Seattle Seahawks: Statistical Similarities from Last Season Heading into Sunday’s Carolina Game

Heading into Sunday’s clash, the Seattle Seahawks sit at 3-3. .500. Even. It’s a cross roads of sorts for the defending Super Bowl champions. They’ll be hoping to start a successful run with a win in Carolina against the Panthers like they did to open last season.

One of the main reasons the Hawks’ are at .500 is a pass defense that hasn’t been as vaunted as last year’s group. Teams have been going after Richard Sherman in coverage, but another reason the pass defense may be doing worse statically is that the team hasn’t been able to pressure the quarterback as much as last season.

Speaking of last season, here is a look at some of the Seahawks statistics as a team last year and this year. We’ll start with the defensive side of the ball.

Defense

                                                                                2013                              2014

Yards per play allowed-                               4.4                                             5.2       

Passing Touchdowns allowed-                   16 (16 games)                                    12 (6 games)

Interceptions                                                     28                                                           2

Opposing QB Passer Rating                          63.4                                                103.9 

Rushing yards allowed per game               101.6                                                     85.5

Yards per rush attempt                                 3.9                                                          3.2

Offense

                                        2013                                                2014

Total Offense Ranking (League)                              9th                                                   6th   

Average yards gained per play                            5.6                                                          6

Rushing yards per attempt                                   4.3                                                          5.4

Percent of drives ending in a score                   40.7                                                        44.4

Rushing yards per game                          136.8                                                             153.3                                                        

With the exception of being more susceptible through the air (something that partly has to do with the pass rush) and uptick in rushing yards (likely due to Russell Wilson’s increased rushing yardage), Seattle’s stats aren’t that different from last year’s Super Bowl winning team. Now the team just has to win some games to get back to that peak.

 

All stats courtesy of http://www.pro-football-reference.com/ unless otherwise noted.

Seattle Seahawks’ Repeat and Dynasty Potential: Why Team’s Superb Player Development is the Key

The Seattle Seahawks have experienced some of the usual perks of winning a Super Bowl. The parade, the sudden interest shown by media in the team’s players, etc.

Another result of the Super Bowl win has been a number of teams taking interest in the Seahawks’ free agents. Other teams are/were looking to take some of the Seahawks’ exceptional depth. The team has already lost supporting players Chris Maragos, Paul McQuistan and Clinton McDonald to free agency while key players like Golden Tate, Red Bryant, Walter Thurmond and Chris Clemons have also left town.

In addition to those players, the team also lost cornerback Brandon Browner and tackle Breno Giacomini, while players such as Sidney Rice and Michael Robinson could be brought back, but nothing is certain.

All of these losses will be felt in one way or another, but the team’s superb player development will help them sustain their winning ways.

Pete Carroll and friends find diamonds in the rough. Players like Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. Players who were late-round draft picks or undrafted. These players soon develop into starting players, as evidenced by Sherman’s meteoric rise to elite status.

Developing late-round/undrafted players also gives Seattle a huge boost in terms of the salary cap and money. These players’ rookie contracts are much cheaper than a first or second-round picks’ contract. All of this adds up, thus the team can target more players in free agency to supplement the team.

So far, some of the Seahawks’ more prominent losses in free agency are easily replaceable with much cheaper players who could develop into better players.

For example, Tate’s will be replaced by Jermaine Kearse, while a healthier Percy Harvin will improve the offense even more so. The two should more than make up for the former Notre Dame standout.

Kearse is still on his rookie deal, while Tate signed for five years and as much as 31 million dollars with Detroit. This will save the Hawks lots of cash to funnel into players like Harvin or complementary veterans on shorter contracts.

On the offensive line, McQuistan and Giacomini will be replaced by younger players like Michael Bowie and Alvin Bailey. The team showed confidence in the latter pair last season and could also draft a lineman or two come April. Former first-round pick James Carpenter could also start.

Cornerback Byron Maxwell is another young player who will find himself starting again next year. The former Clemson Tiger filled in admirably for Browner during his suspension and in the process left no doubt that he was the better player for the role, as opposed to Thurmond. Maxwell, as well as young, cheap and talented corners Jeremy Lane, DeShawn Shead and Tharold Simon, will make up for the loss of the departed players.

All in all, players like Kearse, Bowie and Maxwell may or may not turn into star players. Their impact probably won’t be the sole reason the Seahawks turn into a dynasty. What will propel the Seahawks into a dynasty is their ability to continually find and develop under-valued players into impact performers.

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Build Up: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are Seahawks Fans

Obviously you’re likely a Seahawks’ fan if you’re from the Seattle area. So it makes sense that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are. Here they are talking about it on Ellen. Plus Ellen, again, explaining why she’s rooting for the Broncos.

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Build Up: Joel McHale’s Love of the Seahawks

Joel McHale loves the Seahawks and explained it to Ellen recently. The 12th Man is everywhere. Even Hollywood.

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Build Up: Destruction of a Bronco

Here are some Hawks fans in Ferndale going to town on a 1985 Ford Bronco. Enjoy!

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Build Up: Cute Dog Picks the Super Bowl Winner

Sticking with the tradition of showing cute animals picking the Super Bowl, here is Anastacia the Dog picking the winner by process of balloons on the Tonight Show.