Field Gulls
Well, that’s not exactly the best final preseason game I’ve ever seen. The Seattle Seahawks spent the week in Green Bay, then decided to play their reserves against the Packers in their final tune up before the regular season, and it showed in a 20-7 defeat.
In a game that had nothing that was really supposed to happen, there ended up being a lot to discuss, so let’s break it down.
There hasn’t been a preseason with this much excitement and hope around the Seahawks since their prime LOB era years, but I’m also glad it’s over. We saw the good, the bad, and the ugly that August football will provide.
I think this year, more so than any year I can remember, has given fans the clearest answers to how this roster and depth chart will look. Yes, there are still things that need to be sorted, but this team feels like it is lacking in almost any drama whatsoever.
The excitement of the week two preseason game and the ugliness of Saturday’s loss to Green Bay feel like opposite ends of the spectrum. It’s time to see the starters in full action, and see this team go full speed, and we’ll find out which end of the spectrum they are closer to.
Despite what appears to be a potentially franchise-altering draft class, it’s the third string third round draft pick in Jalen Milroe that has been the most talked about player at camp. On Saturday, we saw Milroe get the full game action, and it was a good encapsulation of how his preseason went.
There is clear talent, between the intangibles, the way the ball explodes off his arm, and his electric running ability. There’s also a clear steep learning curve that lies ahead for Milroe. It’s really hard to get a good evaluation when he is surrounded by training camp cut talent and is going against the starters for the Green Bay Packers. There has been good and bad, but I think we can clearly see that there’s something there.
That something will be in the form of his legs, as he will likely be in the field four to eight plays to help move the chains or spark the offense. That could be the difference between Seattle winning the NFC West or missing the playoffs for the third straight season.
Having him sit behind Sam Darnold and Drew Lock for the season (and possibly next) while completely learning the Kubiak offense in a way QB’s haven’t been afforded in the past twenty years, could prove to be the most important thing to happen to the Seahawks franchise this season.
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