On the KR TD, there was some really great blocking all over. I see Morris and Kallerup, Knight, Okada, O'Connell, Thomas, and Russell all engaging and controlling their man so Shaheed could find a way through with Ebiketie only getting his fingertips on him because Bobo got him enough to knock him off course. What were Bell and White doing? Why, running next to Shaheed to keep him clean on the way down, of course. Perfect execution by all 11 players on the field. I've been saying this since like week 2: This ST unit is really special.
I am not scared anymore. With the 37-9 win the Hawks express the right mindset by not allowing inferior teams back into the game. I can't wait to watch the Seahawks play and dominate the Rams one week from this coming Thursday.
My take on the game: The Hawks came out of the locker room after halftime, looked at the Falcons and said "yeah, that first half -- we were just kidding."
If we get the 2nd half version of this offense, I like our chances against anybody. Including the Rams. The Seahawks defense made LA look like the Titans. Winning out is a tall order but this team is special. Health trumps all, but barring an injury disaster scenario I can’t pick another team as a bigger favorite to hoist the Lombardi this year.
And given the mindset of this team, they will be highly motivated against the Rams. I know that Macdonald tries to focus them on the process over the results, and for good reason, but there is no way they don't get a little extra juice for the Rams game.
I watched part of the Rams’ destruction of the Cardinals today and there was a Stafford rollout that looked a lot like Sam’s rollout, running away from pressure than then…. Stafford sees his receiver is covered and throws the ball at the dirt. I know, I know, this win was as comfortable as an old sweater. But…. For those calling for Sam to take the next step, that’s the next step. If he doesn’t see K9 open, that’s not a sin. What is a sin is not seeing his man completely blanketed. Imagine it’s all tied up in the 4th quarter and Seattle is driving and Sam does that…. And it’s the playoffs. That blindness is his last remaining issue. Geno had a more critical blindness; he’d often never see the closing DB and telegraph his throw rather than look that guy off. So far, that’s not Sam’s issue. It’s throwing to someone who is clearly not open when (almost always) he’s under duress. I don’t know how you coach this. But when he sees the film of that pic from the All-22 he has to see that Aroyo was NOT open. Now, unfortunately, it sounds like he won’t be open for quite some time.
All that said, I don’t understand the game plan for the first half at all. This team has been run-to-open-passing and they just trashed that to start this game. Why? Even though they didn’t have a great day running, they could’ve had a better one by… let’s see…running the ball!
Part of me thinks they’re trying to keep a bunch of play designs off the film for when the games “really” matter. Part of me even hopes that. Like, you know, handing off to the fullback when nobody is expecting that. Remember Mack Strong, anyone? Great hands, awesome blocker. Unless Oetz has hands of stone (maybe?) or cannot be trusted with the football, is there a reason that mix is out of the mix?
Anyway, I’m being hypercritical, because I never thought this team was going to get to 10 wins with a chance at a No. 1 seed. Chance, however, is only that. They have to beat the Colts, ideally without harm, even, ideally, better than that. Like the way the Colts lost today…. And even more ideally, the Lions at least make the Rams work for a win. The Lions’ D is a mess right now. I don’t see them winning that game, but please, make the Rams work hard to win. And then the two real tests come. And there, Sam has to play mistake-free. Yes, take sacks. Yes, throw the ball into the seats. Today’s runs from Sam were consequential, not just for the gains, but especially for the decisiveness. Hopefully there’s more of that; movement, creativity, and getting out of harm’s way.
It's an overall weekly game plan, but interesting comment about saving plays for bigger games vs. tougher teams. It felt like that vs. Vikes last week, especially 1st half it was like "let's pretend JSN can't get open...how do we run the O in that scenario?".
Sam's working on that next step. Glad to see him scramble for positive yards and avoid big hits. He looked gun shy 1st half after the pick.
Last week the Vikes DC said "we're gonna be blitzing him..." NFL knows, after Vikes/Rams '24 playoff - 'blitz to confuse Sam & force bad passes'. So the next step for Sam is beat 49rs & Rams without throwing 4 ints. Which is why Hawks may hide some of their more creative anti-blitz schemes to surprise McVay & co. Hawks are gonna need all the savvy plays they can come up with because 49rs & Rams don't self destruct like Vikes & Falcons.
Coach tried to cover for Sam on that pass to Arroyo, implying Arroyo should have caught it, and Sam himself said he needed to throw the ball lower. But what he needed to do was not throw that ball at all. Arroyo wasn't even a half-step open when Sam threw.
It was nice to see Sam run with it a couple of times later, though. He's not a gangly giraffe, like Brady was, when he runs. He can make himself a weapon this way, even if he uses it rarely.
Made our annual trip to an away game this year to ATL. To my eyes the OL struggled a lot in Q1 & 2 which I did not enjoy seeing. Falcons had their best pass rusher out and yet they dominated until the 2nd half. The Hawks made the necessary halftime adjustments and then everything seemed far easier. The Falcons are a lost cause and they quit by Q4.
The thing about Witherspoons interception was that he first moves the outside linebacker inside, then fills the hole, then tips the ball up… and then gets the INT. He did everything to create that play. Awesome.
It looked cool. Haven't re watched, what I think I saw was the Hawk D from that side, including Witherspoon, sold a fake blitz to Cousins, who passed to where he thought the "blitzer" would no longer be, except they didn't blitz. The game within the game...
The 'Hawks won big time, the Bears lost, and the Colts (next week's opponent) suffered key injuries.
The Thursday night game with the Rams in week 16 is setting up to be the biggest game of the NFL season, and if the 49ers continue to win, the week 18 matchup with the 49ers will be even bigger. Go'Hawks!
Sam needs to play the whole game with INTELLIGENCE. Offensive line can help him out a lot more. Same with Kubiak. A little less talk and a lot more action from Sam otherwise he’ll be known as a White version of Geno Smith. Harsh I know but as Bill Parcells one said, “you are what your record says you are”. Leading league in interceptions won’t get it done in playoffs
Poor Sam! There is a reasonable chance he could go 28-6 over two regular seasons with two different teams, but if he doesn't lead his current team to at least one, probably two, playoff wins, he'll be judged as a career loser. Horrably unfair.
It was a fun game, but Sam came out of the gate and stumbled and was out of sorts for most of the first half. He had more than one off target throw to superstar JSN, and other misfires to others including trying to thread a camel through a needle. Arroyo does not fight for toss up throws. Something he needs to work on, as he could do it in Miami.
Finally, Sam got into synch in the second half and the defense forced some errors on Atlanta, and soon my blood pressure came down and I could breathe easy and lit up a victory cigar about the time they put Lock into the game or before. I especially appreciated the TD to start the second half and I'd give the game ball to that Harbaugh special teams coach. They saved our bacon and got us on the right road.
This move has "poor man's Percy Harvin" written all over it.
Less costly move, but similar result with a kickoff return TD as his highlight so far.
And I don't mean that Shaheed is a poor man's Harvin. I mean the trade is a poor man's version of that trade because Seattle gave up far less and hasn't paid him yet. Shaheed could still turn out to be a better receiver for the Seahawks than Harvin.
I was surprised how out of whack the offence looked until late in the first half, but after half time, lights out, and curtain down. O-line looked a little shaky in the first half but Sam had plenty of time in the second. Funny how it seems like a switch gets thrown and all of a sudden everything makes sense. Glad they adapted and figured it out.
Our defence and special teams are, well, special. When plays need to be made, they are made. Robinson is a very good RB, and he got his, but the Seahawks kept him from being much of a difference maker. Emmanwori is a dude, no doubt about it.
10-3 and still rolling. Indy next week, and with or without Daniel Jones they will win that one if they play the way they have been. Too much depth and too many difference makers for the Colts.
It's been a long time since we've had a season like this. What a time to be a Seahawk fan.
On the KR TD, there was some really great blocking all over. I see Morris and Kallerup, Knight, Okada, O'Connell, Thomas, and Russell all engaging and controlling their man so Shaheed could find a way through with Ebiketie only getting his fingertips on him because Bobo got him enough to knock him off course. What were Bell and White doing? Why, running next to Shaheed to keep him clean on the way down, of course. Perfect execution by all 11 players on the field. I've been saying this since like week 2: This ST unit is really special.
I am not scared anymore. With the 37-9 win the Hawks express the right mindset by not allowing inferior teams back into the game. I can't wait to watch the Seahawks play and dominate the Rams one week from this coming Thursday.
My take on the game: The Hawks came out of the locker room after halftime, looked at the Falcons and said "yeah, that first half -- we were just kidding."
If we get the 2nd half version of this offense, I like our chances against anybody. Including the Rams. The Seahawks defense made LA look like the Titans. Winning out is a tall order but this team is special. Health trumps all, but barring an injury disaster scenario I can’t pick another team as a bigger favorite to hoist the Lombardi this year.
And given the mindset of this team, they will be highly motivated against the Rams. I know that Macdonald tries to focus them on the process over the results, and for good reason, but there is no way they don't get a little extra juice for the Rams game.
I watched part of the Rams’ destruction of the Cardinals today and there was a Stafford rollout that looked a lot like Sam’s rollout, running away from pressure than then…. Stafford sees his receiver is covered and throws the ball at the dirt. I know, I know, this win was as comfortable as an old sweater. But…. For those calling for Sam to take the next step, that’s the next step. If he doesn’t see K9 open, that’s not a sin. What is a sin is not seeing his man completely blanketed. Imagine it’s all tied up in the 4th quarter and Seattle is driving and Sam does that…. And it’s the playoffs. That blindness is his last remaining issue. Geno had a more critical blindness; he’d often never see the closing DB and telegraph his throw rather than look that guy off. So far, that’s not Sam’s issue. It’s throwing to someone who is clearly not open when (almost always) he’s under duress. I don’t know how you coach this. But when he sees the film of that pic from the All-22 he has to see that Aroyo was NOT open. Now, unfortunately, it sounds like he won’t be open for quite some time.
All that said, I don’t understand the game plan for the first half at all. This team has been run-to-open-passing and they just trashed that to start this game. Why? Even though they didn’t have a great day running, they could’ve had a better one by… let’s see…running the ball!
Part of me thinks they’re trying to keep a bunch of play designs off the film for when the games “really” matter. Part of me even hopes that. Like, you know, handing off to the fullback when nobody is expecting that. Remember Mack Strong, anyone? Great hands, awesome blocker. Unless Oetz has hands of stone (maybe?) or cannot be trusted with the football, is there a reason that mix is out of the mix?
Anyway, I’m being hypercritical, because I never thought this team was going to get to 10 wins with a chance at a No. 1 seed. Chance, however, is only that. They have to beat the Colts, ideally without harm, even, ideally, better than that. Like the way the Colts lost today…. And even more ideally, the Lions at least make the Rams work for a win. The Lions’ D is a mess right now. I don’t see them winning that game, but please, make the Rams work hard to win. And then the two real tests come. And there, Sam has to play mistake-free. Yes, take sacks. Yes, throw the ball into the seats. Today’s runs from Sam were consequential, not just for the gains, but especially for the decisiveness. Hopefully there’s more of that; movement, creativity, and getting out of harm’s way.
It's an overall weekly game plan, but interesting comment about saving plays for bigger games vs. tougher teams. It felt like that vs. Vikes last week, especially 1st half it was like "let's pretend JSN can't get open...how do we run the O in that scenario?".
Sam's working on that next step. Glad to see him scramble for positive yards and avoid big hits. He looked gun shy 1st half after the pick.
Last week the Vikes DC said "we're gonna be blitzing him..." NFL knows, after Vikes/Rams '24 playoff - 'blitz to confuse Sam & force bad passes'. So the next step for Sam is beat 49rs & Rams without throwing 4 ints. Which is why Hawks may hide some of their more creative anti-blitz schemes to surprise McVay & co. Hawks are gonna need all the savvy plays they can come up with because 49rs & Rams don't self destruct like Vikes & Falcons.
Coach tried to cover for Sam on that pass to Arroyo, implying Arroyo should have caught it, and Sam himself said he needed to throw the ball lower. But what he needed to do was not throw that ball at all. Arroyo wasn't even a half-step open when Sam threw.
It was nice to see Sam run with it a couple of times later, though. He's not a gangly giraffe, like Brady was, when he runs. He can make himself a weapon this way, even if he uses it rarely.
Made our annual trip to an away game this year to ATL. To my eyes the OL struggled a lot in Q1 & 2 which I did not enjoy seeing. Falcons had their best pass rusher out and yet they dominated until the 2nd half. The Hawks made the necessary halftime adjustments and then everything seemed far easier. The Falcons are a lost cause and they quit by Q4.
The thing about Witherspoons interception was that he first moves the outside linebacker inside, then fills the hole, then tips the ball up… and then gets the INT. He did everything to create that play. Awesome.
It looked cool. Haven't re watched, what I think I saw was the Hawk D from that side, including Witherspoon, sold a fake blitz to Cousins, who passed to where he thought the "blitzer" would no longer be, except they didn't blitz. The game within the game...
Max Brosmer
Kirk Cousins
Riley Leonard
You can only play the teams on the schedule, but it sure is nice to face these guys towards the end of the season.
SSJ - please relay this suggestion to Elijah Arroyo…
“Stop photobombing Sam’s interceptions!”
Still waiting for the offense to consistently have an answer for the blitz.
What a great day for the Seahawks!!
The 'Hawks won big time, the Bears lost, and the Colts (next week's opponent) suffered key injuries.
The Thursday night game with the Rams in week 16 is setting up to be the biggest game of the NFL season, and if the 49ers continue to win, the week 18 matchup with the 49ers will be even bigger. Go'Hawks!
We control our destiny in the Division and conference! (1 seed)
Sam needs to play the whole game with INTELLIGENCE. Offensive line can help him out a lot more. Same with Kubiak. A little less talk and a lot more action from Sam otherwise he’ll be known as a White version of Geno Smith. Harsh I know but as Bill Parcells one said, “you are what your record says you are”. Leading league in interceptions won’t get it done in playoffs
Poor Sam! There is a reasonable chance he could go 28-6 over two regular seasons with two different teams, but if he doesn't lead his current team to at least one, probably two, playoff wins, he'll be judged as a career loser. Horrably unfair.
He seems to get flustered and make bad decisions when we are behind or tied, but he relaxes more and more as we gain the lead.
Can we have someone tell him we are winning so he stops throwing into coverage?
Nice day for a few old friends: TDs for Bo Melton and Colby Parkinson, plus DK Metcalf lit up the Ravens for 7/148.
Didn't want to see that from Parkinson but then the game was over so fast anyway.
It was a fun game, but Sam came out of the gate and stumbled and was out of sorts for most of the first half. He had more than one off target throw to superstar JSN, and other misfires to others including trying to thread a camel through a needle. Arroyo does not fight for toss up throws. Something he needs to work on, as he could do it in Miami.
Finally, Sam got into synch in the second half and the defense forced some errors on Atlanta, and soon my blood pressure came down and I could breathe easy and lit up a victory cigar about the time they put Lock into the game or before. I especially appreciated the TD to start the second half and I'd give the game ball to that Harbaugh special teams coach. They saved our bacon and got us on the right road.
Without shading Jay Harbaugh, how about if we give props to JS for signing Shaheed?
This move has "poor man's Percy Harvin" written all over it.
Less costly move, but similar result with a kickoff return TD as his highlight so far.
And I don't mean that Shaheed is a poor man's Harvin. I mean the trade is a poor man's version of that trade because Seattle gave up far less and hasn't paid him yet. Shaheed could still turn out to be a better receiver for the Seahawks than Harvin.
Both of those second-half returns took 12 seconds off of the clock. Pretty cool I think!
Haha. How about that.
Good call. JS has made some masterful trades over the last few years.
God I love defense. May the 12s be with you. Go Seahawks!
I was surprised how out of whack the offence looked until late in the first half, but after half time, lights out, and curtain down. O-line looked a little shaky in the first half but Sam had plenty of time in the second. Funny how it seems like a switch gets thrown and all of a sudden everything makes sense. Glad they adapted and figured it out.
Our defence and special teams are, well, special. When plays need to be made, they are made. Robinson is a very good RB, and he got his, but the Seahawks kept him from being much of a difference maker. Emmanwori is a dude, no doubt about it.
10-3 and still rolling. Indy next week, and with or without Daniel Jones they will win that one if they play the way they have been. Too much depth and too many difference makers for the Colts.
It's been a long time since we've had a season like this. What a time to be a Seahawk fan.
The longest run for Robinson (and the Falcons) was 11 yards. The Seahawks rushed for more yards. (I believe)