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We’re six weeks into the 2018 Seattle Seahawks season Bradley McDougald Jersey , with the team sitting at 3-3 after the unwanted but not entirely unexpected 0-2 start. They’re off this Sunday and will resume action on October 28th against the Detroit Lions, as the Seahawks look to defy critics and make a serious push for the playoffs.It’s a quiet weekend for us due to the bye, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a nice, wholesome discussion about what we’ve seen up to this point!The question is simple: What has surprised you most out of this Seahawks team? It can be negative or positive, the main thing is something you didn’t expect heading into Week 1.For me, I really don’t have another clear-cut answer other than...The substantial improvement of the offensive lineIf I were to tell you that the Seahawks offensive line would go from laughing stock of the NFL in 2017 to one of the best in the league in pass-blocking one season later, you’d think I was trolling you. Duane Brown and Justin Britt have both proven to be among the better players at their respective positions, but everyone else was still a major question mark. J.R. Sweezy was a career right guard whom through injury has ultimately usurped Ethan Pocic at left guard. Oh yes, and he’s coming off consecutive season-ending injuries. D.J. Fluker was written off as a bust when he was with the San Diego Chargers, showed some promise as a run-blocking right guard with the New York Giants, but he too was returning from season-ending injury. Then there’s Germain Ifedi, much-maligned at both guard and tackle through his first two seasons, and no doubt frustrating the coaching staff with repeated penalty problems in training camp and preseason, never mind his bad habits in the actual meaningful games.After a brutal start to the season with Russell Wilson getting sacked 12 times — some of these sacks were admittedly on the quarterback — Wilson has been sacked only seven times over the last four games. The Seahawks rank tops in the NFL from Weeks 3-6 in pass-blocking efficiency, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. I know that PFF’s grading system can be a little shaky, but since it’s a good stat about Seattle, I’ve determined it’s good. Also Authentic J.R. Sweezy Jersey , even the ol’ eye test largely backs up that Wilson has seldom been running for his life and under constant pressure over the past month.One area where Pete Carroll has to be the most thrilled with Mike Solari’s group is the running game. Yes, the Seahawks may only rank 18th in DVOA on the ground (five spots higher than last year), but dig a little deeper and you’ll see drastic gains in select situations.According to Football Outsiders, last year’s Seahawks ranked 31st in Adjusted Line Yards, 27th in Power Blocking (short-yardage situations, essentially), 32nd in Stuffed Rate, 28th in Second-Level Yards, and 21st in Open Field Yards. This year’s Seahawks, at least through 37.5% of the season, are 17th in Adjusted Line Yards, 2nd in Power Blocking, 7th in Stuffed Rate, 19th in Second-Level Yards, and 17th in Open Field Yards. There are still some average to mediocre stats in there, but they’re elite in short-yardage conversions, and not repeatedly losing yards or suffering no gain. I highly recommend checking out Doug Farrar’s breakdown of Solari’s transformation of this unit Youth Sebastian Janikowski Jersey , although credit also has to go to the players for executing at a baseline level of competence, Ifedi in particular has looked much more confident in recent weeks.It’s not the world’s largest sample size, but it’s been a pleasant surprise to see just how well this offensive line has played. Fluker in particular has stood out above everyone else, and unlike Luke Joeckel, this one-year “prove-it” deal has been a major success that leads you to believe that keeping him beyond 2018 is a top priority for the Seahawks front office.Swerving Points, Week 5: Seahawks almost almost, but don’t quite Moral victories suck, because they’re not actual victories. They’re losses, and this one will probably prove fatal to the Seattle Seahawks’ chances to reclaim the NFC West title from the Los Angeles Usurpers Rams. Three games and a tie-breaker doesn’t look like a climbable mountain in 11 weeks’ time. But Seattle probably beats 28 or 29 other NFL teams with last Sunday’s performance. And that has* to give you hope.(*no such requirement exists)Everyone’s talking about the timeout, so before we get to the real under-the-radar plays and topics, a word or 200 on that unfortunate end-of-game sequence:Pete Carroll requested the timeout before the measurement to save 30-35 precious seconds. To fail to call timeout before would have been criminal.He was given the option to rescind it after the measurement. Had he done so at the 1:39 mark, he runs the game clock down to one minute. A timeout is worth less than 35 seconds of game clock when there are only 90 left to play and you need to get in field goal range. Again, call the timeout reflexively, please.Obviously if Carroll knew Sean McVay would make the bold call — but clearly the correct call, as QB sneaks on 4th and 1 are nearly automatic —then he would’ve let the clock run. Maybe. One hopes. But absent an ability to read minds, Carroll opted for the clock-saving choice, and I find it exceedingly hard to blame him for valuing seconds over a chance McVay would gamble.There would have been an advantage to letting the clock run and force the Rams to quickly get their offense out http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-barkevious-mingo-jersey , or punt, or take a delay of game and surely punt. But I refer us back to the mind-reading ability, which Carroll has yet to perfect.Now that that’s out of the way...Drop kicks: here to stay?Week 5 marked the second and third drop kicks executed by Michael Dickson on kickoff opportunities. After big returns on the Rams’ first two possessions gave them average starting field position of the 40-yard line, two drop kicks gave the visitors average starting position of their own 23. That’s more like it. Field Gulls writer Sean Clement is going to explore the drop kicks in more depth later this week. Just know that a return team that gives the Seahawks fits could find themselves facing more drop kicks from Dickson, if Sunday’s results are any clue. They provide a change of pace, they sometimes bounce, which throws the whole return off, and intuitively you’d like to think they results in turnovers more often. We’ll see,A costly, costly, costly PI callPlenty of talk of how the defense ballhawked again, with two interceptions and two forced fumbles. If they do that every week...However, one defensive misplay cost the Seahawks six points in a two-point game. It’s, of course, that somewhat forgotten moment, between the emergence of Bradley McDougald as Earl Thomas disappears, the revival of the running game Authentic Quinton Jefferson Jersey , the high-level play of Russell Wilson, the final-drive mistakes and the fateful fourth down — the pass interference on fourth down and 2 that led to a Rams touchdown.Shaquill Griffin will be a star. He’s no Tre Flowers, but he’ll get there. /sarcasm off. On fourth-and-two, from the SEA 10, first play of the final quarter, Griffin collides with Robert Woods a split second before the ball arrives. First down LA.Three things to note about the play above.A) Griffin will time his arrival better; he has before, and he will in the future. It just didn’t work out for him that day.B) The ball could have been ruled uncatchable. But it was borderline, so it’s hard to fault the referee for making a judgment call.C) If the ball is even remotely catchable, it was clearly PI by Griffin. Sometimes a good player makes a bad play. The sequencing just hurt the Seahawks a maximum amount this time. Maybe they’ll escape the same level of dire consequences the next time a DB arrives too early.Almost almostWe know Germain Ifedi picked a very very bad moment for his only penalty of the game. We know D.J. Fluker outdid him.Look again, if it’s not too bittersweet, at one of the biggest plays of the third quarter, the catch that should’ve set Sebastian Janikowski up for a go-ahead field goal.I mean, it got them to the 27. Damn. Anyway. Play action strikes again. On Sunday, Wilson was a machine — a robot! — on play action.Some analysts cited as many as 13 of the Seahawks’ dropbacks as play action. Others 11. It’s not an exact science. What is, though, is that it works. The team could run it even more!This isn’t what Brian Schottenheimer’s detractors are gonna want to hear, but... Seattle is doing exactly that.Through four weeks (note date on tweet):Then Youth Tom Johnson Jersey , the Seahawks went to PA on half their dropbacks. They’re paying attention to what works. P.S. Item: George FantThe second Tom Cable converted offensive lineman on the roster (admit it, J.R. Sweezy kinda slipped your mind, so very much water under the bridge) played 12 snaps against Los Angeles. He was an eligible receiver, as the sixth offensive lineman tends to be, on most plays. He didn’t catch any passes, but then again, neither did Garry Gilliam, until he suddenly did on the biggest stage. Fant’s return and continued development is another example of how Mike Solari has built actual depth onto this Seahawks offensive line. Yes, quality depth. Joey Hunt filled in at center for Justin Britt and Seattle went 2-0. Ethan Pocic has 11 starts under his belt when he returns. JaMarco Jones could be a legitimate NFL tackle; at the very least, he furnished hope after a strong preseason showing. A competent offensive line moves like this and looks like this:Watch Lockett if you want. I’m far more mesmerized by the discipline, precision and tenacity of the linemen, at the end of a day when Seattle rushed 32 times for 190 yards. There exists a strong possibility that the Seahawks have nine competent offensive linemen under contract. When was the last that time that happened?Don’t answer. Please don’t answer.