dang ~ "The San Francisco 49ers practiced Wednesday. Or some of them did. Eighteen players - 20% of their active 90-man offseason roster - sat out. Two more didn't make it to the end of the session. This does not include the five players already on the season-ending injured reserve list." So there is nothing to see here regarding the 49ers practice field next to an electrical sub-station. Then players 'n fans see the Seahawks practising in Rention next to Lake Washington.
(i prefer the British spelling using a "c" for the k-sound 'n then an "s" for the s-sound.)
I really don't believe in the Power Station thing, but the injury reports make me think I may be wrong. I totally believe the Earth is a ball, JFK and Elvis are really dead, the moon and moon landing are real, but this power station business is confusing.
That said, if you were a 22-year-old super athlete, would you rather practice next to a 10-gazillion-watt substation or Lake Washington? Imagine yourself as a young man from the Midwest or Texas: When practice is over, would you rather stand at the edge of the field and look at a substation for a few minutes, or look at a few sailboats going by with Mercer Island in the background?
One of the many things I like about our current team is reading the transcript of our head coach's press conferences. We all loved Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll, two of the most charming and entertaining men on earth, but reading the transcript of their interviews made my eyes bleed. Not one single word either of them said in 20++ combined years actually made grammatical sense.
This team is like the 1996 Yankees or 2002 Angels - almost no players regarded as the best at their position yet they just go out and win as a unit, a collective stronger than the sum of its parts. I would rather have zero all-stars and win a championship that 8 all-stars and miss the playoffs (looking at you 2018 Steelers).
This team is solid with no real prima donnas or weird Aaron Rodgers types. Just solid dudes that believe in each other and that want to win. The LOB years started like that until Russ went nuts. I am excited for this team and can't wait for the season to start.
I have a friend in Pittsburgh who just loves his Steelers, and I wish him the best, but honest to God, Arron Rodgers and DK Metcalf are two of the weirdest guys in the entire NFL. Well, except for Riq Wollen, who is now in Philadelphia, which is my friends second fav team. He probably hates the Seahawks, and I really don't blame him.
“…Sherman was considered too tall to be a starting cornerback…”
When Sherman came up, I believe that hip rotation was the premium trait for a CB, and the thinking was that tall CBs would never be able to rotate their hips quickly enough to be effective in coverage. The problem was that teams were going more and more to tall receivers, and 5’10” CBs who were otherwise good in coverage struggled against big receivers. (Seattle’s Willie Williams comes to mind.) Carroll and Sherman (and Brandon Browner) showed that height, length, and physicality could more than more than compensate for quicker hips had unique advantages of their own. The two pretty much revolutionized the CB position.
It was a novel way of building a secondary at the time. When you've got a free safety with the greatest range in the NFL, you can bring in bullies to play CB and not worry too much about getting burned deep. Finding guys with unique advantages and then figuring out how to mitigate their weaknesses was Pete's calling card.
I really like your pointing out how hard it will be for the Seahawks passing offense to be number one in the league, but could be the most efficient and effective. The Seahawks do not undervalue any element of the game. They want the best run defense, pass defense, kick coverage, field goal unit, run game, short yardage game, etc….. They don’t want a weakness. They want to be able to have success on every play. Last year showed just how many different ways the Seahawks can gain the advantage over their opponent. I feel it will be even more pronounce this year. I think Fleury will bring even more success to the offense, and MM’s version 3 defense will be suffocating. I’ve been a homer for three years, and very optimistic about the Seahawks. Yet they have lived up to every belief I’ve had and then some. Watch out NFL. History could be around the corner.
I think MM doesn't want any holes/weaknessess even more than he wants the very best at any position group. The LARs, on the other hand, seem to be OK with having weaknesses in exchange for the privilege of being the very best at something else. The final score is all that really matters, but the Seahawks were two out of three last year.
We have 4 guys ,who can play the Slot, we have Chameleons, we have Unicorns, We have Snakes lying in waiting ! Other coaches on different teams can try to copy MM's Defense good luck with that. He is the Chess Master ! Toying with other offenses and there is no Rebuilding going on like some of the Lame Street Media, might want you to believe. No he is Switching things up, he will switch to a gun in the middle of a Knife Fight. I have so much respect for this head coach, the GM, and all the coaches who work there butts off getting this team ready to play One Game at a Time.
Great point about the Seahawks' expectations of being a rushing offense because they are playing with a lead. You don't need to take chances or put the ball at risk when your opponent can't score. Run the ball, control the clock and keep the best defense in the league well-rested.
A repost from yesterday because I thought it might be profound. If it's not, feel free to let me know.
One point about the first episode, I didn't notice anyone bringing this up and if they did, sorry. There was a scene where Copper is in MM's office. He makes an observation about something and MM thanks him for it. How many places/teams are there where a player can go into the "HEAD" coach's office and tell him something that he missed? That is something that sets this team apart from others, the humility of the head coach to accept advice from anyone and thank them for it. The team is better for it and will become stronger. MM talked about the example of the super sauce at the beginning; this was an example of it going the other way that probably doesn't happen anywhere else. Just amazing to see it in action. And btw, Cooper is not just an average player, so I am sure that has a lot to do with it.
Kupp’s obviously an exceptional asset to the team (including coaches). What a pick up for the Hawks. I’m sure he’ll continue his career as a coach when he finishes playing. His football brain is too valuable to retire with his playing ability. He compliments MM, so I hope he stays and coaches with us when that time comes.
First thanks for pointing out that PC was also like that. And I love you used the Big Red example. PC wanted versatility just not as much”deep” as Coach Mac. MB outside/in versatility is another example. But love me Big Red. PC put him out there and then he owned half the field. Just dominated half letting KJ and Kam feast.
But that chameleon example and especially the 11 as a group. I used it last night in talking to my dad about DLaw football IQ. That play on 4th down. DLaw knew the roles of all defensive players. Knew Kyron would be open. Knew Stafford had easy FD and possible TD. Stopped his rushing, got in throwing lane, Spoon nearly intercepted it. That’s knowing the plays. That was communication. That was not a defensive “play call”. That was Coach Mac coaching his guys to play as a cohesive unit. And Tuesday’s Hard Knocks showed some of it.
dang ~ "The San Francisco 49ers practiced Wednesday. Or some of them did. Eighteen players - 20% of their active 90-man offseason roster - sat out. Two more didn't make it to the end of the session. This does not include the five players already on the season-ending injured reserve list." So there is nothing to see here regarding the 49ers practice field next to an electrical sub-station. Then players 'n fans see the Seahawks practising in Rention next to Lake Washington.
(i prefer the British spelling using a "c" for the k-sound 'n then an "s" for the s-sound.)
I really don't believe in the Power Station thing, but the injury reports make me think I may be wrong. I totally believe the Earth is a ball, JFK and Elvis are really dead, the moon and moon landing are real, but this power station business is confusing.
That said, if you were a 22-year-old super athlete, would you rather practice next to a 10-gazillion-watt substation or Lake Washington? Imagine yourself as a young man from the Midwest or Texas: When practice is over, would you rather stand at the edge of the field and look at a substation for a few minutes, or look at a few sailboats going by with Mercer Island in the background?
One of the many things I like about our current team is reading the transcript of our head coach's press conferences. We all loved Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll, two of the most charming and entertaining men on earth, but reading the transcript of their interviews made my eyes bleed. Not one single word either of them said in 20++ combined years actually made grammatical sense.
This team is like the 1996 Yankees or 2002 Angels - almost no players regarded as the best at their position yet they just go out and win as a unit, a collective stronger than the sum of its parts. I would rather have zero all-stars and win a championship that 8 all-stars and miss the playoffs (looking at you 2018 Steelers).
This team is solid with no real prima donnas or weird Aaron Rodgers types. Just solid dudes that believe in each other and that want to win. The LOB years started like that until Russ went nuts. I am excited for this team and can't wait for the season to start.
I have a friend in Pittsburgh who just loves his Steelers, and I wish him the best, but honest to God, Arron Rodgers and DK Metcalf are two of the weirdest guys in the entire NFL. Well, except for Riq Wollen, who is now in Philadelphia, which is my friends second fav team. He probably hates the Seahawks, and I really don't blame him.
“…Sherman was considered too tall to be a starting cornerback…”
When Sherman came up, I believe that hip rotation was the premium trait for a CB, and the thinking was that tall CBs would never be able to rotate their hips quickly enough to be effective in coverage. The problem was that teams were going more and more to tall receivers, and 5’10” CBs who were otherwise good in coverage struggled against big receivers. (Seattle’s Willie Williams comes to mind.) Carroll and Sherman (and Brandon Browner) showed that height, length, and physicality could more than more than compensate for quicker hips had unique advantages of their own. The two pretty much revolutionized the CB position.
It was a novel way of building a secondary at the time. When you've got a free safety with the greatest range in the NFL, you can bring in bullies to play CB and not worry too much about getting burned deep. Finding guys with unique advantages and then figuring out how to mitigate their weaknesses was Pete's calling card.
I really like your pointing out how hard it will be for the Seahawks passing offense to be number one in the league, but could be the most efficient and effective. The Seahawks do not undervalue any element of the game. They want the best run defense, pass defense, kick coverage, field goal unit, run game, short yardage game, etc….. They don’t want a weakness. They want to be able to have success on every play. Last year showed just how many different ways the Seahawks can gain the advantage over their opponent. I feel it will be even more pronounce this year. I think Fleury will bring even more success to the offense, and MM’s version 3 defense will be suffocating. I’ve been a homer for three years, and very optimistic about the Seahawks. Yet they have lived up to every belief I’ve had and then some. Watch out NFL. History could be around the corner.
I think MM doesn't want any holes/weaknessess even more than he wants the very best at any position group. The LARs, on the other hand, seem to be OK with having weaknesses in exchange for the privilege of being the very best at something else. The final score is all that really matters, but the Seahawks were two out of three last year.
What a Great Time to be a Seahawk Fan !
We have 4 guys ,who can play the Slot, we have Chameleons, we have Unicorns, We have Snakes lying in waiting ! Other coaches on different teams can try to copy MM's Defense good luck with that. He is the Chess Master ! Toying with other offenses and there is no Rebuilding going on like some of the Lame Street Media, might want you to believe. No he is Switching things up, he will switch to a gun in the middle of a Knife Fight. I have so much respect for this head coach, the GM, and all the coaches who work there butts off getting this team ready to play One Game at a Time.
Go Hawks
Great point about the Seahawks' expectations of being a rushing offense because they are playing with a lead. You don't need to take chances or put the ball at risk when your opponent can't score. Run the ball, control the clock and keep the best defense in the league well-rested.
to zezinhom400, It Is The Case, It Is The Way.
I love the thought that MM creates his schemes around his players rather than forcing his players to adapt to his schemes.
The anti-Brandon-Staley if you will.
A repost from yesterday because I thought it might be profound. If it's not, feel free to let me know.
One point about the first episode, I didn't notice anyone bringing this up and if they did, sorry. There was a scene where Copper is in MM's office. He makes an observation about something and MM thanks him for it. How many places/teams are there where a player can go into the "HEAD" coach's office and tell him something that he missed? That is something that sets this team apart from others, the humility of the head coach to accept advice from anyone and thank them for it. The team is better for it and will become stronger. MM talked about the example of the super sauce at the beginning; this was an example of it going the other way that probably doesn't happen anywhere else. Just amazing to see it in action. And btw, Cooper is not just an average player, so I am sure that has a lot to do with it.
Kupp’s obviously an exceptional asset to the team (including coaches). What a pick up for the Hawks. I’m sure he’ll continue his career as a coach when he finishes playing. His football brain is too valuable to retire with his playing ability. He compliments MM, so I hope he stays and coaches with us when that time comes.
First thanks for pointing out that PC was also like that. And I love you used the Big Red example. PC wanted versatility just not as much”deep” as Coach Mac. MB outside/in versatility is another example. But love me Big Red. PC put him out there and then he owned half the field. Just dominated half letting KJ and Kam feast.
But that chameleon example and especially the 11 as a group. I used it last night in talking to my dad about DLaw football IQ. That play on 4th down. DLaw knew the roles of all defensive players. Knew Kyron would be open. Knew Stafford had easy FD and possible TD. Stopped his rushing, got in throwing lane, Spoon nearly intercepted it. That’s knowing the plays. That was communication. That was not a defensive “play call”. That was Coach Mac coaching his guys to play as a cohesive unit. And Tuesday’s Hard Knocks showed some of it.
Great start to article and Grants question.