Beware, Let Russ Cook-ers: Pete Carroll says Seahawks ‘need to get more’ runs for Carson
Great news for the legion of “Let Russ Cook!”: The Seahawks were encouraged to the point of emboldened to let Russell Wilson keep on throwing in game one.
Not-as-great news for the cookers: Pete Carroll wants to run the ball more.
The Pacific Northwest’s fascination with the Seahawks allowing Wilson to throw the ball more—or as much as humanly possible—reached the state of “I told you so” Sunday in the season opener at Atlanta. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer called eight pass plays on Seattle’s first 11 snaps, resulting in the first two of Wilson touchdown passes to moonlighting running back Chris Carson. He called 28 pass plays in the Seahawks’ first 38 snaps. The final one was Wilson’s fourth TD toss, one to new tight end Greg Olsen.
That put the Seahawks ahead 28-12 in a 38-25 victory that wasn’t as close as that final score.
Wilson completed 31 of 35 passes—a career-best success rate of 88.6%—for 322 yards, the four TDs and a close-to-perfect passer rating of 143.1. Seattle scored its most points in a first road game of any season in 17 years, since a 38-0 win at Arizona in September 2003.
“Russ was in total command of the game,” Carroll said.
So why not let the commander-in-chief command every game like that, including the Seahawks’ home opener Sunday night against New England (1-0)?
Because Carroll is the Seahawks’ coach, not Jerry Glanville or Don Coryell.
Carson and new number-two back Carlos Hyde got just 13 carries. Carson didn’t even play half of Seattle’s offensive snaps, 28 of 62.
That’s (still) not the way Carroll wants to play. Not all the time, anyway.
“Seven and six carries wasn’t enough, you know, for our guys (Carson and Hyde),” Carroll said Monday following the team’s return home.
“We need to get more here. We were at 20 (rushes, two of which were scrambles by Wilson, plus another throw ruled a lateral and a rush to David Moore). We want to get more than that, in general.
“But when Russ is completing every pass we weren’t discouraged about the movement of the football.
“But,” Carroll was quick to add, “we love running the football. Always have.
“Those guys are going to get more carries as we go down through the schedule.”
Reasons to throw
Of course, Schottenheimer and Carroll had Wilson throwing more at Atlanta for more reasons than just appeasing the critics.
The Falcons finished 22nd in the NFL in pass defense last season. They had a rookie cornerback, first-round pick AJ Terrell from Clemson, making his first career start Sunday. Isaiah Oliver, the Falcons’ other starting cornerback, allowed 59 completions in 88 targets last season (67 percent). The Seahawks obviously had an idea to target Oliver when they ran Travis Homer on third and 3 on a sweep for a 2-yard loss then on fourth and 5 sent DK Metcalf right at Oliver.
Metcalf got a decisive, inside release on Oliver and ran right past him down the left sideline. Wilson’s throw hit him in stride for a 38-yard touchdown that put the Seahawks in control with a 21-12 lead in the third quarter. Carroll and Schottenheimer had made up their minds to go for it there two plays before, when they ran Homer—because they knew they could have Wilson succeed throwing at the Falcons just about any time they wanted.
It’s not likely to be like that against far more rugged New England Sunday night.
“This is a very difficult defense to play against,” Carroll said of Bill Belichick’s Patriots.
New England allowed 11 points (no touchdowns until 10 minutes left in the game), just 182 yards passing and 269 total yards Sunday in beating Miami at home by 10. The strength of the Patriots’ defense is its cornerbacks: Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson.
Carson’s seven carries tied for the second-lowest total of his four-year career. He absolutely wants to run it more. This is the final year of his contract. He said last month the Seahawks have yet to talk to him about a new deal, and he’s noticed the new contracts draft classmate Joe Mixon then this past weekend Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook have signed with their teams in recent weeks.
Carson has gained 2,381 yards combined the last two years.
But, hey, he set his career-high with two touchdown catches at Atlanta—in the first quarter. He equaled his entire total for 2019 in less than 11 minutes of 2020.
Schottenheimer upstairs
Schottenheimer will be scheming against Belichick’s defense with more of an overarching view.
Schottenheimer was in a booth high above empty Mercedes-Benz Stadium, upstairs during the opener for the first time as the Seahawks’ play caller. He’d spent his first two Seattle seasons on the sidelines.
Carroll said Schottenheimer will stay in the booth to call games this season.
“He really liked it, thought it worked out well,” Carroll said. “It’s something we talked about in the offseason. So we are going to take full advantage of that.”
Green injured
Carroll said the Seahawks had just one injury out of the Falcons game. Defensive end Rasheem Green “got a little bit of a pinch,” presumably in his neck and shoulder area.
The team’s leading sack man in 2019 with four left in the first half. L.J. Collier, Seattle’s first-round draft choice last year, got his first pressure of his young career on Atlanta’s Matt Ryan Sunday.
Dorsett waits
Carroll said Monday morning on his weekly radio show with KIRO-AM radio that the team’s medical staff will continue to assess wide receiver Phillip Dorsett through this week to see if he can make his Seattle debut this weekend against his former Patriots.
Dorsett was inactive for the Atlanta game with a sore foot Carroll said the speedy receiver has had for a long time. Carroll said last week the Seahawks didn’t know that when they signed him to a one-year contract for just over $1 million this offseason.
“We hope to get Phillip back, when he’s ready,” Carroll told KIRO.
Rookie sixth-round draft choice Freddie Swain moved up in the wide-receiver rotation with Dorsett out. He had his first career catch in his NFL debut. Swain, also a kick returner at Florida, recovered a fumble forced by Marquise Blair on a fake-punt run by Atlanta.
That was one of four stops Seattle got on fourth downs Sunday.
