TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN – The question about Russell Wilson should be easy to answer. Wilson is 33 and the window is closing on him. He’s a loyal person and I don’t believe he will demand a trade. He will demand to have more say in how the team is construction going forward. I know I would. He needs a more stable offensive line and that should be the No. 1 problem to be solved to get the Seahawks back on playoff track. It’s my view the offensive line is key to any success. Look what Bill Belichick does each year at New England. He builds a great offensive line and that erases a lot of problems and leads to an effective running attack and a safe place for quarterbacks. Tom Brady used to have time to eat his lunch behind Belichick built lines. You can’t just put big guys with strength up front and hope to have success. I remember when I was covering prep football games for the Bremerton Sun and went to a playoff game involving Central Kitsap, which was facing Foss, which had a much smaller line. Time after time the Foss offensive line blew away the CK defensive front. They were much quicker and on at least one play I remember seeing the entire CK line laying on the ground while the Foss running back was running for a score. The University of Washington had the fifth largest offensive line in college football this past season, but it was consistently blown up. Why? They were big, but slow, and defenses poured through it like fine wine flowing in a tall glass. Speed and quickness kills. The Pac-12 commissioner – George Kliavkoff – told reporter Jon Wilner the same thing I’m talking about. Kliavkoff said, “I saw a lot of Pac-12 football in person, and I would put our skill-position players up against any in the country. But we have a size disadvantage with our offensive and defensive lines. We need to recruit bigger, stronger, faster kids on the line of scrimmage.” Look at Alabama, Georgia and all the SEC teams. They have big lines, but also quick lines. Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll is a defensive coach. That is where he has made his money. But he needs to have offensive line coaches that can coach up their lineman, and get them quicker. It’s no good to have 6-5 and 340-pound lineman if they can’t move their feet to hold off defensive lineman. So Wilson should demand better OL coaching and quickness. The Seahawks must also improve their passing defense. Their 270.4 yards allowed per game is second worse in the NFL (Baltimore is last at 281.7). I don’t know where to lay the blame for that, although second year linebacker Jordyn Brooks is not very good at coverage. I don’t know what to do either with DK Metcalf. For a guy who is built like a power lifter and has speed, he doesn’t get open as much as he should. He seems to play down to his defenders. His motivation is also suspect. He should be eating up the NFL. There’s a guy playing with him that does eat up the NFL, and Tyler Lockett is much, much smaller and nowhere as quick. If Wilson can be assured the offensive line woes will be fixed and the problem of pass defense, especially in the middle of the field is fixed, I see no reason he wouldn’t return. But if he doesn’t that makes it a whole new ballgame. You just don’t find the quality of Russell Wilson on trees. They are rare. His loss means a serious rebuild, and I don’t know if the 12s will come along with that. There has been some speculation that team owner Jody Allen will sell the Seahawks, with the implication a woman can’t cut it being a NFL owner. That’s BS and very sexist. By all reports, she is fully invested in the team. Leave it alone. She is doing great. That’s it for today. Stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.