I have never outright attempted to defend Tom Cable

as the offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2011-2017 Bobby Wagner Color Rush Jersey , I only mean to say that most people overrated his impact. He was an assistant coach (and assistant head coach) who only had so much under his control. I mean, for 98% of Seahawks fans, they could name four coaches at any given time: Pete Carroll, the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordinator, and Cable. And I mean, not even close to 98% could actually name any one other than Carroll, but I’d bet Cable was easily the second-most known commodity on the staff.People will say it’s because the offensive line was so “terrible” but nobody really felt the need to mention it often when the Seahawks were leading the NFL in rushing and Russell Wilson was becoming the most efficient and winningest first-six-years QB ever. People will also say it’s because Cable was in charge of drafting literally every single lineman they drafted, but GMs and head coaches do not tend to unleash right of first pick to their assistant coaches.In my opinion most of it still boils down to this: the line was good enough with Russell Okung, it was terrible with Bradley Sowell and then Rees Odhiambo, and it’s good enough again with Duane Brown. The best coaches, in my opinion, know the value of the talent they’re teaching and don’t pretend to be able to squeeze wine out of lemons. But a good coach should also know when he’s holding a lemon and when he’s holding a starting guard and maybe that is somewhere that Cable was failing.At least now it seems to be benefitting Seattle.As pointed out by @JasonCheathawks on Twitter today, new Seahawks starting guard Jordan Simmons was only available to the team this year because he was cut by the Oakland Raiders on September 1. Of course, the Raiders offensive line coach this year is ... Tom Cable.Simmons was an offensive lineman at USC who barely played because of injuries and was eventually moved over to defensive tackle, but knee injuries again wiped out basically his whole season. Simmons moved back to offensive line and appeared in 13 games as a senior; he petitioned the NCAA for a sixth season but was denied and so he entered the draft and went unselected. Oakland signed him and he spent the whole season on the practice squad. Clearly the team liked him enough to do that and to bring him back in 2018, but new head coach Jon Gruden and offensive line coach Cable didn’t see him fit to make the final 53.The Seahawks immediately claimed him off of waivers. A year ago this wouldn’t have been as notable, and the Raiders’ problems aren’t really at guard so much as they are at tackle, but consider that they’ve gone from having arguably the best offensive line in the league to potentially the worst. I know this is also a point of argument against Cable’s coaching, but the loss of Donald Penn, as well as starting a rookie at both right tackle and left tackle, certainly deserves more attention. All-Pro guard Kelechi Osemele has also dealt with injuries this season. I’m not excusing Cable, who for all I know could be the worst coach in the league, only that there are other factors at play here — bigger factors Justin Coleman Color Rush Jersey , including Gruden — that need to be considered first.That being said, if it was his job to evaluate young offensive linemen to keep on the team, he may have really screwed up with Simmons.In two starts in place of D.J. Fluker this season, Simmons appears to be playing well enough for the Seahawks to consider letting Fluker walk in free agency. In his first start, Seattle rushed for 273 yards and Wilson passed for three touchdowns against Aaron Donald and the LA Rams. In his second on Monday, they rushed for 214 against Sheldon Richardson and the Minnesota Vikings. At this point it seems like the Seahawks would be smart to shut down Fluker for the final three games and see what Simmons can do against the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Arizona Cardinals, since the playoffs are all but sealed and Fluker can rest. Then next March, maybe they don’t give Fluker a contract and instead have more money to allocate to Frank Clark, Russell Wilson, and/or Jarran Reed. Simmons will be under contract for three more cheap seasons. There probably will always be knee injury concerns with Simmons, but it seems as though he’s been health since the start of his senior season at USC, so that’s a positive sign.It’s also a positive sign, for any and all who hate Cable, that the Raiders thought Simmons wasn’t good enough to backup Gabe Jackson. It’s worth noting that Cable didn’t pick Simmons and runs a different approach than Solari, who is more interested in man-to-man blocking, not zone. Maybe Simmons wouldn’t have worked in any way for the Raiders, but he’s doing just fine in Seattle. He’s now gone from the practice squad in Oakland to being one of Solari’s newest additions to the “Pros” column.Had he gotten his sixth year at USC, who knows if Simmons could have been drafted, or if the Seahawks would have targeted him, but they finally got him. And a thanks is owed to the most hated coach in Seattle. RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Pete Carroll believes Russell Wilson is trying too hard to create opportunities during Seattle’s winless start and in the process is making the kinds of fourth-quarter mistakes that have largely been absent during his career.“I’m finding Russ over-trying a little bit,” Carroll said during his radio show on KIRO-AM in Seattle on Tuesday Russell Wilson Color Rush Jersey , a day after the Seahawks dropped to 0-2 with a 24-17 loss at Chicago. “He’s pressing in difficult situations to try and see if he can come up with a way to make something happen instead of just getting rid of the football.”The latest example came in front of a national audience Monday night. With a chance to lead a potential late comeback against the Bears, Wilson threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He fumbled on Seattle’s next drive while trying to escape pressure. They were the kinds of costly mistakes Wilson has mostly avoided in the past.Wilson’s final numbers in the fourth quarter against the Bears looked great — 13 of 16 for 157 yards, two touchdowns and two of the incompletions being spikes to stop the clock — but it was completely overshadowed by the mistakes.“We’ve had a lot of fourth-quarter comebacks and I believe those are going to happen. I believe those are going to happen when we need them to happen,” Wilson said afterward. “We’ve been successful a lot and I’ve been successful a lot in the fourth quarters and everything else. You have some failure every once in a while, but I believe the next time is going to be successful and I think that’s the mentality.”It would help Wilson if Seattle’s offense could do anything in the first three quarters to reduce the late-game pressure and urgency.Wilson was sacked five times in the first half by the Bears, a few of those after he didn’t get rid of the ball soon enough. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer also had some questionable play calling in the third quarter when the Seahawks ran just six plays, had zero first downs and gained one yard total.There was also the baffling disappearance of running back Chris Carson from the offense. Carson didn’t have a carry in the second half after averaging 4 yards per carry on six attempts in the first half. The running load went to rookie Rashaad Penny in the second half as Carson watched from the sideline.Carroll initially said after the game that Carson was “a little gassed” after also helping out on special teams. Carson was in for just 21 total plays — 19 on offense, two on special teams. Carroll attempted to clarify the situation Tuesday.“I misread a little bit of something happening. I was off on the thing I said about Chris. … I thought that was what happened and I misread him on the sideline a little bit,” Carroll said. “I didn’t clearly understand. I just wanted to give Rashaad a chance to go play and Chris never gets back in the game.”The Seahawks are now 1-5 in their past six regular-season games dating to last season, the only win coming against this week’s opponent, Dallas, in Week 16 of last season. Seattle at least has that going for it, along with some optimism over healing injuries.The Seahawks are hoping to get linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright back this week against the Cowboys. Wagner was out with a groin injury and Wright still hasn’t fully recovered from preseason knee surgery. They were two of three defensive starters the Seahawks were missing, including rookie cornerback Tre Flowers, who has a shot at returning against Dallas as well.But aside from getting a minimal pass rush, the defensive effort wasn’t the problem against Chicago.Wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who could help the offense, sounds unlikely to be ready for Week 3 due to a knee injury.There is also uncertainty about center Justin Britt, who injured his shoulder trying to recover Wilson’s fumble in the fourth quarter. X-rays were negative, Carroll said, but Britt was having an MRI to determine the extent of the damage.