Will loose lips sink Seahawks?
Insights shared with man who would become 49ers’ GM could come back to bite Seattle’s head coach
SEATTLE — In recent seasons, Pete Carroll found himself in production meetings with television commentator John Lynch, sharing information about the opponent that week and the foundations of his football philosophy.
Carroll certainly didn’t expect sharing those details could come back to have an adverse effect someday. Then Lynch took the job as general manager of Seattle’s division rival, the San Francisco 49ers.
“I don’t think there’s any question, the way he (Lynch) went about finding his information and getting answers to things. He was in-depth beyond where most guys go. He wanted to know why and what were you thinking. Those kinds of things,” Carroll said.
“I didn’t really put it together. I thought he’d be doing Monday Night Football or something . ... He was adding up his background and reservoir of information at the time. It makes sense it came out to get him a GM job.”
Lynch may some day use some of Carroll’s wisdom in reconstructing the 49ers.
For now, San Francisco is in another rebuild as it heads north to face Carroll’s Seahawks on Sunday.
Eventually Lynch may succeed in making San Francisco a contender again, but the opener, a 23-3 loss to Carolina, showed just how far the 49ers have to go. And they will be trying to show improvement against one of the best defences in the league.
“I don’t think I can compliment them enough,” 49ers QB Brian Hoyer said. “I think it’s a great combination of scheme and players.”
Seattle does have its issues to solve, which were highlighted in the Week 1 loss at Green Bay. The offensive line continues to be the biggest concern, as it was overwhelmed by Green Bay’s defensive front, leaving quarterback Russell Wilson to scramble for safety, disrupting the Seahawks’ offence.
Take away Wilson’s 40 yards rushing on two scrambles and a 30-yard run from rookie Chris Carson, and the Seahawks rushed for just 20 yards on 15 carries. For a team that continues to say its offence is predicated by the run, those numbers aren’t acceptable.
“Everyone has to be on the same page on offence for every play to work. Most of the time it was just one guy, one block and that’s what kind of killed the play,” Seattle guard Luke Joeckel said. Here’s what else to watch as the division rivals meet :
HOYER’S STRUGGLES
Hoyer’s debut for San Francisco didn’t go quite as planned. He committed two turnovers, threw for just 193 yards and led only one scoring drive in a 23-3 loss to Carolina. Now he looks to rebound in one of the game’s loudest venues and against one of its stingiest defences. Hoyer has never played the Seahawks in his career, but knows what to expect.
“The bigger task is their defence. Obviously, the crowd has a lot to do with it, but when you just line up and look at their defence and their scheme, it’s a tough thing to go against,” he said
WHO’S FIRST?
Who will be Seattle’s primary ball carrier? The expectation is Thomas Rawls will play after sitting out the opener while recovering from a high ankle sprain. Seattle is still trying to find the best use for Eddie Lacy, who had just five carries for three yards in the opener.
FILLING A HOLE
The 49ers have a big hole to fill on defence with rookie linebacker Reuben Foster sidelined for a few weeks by a sprained right ankle.
Foster made an impact in 11 plays in the opener before getting hurt, making three tackles, including one for a loss, and breaking up a pass. San Francisco allowed a 40-yard TD pass on the play after Foster left the game and struggled after Ray-Ray Armstrong took his place.
LINE SHIFT
There’s no doubt Seattle’s offensive line must play better. Seattle appears set with the same starting five for this week, but changes could be coming if the mistakes from the Green Bay game continue.
This also isn’t the same type of defence as Green Bay. San Francisco failed to get a sack last week against Carolina and gave up 116 yards rushing.
“We’re just working, competing every day, but there’s no sense to panic or do anything crazy like that,” Seattle offensive line coach Tom Cable said.
HOME COOKIN’
Seattle has won the past six meetings against the 49ers in Seattle. The Seahawks are also undefeated in home openers under Carroll. Their most recent home-opening loss came in 2008 — Mike Holmgren’s last season — a 33-30 overtime loss to ... San Francisco.