Seahawks 2021 final grades for players and coaching staff are a mixed bag

Seahawks coaching staff – nobody gets a car

Coaches: I imagine at least some of you loyal 12s have seen the Oprah Winfrey Show. It’s existed nearly as long as the Seahawks themselves. Okay, that’s a stretch, but it is older than most of the current players, including old men Russ and BWagz. Of all the current Hawks, only Duane Brown and Adrian Peterson have been on the planet longer than that show.

So I expect most of you have heard the phrase, “You get a car, and you get a car, and you get a car!” Because Oprah would on occasion place keys to a Brand New Car! under the seat of every audience member.

Let me tell you, 12s; no one on the Seahawks coaching staff is getting a brand new car. We just heard Tuesday that Ken Norton Jr. and defensive passing game coordinator Andre Curtis were relieved of their responsibilities. The reason every single one of the defensive units graded as low as they did was the fault of Norton. We’ve dissected his ineptitude often enough already.

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron doesn’t fare much better. Despite the success of the Seahawks success in the past with play-action and the Rams success with it last season, Seattle dropped from 144 play-action passes to 128 this year. RPO passing attempts barely moved up from 34 to 39. The innovative passing game we were promised was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that may save his job was the offensive surge of the final two games.

Frankly, it shouldn’t be enough. The Hawks scored 22.5 percent of their points in those two games. Had they scored their average through game 15, they would have averaged just 20.4 PPG, not 23.2.  That would drop their already poorly ranked offense from 16th to 21st.

Pete Carroll has to take some of the heat, of course. He hired Waldron, after all. Somehow he convinced himself that Norton was a quality DC, when everyone with a work address outside 12 Seahawks Way knew he was mediocre at best. Pete more than deserves another shot, though.

One losing season in the last ten doesn’t warrant dismissal. Still, with better coaching, most of these grades would improve. The only reason I didn’t give the coaches an F is that the team didn’t quit on them. Overall: D