Re: your question on us v 49ers and which side of the ball shining - Watching the Dallas and Philly game right now, and I'm reminded that the beginning of the season is usually a bit wonky. I think usually offenses start slower (somehow it's reversed in this game) in the beginning of the season, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was a little sloppy for both offenses. Our first half on offense last year was a horror show, but! Be patient guys and it'll get better! Unless Ryan Grubb is our coordinator...
Indeed the trick is to innovate on previously established offensive and defensive schemes, and approaches (philosophies?) of lauded head coaching trees. The creativity comes from melding players' capabilities with proven methods to get "new" results. Great coaches have to deeply understand their players and use them to innovate. If our team has nothing truly new (wide zone offenses are well understood, and doesn't everybody disguise their defensive sets?) we're in trouble.
"I can hold a soft spot for the Ninja Turtles because I grew up with them but their movies won’t be the first thing we show to the aliens when they arrive."
Regarding the practice squad strength…as I recall, back in the LoB days our preseason games were generally close scores until our second and thirds would enter the game and blow away our opponents 2nd and 3rds. Using my aged memory as a guide I’d say our practice squad is average because they did not blow away opponents like the LoB days.
That’s pretty good football analysis, don’t you think?
>>Kenneth Walker could miss more games than we think<<
MM and K9 have done yeoman work selling us (and the League) on a weakened Walker. I'm expecting records set this Sunday. There will be nothing but hoarse 12s exiting the stadium at game's end. The Revenge Tour has begun.
I still have PTSD from the Rams game two years ago. It would be amazing to dominate the 9'ers right out of the gate, but I'm trying to manage my expectations until we see real football.
I am more interested in what the best four defensive front will look like. I think DeMarkus Lawrence with Leonard Williams opposite with Reed and Murphy III in the middle. I can not imagine anyone running successfully against that front four. Maybe with Hall the first guy in.
DeMarkus is so good against the run, he is like Sherman was when he could shut down half the field. D.L. shuts down one third of the field and helps out in the middle of the field. Murphy shut down the middle of the field last year. Murphy really doesn't even need to get better (though I am sure he will) because he was great against the run last year. We all know how great Leonard Williams is. I'm excited to see this defense shut down the Niners run game.
Murphy's season was well hidden last year. The games he missed were the games we could not stop the run. Sometimes you don't know how good someone is until you remove him.
I like your musings around the defensive front, and I've been pondering the same. I expect the fronts we'll see will be many and varied, but given we don't really have a nose tackle on the 53, maybe part of the plan is to line up with two 3-techs like Leo and Murphy, or Leo and J-Reed, along with D-Law, and a powerhouse on the other side in D-Hall. Especially on early downs. You're not mauling D-Law or D-Hall out of the way, so that grouping should be tough to get downhill on.
Yeah, he and Bohanna are both on the PS, but can only be elevated 3 times and then have to go on the 53. Seems like an odd strategy, but Mike MacDonald is way smarter than me, so I'll chill on it and see what gives.
FYI. Martinez back on PS. Just read an article. Apparently the drop and add back of guys like Laumea was so they could get paid for the week. Not necessary but the 3 guys got a nice check for being, even briefly, on the PS. Pretty cool
MM and JS have built a loyalty from top to "bottom". Everybody who made it near to the cut-down are a part of this Team. They need to play games with the league rules? No problem... I'm seeing a whole lot of TRUST flying around. Stick with us, guys. Good Things are afoot.
I saw the Green Bay preseason was meant to instill the entire back-up "Support Group " guys with a belief they can field themselves as a complete team, if need be. The big problem with aging is how long it takes after a game to fully recover and be ready to hit it hard again. The Vets know when muscles and tendons are about to get seriously damaged- when it is best to sit out for a bit. Knowing your back-ups can give you effective relief will avoid season ending injuries. Kubiak's experiences last year put a special importance on injuries and how to avoid lengthy down time. Sometimes you can 'walk-it-off', sometimes you can't. Trust the Player to decide. Give them options. Let them play like Brothers.
"I can hold a soft spot for the Ninja Turtles because I grew up with them but their movies won’t be the first thing we show to the aliens when they arrive."
... Wait! ... What? What if'n the aliens look exactly like the Ninja Turtles ?
I was very impressed with Jarren Reed in this interview today. I see him as a crucial leader for the Team, especially as concerns getting them focused on BEING the competition this Sunday. We saw him get exercised on the sidelines last year and now he's taking it to another level. Watch: (6 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnG08vADv0k
That is a big man! He’s absolutely right about taking care of business at home. It’s the key to the season.
When he was talking about the attributes of a successful head coach, I remembered Quandre Diggs telling Mike Dugar that he had played for two great coaches and one a*****e. At the time Quandre had played for Jim Caldwell, Matt Patricia, and Pete Carroll. You can guess who was which!
Regarding JSN, after watching the All-22. I keep finding myself wanting to temper expectations for this year. A few reasons:
1. He broke out last year in the pass-happy Grubb offense. Our QB isn’t throwing for 4300 yds this season, right? We may still get what we need from JSN in this offense, but will it look like less?
2. He grew into WR1 last year, but DK was still #1 as far as defenses were concerned. How will JSN handle getting the full defensive attention of a WR1 this year, and do we have a WR1b who can draw anywhere near the attention DK did? JSN gets the double-teams, so things get harder for him.
3. If injuries hit Kupp and/or Horton, it puts more pressure on JSN. Can he take it all on his shoulders?
Just questions - but we know it’s a different offense with different partners for JSN. We know the talent is there, but he has to respond to the change.
Side notes: damn, that All-22 sure was a nice memory of how good Geno could be. And watching Cross get trucked by Leonard Floyd made me nervous (even though he’s left the Niners).
- JSN. Yup, I know, we already expect a lot. He becomes elite this year.
- Barner. I'm down with SSJ on him becoming a difference maker. But you might have to look closely to see just how much of a difference he's making.
- Robbie Smash. A legend is born.
- Earnest Jones. Year 2, full offseason, he'll be everywhere.
- D-Hall. The animal will come into his own.
- O-line. I'm not sure anyone knows what to expect, but I think they will be at least average, and that's better than anyone expected in April. I'll name drop Abe, as I think he will dominate unless he gets banged up.
- Tyrice Knight. If healthy, he takes a step. Maybe a big step.
Not so much;
- Big Cat. Not a big step back, but he'll be focused on so less visible than last season.
- Woolen. I just don't know if he's wired to stay locked in in critical moments. Hope I'm wrong.
- Horton. He'll make his plays, but he's a rookie, and his opportunities will be limited. What I would say though is, he may be an offensive version of Big Play Babs. You don't hear from him, and then at a critical time, he makes a terrific play. Season stats might look unimpressive though.
I don't see a world where Kupp lasts the season. That leaves JSN, Barner, Arroyo and Horton. I think Horton fills the void and steps in seamlessly as WR2.
I see sure hands from JSN down to WR#3, 4, 5, and 6. Bobo has everything except blazing speed. Blazing speed is overrated, but it is always nice to have in at least one of your receivers. Horton is that guy.
I think BigCat had plenty of opportuniry to be focused on last year with our defensive front being green/more injured, and he still put up numbers. It's not like offensive coordinators didn't know he was there and having a strong season. Only age is gonna slow him up when that time comes... maybe in another couple years
One of our recent favorites, Tyler Locket, only started 8 games. 51 receptions. But 70 punt/kick returns for over 1100 return yards and 2 ST TDs. 51 receptions may be a lot for Horton, but does like that as you say, we will think that a great season in retrospect. And if Big Cat gets the OLine attention, that opens things up for JReed, Murph and Knight/Hall/Jones thus potentially net result even better than what Williams did last year.
What's more likely? Sam Darnold is the same QB who played for the 2 worst teams in the league (Jets and Panthers) early in his career or he's the same QB who learned from 2 of the best QB coaches in the league (Shanahan and KOC) the past 2 seasons?
The idea that Sam is the same player he was with the Jets and Panthers (and he had some very good games for the Panthers) after a full season of playing extremely good ball for the Vikings just strikes me as the pundits not really using their brains when it comes to Sam. If I thought the Hawks would throw a lot I wouldn't hesitate to have Sam as my fantasy football QB.
Totally agree. Defies logic. Either you’re always going to be bad Jamarcus etc or you slowly learn and grow (see Geno). No Darnold not likely to be Rodgers but with the right team around him, he doesn’t need to be.
It's funny how one comment to a coach during a game 6 years ago -- inadvertently captured in perpetuity because he happened to be mic'd up that night -- has come to define how people see Sam Darnold.
Re: your question on us v 49ers and which side of the ball shining - Watching the Dallas and Philly game right now, and I'm reminded that the beginning of the season is usually a bit wonky. I think usually offenses start slower (somehow it's reversed in this game) in the beginning of the season, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was a little sloppy for both offenses. Our first half on offense last year was a horror show, but! Be patient guys and it'll get better! Unless Ryan Grubb is our coordinator...
Indeed the trick is to innovate on previously established offensive and defensive schemes, and approaches (philosophies?) of lauded head coaching trees. The creativity comes from melding players' capabilities with proven methods to get "new" results. Great coaches have to deeply understand their players and use them to innovate. If our team has nothing truly new (wide zone offenses are well understood, and doesn't everybody disguise their defensive sets?) we're in trouble.
"I can hold a soft spot for the Ninja Turtles because I grew up with them but their movies won’t be the first thing we show to the aliens when they arrive."
this has a quaintly proverbial quality to it lmao
Regarding the practice squad strength…as I recall, back in the LoB days our preseason games were generally close scores until our second and thirds would enter the game and blow away our opponents 2nd and 3rds. Using my aged memory as a guide I’d say our practice squad is average because they did not blow away opponents like the LoB days.
That’s pretty good football analysis, don’t you think?
>>Kenneth Walker could miss more games than we think<<
MM and K9 have done yeoman work selling us (and the League) on a weakened Walker. I'm expecting records set this Sunday. There will be nothing but hoarse 12s exiting the stadium at game's end. The Revenge Tour has begun.
I still have PTSD from the Rams game two years ago. It would be amazing to dominate the 9'ers right out of the gate, but I'm trying to manage my expectations until we see real football.
'PTSD' describes my feelings for that game, also. Wrong on many levels on Day 1, no less.
I was thinking the same thing! You must be a genius, or maybe an idiot. But we’re in the same boat.
I am more interested in what the best four defensive front will look like. I think DeMarkus Lawrence with Leonard Williams opposite with Reed and Murphy III in the middle. I can not imagine anyone running successfully against that front four. Maybe with Hall the first guy in.
DeMarkus is so good against the run, he is like Sherman was when he could shut down half the field. D.L. shuts down one third of the field and helps out in the middle of the field. Murphy shut down the middle of the field last year. Murphy really doesn't even need to get better (though I am sure he will) because he was great against the run last year. We all know how great Leonard Williams is. I'm excited to see this defense shut down the Niners run game.
Murphy's season was well hidden last year. The games he missed were the games we could not stop the run. Sometimes you don't know how good someone is until you remove him.
I like your musings around the defensive front, and I've been pondering the same. I expect the fronts we'll see will be many and varied, but given we don't really have a nose tackle on the 53, maybe part of the plan is to line up with two 3-techs like Leo and Murphy, or Leo and J-Reed, along with D-Law, and a powerhouse on the other side in D-Hall. Especially on early downs. You're not mauling D-Law or D-Hall out of the way, so that grouping should be tough to get downhill on.
Expect we'll have Pili on hand at Nose, if only to change things up.
Yeah, he and Bohanna are both on the PS, but can only be elevated 3 times and then have to go on the 53. Seems like an odd strategy, but Mike MacDonald is way smarter than me, so I'll chill on it and see what gives.
FYI. Martinez back on PS. Just read an article. Apparently the drop and add back of guys like Laumea was so they could get paid for the week. Not necessary but the 3 guys got a nice check for being, even briefly, on the PS. Pretty cool
More reasons to choose to be a Seahawk over some other team.
The food is excellent, too, it has been reported.
MM and JS have built a loyalty from top to "bottom". Everybody who made it near to the cut-down are a part of this Team. They need to play games with the league rules? No problem... I'm seeing a whole lot of TRUST flying around. Stick with us, guys. Good Things are afoot.
Great point on today’s practice squads, they can hold players that weren’t allowed in 2012-2013. Big reason why ours seems so solid (and I love it!)
We watched MM/JS hold a Master Class in how to play Reduction Day without losing anyone.
This is going to be cool, answering each others’ questions via these Comments tabs.
Biggest question for us is that we still have too many questions 🤣:
- were those short spurts with the 1’s in preseason real? 1’s are supposed to dominate, and ours did
- Will MacDonald’s defense in its 2nd year jump up like his 2nd yr Ravens defense did?
- is the OL truly better?
- Will we get full seasons out of Kupp, Lawrence, Walker, Uchenna and Lucas?
- 2nd and 3rd yr jumps from our draft classes, esp Byron Murphy?
- are our rookies as good as they’re flashing?
- which Darnold do we get
- which Kubiak do we get
- is our relatively soft schedule going to prove out to actually be soft (“soft” being based on last year), esp inside the division
- can our ST possibly be as bad as they showed in preseason?
I saw the Green Bay preseason was meant to instill the entire back-up "Support Group " guys with a belief they can field themselves as a complete team, if need be. The big problem with aging is how long it takes after a game to fully recover and be ready to hit it hard again. The Vets know when muscles and tendons are about to get seriously damaged- when it is best to sit out for a bit. Knowing your back-ups can give you effective relief will avoid season ending injuries. Kubiak's experiences last year put a special importance on injuries and how to avoid lengthy down time. Sometimes you can 'walk-it-off', sometimes you can't. Trust the Player to decide. Give them options. Let them play like Brothers.
"I can hold a soft spot for the Ninja Turtles because I grew up with them but their movies won’t be the first thing we show to the aliens when they arrive."
... Wait! ... What? What if'n the aliens look exactly like the Ninja Turtles ?
"Whoa ! Where's my Bruh?"
I was very impressed with Jarren Reed in this interview today. I see him as a crucial leader for the Team, especially as concerns getting them focused on BEING the competition this Sunday. We saw him get exercised on the sidelines last year and now he's taking it to another level. Watch: (6 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnG08vADv0k
That is a big man! He’s absolutely right about taking care of business at home. It’s the key to the season.
When he was talking about the attributes of a successful head coach, I remembered Quandre Diggs telling Mike Dugar that he had played for two great coaches and one a*****e. At the time Quandre had played for Jim Caldwell, Matt Patricia, and Pete Carroll. You can guess who was which!
Regarding JSN, after watching the All-22. I keep finding myself wanting to temper expectations for this year. A few reasons:
1. He broke out last year in the pass-happy Grubb offense. Our QB isn’t throwing for 4300 yds this season, right? We may still get what we need from JSN in this offense, but will it look like less?
2. He grew into WR1 last year, but DK was still #1 as far as defenses were concerned. How will JSN handle getting the full defensive attention of a WR1 this year, and do we have a WR1b who can draw anywhere near the attention DK did? JSN gets the double-teams, so things get harder for him.
3. If injuries hit Kupp and/or Horton, it puts more pressure on JSN. Can he take it all on his shoulders?
Just questions - but we know it’s a different offense with different partners for JSN. We know the talent is there, but he has to respond to the change.
Side notes: damn, that All-22 sure was a nice memory of how good Geno could be. And watching Cross get trucked by Leonard Floyd made me nervous (even though he’s left the Niners).
Re #2, I share your concern. Kubiak will scheme things for Kupp etc, but you can only go to that well so often.
Much talk about Horton but I wonder if Arroyo might end up being the secret weapon. Anyway, a lot riding on the rookie depth.
I will be rooting for Geno and Pete! And Adams. Bonus!
As a fan of the 80s and early 90s Seahawks I can say this is absolutely correct:
"It might be more fun to watch a team with a top-3 defense and a mediocre offense than just “pretty good” on both sides of the ball."
I smell shades of Ground Chuck coming
Just not in the 1992 type of way, please!
"That 1 yard run didn't work. Let's do it again!"
Better than expected;
- JSN. Yup, I know, we already expect a lot. He becomes elite this year.
- Barner. I'm down with SSJ on him becoming a difference maker. But you might have to look closely to see just how much of a difference he's making.
- Robbie Smash. A legend is born.
- Earnest Jones. Year 2, full offseason, he'll be everywhere.
- D-Hall. The animal will come into his own.
- O-line. I'm not sure anyone knows what to expect, but I think they will be at least average, and that's better than anyone expected in April. I'll name drop Abe, as I think he will dominate unless he gets banged up.
- Tyrice Knight. If healthy, he takes a step. Maybe a big step.
Not so much;
- Big Cat. Not a big step back, but he'll be focused on so less visible than last season.
- Woolen. I just don't know if he's wired to stay locked in in critical moments. Hope I'm wrong.
- Horton. He'll make his plays, but he's a rookie, and his opportunities will be limited. What I would say though is, he may be an offensive version of Big Play Babs. You don't hear from him, and then at a critical time, he makes a terrific play. Season stats might look unimpressive though.
I don't see a world where Kupp lasts the season. That leaves JSN, Barner, Arroyo and Horton. I think Horton fills the void and steps in seamlessly as WR2.
I'm liking Kupp will embrace the suck and stick in there. There's a Mood brewing among these guys.
I'm seeing Bobo's sure hands used in our early drive.
It's always felt like he was under utilized. We don't need him to get a lot of targets, just a few key ones every game.
I see sure hands from JSN down to WR#3, 4, 5, and 6. Bobo has everything except blazing speed. Blazing speed is overrated, but it is always nice to have in at least one of your receivers. Horton is that guy.
I think BigCat had plenty of opportuniry to be focused on last year with our defensive front being green/more injured, and he still put up numbers. It's not like offensive coordinators didn't know he was there and having a strong season. Only age is gonna slow him up when that time comes... maybe in another couple years
One of our recent favorites, Tyler Locket, only started 8 games. 51 receptions. But 70 punt/kick returns for over 1100 return yards and 2 ST TDs. 51 receptions may be a lot for Horton, but does like that as you say, we will think that a great season in retrospect. And if Big Cat gets the OLine attention, that opens things up for JReed, Murph and Knight/Hall/Jones thus potentially net result even better than what Williams did last year.
I believe that the punt return was the first punt he ever fielded. I was there! Anyway, here you go:
https://youtu.be/dzz_iYVCfoI?si=hH_mE8QpR_69JZ46
I was too. Loved it. Welcome to the Hawks and fans love in return. Then a 100 yard kick return. Sweet.
Exactly, spread the wealth. Would love it if Chenna is able to get in the mix too.
What's more likely? Sam Darnold is the same QB who played for the 2 worst teams in the league (Jets and Panthers) early in his career or he's the same QB who learned from 2 of the best QB coaches in the league (Shanahan and KOC) the past 2 seasons?
The idea that Sam is the same player he was with the Jets and Panthers (and he had some very good games for the Panthers) after a full season of playing extremely good ball for the Vikings just strikes me as the pundits not really using their brains when it comes to Sam. If I thought the Hawks would throw a lot I wouldn't hesitate to have Sam as my fantasy football QB.
Totally agree. Defies logic. Either you’re always going to be bad Jamarcus etc or you slowly learn and grow (see Geno). No Darnold not likely to be Rodgers but with the right team around him, he doesn’t need to be.
"Zero ghosts"
It's funny how one comment to a coach during a game 6 years ago -- inadvertently captured in perpetuity because he happened to be mic'd up that night -- has come to define how people see Sam Darnold.
Maybe I'm just better off not getting the reference, then. Don't spoil it for me now...
Spoiler alert! It's not what most people say it is...
That's the stuff that drives me crazy. One comment in the heat of battle, and people just can't let it go.
Paul Simon: "A Man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest".