Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on Seahawks’ 28-16 win over Colts

The Seahawks started the 2021 season on a good note with a 28-16 win over the Colts in Indianapolis in Week 1.

Seahawks beat Colts 28-16: Fast facts | Takeaways

Seattle will play the AFC South once again next week when the Tennessee Titans come to town for the Seahawks’ home opener at Lumen Field. But before we look ahead, let’s look back at this most recent game.

As we do after every Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions of 710 ESPN Seattle’s voices to the win. This is just a taste of what you’ll hear all day Monday on the station beginning with The Mike Salk Show at 6 a.m. and The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30.

Mike Salk – The Mike Salk Show

You can’t answer every single outstanding question in just 60 minutes of football, but the Seahawks sure tried. A multifaceted, balanced, complete and decisive victory that established a standard for what we hope to see this season.

My biggest question headed into this game was about new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and he ended the day as perhaps the biggest difference-maker for the team. His offense took elements from the Seahawks’ past (a heavy dose of a physical running game and a few deep shots) and combined them with both a creativity and a mid-range passing game that made the offense feel complete for the first time in what feels like forever.

If that keeps up, this offense could be scary good and Russell Wilson may have that MVP award he covets!

Dave “The Groz” Grosby – 710 ESPN Seattle host emeritus

It’s hard to imagine a better way to start the season for the Seahawks as they turned in a dominant performance on the road in Indianapolis.

The Seahawks checked all the boxes as they excelled in nearly all aspects.

Russell Wilson clearly isn’t having any trouble adjusting to another new offensive coordinator as he pitched a nearly perfect game. Chris Carson ran effectively when needed. Defensively, save the opening series and a meaningless fourth quarter touchdown drive, the Colts had no chance. Carson Wentz was hurried throughout and the Hawks did a solid job against the run.

Several individuals stood out. Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf along with Gerald Everett on offense. Rasheem Green and the Seahawks’ corners on defense, who deserve special mention since everyone agreed that was the position group with the most to prove.

The NFC West made a statement in the early games with San Francisco and Arizona winning impressively, as well. It’s going to be a tough division but the Seahawks sure looked ready to be a major factor again on this day

Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob

The long, seemingly interminable at times, wait to see the Seahawks in Shane Waldron’s offense was rewarded with a classic Russell Wilson performance.

It’s hard to ask for much more than an 18-for-23, 254-yard, four-touchdown performance, including three first half TDs which allowed the defensive line to assert its will in the second half. It was the perfect blend of early offense and key defensive stops, and while the sample size is small, everything we saw today appears repeatable regardless of which opponent is out there.

Wilson’s numbers aside, the defense might have been equally valuable. Double-digit quarterback hits and three sacks on Carson Wentz, plus two stops that stymied long Colts drives in the second half on a fourth down forced fumble and Darrell Taylor’s first NFL sack. This is why defensive line depth is critical; the Colts offensive line looked like it had the edge on the first drive of the game but the waves of bodies wore the Colts down as the game went on.

A lot to be optimistic about, especially with this team returning home to a full stadium for the first time since 2019.

Justin Barnes – The Mike Salk Show

Wilson and Waldron and Wizards, OH MY!

Chalk it up to zero preseason snaps combined with first game jitters (or hearing real crowd noise for the first time in 609 days), but after that Willie Mays-style over the shoulder catch from Lockett for Seattle’s first touchdown of 2021, I finally took my a sip of my (now cold) coffee and realized maybe I’m the one with first-game jitters. Phew. Calm down, man.

.@TDLockett12 doing Tyler Lockett things.

📺: #SEAvsIND on FOX pic.twitter.com/As3bX7zurr

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 12, 2021

But that’s what you get without any glimpses of Wilson in the preseason – no opportunities to see the Wilson and Waldron wizardry and “tempo” that we’ve been hearing about.

After three first half touchdowns in four possessions without burning timeouts for not being set or taking any delay of game penalties, I hope Seahawks fans have a much better idea now. Minus that one turnover and a few penalties, I felt pretty happy with this Week 1 offensive effort. Here’s hoping that Rashaad Penny, Dee Eskridge and Penny Hart’s injuries are minimal and they can return as weapons.

As for the defense: Rasheem Green is good. Jordyn Brooks is good. Darrell Taylor is good. Fourth down stops are good. Takeaways are good. The defensive line is good. Holding any team to 10 points through 57 minutes is good. Overall, a satisfying result for all the question marks we had floating around before today.

I’m ready for more Wizardry. Go Hawks.

Jake Heaps – Jake and Stacy

I’ve never heard the excitement and belief in a new OC and system like what I’ve heard from Seahawk players regarding Shane Waldron. You see why today. Versatility. So many ways to attack. Physical ground game, easy completions setting up YAC and Russ being Russ downfield.

— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) September 12, 2021

Russell Wilson was DEALING against a good Indy defense today. I’m so fired up after watching him paired up with Shane Waldron. It’s only going to get better. Skies the limit this season.

— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) September 12, 2021

Indy defense made a substantial effort to take DK Metcalf out of the game. It didn’t phase the Seahawks offense one bit then later are able to get him actively involved. #PickYourPoison https://t.co/uJIq2qZTri

— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) September 12, 2021

Chris Carson is a flat out BEAST! 😤
He runs to punish people on every single run. Keep him involved like Waldron did today and this offense is without a doubt going to be a Top 5 group all season long.

— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) September 12, 2021

Seahawks defense harassed Carson Wentz from start to finish. The DL played got off to a great start. Contribution from nearly everyone. Need this group to play big all season long.

— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) September 12, 2021

Rost: Seahawks clicking isn’t a surprise, but it happening in Week 1 is