Seahawks still seeking offensive identity, consistency

RENTON, Wash. - It’s nearly December and the Seattle Seahawks are still searching for the consistency and identity they want to have as an offense.

"If I had the answer, we would have solved that a long time ago," quarterback Geno Smith said.

That the Seahawks are three full months into the season and still searching for that level of play is concerning. And in the midst of their most demanding stretch of the season on the schedule, the path to finding it isn’t getting any easier.

With games against the Dallas Cowboys (8-3), San Francisco 49ers (8-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) over the next three weeks – the three teams with the best records in the NFC –  a 6-5 record could easily flip and put Seattle on the outside of the playoff picture looking to the final three games of the year.

"I’m concerned. I’m concerned about our club," head coach Pete Carroll said on Friday. "I’m concerned about everything we’re doing right now. That night last night will make you challenge everything. There are questions to be asked and answers to be found. That’s where we are right now."

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Seattle’s offense has managed just three offensive touchdowns in their last four games. The team has sustained blowout defeats at the hands of the 49ers and Baltimore Ravens as well and looked largely uncompetitive for large stretches of both contests.

"If we all had the answer, you know, we would have solved a lot of it," quarterbacks coach Greg Olson said. We're in the problem-solving business as coaches and so we're still trying to find that combination of plays that benefit the skills of our players, our skill players, and maybe with the wide receivers in the routes that they run, blocking schemes for our running back. So we've got to just become more consistent. We've had some good games and we've had some clunkers. So how do we find that consistency that you're looking for as an offense and how do we cater our offense to what fits our players?"

It’s difficult to pinpoint one singular issue that the offense is experiencing at the moment. Sure, third down conversion rate is poor at just 31.3 percent, which ranks 29th of out 32 teams. But that’s also a byproduct of first and second down struggles as well. Seattle needs to pick up an average of 7.2 yards to convert on third down this season, which is 21st in the league in average yards needed to convert.

Additionally, the Seahawks run the ball the fourth-fewest of any team in the NFL at just 23.3 attempts per game. Seattle is calling passing plays at a 62 percent rate for the season.

"We haven't been efficient enough," offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. "Like the first half in that San Francisco game especially where we're getting into three-and-out mode right there, so you just don't have enough carries and then you end up in a two-minute mode, so we're not where we want to be right there with the run totals due to some of the other circumstances that we need to keep working on and keep improving."

For a Pete Carroll-coached team, that doesn’t seem to fit the mold.

"I don’t feel that (identity) as much as I would like to," Carroll said. "I would like to feel it, that the mix was good and we’re back to the play-(action) passes that have been so effective for us."

Carroll and Smith aren’t the only ones lamenting the lack of identity on offense. Wide receiver DK Metcalf mentioned it this week as well.

"Still trying to find our identity," Metcalf said. "We still haven’t played a complete game. I think that’s the only positive we can take away from this point of our season. We still got work to do still have some areas to improve, But I think our best ball is still in front of us and we still have room to improve whether that’s playing as a team or playing a complete game as a offense."

Last year, the Seahawks often relied on personnel packages that ran two and three tight end sets with Smith thriving on play-action passes out of the heavier looks. Following the selection of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round of the draft this year, the Seahawks have tried to use three receiver sets more often to feature Metcalf, Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett.

That all makes sense, in theory, In practice, it’s not having the desired results. There appears to be a bit of clash in what the Seahawks actually do best contrasted with the team they ideally want to be.

"We have unique talents and we've got to make sure we're maximizing that. I feel like we're not," Carroll said. "I feel like we're not seeing stuff. You saw the play-making of Jaxon (Smith-Njigba) again last night and he continues to show stuff that separates him from others and we just need to give him more chances. We've got guys in different areas of our game that can do stuff, I think, better. 

"Our tight ends can be used better than we've used them in the last couple weeks, so we need to get that going again. We have some real positives; we just have to make them come to life. I think that has the best chance of moving us ahead and making us go forward. Just looking at what has happened in the past here."

The urgency is heightened for the Seahawks. Even if Carroll always preaches treating every week "like a championship opportunity," the team knows that they’re running out of time to find their consistency. It’s why Carroll expressed his concern about the team coming out of last week’s loss to the 49ers.

"We’re fighting to get it right," Carroll said. "I want to emphasize the guys as much as we can and see if we can maximize the players even more so."