Can the Seattle Seahawks find success without Marshawn Lynch?

When you think of the Seattle Seahawks on offense, you think of the run, right? Well try thinking of the Seahawks without Marshawn Lynch. Are you having trouble? Well at some point the Seahawks will have to continue their championship mindset without one of the most unique backs in NFL history.

In Russell Wilson‘s 48 games played in the regular season, 14 of those games he has been asked upon to throw the ball more than 30+ times. In those 14 games he has been somewhat successful.

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Eventually the Seattle Seahawks will have to rely on Wilson’s arm once Lynch decides to hang up the cleats. Slowly but surely they have begun to experiment life without the physical game that they are so accustomed to.

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Passing attempts have increased by year.

If the Seahawks want to have a successful and consistent passing game they’re going to have to adjust in terms of better passing protection and better wide receiver play. The last three years the Seahawks have been at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to pass protection.

The Seahawks pass protection rankings in the last three years according to football outsiders:

2014: 24th

2013: 32nd

2012: 20th

In the past two years, Russell Wilson has been in the top 6 when it comes down to being sacked. If there has been a weak spot on this roster, it’s the inconsistency that the quarterback gets when being protected. Brian Billick took Wilson’s top 16 games and put them into a ‘single season’. In this ‘season’, Wilson has a 64% completion rate, 27 touchdowns & 5 interceptions while in the pocket. Based on these results, if Wilson is given the length of time he needs to stay in the pocket, this success could be a constant reality.

The lack of protection isn’t the only problem the Seahawks have on their plate. Wide receiver play has also been inconsistent in terms of blocking or trying to create separation. The Seahawks haven’t had a true number 1 in quite a while. The Curse of the wide receivers started in 2006 when the Seahawks traded for Deion Branch.

After being traded to Seattle, Branch played in the final 14 games of the season for the Seahawks in 2006, starting 13 of them. Seemed like they had something there after trading away a 1st round selection, but it went down hill from there. Branch couldn’t stay healthy, the following season he started the first five games, before suffering a foot sprain and not returning until Week 11.

Branch went on to start six more games before a strained right calf kept him out of the team’s Week 17 game. In 2008, Branch missed eight of the first nine games to injury and finished the season fourth on the team with 30 catches for 412 yards and 4 touchdowns. In 2009, Branch had five starts out of 14 games played. In 2010, his final season with the team, he started three of the first four games, catching 13 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown.

Then there was T.J. Houshmandzadeh who was signed by the team in 2009 to a five-year $40 million contract with $15 million guaranteed. However he only lasted one year with the team despite putting up decent numbers.

After, was the “overweight” Mike Williams who was signed by the team in 2010 after being removed from the league for two years. He had career highs in both catches and yards twice that year and was then given a three-year extension. He followed his comeback season with disappointing results and was released in the 2012 season.

Finally, there was Percy Harvin. The Seattle Seahawks traded him for a first and seventh-round draft pick in 2013 and a third-round draft pick in 2014. Immediately after, they signed him to a new six-year, $67 million contract with $25.5 million guaranteed.

Percy basically missed the entire 2013 regular season due to being diagnosed with a slight labrum tear in his hip. The Seahawks went on and won a Super Bowl that year with Percy contributing in the big game.

The next season began with surprising stories being unraveled about locker room drama and anger management. Pete Carroll and John Schneider did the unthinkable by trading Percy to the Jets for a conditional mid-round draft pick.

This past decade has been a mess for the Seahawks when it comes down to wide receiver play, I mean they haven’t had a 1,000 yard receiver since Bobby Ingram caught 94 balls for 1,147 in 2007. A wide receiver will be a priority for the Seahawks this offseason.

Here are my top six wide receivers on the free-agent market this offseason:

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If the Seahawks want to be successful without Lynch, getting Russell Wilson a true threat on the outside is mandatory. They need a receiver that can, and will, develop with him over time. Look for the Seattle Seahawks to depend on the draft more so than free agency.

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