Russell Wilson’s helmet speaker for play calls went out during Seahawks’ win at Carolina
Turns out, Russell Wilson had more to overcome than the Panthers and the scoreboard during the Seahawks’ huge rally to win at Carolina.
A league source told me Sunday night Wilson’s helmet speaker connecting him between plays with play-caller and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was not working for much of the first half of Sunday’s key game in Charlotte, N.C.
While the Panthers were marching up and down the field only to get turned away from touchdowns in the red zone three different times by Seattle’s defense in the first half, the Seahawks’ offensive people were scrambling. They were trying to get their quarterback a working ear piece. They finally found one, presumably out of the similarly equipped helmet of backup QB Brett Hundley.
Per NFL rules, all a team’s quarterbacks that are active for a game, up to three, can have their helmets equipped with speakers that facilitate one-way communication from one coach on the sideline between snaps.
I was told Wilson’s communications were fine throughout the second half. Seattle scored 20 of its 30 points after halftime. The Seahawks got the huge road win 30-27 on Wilson’s 43-yard, improvisational pass to Tyler Lockett on third down with 1 minute left then Sebastian Janikowski’s last-play field goal.
Wilson completed seven of 12 throws for 121 yards with no touchdowns while getting sacked twice during the first half when the communication system was failing him and the Seahawks’ offense.
He was 15 for 19 for 218 yards, both his touchdowns and no sacks during the second half while getting play calls from Schottenheimer without issue between plays.
NFL rules allow for the quarterback plus one player on defense, almost always the defensive signal-caller and in Seattle’s case All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, to play with helmets that have tiny, transistor radio-like speakers mounted within its padding.
The offensive coordinator can talk to his quarterback—giving him formation, protection calls, plays and tips on what to look for on that next down from the defense—from the time the play clock begins at 40 seconds immediately following the officials spotting the ball ready for play until 15 seconds remain on the play clock.
After 15 seconds the comms are cut off, per league rules. So the headset communications are particularly useful in hurry-up offenses at the end of a half or game, when a coordinator can tip off a QB right up to the snap if the offense gets that off before 15 seconds remain on the play clock.
In the event a malfunction with a stadium’s communication system prevents a coordinator from talking to a quarterback, league rules call for the other team to have its communications disabled until the system can be restored to normal capability. That does not seem to have been the case Sunday in Charlotte; I was told the Seahawks had an issue with Wilson’s helmet only, not with the system in general or from Schottenheimer’s end.
The radio, walkie-talkie system coordinators use with QBs is the reason you don’t see in the NFL the goofy play cards with cartoon characters and NBA-teams logos on them like you do in college football. The NFL play caller relay those formation and play calls the college sideline cards represent via radio communications into the pro quarterback’s headsets.
When I was covering the Oakland Raiders in 2002, the headsets went dead early in a mid-December game in Miami. Back then it was notorious among visiting teams for that happening in Miami. Quarterback Rich Gannon and the Raiders’ pass-happy, hurry-up offense with Hall-of-Fame receivers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown went silent along with the comms. The Dolphins held the NFL’s top offense to 17 points that day, and the Raiders lost for the only time in the last two months of that regular season.
With communication between offensive coordinator and play caller Marc Trestman and Gannon intact for all other games, Gannon went on to become the league’s MVP for that season, and Oakland advanced to the Super Bowl. The Raiders lost there largely because Tampa Bay and ex-Raiders coach Jon Gruden knew all of Oakland’s plays.
Wright on hold
It continues to sound as if K.J. Wright will remain out of Seattle’s recently porous defense for a while.
The Pro Bowl outside linebacker missed his eighth of 11 games this season last weekend at Carolina. He still not fully back from knee surgery in August.
“He’s still working at his rehab. He’s got a process he’s working on right now,” Carroll said Monday.
“No updates about the timing of it. Sorry.”
Carroll cited Wright’s absence against the Panthers for many of Carolina’s 220 yards rushing, and for Seattle’s problems in run defense all season. Reserve middle linebacker Austin Calitro was again the weakside linebacker for Wright, but the Seahawks went nickel with five defensive backs and two linebackers or dime with six DBs and one linebacker, Wagner, to mitigate the effects of not having Wright again.
The Seahawks will get Mychal Kendricks back to play weakside linebacker for the Dec. 10 game against Minnesota. Terms of his NFL suspension for insider trading last month were he could return to practice last week then play in week 14. Kendricks started two games for Wright in September, after the Seahawks signed him as a free agent.
McKissic closer
Running back J.D. McKissic returned to practice last week after becoming Seattle’s first of two allowed players on injured reserve designated to return. The team has two more weeks to decide if the third-down back and former wide receiver is ready to re-join the active roster. If he isn’t by the Dec. 10 game against the Vikings, McKissic has to go back on IR for the rest of this season.
Asked Monday if there was a chance McKissic makes his season debut Sunday against San Francisco (2-9), which would his first action since he broke a bone in his foot in August, Carroll said: “There is a chance, yeah. We’ll show you what we’re thinking here during the week.
“I’m looking forward to him coming back.”
Mike Davis has been the third-down back the last couple weeks. Former third-down back C.J. Prosise was a healthy inactice again in Carolina.
Daniels claimed by Arizona
Arizona claimed former University of Washington wide receiver Darrell Daniels off waivers Monday from the Seahawks.
Seattle waived Daniels on Saturday to get wide receiver Keenan Reynolds onto the roster from the practice squad, in case Doug Baldwin (pulled groin) couldn’t play Sunday at Carolina. Baldwin played, Reynolds did not.
This story was originally published November 26, 2018 at 4:28 PM.
