This is one of those moments where the numbers don’t necessarily back up the eye test.
According to multiple analyzers, the Seattle Seahawks offensive line is in familiar territory. Like, all the way at the back of the pack.
PFF, FTN, Fantasy Points and Sharp Football Analysis team up to give you the following ranking, with Seattle at 30th.
The 33rd Team also felt the Seahawks were near the bottom,
at 26th.
Look, so far down the list they didn’t even make the graphic!
So, in short, the new coaches have accomplished nothing. Seattle will never have a good center. Anthony Bradford is the worst lineman in the NFL.
Right?
Not so fast.
I have some serious issues with the way this first week was determined.
For one, the Seahawks didn’t have a single dreadful lineman. Not one of them was in the individual top 20.
Furthermore, one of the stats we were actually told factored in this ranking was Time to Throw (ToT). ToT is a horrible indicator of offensive line strength. A quarterback’s decision to release the ball is affected by so many things, not the least of which including whether there’s any threat of running. Quick-pass calls, lack of play action (anybody!!), stupid freaking screen passes – all affect ToT. Sam Darnold was sacked once and hit just twice and didn’t have a high pressure rate against.
Then you’ve got the Kenneth Walker problem. We’ve covered this extensively. One of the metrics used to judge offensive line value this week was RB yards before contact. Walker is so resolutely committed to 14-yard runs to reach the line of scrimmage that people online are actually asking the Internet why the head coach is calling for bad blocking when Walker runs and good blocking when Zach Charbonnet runs.
I have rewatched the game from Week 1. We’ve seen years of non-functional offensive line play; this was absolutely not it. As a point of concern, I hated every single toss play and screen pass. All of them. Getting hit in the backfield, loss of yardage everywhere.
A number of things contribute (I guess) to the writers feeling like the Seattle line is the same as it’s always been. I’m not convinced just yet. Are they elite? By no means. Is Anthony Bradford good or bad this year? I have no idea.
But line play sucks in most of the NFL cities, and I’ve become convinced this group is nowhere near third-worst.
