O’Neil: Seahawks can jump-start season with change in tempo

OK, Seattle let’s go.

Right now. No time to huddle. Get lined up, and let’s snap this thing.

You’ve got to get moving, and not just because you’re 0-2 heading into Sunday’s game against Dallas, but because a quicker tempo is the one thing that actually worked for the Seahawks offense last week against Chicago.

Bobby Wagner to return, K.J. Wright unlikely in Hawks home opener

“We’ve always been known do it really well,” quarterback Russell Wilson said.

So the Seahawks should take a deep breath before their first possession on Sunday, and then they should floor it in hopes that a fast start will keep this season from skidding into the ditch before we even reach October.

“We’ll continue to focus on the things that we do really well,” Wilson said, “and continue to grow in that aspect.”

Playing fast was about the only thing the offense did well in Chicago. Seattle’s first five drives ended in punts, and then – when the Seahawks got the ball back with 67 seconds left in the second quarter – they drove for a field goal. And then, once the Seahawks fell behind by double digits in the second half, Seattle stopped huddling and started moving the ball again, scoring 14 of 17 points in the final period.

And for all the talk about Seattle’s commitment to the run game, or its lack thereof, the best way for the Seahawks to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2002 is to get their quarterback playing at his best, which means accelerating the tempo at least early to give the team a jump-start.

“I think that guys play free, like, mentally,” Wilson said. “I don’t think we’re overthinking it.”

It also can slow down the opposing pass rush, giving the guys whose job is to bludgeon, batter and otherwise bother Wilson less time to recover between plays which means less time to plot out the next siege of Seattle’s quarterback. And given that Seattle has allowed a league-high 12 sacks so far, that’s plenty of reason given that Dallas has nine sacks entering this game whose importance is almost impossible to overstate for Seattle.

The crossroads comes early for the Seahawks this season.

Seattle has not played a home game, let alone been beaten at CenturyLink Field yet they’re already playing for their season. I know, I know that sounds overly dramatic, but it’s really not. Because while it’s not unusual for Seattle to lose on the road in September under Pete Carroll, the team has never started 0-3 during his tenure.

And if the Seahawks were to lose to the Cowboys this weekend, we’re going to start using words like “progress” and “development” to measure this Seahawks team instead of things like “postseason” and “contention.”

Going back to 1980, there have been 173 teams that have started an NFL season 0-3. Exactly five of them have made the playoffs. That’s less than 3 percent.

But it’s more than that. This Seattle team has undergone a turnover that bordered on a face lift especially for its defense, which lost five former Pro Bowlers in the offseason. Two of the team’s top three receivers left in free agency and the team’s top receiver, Doug Baldwin, is going to miss his second consecutive game because of a knee injury.

Still, I think the Seahawks are going to win on Sunday. That’s based on largely on faith, though, and the belief that Seattle’s pass protection is going to be better than it has looked for the past two weeks.

I think that Wilson is going to play with more confidence than he had a week ago because (hopefully) the offense will be called with an eye toward what he is best at. And so far this season, he is best when the tempo is accelerated because the Seahawks aren’t huddling.

So hurry up, Seattle. There’s no time to waste. Let’s get the offense moving.

Follow @dannyoneil