AP

The Vikings sacked Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson four times in the first half of Thursday night’s preseason game, which would seem to be a narrative fit with the low-cost approach the Seahawks took to building their offensive line this offseason.

That offensive line had some bad moments on Thursday night, but coach Pete Carroll was quick to say that they don’t deserve all the blame for all the sacks allowed to a very good defense. Some of the blame lies with quarterback Russell Wilson not getting the ball out quickly enough.

“I know that you are looking at the sack numbers and thinking ‘oh geez, what’s that mean?'” Carroll said, via the Seattle Times. “We really, we need to get the ball out. We need to throw the ball away and get rid of it so we don’t take the big plays [losses]. … Russ can do a better job to help us there when we get stuck. Sometimes we try really hard to get out to try to make a bigger play when the pressure eventually gets there. But on rhythm, we were fine a few times. We need to get the ball out and stay quick with it like we want to and not let the rush get to us. When you don’t, then you suffer negative stuff that makes it hard to get going.”

Wilson said the offense has “made a lot of great plays off scrambles before so you don’t want to shut the ball and throw it away,” but acknowledged that sometimes making the right play involves throwing the ball away so you avoid a big loss of yardage. Wilson has played on six possessions so far this offseason and the Seahawks have yet to score on any of them, which hasn’t dissuaded him from his belief that “we’re going to be great.”

Last year’s experience involving some of the same issues regarding sacks and how to cut down on them early in the season before the offense caught fire late likely helps Wilson’s confidence on that front, although all involved would likely prefer finding a better approach a bit earlier this time around.