Our Seahawks dared to lose a regular season game for the first time in 10 months, falling 33-31 to the Washington Commanders. It stings, especially after our guys comfortably out-gained Washington on the afternoon. Turnovers absolutely killed us, plain and simple, and now we’re left with some serious questions after that gut punch.
Where Did Our Special Teams Go?
Coach Mike Macdonald is already “lamenting” the “lackluster special teams,” and honestly, who can blame him? We lost Dareke Young as a free agent to the Las Vegas Raiders, and then Jake Bobo suffered an unfortunate ACL tear in training camp. But the real head-scratcher is Cody White. He was on the roster throughout preseason, then lost his spot to Montorie Foster Jr., our “Hard Knocks” star. Here’s the kicker: Foster hasn’t even played in the last two games, meaning we’ve got no reserve wide receivers on kick or punt coverage duties. What gives?
My buddy Bryce Coutts put it perfectly on The Hawks Eye podcast: “On specials, Cody White was a factor. You lost Dareke Young as a gunner, Irv Charles hasn’t been able to go, Montorie Foster hasn’t given you anything on specials, and your specials have been atrocious. I feel if Cody White was able to be on here, at least you would’ve gotten something out of him on specials because he was one of the better gunners and kick cover guys.” He’s not wrong. Losing Young, Bobo, and White is a huge hit to special teams snaps. If Foster isn’t contributing, should we have pushed harder to keep White and stashed Foster on the practice squad? It sure makes you think. Maybe Emmanuel Henderson, Ricky White III, and Irv Charles can be special teams options as the season goes on, but for now, it’s a mess.
What’s Up With Right Guard?
Another rotation, another headache. Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens split snaps at right guard for the second week in a row. I’m telling you, I am not interested in a midseason competition for a backup right guard spot. Either Haynes needs to get all the snaps or Stephens does. This back-and-forth, especially with Haynes in split duties again like he was as a rookie, makes you wonder. Is it his conditioning? Is there something lacking in his game that makes the coaching staff hesitant to play him a full game?
Bryce hit on another key point, asking, “How much do the Seahawks in the run game miss Anthony Bradford right now? Because he can move people. This is where that rotation with Christian Hayne…” He’s right. We need someone who can consistently move people on that line, plain and simple.
This 33-31 loss hurts, but the questions it raises about our special teams and the O-line are even bigger. Coach Macdonald and the staff have to figure this out. Our Emerald City 12s deserve better than “atrocious” special teams and a rotating offensive line. We gotta fix this, Hawks. Fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
Leave a Reply