If these last couple of seasons it seemed like the Seahawks underachieved, you’re not alone in that sentiment. Despite having a loaded roster with a mix of young talent and reliable veterans, they only finished with a 9-8 record each of the last two years. For what it’s worth, we had been projecting an 11-6 record for the 2023 campaign.
What held them back more than anything was Pete Carroll’s refusal to adapt to new methods – especially as it concerns fourth down decisions. Too many close games were lost because Carroll preferred to punt or kick field goals rather than being aggressive and going for it in those situations. On the other side of the ball, Carroll changed his scheme but still had the most zone-heavy defense in the league and almost never used post-snap movement to confuse opposing quarterbacks.
Looking ahead, Seattle fans should at least be hopeful that we will see those things change under the direction of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and head coach Mike Macdonald, who will be calling plays on defense at least at the beginning of the season.
With the right leadership this should be a playoff team, because there’s plenty of talent to go around. Here’s what PFF had to say about Seattle’s situation going into mandatory minicamp.
“New head coaches often have to walk into reclamation projects. That’s not the case for Mike Macdonald in Seattle. He has a solid starting quarterback in Geno Smith, whose 82.1 passing grade ranked 12th in the NFL last season. Of course, Smith has a bevy of weapons to work with, including DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Kenneth Walker III… Macdonald, though, is a defensive coach and has no shortage of talent on that side of the ball. Stellar cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen headline the secondary. Leonard Williams and first-round pick Byron Murphy II provide an excellent interior duo. Tyrel Dodson is an interesting name to watch at linebacker after he led the position with a 90.2 overall grade last season. With the talent on his roster, Macdonald should have postseason expectations in his first year at the helm.”
A playoff berth is a reasonable goal for this team going into 2024. Unfortunately, getting past the wild card round is likely to be a tall task given the gap between Seattle and the other contenders around the NFC – especially the 49ers – who have the league’s best roster this year according to PFF, while the Seahawks are in the middle of the pack. It’s going to take time to catch up with all the talent San Francisco has no matter what Grubb or Macdonald do schematically.
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