Richard Sherman says ball hasn’t bounced Seahawks’ way

There are plenty of reasons why Seattle’s defense hasn’t generated takeaways at the rate it did last season, including an inconsistent pass rush and a handful of dropped interceptions.

Cornerback Richard Sherman pointed to another reason when he joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s “The Huddle” on Thursday and talked about a play from the Seahawks’ win over Carolina.

Linebacker Malcolm Smith forced a fumble in the second quarter only to have the ball settle right at the feet of the guy who had coughed it up, tight end Ed Dickson, who recovered it before any of the three Seahawks who were near him could.

“That’s just the way the ball’s bouncing this year,” Sherman said. “That’s the thing about football, the ball doesn’t always bounce your way.”

There might be some merit to that. The Seahawks have only recovered four of their opponents’ 13 fumbles this season, which is a low number when you consider that the offense and defense generally have about an equal shot at recovering a fumble.

Seattle can’t blame bad bounces for all of those, though. In fact, the Seahawks missed out on a chance to recover a fumble earlier in Sunday’s game when defensive back DeShawn Shead couldn’t corral a muffed punt even though he got his hands on it.

At at any rate, capitalizing on their opportunities when the ball is on the ground is one way the Seahawks can improve their takeaway total of seven, which ranks 29th in the league. Perhaps a few favorable bounces would help.