Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider says the quiet part out loud

All things considered the Seattle Seahawks have done an excellent job of team building in the John Schneider-Pete Carroll era. That's a big part in how they've only posted one losing record in the last 13 years and made the NFL playoffs in nine of them. They've done a superb job with quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and all three levels of their defense, fielding talented teams every year on both sides of the ball.

That being said, all along there's been one glaring flaw that they haven't been able to figure out: the offensive line. Over the years they have gone through a dozen different starting combinations and have ranked everywhere from first in offensive line spending to last, but the results have been largely the same - usually among the worst in the league.

The Seahawks are well aware of the problem and know that they likely won't get back to contender status unless they figure it out. Here's what Schneider had to say about it earlier this week in an appearance on Seattle Sports radio, according to Mike Dugar at The Athletic.

John Schneider on Seahawks offensive line issues

"And getting back to Philly, they've done a great job there. Their offensive line coach is a really good coach and been there for a long time. They've done a really nice job getting the acquisition and (development) in there, and that's what we need to improve on. We need to improve our ability to identify and develop because it's 50% both ways and you have to be able to develop these guys."

Of course this is easier said than done. Schneider's track record with drafting offensive linemen is bad, but he only deserves part of the blame in this department. Remember, former head coach Pete Carroll had full roster control until last year, so he's ultimately responsible for the poor results at the line of scrimmage.

Still, Year 1 of the post-Pete Carroll era saw this problem become arguably worse than ever before - as Seattle's talented offense crashed and burned under the weight of awful pass protection and even worse run blocking from their front five.

Fixing the issue will require two critical changes. For one thing, new offensive line coach John Benton has to do a better job of coaching up this unit than his predecessors. However, no amount of coaching can overcome a real lack of ability. The Seahawks simply have to do a better job of finding and developing their linemen.

The solution should include not trying to rely so much on building the line through the draft - which has been almost a total failure outside of Charles Cross and Russell Okung, who were both top-10 picks. Schneider should change course from his usual operating methods and be willing to spend on veterans who have already proven they can perform at this level.

Freeing up the cap room to splurge on offensive linemen free agency will require some painful roster cuts, but it's something that has to happen - or else no matter how else they improve this roster during the offseason it will go to waste if that OL continues to be one of the league's worst.

John Schneider on Seahawks offensive line issues

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