ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Seahawks are a different team now that Mike Holmgren has decided to open up the offense after shutting it down in previous games.

We're still seeing a lack of efficiency in the passing game, but I also saw signs of life after taking a hard look at the offense against San Francisco in Week 8. The 49ers aren't the best defense, obviously, but we did see progress from Seattle.

First I'll pass along the familiar Excel file showing Seattle's production across personnel groups, preceded by a play-by-play sheet sortable by quarter, drive, down, distance, yard line, personnel grouping, play type, ball carrier, yards gained and more.

A few things I noticed about Seattle in breaking down 54 plays:

• Seneca Wallace was more comfortable. He missed on a couple of throws that might have produced healthy gains, including one when he and Bobby Engram weren't in sync. Coming close counts as progress given how poorly the offense has performed. The short pass Wallace threaded to Leonard Weaver on the 43-yard touchdown was delivered perfectly in tight quarters and Wallace made it look natural.
• The 49ers didn't pressure Wallace the way the Eagles probably will, something we need to keep in mind when assessing what happened in San Francisco.
• The Seahawks used four wide receivers on 18.5 percent of plays (10 of 54), up from only twice in 38 plays (5.3 percent) against Tampa Bay in Week 7. They used four receivers seven times in the first quarter, once in the second and twice in the third. They also went for it on fourth-and-6. That is being more aggressive.
• Adding receivers makes life harder on the quarterback in terms of reading coverages, but Wallace avoided mistakes. Wallace completed passes for 21 yards (Engram) and 11 yards (Jones) on his first and third attempts from four-receiver groupings. Wallace and Engram weren't in sync on a third-and-11 play with four wideouts, but Wallace later found Koren Robinson to convert on fourth-and-6, an encouraging sign for Seattle.
• The Seahawks had success passing on third down from base personnel (2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE). This included an 11-yard quick pass to Julius Jones on third-and-2 (with Floyd Womack sealing Nate Clements on the edge) and a 62-yard connection with Weaver on third-and-8. The team converted three times in nine chances with more than two receivers on the field.
• Seattle didn't do anything fancy on its big plays. These plays were from base personnel. They were pass plays to the fullback.
  
• Center Chris Spencer doesn't show the instincts that made his more experienced predecessor, Robbie Tobeck, effective. Tobeck had a knack for diving at defenders even when those defenders probably weren't his responsibility. You'll find a few little notes on Spencer in the play-by-play notes.
• Koren Robinson enjoyed his best game since returning to the Seahawks. His hands aren't the greatest, but he did manage to hold onto a ball he juggled, even after taking a hit. He threw blocks on both of Weaver's long touchdowns.
• In looking at Seattle's personnel use across downs, I saw Jones working with the four-receiver package on first down. Morris worked with the three-receiver package on first down. Morris then worked with the four-receiver package on second down, with Jones taking over in the three-receiver group. Weaver becomes the primary guy on third down, obviously.
  

I have also broken down the 49ers' offense in Week 8. The Rams are waiting on the DVR. I can't break down every NFC West team every week, but I like to do as many as I can. It really helps have a better feel for how these teams are functioning.