Should Seahawks go to hurry-up offense more often?

RENTON, Wash. – This question seems to pop up every year: Should the Seahawks turn to their hurry-up, no-huddle offense regularly?

At the least, it’s an interesting debate, and it comes into focus again after the Seahawks used that offense effectively in the second half against the Rams last week.

The theory has been floated before that quarterback Russell Wilson and the offense are at their best in the hurry-up. The Seahawks averaged close to a yard more per play in the second half compared with the first half using the hurry-up against the Rams, and they became more efficient on third down.

So if the Seahawks look out of whack again or if the offensive line struggles, could coach Pete Carroll turn to the hurry-up offense more?

“We’ll continue to work at it and mix it in when we think it’s necessary,” Carroll said.

Part of the issue is that the style clashes with Carroll’s preference. He always has wanted to be a physical, running team, and it can’t be overstated how much of a core tenet that is for him. The hurry-up offense doesn’t exactly run contradictory to that thinking, but it doesn’t exactly mesh, either.

Another time this debate stirred to life was after Seattle looked more effective in the hurry-up in a loss to San Diego last year. After the game, Wilson was asked if the team would lean on that offense more.

“That’s something we can hop into,” he said last year, “but we usually try to sustain the clock in terms of running the football. But when we need to, we can do it.”

The other part of this is that there are inherent challenges, if not problems, with using the hurry-up full time.

“I wouldn’t get infatuated with it,” receiver Doug Baldwin said after the Rams game. “We did that my rookie season in 2011 and it worked extremely well for us in the New York Giants game that year. Then we came back and tried to do it against Cleveland, and it didn’t work too well. We did it some other times, and it didn’t work too well. Once teams see it, they prepare for it. There’s a lot of things that go into it that allow it to be successful one week and then not allow it to be successful the next week.”

The benefits are clear. The pace of play forces defenses to simplify. They can’t substitute freely. They can’t match up with offensive personnel as easily. And they often have to reveal their hand because they can’t disguise or be as creative with the threat of a quick snap.

But as much as defenses have to get vanilla, Seattle’s offense also gets more basic. And though it can wear out defenses, it also fatigues the Seahawks’ offense.

The best guess is that the Seahawks won’t change. The offense will look like it always does – Marshawn Lynch setting the course and everything else spinning off him – but in the moments when they need a jolt or when the game dictates it, they’ll roll out the hurry-up, just like always.