Derick Hall and Jarran Reed's sideline fiasco perfect example of current Seahawks
By Lee Vowell
Derick Hall made a mistake. Near the end of the first half, with the game theoretically still winnable for the Seattle Seahawks, Hall pressured Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, but Allen threw the ball; Hall did not stop and ended up hitting Allen's head with his helmet, which drew a 15-yard penalty and gave the Bills a first down. It was a bad play. Hall should have owned it.
Instead, he and defensive tackle Jarran Reed got into a heated argument on the field that spilled over on the sideline with Hall and Reed getting into a shoving match. Reed later used the moment to talk to the second-year player about controlling his temper and playing smart. Let's hope it sticks.
Not just with Hall, but with the rest of the team. Seattle has seemingly missed the learning the details this season. As player-friendly as former head coach Pete Carroll was, and as much as his teams were seemingly undisciplined, new head coach Mike Macdonald's team is no better, and likely worse. Seattle makes mistakes in every facet of the game.
Seahawks embarrassment grows in Week 8 loss to the Bills
In Week 8 alone, punt returner Dee Williams slipped and muffed a punt late in the game and the Buffalo Bills made an easy recovery. The play did not change the outcome of the game, as that had long been decided in favor of the Bills, but it was another embarrassing moment of many for the Seahawks. Other teams, especially ones who think they might one day be good, do not make as many simple mistakes as Seattle.
Center Connor Williams had a terrible first half. He snapped the ball over Geno Smith's head as Seattle might have been going in for a touchdown. Instead, the play turned into a 20-plus-yard loss. Williams soon had another play where he stepped on Smith's foot and caused Seattle to lose yards again.
Defensively, even besides the Hall and Reed fiasco, there were far too many mistakes to account for. The team had zero sacks. Worse, no player was credited with a quarterback hit. Josh Allen threw the ball 34 times. There was plenty of opportunity for Seattle to get even one hit on Allen. Instead, they made the game easy for the Bills, a far too common event against opponents over the last five games.
Seattle can't run the ball consistently. The team has a terrible offensive line except for left tackle Charles Cross (who also was far from perfect in Week 8). The Seahawks cannot stop the run. There is no path to having a successful season if the only person having an elite-level performance at their job is punter Michael Dickson.
Seattle is now 4-4 after their 31-10 loss to Buffalo and looking at being 4-5 heading into the bye week. The team started 3-0. That was before Derick Hall made his horrible mistake against the Bills, and veteran Reed needed to have a stern talk with him. The inexperience with the Seahawks, both in its coaching staff and key players, is palpable. Reed could not save the game against the Bills, and the veterans cannot save the young players.
Everyone on the team - again, coaches and players - needs to grow up fast. The NFL doesn't care if someone is new to their position. Professionals need to do their jobs consistently and at a high level. Seattle cannot do that right now.