RENTON, Wash. -- In a move of necessity, the Seattle Seahawks might have discovered what their lagging offense needed.
Down by 20 points in the third quarter last week against Atlanta, the Seahawks had little choice but to go to a hurry-up offense. That meant few huddles, quick decisions and quicker snaps.
The results were startling. After 14 quarters of offensive slog to that point, the Seahawks scored 21 points in the final 25 minutes, falling just short in a 30-28 loss to the Falcons.
"I do know it gives us rhythm. I do know our guys play fast. I do know that our guys have less to think about -- I mean, it's moving so fast that their focus is really dialed in," Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. "They're running those specific plays quickly. They don't have a lot of time to think and all that kind of stuff."
"What's wrong with the offense?" was a constant refrain heard for the first three weeks of the regular season. The unit scored 30 combined points in three weeks. That all changed in the second half last week, and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson finished with a career-high 319 yards.
Seattle ran 13 no-huddle plays against the Falcons. Those 13 plays gained only 65 of the 234 yards the Seahawks rolled up in the second half. More important was Seattle's speed, a contrast to the pedestrian effort in the first half outside of one long pass to Sidney Rice.
The Seahawks flashed the no-huddle idea a week earlier in their 13-10 win over Arizona. The results weren't as productive, but again, the decision added some needed pace.
"Defenses can do different things with the no-huddle, but they tend to kind of show what they're doing," Jackson said. "You have more time at the line of scrimmage to make your checks and change the play and stuff like that."
Whether the Seahawks go without a huddle from the start when they play the New York Giants on Sunday remains unknown.
"I'm sure it can work at the beginning of the game," Rice said. "I believe it can as long as the players have the right attitude, the right mindset."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
