I chuckled at this Preseason review. if it wasn't for TW, then Dickson just might be the MVP of the Def.
The Punt Runts Official 2022 season preview
All-Pro Picks
Raphael
1st team: Blake Gillikin
2nd team: Michael Dickson
Gillikin fits the mold of a second-year starter who showed elite flashes in his first year. He’s also really good at punting, hit an 80+ yard touchback in the preseason, and generally embodies the high-risk, high-reward attitude I like from punters. Michael Dickson is going to punt so much, he might be the defensive MVP of his team.
Joe, you say Geno failed to win the game with the last drive. I say Maxx Crosby made the play that won the game and maybe if we had a Maxx the game never gets to overtime.
Geno should not be protected but team shortcomings should be recognized as contributing factors. Mahomes is great but he's had a superior supporting cast and a HOF offensive coach. If Mahomes had spent the last four years with the Detroit Lions would he still be considered the best QB in football? If Mahomes is the best QB we've ever seen it's because of his magic under pressure. His QBR under pressure is 48.1 while the league average is 26.1. His QBR with no pressure is 80.4 while the league average is 81.8. What would his under pressure QBR be without Travis Kelcey? Mahomes has been to two Super Bowls and won one, just like Russell Wilson. Mahomes has had 12 game winning drives in five years while Wilson has had 35 in ten years. BTW, Geno Smith has had 8 while not having even close to the number of opportunities with a quality cast. Is this year a fair test for Geno? He has two rookie tackles, a suspect center, and one great receiver. (Lockett). Mahomes has had better offensive lines, better wide receivers, Travis Kelcey, and Andy Ried.
The only reason I can see to select Young over Anderson or Carter is that you believe your future won/loss records will prevent you from drafting a QB of Anderson's talent in the future and that's reasonable. However, I still believe defense wins championships. We have a QB but we don't have an unstoppable defensive player like Donald, Chris Jones, or Nick Bosa. San Francisco is arguabely the best team in the NFL and they been deep into the playoff with Jimmy Garappolo. The Rams won the Super Bowl because of Donald and Ramsey. If Baker Mayfield was our best option at QB then I'd say do whatever it takes to draft Bryce Young. That's not our situation. I guess the question comes down to what are the odds Young is Mahomes, Anderson is Bosa, or Carter is Donald.
BTW, I've read Jalen Carter's comp is Quinnen Williams, taken 3rd overall in 2019, he has 9 sacks and is rated 4th behind Chris Jones, Dexter Lawerence, and Aaron Donald. It's said that Carter is an equal pass rusher but a better run defender than Williams.
Finally, I don't mind the idea of taking another game changing RB but I'd rather see two guys who are a little different. The guy that impressed me and wouldn't cost a first round pick is Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama.
“If they want the respect, Geno Smith and the Seahawks as a whole need to absolutely obliterate the Rams at their lowest.“
Absolute truth. You don’t get respect if you have to say “but we had a nice win streak earlier this season.” To get respect, the team needs to beat (up on) the Rams.
And because this sentiment always rings true with me….FTR.
I get frustrated when things are explained in a kind of jargon that I can't understand. Every profession has its jargon (I'm a lawyer and there's certainly a lot of it in the law). It's helpful when speaking to others in "the know" because it's a kind of shorthand. In other words, this stuff evolves for a reason. But when I speak to non-lawyers, I don't throw around terms like "res ipsa" or "fiduciary duty". I try to speak in plain English. When I speak to my physician, I expect him to speak to me in a way I can understand rather than as if he were speaking to another graduate of medical school.
Having never played football in any organized setting, I don't have a clue what's being said when people talk about "Bear front", "3-4 principles", "two gap read and react with the defensive tackles" and other similarly obtuse terms. If no one takes the time to explain what these terms mean, I'm lost.
When all of that jargon is summed as "Well, there you have it", it's a bummer because I don't have it. I have nothing. I don't know why so many people throw around technical sports terms as if everyone knows them. Perhaps when one knows this stuff, it can seem like everyone does. That too happens among lawyers, when we draft documents which our clients struggle to understand. The thing is everything that can be explained in jargon can also be set forth in plain English. It takes longer and requires one to be conscious of one's audience. But in my view it's much better form because it stands a chance of being understood.
Yeah, I completely see this. I see a lot of people in my space go the X's and O's route for content but in my experience, this is some of the least popular football content in the industry. People don't care how the sausage is made, I think you need to have played or coached to really want to learn. Personally, it goes over and through my head most of the time. My hope is that I will do a better job of being able to learn these things and share them in the future, for the betterment of my audience.
like you, I am not fond of jargon in any setting - that said, I can help a little here...
Bear front refers to the Buddy Ryan, as D-coordinator for the 1985 Bears use of 3 D-linemen covering the C and both G's. Lots of beef in the middle and major speed at both Edges plus a HOF middle LB made this go, big time. It really is played almost like a typical 3-4 with 5 players on the line of scrimmage. It only differs with where the interior linemen are set up.
Two gap is a passive move where usually a Big D-linemen hold the blocker at bay so they can defend to either their left or right. This technique does Not allow for committing to one gap and penetrating deeper into the offensive formation. It is a way to get the most out of slower, lesser talented linemen. Because penetration challenges the QB and changes the angles of how a RB can get to their chosen hole, penetrating style defenders are More likely to be Game Wreckers, where they 'blow up' a play. At only 285, Aaron Donald is Not an example of a 2-gap dude.
'3-4 principals' are where smaller defenders are responsible for 'setting the edge' meaning who is responsible for turning the offenses attempt to get outside back in to where the pursuit can get them. Even though we had a 4-3 set up, the principals where Kam Chancellor and LB Bruce Irvin were the Edge setters was a 3-4 principal...typically, the 4-3 has the DE 'setting the edge'. I played DE in a 4-3 so that was my role back in the day.
I hope this can help your future enjoyment of all the wins our Hawks will be piling up :)
Hey, thanks Cover12. I was with you through Bear front. Beginning with two gap in the second paragraph, I got kind of lost. I really have no background with these concepts so it needs to be explained the way you would to a 12 year old.
I wonder if there's a youtube video that explains these sorts of things. Someone from this community suggested a book, which I got and read. It helped a little but was again over my head in a lot of ways. It would help to see it in diagrams or laid out in a video.
I'll take a shot at translating paragraph 2 and maybe you can tell me if I'm getting it. The "two gap" with the big d-lineman sounds like a basic 3-4 defense and the nose tackle tries to defend both A gaps simultaneously. Is that accurate? I'm using football jargon to the extent I understand it, which ain't much. I think you're saying a guy like Aaron Donald can be most effective in a 4-3 because it allows him to penetrate a single gap. Am I anywhere close to understanding what you're saying?
In the third paragraph, are you talking about a 3-4 scheme in which the outside linebackers come forward to defend the edges? You're saying that in the LOB days, one of our safeties, Kam Chancellor, came forward to take that responsibility and Bruce Irvin, one of our linebackers, held the other? Am I anywhere close?
Parallax, I highly recommend the book "Keep Your Eye Off the Ball." I played K-12 and had a cup of coffee in college ball, and NFL concepts are lost on me but that helped a lot. You're one of my favorite guys here and at FG and I probably have an extra copy laying around and if I don't, I'll buy you one. Not sure if you can PM and such here, but if you get a mailing address to me, I'll make sure you have it. It's fun and pretty easy to understand, and is the only reason I can halfway appreciate Seattle Overload's podcast.
Thanks Chuck. You gave me that recommendation before and I read it. The whole thing. Trouble is that without diagrams, it was hard to follow everything. Found a website today that describes formations in a way that I was able to understand. This one: https://www.rookieroad.com/football/
Ideally, I'd like to find a video series but I think that site will work. Rather than try to study it all at once, I'll use it as a reference. That way I'll learn in small slices and it will be more likely to stick. Not as easy to learn at almost 60 as it was back in law school. Back then, it required effort to read the 60 or so pages of stuff assigned most every night but I retained it easily. Not down to case names, if that was needed, I could cram that in too. Today, I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast.
How do you solve a problem like Geno (to the tune of "how do you solve a problem like Maria" from the the Sound of Music). He's fun. He makes us all smile. But is he a good fit for our future plans?
Rob Staton makes a convincing argument (though I think the accent helps), but it seems too simple to just say you can't run a Fangio-style defense without Fangio himself. We've got a lot of talented and intelligent people building this defense from scratch and I'm willing to go through some growing pains (this season). If they say we have the personnel for this scheme then lets see it. Nwosu has done well, Mafe is a rookie, Taylor lacks so much discipline that he runs onto the field from the sideline and starts blocking on an int return (if was funny, but it's indicative of a larger issue with him). There is no right answer to their defensive issues at this point, but it seems premature to cut our losses, fire all the defensive brains in the building and go back to the system they already decided to move away from.
Wholesale changes in scheme typically take between 10-20 games for a team to truly absorb. Nathanial Hackett's Green Bay dysfunction from his first season with Aaron Rodgers was followed by two MVP seasons...Big changes in the D also take time. Plus, we have 7 of our 11 starters new this year...Definitely premature. BTW - I bet RW will have a bounce back if the Broncos choose to trust their coach for a second season.
Pretty much Every 'elite' QB performance needs complimentary play to go with it. An 'elite' running game performance paired with it certainly would have helped. K-9 showed us reasons why we are excited but with Abe Lucas SO sick that they considered leaving him out of the game, clearly he was far from his best and, well Maxx Crosby is truly one of the better Game-wrecking edge players out there.
Abe will come back to serve up some more pancakes. The biggest issue offensively is our Center, although cleaver, he gets beat by Average guys week in, week out. Nevertheless, despite the defensive blundering, we were only one or two offensive plays away from a win. We may even have had those if not for official's calls. This team is CLOSE
Ps. Joe when i said any body balmming Geno is crazy, I said that knowing you didn't blame him. Also by all means point out mistakes he is a big boy as am I thanks fun chat !
Yes Kenneth, the contributing Joe's are indeed one of the reasons this is the Go-To site for us 12's. Lots of content by you delivering on your passion, plus the diversity in opinions from the community, and most importantly, there is Zero 'opinion shaming' or 'trolling' here. Just a bunch of Joe's getting their Seahawk fix and sharing their passion for Action Green.
2023 Draft assumption...because John Schneider does Not over-draft (based upon the collective Seahawks opinion), and his 'super-power' is to know where prospects will be going, I strongly suspect that we will trade around in the first, second and or the third round.
Taking a Powerhouse, Game-wrecking DL may not be there for value where we are drafting and they may prefer to have their QB of the future come from a little later on in the draft. Despite the needs, I seriously doubt they will go WR, LB or interior OL at the top of the draft. You just Gotta know that Pete will want to double, or even triple-up on the DL solution so More picks might be tempting to the Seattle brass..
The Hawks may do the ole 'Schneider trick of acquiring even More talent by trading down. Maybe they even pull a 'Philly special' by trading out of one of those 1st rounders to pick up a later second AND a quality 1st in 2024...mind you, this is Not my wish, however I have come to expect surprises.
BTW - I suspect we will Moz-Def trade UP from our current 3rd rounder for a Special target earlier on in like the late 2nd or early 3rd round range - There are several very powerful and truly badazz'd Centers in this draft. John Schneider LOVES to go to the draft's strength and we Do need an upgrade there.
No matter what, I have come to expect that I will Fully appreciate whatever moves the dude makes. Word.
Please allow me to expand, Geno Smith did not lose us this game. I know your point Joe he wasn't elite. He was above average certainly, if you can complete the easy ones and throw some great ones your above average. On our last play on offense Geno got swamped by MAXX. Pete told us Travis Homer was supposed to chip Crosby then release, if he had done so he a 20 yards of open field and we are pressing for the game winner. I obviously wrote my feelings wrongly, even Geno took responsibility it's just that sports are not perfect. Patrick Mahomes throws picks, we have got so much more out of Geno than I thought possible. Maybe I should have said Geno had a few plays that cost us, but defense was to blame. Josh Jacob's is great but that was a career game aided by us
As far as the defense goes if you parce Pete talk the 3/4 will not feature much.
Maybe I am way off but Jamal Adams is a good tackler and would help us greatly, is he the best no, but he has a unique tool belt. As much as I hate to say it Diggs has not fully recovered and has lost a step. He is smart enough to play the position but let's give Blount a run along with Diggs. Diggs is still better than most he is struggling to get to where he wants to be.A couple of games back a player was mixed up and you could hear Diggs say I still can't push off my right leg.
Lastly DK runs the plays he is told to, he is doubled a lot and has never been a zig zag guy. The catch DK made on the sideline in full stride is what DK is. He beat the first man Geno threw a frozen rope DK caught it and obliterated the safety trying to tackle him. The safety got him out of bounds but paid a huge price, that's DK.
Fant was the guy who was supposed to chip Maxx. Fant is not a good blocker. I think it's kinda like rebounding in that it's a "want to" skill. Give his athletic ability Fant could/should be a good block be he's more interested in catching passes. IMO, he missed his chip because it wasn't important to him.
I wish they would stop throwing DK the bubble screen. DK doesn't have the short area quickness or the Deebo Samuel running back abilility that call needs.
I am all about drafting best player available over need within reason, hence wanting Bijan. In terms of pure talent, only Anderson and maybe Bryce Young seem arguably as talented at their positions to me. I'll admit that I'm just a casual watcher of college football and am easily swayed by the opinions of others, but I don't need anyone to sway me on Bijan. Just watch any Texas game (except TCU, where they stuffed the box all day to a level that would get you lit up in the air in the NFL).
I like the idea of taking a QB and like Young a lot. I just still have minor PTSD from having a short QB. I'd rather use the draft capital on someone in the trenches, if anyone the front office deems special is still there. Denver's pick will offer an awful lot of potential. Speaking of need, Field Gulls had an article today breaking down our areas of strength and need. For a quick cut and paste:
" Areas of strength currently involve:
QB
Top end WR
TE unit
Offensive tackle, and probably one guard
CB1 and Nickel CB
Whatever it is they do with Jamal Adams / Ryan Neal position
One (1) Pass rusher
Defensive linemen that can knock down passes
Areas of weakness involve:
Center
Another guard
Somebody else to catch the ball
A linebacker to complement Jordyn Brooks
Pass rush
Interior defensive line
Inconclusive:
Running Back
Free safety until Quandre Diggs can do that again."
I can't really argue with any of that, but wouldn't mind a bit if we used a top 50 pick on the 2 from inconclusive if Pete and John love them. We are set up so much better than anyone in our division going forward, in terms of cap and picks. We likely have 4 picks in the top 50, and the rest of the division combined only have 3. And cap space will allow flexibility in free agency -if we don't break the bank for Geno. And I feel certain a QB will be drafted, it's just a matter of where. McCall on day 2 would put me over the moon.
We *should* beat the Rams, but games aren't played on paper. If they only win 2 more all season, I wouldn't be surprised if both were against the Seahawks. I don't hate rival teams, but my feelings towards the Rams border on it. I do hate their uniforms and the term "Ramily." And I will enjoy winning against them more than I would any other team, barring maybe the the Broncos week 1. As you said, this is as good a shot as we'll ever have. Go Hawks!
"If they want the respect, Geno Smith and the Seahawks as a whole need to absolutely obliterate the Rams at their lowest."
That's so true. If they can't beat the Rams this time i sadly don't see any chance they'll reach the Playoffs with the remaining schedule.
We'll See. Still exciting.
This was the best substack post you have ever done!
OT: I just got an email saying Substack is now available for Android - I hope everyone got the email who needed this to happen!
Oh heck yeah!
https://on.substack.com/p/chat-android
I chuckled at this Preseason review. if it wasn't for TW, then Dickson just might be the MVP of the Def.
The Punt Runts Official 2022 season preview
All-Pro Picks
Raphael
1st team: Blake Gillikin
2nd team: Michael Dickson
Gillikin fits the mold of a second-year starter who showed elite flashes in his first year. He’s also really good at punting, hit an 80+ yard touchback in the preseason, and generally embodies the high-risk, high-reward attitude I like from punters. Michael Dickson is going to punt so much, he might be the defensive MVP of his team.
Posting on Android
Welcome!
It worked
This was a great post, Joe.
Joe, you say Geno failed to win the game with the last drive. I say Maxx Crosby made the play that won the game and maybe if we had a Maxx the game never gets to overtime.
Geno should not be protected but team shortcomings should be recognized as contributing factors. Mahomes is great but he's had a superior supporting cast and a HOF offensive coach. If Mahomes had spent the last four years with the Detroit Lions would he still be considered the best QB in football? If Mahomes is the best QB we've ever seen it's because of his magic under pressure. His QBR under pressure is 48.1 while the league average is 26.1. His QBR with no pressure is 80.4 while the league average is 81.8. What would his under pressure QBR be without Travis Kelcey? Mahomes has been to two Super Bowls and won one, just like Russell Wilson. Mahomes has had 12 game winning drives in five years while Wilson has had 35 in ten years. BTW, Geno Smith has had 8 while not having even close to the number of opportunities with a quality cast. Is this year a fair test for Geno? He has two rookie tackles, a suspect center, and one great receiver. (Lockett). Mahomes has had better offensive lines, better wide receivers, Travis Kelcey, and Andy Ried.
The only reason I can see to select Young over Anderson or Carter is that you believe your future won/loss records will prevent you from drafting a QB of Anderson's talent in the future and that's reasonable. However, I still believe defense wins championships. We have a QB but we don't have an unstoppable defensive player like Donald, Chris Jones, or Nick Bosa. San Francisco is arguabely the best team in the NFL and they been deep into the playoff with Jimmy Garappolo. The Rams won the Super Bowl because of Donald and Ramsey. If Baker Mayfield was our best option at QB then I'd say do whatever it takes to draft Bryce Young. That's not our situation. I guess the question comes down to what are the odds Young is Mahomes, Anderson is Bosa, or Carter is Donald.
BTW, I've read Jalen Carter's comp is Quinnen Williams, taken 3rd overall in 2019, he has 9 sacks and is rated 4th behind Chris Jones, Dexter Lawerence, and Aaron Donald. It's said that Carter is an equal pass rusher but a better run defender than Williams.
Finally, I don't mind the idea of taking another game changing RB but I'd rather see two guys who are a little different. The guy that impressed me and wouldn't cost a first round pick is Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama.
Love me some Jahmyr Gibbs and idk, if Travis Etienne is a first rounder, maybe Gibbs is too.
“If they want the respect, Geno Smith and the Seahawks as a whole need to absolutely obliterate the Rams at their lowest.“
Absolute truth. You don’t get respect if you have to say “but we had a nice win streak earlier this season.” To get respect, the team needs to beat (up on) the Rams.
And because this sentiment always rings true with me….FTR.
I get frustrated when things are explained in a kind of jargon that I can't understand. Every profession has its jargon (I'm a lawyer and there's certainly a lot of it in the law). It's helpful when speaking to others in "the know" because it's a kind of shorthand. In other words, this stuff evolves for a reason. But when I speak to non-lawyers, I don't throw around terms like "res ipsa" or "fiduciary duty". I try to speak in plain English. When I speak to my physician, I expect him to speak to me in a way I can understand rather than as if he were speaking to another graduate of medical school.
Having never played football in any organized setting, I don't have a clue what's being said when people talk about "Bear front", "3-4 principles", "two gap read and react with the defensive tackles" and other similarly obtuse terms. If no one takes the time to explain what these terms mean, I'm lost.
When all of that jargon is summed as "Well, there you have it", it's a bummer because I don't have it. I have nothing. I don't know why so many people throw around technical sports terms as if everyone knows them. Perhaps when one knows this stuff, it can seem like everyone does. That too happens among lawyers, when we draft documents which our clients struggle to understand. The thing is everything that can be explained in jargon can also be set forth in plain English. It takes longer and requires one to be conscious of one's audience. But in my view it's much better form because it stands a chance of being understood.
Yeah, I completely see this. I see a lot of people in my space go the X's and O's route for content but in my experience, this is some of the least popular football content in the industry. People don't care how the sausage is made, I think you need to have played or coached to really want to learn. Personally, it goes over and through my head most of the time. My hope is that I will do a better job of being able to learn these things and share them in the future, for the betterment of my audience.
like you, I am not fond of jargon in any setting - that said, I can help a little here...
Bear front refers to the Buddy Ryan, as D-coordinator for the 1985 Bears use of 3 D-linemen covering the C and both G's. Lots of beef in the middle and major speed at both Edges plus a HOF middle LB made this go, big time. It really is played almost like a typical 3-4 with 5 players on the line of scrimmage. It only differs with where the interior linemen are set up.
Two gap is a passive move where usually a Big D-linemen hold the blocker at bay so they can defend to either their left or right. This technique does Not allow for committing to one gap and penetrating deeper into the offensive formation. It is a way to get the most out of slower, lesser talented linemen. Because penetration challenges the QB and changes the angles of how a RB can get to their chosen hole, penetrating style defenders are More likely to be Game Wreckers, where they 'blow up' a play. At only 285, Aaron Donald is Not an example of a 2-gap dude.
'3-4 principals' are where smaller defenders are responsible for 'setting the edge' meaning who is responsible for turning the offenses attempt to get outside back in to where the pursuit can get them. Even though we had a 4-3 set up, the principals where Kam Chancellor and LB Bruce Irvin were the Edge setters was a 3-4 principal...typically, the 4-3 has the DE 'setting the edge'. I played DE in a 4-3 so that was my role back in the day.
I hope this can help your future enjoyment of all the wins our Hawks will be piling up :)
Hey, thanks Cover12. I was with you through Bear front. Beginning with two gap in the second paragraph, I got kind of lost. I really have no background with these concepts so it needs to be explained the way you would to a 12 year old.
I wonder if there's a youtube video that explains these sorts of things. Someone from this community suggested a book, which I got and read. It helped a little but was again over my head in a lot of ways. It would help to see it in diagrams or laid out in a video.
I'll take a shot at translating paragraph 2 and maybe you can tell me if I'm getting it. The "two gap" with the big d-lineman sounds like a basic 3-4 defense and the nose tackle tries to defend both A gaps simultaneously. Is that accurate? I'm using football jargon to the extent I understand it, which ain't much. I think you're saying a guy like Aaron Donald can be most effective in a 4-3 because it allows him to penetrate a single gap. Am I anywhere close to understanding what you're saying?
In the third paragraph, are you talking about a 3-4 scheme in which the outside linebackers come forward to defend the edges? You're saying that in the LOB days, one of our safeties, Kam Chancellor, came forward to take that responsibility and Bruce Irvin, one of our linebackers, held the other? Am I anywhere close?
Parallax, I highly recommend the book "Keep Your Eye Off the Ball." I played K-12 and had a cup of coffee in college ball, and NFL concepts are lost on me but that helped a lot. You're one of my favorite guys here and at FG and I probably have an extra copy laying around and if I don't, I'll buy you one. Not sure if you can PM and such here, but if you get a mailing address to me, I'll make sure you have it. It's fun and pretty easy to understand, and is the only reason I can halfway appreciate Seattle Overload's podcast.
Thanks Chuck. You gave me that recommendation before and I read it. The whole thing. Trouble is that without diagrams, it was hard to follow everything. Found a website today that describes formations in a way that I was able to understand. This one: https://www.rookieroad.com/football/
Ideally, I'd like to find a video series but I think that site will work. Rather than try to study it all at once, I'll use it as a reference. That way I'll learn in small slices and it will be more likely to stick. Not as easy to learn at almost 60 as it was back in law school. Back then, it required effort to read the 60 or so pages of stuff assigned most every night but I retained it easily. Not down to case names, if that was needed, I could cram that in too. Today, I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast.
I have been looking around and there are some pretty decent ones on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheQBSchool
https://www.youtube.com/@HarrisonsHuddle
https://www.youtube.com/@TheOnDeckCircle (does all sports)
https://www.youtube.com/@WeeklySpiral
https://www.youtube.com/@LurksLessons -this one is a bit remedial but has a couple of good vids.
Talk about going above and beyond! Thanks so much, Chuck. I will check these out.
How do you solve a problem like Geno (to the tune of "how do you solve a problem like Maria" from the the Sound of Music). He's fun. He makes us all smile. But is he a good fit for our future plans?
Rob Staton makes a convincing argument (though I think the accent helps), but it seems too simple to just say you can't run a Fangio-style defense without Fangio himself. We've got a lot of talented and intelligent people building this defense from scratch and I'm willing to go through some growing pains (this season). If they say we have the personnel for this scheme then lets see it. Nwosu has done well, Mafe is a rookie, Taylor lacks so much discipline that he runs onto the field from the sideline and starts blocking on an int return (if was funny, but it's indicative of a larger issue with him). There is no right answer to their defensive issues at this point, but it seems premature to cut our losses, fire all the defensive brains in the building and go back to the system they already decided to move away from.
Wholesale changes in scheme typically take between 10-20 games for a team to truly absorb. Nathanial Hackett's Green Bay dysfunction from his first season with Aaron Rodgers was followed by two MVP seasons...Big changes in the D also take time. Plus, we have 7 of our 11 starters new this year...Definitely premature. BTW - I bet RW will have a bounce back if the Broncos choose to trust their coach for a second season.
I would love to see that as well but those plays take time, time Geno didn't have. Let's hope with Abe feeling better DK gets some space come Sunday
For Snape, et al...
Pretty much Every 'elite' QB performance needs complimentary play to go with it. An 'elite' running game performance paired with it certainly would have helped. K-9 showed us reasons why we are excited but with Abe Lucas SO sick that they considered leaving him out of the game, clearly he was far from his best and, well Maxx Crosby is truly one of the better Game-wrecking edge players out there.
Abe will come back to serve up some more pancakes. The biggest issue offensively is our Center, although cleaver, he gets beat by Average guys week in, week out. Nevertheless, despite the defensive blundering, we were only one or two offensive plays away from a win. We may even have had those if not for official's calls. This team is CLOSE
Very good points. Abe Lucas is a stud he went for it even though he felt weak as a kitten. The locker room knows this and does Pete.
Ps. Joe when i said any body balmming Geno is crazy, I said that knowing you didn't blame him. Also by all means point out mistakes he is a big boy as am I thanks fun chat !
Yes Kenneth, the contributing Joe's are indeed one of the reasons this is the Go-To site for us 12's. Lots of content by you delivering on your passion, plus the diversity in opinions from the community, and most importantly, there is Zero 'opinion shaming' or 'trolling' here. Just a bunch of Joe's getting their Seahawk fix and sharing their passion for Action Green.
2023 Draft assumption...because John Schneider does Not over-draft (based upon the collective Seahawks opinion), and his 'super-power' is to know where prospects will be going, I strongly suspect that we will trade around in the first, second and or the third round.
Taking a Powerhouse, Game-wrecking DL may not be there for value where we are drafting and they may prefer to have their QB of the future come from a little later on in the draft. Despite the needs, I seriously doubt they will go WR, LB or interior OL at the top of the draft. You just Gotta know that Pete will want to double, or even triple-up on the DL solution so More picks might be tempting to the Seattle brass..
The Hawks may do the ole 'Schneider trick of acquiring even More talent by trading down. Maybe they even pull a 'Philly special' by trading out of one of those 1st rounders to pick up a later second AND a quality 1st in 2024...mind you, this is Not my wish, however I have come to expect surprises.
BTW - I suspect we will Moz-Def trade UP from our current 3rd rounder for a Special target earlier on in like the late 2nd or early 3rd round range - There are several very powerful and truly badazz'd Centers in this draft. John Schneider LOVES to go to the draft's strength and we Do need an upgrade there.
No matter what, I have come to expect that I will Fully appreciate whatever moves the dude makes. Word.
I agree with you and hope it grows with more of the same civility we have come to enjoy.
Please allow me to expand, Geno Smith did not lose us this game. I know your point Joe he wasn't elite. He was above average certainly, if you can complete the easy ones and throw some great ones your above average. On our last play on offense Geno got swamped by MAXX. Pete told us Travis Homer was supposed to chip Crosby then release, if he had done so he a 20 yards of open field and we are pressing for the game winner. I obviously wrote my feelings wrongly, even Geno took responsibility it's just that sports are not perfect. Patrick Mahomes throws picks, we have got so much more out of Geno than I thought possible. Maybe I should have said Geno had a few plays that cost us, but defense was to blame. Josh Jacob's is great but that was a career game aided by us
As far as the defense goes if you parce Pete talk the 3/4 will not feature much.
Maybe I am way off but Jamal Adams is a good tackler and would help us greatly, is he the best no, but he has a unique tool belt. As much as I hate to say it Diggs has not fully recovered and has lost a step. He is smart enough to play the position but let's give Blount a run along with Diggs. Diggs is still better than most he is struggling to get to where he wants to be.A couple of games back a player was mixed up and you could hear Diggs say I still can't push off my right leg.
Lastly DK runs the plays he is told to, he is doubled a lot and has never been a zig zag guy. The catch DK made on the sideline in full stride is what DK is. He beat the first man Geno threw a frozen rope DK caught it and obliterated the safety trying to tackle him. The safety got him out of bounds but paid a huge price, that's DK.
Fant was the guy who was supposed to chip Maxx. Fant is not a good blocker. I think it's kinda like rebounding in that it's a "want to" skill. Give his athletic ability Fant could/should be a good block be he's more interested in catching passes. IMO, he missed his chip because it wasn't important to him.
I wish they would stop throwing DK the bubble screen. DK doesn't have the short area quickness or the Deebo Samuel running back abilility that call needs.
I'd like to see DK run full speed with double coverage on his heels, then stop and run back before they realize they lost him. 😁😁😁
I am all about drafting best player available over need within reason, hence wanting Bijan. In terms of pure talent, only Anderson and maybe Bryce Young seem arguably as talented at their positions to me. I'll admit that I'm just a casual watcher of college football and am easily swayed by the opinions of others, but I don't need anyone to sway me on Bijan. Just watch any Texas game (except TCU, where they stuffed the box all day to a level that would get you lit up in the air in the NFL).
I like the idea of taking a QB and like Young a lot. I just still have minor PTSD from having a short QB. I'd rather use the draft capital on someone in the trenches, if anyone the front office deems special is still there. Denver's pick will offer an awful lot of potential. Speaking of need, Field Gulls had an article today breaking down our areas of strength and need. For a quick cut and paste:
" Areas of strength currently involve:
QB
Top end WR
TE unit
Offensive tackle, and probably one guard
CB1 and Nickel CB
Whatever it is they do with Jamal Adams / Ryan Neal position
One (1) Pass rusher
Defensive linemen that can knock down passes
Areas of weakness involve:
Center
Another guard
Somebody else to catch the ball
A linebacker to complement Jordyn Brooks
Pass rush
Interior defensive line
Inconclusive:
Running Back
Free safety until Quandre Diggs can do that again."
I can't really argue with any of that, but wouldn't mind a bit if we used a top 50 pick on the 2 from inconclusive if Pete and John love them. We are set up so much better than anyone in our division going forward, in terms of cap and picks. We likely have 4 picks in the top 50, and the rest of the division combined only have 3. And cap space will allow flexibility in free agency -if we don't break the bank for Geno. And I feel certain a QB will be drafted, it's just a matter of where. McCall on day 2 would put me over the moon.
We *should* beat the Rams, but games aren't played on paper. If they only win 2 more all season, I wouldn't be surprised if both were against the Seahawks. I don't hate rival teams, but my feelings towards the Rams border on it. I do hate their uniforms and the term "Ramily." And I will enjoy winning against them more than I would any other team, barring maybe the the Broncos week 1. As you said, this is as good a shot as we'll ever have. Go Hawks!
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