Despite griping about the first offensive series I do understand that those wide passes are often considered part of the rushing offense and that they are partially designed to spot defensive tendencies that might be exploited later and to spread the defense wider to create bigger gaps for that exploitation. If all of that's true then apparently they worked exactly as designed. I certainly trust this coaching staff to know what they are doing and how to game plan for any opponent. I love the season the Hawks are having and don't want to seem greedy, but I'd love to see couple of 7 minute plus drives each game that end in TD's after run after run after run. I can't prove it, but my feeling is that those discourage a defense more than a quick strike that can sometimes be blamed on one missed assignment.
Speaking of how good our defensive coaching staff is, who do we lose to promotion this offseason?
I feel like AD could stay because maybe he’s not ready for the HC jump since he’s not calling any plays - but would he take another DC job to call plays and build his HC resume?
MM was talking up Karl Scott’s game planning - and he’s a Carroll holdover. If AD made a move, maybe Scott gets the promotion here?
Was just reading an article somewhere which is pointing out Seattle’s defensive EPA over the last 8 weeks is a -0.34 year which is the best 8-wk run since at least 2000 (LOB’s best was a -0.23). I’m super proud of this! But….
Shouldn’t we acknowledge we were facing guys like Mariota, Brissett, Brosmer and Cousins over that span of games? Not exactly Murderers Row. I know you can only play who’s on your schedule (and we may see a rickety Philip Rivers on Sunday, that’s how bad the Colts QB room is right now??), but perhaps we should pump the brakes a bit…
Again, I’m hugely pleased with our defense, don’t get me wrong, just sayin’
I think I am acknowledging that. Hopefully fans are getting enough context to everything here at Seaside Joe. It's what I try to provide. Like last year when the Seahawks started 3-0, not a lot of other writers were pumping the brakes. This is a much different team than last year's 3-0 start.
I wrote about this context also a few weeks ago. We can always name the QBs that great defenses faced in the last month or two. We can never name the QBs that defenses faced last year. The "dominance" gets crystalized in the statistical accomplishments and the wins. The opponents fade off into history to be always forgotten. That's just how it goes.
Does the context of competition matter? Of course it does. If you're talking about EPA, then EPA doesn't care about context. If you're talking about fans here, I believe SSJ community is a place where everyone has their foot on the brakes at all times. I hope.
You absolutely are, no question! It's all the other breathlessness in the balance of the media that seems to be oblivious to the nuances you highlight here.
Seahawks have a league best +161 point differential, and a league leading +39.7% DVOA.
Interestingly, the Seahawks averaged 103.8 yards/game rushing before they acquired Rashid Shaheed, but 140.5 yards/game since. Several possible explanations, but the easiest one is that teams are staying in nickel more often in running situations. Or, perhaps we're just blocking it up better. Interesting though.
In my opinion, (without much resource behind it) I think teams are getting smarter to what the Seahawks are doing on offense. Greg Olsen has been at the forefront of pointing this out. That the Hawks (and Rams) run heavy personnel not to gain an advantage running, but to gain an advantage passing.
To Greg's point, he says that teams should not match their defensive personnel to the offense's personnel but rather to down and distance.
Which gets back to your point, teams maybe running more nickel which has made it harder to throw but easier to run.
Is that because Shaheed is here? Maybe ... Maybe in part. But also, I think teams are starting to realize Seattle's tendencies which is to throw the ball out of certain packages. I have expected and will continue to expect better running because of this. Especially against the advanced teams like the Rams that are going to try and limit passing and dare you to run (Seahawks do the same).
I thought we should've ran the ball even more against the Rams. We will see what happens next match up.
My wife and I were there and the Benz was maybe at 50% capacity. Sad, really. But ATL is a very friendly city. I wore my Hawks beanie and my vintage Kennedy jersey Sunday night and all day today walking around town and received a lot of very good natured complaints that I was flexing on the very nice-but-sad fans of the Dirty 🦅. Also, do you know where I can get lemon pepper wings in Seattle? ATL has 'em everywhere and that is a huge advantage!
They are statistically comparable for sure. Better or worse is trickier until the season is over, as the Lombardi trophy is an excellent persuader of greatness, especially when you dunk on the best offensive team in recent history, and keep them to one TD and 8 points like the 2013 team did to the Broncos.
There will always be a special place in my heart for this, especially since the Cowboys whined endlessly about a linebacker being taken out by a 5’10” WR.
I am currently watching the entire 2013 season to gauge how close the current defense is. I think there are quite a few folks wondering the same thing.
I think if the team wins a championship or 2 and maintains the current production over a few seasons, they will rank right up there.
FYI just read that Philip Rivers may come out of retirement for Colts. Apparently Riley Leonard is hurt. So we actually might play against an ex-Seahawk, Brett Rypien.
Does anyone else remember “relax-ander”. I only bring it up because, as long time seahawks fan, most of our games this season have been pretty relaxing to watch. Which is really unusual(aly good).
Watching our D impose their will on teams is delightful. They are scary good.
Before the season began I saw the nucleolus of a solid Team. Last year the Defense was very solid under a first year coach that was a Defensive savant. Then he added great players thru the Draft and Trades, and on the open market. Well no big surprise there, were now one of the best if not the best Defense in the entire NFL. What did the Talking Heads say we would do this year 7 wins.. Guess they were wrong. Then MM added Sam Darnold to the fold and this guy has all the Tools, just needed a chance to show he wasn't a one song wonder and have a Coach and Team mates and Fans believe in him. Well now every single Seahawk fan Believes in Sam and we know he can get the job done. I have said it before and I will say again This is about the Best Time Ever to be a Seahawk Fan.
Well, the hits just keep coming for the Colts. Apparently their backup QB Riley Leonard incurred a knee injury during their game with the Jaguars. At this point, the team is hopeful he will be able to play.
Watching Darnold this year, it is so clear in his body language/feet when he feels uncomfortable. I also really noticed the same thing with Russ and Geno. They just get skittish or frantic or something. They begin trying to avoid sacks before they really need to, which then leads to sacks (Russ) or bad panicked throws, which lead to incompletions or interceptions (Geno and Darnold).
I think frequently about when Pete made his calming stomach gesture to Geno 2 years ago and the effect that it had on the rest of that game. When Darnold came out after halftime all his skittish-ness looked gone. His feet looked calm. He stopped looking like all of his attention was on the pass rushers. He looked quiet inside.
I’m hoping that this mental shift was intentional. And repeatable!
In doing some looking ahead at playoff matchups, there is a very good chance the NFC West could have 3 of the 4 second round slots, if all 3 teams win their playoff game and one of them is the #1 seed. I have the Hawks as the #1, Rams #5 and Niners as #6 or #7. If the Rams and Niners both win, it sets up a Seahawks play the Niners and the Rams to play the #2 seed.
Either way it looks like we would need to beat the Niners and Rams 2 more times each to represent the NFC.
What is truly amazing on this team ( especially on defense) is you can't tell the ones from the twos. They all play like starters ! The players JS got in the draft and with UDFAs shows remarkable scouting talent. One of the reasons the run game lacks is because they can't run to the right due to RG (and future of famer)
A. Bradford, although I saw him make a devastating block yesterday on Claud Raines, the Invisible Man.
Before we go doom and gloom about some perceived O problems, let's remember this is Kubiak's 1st time with these players in his offense and it's already damn good!
Emmanwori at 6’3” w/32 1/2” arms and a 43” vertical with 4.38 speed and a 1.49 10-yd split, he’s on one side. And Tariq at 6’4” w/33 5/8 arms and a 42” vertical with 4.26 speed and also a 1.49 10-yd split, he’s on the other side.
The other teams don’t even have anyone on their rosters to simulate that, how do you practice against that, on both sides coming at you?? These two are OMG athletes, unbelievable speed/length combination.
Despite griping about the first offensive series I do understand that those wide passes are often considered part of the rushing offense and that they are partially designed to spot defensive tendencies that might be exploited later and to spread the defense wider to create bigger gaps for that exploitation. If all of that's true then apparently they worked exactly as designed. I certainly trust this coaching staff to know what they are doing and how to game plan for any opponent. I love the season the Hawks are having and don't want to seem greedy, but I'd love to see couple of 7 minute plus drives each game that end in TD's after run after run after run. I can't prove it, but my feeling is that those discourage a defense more than a quick strike that can sometimes be blamed on one missed assignment.
Speaking of how good our defensive coaching staff is, who do we lose to promotion this offseason?
I feel like AD could stay because maybe he’s not ready for the HC jump since he’s not calling any plays - but would he take another DC job to call plays and build his HC resume?
MM was talking up Karl Scott’s game planning - and he’s a Carroll holdover. If AD made a move, maybe Scott gets the promotion here?
Was just reading an article somewhere which is pointing out Seattle’s defensive EPA over the last 8 weeks is a -0.34 year which is the best 8-wk run since at least 2000 (LOB’s best was a -0.23). I’m super proud of this! But….
Shouldn’t we acknowledge we were facing guys like Mariota, Brissett, Brosmer and Cousins over that span of games? Not exactly Murderers Row. I know you can only play who’s on your schedule (and we may see a rickety Philip Rivers on Sunday, that’s how bad the Colts QB room is right now??), but perhaps we should pump the brakes a bit…
Again, I’m hugely pleased with our defense, don’t get me wrong, just sayin’
I think I am acknowledging that. Hopefully fans are getting enough context to everything here at Seaside Joe. It's what I try to provide. Like last year when the Seahawks started 3-0, not a lot of other writers were pumping the brakes. This is a much different team than last year's 3-0 start.
I wrote about this context also a few weeks ago. We can always name the QBs that great defenses faced in the last month or two. We can never name the QBs that defenses faced last year. The "dominance" gets crystalized in the statistical accomplishments and the wins. The opponents fade off into history to be always forgotten. That's just how it goes.
Does the context of competition matter? Of course it does. If you're talking about EPA, then EPA doesn't care about context. If you're talking about fans here, I believe SSJ community is a place where everyone has their foot on the brakes at all times. I hope.
You absolutely are, no question! It's all the other breathlessness in the balance of the media that seems to be oblivious to the nuances you highlight here.
Seahawks have a league best +161 point differential, and a league leading +39.7% DVOA.
Interestingly, the Seahawks averaged 103.8 yards/game rushing before they acquired Rashid Shaheed, but 140.5 yards/game since. Several possible explanations, but the easiest one is that teams are staying in nickel more often in running situations. Or, perhaps we're just blocking it up better. Interesting though.
Interesting point there.
In my opinion, (without much resource behind it) I think teams are getting smarter to what the Seahawks are doing on offense. Greg Olsen has been at the forefront of pointing this out. That the Hawks (and Rams) run heavy personnel not to gain an advantage running, but to gain an advantage passing.
To Greg's point, he says that teams should not match their defensive personnel to the offense's personnel but rather to down and distance.
Which gets back to your point, teams maybe running more nickel which has made it harder to throw but easier to run.
Is that because Shaheed is here? Maybe ... Maybe in part. But also, I think teams are starting to realize Seattle's tendencies which is to throw the ball out of certain packages. I have expected and will continue to expect better running because of this. Especially against the advanced teams like the Rams that are going to try and limit passing and dare you to run (Seahawks do the same).
I thought we should've ran the ball even more against the Rams. We will see what happens next match up.
I miss Tory Horton. It must be close to the time he can come off of IR, if he's healed up.
My wife and I were there and the Benz was maybe at 50% capacity. Sad, really. But ATL is a very friendly city. I wore my Hawks beanie and my vintage Kennedy jersey Sunday night and all day today walking around town and received a lot of very good natured complaints that I was flexing on the very nice-but-sad fans of the Dirty 🦅. Also, do you know where I can get lemon pepper wings in Seattle? ATL has 'em everywhere and that is a huge advantage!
https://www.vindicktivewings.com/
Never imagined the SJ community finding local lemon pepper wings for us!
Last eight quarters = defense has 8 turnovers and 9 points allowed.
That is beautiful December football. Ken, I’m so glad we are finally seeing the great players this team needs to make a big run.
I’m going to ask the most sac religious question I could ask a Seahawks fan. Could these guys be as good or…dare I say better than the LOB?
Going to see what happens over the rest of the season. Legendary defenses are solidified in the playoffs.
Of course. What a fun topic for discussion. Can’t wait for that first playoff win this year!
They are statistically comparable for sure. Better or worse is trickier until the season is over, as the Lombardi trophy is an excellent persuader of greatness, especially when you dunk on the best offensive team in recent history, and keep them to one TD and 8 points like the 2013 team did to the Broncos.
Um, no, not until they can make a video that tops this one:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ouLVo5Ly628
My favorite guy was Brandon Browner. Probably not the most skillful, and not a very nice person overall, but still my fav:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ya_J975BoKA
There will always be a special place in my heart for this, especially since the Cowboys whined endlessly about a linebacker being taken out by a 5’10” WR.
https://youtu.be/TQrVvgaPTzU?si=W0JjtfQ63nnS_HiT
Priceless
I am currently watching the entire 2013 season to gauge how close the current defense is. I think there are quite a few folks wondering the same thing.
I think if the team wins a championship or 2 and maintains the current production over a few seasons, they will rank right up there.
FYI just read that Philip Rivers may come out of retirement for Colts. Apparently Riley Leonard is hurt. So we actually might play against an ex-Seahawk, Brett Rypien.
Does anyone else remember “relax-ander”. I only bring it up because, as long time seahawks fan, most of our games this season have been pretty relaxing to watch. Which is really unusual(aly good).
Watching our D impose their will on teams is delightful. They are scary good.
Yeah, games had not been relaxing for a long time.
Before the season began I saw the nucleolus of a solid Team. Last year the Defense was very solid under a first year coach that was a Defensive savant. Then he added great players thru the Draft and Trades, and on the open market. Well no big surprise there, were now one of the best if not the best Defense in the entire NFL. What did the Talking Heads say we would do this year 7 wins.. Guess they were wrong. Then MM added Sam Darnold to the fold and this guy has all the Tools, just needed a chance to show he wasn't a one song wonder and have a Coach and Team mates and Fans believe in him. Well now every single Seahawk fan Believes in Sam and we know he can get the job done. I have said it before and I will say again This is about the Best Time Ever to be a Seahawk Fan.
Well, the hits just keep coming for the Colts. Apparently their backup QB Riley Leonard incurred a knee injury during their game with the Jaguars. At this point, the team is hopeful he will be able to play.
Watching Darnold this year, it is so clear in his body language/feet when he feels uncomfortable. I also really noticed the same thing with Russ and Geno. They just get skittish or frantic or something. They begin trying to avoid sacks before they really need to, which then leads to sacks (Russ) or bad panicked throws, which lead to incompletions or interceptions (Geno and Darnold).
I think frequently about when Pete made his calming stomach gesture to Geno 2 years ago and the effect that it had on the rest of that game. When Darnold came out after halftime all his skittish-ness looked gone. His feet looked calm. He stopped looking like all of his attention was on the pass rushers. He looked quiet inside.
I’m hoping that this mental shift was intentional. And repeatable!
Good points
Just saw Philip Rivers is meeting with the Colts.
He last suited up in 2020.
He's 2 years older then Rodgers.
I bet Russ is asking for his release from the Giants right now.
Yeah that's insane.
In doing some looking ahead at playoff matchups, there is a very good chance the NFC West could have 3 of the 4 second round slots, if all 3 teams win their playoff game and one of them is the #1 seed. I have the Hawks as the #1, Rams #5 and Niners as #6 or #7. If the Rams and Niners both win, it sets up a Seahawks play the Niners and the Rams to play the #2 seed.
Either way it looks like we would need to beat the Niners and Rams 2 more times each to represent the NFC.
WhooHoo ! Let's Do Thiis !
And if we win the NFC, the 2 most likely teams we face in the Superbowl are the Patriots and Broncos.
The Broncos have the mother of all home field advantages, in January anyway. Snow at 5280 feet…no one wants to play in that.
I think Houston could do some damage, although it’s hard to see an indoor team winning a postseason game in Denver or Foxboro.
What is truly amazing on this team ( especially on defense) is you can't tell the ones from the twos. They all play like starters ! The players JS got in the draft and with UDFAs shows remarkable scouting talent. One of the reasons the run game lacks is because they can't run to the right due to RG (and future of famer)
A. Bradford, although I saw him make a devastating block yesterday on Claud Raines, the Invisible Man.
Before we go doom and gloom about some perceived O problems, let's remember this is Kubiak's 1st time with these players in his offense and it's already damn good!
The scouting and player selection has been amazing. I think the coaching/teaching from MM and his staff has had a similar impact.
Max Brosmer, Kirk Cousins, Riley Leonard... Be careful next week, Stafford.
On opponent field goal attempts:
Emmanwori at 6’3” w/32 1/2” arms and a 43” vertical with 4.38 speed and a 1.49 10-yd split, he’s on one side. And Tariq at 6’4” w/33 5/8 arms and a 42” vertical with 4.26 speed and also a 1.49 10-yd split, he’s on the other side.
The other teams don’t even have anyone on their rosters to simulate that, how do you practice against that, on both sides coming at you?? These two are OMG athletes, unbelievable speed/length combination.