Already?? A quarter of the season is now in the books, and it’s time to take a gander at what the Seattle Seahawks have done so far. Have they improved over last year? Are things moving forward or backward? Are the Seahawks getting the attention they finally deserve?
Lets start with the offense. Last years starting QB was Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson has since packed his bags and headed to a backup role in Buffalo behind Ryan Fitzpatrick. Chosen as this years starter is round 3 Draft pick Russell Wilson. Wilson had the knowledge and intangibles that you love to see in a QB, but he was short. The only knock people could get him for was being short. Wilson, leading the team at the QB position has played into a 2-2 start. Not horrible by any means, not great either.
Tarvaris Jackson, in 2011 after 4 games was 84/135(62%) for 846 yards, 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. In that first four games, Jackson led the team to just one win. During the first four games Wilson has played this year, he has led the team to a 2-2 start, one game better than Jackson. Wilson is 60/100(60%) for 594 yards, 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. So far the two are very comparable, even after Pete Carroll has stated that he is holding the reins real tight on Wilson. Wilson ranks 32nd in QB’s so far this year in yardage.
Marshawn Lynch is still looking about the same as he has looked since coming to Seattle. A bruising hard to bring down running back that can leave defenses wonder what just happened. Lynch is off to another great start this year, toting the rock 92 times for 423 yards(4.2 average). Lynch is the leading back in the NFL after this game. Sidney Rice(12 catches 132 yards) and Golden Tate(7 catches 113 yards) lead the team in receptions. Rice is 86th overall in yardage, and Tate is ranked at 103rd overall.
Overall the offense has appeared stagnant at times, but the scores are indicating close physical games. Last year after game 4, the Seahawks were 1-3. They had scored only scored 58 total points. This year with Wilson leading the charge the Seahawks have put up 70 points. It will take the offense a little bit longer to gel together and get on the same page. Each game is getting them more and more familiar with each other and the way they work. Last year after the whole season, the Seahawks were ranked 28th overall. So far this year, the offense is ranked in at 29th overall. The only way to go is up!
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Onto the defense!
Last year four games into the season, the Seahawks weren’t sitting to well. They had lost to the 49ers, Steelers, and the Falcons. The only game they had managed to eke out was versus Arizona at home. In those four games, the defense had allowed 97 points. So far this year the Seahawks have won both games at home versus the Packers and the Cowboys, but lost on the road to the Cardinals and the Rams. This year the defense have given up only 58 points.
In 2011, during those four games, the defense had given up 1366 yards(946 passing, 420 rushing). So far in 2012, the Seahawks have allowed 1103 yards(852 passing, 251 rushing). The passing defense is relatively close to what it was last year at this time, while the rushing defense has taken two more steps forward. The 2011 defense after 4 games had recorded 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles. So far the 2012 defense has amassed 12 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 5 forced fumbles.
Chris Clemons is leading the team with 5 sacks(tied for 3rd in the NFL), with rookie first round pick Bruce Irvin slightly behind at 2.5(tied for 28th in the NFL). Brandon Mebane is following that up with 2 sacks himself, with Jason Jones hot on his trail at 1.5 sacks. Richard Sherman is leading the way for interceptions with 2(Tied for 6th) with Brandon Browner catching the only other interception so far this season.
Being so early in the season it is expected that the defense is leaps and bounds above the offense. This year is no exception. Seattle’s defense so far has been outstanding, and will continue to be aggressive and harsh against the run. Sherman, Browner, Thomas, and Chancellor should have plenty more opportunities to rake in a few more picks before the end of the season.
Looking at all of the stats, it is easy to see the that the defense has definitely improved so far this year. The offense at this point is at best tied with last year, maybe even taken a step back. The Seahawks are gathering national attention due to the Packers game on Monday Night Football. Although there hasn’t been much said about the defense in that game, the Seahawks racked up 8 sacks on one of the league’s top QB’s in Aaron Rodgers. As a whole, it may be way too early to make judgement calls on exactly which way the offense is going so far, a few more games into the season will be the telling tale. The Seahawks are sitting at the bottom of their division with an 0-2 start. The Seahawks are climbing their way up the ladder, hoping to gather the respect they feel they deserve. A little bit more time will tell just exactly who the Seahawks are.
=- All stats compiled from Pro-Football-reference.com
Original Story:
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October 03, 2012
