The Seattle Seahawks rookies combined for 124 snaps in Week 2, just five more than in Week 1, but the impact was much more positive. More than half of those snaps came from first-round pick Grey Zabel, offensive lineman. This is the first time I’ve written this series of articles and we haven’t seen anything on defense with snaps.
All data used in this article was taken from PFF.
Let’s analyze some of the important plays from this game!
Gray Zabel Offensive Guard (65 snaps)
Zabel’s Week 2 numbers, according to PFF, weren’t impressive and
were quite different from Week 1. He led the way in pressures with four, of which three were hits and one pressure, resulting in a pass-block grade of 30.3. His run-block performance wasn’t much different either, with just 54.3 (the worst among Seahawks offensive linemen).
PFF uses rules to assign these grades and assign who yielded pressure. The Steelers used a lot of long stunts, putting the edge on one side and crossing the defensive end on the opposite side. He often ended up going into Zabel’s gap, but based on the OL’s call (BoB, Full Slide, or Half Slide), it didn’t seem like Zabel’s fault.
In fact, he seemed more alert and quicker to react to these types of plays. In the play above, TJ Watt leaves the D gap on the right side of the OL to attack the B gap on the left side of the OL. The purpose of this “delayed” stunt is to catch the OL by surprise after they commit to their blocking. Zabel slides to the right side (following the OL’s call), but this time he doesn’t keep his eyes fixed on the DL in front of him, keeps his head up, and identifies the EDGE’s stunt.
Zabel was once again involved in a rushing TD. This time, he blocks the safety at the third level to facilitate Ken Walker’s arrival in the end zone. He moves with ease and fluidity.
He doesn’t take a good angle to block on the DL. When the center tries to help with a double-team, he ends up getting in the way, and Zabel lacks the strength to stay engaged, forcing Ken Walker to improvise.
As I said, his performance in the running game had its ups and downs, as did basically the entire OL. In this play, he makes a beautiful combo block showing speed coming out of his stance and strength to move the defender and then turns to the backside opening the gap for the RB.
Nick Emmanwori, Defensive Back (0 snaps)
Injured.
Elijah Arroyo, Tight End (26 snaps)
He had three targets for two receptions and 31 yards. His usage in Week 2 was much closer to my projection for him in Klint Kubiak’s scheme. Of his 26 snaps, only seven were blocks.
Arroyo received a 74.3 run-blocking grade (second on the team). Most of his blocks didn’t have a significant positive impact. Furthermore, he let TJ Watt pass on the backside.
Good release against a defensive back. The Steelers player tries to make contact right at the line of scrimmage, but Arroyo easily escapes.
Arroyo presents a vertical threat, forcing Jalen Ramsey to run at full speed toward him, leaving space for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to receive the pass. I believe this ability to open up space can be further explored as the season progresses.
Jalen Milroe, Quarterback (0 snaps)
Inactive.
Rylie Mills, Defensive Lineman (0 snaps)
NFI List.
Tory Horton, Wide Receiver (26 snaps)
After having no targets in his debut, he had four against the Steelers, catching two passes for 31 yards and one TD. His verticality should start to show in the coming games.
Horton was injured in his final college season. It seems he’s getting very close to his ideal form, especially in terms of speed.
Robbie Ouzts, Fullback (27 snaps)
He played a lot for a fullback. His number of snaps was higher than Arroyo and Eric Saubert, and the other TEs on the team. He ran only seven routes, had no targets, and spent 20 snaps blocking (14 running and 6 passing).
The Seahawks’ OL seemed confused on some blocking assignments, and I think this contributed to their lack of production on the ground. Ouzts also made some of these read errors and was impacted by others’ mistakes. In the snap above, he loses physicality to the defender and allows the cornerback to be tackled.
The previous snap must have been passed through his timeline several times since the end of the game. A fantastic block by the cornerback that essentially knocked down two Steelers players. One, including Patrick Queen, took advantage of Zabel’s mistake to get a clear path to the cornerback but was blocked by Robbie’s block.
Bryce Cabeldue, Offensive Lineman (0 snaps)
No snaps.
Mason Richman, Offensive Lineman (0 snaps)
Inactive.
Final Thoughts
I hope Emmanwori recovers soon and gets a good number of snaps in this defense; it’s important for his development. I think Zabel gave us the feeling that he could do more in this game, and Arroyo and Horton gave signs that they can (and should) be used more in the attack in the coming weeks.
