hawknation2018
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Seahawks are completing just 27.5% of their 3rd downs — ranked 31st in the NFL (Bills are worst). That should not be the case when you have Russell Wilson at QB and an offensive line that is now pass blocking at a league average level of efficiency (ranked 16th in pass blocking).
It’s understandable that there will be an adjustment period for a QB when working with a new offensive coordinator. Brian Schottenheimer has added a new level of complexity to the offensive playbook that Wilson is still learning to master. Wilson appears to be weighed down and over thinking when he should be reacting. I wonder if there is something they can do to simplify things to make it easier on the QB to manage the offense, particuarily on 3rd downs, during this adjustment period.
Simplicity and creativity do not have to be mutually exclusive ideas. I see those idea merge into reality when I watch the offenses of the Saints, Rams, and Chiefs. The Chiefs, in particular, are managing to accomplish this feat with a 2nd year QB in his first year as a starter, just as the Rams did last season under a new head coach and offensive system.
Why is Doug Baldwin running routes on 3rd down in front of the 3rd down marker? Why isn’t Jaron Brown being involved in the passing offense in any noticeable way? Why isn’t Wilson’s athleticism and scrambling ability being utilized by Schottenheimer? It seems the only time it is noticeable is when he is making a run block downfield. We have much less talent than those other teams, but it seems we should be doing better than 31st in the league on 3rd downs.
On the bright side, the running game has started to click in the last couple weeks (both victories) after two close losses on the road in which they hardly ran the ball at all. Arizona was ranked 11th in DVOA run defense entering the last game. Even so, the Seahawks managed to assert themselves in run blocking as well I have seen in the last two and half years. They offensive line opened up some very nice holes for our backup RBs. The left side of the line seemed to have particuarily clean run blocks. This is a huge achievement for an offense that has struggled to run the ball effectively for a long time.
Now that the running game has gotten going, can they manage the creativity on 3rd downs to keep the chains moving and build a fully functioning offense?
It’s understandable that there will be an adjustment period for a QB when working with a new offensive coordinator. Brian Schottenheimer has added a new level of complexity to the offensive playbook that Wilson is still learning to master. Wilson appears to be weighed down and over thinking when he should be reacting. I wonder if there is something they can do to simplify things to make it easier on the QB to manage the offense, particuarily on 3rd downs, during this adjustment period.
Simplicity and creativity do not have to be mutually exclusive ideas. I see those idea merge into reality when I watch the offenses of the Saints, Rams, and Chiefs. The Chiefs, in particular, are managing to accomplish this feat with a 2nd year QB in his first year as a starter, just as the Rams did last season under a new head coach and offensive system.
Why is Doug Baldwin running routes on 3rd down in front of the 3rd down marker? Why isn’t Jaron Brown being involved in the passing offense in any noticeable way? Why isn’t Wilson’s athleticism and scrambling ability being utilized by Schottenheimer? It seems the only time it is noticeable is when he is making a run block downfield. We have much less talent than those other teams, but it seems we should be doing better than 31st in the league on 3rd downs.
On the bright side, the running game has started to click in the last couple weeks (both victories) after two close losses on the road in which they hardly ran the ball at all. Arizona was ranked 11th in DVOA run defense entering the last game. Even so, the Seahawks managed to assert themselves in run blocking as well I have seen in the last two and half years. They offensive line opened up some very nice holes for our backup RBs. The left side of the line seemed to have particuarily clean run blocks. This is a huge achievement for an offense that has struggled to run the ball effectively for a long time.
Now that the running game has gotten going, can they manage the creativity on 3rd downs to keep the chains moving and build a fully functioning offense?
