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5 Biggest Mistakes of Seattle Seahawks’ 2013 Season So Far

August 24, 2013 9:15 pm EDT by
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Pete Carroll's Made Some Smart Calls, But Some Mistakes As Well

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Stephen Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks have not done much wrong so far in 2013. They added depth to their defensive line, acquiring Michael Bennett from Tampa Bay and Cliff Avril from Detroit to combat the issues of Bruce Irvin’s suspension and Chris Clemons' injury. They also re-signed strong safety Kam Chancellor, making sure that they keep the “Legion of Boom” secondary together for at least a couple more years.

Their roster is filled with big, strong, athletic, and fast players. They fly to the ball on defense, hit you hard when they arrive, and talk trash as you limp back to the huddle. On offense they pound you into the ground with Marshawn Lynch, and when that doesn’t work, they rely on the playmaking ability of second-year quarterback Russell Wilson, a third-round selection of the 2012 NFL Draft who went from 3rd string quarterback to starter as a rookie in just one short preseason. I expect Wilson to have another great year.

As great as the Seattle Seahawks did in the offseason, there were a couple, well, to be exact, there were five big mistakes the team has made so far in 2013 that made me scratch my head. They weren’t egregious mistakes by any means, as Peter Carroll really knows what he is looking for in players, but they were mistakes nonetheless. Some of these mistakes will hurt them; others may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. But to me, these are the five biggest mistakes the Seahawks made so far.

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Brady Quinn-First-Round Bust

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Stephen Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Signing Brady Quinn. Need I say more? Okay, I will, but I won't be nice about it. Brady Quinn looks like an NFL quarterback. If you had Wilson and Quinn in the same room and asked a bunch of people which one played quarterback, everyone would choose Quinn. That’s where the positives end for him, though. As a first-round pick he was a bust. Heck, if he were a third-round pick, he would have still been considered a bust. His career stats are 53.8 completion percentage, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions with an average yard per pass of only 5.53 yards. As a Kansas City Chief last year he had a 4-to-1 interception to touchdown ratio. The Seahawks, however, made up for this mistake bringing back Tarvaris Jackson to be the backup instead of Quinn.

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Jordan Hill-3rd-Round Draft Pick

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Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Drafting three defensive tackles was a misstep. Their roster is already loaded with players like Brandon Mebane, Clinton McDonald and Tony McDaniel. They could have just done fine with one defensive tackle in the draft, and for me I would have drafted Jesse Williams from Alabama. I feel Seattle got Williams as a steal in round five of the draft, but drafting defensive tackle Jordan Hill in the third-round wasn’t the smart choice to me. Granted they took him before Williams, but they could have used a pick like that on their linebacker group. They also drafted Jared Smith in the seventh-round as the third defensive tackle.

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Christine Michael-2nd-Round Speedster

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Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Drafting two running backs in the draft as a mistake. They already had Marshawn Lynch, “Beast-mode” as some would call his running style, and Robert Turbin, a Lynch clone. Lynch and Turbin are two big, physical runners that wear you down. To the surprise of most, the Seahawks in the second-round of the 2013 NFL Draft took Christine Michael, who was Seattle’s number one running back on their draft board. Then in the fourth-round they selected Spencer Ware. Apparently they are going to use Ware at fullback, but they already have one of the best in Michael Robinson at fullback. Michael was a good pick as he will bring a change of pace speed to the running back position, but there were just other needs that should have been addressed first, including offensive tackle.

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Percy Harvin Paid Too Much Money

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Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The fourth mistake of the Seahawks made was trading for and giving big money to Percy Harvin. I love Percy Harvin; I had him on my fantasy team last year and through eight games I looked like a genius. Then Harvin did what he does every year and got injured. Whether it's reoccurring migraines, a sprained ankle or a hip injury, he just doesn’t stay on the field consistently. Yes he only missed a couple of games in his career till last year, but a sprained ankle keeping you out for seven weeks is a little absurd. Seattle also paid top-dollar for a player whom has never had 1000 yards in a season.

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John Moffitt- Traded to Broncos

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Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Trading John Moffit was awful. Moffitt lost the starting right guard spot this offseason to converted defensive player J.R Sweezy, but trading him to Denver wasn’t the answer. Yes, the added cap space is nice, and yes, there are some promising rookies on their roster, including seventh-round draft choice Michael Bowie and free agent guard Alvin Bailey, but I would much rather have a unspectacular but solid player who has experience in games, especially when you are a contender to win the Super Bowl.

That’s it, five mistakes the Seattle Seahawks have made so far in 2013. I would love to listen to your comments if any of you Seattle Seahawk fans have any. See you the end of the season, where I can see if I made any errors in the mistakes I picked.


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  • Hellifuknow

    Dude I don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t know what you’re talking about regarding Hill, Williams and Seattle’s DTs in general.

    1. Hill and Williams are 2 totally different DTs. Hill is a dynamic, backfield-penetrating, QB chasing 3-tech, whereas Williams is more of a traditional run-stuffing, double-team eating NT.

    2. Williams probably will start the season on IR because his knee is in bad shape. Hill may not play in game 1 because of the bicep injury he had this last week in practice. But he’s not injured like Williams is, and therefore will be able to play and make an impact early in the season.

    3. Jared Smith may have been a DT in college, but he was drafted specifically so Tom Cable could convert him to the OLine. At this point he looks to be a back up center to Unger.

    4. Up to this week’s GB game, McDaniel was a total unknown commodity. He hadn’t practiced much at all in camp because of an injury, and he didn’t play in the first 2 preseason games. It’s entirely possible he might not have worked out for Seattle at all. Thankfully it looks like he will, but taking 2 DTs in the draft (not 3 like you said – Jared Smith doesn’t count) was NOT a mistake by any means.

    • Joshua Akana

      I totallly agree with you. Hill and WIlliams are two totally different DT’s. But I said i wouldn’t have taken Hill because I personally didn’t like him coming out of college. Also, i thought that the Seahawks have enough pass rushers on their team with Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, Bruce Irvin, that I didn’t believe that Hill was the right choice. I liked Williams because he is a stuffer of the run. When the Seahawks go into their third down package anyway, Bryant moves inside with Mebane, So I didn’t feel that the Hawks needed another inside pass rusher. As far as Michael is concerned, I said he is going to be really good, and he is probably going to produce more than any offensive tackle or guard would at that spot. But the Seahawks pass protection was not good last year, Russell Wilson made them look better than the stats because of his scrambling ability and they could have addressed it earlier.

      I also mentioned Bailey and Bowie, and said they were the reason why they traded Moffitt, but they are still rookies, and I personally would want a guard with a little less talent but more experience than rookies when i’m in the hunt for the Super Bowl. I thought they would have been better off with Larry Warford a really highly rated guard out of Kentucky. But it’s just speculation. After watching Michael in the third preseason game, you’re right, it worked out better because they ended up getting Bowie in the 7th round to fill that need at guard. If they were going to go tackle I am really high on Terron Armstead who was still available in the second round, but he is a raw and a couple of years away. But i’m just speculating on the negatives. I said there weren’t many and there weren’t. And maybe they just didn’t go tackle because they knew Bailey would be so good) I have no idea. Honestly it was hard to find any mistakes this offseason outside of Percy Harvin, but I tried.Thank you for your response and your words about Jared Smith. (Had no idea and am sorry about that, ain’t afraid to say it.) They’ve had really good success with J.R Sweezy so i hope that works out again. You are very knowledgeable on your Seahawks, i’m sorry if you don’t agree with me, but after all, it is an opinion article. Thanks for reading and I hope you read more.

  • Hellifuknow

    Also, you’re totally incorrect about drafting Michael and Ware.

    1. Of all the RBs in the 2013 NFL draft, Michael has the most raw talent and athleticism. That’s not me talking, that’s people like PFF and ESPN. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he’s the most talented and athletic RB to come out of college since Adrian Peterson. Michael didn’t have Peterson’s stats in college, and therefore wasn’t drafted as high, but you can chalk that up to a change in college coaches from Mike Sherman to Kevin Sumlin. Michael played much better under Sherman, and if Sherman had stayed at A&M, it’s probable that Michael would have had the stats to be a 1st round pick. But Sherman didn’t stay, and Michael didn’t get along with the new head coach, Sumlin. Sumlin effectively killed Michael’s senior season by restructuring the offense around Manziel and cutting Michael out of the running game.

    2. Seattle has been, is, and will continue to be, a run oriented offense. Lynch may be one of the best RBs in the NFL, but his running style isn’t conducive to longevity. He had some health issues last year with his back, and it’s not wise to put so much of the offense on his shoulders, not just this year, but into the future. Turbin is a decent backup, but he’ll never be Lynch. Michael on the other hand, not only is a superior backup (hell, he’s already beat out Turbin for the #2 RB spot in 3 preseason games), but he’s going to be Lynch’s replacement in a couple of years. Talent like Michael is rare. To get him late in the 2nd round is an absolute steal.

    3. Of all the RBs in the 2013 draft, the Seattle coaching staff thought Ware was the toughest runner. Based on what I’ve seen of him so far this preseason, I’d say they were 100% right. He’s a freaking bulldozer carrying the ball. I agree that Robinson is a great FB, but his salary is high – one of the highest in the entire NFL at that position. It’s not a problem for the salary cap this year, but it’s a major liability going into 2014 and beyond, when this team will need to resign Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Golden Tate and others. Moreover, Robinson is 30 this year. That may not be over the hill just yet, but it’s old enough to start looking for his replacement.

    4. I don’t know why you think OT was a priority for Seattle in the draft. Okung is one of the best LTs in the game, and although Giacomini isn’t Okung’s equal, he is still a good RT. In fact, based on stats alone, Giacomini is one of the better run blocking RTs in the league. He had some issues with pass blocking and penalties last year, but most of that came early in the season. He was much better in the second half and into the playoffs. Moreover, Seattle did get 2 very promising OTs in the draft – Mike Bowie (LT in the 7th Rd) and Alvin Bailey (RT-G in free agency). Bailey has looked so good in the preseason, it’s entirely possible that he could replace Giacomini as the starting RT sometime this season. And that’s not because GIacomini isn’t any good, it’s because Bailey has been fantastic so far. Please, tell me, based on who was available late in the 2nd round, which OT do you think Seattle should have taken with the 62nd pick instead of Michael? Then keep that name handy so at the end of the season, you can compare that player to Michael, and see which one made more of an impact on their respective team.

  • Ron Grummer

    Amazing, I think of these factors as strengths of the offseason, rather than mistakes.
    Go ‘Hawks!

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