Clayton’s Stock Watch after Seahawks’ first two games
Sep 20, 2016, 10:51 PM
Frank Clark had two sacks against the Rams, giving him a team-high three through two games. (AP)
(AP)
The Seahawks’ offensive woes have caused a big drop in the national feel about the team.
ESPN.com rankings dropped them from No. 3 to No. 10 after an offseason in which they were No. 1. No surprise. Seattle has scored only 15 points in two games and quarterback Russell Wilson is running around on a bad ankle.
At 1-1, there are positives and negative after two weeks. You can say that about the entire NFC. The Eagles, Giants and Vikings are the only unbeaten teams. Most of the rest of the conference is 1-1.
Let’s look at the good and the bad.
Stock up
CB DeShawn Shead. He has quietly become a starter. Against the Rams on Sunday, Shead took every snap on defense opposite Richard Sherman while Jeremy Lane, who signed a four-year, $23 million extension over the offseason, came in during nickel situations and had 30 plays. Shead has made an incredible rise from practice-squad safety at the beginning of his career to an outside cornerback in the Legion of Boom.
DE Frank Clark. Clark’s playing time continues to increase because he is so good. He had 29 snaps in the opener against Miami and had 35 snaps Sunday against the Rams. He should earn more playing time in the future. Against the Rams, he had two sacks, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. His emergence should allow Cliff Avril to get a break or two. Avril had 42 plays Sunday.
TE Jimmy Graham. His playing time went from 17 plays in the opener to 55 plays against the Rams while his receptions went from one to three. He’s made an incredible comeback from a patellar tendon tear. Graham isn’t 100 percent back to his old Pro Bowl form, but he’s making progress.
QB Russell Wilson. His movement was better than anticipated. With a high-ankle sprain, you knew he wasn’t going to have his usual burst on running plays and scrambles. Regardless, he threw the ball with great velocity and good technique. To throw for 254 yards on a high-ankle sprain is incredible.
Stock down
LG Mark Glowinski. He had a little tougher time Sunday, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. The Rams have Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers at defensive tackle. Brockers just signed a three-year, $33.25 million extension and Donald is one of the top two defensive players in the league. Still, Glowinski showed in the preseason that he can be pretty good.
RG J’Marcus Webb. The Seahawks are expected to stand by him for the next week or two until they get to the bye in Week 5. The team is waiting for rookie Germain Ifedi to return from his high-ankle sprain. Webb hasn’t made a comfortable transition from right tackle to fill-in right guard.
RB Thomas Rawls. He looked good in the opener even though he didn’t put up great numbers. Rawls ran hard and earned back his starting job. A leg contusion limited him to 15 carries Sunday and while it wasn’t his fault, he finished with minus-7 yards on seven carries. He needed to break tackles in the backfield just to get to the line of scrimmage.
Want more John Clayton? Listen on-demand to his weekday and Saturday shows as well as his “Cold Hard Facts” and “Clayton’s Morning Drive” segments on 710 ESPN Seattle. Also, check out his all-new “Schooled” podcast and look for his columns twice a week on 710Sports.com.
