We’ve arrived at the point where we must ask, “What can be salvaged?
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After falling to the San Francisco 49ers again on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks have now lost four games in a row, a record for a Pete Carroll-coached team.
Consider it commendable that Carroll’s partnership with GM John Schneider has not only been able to reach Super Bowl-level heights, but has also avoided the almost inevitable bottoming out that franchises experience while rebuilding.
However, an annual postseason appearance has become the minimum acceptable performance in Seattle.
Fans aren’t used to a stumbling ending.
However, they are now 6-7 and third in the four-team NFC West Division.
The powerful Eagles are up next, followed by the Titans, Steelers, and Cardinals. Taking three of those four may be enough to give the impression of a tardy-but-timid rally. Anything less will necessitate critical self-examination.
One option is to simply go young, and if the evaluation results in a number of losses, they may be offset by better positioning come draft weekend. Carroll, I’m sure, would never consider such a position.
Carroll’s name might be a good place to start today’s discussion.
Nobody is going to fire Pete Carroll or even politely ask if he’s willing to consider other options if they lose and finish 6-11. They shouldn’t either. I believe he has earned that level of respect.
However, after winning 98 games in the previous nine seasons, this is likely to be the Seahawks’ third consecutive season with fewer than ten wins.
The final four games will determine whether the trend is reversing or continuing. If it is to unravel completely, many changes must be made.
Is Carroll, now 72, willing to go through that? I would never question his zeal or commitment. But if this goes downhill, perhaps the whole thing will take on a new meaning for him.
Coordinators? It’s a mixed bag. If we assume they are accountable for the product on both sides of the ball, comparing them to their divisional competitors is instructive. This season, the Hawks were swept not only by division-leading San Francisco, but also by the Los Angeles Rams, and the opponents appeared to be more creative, adaptive, and effective in those four losses.
One of Seattle’s bright spots is its promising core of young talent.
Drew Lock, the Seahawks’ backup quarterback, made his first start as a starter on Sunday, replacing the injured Geno Smith. Some are good, some are bad. At this point, it’s difficult to see Smith or Lock leading the Seahawks back to postseason success.
Despite the loss on Sunday, the Seahawks displayed the admirable inner resolve that characterizes most of Carroll’s teams.
I’d wager that when the Niners marched 75 yards in two plays less than a minute into the game, many fans thought to themselves, “Well, this game’s over.”
They’d seen the Hawks get thrashed by the Niners on Thanksgiving, and they’d seen one of their better recent offensive efforts fall short against the Cowboys the week before. They’re at it again.
Rather than folding their tents in the face of a rash of suspicious hamstring injuries, the Hawks rallied for an immediate touchdown.
When the Niners led 21-10, Seattle responded with a drive highlighted by second-year running back Kenneth Walker’s big gain on a short pass that displayed almost indescribable effort.
Lock then scored to tight end Colby Parkinson on a creative play that the Hawks’ defense had been burned on earlier this season, a fake screen to both sides that opened up the middle for a delayed tight end route.
It’s admirable that they kept fighting even after losing, but it should be expected. The fact that the effort hasn’t resulted in a single win over the last month is an indictment of the roster’s overall quality and the ineffectiveness of the coach-generated schemes.
They now have four games to decide the extent of the reconstruction necessary.
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