Moore’s 10 Seahawks Takeaways: Will reinforcements revive the defense?

Welcome to Tuesday’s Top Ten Takeaways (TTTT), a weekly column that takes a look back and look ahead with the Seahawks.

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• 10) Which is the craziest defensive stat?

This one? A total of 15 teams that have played seven games have allowed fewer yards than the Seahawks, who have played six games.

This one? The Seahawks have allowed the most yards in NFL history through six games and are on a pace to shatter the 2012 New Orleans Saints record of 7,042 yards allowed. New Orleans was 7-9 that season.

Or this one? The Seahawks’ pass defense has allowed 368.7 yards a game, 35 more than the 31st-ranked team, Atlanta, and a whopping 80 yards more than the 30th-ranked team, Cleveland.

• 9) Two best tweets I’ve seen reacting to D.K. Metcalf preventing Budda Baker from a 97-yard pick six Sunday night in Arizona:

Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors coach:

This is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen in sports. https://t.co/6vw2bfTHHo

— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) October 26, 2020

Mark Hoppus, American musician

If DK Metcalf and I are being chased by a bear, I hope he says something nice about me at my funeral.

— mark of the beast (@markhoppus) October 26, 2020

• 7) Thought Tyler Lockett with his 15-catch, 200-yard, three-TD performance against the Cardinals would set all kinds of franchise receiving records. But no. As Tim Booth of the Associated Press pointed out on Twitter, Steve Largent had himself a bigger day in 1987 in a game at Detroit – 15 catches for 261 yards and three TDs.

• 6) Snacks Harrison is expected to be activated this week and should help the run defense and might attract double-teams that could also give pass rushers more of a chance to get to the quarterbacks. How did he get his nickname? When Harrison was with the Jets, he was always eating in defensive meetings, and that’s where it started, coming from an assistant coach who used to leave Rice Krispies Treats for him. Snacks also loves Butterfingers, uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and crawfish fettuccini Alfredo. But he’s cleaned up his diet and refrains from too many guilty pleasures now. It’s a great story as Harrison came into the league as an undrafted free agent from William Penn, turning himself into an All-Pro, and now he’s writing his final chapter in Seattle.

• 5) The Seahawks, at 5-1, have the best record in the NFC West. But with their defense, are they the best team in the division? Would you say yes, or would you say it’s the 5-2 Rams, 5-2 Cardinals or even the team they play this Sunday, the 4-3 49ers? I’d say it’s the Rams because of their defense.

• 4) We could all benefit from living our lives like Pete Carroll, who is always optimistic, upbeat and positive. But sometimes he goes too far, as in way too far with his sunshine and lollipops. Case in point: Mentioning second-round draft pick Darrell Taylor on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Pete Carroll Show as a possible boost to the pass rush. Taylor has yet to practice because of a leg injury and looks more like this year’s version of L.J. Collier than anyone who is going to help the pass rush this year.

• 3) One more thing about Carroll. His mantra of “Always Compete” must only refer to the players. If it referred to everyone, he would have added Dan Quinn as a defensive consultant by now or replaced defensive coordinator Ken Norton with Quinn or someone else.

• 2) Mychal Kendricks will probably practice this week and play against the 49ers. Like Snacks, he’s another guy who should help the defense. Then again, wasn’t Kendricks a starter on this bad defense last year? It also tells me that Carroll and Norton aren’t thrilled with Cody Barton, and it can’t be a good sign for Ben Burr-Kirven either.

• 1) Sure, everyone’s justifiably excited about the energetic Jamal Adams returning from his groin injury. But statistically speaking, the Seahawks were actually a little worse in the three games with him than the three games they’ve played without him. With Adams, the Seahawks allowed 497 yards a game and 28.7 points with six takeaways. Without Adams, the Seahawks allowed 463 yards a game and 28.7 points with six takeaways.

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