Seahawks Earn Praise for Defying NFL Quarterback Trends
The common consensus in the NFL is to find a winning quarterback, pay him and keep on paying, unless you’re the Seattle Seahawks, who are earning praise for ignoring trends and beating the market at football’s most important position.
Plaudits aren’t in short supply for how general manager John Schneider has made two successful transitions from a successful signal-caller. First, he ditched Russell Wilson at the right time and bet on Geno Smith’s Pro-Bowl potential, before moving on from Smith and betting Sam Darnold’s breakout 2024 campaign was no fluke.
There’s no luck about how the Seahawks keep getting things right at quarterback. Not according to one unnamed league executive who instead credits the Seahawks for ignoring how “Most of the league makes fear-based decisions. They think, ‘I have to draft a high-round quarterback or I have to have a placeholder, and the placeholder I know is better than the one I don’t,” per Mike Sando of The Athletic.
Although it’s early, Darnold already looks like a worthy reward for Schneider’s fearless approach.
Sam Darnold Rewarding Seahawks’ Unorthodox QB Plan
Sando noted how “the first four weeks of this season suggest the Seahawks might have picked the right time to trade Smith and sign Sam Darnold.” It’s a bold statement after Smith played the best football of his career in Seattle once Schneider traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos in 2022.
That was a bold deal, given Wilson was a nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl winner as a member of the Seahawks. Smith, meanwhile, had become a career backup after flattering to deceive for the New York Jets.
Yet, while Wilson’s career collapsed in Denver, Smith threw for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns in his first year as the starter. Another 4,000-yard season followed two years later, but Schneider still traded 35-year-old Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders before acquiring Darnold.
The latter move looks good thanks to Darnold pacing QBs “on 10+ yard throws this season,” according to Pro Football Focus.
Darnold’s playing decisive football in the clutch, in contrast to Smith, who’s tossed seven interceptions through four games with the Silver and Black. As for Wilson, he couldn’t revive his fortunes with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, and a move to the New York Giants has already unravelled after the veteran was benched for rookie Jaxson Dart.
Wilson now looks like a viable trade candidate, but the Seahawks still somehow benefitted. The bonus came from Schneider bringing Drew Lock back to Lumen Field after he was released by the Giants.
As Sando put it, “These were high-stakes moves driven by general manager John Schneider in an era when many teams paid upper-tier money for mid-tier quarterbacks, for fear of the unknown.”
The alternative would have been to stick with Wilson through his late-career decline. Or continue paying an ageing Smith. Another executive summed up those alternatives best to Sando: “The contrast is, you are seeing other teams double down on guys like Tua (Tagovailoa) and Trevor Lawrence.”
The Seahawks are winning because of their different way of thinking about the quarterback position. While Schneider is getting more props for clever use of the market, the fact is the Seahawks have a lengthy history of going against the grain at QB.
Seahawks Have Thrived With Different QB Decisions
It wasn’t so long ago Mike Holmgren traded for Matt Hasselbeck and trusted Brett Favre’s backup to become a Pro Bowler and lead the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl, per NFL Legacy.
Before that, undrafted free agent Dave Krieg, from Milton College, made the Seahawks a contender in the 1980s. Krieg’s career earned him a place among the Seahawks’ top 50 players.
Even the decision to use a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft to select Wilson defied league-wide convention. Wilson was considered undersized, but he proved a preternatural deep thrower with a knack for making big plays off platform during his peak years.
Schneider was a key figure behind that decision, and he’s continuing to ignore the prevailing strategies and still find success. As another anonymous exec told Sando, “The thing about Seattle is, they have survived the rebuild multiple times. There is something to that. Because they won games in the midst of all that, they don’t fear the same things that other guys fear.”
At 3-1 and with Darnold playing at a high level, the Seahawks look well-placed to maintain their run with unheralded QBs.
Aidan Hutchinson proves he’s already back to being a Lions difference-maker
The Detroit Lions missed Aidan Hutchinson big during the 2024 season. Need more proof? Through the last three weeks, Detroit has been more dangerous rushing the passer than down the stretch last season.
Hutchinson's healthy return has been a big reason why. After knocking rust off in a tough Week 1 performance against the Green Bay Packers, the stud edge is rolling. He has put up four sacks in the last three weeks and once again is a game breaker.
Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, Hutchinson was a force. He put up four tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and had one forced fumble. Additionally, he had four quarterback hits, rattling Joe Flacco. It was enough to earn him a game ball.
Funny enough, all Hutchinson could focus on afterward was the strip he had taken away rather than the plays he did make. Two forced fumbles in two weeks is big production, and it's something that is emphasized in practice.
"I wish I had that second one. But it's fun. It's always good when you're getting the ball out. That's what you want in a defense. I feel like since I've gotten in the NFL, it's a big emphasis in practice. Whenever you're running by that quarterback, you're throwing a swipe in. Not like you're hitting it, but it's a mental thing."
While the focus was on the electric plays Hutchinson made, a more subtle part of his game shone with his ability to be stout and dependable against the run.
"it's just how we do it. Here in Detroit, we put a big emphasis on stop the run and earn your right to rush the passer. That's kind of the philosophy. (We) had a lot of opportunities, too. Missed a couple tackles, but I think overall we did pretty good against the run."
No matter whether he was rushing the passer or stopping the run, Hutchinson was more than effective. He has shown that he has MVP capabilities if he stays healthy. The good news? He looked very durable on Sunday.
Hutchinson survives another injury scare to make a huge impact
After what played out last season, it's tough to blame Lions fans who might hold their breath whenever Hutchinson hits the turf. That happened a few times against Cleveland, most notably late in the first half.
Hutchinson took a shot to the chest that briefly knocked him to the ground. For those split seconds, there was panic in the Motor City as he writhed in pain. Luckily, it wasn't a serious injury, but rather a routine incident on a football field, and nothing that will carry over into future weeks.
"I just got the wind knocked out of me. I was trying to get up because I didn't want people to start having flashbacks or anything. I just couldn't even breathe out there. I was like '(Gasp), get up, Aidan. Get up.' And I couldn't get up. I was like, 'Just give me 30 seconds and I'll be good.' Then I got up and was good."
Fortunately, Hutchinson was more than good against Cleveland. His effort was perhaps the biggest reason Detroit's defense was able to help the team stack a third-straight win.
