The Seahawks  returned to practice  focused on execution and accountability

After diagnosing the film and some soul-searching, the Seattle Seahawks players and coaches turned the page on last week’s 38-35 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The group’s focus quickly turned to improved performance and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

PERFORMANCE NOT UP TO PAR

After taking ownership of last week’s performance, the players are using lessons learned to regroup and quickly get back to winning ways.  To move forward, each player had to take accountability for their performance  and their teammates’ performance

“To me, it wasn’t up to our standard. We all agree it wasn’t up to our standard so we’re just trying to hold each other accountable. Not really point fingers at specific players but point fingers at the problem. We felt like we didn’t tackle well enough, we feel like we didn’t pursue the ball well enough, we see that offenses are attacking us with screen plays and that’s something we’re going to have to get better at.”

Tackling has been the main topic of discussion since Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers. A deeper into the Seahawks tackling woes reveals that the defense is susceptible to passes to running backs. The Seahawks defense is second in the NFL in yards allowed to running backs and catches by running backs. Teams are using the screen pass to circumvent the Seahawks’ fierce pas rush.

“I don’t think so and as a defensive lineman you never want to be playing for the screen. That’s going to slow your get off, you’re chasing plays at that point. As a defensive lineman, as any front guy, any person that’s pressuring the quarterback, a screen is something you should just react to,’ said Williams .”  As soon as an offensive lineman swims you or clubs you by and you feel like you were just unblocked, you should plant your foot right away and chase the lineman, you shouldn’t be trying to play for those types of plays.”

PREPARRING  FOR TREVOR LAWRENCE

Containment, physicality, discipline, and clear communication will be key if the Seahawks defense is to stop the Jaguars’ 5th-ranked running attack, which is led by Travis Etienne’s 443 yards and five touchdowns. Complicating the Défense’s task is dual-threat quarterback Trevor Lawrence.  In the Jaguars’ 31-28 win over the Chiefs, Lawrence completed  18 of 25 pass attempts for  221 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Lawrence was sacked three times for 11 yards. He led the Jaguars in rushing with 10 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

“ He’s making fast decisions. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for that. The receivers are getting open and he’s throwing the ball on time. He’s throwing it accurately and they’re protecting him. So, they’re doing a good job,” said Macdonald when asked about Lawrence being sacked just six times this season. “  They ID stuff really well. They’re not in drop back situations a lot. If they are, sometimes it’s on their terms. In the action game, they complement it well with some of the movements and the screens off it as well. They’re a complementary offense, and they’re playing efficiently right now.”