The Offense in a Snap: Seahawks vs Panthers (The Young Guns)

"The Offense in a Snap" is a series that is meant to walk you through of a few select Seahawks' offensive plays from the previous week's game.

I happen to be without much of a voice at present. So I elected to write a few simple notes on these clips that will help people understand why I picked them.

1) On this incompletion to Cooper Helfet, I'm always amazed this type of thing doesn't happen to Russ more often. I think the situation catches him in-between being a thrower and a runner. In his defense, it looks like Helfet releases from the block a bit late.

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2) I made note of this pass even though it's incomplete for a few reasons. First, Richardson beats the double coverage and next, check out where Russell is when he lets this ball go and then note where it comes down. People will say Russ under-threw P-Rich here but I think Richardson actually outruns. *thud*....sorry sorry, I fainted from surprise. When they click it's gonna be huge.

**As a bonus I included Richardson's kick return in GIF form at the bottom of this piece. Watch the quickness with which this speedster gathers his feet to a full stop. This is pretty rare for fast guys to do. The only guy I ever saw with that kind of footwork was Torry Holt. On his ten yard catch (which I was unable to show here because the broadcast doesn't show it.) it's a wonderful demonstration of his abilities on quick routes and stop patterns. I wouldn't put my money on him seeing much press coverage either. When I get my voice back I'll give an in-depth review of both Richardson and Norwood.

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3) The first thing you notice when you watch Norwood highlights at Alabama is his abilities in traffic to finish a catch. Routes are not smooth, but they are technically correct both elements are shown here in this clip.

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4) Luke Willson's subtle execution on this route creates a perfect window for Russell here. An outside release (meaning he angles his shoulders to the numbers right off the ball, forcing the strong safety to play the outside and hope his safety help can pick him up to the inside. Roman Harper, who 'Hawk fans might remember from his 2010 disaster for the Saints in the playoffs, is playing on the far hash marks and doesn't even move until Luke is already in the process of making the catch. Roman was probably just thinking about Y-Snoozie. (You're welcome to all six of you that get this reference.)

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Special Thanks to @MistaBanks on twitter who located this GIF for me.

Quick Game Wrap

The offense moved well enough in a tough environment at times. Redzone problems skewed the score a little and Russell had some in-between plays and a few pass selections that he himself noted contributed to the struggles there. Going forward I like Richardson and Norwood to get more looks as coaches see what they can do.