3 ups and 3 downs for Seattle Seahawks in preseason game 1

Seahawks ups and downs from preseason game 1 include the CBs

Down: The rookie cornerbacks weren’t so good

Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant might one day be really good and it’s tough to really grade how well they did against the Steelers as it was a preseason game and there is no scheming against other teams.

But some of the issues with Woolen and Bryant were mechanical, not schematic. Woolen missed badly on a tackle on the Steelers first drive which allowed the drive to be extended. He also totally misunderstood what the coverage was on Pittsburgh’s first touchdown pass – he appeared to be playing man and everyone else was in zone – and allowed Pittsburgh to throw an easy touchdown pass. These kinds of mistakes can’t be made in a real game.

Bryant played a bit better as the game went on but he missed tackles early too. He also got beat on a corner route for a touchdown in man coverage.

Up: Boye Mafe looks like a freak

The Seahawks drafted Mafe in hopes he and Darrell Taylor could be the foundation of a young and dangerous pass rush. Mafe played off and on the entire game and ended up with three tackles that included two sacks.

One of his sacks happened when Pittsburgh went for it on fourth down with a bit over a minute left in the game. The play gave the ball back to the Seahawks who could have won even with a field goal, except that Lock was sacked and fumbled. But Mafe’s speed was on full display and he looks like he could get 8 sacks or more for Seattle this year.