Scoring inside their opponents’ 20-yard-line – the red zone – has been an ongoing issue for the Seattle Seahawks.
With touchdowns in 40 percent of its trips to the red zone, Seattle is tied for 24th in the league.
Houston leads the league in that category, scoring touchdowns in over 70 percent of its trips to the red zone.
Seattle’s struggles were evident again in its 22-10 victory over visiting Arizona on Sunday. Seattle finished 1-for-7 in the red zone against the Cardinals, settling for five Olindo Mare field goals.
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and head coach Pete Carroll attempted to explain Seattle’s troubles after the game.
Hasselbeck said the Cardinals gave them a different look than the team expected heading into the game.
“We’ve sort of been hit or miss,” he said. “We started out in the first game of the year against San Fran; we were great in the red zone, great with our efficiency.
“I give them some credit, too. (Arizona defensive coordinator) Billy Davis had a good plan for us. We were really expecting to get one-on-one coverage with Mike Williams a lot, and they gave us a lot of two-guys-on-him looks, and it took away what we had going, essentially. We know what to do to get better, and we’ll do that.”
Part of Seattle’s problem in the red zone is seven starters on offense who weren’t starters on last year’s team, and the unit has not developed the chemistry it takes to execute effectively when the field constricts close to the end zone.
Add to that the fact veteran receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Deion Branch and Nate Burleson are all gone, taking with them the savvy route running skills it takes to get open in the tight windows near the end zone.
So now Hasselbeck has to develop a better rapport with his young receivers in those situations.
“We’re going to keep working at it,” Carroll said. “I think that’s still part of our game with newer guys that we’ll improve at. I think we can count on getting better.”
One player who could get a renewed focus for the Seahawks near the goal line is tight end John Carlson. The third-year tight end out of Notre Dame has four catches in his past three games and one touchdown this season.
But Carlson has been an effective target for Hasselbeck in the past, totaling seven touchdowns last year and five touchdowns in his rookie season.
EXTRA POINTS
The Seahawks re-signed fullback Quinton Ganther to the active roster on Tuesday, replacing Chris Henry, who was released Monday and added back to the practice squad on Tuesday. The Seahawks signed Ganther as a free agent in March, and he earned the starting fullback job at the end of training camp. However, Ganther suffered a knee injury and was released after the third game of the season once recent addition Michael Robinson established himself as the starting fullback. The Seahawks also released linebacker Chris McCoy from the practice squad and signed offensive tackle Breno Giacomini to the practice squad. Giacomini was released from the team’s active roster on Saturday to make room for Henry.
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437 eric.williams@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks
SEAHAWKS’ OPPONENT THIS WEEK
OAKLAND RAIDERS
1:05 p.m., Sunday, Oakland Coliseum
Against the Seahawks: The Seahawks meet former AFC West rival Oakland for the first time in the regular season since Nov. 6, 2006, a 16-0 Seattle win on Monday Night Football at Qwest Field. Oakland leads the series, 27-23. Seattle’s 50 games played against Oakland account for the most against any team except Denver, which Seattle has faced 52 times.
Stats and stuff: Oakland running back Darren McFadden is finally living up to his draft status as the No. 4 overall pick in 2008. McFadden is eighth in the league in rushing with 557 yards on 101 carries for a 5.5 yards-per-carry average with four rushing touchdowns. And McFadden also has 18 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns. ... Tight end Zach Miller is Oakland’s leading receiver, with 33 receptions for 453 yards and four touchdowns. ... The Raiders are giving up 138.9 rushing yards a contest, 28th overall in the league. ... The Raiders are the most penalized team in the NFL with 65 penalties for 552 yards.
Quotable: “It’s never a fluke with us. We have the talent. We’re probably the most talented team in the National Football League. If we play like we played (Sunday), and we do the same thing in practice, then we will expect to win and we expect to make plays, and we did that (Sunday).” — Cornerback Chris Johnson, after a 59-14 win at Denver.
Eric D. Williams, staff writer
RAIDERS SCHEDULE
Sept. 12 Titans 38, Raiders 13
Sept. 19 Raiders 16, Rams 14
Sept. 26 Cardinals 24, Raiders 23
Oct. 3 Texans 31, Raiders 24
Oct. 10 Raiders 35, Chargers 27
Oct. 17 Niners 17, Raiders 9
Oct. 24 Raiders 59, Broncos 14
Oct. 31 Seattle
Nov. 7 Kansas City
Nov. 14 Bye
Nov. 21 at Pittsburgh
Nov. 28 Miami
Dec. 5 at San Diego
Dec. 12 at Jacksonville
Dec. 19 Denver
Dec. 26 Indianapolis
Jan. 2 at Kansas City
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