The Seattle Seahawks lost 22-20 against the Denver Broncos but the final score isn’t what’s important. Week 1 of the preseason is all about getting the feel back and building a solid foundation in which to improve upon.  What is important is for Pete Carroll to highlight the positives but to also shine a light on the negatives and figure out a way to remedy them.

First, let’s check out the positives. I’ll start with Rookie Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett, his 103-yard return for a TD was the highlight of the evening. The speed/vision he showed while running away/around the Broncos special teams was mighty impressive. The former Kansas State Wildcat is the shot in the arm the Seahawks kickoff/punt team needs. Next up is Frank Clark, the Seahawks 1st draft pick in 2015 (63rd overall). On draft night many “experts” thought this pick was a reach and chided John Schneider for selected the Michigan man so early. Honestly, I knew nothing about him and decided to place my faith in the GM. If last night was any indication then the 12th Man, as well as I, shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Clark ended up leading the team with 9 tackles and was consistently disrupting the Broncos at the line of scrimmage. His motor never turned off and I loved it. With Kam Chancellor still holding out and Earl Thomas fresh off the PUP list I wasn’t sure what the Seahawks Safety situation was going to look like. Dion Bailey ended up starting in place of one of them and really showed me something. Bailey played like he had nothing to lose. He threw his body around coming up to defend against the run and looked comfortable playing zone. Finally, I really liked what I saw from Thomas Rawls. He isn’t going to shake anyone out of their shoes but he will run over someone. I will say he did flash some nice hands and speed when he caught a screen pass and turned it into a 19-yard TD. While those were some Seahawks who impressed these next few did not.

This isn’t a revelation but the Seahawks Offensive Line didn’t impress. The biggest blunder happened on the 2nd offensive play of the game. Sophomore Right Tackle Justin Britt was annihilated by Von Miller, who stripped Russell Wilson of the ball causing a turnover. Another example of poor line play took place near the end of the 1st quarter when Tavaris Jackson came in for Wilson and was immediately under fire. At one point, he was hit 3 consecutive times due to poor communication between the members of the O-Line. Once again, Tom Cable will need to work his magic in order to protect Wilson and keep the offense flowing. Neither Anthony McCoy nor Christine Michael helped their stock in this game. McCoy dropped both passes intended for him and Michael coughed up the ball once. Both of these players need to come out strong in Week 2 or else I fear they won’t be Seahawks much longer.

In the end, Pete Carroll has his work cut out for him but he has 3 more weeks to figure things out. In Pete we trust!