Since Russell Wilson was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2012

the team has enjoyed the most successful period in franchise history https://www.theseahawksfanshop.com/hats , making the playoffs in five out of the last six seasons and currently sitting at 5-5. With half of the six remaining games in the regular season against the cellar dwelling Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks have a great chance to once again make the postseason this year. However, it is the three more difficult games remaining on the schedule that will determine the fate of the 2018 Hawks, with those three games coming against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers. The first of those three tough games is Sunday in Charlotte, where the Seahawks will take on the Carolina Panthers in an environment which is not exactly conducive to the team playing its best football. While Seattle has posted a 70-35-1 record in the regular season since the start of the 2012 season (78-39-1 including postseason), during that time period the team is just 18-16-1 when playing on a grass surface (19-18-1 when the postseason is included). For whatever reason, the offense of the Seahawks has simply not performed at its best on grass surfaces, averaging just 19.7 points per game when playing on a grass surface. That is a full five points per game below the team’s overall average of 24.7 points per game since 2012, and more than a touchdown less than the 27.1 points per game the team has averaged on an artificial playing surface. So far in 2018 the team is 2-3 when playing on grass, having defeated the Cardinals and Oakland Raiders on a natural playing surface, while dropping games to the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams when playing on grass. Further complicating the potential for a Seattle victory in Carolina could be the fact that the game is set to be played in the early time slot. Playing early games has been another thorn in the Seahawks side for a long time. In spite of the overall record of 70-35-1 since 2012, the Hawks are just 11-9 in that time period when playing in the early slot (12-11 when including the postseason). So, in short, the Seahawks are facing two forms of their kryptonite when they take the field on Sunday in Carolina. But is that necessarily a bad thing? We’ve all heard the phrase that two wrongs don’t make a right, but do two forms of negative indicators make for a really bad indicator? Or is this like math where two negatives combine together to multiply into a positive? Since 2012 when playing in the early time slot on a grass surface, the Seahawks are 5-2 in the regular season, which represents a winning percentage that is better than their overall winning percentage during that period. The only postseason game they have played in the early time slot on a grass surface was the 2015 playoff loss at Carolina, meaning they’re 5-3 when including the postseason. So, there it is, victory for the Seahawks. As long as it doesn’t rain. Weather forecast for Charlotte Seattle Seahawks Hoodie , NC through Monday from weather.com General Managers talk about heading into the draft with no holes on the roster. They then look to add to their roster and have a vicious 90-man offseason competition, before finally having a..." The OffseasonThree positions of concern on the Seahawks’ rosterNew,26commentsPDTGeneral Managers talk about heading into the draft with no holes on the roster. They then look to add to their roster and have a vicious 90-man offseason competition, before finally having a terrific 53-man unit. In truth, it never works out quite like this. But some teams have positions that are visibly areas of concern in terms of depth and talent.The Seattle Seahawks, following somewhat of a rebuild year in 2018, still have some positions that warrant angst. Years of mediocre-to-bad drafting has seen roster holes enlarge. The competition for these roles should be particularly fierce as a result“This was not a draft we went into with big holes on our team, we didn’t feel like that,” said Pete Carroll post-draft. The size of the holes is open for debate, but here are 3 positions of early concern on the Seahawks’ roster.LEOThinking back to the best days of Seattle pass rush, days when Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril were considered depth, there were clear LEO type pass rushers on the team. The LEO is a defensive end who aligns in wider alignments to the 5-technique defensive end.Typically for the Seahawks, the LEO was around 250lbs and a speedier, bendier EDGE than the 5-technique. Chris Clemons and Avril are prototypes of the position/role. Right now, in 2019, there is no obvious LEO-type on the roster. There’s been Carroll talk of the bigger, 275lb Free Agent addition of Ezekiel Ansah playing the spot. But Ansah is unlikely to even be ready for the first game of the season thanks to a shoulder injury. Plus: he lacks the ability to bend, particularly after hurting his knee in 2017. Ansah still looks like more of a 5-tech.Like when Bruce Irvin played some LEO, other SAM linebackers Cassius Marsh and Barkevious Mingo could fill in at LEO. However, this would only really happen in clear passing situations. The pair lack the traits or skillset to play LEO more regularly.Jacob Martin has more speed and get off than most of the rushers on the team. Yet he was reportedly down to 220lbs by the end of the year and his ability to hold up on early downs is questionable. He is more of a pass rush specialist who plays with nice technique and get off though lacks bend for his profile. At this point in time, the defensive line make-up appears to be emphasized on stopping the run far better than 2018. The key for the roster might be getting into third and longs where they can get into sub-packages, sending Shaquem Griffin and Martin while kicking the powerful bullrush of L.J. Collier inside to bully a guard.Z receiverDoug Baldwin’s retirement was painful for many reasons. Asides from the leadership vacuum it creates http://www.theseahawksfanshop.com/Cody-Barton-Jersey , Baldwin was the team’s best receiver. Moreover, he mainly played in a valuable position to the offense: the Z receiver. This being the receiver who lines up off the line of scrimmage or in the slot more, the immediate replacement is unclear. There were deep Yards After Catch and over-the-middle passing issues last year for Seattle’s offense. Partially that was a result of the lack of available underneath options.Baldwin lacked his consistent quick-separation skills due to suiting up hurt. The battle for that type of receiver appears to be between former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds and 2019 7th-round-pick John Ursua. Both have flashed the crafty route-running ability to succeed in the slot. This preseason will be huge for the pair as they attempt to refine their craft and establish a chemistry with Russell Wilson. 2nd-round wideout D.K. Metcalf is exactly that, an X receiver restricted to the outside. Meanwhile, 4th-round selection Gary Jennings is nearing more of an X too. He certainly doesn’t fit the mold of a quick separator underneath and his best route is the post.Putting Tyler Lockett into the slot more often therefore feels like the obvious move. Indeed, Lockett has spoken about how he is working on his slot releases and routes. Still, when Lockett lines up outside to maximize his ability to separate late on Wilson’s best throw—the deep sideline go—someone needs to be able to step into the slot as the Z receiver.3rd down running backThis at first seems like a bizarre statement, given Seattle spent a first-round pick on Rashaad Penny in 2018. When you consider that the 3rd-down running back role is a different proposition to early downs, demanding excellent pass protection, it starts to make more sense.The departure of Mike Davis to the Chicago Bears is lowkey huge. The Seahawks were right not to pay him what Chicago did. That said, Davis was able to get the hard yards running inside zone, defying backfield penetration to find a seam and squeeze through. Davis was also excellent at pass pro. He wasn’t a backup, rather he played the crucial 3rd down running back role in Seattle’s offense.The Seahawks will hope Penny will have gained a better idea of protection schemes given he is entering his second season in the NFL. But if Penny can do that, and stay healthy, he’s likely to form a much more balanced 1-2 punch with Chris Carson, leaving the 3rd down spot open.Travis Homer has the pass-catching ability to make him an interesting proposition. On the other hand, the 6th round pick will require a large adjustment period in pass pro, despite his aptitude. Remember when Seattle signed an ageing Fred Jackson purely for his knowledge of pass pro?J.D. McKissic is fully healthy now and has always been a scintillating target. His pass pro ability is largely unknown too. Whoever ends up grabbing the 3rd down running back role, they better be good. Bad performances at the spot could totally derail Seattle’s hurry-up attack and dramatically hamper the overall offense.