Do the Seahawks rely too much on offensive-line coach Tom Cable?
May 20, 2016, 2:21 PM | Updated: 3:10 pm
Tom Cable says his current group of lineman "just happens to be these big, powerful goons. And that’s cool." (AP)
(AP)
Do the Seahawks rely too much on offensive-line coach Tom Cable to “pull a rabbit out his hat” each season?
That point was recently brought up by Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast, and 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny O’Neil had an interesting take on the Blue 42 segment of “Brock and Salk” on Friday regarding how the Seahawks depend on Cable to mold less-heralded players into an effective line.
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“Seattle has found a way, they believe, to create value, and it’s along the offensive line,” O’Neil said. “In some point in a salary-cap league, if you’re more talented than everyone else, you’re gonna have to find a way to cut corners, otherwise eventually you’re going to lose your talent-edge because of the salary cap. They believe that they can get adequate offensive-line play without paying money for it, and that’s because of their coaching. I think it’s smart.”
There’s certainly evidence to that. The Seahawks’ offensive line next season will mostly be made up of players they either drafted or added as undrafted free agents, but they’re still the favorite to win the NFC West. And for as much derision the group has received under current leadership, Seattle has lost several linemen to high-priced contracts in free agency in recent years, including Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy this offseason.
“By the end of last season, that offensive line that everyone complained so much about, well, it was adequate,” O’Neil said. “And not only that, the guard that they drafted in the seventh round four years ago (Sweezy) went out and earned $6.25 million on the free-agent market. That was his average annual salary. I think that they’ve found the mechanism to save money and keep their defense intact.”
You can hear the entire Blue 42 segment here.
