Seattle Seahawks Roundtable: Offensive Line Worries

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Keith Myers

On a scale of yet another poor Spiderman movie to a Twilight series reboot, how worried are you about the offensive line.

I’d say I’m “Why the hell would you make an Aquaman movie?” level of worried right now. We expected the youngsters to struggle in Week 1. This is especially true for when playing an elite defensive line like the Rams have. What was troublesome was that the vets also struggled.

Russell Okung used to be one of the best in the NFL. That is no longer the case. He is getting beat by speed rushers with regularity now, and that is worrisome.

J.R. Sweezy is in his 4th year. The super athletic former defensive lineman should have turned the corner and become a god player by now, but he hasn’t. He is still making dumb technique mistakes that allow defenders to get the better of him.

At some point, Pete Carroll needs to step in and make sure that the guys being asked to protect Russell Wilson actually know how to block. This is very similar to a studio exec needing to step in an pull the plug on an Aquaman movie before anyone wastes money producing one.

I think the Seahawks will figure this out. I believe that the line will gel at some point in the future. I also believe that, while an Aquaman move might not be completely putrid, that doesn’t mean it needs to be made.

Dan Viens

On a scale of “Journey as a 70’s jazz fusion band with no singer” to “Journey with Steve Perry,” how worried are you about the offensive line?

I rate the Seahawks current offensive line as “Journey with Steve Augeri.” In their early years Journey was talented but without a singer they were the worst thing you could be, uninteresting and irrelevant.

With Perry they spent a few years ruling the world and SHOULD be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were elite. All 5 members were uniquely talented and together as a unit they meshed to achieve greatness.

Augeri was the first singer to replace Perry when he and the band parted ways. Augeri had some raw ability, the right attitude about it, and the musical chops, but no where near the ceiling of Perry.

And, like the current Seahawks offensive line, he fell victim to being thrust into a position he wasn’t ready for, and ultimately not talented enough. He was a good singer, but being forced to sing the Perry catalog was too much to ask, and ultimately it took it’s toll.

Augeri blew out his voice and it took him years to back to being able to record. The Hawks current O-line is made up of 3/5 players who are recent converts to the position, and their inexperience and lack of instincts for the position shows. Add that to the fact they haven’t had a chance to build any continuity yet and what you get often looks like a mess.

Just like Journey did when I saw them at the Gorge with Augeri in 2006. The lineup never built on their early potential, Augeri’s voice was shot, and I actually left a JOURNEY show early because they sounded so bad. Shortly after that, Augeri was booted from the band.

I don’t know if this current Seahawks offensive line group has a Steve Perry ceiling, but there is the possibility they could ascend at least to where they are now with Arnel Pineda. Solid, consistent, and trust-worthy. I’ll take that.

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