We’re one week out from the Seattle Seahawks’ first coaching camp below Mike Macdonald. There are loads of questions concerning the roster which we hope shall be answered by way of camp and the preseason, and beginning at this time we’ll preview the season with three questions regarding each a part of the roster. The preview for particular groups is the one one that won’t deal with particular positions, however as an alternative consider the whole thing of the unit.
Particular groups roster: Okay Jason Myers, P Michael Dickson, LS Chris Stoll
How will the Seahawks deal with the brand new kickoff guidelines?
It is a blanket query for everybody, I suppose. The modified NFL kickoff was designed to, properly, make the kickoff related once more. Scale back the touchbacks, put the ball in play, and discover methods for the kick return to be safer for the gamers with out eliminating kickoffs utterly.
There’s an exceptional article by Sumer Sports activities’ Shawn Syed, who broke down each kickoff from the XFL (from which the NFL’s kickoff guidelines are usually modeled off of) to identify patterns within the date and to see what can translate to the NFL. It’s not so simple as aligning otherwise and swapping returners. There may be a lot to study totally different protection schemes, potential choice performs with a second returner, kickers altering their ball placement for the place the kick lands, and so forth. that it’ll take a while to regulate.
Right here’s what Syed concluded after his analysis:
Except for strategic nuance and rule manipulation, the change within the NFL kickoff goes to have a tangible affect on the sector; there’ll doubtless be an astounding improve within the proportion of kickoffs returned this season.
Extra gamers will discover their title on the stat sheet and nice gamers will emerge in numerous methods, on each the kicking and returning aspect. The most effective particular groups coordinators will be capable to get probably the most out of their gamers executing the elemental strategies of soccer however will even discover artistic methods to open and shut area for returners. The most effective kickers will even give their workforce a bonus by how they kick the ball into the touchdown zone.
As a substitute of checking the field and beginning a drive on the 25 yard-line, groups must earn their beginning discipline place. Every yard added onto the beginning of a drive will increase a workforce’s likelihood to attain factors, however kickoff items might discover that the variations within the XFL guidelines and NFL guidelines fall of their favor.
The brand new kickoff is likely one of the most compelling causes to observe the preseason. We would see a longtime star as a second returner/pace choice risk, Jason Myers concerned extra as a tackler, Michael Dickson used as a kickoff man, totally different methods to restrict discipline place, and I contemplate all of it as thrilling as it’s complicated.
Who’s going to return punts?
Piggybacking off the earlier matter, there are not any scarcity of viable candidates for kick returner for the Seahawks. Dee Eskridge, Laviska Shenault Jr, Dee Williams, Kenny McIntosh, Tre Brown, and Nehemiah Pritchett are among the many potential choices for kickoffs. We might even see, say, Kenneth Walker III on particular groups however that’s simply hypothesis. Gamers with deep punt return expertise, nevertheless, are briefly provide.
Williams is probably the most skilled however until he dramatically improves he gained’t make a dent on the large receiver depth chart. Everybody else I’ve listed didn’t return punts in school or the professionals. Easop Winston Jr returned 10 punts with the New Orleans Saints in 2021 and had these duties for the Seahawks final preseason, however he equally has an uphill battle to make the roster as a receiver.
Tyler Lockett is the veteran, secure pair of fingers as a punt returner however his days of being an All-Professional on the place are lengthy gone. He could be the choice for honest catches contained in the 20.
It’s arguably extra necessary Seattle figures out punt returner than kick returner, and hopefully which means no repeat of the time they let Earl Thomas return punts and force-quit that experiment after one recreation.
Are we going to get “even 12 months” Jason Myers brilliance once more?
Jason Myers has seldom been a constant placekicker on a year-to-year foundation. His statistics in even-numbered years versus odd-numbered years are one thing of a working joke. Myers’ two Professional Bowl seasons (one with the Seahawks and the opposite with the New York Jets) had been in 2022 and 2018, respectively. He didn’t miss any discipline objectives in 2020 and even banged by way of a 61-yarder. In the meantime, he was a really underwhelming 17/23 on discipline objectives in 2021 and obtained lower by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 after going 0-3 on 50+ yard kicks and lacking a few PATs.
Final season was an odd 12 months for Myers even by odd-numbered 12 months requirements. He missed seven discipline objectives, tying a career-high set in 2016 (even-numbered 12 months!), however was good on PATs for the primary time. Worryingly, Myers was solely 6/10 on discipline objectives in indoor stadiums, together with two misses in opposition to the Detroit Lions, a missed game-winner versus the Los Angeles Rams, and a miss within 40 yards versus the Dallas Cowboys.
A free protection of Myers is that he was requested to do far more discipline objective kicking than is cheap. He led the league with 42 makes an attempt, 5 greater than his earlier career-high of 37 again in 2022. While you take a look at the chances of all kickers since 2000 with at the least 40 makes an attempt in a season, Myers has a middling rating. His middling rating additionally applies to DVOA, so the amount of misses doesn’t point out his general season was a nasty one.
Maybe Myers is emblematic of kicker volatility. In case your title isn’t Justin Tucker there’s simply not going to be grand expectation of excessive accuracy each season.
From the FTN Soccer Almanac 2024:
Area objective proportion is sort of completely random from season to season, whereas kickoff distance is likely one of the most constant statistics in soccer.
This concept, which initially appeared within the New York Occasions in October 2006, is one in every of our most controversial, however it’s exhausting to argue in opposition to the proof. Measuring each kicker from 2018 to 2022 who had at the least 20 discipline objective makes an attempt in every of two consecutive years, the year-to-year correlation coefficient for discipline objective proportion was an insignificant (and destructive) -.05. Jason Myers of Seattle is a good instance. In 2018, he had a Professional Bowl season for the Jets and linked on 92% of discipline objectives, which obtained him an enormous contract in Seattle. In 2019, he declined to only 82%. In 2020, he rebounded and hit all 24 of his discipline objective makes an attempt with no misses. The subsequent 12 months, he was again right down to 74% together with two misses from inside 40 yards. After which in 2022, Myers linked on 92% of his discipline objectives.
What you hope to see is Myers preserve his wonderful PAT file however not have his title known as for extra discipline objectives than essential. That is however an necessary 12 months for Myers contemplating that is his ultimate season with any assured wage.
There are not any questions on Michael Dickson, for we all know he isn’t to be questioned.
Our subsequent preview will take a look at the quarterbacks.
