Pete Carroll wants to see more of Seahawks rookie Frank Clark in second half
Nov 6, 2015, 9:46 AM | Updated: 10:10 am
Seahawks rookie Frank Clark had a huge preseason but has no sacks through seven games played. (AP)
(AP)
BY
Former Seattle Sports Lead Editor
RENTON – Seahawks coach Pete Carroll hopes more playing time will translate to a bigger impact for defensive lineman Frank Clark during the second half of his rookie season.
Clark hasn’t made much of one yet. Seattle’s second-round pick has six tackles – including one for a loss – and no sacks in the seven games he’s played during the regular season. He has generally been solid but not spectacular.
It would have been unrealistic to expect Clark to dominate to the degree that he did in the preseason, when he stood out more than any other Seahawks defender. The level of competition is one reason. Clark is now playing against starters whereas in the preseason he did a great deal of damage against second- and third-stringers.
He’s also playing less. Clark has averaged just under 20 snaps in his seven games compared to 32.5 in the preseason, an understandable if not expected reduction
| A comparison of the number of snaps played by Seahawks defensive linemen this season. | ||||||
| Player | Games | Snaps | Average | Snap % | ||
| Michael Bennett | 8 | 407 | 50.9 | 81.9 | ||
| Cliff Avril | 8 | 386 | 48.3 | 77.7 | ||
| Brandon Mebane | 7 | 248 | 35.4 | 56.2 | ||
| Ahtyba Rubin | 8 | 260 | 32.5 | 52.3 | ||
| Jordan Hill | 6 | 160 | 26.7 | 42.3 | ||
| Frank Clark | 7 | 139 | 19.9 | 32.8 | ||
| Cassius Marsh | 8 | 81 | 10.1 | 16.3 | ||
| Demarcus Dobbs | 5 | 55 | 11 | 17.8 | ||
| David King | 4 | 51 | 12.8 | 19.7 | ||
| Will Tukuafu | 6 | 9 | 1.5 | 2.5 | ||
|
Note: Snap average and percentage only take into account games played. Source: Football Outsiders |
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The chart shows the playing-time distribution along Seattle’s defensive line this season, noting each player’s snap total, average per game played and percentage of the team’s overall defensive snaps taken. The average and snap percentage exclude games in which a player didn’t participate. Not included in the chart is Bruce Irvin, who plays strong-side linebacker on early downs then typically rushes in passing situations.
On average, Clark has been on the field for almost a third of Seattle’s defensive snaps in the seven games he’s played. Carroll wants to be closer to 50 percent.
“It’s important to get him involved. I’d like to see him get a little bit more than that, maybe get half the plays, at least, as we rotate. We need to keep our guys fresh. But he has really good plays in him. He makes explosive plays,” Carroll said, mentioning “a heck of a hit” Clark made on a halfback pass against Dallas, “and did some nice things chasing the ball and stuff.
“So he’s done a good job, and we expect him to continue to improve, and also we’d like to get him more plays as we go.”
