Appreciate the A to my Q! I think the easiest answer is would be OL, but the accountability needs to be evenly distributed. I think the most recent article on "The Athletic" sums it up best with:
"The blame can be spread across every position group. The offensive line needs to be better at climbing to the second level, the tight ends and receivers need to be more consistent at digging out nickels and safeties, and Walker must have better vision. Walker can improvise and reverse field with the best of them, but Seattle’s run game would benefit from the third-year running back hitting the plays as designed more often. The lack of efficiency and explosiveness puts too much of a burden on the passing game (and kicker Jason Myers) to be dominant every week."
The rest of the season for me is gravy (mmmmm, gravy!). I've seen what I need to see to feel we have the right head coach, and somebody who can work with JS to make the roster decisions that need to be made. If we go on a run for the remaining games, awesome! If not, it's fine. I expect the team to play better for the remainder of the season, but better may not mean wins. The remaining schedule is one of the toughest in the league. But either way, I'm good. Lots of optimism going into the offseason regardless of our end of season record.
Just read, again “rating system” but Big Cat is 4th best pass rush win rate in ESPN system. Only Chris Jones (well known), Zach Allen (again) and old timer Calais Campbell (should be well known to Hawk fans).
The D is finally I believe to get MM's D -as everyone says it takes a half a year to year to learn. Keep drafting LB's and edge players and probably go find a true Nasty NT. Can you see a new nasty NT with DL and BM as the three DL and then let the edge players eat! That would be great. What I believe is the biggest need and place to fix is the O-line. Fix that and this team would be SO much better overall!
Regarding the defense, my recollection at the start of the season was multiple smart people saying that the Seahawks D would likely struggle for the first half of the season, at a minimum, because it takes a lot of practice to correctly implement a Mike McDonald defense. This was almost certainly forgotten after the misleading first three games. The Ravens in 2022 took off the second half, and obviously they added Roquan Smith so that's not apples to apples to the Hawks, but it's at least possible that Jones is kinda-sorta the Hawks version of Smith.
All of which is to say, maybe these last two games are less of a mirage and more of a maintainable step up.
Exactly. I think we knew what was likely to happen, but many people forget that in winning and losing streaks. I agree the D is making progress, and I hope it's sustainable, but I doubt the progress will be linear. I expect a stinker or two before the end of the year. Or at least, some level of regression.
I would like to use this article and Sunday's O-Line performance to assert the status of our line looking at next year. Lets start with the things that we know:
Charles Cross will be our LT for at least the next couple years. He is still young and we probably havent even seen his ceiling yet.
I think it is safe to say that Laken will not be here next season. I personally would like to see him cut and play Haynes instead to give him reps and see what we have in him, but i guess there is a reason why he hasnt played yet, unfortunately.
These are pretty clear. Now lets continue with our two debutants from sunday:
It is obvious that Abe Lucas is our RT when healthy. He played good on Sunday. I could not find information about his health status after the game. He had troubles condition-wise late in the game (which is obvious after such a long break) but I do not know how his knee is. I guess that his knee is fine, as otherwise we would Have heard something already.
Olu probably had the best game of a Seahawks Center all year. I had really high hopes for Olu as a starter this year, but then we signed Williams. It was only one game, but should he continue to play at this level, or even slightly less, I think the Seahawks can be confident to go with Olu as the starter into next season.
So to recap, we have one safe position (Cross), two pretty certain postions barring any major setbacks regarding health or Performance (Lucas and Olu) and one Position that needs to be replaced for sure (Laken).
The RG spot is the only real question mark. Can Haynes develop into a serviceable starter? Can Bradford step his game up? What about Laumea?
I already wrote enough, so this Part is were I would like to hear your opinions (you can state your opinion about every other part of my post too, obviously):
My prediction for next offseason regarding our O-Line (although still early) is to get a Free Agent to replace Laken and get a Guard/Tackle hybrid (like SSJ proposed) in the draft to compete with the guys I mentioned before for RG and also back up Lucas (I think Jerell is a good Backup, but if there is a Chance, you can not be safe enough). The draft capital used for this guard will be indirectly proportional to the Free Agent aquisition I can imagine: if the FA is expensive, I do not think that it will be a high draft Pick. Especially with the positions we are good but not great at (QB, Edge, LB, S), who could all use a high draft pick to get a true difference maker.
So that was it, thanks for reading and I would love to hear your opinions about it.
Olu will let us know where he is at and if the Hawks need a center or not- CW obviously couldn't return to form, his injury must be worse than we knew or were let to know. I would be interested in Sataoa at some point since he was such a road grader at Utah in the run game and we don't have a run game mainly because of the O-line! But yea , a Tackle backup if Lucas remains Ok- and Two knew guards at minimum, maybe one or two that are already on the team, who knows?
One member also said that Geno was late with throw. I don’t think so, I think he had to wait for the LB to make a decision to stay with Lockett or clog the passing lane.
Yeah ... I think pairing K9's home run ability with a hammer is a great idea. I think Charbs was maybe supposed to be that, but he has not been great either it seems like.
I remember watching, I think, the NFC Championship game in our Hasslebeck SB run year, and there was a stat that the Seahawks were perfect on 3rd/4th and 1 rushing attempts that year. Something like 34/34.
Shaun Alexander, Walter Jones, Hutch and the rest got the job done.
The issue I see is that K9 is better in short yardage than charb. Charbonnet will knock the snot out of you when he has a head of steam. He has no push from the backfield to the line of scrimmage, he needs more runway to get that angry running style going. K9 is pure explosion and gets that needed head of steam by the time he gets to the line of scrimmage. I personally want Murphy in at fullback and watch him destroy people. He has experience, why not!
Karen got me watching Dancing with the Stars and I began to appreciate what was judged from 'good' to 'great'. Our studies into what makes a good or great offensive line shows me the similarities.
Schlereth, being a former player, observes how important the 'dance' becomes, as the men learn what their 'partner' brings on each play. The replays show how they pass off blocking one man to escape off to another developing threat. It is no longer about making film to show coaches how they stuck with "their man" and begin effectively holding a pocket of safety together. Geno begins to know where the escape routes are. Thanks to Seaside Joe and all the guys here, for educating me into a deeper understanding of the nuances of this game, especially in regards to this long ignored OLine stuff. Sunday, I found my focus was on Olu and Abe. Win or lose, how they are doing is speaking volumes to what we will do in the days ahead. Connor was right to retire if his motivation was not to let this crew down, knowing his best would not be good enough. Olu took his place for all the right reasons and it shows. He played with a happy heart. Abe played with a vengeance. Cool. He earned it. Last week was about Focus. Finding their way. The Dance. No joking. No congratulations. No laughing. Maybe we see it a bit this Sunday? Given a 3 score lead, yeah. In the final 2 minutes. Hand shakes only. Maybe this Nick Bosa Shuffle thing. Man up, Boyz. Got holes to fill.
Sure, let's bash the OLine and Huff... Not like we were missing Lucas until the last game. Our Centre has two career starts. And on the right side is another guy with less than a years worth of starts. Whilst on the left we have not just a good tackle but a league wide recognized good tackle. And Laken...
Basically, I can't understand why anyone is expecting this unit to be really good. We're heading for it's first actually healthy game of the entire year, but one that still includes two guys with sub-17 starts. Yes it's going to make mistakes!
But with that in mind, this OLine is actually still NOT BAD! I've said before and will keep saying, the play calls do nothing to help. Grubb is running a pretty simple offence. Like for real, next game on offence, pre-snap call if you think it's run or pass. As an armchair fan I would bet you get 60%+ correct.
With calls like that, a pro NFL defence will eat you alive. That's primarily why our run game gets stuffed, because it's seen coming a mile away. Geno, as I've also said, has a weakness when things go off plan and does too often hold a ball waiting for routes to develop. He could play much more instinctively and open up a threat to scramble, as well as having a pass game with more short check downs or underneath targets.
People should have some faith in the OLine. We do need to replace Laken. But otherwise, get Lucas healthy, get Olu and Bradford more experience, and this unit could be good and around for years.
One of the things that makes me anxious is, what if this OL has a few more decent games between now and the end of the season. Will it be enough for Seattle to conclude it's basically in good stead? And with extensions coming up for both his tackles?
Almost don't want this OL to do well so we take action. Kinda like SSJ's question to us -- is it better for Seattle to go 8-9 or to sneak into the playoffs via the back door? Will we talk ourselves into thinking we're "almost there"? (Which ultimately caused the demise of Mr. Carroll)
We've not strung together 2 good OLine games, let alone 4+. If we can finish the year with similar OLine play to the 49ers game consistently then hooray, that's a dream scenario and the definition of "let players and coaches develop".
MacDonald doesn't seem like a guy to fool himself. The film and the facts on a player are the film and the facts, regardless of team record. At least, that's the impression I get from the man. Pete had 'his guys' and really hesitated to do what the film told him needed to be done. Based on the midseason moves this year, MacDonald doesn't seem to have that same hang-up.
Since his hiring, I've wondered how he'd adjust playcalling having a top oline in college to a bottom-five oline in the NFL. So far mixed results, but I still enjoy this offense more than Waldron's. Our run game should improve from this point with Abe back.
It is amazing to me that someone has to scour the Seahawks internet to find any critical comments about K9. He appears to be the golden child while Geno and the O-line take all the shots for him.
K9 has some serious issues to his game. He also has some serious upside potential to his game. As a runner, this is not a huge skill position for football. Nothing like a QB. When you need 1 yard ... see a hole put your foot in the ground and get it. He has struggled with this.
This potentially cost us the Rams game. 3rd and 1 in OT was blocked plenty well enough to get an easy first down. What does he do? Instead of running straight he cuts right into the DE. It is not a stretch to say that play lost us the game. Barely anyone mentions it.
Niners first game ... 3rd and 2 screen play with blockers in front. Can't get a first. Also, has a bad penalty to wipe away a DK TD.
Niners second game ... a minor play but an example of a decently blocked play he bounces for no good reason.
I'm hesitant to tell him to always hit the hole. But what I would like to see is an understanding of down and distance. Trying to hit a home run on 1st and 10 ... I'm ok with. Trying to cut and hit a double on 3rd and 1 in OT against a division rival when your QB/WR are on fire? NO ... just get the first.
I like Walker and think he is good, and I like the home run threat. But I think he deserves a critical eye also.
I get it. People are not happy with the offensive line coach and OC. They don’t like Geno having g to be in shotgun so much.
It’s not the the coaches. It’s the OL. They are trying to work with some of the worst guards in the league. They are constantly pushed back and forget about running. They can’t move anybody. Abe may help let’s see if he holds up. If not we are back to a 6th round rookie tackle.
Geno ? He has to pass from the shotgun as in the past he is very slow to read. He has great receivers and yet ranks 23rd on the amount of time he needs to pass.
Sure , some of it is on the OL; maybe most. But his history over his entire career is a QB that’s slow to read and let it fly
Agree we've Geno'ed ad nauseam but I do want to point out one thing which I'd qualify as almost a minor miracle. As we say in Brazil "agua mole em pedra dura bate bate até que fura"
Which means "soft water on hard rock drips and drips until it makes its hole"
Our good friend Rob Staton who in this analogy would be the hard rock ("Seattle will NEVER win a Super Bowl with Geno; Seattle MUST draft Will Levis to replace Geno if he's still there at #5 and especially in the unlikely event he's still there at #20).
Geno would be the soft water dripping, bc recently Rob said he thinks Schneider has been right to focus on the other needs the team has, and that Geno with the right surrounding environment can be successful -- that he's always said this (?? really, ok Rob if you say so).
So I guess the last 28 mos of haranguing or however long it has been, has had at least one positive effect :-)
Pulling out a Brazilian phrase!? Ha ... Love that. Learned something today.
Rob is a real piece of work. He has spent the last three years denigrating Smith at every chance he can get. Until recently (maybe because of his Hawkblogger roundtable sessions?) he has softened his position. And like you said, is now claiming to have always had that position! If I could give Rob one piece of advice, just accept that you were wrong. Just say it. "I was wrong about Geno Smith". People will respect that a whole lot more than trying to play a farce on them.
The best part about guys like Rob ... By the time Geno's career is over with the Seahawks they will sit there and say "Wow ... We had our "franchise QB" the whole time (because he will have been a 6-8 year starter in Seattle). Who could've known?"
Well Rob, many people knew, you just chose not to listen (and block any differing opinions).
Rob seems to have let the conversation be more open since moving to a new platform. He still doesn't admit that he's ever been wrong, and he still has a lot of cultish followers, but respectfully dissenting doesn't seem to attract a ban hammer as much as the old days. I watch with hope. Both sites are in my rotation. Understandably, Rob produces less content now that he has more paid activity so I only check there once or twice a week while SSJ and Field Gulls get my traffic every day.
I stopped reading Rob without even making a decision to stop reading. It's partly that he seems to prefer video to writing now, and he is a worse speaker than he is a writer. I still recognize he has value in his evaluations of college players, especially linemen. Especially OLmen. I'm glad to hear he allows dissenting opinions more than before, but I have lost interest in dissenting.
McVay showed me a coach's measure of a QB after he watched Goff choke in their 1st Super Bowl appearance. That the Rams sold the farm to replace him speaks volumes in winning a Super Bowl, which they soon did. That Goff has overcome this has yet to be determined, but Coach Campbell has him appearing to have done so, along with rabid fan support. If Geno had tendencies in this direction, I have no doubt he'd have been retired by now. I look forward to watching him tap his inner assassin. While he may continue to fail in social skills and body language, so long as he maintains this "IT' factor, I'll try my best not to scream at him. The man is unique in the annals of NFL QBs. Cool.
Kkkkk I’ve given him several opportunities (interesting, my spellcheck wanted to put in “oppression”) to say he was wrong over the years until I got blocked. So then I paid the fee so now I’m not blocked anymore :-). But his hysterical bitches still scream away at me for challenging his infallibility :-)
It gets testy at times on here rarely. Sometimes my fault. But people are passionate about the Seahawks and things get frustrating. So its nothing bigger than that. But at the end of the day, I think everyone respects everyone's opinions and its great to see varying views.
It is one thing to disagree and express an opinion, because I love that, but it is an entirely different thing to KEEP expressing that same opinion, and always NEEDING to get the last word in.
We have all been there, done that. No one escapes that learning curve, but most adults eventually do learn to just have your say and let others have their say. It's the difference between maturity and childish behavior.
I love this site's overall maturity, and I believe it rubs off on everyone here.
Appreciate the A to my Q! I think the easiest answer is would be OL, but the accountability needs to be evenly distributed. I think the most recent article on "The Athletic" sums it up best with:
"The blame can be spread across every position group. The offensive line needs to be better at climbing to the second level, the tight ends and receivers need to be more consistent at digging out nickels and safeties, and Walker must have better vision. Walker can improvise and reverse field with the best of them, but Seattle’s run game would benefit from the third-year running back hitting the plays as designed more often. The lack of efficiency and explosiveness puts too much of a burden on the passing game (and kicker Jason Myers) to be dominant every week."
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5936392/2024/11/21/seahawks-cardinals-playoff-race-odds/
The rest of the season for me is gravy (mmmmm, gravy!). I've seen what I need to see to feel we have the right head coach, and somebody who can work with JS to make the roster decisions that need to be made. If we go on a run for the remaining games, awesome! If not, it's fine. I expect the team to play better for the remainder of the season, but better may not mean wins. The remaining schedule is one of the toughest in the league. But either way, I'm good. Lots of optimism going into the offseason regardless of our end of season record.
Just read, again “rating system” but Big Cat is 4th best pass rush win rate in ESPN system. Only Chris Jones (well known), Zach Allen (again) and old timer Calais Campbell (should be well known to Hawk fans).
Who needs an O-line with this move? Our next Qb, Plumlee!
https://www.fieldgulls.com/2024/11/20/24301759/seattle-seahawks-add-rookie-quarterback-john-rhys-plumlee-practice-squad-nfl-news
The D is finally I believe to get MM's D -as everyone says it takes a half a year to year to learn. Keep drafting LB's and edge players and probably go find a true Nasty NT. Can you see a new nasty NT with DL and BM as the three DL and then let the edge players eat! That would be great. What I believe is the biggest need and place to fix is the O-line. Fix that and this team would be SO much better overall!
A Casey Hampton (Ala Steelers) NT….
Regarding the defense, my recollection at the start of the season was multiple smart people saying that the Seahawks D would likely struggle for the first half of the season, at a minimum, because it takes a lot of practice to correctly implement a Mike McDonald defense. This was almost certainly forgotten after the misleading first three games. The Ravens in 2022 took off the second half, and obviously they added Roquan Smith so that's not apples to apples to the Hawks, but it's at least possible that Jones is kinda-sorta the Hawks version of Smith.
All of which is to say, maybe these last two games are less of a mirage and more of a maintainable step up.
Exactly. I think we knew what was likely to happen, but many people forget that in winning and losing streaks. I agree the D is making progress, and I hope it's sustainable, but I doubt the progress will be linear. I expect a stinker or two before the end of the year. Or at least, some level of regression.
I would like to use this article and Sunday's O-Line performance to assert the status of our line looking at next year. Lets start with the things that we know:
Charles Cross will be our LT for at least the next couple years. He is still young and we probably havent even seen his ceiling yet.
I think it is safe to say that Laken will not be here next season. I personally would like to see him cut and play Haynes instead to give him reps and see what we have in him, but i guess there is a reason why he hasnt played yet, unfortunately.
These are pretty clear. Now lets continue with our two debutants from sunday:
It is obvious that Abe Lucas is our RT when healthy. He played good on Sunday. I could not find information about his health status after the game. He had troubles condition-wise late in the game (which is obvious after such a long break) but I do not know how his knee is. I guess that his knee is fine, as otherwise we would Have heard something already.
Olu probably had the best game of a Seahawks Center all year. I had really high hopes for Olu as a starter this year, but then we signed Williams. It was only one game, but should he continue to play at this level, or even slightly less, I think the Seahawks can be confident to go with Olu as the starter into next season.
So to recap, we have one safe position (Cross), two pretty certain postions barring any major setbacks regarding health or Performance (Lucas and Olu) and one Position that needs to be replaced for sure (Laken).
The RG spot is the only real question mark. Can Haynes develop into a serviceable starter? Can Bradford step his game up? What about Laumea?
I already wrote enough, so this Part is were I would like to hear your opinions (you can state your opinion about every other part of my post too, obviously):
My prediction for next offseason regarding our O-Line (although still early) is to get a Free Agent to replace Laken and get a Guard/Tackle hybrid (like SSJ proposed) in the draft to compete with the guys I mentioned before for RG and also back up Lucas (I think Jerell is a good Backup, but if there is a Chance, you can not be safe enough). The draft capital used for this guard will be indirectly proportional to the Free Agent aquisition I can imagine: if the FA is expensive, I do not think that it will be a high draft Pick. Especially with the positions we are good but not great at (QB, Edge, LB, S), who could all use a high draft pick to get a true difference maker.
So that was it, thanks for reading and I would love to hear your opinions about it.
Olu will let us know where he is at and if the Hawks need a center or not- CW obviously couldn't return to form, his injury must be worse than we knew or were let to know. I would be interested in Sataoa at some point since he was such a road grader at Utah in the run game and we don't have a run game mainly because of the O-line! But yea , a Tackle backup if Lucas remains Ok- and Two knew guards at minimum, maybe one or two that are already on the team, who knows?
Yeah, it will be interesting to see if Haynes or Sataoa can develop into capable starters with a full offseason. I certainly hope so.
This was a discussion during the Live chat of the Hawks/Niners game.
Was Geno’s throw to start the second to Barner half prior to the interception a good throw?
In this persons opinion from the athletic: yes
https://x.com/qbklass/status/1859312214014148670?s=46&t=GOr4QVtKtJ8ZabyL8K_o7Q
One member also said that Geno was late with throw. I don’t think so, I think he had to wait for the LB to make a decision to stay with Lockett or clog the passing lane.
I thought it was Huff Huff give
https://youtu.be/5s_zsOyHbVY?si=rup0nInBNanyMot9
Liked Bumpus’s piece today. Basically he was saying if you need a yard, get a fullback.
When Marshawn was back there it seems he moved every body.
May the 12s be with you and Go Seahawks!
Yeah ... I think pairing K9's home run ability with a hammer is a great idea. I think Charbs was maybe supposed to be that, but he has not been great either it seems like.
I remember watching, I think, the NFC Championship game in our Hasslebeck SB run year, and there was a stat that the Seahawks were perfect on 3rd/4th and 1 rushing attempts that year. Something like 34/34.
Shaun Alexander, Walter Jones, Hutch and the rest got the job done.
Excuse me they were perfect because they didn’t have a hammer, they had a freaking Mack Truck at FB. 38 should be in the Ring of Honor.
The issue I see is that K9 is better in short yardage than charb. Charbonnet will knock the snot out of you when he has a head of steam. He has no push from the backfield to the line of scrimmage, he needs more runway to get that angry running style going. K9 is pure explosion and gets that needed head of steam by the time he gets to the line of scrimmage. I personally want Murphy in at fullback and watch him destroy people. He has experience, why not!
Now that is a good idea!
Murphy was once a RB. Let’s put him in
Oh yeah. 3 of the great ones!
Thanks Geno, for saving my football soul.
Karen got me watching Dancing with the Stars and I began to appreciate what was judged from 'good' to 'great'. Our studies into what makes a good or great offensive line shows me the similarities.
Schlereth, being a former player, observes how important the 'dance' becomes, as the men learn what their 'partner' brings on each play. The replays show how they pass off blocking one man to escape off to another developing threat. It is no longer about making film to show coaches how they stuck with "their man" and begin effectively holding a pocket of safety together. Geno begins to know where the escape routes are. Thanks to Seaside Joe and all the guys here, for educating me into a deeper understanding of the nuances of this game, especially in regards to this long ignored OLine stuff. Sunday, I found my focus was on Olu and Abe. Win or lose, how they are doing is speaking volumes to what we will do in the days ahead. Connor was right to retire if his motivation was not to let this crew down, knowing his best would not be good enough. Olu took his place for all the right reasons and it shows. He played with a happy heart. Abe played with a vengeance. Cool. He earned it. Last week was about Focus. Finding their way. The Dance. No joking. No congratulations. No laughing. Maybe we see it a bit this Sunday? Given a 3 score lead, yeah. In the final 2 minutes. Hand shakes only. Maybe this Nick Bosa Shuffle thing. Man up, Boyz. Got holes to fill.
Sure, let's bash the OLine and Huff... Not like we were missing Lucas until the last game. Our Centre has two career starts. And on the right side is another guy with less than a years worth of starts. Whilst on the left we have not just a good tackle but a league wide recognized good tackle. And Laken...
Basically, I can't understand why anyone is expecting this unit to be really good. We're heading for it's first actually healthy game of the entire year, but one that still includes two guys with sub-17 starts. Yes it's going to make mistakes!
But with that in mind, this OLine is actually still NOT BAD! I've said before and will keep saying, the play calls do nothing to help. Grubb is running a pretty simple offence. Like for real, next game on offence, pre-snap call if you think it's run or pass. As an armchair fan I would bet you get 60%+ correct.
With calls like that, a pro NFL defence will eat you alive. That's primarily why our run game gets stuffed, because it's seen coming a mile away. Geno, as I've also said, has a weakness when things go off plan and does too often hold a ball waiting for routes to develop. He could play much more instinctively and open up a threat to scramble, as well as having a pass game with more short check downs or underneath targets.
People should have some faith in the OLine. We do need to replace Laken. But otherwise, get Lucas healthy, get Olu and Bradford more experience, and this unit could be good and around for years.
One of the things that makes me anxious is, what if this OL has a few more decent games between now and the end of the season. Will it be enough for Seattle to conclude it's basically in good stead? And with extensions coming up for both his tackles?
Almost don't want this OL to do well so we take action. Kinda like SSJ's question to us -- is it better for Seattle to go 8-9 or to sneak into the playoffs via the back door? Will we talk ourselves into thinking we're "almost there"? (Which ultimately caused the demise of Mr. Carroll)
We've not strung together 2 good OLine games, let alone 4+. If we can finish the year with similar OLine play to the 49ers game consistently then hooray, that's a dream scenario and the definition of "let players and coaches develop".
MacDonald doesn't seem like a guy to fool himself. The film and the facts on a player are the film and the facts, regardless of team record. At least, that's the impression I get from the man. Pete had 'his guys' and really hesitated to do what the film told him needed to be done. Based on the midseason moves this year, MacDonald doesn't seem to have that same hang-up.
They are bad, no matter how optimistic we can all be, our line is bad. Lucas is a big addition but our guards are a mess
Grubb has been poor so far this season, IMO. It was always my concern going from the best O-line in the country to a not that O-line.
I don't think he has handled the transition well.
I watched every Husky and Seahawks game last year and it didn't even look like the same sport ... because of the differences in the O-line.
Still, I think Grubb is finding his way and I remain supportive of him.
It was great to FINALLY see a fly sweep last week. We run and run up the middle, still need to keep the D honest on the edges. So that was great.
Conversely, I have liked Grubb's screen game.
Since his hiring, I've wondered how he'd adjust playcalling having a top oline in college to a bottom-five oline in the NFL. So far mixed results, but I still enjoy this offense more than Waldron's. Our run game should improve from this point with Abe back.
Yes ... I agree.
I think with Grubb the ceiling is significantly higher. I think there has been setbacks but that shouldn't be overly surprising.
His 1 (DK) by 4 sets against the Niners were especially cool last game. Same setup and multiple plays off of it.
Excited for the rest of the year with Grubb and into the future.
It is amazing to me that someone has to scour the Seahawks internet to find any critical comments about K9. He appears to be the golden child while Geno and the O-line take all the shots for him.
K9 has some serious issues to his game. He also has some serious upside potential to his game. As a runner, this is not a huge skill position for football. Nothing like a QB. When you need 1 yard ... see a hole put your foot in the ground and get it. He has struggled with this.
This potentially cost us the Rams game. 3rd and 1 in OT was blocked plenty well enough to get an easy first down. What does he do? Instead of running straight he cuts right into the DE. It is not a stretch to say that play lost us the game. Barely anyone mentions it.
Niners first game ... 3rd and 2 screen play with blockers in front. Can't get a first. Also, has a bad penalty to wipe away a DK TD.
Niners second game ... a minor play but an example of a decently blocked play he bounces for no good reason.
I'm hesitant to tell him to always hit the hole. But what I would like to see is an understanding of down and distance. Trying to hit a home run on 1st and 10 ... I'm ok with. Trying to cut and hit a double on 3rd and 1 in OT against a division rival when your QB/WR are on fire? NO ... just get the first.
I like Walker and think he is good, and I like the home run threat. But I think he deserves a critical eye also.
I get it. People are not happy with the offensive line coach and OC. They don’t like Geno having g to be in shotgun so much.
It’s not the the coaches. It’s the OL. They are trying to work with some of the worst guards in the league. They are constantly pushed back and forget about running. They can’t move anybody. Abe may help let’s see if he holds up. If not we are back to a 6th round rookie tackle.
Geno ? He has to pass from the shotgun as in the past he is very slow to read. He has great receivers and yet ranks 23rd on the amount of time he needs to pass.
Sure , some of it is on the OL; maybe most. But his history over his entire career is a QB that’s slow to read and let it fly
So I don’t blame the coaches. I blame JS.
These is awesome Q&A!
Agree we've Geno'ed ad nauseam but I do want to point out one thing which I'd qualify as almost a minor miracle. As we say in Brazil "agua mole em pedra dura bate bate até que fura"
Which means "soft water on hard rock drips and drips until it makes its hole"
Our good friend Rob Staton who in this analogy would be the hard rock ("Seattle will NEVER win a Super Bowl with Geno; Seattle MUST draft Will Levis to replace Geno if he's still there at #5 and especially in the unlikely event he's still there at #20).
Geno would be the soft water dripping, bc recently Rob said he thinks Schneider has been right to focus on the other needs the team has, and that Geno with the right surrounding environment can be successful -- that he's always said this (?? really, ok Rob if you say so).
So I guess the last 28 mos of haranguing or however long it has been, has had at least one positive effect :-)
Pulling out a Brazilian phrase!? Ha ... Love that. Learned something today.
Rob is a real piece of work. He has spent the last three years denigrating Smith at every chance he can get. Until recently (maybe because of his Hawkblogger roundtable sessions?) he has softened his position. And like you said, is now claiming to have always had that position! If I could give Rob one piece of advice, just accept that you were wrong. Just say it. "I was wrong about Geno Smith". People will respect that a whole lot more than trying to play a farce on them.
The best part about guys like Rob ... By the time Geno's career is over with the Seahawks they will sit there and say "Wow ... We had our "franchise QB" the whole time (because he will have been a 6-8 year starter in Seattle). Who could've known?"
Well Rob, many people knew, you just chose not to listen (and block any differing opinions).
Great stuff Zez!
Rob seems to have let the conversation be more open since moving to a new platform. He still doesn't admit that he's ever been wrong, and he still has a lot of cultish followers, but respectfully dissenting doesn't seem to attract a ban hammer as much as the old days. I watch with hope. Both sites are in my rotation. Understandably, Rob produces less content now that he has more paid activity so I only check there once or twice a week while SSJ and Field Gulls get my traffic every day.
I stopped reading Rob without even making a decision to stop reading. It's partly that he seems to prefer video to writing now, and he is a worse speaker than he is a writer. I still recognize he has value in his evaluations of college players, especially linemen. Especially OLmen. I'm glad to hear he allows dissenting opinions more than before, but I have lost interest in dissenting.
McVay showed me a coach's measure of a QB after he watched Goff choke in their 1st Super Bowl appearance. That the Rams sold the farm to replace him speaks volumes in winning a Super Bowl, which they soon did. That Goff has overcome this has yet to be determined, but Coach Campbell has him appearing to have done so, along with rabid fan support. If Geno had tendencies in this direction, I have no doubt he'd have been retired by now. I look forward to watching him tap his inner assassin. While he may continue to fail in social skills and body language, so long as he maintains this "IT' factor, I'll try my best not to scream at him. The man is unique in the annals of NFL QBs. Cool.
Kkkkk I’ve given him several opportunities (interesting, my spellcheck wanted to put in “oppression”) to say he was wrong over the years until I got blocked. So then I paid the fee so now I’m not blocked anymore :-). But his hysterical bitches still scream away at me for challenging his infallibility :-)
This comment has brightened up my day. Rob and his army of minions/attack dogs will come at you! Can't say anything that doesn't support his view!
Keep fighting the good fight
Yeah minions, attack dogs, pretty amazing the difference the leader has on the culture. Literally NOTHING like that on SSJ. Water to wine.
Yeah ... definitely.
It gets testy at times on here rarely. Sometimes my fault. But people are passionate about the Seahawks and things get frustrating. So its nothing bigger than that. But at the end of the day, I think everyone respects everyone's opinions and its great to see varying views.
It is one thing to disagree and express an opinion, because I love that, but it is an entirely different thing to KEEP expressing that same opinion, and always NEEDING to get the last word in.
We have all been there, done that. No one escapes that learning curve, but most adults eventually do learn to just have your say and let others have their say. It's the difference between maturity and childish behavior.
I love this site's overall maturity, and I believe it rubs off on everyone here.
What we call testy here, wouldn't even make kindergarten-strength over there