Plenty of lessons to learn from Seahawks’ preseason final at Green  Bay

SEAHAWKS END PRESEASON WITH  20-7 LOSS TO PACKERS

 With the preseason complete head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff will finalize their roster evaluation. The first step will be to cut the roster to 70 players, the practice squad, followed by the 53-man season-opening roster.  Macdonald and his staff had their biggest data point in the team’s joint practice and Saturday’s preseason game.  The team’s starters participated in the joint practice and sat out the preseason final against the Packers.

PLENTY OF LESSONS LEARNED

Rookie quarter Jalen Milroe was the team’s lone quarterback. The third-rounder from Alabama showed some positive signs and some not-so-positive signs. Milore’s first NFL start was a slow and rocky start that was followed up with an impressive fourth-quarter drive.  In his first series, Milroe led an offensive made up of second and third-team players against the Packers’ number-one defense.

The series ended in a punt. The second drive ended in the first of three fumbles by Milroe. Two fourth-down redzone attempts in the second quarter yielded zero points. Milroe showed poise and patience when he directed 5 5-play 57-yard touchdown drive just inside the start of the fourth quarter.

IMPRESSIVE DRIVE
An 18-yard touchdown pass to Cody White capped the drive. In the drive, Milroe had an impressive 15-yard run down the left sideline, and that followed a 25-yard completion to White. Milroe finished the day completing 13 of 24 pass attempts for 148 yards a touchdown and 31 rushing yards. The three fumbles were his most egregious transgressions of the game.

“All on me. Everyone turnover from the quarterback position, you have to build on. You have to take care of the football. All of those are on me. I have to be better with ball security. You know it is tough when you’re in the trenches. They are going to swat at the ball. Some big, strong dudes. They are heavier than me, said Milroe. “You have to protect the ball. It happens, but that one play didn’t lose the game. You have to keep on competing. You have to keep on building. That is part of the game. I am going to learn from that and grow from that.”

CODY WHITE  SHINES LATE

 Wide receiver Cody White’s late-game performance has put him in the conversation for  a permanent position on the team’s 53-man roster.   White spent the majority of last season on the practice squad.  That could change with Saturday’s performance, in which he returned a punt for 35 yards and caught two passes in the ensuing offensive drive, which ended with his 18-yard TD reception.  White finished the day with three receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. Two punt returns for 46. One player who gave White glaring reviews of performance was Milroe.

“Cody White is a competitor. What I appreciate about him is his hunger and how he always competes no matter where we are at during practice or when we are in Seattle or right now. He competed his tail off throughout the entire game and when an opportunity presented itself, he was there for me. When you have guys like that, who make your job easy for a quarterback. I appreciate him for how much he cares about me and also how much he wants to win and compete.”

RUNNING BACK ROOM  BATTLES CONTINUE

The injury to  Kenny McIntosh opened up some opportunities in the running back room.  First to take a step up was George Holani, who rushed for 61 yards on seven carries and a touchdown in the Seahawks’ tie with the Las Vegas Raiders. Holani cemented his spot as the third running back with a 49-yard rushing effort on five carries against the Chiefs. Damien Martinez had eleven carries for 50 yards and a touchdown in the game.  Against the Packers, Jacardia Wrigth rushed for 65 yards on five attempts. His 61-yard rumble opened eyes and put him in the conversation. Martinez had 31 yards on  seven attempts

INJURY UPDATES

Head coach Mike Macdonald gave injury updates and confirmed that  Jake Bobo  has a concussion and should be okay.

“Jake has a concussion. He has a concussion. That’s what he has right now. He’s in good spirits. We’ll start that protocol and go from there. Considering what it looked like, I think we’re fortunate that’s what we’re dealing with. That was scary, said Macdonald.  The news was also positive for cornerback Tyler Hall, who has been diagnosed with a knee injury and will undergo some imaging.

A POSITIVE  AFFAIR

As for the game, Macdonald was pleased with this team effort and the team’s joint practice  with  the  Packers.

“ It was great for our team, and I felt like we got a lot better, and we got a great evaluation for our players. I just wanted to say thank you on that front. I thought the guys played hard today. There’s a lot of good and there’s a lot we’re going to learn from. There’s operations stuff, there’s penalties, making quick decisions, being decisive, playing our style of ball that we’ll learn from these things. I thought the guys played really hard and put a heck of a training camp together. They should be proud of themselves.”

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