Leslie Frazier’s Role On Mike Macdonald’s Coaching Staff, Uniform Talk & More

@tompage asks, “The Seahawks had trouble returning kickoffs, are there any other candidates to return kicks?”

A: The Seahawks need to find a new kick returner after waiving Laviska Shenault Jr. this week, and there are a few candidates on the current roster, or I suppose they could always look to add someone to the team who could do it as well.

When Shenault was injured recently, Kenny McIntosh joined Dee Williams on kick return duty, so he would obviously be one candidate. Dareke Young and Tre Brown also have returned kicks in practice and the preseason, and the official depth chart lists Cody White as a backup there, so they too could be options. Asked about the vacant kick return job on Monday, Frazier said the Seahawks are still working through that, so we’ll probably have to wait and see on Sunday what the Seahawks decide to do there.

Also, just to clarify one thing here, I’ve seen a few fans on X/Twitter suggest the Seahawks bring Dee Eskridge back for that role, but he’s currently on the Dolphins 53-man roster (he started the season on their practice squad), so he’s not currently available.

@MrEd315 asks, “At this point in the season, what’s the vibes and confidence levels coming from the Seahawks?”

A: The vibes are good, as one might expect after a third straight win, and the Seahawks are a confident team, but not a cocky one that thinks they have everything figured out. Following the lead of their head coach, Seahawks players know that, for all they have done well in recent weeks, they can get better in a lot of areas, so nobody is satisfied with how the team is playing.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about what the Seahawks have done of late, especially on defense, but as last week’s special teams miscues showed, and as some inconsistent play from the offense has demonstrated, the Seahawks still have plenty of room to grown heading down the stretch. The good news, however, is that they’re chasing those improvements while currently sitting in first place.

@holliwinters57.bsky.social asks, “The Seahawks special teams… Sunday was a rough day.”

A: That’s not a question, Holly. But yes, you are correct that what unfolded on Sunday, particularly in the first half, was very tough to watch for Seahawks fans. Turning the ball over once on special teams is pretty terrible considering the type of swing that can create in field position and momentum. Doing it three times in one half, while also allowing a 99-yard kick return, is a downright disaster, and the type of situation that in most games would lead to a certain loss.

That the Seahawks overcame all of that and still one says something about the resilience of the team, as well as about how good the defense is playing that it limited the Jets to two offensive touchdowns despite all of that.

And while there was a lot of bad for Seattle’s special teams, it’s also worth highlighting some of the good moments, including Leonard Williams’ blocked extra point, a great tackle on punt coverage by Tre Brown, and maybe most significant, a 54-yard field goal by Jason Myers in the second quarter. Myers’ field goal was important not just for the three points it gave the Seahawks, you could also argue that it was a somewhat overlooked turning point in the game. Obviously Williams’ pick-six was the more significant score in the second quarter, but for Myers and the rest of the kicking team to come through on that field goal after all the special teams disasters that preceded the kick was also significant. From that point on, the Seahawks had a relatively clean game on special teams, and one could make the case that nailing a 54-yard field goal after so many mistakes helped turn the tide.

@mynoserunswhenieat.bsky.social asks, “Why didn’t Mike Macdonald challenge the second Laviska Shenault fumble where it looked like the ground caused the fumble?”

A: This question is a good excuse to clarify a ruling that doesn’t come up all that often in football games. While it’s true that if a player being tackled loses the ball when the ball/his arm hits the ground (the ground causing a fumble), that the player is ruled to be down by contact and there is no fumble. If, however, a player goes to ground on his own, as was the case on the play in question with Shenault diving forward to recover the muffed kick, then it is incumbent on that player to maintain possession. Had a Jets player touched Shenault on his way to the ground, it would not have been a fumble, but since NFL rules would have allowed an untouched returner to get back up and keep running had he held onto the ball, those same rules also require him to maintain possession until he is down.