Seahawks need to bust these three myths to be successful in 2022
By Lee Vowell
Myth 1: Pete Carroll likes to run the ball too much
First of all, I am starting to think national pundits like to say Carroll wants to run the ball all the time because they know no better but by saying it so much it becomes truth in the national perception. If saying that Carroll wants to run the ball too much is intentional then it is a lie. If it isn’t intentional, then it’s stupidity.
In 2010 when Carroll became the head coach of the Seahawks, Seattle threw the ball on 61.2 percent of offensive downs, the sixth-most in the league. In 2011, this went to 55.73 percent. Only between 2012 and 2015 did Seattle’s pass play percentage dip to around the lowest in the NFL. Why? Because running the ball was good for the success of the team.
While the team was throwing the ball more since 2016 the defense wasn’t as good and the team didn’t have the same level of success. Russell Wilson dropping back to pass a lot more did put Seattle in a position to win but ultimately the team faded out in the playoffs. The offensive style wasn’t sustainable.
Wilson was great, sure. But the team didn’t sniff the Super Bowl so a change needed to be made eventually. Seattle is still going to throw the ball a bunch because they have DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant. But this team, like all the most successful teams under Carroll, will come down to how good the defense is.