Happy bye week, everybody. Seahawks players are enjoying some deserved rest this week, but Mike Macdonald explained Monday, coaches are hard at work this week trying to find solutions to the issues that have hurt the team in recent losses. And even with the Seahawks having lost five of their last six, Macdonald sees a team that has a chance to get hot in the second half of the season “We’re on our way,” is how he put it, while also acknowledging they’re not the team they need to be yet.

And with all of that in mind, it's time once again to open up the mailbag and answer some questions from you, the fans.

As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

Gene from Phoenix asks a question many fans were probably thinking late in Sunday's game, saying, "Many teams are consistently good on third-and-1 or fourth-and-1, especially with the game on the line. Why can't the Hawks gain one yard when it matters?"

A: This was obviously a point of frustration after Sunday's loss, in which the Seahawks faced third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 in the red zone in overtime, and came up short on back-to-back rush attempts, costing them a shot at a potential game-winning touchdown. Every play is different and there are different factors, but in general terms, the Seahawks just haven't consistently been, as Macdonald put it, moving people at the line of scrimmage in those situations. And for the Seahawks to be the team they want to be, and to play with the physical style they want, improving in those short-yardage situations is a must.

"We've got to be able to get a half yard in two shots," Macdonald said after Sunday's game. "Great football teams convert third and fourth and short, and right now we're not doing that."

@MrEd315 asks, "Who wins the NFC West? Can the Seahawks get their season back on track after losing five of their last six games?"

A: Way too soon to predict who wins the division, but it's obviously very wide open, with the Cardinals at 5-4, the Rams and 49ers and 4-4, and the Seahawks at 4-5. The Rams are heating up with three straight wins, as have the Cardinals, while the 49ers are coming out of their bye getting healthier, including the expected return of reigning offensive player of the year Christian McCaffrey, all of which would seem to indicate that it's going to take a lot better than .500 ball to win the division in the second half of the season. With four games left against division opponents, the Seahawks have every opportunity to stay in the thick of the division race, but to get back on track, they obviously will have to start playing better and start, as Macdonald likes to say, stacking wins. There were encouraging signs last week, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but to go on a roll in the second half of the season, they'll need to play cleaner football, most notably cutting back on turnovers and penalties that have been so costly in recent losses.

"We should have that cleaned up by now, so we got to get that fixed," Macdonald said. "And the guys know that we're going to look into it and see what we can do operation-wise, practice-wise, things we're coaching, just look at the whole thing and go attack it but felt like we should be further along in that regard."

Sean from High River, Alberta asks, "At what point do the Seahawks address the O-line?"

A: You can disagree with how the Seahawks have addressed their line, or feel like they need to do more, but it's just not correct to say, as Sean and many others have, that they haven't addressed the line. Two years ago, the Seahawks used first and third-round picks on players who were immediate starters in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas. Lucas' knee injury has been an unfortunate development the past two seasons, but those were still two high picks that worked out very well at the time, and if Lucas indeed can get back soon, as is the team's hope, that could provide a nice boost for the offense. In free agency, the Seahawks made a financial decision to not match the huge deal Damien Lewis got from Carolina, and instead signed veteran and former Pro-Bowler Laken Tomlinson, who while older than Lewis, has been incredibly durable in his career. Not everyone will agree with that decision, but it's understandable that, when dealing with a salary cap, the Seahawks might want to pay significantly less for that position and spend the money elsewhere if they see more overall value to the team in going that route. The Seahawks also signed Connor Williams, who, though coming off an injury, was considered one of the top centers available, and they've used third and fourth-round picks the last two years on guards Christian Haynes and Anthony Bradford, as well as sixth-round picks this year on guard Sataoa Laumea and tackle Michael Jerrell. It's too soon to make judgements on any of those picks, but that's not an insignificant amount of resources to spend on the line the last two years.

None of this is to say the offensive line doesn't need to be better, and maybe that will mean throwing more resources at it in the offseason, but it's just not true to say that Schneider and company aren't doing things to address it.

@Seahawkkvancest1, and others, asked some version of, "Should the Seahawks bench Geno Smith?"

No.

Oh, you probably want more than a one-word answer, huh? I addressed Smith’s play, and the seeming disconnect between reality and some fans’ opinion of him, in a recent mailbag, and my thoughts haven’t changed since then. Have there been too many turnovers? Yes, and Smith is the first to say that, but if you actually go back and watch them, between tipped balls, balls hitting his receivers in the hands, a receiver running the wrong route, as DK Metcalf owned up to after the 49ers game, or pressure leading to Smith getting hit has he threw, very few of the interceptions have been mostly, or even at all, his fault. Smith is a huge reason the Seahawks have won the four games they have and been competitive down to the wire in all but one loss. He is far down the list of the reasons why the Seahawks have lost the games they have.

But don't just take my word for it, as Macdonald said Monday, "We've got all the confidence in the world with Geno."

@Jmack1204 asks, "Do you expect the Seahawks to re-sign Ernest Jones IV?"

A: I can't begin to predict that, but it's safe to say that if the Seahawks are willing to go out and trade for a player in the middle of a season, they're pretty high on his ability, and it's also worth noting the Seahawks have a history under general manager and president of football operations John Schneider of trading for players, then signing them to deals to keep them around, including last year's midseason acquisition, Leonard Williams, who signed a multi-year extension in March. Obviously the two sides will have to figure out a way to make things work out on the business side of things, but Jones said after arriving two weeks ago that he hopes to make a long-term home in Seattle, and the Seahawks would no doubt like to find a way to keep around a player they made a move to acquire via trade.

@wenfot asks, "Who did you pick for the Corgi Cup? I went with Rally, but all the pups were outstanding.

A: If you haven't heard, the NFL has very strict gambling policies for players and employees alike, so to be safe I did no make a pick. If I had though, Rally, a two-time defending champ, was a pretty solid pick. If my friend and former co-worker Maddie's dog, Ricky, had been in it, I'd have picked him, even though he didn't do so well when he took part in 2022, because, well, Ricky is adorable.

@J_Roys asks, "Best Scooby Doo character?"

A: Apparenty, we've reached the dog questions portion of the mailbag. And come on, what's the name of the show? The choice has to be Scooby Doo, right? Your choice is a bunch of teenagers bumbling their way through solving a crime or an adorable doggo? Easy pick.

Eugene from Colorado Springs asks, "Why have the Seahawks abandoned their wolf grey jerseys."

A: It wasn't so much an abandonment but rather a decision made to comply with NFL uniform rules. The league allows teams to use only four different jerseys, which prior to debuting throwback uniforms last season, were navy blue, white, action green and grey. To add throwbacks, one of those had to go, and the Seahawks weren't going to get rid of their regular home and road jerseys, so it came down to green or grey. My understanding was that it was a very tough and close decision, but that green ultimately won out, in part because it gives the Seahawks a more unique, bold look, while plenty of other teams around the league have some version of a grey uniform.

@DanCohen17 asks, "How would one start a petition to have the Seahawks exclusively wear only these two uniforms: Throwbacks and action green?"

A: And now, we've apparently reached the uniform questions portions of the mailbag. While I regret to inform you that I know of no official forum in which to submit this hypothetical petition, I'll be sure to suggest it to the higher ups when I get a chance (or not). And I've got to say, this is a uniform take I've yet to see, so kudos for the originality, Dan. Obviously everyone seems to love the throwbacks, and I've seen plenty of "make them the permanent uniform" requests, while action green tends to be more decisive, with some folks loving it and some loathing it. I have not yet seen, however, a suggestion that those two become the team's only uniforms.