Amid whispers that Jimmy Graham is unhappy with his role in Seattle, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll acknowledged this week that his playmaking tight end needs to see the ball more.
"I'm disappointed," Carroll said, per ESPN Seattle. "Because we really have had the intent, just like you would think, exactly like you guys think, like everybody thinks. We want him to be a big part of the offense.
Graham has hauled in just seven passes over two games, with just one of those coming in Sunday night's tight loss to the Packers. Heading into Week 3, 12 tight ends and 13 running backs have more catches than Graham, who many assumed would eat up targets in the Seahawks' scheme.
Carroll told reporters that Seattle planned to throw plenty to Graham with the team down 24-17 in the fourth quarter against Green Bay, but the plan was short-circuited by a Russell Wilson interception.
"We certainly had a bunch of calls -- a bunch of calls -- where it could have happened," said Carroll, admitting that Graham is probably frustrated with his paltry production.
"I think he is. I think he's a competitor, he wants the ball, he wants to help us win," Carroll said. "I don't think there's any question about it. I would feel that, too. He's worked hard, he's great about it, he wants to do everything he can to help us. I don't have any doubt about that."
The problems on offense extend beyond Graham for a unit averaging just 4.9 yards per play -- fourth worst in the NFL. They're 20th in the NFL in third-down conversions while having converted just three of six chances in the red zone.
It's too early to panic in Seattle, but the assumption was that Graham would be easy to plug in after he looked "unstoppable" all summer, leading offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to note of the 6-foot-7 tight behemoth: "The cool part about Jimmy is we can just plug him in."
Easier said than done for a Seahawks team that sits at 0-2 and desperately needs to find a way to get their big offseason acquisition more involved in the attack.
