Seahawks address quarterback pressure with a different answer
It’s no secret that Russell Wilson has been getting pressured too much. The Seahawks did a lot to fix that this off-season, just not in the usual way.
Russell Wilson gets hit often. Far too often for a team that needed their quarterback to generate 37 of their 38 touchdowns last season. For the past few years, the popular refrain has been, “When are they going to fix the offensive line?” The line could be better, but the answer isn’t that simple. The Seahawks already addressed the more complex part of the problem.
When I say Wilson has been hit often, I mean far too often. In 2017, he was hit 121 times. In 2016, he took 111 hits. From 2017 back Wilson has ranked third, fourth, third (114), twelfth in 2014 (91), and eleventh in 2013 (94) in taking hits. His rookie season was a miraculous aberration. Wilson was hit just 64 times in 2012, actually fifth fewest in the league.
In 2011, the year before he arrived, the Seahawks tied for allowing the most quarterback hits in the league, 114. Who was pulling the trigger on the offense? Tarvaris Jackson, the very low-rent version of Russell Wilson. So it isn’t just Russell Wilson that’s to blame, either.
Just for fun, Wilson has been sacked at least 40 times every year since his sophomore season. That’s five straight years of 40-plus sacks. He’s only the third quarterback to enjoy eating the turf at that rate. Obviously that’s a record neither he nor the Seahawks enjoy.
More from 12th Man Rising
- 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
- Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency
- Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
- 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
- 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson
No one gets pressured more than the Seahawks
Footballoutsiders.com looked at eighteen quarterbacks from 2012 – 2016. Russell Wilson was pressured more than any other quarterback in the group, feeling the pass rush on 33.9 percent of the time. No other QB was pressured more than 30 percent. Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees were pressured on just 20 percent of their dropbacks. Per Pro Football Focus, 2017 was even worse as he was under pressure on 41 percent of his dropbacks. Obviously something has to be done.
Good news! Seattle is doing something about it. First though, you have to realize Wilson himself is responsible to some degree. He held on to the ball longer than almost any other quarterback in the league last year. Only Tyrod Taylor, at 3.17 seconds, held the ball longer from snap to pass than Wilson’s 3.14 seconds.
Wilson’s average is driven up to some extent by his penchant for running from sideline to sideline behind the line of scrimmage before pulling off a miraculous completion. At times, though, he winds up on the turf.
Seahawks have to run and run some more
No one wants Wilson to stop making those miracle plays, so you have to accept that he’s going to take some sacks in the attempt. A better solution would be something Pete Carroll has talked about for a while now. That would be re-establishing the running game. Carroll said before the 2017 season he wanted to run the ball about 600 times. They barely cracked 400 carries last year, and Wilson had 95 of those himself to lead the team in both attempts and yardage. That can’t happen again in 2018. Hiring run-game Brian Schottenheimer was a good start.
Seattle did a lot more this off-season to beef up the running game. They took the best-blocking tight end in the draft, in the University of Washington’s Will Dissly. Another player that should help Wilson avoid pressure is the tight end Seattle picked up in free agency, Ed Dickson. Pro Football Focus rated him the best pass-blocking tight end in the league in 2017. While neither he nor Dissly will ever be confused with Tony Gonzalez, they can catch the ball and do some damage. Oh, and they took the NCAA leading rusher with the first pick. That should be nice, too.
While the Seahawks didn’t revamp their offensive line, they did take a lot of steps to improve their running game. 200 more carries for the Seahawks means more effective play-action. It should mean fewer passing attempts from Wilson. Most of all, it means fewer chances for Seattle’s offensive leader to take the hit that ends his season, and the Seahawks with it.