Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers: 5 takeaways from Seattle’s win
By Keith Myers
Aug 29, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) signals pre snap in the first quarter of a preseason game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The offensive line was… ugh…
Gary Gilliam played most of the game, and was the best of the group. He showed much better on running plays this week than he did last week, while still being solid as a pass blocker.
JR Sweezy is the same guy we’ve seen the last couple of season. He’s great on many run plays, but occasionally completely whiffs on a block. He also still struggles in pass protection.
Drew Nowak played fine. He was good on most plays. The problem was that when he failed on blocks, he did so in spectacular fashion.
I’m not going to judge Alvin Bailey too harshly. He’s a backup who was forced into the starting lineup because of injury. He didn’t exactly play well, but he played about as well as you should expect a backup LT to play.
And then there is LG Justin Britt. His play can best be described as putrid. He left defenders unblocked with regularity. He struggled in both pass protection and as in run blocking. The promise he showed last week was no where to be see in San Diego.
Put it all together and you get too many defenders living in Seattle’s backfield. It felt like the game against Denver all over again. The Seahawks likely regret that that were unable to sign Evan Mathis right now.
Overall, the Seahawks have shuffled the O-line too much. It hurt communication and teamwork. The unit needs some continuity right now. In time, they should be okay.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks are running out of time.
Next: Young CBs step up