22 Film Breakdown: How AJ Barner, Byron Murphy II fared vs. Rams

A few games ago I said it would be better to give the Seattle Seahawks newcomers as much of a chance as possible. Now we are in total collapse, I believe that general manager John Schneider will try to save his position at all costs, so this idea of giving more opportunities to rookies is unlikely to materialize. A bye week with the memory of a bitter defeat against the Los Angeles Rams.

All data used in this was taken from PFF .

Byron Murphy II, Defensive Lineman (42 snaps) Murphy didn't produce much as a pass rusher. He only had one pressure (1 hurry) but was extremely effective, generating one incomplete pass. His biggest highlight was in the fight against the ground game, where he led the team in run stops with 3. The defense as a whole made a leap in quality in the fight against the running game, and Murphy's presence certainly helped with that.

First, Murphy is lined up in the B gap. Just before the snap, the line reorganizes and he changes his alignment to 1-tech. He is blocked by LG and C, but manages to infiltrate the double team and make the immediate tackle. It is worth highlighting the excellent work of Roy Robertson-Harris who left the TE on the ground and helped with the tackle.

Lined up in 1-tech, he again makes an excellent play against the run. He is double-teamed by the RG (Kevin Dotson) and C (Beaux Limmer), but physically dominates the center by pushing him back and making the tackle. His work was helped by the good infiltrations of Devon Witherspoon, Ernest Jones, and Tyrel Dodson.

Another snap as 1-tech this time against the pass. He and Leo Williams perform a stunt. Murphy is the looper and puts pressure on Stafford who throws a bad pass that almost gets intercepted.

Christian Haynes, Offensive Guard (0 snaps) What a disappointment. What a huge disappointment.

When Haynes was drafted, I celebrated a lot and thought it was one of our best picks, considering the cost-benefit. My favorite guard, Cooper Beebe, had gone a few picks earlier to Dallas and I was really hoping that Haynes, the next one on my board, would be available with our pick. It seemed like Seattle had managed to find its starter in the third round.

The camp started and I thought it was very strange that he wasn't a starter. However, some coaches have an approach of keeping their veterans, so I thought it was just a matter of time. In fact, he wasn't just behind Anthony Bradford, but McClendon Curtis as well.

Bradford's performances demanded a change, but every time they were rotated between the two, Haynes never had a dominant game. It seemed like we were living in the Gabe Jackson-Phil Haynes era, where neither could find their footing.

Haynes seemed to hit rock bottom against the Rams. He was inactive and here is Mike Macdonald's response about that:

"He is right there. The reason he was inactive is a number of things. Jalen Sundell needed to be up and Olu Oluwatimi because of some positional flexibility. You've got to go earn it every day in practice. That is the message. Guys that bring every day and show up in practice and games, they're going to play. If you take a step back, then you've got to be accountable."

I'm not at VMAC during practice, but for me, listening to this interview with MM, I understand that Haynes has been underperforming in practice. It got to the point where, even though he's a third-rounder, he was passed over for Sundell, a rookie UDFA, and Olu Olu who was inactive in a few games.

Maybe he just needs an opportunity and a playing time. Maybe. But when you look at the level at which Bradford has been playing and still remains a starter (the rotation is over, according to Macdonald), it seems that Haynes' level of play is in such a deep hole that it would be impossible to recover.

Tyrice Knight, Linebacker (0 snaps) Unless he gets injured, Knight likely won't start again until next year. Ernest Jones has been a standout in the last two games and Tyrel Dodson has the green dot, so it won't be easy to remove him from the starting lineup, especially considering that the rookie was passed over for Jerome Baker in the past.

AJ Barner, Tight End (73 snaps) He had the chance to be the team's TE1 with Noah Fant's injury. He had 7 targets with 4 receptions for 27 yards. This includes a drop due to a total lack of attention. For comparison, he managed to outperform the other TEs by far. Interestingly, the second in snaps was Brady Russell (some FB snaps) with 9 and Pharaoh Brown, who arrived to be the team's TE2 with only 7.

His blocking work was inconsistent. Some very good plays and some very bad ones. In the play above, the Seahawks call a Long Trap (it's the same concept as a trap, a player on the opposite side appears to block, but instead of an IDL being blocked, the target is an EDGE) and it has a good result. Barner and Charles Cross get an excellent double-team on the DT and Barner goes to the next level to block the LB.

The Seahawks call a variation of Wham. Barner is on the move and should block the EDGE, Jared Verse. It was one of the few plays where the Seahawks managed to create a good gap with the double-team of Connor Williams and Laken Tomlinson on one side, combined with Mike Jerrell and Anthony Bradford on the other. If Barner gets the block, we would inevitably have a good advance on this play. However, the TE goes too low and allows Verse to make the tackle.

Barner had two drops in the game. In the first, he comes off the line after making an excellent chip block and making Charles Cross's life easier. Geno has to improvise and pump-fakes, the TE wasn't on the same page and ends up letting the ball slip away.

This is the classic drop. He's already thinking about turning and gaining yards, even before making the catch.

Barner has been improving a lot as a receiver. He comes off the line of scrimmage and processes quickly, based on the defender's alignment, where he will have space. He immediately turns to his QB and makes the catch.

He runs a late route after helping on the chip block and gets the first down. He hurdles defenders to gain some additional yards,

Nehemiah Pritchett, Cornerback (0 snaps) Injured, he sat out and watched Josh Jobe on the field, threatening his future snaps, again. This time, Jobe even got the nod over Tre Brown for yet another week.

Mike Jerrell, Right Tackle (63 snaps) He had to come back on the field after George Fant injured his knee again. The rookie suffered, as did the entire OL. In addition to penalties (4!) that negated another 80 yards of offense, he gave up two sacks on Geno. He led the team in pressures given up with 4 (2 sacks, 1 hit and 1 hurry).

Jerrell lines up against the good edge Byron Young who is at wide-9. Jerrell's initial work is good. He closes the gap and gets his hands on the opponent's chest. However, he is unable to sustain the block. He still has a chance to recover, but is unable to do so and Young manages to pressure Geno, which ends up resulting in the 103-yard pick six.

Dee Williams, Special Teamer (only special team snaps) Made better decisions on the return. It is important to note that Laviska Shenault received more chances on the kickoff, leaving Williams more with the punts. Did a good job in kick coverage, including a nice tackle. Had the third highest special teams grade, behind only Cody White (blocked a punt) and the captain Drake Thomas.

Final Thoughts John should do everything he can to save his job. We are closer to a top-10 draft than to a playoff spot right now. So the team should use the most capable players, barring injuries. We should only see Barner and Murphy with any regularity (and Williams on special teams).