With his offensive line squarely under fire, Seahawks assistant head coach and position coach Tom Cable acknowledged the porous performance against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday but, for now, plans on starting with the same lineup against the division-rival 49ers.
"Not good enough," Cable said, via The Seattle Times. "Too inconsistent and not good enough. At the end of the day, we have to play better in a couple of situations, particularly."
He added: "It's just the ability to put plays together. So it's like you do it right once, you let that play have no bearing on the next one. It's the next that's the most important thing. So whether it's good or bad, don't be on the roller coaster."
Seattle's starting five of 2016 third-round pick Rees Odhiambo at right tackle, free agent Luke Joeckel at right guard, center Justin Britt, left guard Mark Glowinski (a 2015 fourth-round pick) and 2016 first-round pick Germain Ifedi at left tackle came to symbolize what was a poor week of offensive line play in the NFL. Several teams outside of Seattle struggled to free their best offensive players amid a relentless pass rush.
The Seahawks are simply at the center of the storm because it's been a lingering issue for years.
So it goes for general manager John Schneider, head coach Pete Carroll and Cable, who are doing their best under the current circumstances. The Seahawks have not had a top 10 pick in 8 years, when they nabbed tackle Russell Okung with the No. 6 overall pick. Okung departed in free agency partially because the Seahawks needed all the cap space they could to secure their once-in-a-generation defense and keep Russell Wilson under center.
The offensive line tends to fall by the wayside, especially when a position coach as revered as Cable is in the building. Cable did a great job of developing George Fant, but Fant is gone for the season with a torn ACL. He had Joeckel, a former No. 2 overall pick, looking far improved this preseason, but the entire unit ran into a buzz saw on Sunday thanks to Packers stout run stuffer Mike Daniels.
This weekend presents a chance to rebound. The 49ers' defensive line is excellent but young. Cable will take any advantage he can get right now.
