SEAHAWKS: Second Quarter grades

Here are my grades for the five phases of the Seahawks for the last four games. The Seahawks have gone 2-2 in the last four games, with the last two blowout losses at the hands of the Raiders and Giants.

Passing Offense: D This unit has been absolutely atrocious. This unit has defined inconsistency, with receivers making an amazing catch one play, but then dropping an easy pass the next. One of the main reasons the passing offense is ranked 29th in the NFL is the offensive line. When Russell Okung was out for the final three games, whoever the quarterback was (Hasselbeck or Whitehurst) never eclipsed 200 yards. It’s not that the QBs have been bad, it’s the men protecting them have been bad/injured.


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Rushing Offense: C We have all heard of Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Mode” by now. We haven’t seen it much yet. Like the passing offense, this low rating is contributed by the offensive line. Any time there has been a hole, Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett have taken full advantage of it… problem is there hasn’t been much holes. The Seahawks never passed 50 yards rushing in their last two games, which defines the offensive line pretty well.

Passing Defense: B- You may think I’m being a little generous here, with the unit being ranked 30th. However, there is one factor that contributes to this horrid ranking. In the last two games, the opposing team has had the ball on offense for an astonishing average of 41 minutes. The Seahawks offense was notorious for going 3 and out on consecutive drives, which gives the defense very little time to rest. This is the one unit that has not been significantly affected by injuries, with only Kelly Jennings having to sit out a few games.

Rushing Defense: B This unit also has run into the same problems of the Passing Defense, and that being they are on the field too much. In the first two games, and with the offense actually doing something, the defense was a stone wall against the run. In the last two games, it was different story. With the Giants and the Raiders getting insurmountable leads, the logical thing for them to do was just run the ball and milk the clock out. So because of the increased run attempts, the 19th rank of the Seahawks rushing defense doesn’t tell the whole story.

Special Teams: A- The reasons for the minus is when the punt coverage team gave up a touchdown to Devin Hester and two missed field goals by Olindo Mare. Other than that, the Special Teams have been as good as always, with Jon Ryan booming punts and Leon Washington being electric returning kicks.

Reach Nathan Parsons at nathanparsons98@yahoo.com