Dave Boling: Seahawks’ bye-week message was received – show up or get shown the way out
The message sent to the Seahawks on their bye week was obviously received by the players, who responded with their best performance of the season – a 20-17 upset of San Francisco.
You lose five times in six games, and heads will roll.
You play hard and smart and tough, or else “bye” will be referring to our salutation on your way out the door. Just ask a couple of former linebackers who have been ushered out in recent weeks.
It was Seattle’s first win over the 49ers since December 2021.
And some of those losses were embarrassing. On a Thursday night in October, the Niners thumped Seattle at Lumen Field, exerting their will with 228 rushing yards. The Hawks were pushed around, obviously the less physical team.
Sunday, though, the Hawks were not only competitive, but combative, too, holding the Niners (second in the NFL in total offense) to 277 yards.
The missed tackles, blown assignments and coverage lapses that led to many of their recent losses were mostly corrected. In their place was a lot of aggressive rallying to the ball, hard hits and clutch plays.
Anybody who watched the team during their earlier stretch of futility could detect the problems with the defense.
Obviously, rookie head coach Mike Macdonald and veteran GM John Schneider decided something had to be done.
Several weeks ago, they traded starting linebacker Jerome Baker to the Titans for Ernest Jones IV, and they outright released linebacker Tyrel Dodson during the bye, elevating rookie Tyrice Knight to the starting lineup.
This says a great deal about how the marriage between Macdonald and Schneider might operate in the future. And that’s a good message. If it isn’t working, cut your losses.
In the offseason, Baker and Dodson had been brought in as free-agent replacements for Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks. During the team’s slump, the Hawks were vulnerable to pass routes in the middle, and too many bad run “fits,” which often means the linebackers aren’t positioned well to scrap and fill the line gaps.
Jones has appeared an immediate upgrade, making 37 tackles in his first three games, along with bringing some attitude and toughness. Knight added 10 tackles and a quarterback hit against the Niners.
On his radio interview before the game Schneider said the move on Dodson was part of the team’s “self-scout” during the bye weekend. They determined it was a position in need of upgrading. “We just want to keep moving this thing forward and admit where we were and try to address every position we possibly can.”
Schneider, along with head coach Pete Carroll, took that approach in their first year together in Seattle: 2010, when they made more than 300 personnel transactions that season and laid the groundwork for future Super Bowl runs.
Schneider explained at the time that even if they were only improving the talent of the 53rd player on the roster, it is worth the effort.
Of course, the recent activity is not only a matter of trying to improve two linebackers. It elevates the expectations of performance for everybody on the roster.
It reminds everybody else in that locker room that players can – and will – be replaced.
The Niners have not dominated the NFC West division as they have, but no one has. Seattle, San Francisco and the Rams are all 5-5, with Arizona at the top at 6-4 – so the battle is afoot.
Still, this win had to open some eyes to the Seahawks’ chances.
Despite leading the NFL in passing yardage, quarterback Geno Smith has faced a surge of doubters in recent weeks. Smith faced a lot of pressure Sunday (at least until Niner Joey Bosa went out with an injury), and made a poor decision on an interception.
But Smith was money in the final minutes, completing two crucial third-down passes and scrambling for two nice gains, including the 13-yard go-ahead touchdown run.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had another huge game, 10 catches for 110 yards, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon broke up three passes, including a deflection that led to a Johnathan Hankins interception.
Yes, the offensive line still struggled at times, and center Olu Oluwatimi, who got the start in the absence of Connor Williams (retired unexpectedly last week), played with at least a degree of competence. He had one shotgun snap that was out of the strike zone and mishandled by Smith, but he also held his own, blocking and snapping, on the crucial final drive.
In so many ways, the Seahawks looked like a new team in the win Sunday. It wasn’t just the rest and time to heal up they benefited from during the bye.
Coaches often say that the best motivator of athletes is the bench. Although that’s not nearly as effect ive as the threat of a ticket out of town.