forward, Seattle has to minimize the risk of an injury paralyzing the rushing attack.
Talented as Wilson may be behind center, the Seahawks proved they are most potent when establishing the ground game first.
Of course, it wouldn’t hurt Seattle to acquire more linebackers to compete with Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright — as those two won’t be around forever. And it would be helpful for GM John Schneider to hit on some future Pro Bowlers in the draft, which, as far as position players go, hasn’t happened since 2012. And Carroll becoming more of a disciplinarian might also benefit the organization, as certain players’ behavior was questionable on and off the field this year.
But we’ll see what happens.
With a proficient quarterback and the defensive core in place, the Seahawks’ championship window remains open if the front office does its job. In that regard, you can’t blame Carroll for wanting to get back to work. But with his team coming off two relatively disappointing seasons, the bigger question is: What will he have to work with?