Seahawks player Pete Carroll chose not to play in 2023 gets high grade in Week 1

Part of the downfall of former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was that he was far too loyal for his own good. He kept coordinators, such as Ken Norton, Jr. and Brian Schottenheimer, around for much longer than he should have. He also played players more than they were worthy of playing.

This was definitely true of safety Jamal Adams. Adams was oft-injured and inefficient when he did play. Quandre Diggs was Adams' partner for most of the last four years only Diggs did his part and made multiple Pro Bowls. Seattle mostly had to fill in for Adams.

The worst example of this happened in 2023 after Seattle signed Julian Love in the offseason and wasted him for a bunch of the games Adams was healthy and Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt chose to play him. In the games Love started, the defense gave up an average of a touchdown less a game. One might think this would have dawned on the Seattle coaches.

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love gets high marks from Pro Football Focus in Week 1

Now Adams and Diggs are gone and Love is the clear starter and the alpha of the Seahawks safety room. Possibly even of the defense overall. He is an excellent communicator and fantastic in coverage. This was proven by his Week 1 performance.

Under new head coach Mike Macdonald's scheme, Love received a grade from Pro Football Focus of 93.4 in Week 1. That was the highest of any Seattle player other than left tackle Charles Cross. The safety had an interception and while he allowed five catches in six targets, those receptions only went for 23 yards.

Love was also in on 10 tackles but whiffed on only one tackle attempt. His quarterback rating allowed was just 43.1.

Last year, Love was a surprise pick for the Pro Bowl. This appeared to indicate that Love's fellow players appreciated him more than his former coaching staff did. That will not be the case with Mike Macdonald and his coaching staff. Love is an important cog in what the defense hopes to do. He came through in Week 1 nearly perfectly. He likely will do the same for the rest of the season.

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