This time of year, every glass is half full and every team is undefeated. In Seattle, where the quarterback made clear his unhappiness with the offense, the team’s new approach has him thinking that the Seahawks can made a major improvement.
“I think we can be the number one offense in football,” Wilson told reporters on Sunday. “I don’t see why not. We’re up for it, we’re ready, we were really good last year, had a lot of great things, but we can be even better. We’ve been watching the maturation of DK [Metcalf] and the continual growth of Tyler Lockett who has been one of the best receivers in football for the past several years. Then adding Gerald [Everett], a true playmaker in the sense, and [Will] Dissly is feeling really confident right now. I’m really excited for his season, what he’s got in store. Colby [Parkinson] too as well, he’s had a really great training camp. You guys have seen him all over the field in practice and he’s doing a great job. Our running backs, obviously Chris Carson, what he can do. I believe he’s the best in the game, so I think for us we need to find different ways of getting him the football. I think the thing for us is executing all of the details, being aggressive, and that means every opportunity whether it’s the run or pass game. Having that aggressive mentality, every time we touch the ball, we’re scoring. I think that sense, that tempo, and that aggression going after the defense is really key.”
Wilson apparently will have much more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage in the new offense.
“I’ve always been able to change the play for the most part,” he said. “Along my career, [former offensive coordinator Brian Schotenheimer] allowed me to call the plays and stuff like that at the line of scrimmage when we needed to. I think the emphasis of being able to do it all the time, all throughout the game is the key. I think it’s a little bit different in that sense. I have freedom for sure. The fun part is there’s so much we can do and so many reasonings and so many why’s to it. It’s been really exceptional. Really transferring that to making our plays and putting our guys in the best position to be successful.”
He added that the new offense puts greater emphasis on changing the play at the line of scrimmage.
“I think what we’re really focused on is my literally being on the line and doing that and calling it when we need to,” Wilson said. “Just playing fast, that’s what we did the whole first drive if you’ve noticed. It was really at the line of scrimmage. I think the second drive too and later on as well. The thing for us is just, for me, to be able to use what I know, my smarts and understand what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to get to it. Also, Shane [Waldron] and I being on the wavelength and being at the line of scrimmage and checking the play if we need to. Sometimes just trust the play and going with it as well. That really puts the defense on their heels.”
One of the biggest challenges for the 2021 Seahawks will be to stay a step ahead of the defense, if the offense works well out of the gates. Last year it started strong, but the team failed to make the changes necessary, once defenses started spotting tendencies and patterns. This year, unpredictability will be the key.
And if the offense doesn’t live up to Wilson’s sky-high expectations, the next offseason could feel a lot like the most recent one.
