Eight games into the season, the Seattle Seahawks' offense clearly isn't where it needs to be. Some of that has been due to bad luck and injuries, but execution and their inability to take care of the football have also held them back every week.
With almost half of the regular season in the record books, the fans are also starting to lose patience with first-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury. All eyes were on him as a first-time play-caller, and he hasn't done much to appease the doubters.
That's why superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn't want to hear anything about that. Instead of blaming the play-calling, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year thinks the players haven't been up to the standard.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is putting the heat on the Seattle Seahawks' offense
"I thought [the play-calling] was fine," the wideout said (h/t Spoksman). "There's a lot of areas where we need to look at and point the finger to. I think we all take the blame, and we all could get better... We didn't execute well. Plain and simple."
That's fair to a degree. Sam Darnold hasn't been at his best; he's made some terrible reads and decisions, and almost every pass catcher but JSN has done a poor job of creating separation. Also, there are the turnovers and the blatant inability to run the ball.
That said, coaching has also left plenty to be desired. Fleury insists on running the ball on early downs even when it isn't working, putting Darnold in the spot by constantly facing third-and-long situations.
The Seahawks' offensive game plan has been vanilla and predictable. JSN makes guys miss in open space because he's twitchy and amazing, but an offense can stay ahead of the sticks consistently just by trusting one guy to make a play.
Even with Rashid Shaheed returning this season, this team should be in the market for another wide receiver. Cooper Kupp won't be much more than a third-down guy at this point in his career, and no one else has stepped up for the passing game.
As for the ground attack, getting Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet back, along with trading for Quenton Nelson, should help. That said, it's also on Fleury to create mismatches and exploit weaknesses on the opposition's defense. Also, when things aren't working, he has to adjust.
Truth be told, this has been a bit of a cursed season in Seattle. It feels like nothing has gone their way, whether it's due to injuries or unfortunate bounces. They've been on the wrong end of close games they would've won 9 times out of 10 last season.
But at the end of the day, they still have half the season to turn things around, and crying over spilled milk won't do them any favors. As JSN said, the players must be better, though that doesn't mean the guy calling the shots shouldn't be held accountable as well.
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