Seahawks' Offensive Struggles Less About "Letting Russ Cook," More About Circumstances
Russell Wilson was bad versus the Rams this past Sunday and may very well be the biggest contributing factor to the Seahawks’ 23-16 defeat. In fact, I would go as far as to say it was one of his worst performances of his career amidst one of the worst stretches of his career.
There really is no way around it. Over the past four games, Wilson has turned the ball over 10 times to the tune of seven interceptions and three fumbles. With the interceptions in particular, Wilson has made some uncharacteristic throws and decisions, often forcing the situation, miscommunicating with his receiver, or foregoing a modest gain in favor of something more explosive just to see it all blow up in his face.
For a quarterback that has constantly preached “ignoring the noise” and “having amnesia” when it comes to bad plays, it’s almost surrealistic to see Wilson not bounce back like he has in the past in the face of adversity. It seemed as if he had shaken off the disappointing three-interception performance against the Cardinals in Week 7 by following up with four touchdowns and no turnovers versus the 49ers a week later, but the Wilson we saw in Arizona has reappeared over Seattle’s last two games.
Now, I’ve seen a lot of hot takes following the loss to the Rams about how Wilson and the Seahawks’ offensive struggles are directly tied to the high volume of pass plays they’ve called on a weekly basis, a.k.a. the “Let Russ Cook” movement, but I don’t buy it. Firstly, claiming that letting Wilson ‘cook’ and volume go hand-in-hand is an oversimplification and not even all that accurate. It’s more so a situational philosophy, putting the ball in Seattle’s best player’s hands ahead of schedule. For example, throwing the ball short of the sticks on first down and running on second down, instead of running a higher risk of winding up in a second or third-and-long scenario by starting a new set of downs with a run.
Wilson isn’t making bad decisions because he’s been given more opportunities, whether that’s a volume or situational matter. And to say otherwise would be inaccurate and completely undermines the circumstances that Wilson’s been faced with over the past few weeks.
Say what you will about the value of running backs in today’s NFL, but Seattle’s offense clearly looks different and less efficient without the injured Chris Carson. The absence of Carson and Carlos Hyde in the backfield have not only led to some struggles in the run game, but has also affected the offense’s ability to consistently succeed on play action. Teams are also starting to sell out more for the pass because of this, blitzing Wilson early and often, and Seattle’s offensive line hasn’t responded great, though Wilson has run himself into pressure on multiple occasions as well. And, when you’re constantly finding yourself facing large deficits due to your historically bad defense, it’s hard to generate any sort of rhythm or game plan when it’s rather obvious you have to pass on almost every play, such was the case in the loss to the Bills last week.
Even though Seattle’s defense was able to right the ship after starting off horrifically bad against the Rams, their struggles thus far would indicate that Wilson has to be near perfect every week in order for the Seahawks to even have a chance in most games. Perhaps, even for someone as mentally disciplined as Wilson is, that sort of extraordinary responsibility has had an effect on him. Especially when most of Wilson’s poor decisions could be classified as him simply “doing too much.”
Three bad games isn’t enough for me - nor should it be for anyone - to jump ship on “Let Russ Cook,” particularly when two of those games more so fall on the defense. And this isn’t just any bad defense, it’s still well on pace to be the worst defense against the pass of all-time; the NFL has been around for 100 years and has possibly never seen a worse unit than this one. That’s a lot of burden to bear and overcome for anyone, even a player that’s one of the best to ever field his position like I believe Wilson is. So I don’t blame him if it has had a psychological impact on him.
One guy isn’t going to erase the laundry list of issues the Seahawks have right, no matter how good he is. For as much praise as Patrick Mahomes has rightfully received, even he could do nothing but watch as Bob Sutton’s defense failed to get off the field against Tom Brady and the Patriots in the 2018 AFC Championship Game. I doubt anyone in Kansas City, the state of Missouri, or anyone with a pair of eyes and a fully-functioning brain looked at that and went, “They lost because they should have passed less.”
Yes, Wilson was excruciatingly bad against the Rams and the brunt of that loss should be placed upon his shoulders. But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that if this team fails to do anything of significance in 2020, he’s at the very top of the list of who’s to blame. Honestly, given how bad the circumstances are around him, if the Seahawks are able to reach an NFC Championship or beyond, Wilson would have to go on one of the greatest runs in quarterback history. That or the defense turns things around. Which feels more likely? Let’s just say I’m hesitant to choose the latter.
That’s just how bad things are and just how perfect Wilson will likely need to be with no light seemingly at the end of the tunnel. It’s a lot to put on Wilson, or any other quarterback for that matter, affording him virtually no wiggle room where anything short of perfection is grounds for a reaction like the one we’re seeing this week. That’s ridiculous. Wilson needs to be a lot better than he has been this past month, but there are so many other, far more concerning downsides to the Seahawks that need to be addressed and “throwing the ball too much” is not one of them. Not even close.
