The Seahawks claim to have a run-first identity on offense. That’s been the case throughout most of the Pete Carroll era, regardless of how effective Seattle’s rushing attack has been compared to letting Russell Wilson work. This year the team’s offense has regressed in unprecedented ways since Wilson was drafted, which is the biggest reason that they will miss out on the playoffs and post their first losing record in a decade.
In last night’s loss to the Rams, the Seahawks only ran the ball 19 times compared to 31 pass attempts from Wilson, who was having one of the worst games of his NFL career. Meanwhile, Rashaad Penny and DeeJay Dallas were both efficient if not spectacular rushers.
Today during his weekly ESPN radio hit, coach Carroll once again lamented Seattle’s run/pass ratio, saying he’d have preferred to run the ball 30 times.
The Seahawks ran the ball on 19 of 53 plays last night and averaged 4.2 YPC. Pete Carroll to @TheMikeSalk and @Hasselbeck on @710ESPNSeattle: "We were effective running the ball throughout the night. We ran it 19 times, which, in a game like that, you’d want to run it 30 times."
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) December 22, 2021
The harsh truth is this kind of imbalance has become a recurring theme during offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s first year calling plays. It’s also painfully clear that Wilson can’t be effective right now without a strong rushing attack to complement his game.
Waldron’s job is a difficult and often a thankless one. That said, this unit has been steadily sinking since the first few weeks of the season. There have been occasional explosive outings against terrible teams like the Texans and Jaguars. Overall though, the results have become sorely disappointing.
This organization has a lot to think about this coming offseason. Whether or not to keep Waldron on in his current role should be one of the questions asked.
