3 quick New Year’s Eve wishes for the Seattle Seahawks in 2022
By Lee Vowell
The Seattle Seahawks have not had a very good 2021 season but New Year’s is a time of new beginnings so here are three wishes for it.
The Seahawks are 5-10 (hard to believe) and will not make the playoffs this year. But over the last decade, they have been very good. Maybe 2021 is a one-off bad season? 2022 could be much better with a bit more health and better luck.
But Seattle does need to make some changes this offseason to be better next year. Some of these changes are part of my three New Year’s Eve wishes for Seattle for a better 2022.
New Year’s Eve wishes for the Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks hire Josh Heupel to be offensive coordinator
Josh Heupel has never coached or played in the NFL. I don’t care. Heupel does what every great coach does: He has a great idea of what a scheme should look like but also uses the players he has to get the best out of the player and the scheme. Heupel doesn’t scheme to what a defense might do to his offenses; His offenses dictate play.
Heupel is currently the head coach at the University of Tennessee but he has been successful at whatever school he has been at. He wants his offenses to get snaps off at a pace of 3 a minute. But his scheme isn’t about speed only; His designs take advantage of the weakness in the design of the defense. Seattle needs an offensive coordinator who knows how to do this and whether it’s college or pros, Heupel will know how to do this. He’s that smart.
Seahawks hire Kris Richard to come back as defensive coordinator
Seattle did Kris Richard wrong, let’s be real. Seattle had an excellent defense under Richard until a lot of good players got hurt and then the last half of 2017 wasn’t good. But Richard was then directing a lot of backups. Tell any other coach prior to them losing a lot of key players, “We think you’re a good coach but we will fire you if you lose your best players to injury” and that coach might rightfully tell you where you can take your opinion.
Pete Carroll needs to do two things. First, fire Ken Norton, Jr. Secondly, immediately call Richard and apologize for how he was treated and beg him to come back as DC. Richard’s players love playing for him and he has a great idea of how to be aggressive. Seattle misses that aggressiveness.
Rashaad Penny stays healthy for all of the 2022 season
Rashaad Penny has been mostly good in his Seahawks career. When. Healthy. But he hasn’t mostly been healthy. That said, he has been healthy and fantastic very late in 2021. Seattle has no true number one back heading into 2022 as there is no guarantee Chris Carson will be healthy enough to play next year.
3 Seahawks who might be playing their final 2 games with Seattle. dark. Next
Penny, though, if healthy, can be better than Carson. Penny has a lot of strength, like Carson, but he is faster than Carson. Penny has a greater ability to create explosive plays. If Penny can be healthy and Seattle re-sign him to a team-friendly contract then Penny can be a top-ten running back in 2022.