The Seattle Seahawks are having another very Seahawks-y season in that the team at times looks fantastic, and then the next game appears that all hope is lost. After a tough Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the team reeled off three straight victories, and the playoffs seemed like a real hope.
Maybe they still are. Seattle's defense has been good, and had not so many players missed (or had to leave the game early) Week 5 because of getting hurt, maybe Mike Macdonald's defense doesn't look as foolish as it did against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One aspect of the team appears to have reverted to the norm. After a solid start, the offensive line has become a concern again. The offensive tackles, Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, are good, and rookie left guard Grey Zabel is fine and will improve. But once again, center and right guard are problems.
Anthony Bradford continues to sink the Seattle Seahawks
No spot is worse than the one Anthony Bradford plays, though. Seattle hasn't had a real replacement for him, and he keeps starting and playing entire games. His presence is hurting the team, though. The three-year veteran should be out of the league next season.
At least, he doesn't need to be part of the Seattle Seahawks. The hope is that under new management (specifically, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and offensive line coach John Benton), Bradford would progress. He appeared to do so in training camp. Not so much once the bright lights of real games came on.
Through Week 5, Bradford has 11 pressures, and he is trending toward his worst season in the league. What is astonishing is that it didn't seem as if he could get much worse. His run-blocking has remained the same kind of mediocre quality, but he has given up nine pressures in the last three games.
He has done so without having a penalty called on him, meaning his technique stays as subpar as it always has. He can't be fixed, and several offensive line coaches have tried. He is too big a risk for the Seahawks to keep rolling out every week.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Bradford is the fourth-worst graded guard in the NFL in pass protection. Overall, he is 68th out of 78. Seattle must do better, but the only option for the rest of the season might be Christian Haynes, and Haynes was terrible as a rookie. In other words, Seattle Seahawks fans should get used to right guard being awful again for another season.