Huard: Skidding Seahawks need to keep an eye on ‘friction’
Oct 11, 2024, 11:07 AM | Updated: 11:18 am
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Team chemistry rarely comes up as an issue when a team wins three in a row, like the Seattle Seahawks did to begin the season. But when a team loses three in a row, it’s a different story.
It also becomes a likely challenge to manager, particularly for a team under a first-year, first-time head coach.
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FOX football analyst and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard made that point Friday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, about 12 hours after the Seahawks lost 36-24 to the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers in primetime.
Specifically, Huard mentioned Seattle’s starting quarterback, Geno Smith, and its star wide receiver, DK Metcalf.
“My own judgment, my own speculation without seeing all the tapes is when you lose like this, some of that friction and some of those sparks that those two – DK and Geno in particular – have had over the years starts turning into a little bit more,” Huard said.
Huard was clear about how viewers only see so much on a TV broadcast, but he thinks a few things seen Thursday night – a visibly frustrated Metcalf getting on a headset during the game to presumably speak to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and Smith’s postgame press conference – didn’t paint the prettiest picture.
“We’re a prisoner to the cameras and the angles we see,” Huard said, leading with a caveat. “… Did we see Geno having any conversations with DK yesterday on the sideline?”
Not that that’s completely out of the ordinary. One person who was seen talking to Metcalf on the sidelines was backup QB Sam Howell, which is something Huard can relate to from his own experience serving as Peyton Manning’s backup with the Indianapolis Colts, who had a star receiver at the time in Marvin Harrison.
“I saw Sam Howell down there trying to calm DK down, which is a good move. That was often the move that I had to play for Peyton to calm Marvin down when Marvin didn’t get enough touches,” Huard said. “I had to kind of be the one to go down there and handle some of that. … God bless Sam yesterday, Sam was the one – ‘Hey, will you go deal with that guy? Will you go try to help him, calm him down?'”
Now, what if there really is a problem and it persists beyond Thursday’s game?
“That’s going to be critical to calm down. Really critical for this young coach and this young staff to try to find a way,” Huard said. “These are not 18 to 25 year olds in college anymore. These are 26 to 34 year olds, and pretty hardheaded and pretty big egos and will talk back and will get after it. Handling that relationship here in the coming days and weeks is going to be hyper, hyper critical for Mr. Grubb and Mr. Macdonald.”
Hear Brock Huard’s full thoughts from Friday’s Blue 88 segment in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Huard answers three football questions during Blue 88, which airs at at 7:45 a.m. during each edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk (6-10 a.m. weekdays).
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