6 Reasons the Seattle Seahawks are Better Than People Think

The overall talent and quality of the Seattle Seahawks has provided some interesting banter among some of the colleagues at Bleacher Report. 

When this assignment was given to me last week, my initial reaction was excitement. I would have an opportunity to provide some information on a team that most assume is not good enough to be called bad, even though most NFL fans haven't had the opportunity to watch the Seahawks play.

Scores and stat lines only tell part of the story. Lack of name recognition with players on the roster doesn't guarantee that there isn't talent on the team.

With a 2-3 record, fans shouldn't be making arrangements for the playoffs just yet, but there are reasons to believe a team many had in the Suck for Luck Sweepstakes will still be competing when the regular season is over.

Vast Improvement with Overall Depth

Many will scoff with the idea of better backups meaning the team is better as a whole.

However, you won't find many Green Bay fans that share that view. They saw first hand last season how important it was to have quality backups that could step up and fill in when starters aren't available.

The Seattle Seahawks had some quality on their starting units last season. For example, they were a top-five rush defense over the first third of the season. Then injuries began to take their toll on their defensive line.

Red Bryant was their run-stopping defensive end, but he missed the last 10 games of the season. Brandon Mebane and Colin Cole both missed time as well.

The players that filled in for them were a collection of waiver-wire claims and players acquired for low-value draft picks at the end of training camp. While they were improvements, the team still had work to do.

Seattle's talent has improved enough this season that some of last year's starters (Colin Cole and Lofa Tatupu, for example) were no longer part of the team's plans going forward.

Seattle has been fairly fortunate on the injury front this season. Their starting wide receivers have both missed time, for example.

While receiver depth has caused issues for some teams, players like Doug Baldwin have stepped up to help carry the load for Seattle. 

The depth also allows Seattle to rotate players in to keep the starters from getting too fatigued. 

Targeted Skill Sets on Defense

Improved talent is allowing the Seahawks' defense to play to their strengths. The Seahawks have also targeted specific skill sets based on their defensive formations and brought in players to fill those needs.

Pete Carroll and Gus Bradley like to work in different sets of players depending on the situation. While Bryant can shut down almost half of the field against the run, he isn't at his best in pass-rush situations.

Thus, he will give way to Raheem Brock or Anthony Hargrove on passing downs.

The secondary has also been tweaked. Their coaches like to play press defense, which requires big, strong corners and safeties that also bring good coverage skills. Earl Thomas is one of the best coverage safeties in the NFL, and Kam Chancellor, Atari Bigby and Jeron Johnson all bring a solid array of talents.

On passing downs, Seattle can bring eight defensive backs onto the field and still have a mixture that can rush the passer or offer solid run support.

It creates matchup issues for opposing offenses, and the sheer number of formations Seattle can put on the field makes it difficult for opposing teams to know what the defense will do.

Steady Improvement on the Offensive Line

Seattle finally had something happen last Sunday that they hadn't seen in a long time. Some may call it a monkey on their back. Others call it bad luck, and a few have even called it a curse.

No, I'm not referring to finally winning a game in the Eastern Time Zone.

Seattle had the same starting offensive line for three straight weeks.

The 2010 season saw 11 different starting formations, and the team had three different looks through three games in 2011. 

The continuity is actually breeding improvement. Things are likely to change again, as Robert Gallery is expected to return shortly after the bye week, but the Seahawks are optimistic about their offensive line for the first time in several years.

James Carpenter has struggled with his transition from the left to the right side. It is a different skill set; the footwork is different and many liken it to shooting a basketball with the recessive hand.

Despite giving up two sacks last Wednesday and having penalty issues, it is starting to become clear what the Seahawks saw in Carpenter. He's a powerful run blocker and his abilities as a pass blocker in the NFL are being honed.

Similar accolades could be said of John Moffitt. He is forming a strong bond with Carpenter, and the right side of that line is currently creating the best run lanes.

That could change when Robert Gallery returns. However, Russell Okung has nagging ankle issues again this season. His play has certainly been affected. He needs to heal and find some strength in his base during the bye week.

Tarvaris Jackson Is Not as Bad as Many Believe

The criticism of Tarvaris Jackson as an NFL quarterback may be validated by his play for the Vikings, but it isn't exactly fair.

Virtually everyone except the Vikings coaching staff knew that a quarterback coming from a Football Championship Subdivision school would need some time to make the huge step up to the speed and complexity of the NFL. 

Jackson didn't have that luxury. He never had a quality quarterback to sit behind and learn from. Rather, he was thrust into a starting role as a rookie. He simply wasn't ready.

After his third season, Jackson finally had the opportunity to watch a quality quarterback. Brett Favre may not be the most hospitable tutor, but a few years under him certainly worked out just fine for Matt Hasselbeck.

There is hope that Jackson actually learned enough in the last two seasons to elevate his play. He showed some capacity in Minnesota, as his play and passer rating steadily improved each year (except limited time in 2010).

The expectation was he will elevate his play now that he finally had time to learn the NFL.

So far, it looks like he did improve from his days under Brad Childress. He still makes a few bad decisions, but overall he has done exactly what has been asked of him by his coaching staff, with the exception of sliding when he runs with the ball. 

It was very clear Seattle was opting to play ball-control early on this season, and Pete Carroll has stated he wants a game manager at quarterback.

This is what Jackson has delivered. The problem is the rest of the offense (the rushing attack) hasn't been able to carry their weight on a consistent basis.

Jackson's QB rating and TD/INT ratio aren't great. However, of his five interceptions two were hail-mary passes on the last play of the first half and one was a ball that Zach Miller had caught and then lost.

Carroll finally opened up the offense in the second half of the game against the Atlanta Falcons and the difference was notable. Jackson moved the team with poise and confidence, almost leading the team from a large deficit to a win.

For those that give any credence to the ESPN Total QBR, Jackson fares better than Kevin Kolb. In fact, if not for the big reduction for the number of sacks he takes, Jackson would be in the middle of the pack in the NFL.

Teams rarely make deep playoff runs with an average quarterback, but in the short-run the Seahawks will rely on their defense and the talent around the quarterback to win games.

Pete Carroll and Company

Love him or hate him—or both—it is hard to deny that Pete Carroll knows football.

In 2010 he retooled the roster and found talent in other team's castoffs ... and coached that group to a playoff victory.

The team Carroll inherited had just nine wins over the prior two seasons. It was painfully obvious that while there was some decent talent on the team, many of the starters were better suited for reserve duty, and reserves weren't going to cut it if pushed into duty.

Some call Carroll a "rah-rah" coach. Others see him as an energetic coach that doesn't mind showing his enthusiasm. But he is the kind of coach players want to perform for, and he is able to get more performance out of his guys than many coaches would.

The Seahawks staff is finding talent outside of the draft and free agency.

John Schneider suggested they take a close look at a CFL cornerback named Brandon Browner. He's got some work to do with reducing contact, but he is a player that can stay in the hip pocket of most NFL receivers.

Doug Baldwin was their top priority of undrafted free agents. Despite his former coach now being in San Francisco, Baldwin is a two-time nominee for rookie of the week in Seattle.

Because They Just Are ...

This is hardly a scientific equation, and is an assertion that is difficult to support. Fans that have only seen highlights or even part of a Seahawk game won't get this point, either.

However, those that have watched this team through training camp, during preseason games and all five of the regular season games will get it.

The Seahawks were hindered by the lack of an offseason more than most teams. They were welcoming a new offensive coordinator, a new offensive line coach, four new starters on the offensive line, a new quarterback and a new star wide receiver and a new tight end.

It takes time for a new offense to come together, let alone a group of players that didn't know each other learning a new system.

But the offense is starting to click. It was clear in the games against the Falcons and the Giants that this team will be able to score enough points to win.

Their defense has been stout against the run, and the secondary has shown flashes of greatness. They have the best young safety tandem in the NFL with Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. They also have some young talent at cornerback.

At the start of the season, many analysts were predicting the Seahawks would lose four or five games before their bye week. They only lost three, and were competitive in four of the five games.

It is difficult to take moral victories in a loss, but the Seahawks have played some talented teams. 

Prior to a special teams melt-down in San Francisco, the Seahawks were down by just two points in the final minutes. The game against the Falcons came down to a missed field goal in the closing seconds. 

Seattle beat the Giants on the road. It was a game many said Seattle couldn't win, as New York was playing well and was a balanced, complete team.

Seattle has been an underdog all five weeks, which sets the bar for the expectations of this team. But Seattle has won two of those games, demonstrating the team is better than many believe.

The Seahawks won't make their first prime-time appearance until late in the season. Most NFL fans across the country won't get to see them play until then, making it difficult to pass their own judgement.

Until then, feel free to be skeptical when you hear NFL analysts say the Seahawks are a bad football team.