Surprising, improbable, precarious

As Seahawks near the middle of the regular season, they have--surprisingly, improbably and precariously--managed the best start in franchise history.

Surprising

Seattle's success so far is surprising, because while the team's greatest strength remains its defense, that unit has displayed alarming vulnerability at times.

After Matt Schaub had his way against us throughout the first half of the Texans contest last month, the Sea-fence adjusted and recovered to salvage a victory, leading this fallible correspondent naively to declare that "the defensive vulnerabilities Houston exposed last week are literally the least of our worries."

Of course, Andrew Luck and his receivers exploited those selfsame weaknesses with seeming ease all game long in Indy. Fueled by indignation over smacktalk from the Legion of Boom, Luck caught our defensive backs gambling and dealt Seattle its sole defeat thus far this season.

Even Titans backup Ryan Fitzpatrick managed to move the ball briskly at times two weeks ago in Seahawks Stadium. (Garbage time drives conducted by Jacksonville's Chad Henne and Arizona's Carson Palmer don't count; they made those games appear closer than they really were, but yards and points gained at the expense of reserves laying back in a prevent defense are meaningless and no cause for alarm.)

Certainly, the Sea-fence is generally sound: We rank third in the league in yards and points allowed. Only four teams allow fewer rush yards than Seattle. Only Houston permits more passing yards.

The pass rush appears to be coming together, when frequent rotation can keep fresh legs on the field. But Schaub and Luck shredded our D by running up-tempo offenses that denied our defenders opportunities to substitute.

If the Seahawks are serious about winning a championship, then we need to establish that our defense can shut down capable quarterbacks who run fast offenses from behind solid lines, choosing among multiple talented receivers. Our remaining regular season schedule appears to offer only two opportunities to do this: When Seattle travels to Atlanta next month, and again when we host Drew Brees and the Saints in December. These tests matter because the opponents we would likely meet if we make the playoffs will likely feature passing offenses that range from functional to fantastic.

Improbable

Seattle's success so far is improbable because our offensive line has been absolutely dreadful to this point.

The Seahawks have continued to win, even with two cornerstones sidelined by injury in Pro Bowl left tackle Russell Okung and his counterpart on the right side, the oft-flagged Breno Giacomini, a serviceable, vicious veteran. Paul McQuistan, normally our starting left guard, has slid over to play Okung's position, but is barely adequate in that role. At right tackle, Michael Bowie has looked a lot like the 7th-round rookie he is, and certainly no threat to Giacomini's hold on the starting job. (No one can hold like Breno.) Rookie free agents Alvin Bailey and Caylin Hauptmann appear to be nothing more than development projects and emergency reserves at this point.

James Carpenter and JR Sweezy have each struggled at guard. Left guard Carpenter--originally drafted to play tackle--seems resigned to embrace the role of first-round bust. At right guard, Sweezy still looks raw, an eccentric and incomplete experiment in converting a college defensive tackle into a pro O-lineman.

When healthy, All-Pro center Max Unger is the only glue giving any semblance of cohesion to this hangdog unit. His backup, Lemuel Jeanpierre, helped the team go 1-1 during Unger's two-week absence from the lineup.

This makeshift offensive line actually run blocks reasonably well, but not as well as one might assume upon seeing that Seattle ranks second in the league in rushing yards.

Only two backs in the NFL have more yards per game than Marshawn Lynch. This is not because the O-line is gouging huge holes in the defense. It's because Lynch has lived in Beast Mode, busting creases open, knocking down opponents, and dragging hapless defenders with him down the field.

Seattle's second-leading rusher is Russell Wilson. Averaging 46 yards per game, DangeRuss ranks 25th in the league in rushing, ahead of several starting running backs, and ahead of every quarterback except for Oakland's Terrell Pryor.

Most of Wilson's ground gains do not come on designed runs facilitated by good blocking. On the contrary, they happen because the O-line so often fails to provide pass protection in the pocket, forcing our quarterback to run for his life and improvise far too frequently.

Precarious

This is what makes Seattle's success this season so very precarious: the O-line is so bad that it's downright dangerous out there for DangeRuss.

Everyone agrees that Wilson is under too much pressure and is getting hit too much.

Quarterbacks tend to get far too much credit when things go well (and far too much blame when things go wrong). There are too many passers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and too many quarterback MVPs in the history of this game. Reflexively labeling a quarterback as a team's MVP is normally intellectually lazy and indicative of a limited understanding of the game.

But not in this case.

Without a doubt, Wilson is the franchise's most valuable player at this point.

No other quarterback in the league could have led Seattle to a 6-1 record. No other quarterback has the astonishing gridiron acumen and athleticism that allows Wilson to move the offense when the line can't protect him, when his receivers can't get open, and even when Lynch can't find running room.

Wilson is smart, durable and--so far--lucky in that he hasn't suffered an injury. Two years ago, we saw what Tarvaris Jackson could do under similar circumstances, which underscores the fact that DangeRuss remains this team's red wheelbarrow.

so much depends
upon

a young quarter
back

glazed with rain
water

behind a bad
o-line.

Fortunately, two consecutive prime time contests have given Seattle something of a mini-bye: 11 days between games. This respite should have given the Seahawks some time to rest and address the aforementioned shortcomings.

More good news: As the Diehard predicted back on September 2, Seattle has re-signed Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson. This should help with run blocking and pass protection, as well as improving team morale and leadership. It looks like Rob is back for the season, since Spencer Ware went on injured reserve with his high ankle sprain, leaving hamstrung Derrick Coleman as the only other fullback on the roster. Like the proverbial broken clock, the Diehard occasionally gets it right.

It was great to see the 12th Man make an appearance on the road the Thursday before last. It must have been demoralizing for Arizona when vastly outnumbered Seattle fans generated more noise against the Cardinal offense than the home crowd managed when the Seahawks had the ball.

Since the World Series will likely deplete the home crowd in St. Louis on Monday night, I'm hoping that the 12th Man might once again manage to conquer an opposing stadium.

Seattle can't afford to underestimate the Rams. Every NFL team is dangerous, but Jeff Fisher is a great coach with a knack for knocking off division opponents.

The St. Louis defense is having an off year, but our O-line needs to step up to ensure that their once-fierce pass rush does not return to form. The Rams have struggled to stop the run, so expect Seattle to pound the rock relentlessly.

The Rams haven't run the ball well all year, but they were having some success through the air with Sam Bradford. Watch Seattle stack the box and dare backup Kellen Clemens to challenge the Legion of Boom.

I never get tired of beating the Rams. Seattle leads the all-time series, 18-12. We're 15-6 since joining the NFC West in 2002. Since the disgraceful 3-game sweep of the 2004 season, the Seahawks have owned the Rams, winning 15 of the last 17.

Let's make it 16 of 18. Go, Hawks!