Patience Is A Virtue: The Emergence of the Seahawks Offensive Line
The Seattle Seahawks offense struggled to find its rhythm in the first half of the 2016 season. While early season offensive struggles have been a trend during the Pete Carroll-John Schneider era, nervousness over the effectiveness of the offensive line intensified with the absence of retired running back Marshawn Lynch. Without Beast Mode, Seattle appeared to lack any sort of identity. Even more worrisome were the multiple leg injuries of quarterback Russell Wilson, making him immobile in an offense that has always depended on him to use his legs. The injury bug also bit Thomas Rawls and rookie C.J. Prosise, forcing them to miss the first half of the season. Seattle lacked all of its ground game weapons, and this deficiency was made readily apparent behind an offensive line that had never played together.
In the first eight games, though Seattle found ways to win, the team could not establish a run game. They eclipsed 100 yards rushing in just two performances. Blocking looked abysmal outside of Justin Britt, the veteran playing his first year at center. While the interior line play was nothing more than serviceable early in the season, the tackle play was nothing short of excruciating as the Seahawks failed to find a tackle combo that could get the job done. The growing pains of the first half led to the benching of veterans J’Marcus Webb and Garry Gilliam in favor of George Fant and Bradley Sowell.
The second half of the season began with the Seahawks’ Week 10 contest against the New England Patriots. The Seahawks found themselves again. The offensive line rediscovered its identity, paving the way for 96 yards on the ground and creating a strong pocket for Wilson’s passing attack. The next week, the Seahawks ran for 152 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was as if a switch had flipped for the unit. A poor Week 13 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – due in part to injuries again – raised skepticism. The team, however, bounced back with their commanding blowout over the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. Seattle rushed for a pummeling 240 yards.
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The preceding four game stretch elevated two major truths. One, the Seahawks offensive line is dependent on Justin Britt’s leadership at the center position. Two, Seattle will only be a championship contender so long as their offensive line can perform at an adequate level.
Luckily for Seattle a lot of natural and raw talent resides within their offensive line unit. Also, Tom Cable’s coaching ability appears to have coached the group up enough to allow Russell Wilson and company to make plays. In the past three weeks, Seattle has averaged 5.09 yards before contact. Moreover, the team is averaging 173 yards per game over that stretch. Realistically, the line has to be opening holes that a car could drive through to be attaining those numbers. Though the return of Russell Wilson’s legs and Thomas Rawls fearless running absolutely plays a role in the uptick in Seattle’s rushing proficiency, the success all starts up front. Seattle appears to have found its starting five.
Like clockwork, Seattle has rhythmically rekindled its dominance in the ground game at the midway point. With their remaining schedule, there is no reason that the offensive line should perform poorly. Barring injuries, this looks like a unit that has overcome its growing pains and will continue to pave the way for what has become the National Football League’s hottest rushing attack. Every year, people quip about Tom Cable and his ability as a coach. But every year Seattle finds its way to the playoffs as one of the league’s top teams. Seattle constructs its roster uniquely, relying on raw offensive line talent to be coached up and it consistently works. This season appears to be following that trend as Seattle gears up for an opportunity at another Lombardi Trophy.
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