The Seahawks won a Super Bowl with the Legion of Boom. Those days were long ago as Seattle currently ranks 28th in total defense, including 25th against the pass.
In Sunday’s 28-16 loss to the 49ers, Seattle allowed eight plays of at least 25 yards. The 49ers gained 322 of their 527 yards on those eight plays.
Coach Pete Carroll has seen enough, uncharacteristically calling out players.
In his postgame comments, an obviously perturbed Carroll sounded off in calling it “bad ball.”
He said the coaches prepared the defense to stop: Deebo Samuel’s 54-yard touchdown on a deep crossing pattern when he ran past Jamal Adams on a third and 11; Christian McCaffrey on a stretch run off tackle that went for 72 yards on the first snap; and George Kittle’s 44-yard touchdown catch when Julian Love bit on a fake handoff.
“We gave it to them. Kittle in short yardage, in a play-action pass, their heavy personnel. He’s been doing that for his whole career,” Carroll said, via Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. “There was nothing new about those things. We didn’t execute well enough to stop those opportunities. That’s the stuff we practiced, and we needed to come through and make those plays. We didn’t do it.”
Carroll doubled down on his radio show on KIRO-AM on Monday morning, calling out Adams by name and Love by situation.
“I don’t mind mentioning these guys,” Carroll said. “They know.”
The Adams trade, which cost the Seahawks a pair of first-round picks, a third-round pick and Bradley McDougald, is looking like one of the worst trades in NFL history. They signed him to a four-year, $72 million deal before the 2021 season, making him the highest-paid safety in NFL history, and he remains the third-highest paid safety in the league.
Adams has played 34 games and missed 29 because of injuries in his four seasons in Seattle, and he hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 2020.
