Heaps: Seahawks’ Week 1 a sign Shane Waldron’s offense can live up to the hype
Sep 16, 2021, 10:09 AM
Colts safety Julian Blackmon attempts to tackle Seahawks RB Chris Carson in Sunday's Seahawks win. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
After a full offseason of hearing about the offense new Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was installing with the team, everybody finally got to see it in person last Sunday.
The results were about as good as anybody could have hoped for.
Rost: Two reasons Seahawks’ 1-0 start is different from last year
A lot was bandied about in regards to what Waldron could do for quarterback Russell Wilson and his offensive weapons like wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf and running back Chris Carson, and they all got their time to shine in the 28-16 Week 1 win over the Colts.
Wilson completed 18 of 23 passes for 254 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lockett hauled in four catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, including a 69-yarder. Metcalf had a big second half to finish with 60 yards and a score on four receptions. And Carson ran for 91 yards on 16 carries, including the longest rush of the game at 33 yards.
While it was just one game and the possibility of overreacting is present, former Seahawks quarterback Jake Heaps saw signs in the win that Waldron’s offense will be able to live up to the hype it was given leading into the season.
“He showed off the versatility of this offense,” Heaps said on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy. “He showed the different ways they can attack. You see the physical ground game with Chris Carson, getting him involved and the way he was able to slice and dice against a very good Indianapolis Colts defensive front. You see the easy completions that were set up by yards after catch. You got (tight end) Gerald Everett involved. You get Russell Wilson out on the edge in the naked sprint action game. This was perfectly executed. And then eventually you start taking deep shots down the field. You get DK Metcalf involved in the second half.
“They were able to get everyone involved and everybody touched the ball, and that to me is extremely exciting.”
Related: Jake Heaps’ Chalk Talk on Russell Wilson’s TDs to 3 different receivers
Perhaps the most promising thing is how there may be more to be revealed as the season wears on.
“Honestly, in Week 1, they were able to execute at an extremely high level and there is more for them in store, and I can’t wait to see it all unveiled as the weeks go on,” Heaps said.
A sped-up tempo between plays was something brought up a lot as the offense was installed, and Heaps said the benefit of that was shown against the Colts even though it may not have seemed as dramatically sped up as expected.
“You look at their overall offensive scheme and a lot of the hype was about the tempo – we didn’t see them go crazy with their tempo. What we saw was just an overall good tempo where they were on the line of scrimmage. They didn’t mess around, they didn’t wait until the clock was running down for them to call plays. They were at the line, constantly putting pressure on the defense, making them show their hand. Russell Wilson and Shane Waldron were able to have that communication and get them in the right play or an advantageous play nearly every single time.”
Hear Heaps’ full thoughts and more on the Seahawks in the Four Down Territory segment of Jake and Stacy in the podcast at this link or in the player below.
Matt Hasselbeck Show: What changed with Seahawks’ offense for Wilson
