It's clear that the Seattle Seahawks need to get their offense in gear after the loss to the 49ers. Not many players are in a better position to step up for the team than this rookie.
I imagine you could count on one hand the number of 12s that were satisfied with the Seahawks' offensive output in Week 1. And that's assuming your name is Mordecai Brown. Inopportune fumbles by two key players certainly didn't help. Nor did a pathetic 67 yards rushing from the running backs, when things looked so good in the preseason. But preseason only means so much.
The passing game didn't benefit from Seattle's limited use of play-action passes. Nor did it help that virtually no one was targeted other than Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Yes, he's expected to be the number one receiver. That doesn't mean he's supposed to be the only receiver. 13 out of 22 targets is a ridiculous number. Seattle can't win if it continues to perform like that. Happily, they have a solution in hand.
Tory Horton can open up the Seahawks offense
John Schneider made a deal to bring speed merchant Marquez Valdes-Scantling to Seattle in the off-season. I believe most folks, both 12s and pundits, had reasonable expectations for the eight-year veteran. He'd catch some deep balls and drop far too many. The Seahawks found he wasn't needed after all and released him before the start of the season. MVS promptly signed with the Niners.
To no one's surprise, he wasn't targeted once by his new team last week. What was a surprise was that the player who took his role, Tory Horton, wasn't targeted once, either. Horton looked great throughout training camp and looked even better in the preseason games. He was the perfect complement to JSN.
Yet he was only on the field for 28 of Seattle's 52 offensive snaps. I get that Klint Kubiak wanted the more experienced Cooper Kupp on the field more. But why only target him three times? At least try to stretch the field with Horton a few times. Why put him on the field at all if you aren't going to take advantage of his speed?
Another talented rookie saw a similar pattern. Hey, at least they threw to Elijah Arroyo once. I agree A.J. Barner needs to start at tight end. He's vastly better at blocking and is extremely underrated as a receiver. But Arroyo needs to be worked into the game plan, too. Why draft talented rookies if you are barely going to use them?
Sure, it was just Week 1. But if you believe in your players, use them. Especially when what you're already doing ain't working. Tory Horton deserves the chance to show what he can do. If Kubiak doesn't trust him, why keep him? Other rookies around the league made huge splashes last week. Give the Seattle youth movement its chance to shine, too.