Media changing its tune about Seahawks OL, OC, and run game

The preseason does matter when it comes to pre-season opinions

I’m not saying that I hate it and I’m not saying that I disagree with it, but it literally took one half in one preseason game for a lot of people in the media to completely flip their tune about the Seattle Seahawks.

All of a sudden, “Darnold is better than Geno” and “the offensive line made a lot of improvements in the offseason”.

The same offensive line that was ranked 31st or 32nd a week ago? The one I said was being treated unfairly by those rankings?

The same quarterback change that was called a “terrible move by Seattle”? It always made sense here.

It’s still early to say if the Seahawks have defied low expecations. It’s too soon to say that trading out Geno Smith for Sam Darnold was not a mistake. It’s not time to anoint Klint Kubiak as the next Kyle Shanahan, and we’d be ignoring thousands of years of history to count the chicks of the offensive line before they hatch.

It really was about one half of one preseason game and one series with the majority of the starters. It was just a really damn good series and the offensive line, which got multiple drives and was still missing Charles Cross, imposed its will on Kansas City’s defense as if they were non-playable characters. For another film study on how good the offensive line was in run-blocking, watch All_22’s latest breakdown from Tuesday:

Offensive line dominance like that in the regular season would amount to Seattle having its first great offense in 10 years, when the Seahawks ranked 4th in both points and yards. Being skeptical that it will continue against starters is not a bad idea, but fans and non-fans alike got a glimpse of players in Seahawks uniforms actually plowing down the field like it’s snowmageddon and Santa Claus is late for Christmas.

It’s not that everyone has done a 180 on the Seattle Seahawks based on a preseason performance. A damn sure lot of them have, saying things completely antithetical to basically every report I’ve seen about the team during the entire offseason.

Daniel Jeremiah: “I really like what I’ve seen from the Seahawks…Klint Kubiak’s system fits Sam Darnold perfectly.”

“I really like what I’ve seen. I’m trying not to contradict myself to not be too overzealous about the preseason…Sam looks confident and comfortable, you can move him around. They upgaded that offensive line. Grey Zabel has probably been the best rookie in the preseason if you just look at how they’ve played and what they’ve done. He’s going to help them have a firm pocket in pass protection. He’s a really good player. I love what they’ve done and they’ve got a lot of good young players on defense. They’re fast! I think they’ve got a good shot to win the division.”

One thing that the media did not criticize about the Seahawks was the draft class. They got almost perfect scores for their class, which isn’t all that surprising because for the first time in forever the Seahawks actually picked the player in the first round that everyone mocked for them (except me) and he’s a guard, which analysts have been calling their biggest need for a decade.

Nick Emmanwori, Elijah Arroyo, and Tory Horton were all called steals, and they’ve all been living up to the hype in the preseason and training camp.

It’s not hard to see that the connection for a draft guy like Daniel Jeremiah does make sense:

• Draftniks had a sense of what the Seahawks should do in their opinions

• The Seahawks did what draftniks wanted them to do

• The class looks exceptional from day one of camp until now

Even Jalen Milroe was seen as a great get for pick 92, and you can’t fault anything about his place on the depth chart because he’s at the exact spot he was supposed to be in four months ago. He’s developing as a passer behind the scenes and flashing gadgetry talent in the preseason that could be exploited for first downs and touchdowns immediately.

Colin Cowherd: Has Seahawks 6th in his power rankings

“Back to back drafts that I like. They are going to rely on that run game. They upgraded their offensive line. Their defense will be in the second year under Mike Macdonald. Easy early schedule for Darnold, who I believe is a better version of Geno Smith. Better athlete. They upgraded offensive coordinator. If Jaxon Smith-Njigba can become a number one receiver…I like their backs, their o-line, their secondary. There’s not a lot about Seattle that I don’t like.”

Not to fault Colin Cowherd for a compliment, but it’s typical that he would mention “back to back drafts” that he likes, as if he’s implying that there was something not to like about the two drafts before it:

• 2022: Cross, Boye Mafe, Kenneth Walker, Abe Lucas, Coby Bryant, Riq Woolen

• 2023: Devon Witherspoon, JSN, Derick Hall, Zach Charbonnet, and now maybe we can start to wonder about Anthony Bradford

If anything, it’s back-to-back-to-back-to-back drafts, an opinion that should not even be an opinion. Especially if we’re praising the offensive line’s development to this point given that Cross, Lucas, Bradford, and Zabel have all come from those drafts.

I have to add that Cowherd has been pro-Seahawks for the offseason, picking them as a team that could win multiple playoff games back in May, so maybe he’s doing less of a flip than some others.

Matt Harmon: “Best run game in the league”

“The Kubiak guys are all so good at marrying their run game and pass game. You start smoking people with the play action pass when those things are married.”

Harmon writes for Yahoo Sports and has a specialty of wide recievers, but here he’s highlighting that Seattle’s running backs might actually have good seasons because of the offensive line and the new offensive coordinator. Rare have Seahawks fans been able to read or hear that the offense could be good because of their coordinator and offensive line, not “in spite of”.

The Seahawks ranked 28th in rushing yards in both 2023 and 2024. Offensive coordinators are typically judged based on what they do for the passing game, especially anyone associated with Shanahan or McVay, but Klint Kubiak has always been on a mission to make Seattle a top-10 rushing team. Friday was an opportunity for us to see what accomplishing that dream would look like in 2025 if it works.

Doug Farrar: “The offensive line is actually trending in the right direction”

Farrar has written all over and is a Seahawks fan, so he’s always paid close attention to Seattle’s offensive line. When it comes to the offensive line, we Seahawks fans tend to be more skeptical and pessimistic about that group. It’s not surprising for us to be pre-congratulatory about Milroe, Horton, or Emmanwori, but you know it means something when the locals are starting to believe in the OL.

Dan Orlovsky: “A complete offense”

I’m more interested in what Tony Dungy has to say than Dan Orlovsky, but in either case compliments about the Seahawks going into the preseason were supposed to be about Macdonald’s defense. Instead, the media can’t stop talking about how good Kubiak’s offense has looked so far, specifically a 28th-ranked rushing offense over the past two seasons.

And even though the Seahawks did overhaul the coaching staff, the receiver room, change quarterbacks, and draft a first round guard, the “impressive” offensive line is 80% the same as last year. Seen any tweets about Laken Tomlinson recently?

Whether or not this carries over into the regular season is a question we answer after Week 1. But what the media expects in Week 1 seems to be changing almost everyday.

Seaside Joe 2361