Seahawks’ O-line success has been biggest surprise of their season
Nov 2, 2020, 12:15 PM
Duane Brown has anchored an O-line that has been key for the Seahawks' offense. (Getty)
(Getty)
Something stood out from Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll’s press conference following Seattle’s 37-27 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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“Pete went unprompted in the middle of his press conference to say, ‘Hey, look, this offensive line did a heck of a job today,’ and they really did,” Paul Gallant relayed Monday morning on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant.
A little context helps explain why Carroll felt the need to bring that up. The Seahawks had a big day when it came to moving the ball and putting points on the board, building a 30-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. That was despite injuries that resulted in the backfield having to use rookie DeeJay Dallas, Seattle’s fourth-string tailback, as the primary ball carrier, which allowed the 49ers’ strong defense to key more than usual on Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ passing game.
When the dust settled, however, Seattle still came up with 101 yards on the ground in addition to 261 through the air. The offensive line may not get all the attention it deserves for the effort, but a lot of the credit for Sunday’s win does belong to the unit.
“That was a thing that I had major concerns about going into the year because of the lack of money that they invested into it,” Gallant said. “They are getting a lot out of (center) Ethan Pocic, they are getting a lot out of (right tackle) Jordan Shell, Damien Lewis has been quite the find at right guard, and honestly as a backup (at left guard), Jordan Simmons, not bad, man.”
We’ve neglected to mention one man to this point: Duane Brown, Seattle’s left tackle and inarguably its best player on the line.
“This is a guy that gets lost in the conversation all the time, and we spent some time worrying about him in the offseason,” said Gallant’s co-host Danny O’Neil. “Duane Brown’s been phenomenal. … He is their oldest offensive lineman, he’s also their best offensive lineman, and you see the value of having an elite player at that position.”
Added Gallant: “That whole offensive line that starts with Duane Brown, that has been a strength. I think it’s going to continue to be a strength, and it’s going to need to be because this offense still wins with the passing game.”
Who could have expected that going into the season? After all, the Seahawks cut ties with longtime starting center Justin Britt and the player who replaced him when he was lost for the season in 2019, Joey Hunt. The New York Jets also signed away George Fant, who coincidentally ended up switching places with former Shell, who came to Seattle from the Jets. And there were other factors for why nobody really thought the Seahawks’ offensive line was going to take a step forward in 2020.
“I thought the offensive line was going to be worse than it was last year given the amount of turnover, the fact that they were younger and that there was no offseason to work together,” O’Neil said. “As Pete Carroll said, they’ve been better. … That is the biggest surprise on this team.”
Gallant made sure to point out that Mike Solari, in his third season since succeeding Tom Cable as Seattle’s O-line coach, should get some of the spotlight, as well.
“The credit goes to the players. The credit goes to Mike Solari,” he said. “I mean, you have erased the mistakes of Tom Cable completely. Sometimes it is a matter of bringing in an assistant coach who is not going to complicate things for you. He deserves a lot of credit for what he and (offensive coordinator) Brian Schottenheimer and Pete Carroll have put together with this offense.”
You can hear the full discussion in the podcast at this link or in the player below beginning about 17 minutes in. You can also hear Seattle’s head coach share praise for the offensive line towards the end of Monday’s edition of The Pete Carroll Show with Danny and Gallant (listen here).
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