Trading for a premier player at that position cost Seahawks general manager John Schneider his 2015 first-round pick and center Max Unger.
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Now everyone else has jumped on that idea, having seen what has been clear for years: Tom Cable’s zone blocking system manufactures good running games because it is usually better than the sum of its parts. That is an area where the Seahawks struggled, and their weakness aligned with Graham’s strength: All 10 of his touchdowns past year came in the red zone. Not a bad play by any means, and better than Newton in a few respects, but he’s made more mistakes.
The early-season headline has been that Seattle’s offensive line isn’t getting the job done. Plus the defense… I’m not sure what’s going on there.
Legion of Boom circa 2013 and 2014 would not have given up a 17-point lead in Cincinnati. “He’s a guy I know personally pretty well, I trained with him”.
But through five games, the questions about Graham, and his role, are biting and relentless. Running back Jonathan Stewart has yet to rush for more than 62 yards in a game while tight end Greg Olsen is the leading receiver with 17 catches and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks have what used to be a marquee tight end in New Orleans in Jimmy Graham, just like they used to have what used to be a marquee tight end in Oakland in Zach Miller. It’s a matter of the entire offense being dysfunctional up to this point for various reasons. “In my mind, I’m there just in case something happens, but I know Luke is going to go out there and be Luke”. Same thing with the team. But will it be enough to offset the possible absence of Bobby Wagner because of a pec problem?
I think Seattle at home is a little too hard for the Panthers. Wagner suffered a strained pectoral last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. After he returned, they allowed 6.5 in the last six games.
Speaking of Lynch, who has missed the last two games, head coach Pete Carroll said in an interview on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM in Seattle that “Beast Mode” will play on Sunday. The Seahawks face the 49ers in Santa Clara on Thursday.
The 4-0 Carolina Panthers are one of five undefeated teams left in the National Football League entering week six and are coming off their bye.
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The Panthers will have Luke Kuechly back on the field for today’s showdown at the Seattle Seahawks, but the linebacker who filled in so admirably during Kuechly’s three-game absence won’t be in action. “I just want to win games”. The Panthers are among the league’s biggest surprises even though their ideal record has been forged against four opponents with a combined 5-15 mark. Which is fine to an extent, and a reality the Seahawks have come to accept. They view sacks as a sort of payment, knowing the price of doing business with a quarterback who can avoid plenty of them while operating brilliantly outside of the pocket. Even at home, though, they have struggled on offense. The games against Rodgers and Dalton were the road, so the team will likely feel more confident going against a top signal caller (Newton) at home. He’s really, I think, at the point where you’d hope a guy with his ability and skill set would be, and he’s really taking it to another level right now, which is a lot of fun to watch.
