Good points on both Nwosu (they likely kept him off IR for a reason), and they have data on Walker being able to return from an oblique after two weeks (and a day 😂). Know you won’t speculate but it’s at least encouraging. I’ll try not to get my hopes up 🫣
Great common sense, down to earth discussions SSJ. Keepin’ it real. I like it. A bit harsh on Dickson though (I’ve noticed you’ve been a bit of a Dickson downer lately). He’s one of those guys that’s been so good for so long that excellence becomes expected with every game. No human can do that. He’s played well enough to this point to deserve what he’s getting paid (even though I think NFL salaries are obscene across the board), so let’s not be too critical of that. He’s still doing a good job - a good enough job that, if he were a rookie playing at the level he has so far this year, we’d be pretty happy with him. Give the guy a chance (& credit). I’m sure he’ll nail plenty of kicks this season too.
In my opinion, I report what I see from Dickson. Another person could have a different opinion and it might even be a better opinion than my own. But I don't think that I'm doing anything to Dickson or expecting that after this next game I'll write that Dickson had a bad game as if it's just what I do now. If Dickson has a good game, I'll report that.
I just don't want the reaction to be that I'm a "Dickson Downer" because from my POV it almost seems as if--without you intending it to sound this way--that this has nothing to do with Dickson and is only SSJ's "negative opinion of Dickson." I love Michael Dickson! My life would be so much easier if all the players I liked allowed me to constantly report that they're doing good. It's not that Dickson was the best punter in the world and then I see him have a game where not every punt is inside the 5, so my expectations are too high. He's objectively off to a bad start. His 7% inside-20 rate is 31st in the NFL. His touchback rate is the 8th-highest. His net yards per punt is 25th. He's not doing that good.
That stuff will even out, and some of it is related to special teams play. Year in and year out, Dickson is pretty much the same punter now as his rookie season. Consistency in the NFL is rare and worth paying for.
Dickson is truly off this year, not sure what it is but I’m not seeing any of the crazy stuff he used to do like those almost surreal bounces you could almost count on to avoid the end zone. Or punt receivers muffing or avoiding the catch bc of the crazy weirdness of the ball on the way down. Just looks like a normal punter all of a sudden. Meanwhile other guys are pinning us back pretty damn well. It’s quite the juxtaposition va Myers who used to be the “more average” of the two. Now Myers is clearly the better of the two (so far).
Dickson certainly would not disagree with the SSJ assessment. Let's realize in life away from football, people injure themselves. Maybe he took a bad fall skiing in the Swiss Alps and is nursing his leg back to health. MM seems to avoid playing anybody injured or bringing them back at 80% (like Adams), but our punter is one of one: just do your best without aggravating it.
My Dickson downer comment was meant to be tongue in cheek. I meant no offence (I’m sure by now you know I love your work). I’ve just noticed a few more comments on him than usual of late, and that’s probably because he hasn’t been off to a great start, I agree. I was only making the point that yes, he’s had a slow start, but he’s still a good punter and I’m sure he’ll improve his stats (even though I’m not particularly a fan of them). As I said, he’s been that good that it’s now kinda expected (a bit unfairly IMO).
And that’s the beauty of SSJ - we don’t all have to agree, but at the same time, we all want the same thing…Seahawks success.
I really appreciate the comments about rookie starters, especially OL. It is very unusual for any rookie to start on the OL unless drafted in the first round, and even then... Cross drew some very lukewarm takes because he was not "dominant" in his second year while dealing with an injury, as a second year 1.09 pick. BUT... the fact he started the first season then played as well as he did through injury last year was "unusual" I would say, and we are now seeing in year 3 the dominance that was projected.
Haynes... I like the approach the Seahawks are taking with him. It was about 50-50 whether he would start over Bradford but by letting him sit and learn a bit before he is thrown into the fire the Seahawks will likely have a better (and more confident) player when it comes time to jump into the fire.
The Detroit lines are both banged up (see: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2024/9/26/24253708/detroit-lions-week-4-injury-report-3-starters-return-to-practice) which maybe gives the Seahawks OL some hope of finding a way to neutralize Aidan Hutchinson and have some success (even running the ball), and of course the big news is that Ragnow is out. I do expect Detroit's OL to struggle as a result, but we'll see. If Nwosu plays (at 100%) even in a limited rotation, the Seahawks pass rush is going to get to Goff in passing situations, and might be able to survive the Detroit running game.
The line matchups are going to be very interesting on Monday, on both sides of the ball.
By the way, there is a very good video up at Pride of Detroit that analyses the Seahawks offense. Lots of nice things to say but believe the OL will get crushed.
What I see Grubb saying about Haynes is he needs to get heavier (muscle up) and be stronger (muscle up) before we toss him in to the grind. He's put him in enough to let the kid know for certain this is the thing to do right now. I have zero doubt Bradford is playing his ass off to give this time to develop. Good things are coming to those who wait, to include serious money (finally). We may well experience a Next Man Up in Detroit and play time is over, Rook.
I don’t agree that Dee Williams has been a serviceable return man unfortunately. He is likely still adjusting to the pro game, but his decisions to let the ball bounce rather than attempt to field for at least a fair catch suggest a lack of confidence that probably stems from the muff on his first return. The offense has had their backs right up against their own endzone on multiple occasions as a direct result of this, and there are multiple safeties to show for it as well. He needs to either be encouraged by the coaching staff or someone else needs a genuine shot at taking over those duties, a fair catch on every punt return would be a better net result than what we have experienced so far.
I appreciate SSJ keeping it real for me. In that vein, I’m not sure planning on Lucas starting next year is keeping it real. The longer he’s out, the more it seems to be a degenerative issue with the knee.
On the positive side, Stone Forsythe didn’t look overmatched last week. Maybe, just maybe, he keeps developing and we don’t have to replace him. But he is starting to play like a decent backup at the least.
I don't necessarily think that Lucas will start next year. My only intention with that line was to say that the Seahawks might have 4 starters, including Lucas. Or they might not.
I could argue that Charbs improved performance is indicative of our OLine finding their rhythm and pacing. It is good and right that fans bitch and make noise over a Hold here or an early movement there. I cannot believe these men bubbled to the top of their sport by being unteachable. Of course they have all the physical attributes to succeed. We might find a few with pissy attitudes, but let's be real: these coaches and staff will know how to deal with them or they'd be gone before any further damage is incurred. This is a brand new Team and I'll continue to be optimistic about where we are at and where MM has us heading. Is Coach holding out Olu and Haynes just to keep their ammo dry? (Didn't Olu play guard at times in college?) Is he holding back on Bobo and the things he'll be doing? Same with our new Tight Ends. We will soon be into a blitz of Division games. I'm okay with not seeing much more than generic plays and keeping huge talent quiet and hidden. All it takes is our opponent to screw up once and DK is off to the endzone. What else you got, Grubb? I'm seeing a world class Team by the end of this Season, no matter the Noise and no matter how long before we see Abe come back. Mack's 'fastball' is in getting the Guys believing in themselves, trusting nobody is better at designing around their strengths. Banged up this week? No problem. Next Man up...
So as I sit thinking on the line and struggles is it weird that I wish we still had Jake Curhan? I know he was a TERRIBLE TACKLE but man could that guy run block. Literally every big run Penny ever had came on a play behind him. Is it also weird after reading your article I was pondering putting Olu at Center and Williams at left guard and Haynes at right guard? Have Williams make all the calls and checks and just let Olu learn and just snap and block hahaha
I forgot to mention that I always like Curhan at guard, not tackle btw. Stone is a better tackle for now but I rather have Curhan grading the way for Charb and K9
FYI injury update just posted “The Seahawks practiced on Thursday afternoon without six players, including five starters on the defensive side of the ball. Three starting linebackers were held out of practice due to injuries”. Big Cat and Mafe along with last weeks LBs. Only offensive player out, Bradford.
Thank you recognizing Hankins (posted on your account during the game , although he often came to sideline only to be sent back out since depth was an issue) and of course Lockett. Need a FD or critical catch to get offense moving, go to Tyler. Geno throw ball better or deeper, and Tyler has a couple more catches and first downs.
Yes, I forgot to mention Hankins. I love the addition of him to the team. Great effort guy and amazingly good endurance when he was asked to do more last game. He's a great personality too. I hope he finds a long term home here.
Regarding the Murphy II injury, when I heard that he uses a "dead leg" technique and then saw it in action I was a little worried. I get that he has used it to great effect in college, but would it work in the league? I thought NFL OL types are bigger and stronger and hoped that it would not be an issue but it looked to me that he used that technique on the play he was injured on. A couple years as a pro, I'm sure the weight room fixes this but I am curious if anyone else was thinking as I was.
I see a triangular support (mathematically very stout) that allows him to hold his ground on a double team. Problems arise when he goes out of it to move on a run-stop tackle. Up against 600+ lbs of concentrated pure brute force will be new to him. Coaching must be guessing too, at this point. Everybody is learning.
Look at his career numbers: Dickson is the definition of consistency. There may be more thunderfooted punters in the NFL compared to MD’s rookie season,* but that doesn’t change the fact that he is the same punter.
I don't know which name besides a guard I could have written in there that wouldn't have gotten pushback, but if Dickson is getting pushback for having a 3-game start that I would call "undeniably" underwhelming, probably not many answers I had to choose from. As I wrote in there too, he's been a good punter for a long time. The question is whether or not he was underwhelming me, not if he was good. I don't have a problem with it if any fans want to say he's been good, that's fine.
It seems like he is an average punter this year and the real issue is value vs price. Seahawks are not getting the value so far for the comp they are paying him.
The unrealistic nature of football is both fun and exhausting. But you can use it to your advantage as a GM. Guys are too quick to start these days and too quick to get cut.
I am decently optimistic about the line moving forward. For these reasons:
1) cross looks very good
2) Stone! One game but a darn good one. I am a believer that players can improve, especially at certain positions like OL, and this is a big year for him.
3) TEs and RB … I have been very happy/impressed with Barner and Brown looked awesome last game. Add in Charbs who has been great in protection. You can add these guys to the interior mix to help
4) I was worried about Grubb going from UW to Seahawks line. That concern has come to fruition. But I don’t think it’ll stay that way. I think Grubb will adjust.
My hope is the Hawks stick it out. Do not bring back Jason Peters. Do not trade for anyone (unless a clear upgrade becomes an option). I’d rather struggle with young guys and hope to get better.
I also think this is a good matchup for the line in Detroit. I am expecting another big game from Geno and the offense
Well, I like to think about how well Stone Forsythe played, and according to PFF, Tomlinson played well, too. Connor Williams is getting better and better, and Cross, other than one play, has continued to play well, if not elite. Really, it's RG that is the real problem, and a big part of that problem is penalties, which can be corrected.
Stone was a sixth round pick who has played a fair amount and produced some bad games and a few OK games, and that's not a bad return on investment. He's been involved in some of our better runs, and will face a HUGE test this Monday against the hottest pass rusher in the NFL right now, Adain Hutchinson, who I thought was over rated when drafted second overall. It turns out, he should have gone first overall. I'm hoping one of our TE's will help control him on critical passing situations. With help, and some luck we may escape without Hutchinson wrecking our offense.
My take on Olu and Haynes and any of the other young o-linemen is that Huff/Grubb have certain objective requirements at each position, and they are likely somewhat different than what the prior regime's were. It is very difficult to fix that in one offseason. MacDonald made a comment about Haynes in Wednesday's press conference (I think it was Wednesday?) that the issue was play strength. That's fixable. I expect the same is true of Olu. There may be other issues as well, but he commented specifically about the ability to 'move people'.
I expect all of the younger players are working on getting bigger and stronger, and honing their technique and mastery of the offense. If one of them is called upon, hopefully they'll be ready. I still have no concerns with Haynes. He seems to have the attitude and movement skills to be an average or better guard in the NFL. If adding strength is required, that is fixable in the weight room, and young athletes can add beef pretty quickly when they put in the work in the gym and then eat, eat, eat.
I'm going to guess we see Haynes and not Bradford this week. Just a hunch. MacDonald has acknowledged it is far from ideal to be swapping players in and out on the o-line. But, they clearly are choosing to do it because they don't like what they see, and they are waiting for one of them to own it. I don't really care who ultimately wins out, but would love to see one of them really come on during the year.
This is a great point Chris. Haynes' job this year and through next offseason is to build functional strength to play his position. He, like all rookies, have never had this full time job before with the same level of resources available to him. In the latest "Seaside Streams" post Kenneth included a video link from the O-Line Committee where Alex Boone points out that guards are making serious money now. The distinction between replacement-level guard and above-average guard could now be worth $10+ million per year on a new contract, particularly with younger players. These guys can see clear examples where time in the weight room turns into life-changing money, and I think that is more true of the big guys than the "skill-position" guys.
Re coaching turnover on special teams, I suspect it was just a "I'm bringing my guys in" decision. No shade on the previous staff. Haven't noticed how Dickson has been, but would be interested in seeing numbers and what his decline looks like in a future post. And how he compares with other punters in the league.
I understand why someone would hesitate to trust punting stats, but he has among the worst punting stats in the early going. I think with another game or two, adding up some more stats, definitely worth a recap because the 10-15 yard difference in field position is huge.
I read that MM only brought along 4 coaches he had worked with, whereas Pete was damn near 100%. Mike looked only at their abilities to teach to qualify them for consideration. Almost the entire staff is new to him. OC Ben Johnson refused to leave Detroit last year. I wonder if this may start a trend, as I have little doubt Grubb will get offers if he excels this year.
Fascinating. And honestly, a risk, right? Because MM has no idea how he will jive with them...but not that different than other industries I guess. Thanks for the insight.
I've been pleasantly surprised with our ILBs. Dodson hasn't been perfect, but he's been noticeable in good ways in high-leverage situations. Knight seems to be playing at a higher level than anticipated based on his pre-season play. He's either learning quickly from his mistakes or a better player than advertised (maybe MM just likes to keep these rookies grounded). I want to see Baker back out there, but this group has held up just fine in his absence.
I'm with you on Dickson. We all love to love him, but he's off to a rough start. I'm not worried about him or our special teams coverage units yet, but we need to see steady improvement moving forward. But let's be real, you can't lose the greatest special teams player in the history of NFL football, Nick Bellore, and not expect some growing pains. Am I suggesting that Bellore's absence is somehow responsible for our punter's struggles? Absolutely not. But I'm also not not suggesting that.
Let's realize Dodson's splash plays are contagious among all the Players, leading to extra ++ efforts made across the entire field. He's been a pleasant and unexpected surprise, along with taking the spotlight off Spoon. Hidden dividends paid.
Good points on both Nwosu (they likely kept him off IR for a reason), and they have data on Walker being able to return from an oblique after two weeks (and a day 😂). Know you won’t speculate but it’s at least encouraging. I’ll try not to get my hopes up 🫣
Great common sense, down to earth discussions SSJ. Keepin’ it real. I like it. A bit harsh on Dickson though (I’ve noticed you’ve been a bit of a Dickson downer lately). He’s one of those guys that’s been so good for so long that excellence becomes expected with every game. No human can do that. He’s played well enough to this point to deserve what he’s getting paid (even though I think NFL salaries are obscene across the board), so let’s not be too critical of that. He’s still doing a good job - a good enough job that, if he were a rookie playing at the level he has so far this year, we’d be pretty happy with him. Give the guy a chance (& credit). I’m sure he’ll nail plenty of kicks this season too.
In my opinion, I report what I see from Dickson. Another person could have a different opinion and it might even be a better opinion than my own. But I don't think that I'm doing anything to Dickson or expecting that after this next game I'll write that Dickson had a bad game as if it's just what I do now. If Dickson has a good game, I'll report that.
I just don't want the reaction to be that I'm a "Dickson Downer" because from my POV it almost seems as if--without you intending it to sound this way--that this has nothing to do with Dickson and is only SSJ's "negative opinion of Dickson." I love Michael Dickson! My life would be so much easier if all the players I liked allowed me to constantly report that they're doing good. It's not that Dickson was the best punter in the world and then I see him have a game where not every punt is inside the 5, so my expectations are too high. He's objectively off to a bad start. His 7% inside-20 rate is 31st in the NFL. His touchback rate is the 8th-highest. His net yards per punt is 25th. He's not doing that good.
That stuff will even out, and some of it is related to special teams play. Year in and year out, Dickson is pretty much the same punter now as his rookie season. Consistency in the NFL is rare and worth paying for.
Dickson is truly off this year, not sure what it is but I’m not seeing any of the crazy stuff he used to do like those almost surreal bounces you could almost count on to avoid the end zone. Or punt receivers muffing or avoiding the catch bc of the crazy weirdness of the ball on the way down. Just looks like a normal punter all of a sudden. Meanwhile other guys are pinning us back pretty damn well. It’s quite the juxtaposition va Myers who used to be the “more average” of the two. Now Myers is clearly the better of the two (so far).
Dickson certainly would not disagree with the SSJ assessment. Let's realize in life away from football, people injure themselves. Maybe he took a bad fall skiing in the Swiss Alps and is nursing his leg back to health. MM seems to avoid playing anybody injured or bringing them back at 80% (like Adams), but our punter is one of one: just do your best without aggravating it.
My Dickson downer comment was meant to be tongue in cheek. I meant no offence (I’m sure by now you know I love your work). I’ve just noticed a few more comments on him than usual of late, and that’s probably because he hasn’t been off to a great start, I agree. I was only making the point that yes, he’s had a slow start, but he’s still a good punter and I’m sure he’ll improve his stats (even though I’m not particularly a fan of them). As I said, he’s been that good that it’s now kinda expected (a bit unfairly IMO).
And that’s the beauty of SSJ - we don’t all have to agree, but at the same time, we all want the same thing…Seahawks success.
I really appreciate the comments about rookie starters, especially OL. It is very unusual for any rookie to start on the OL unless drafted in the first round, and even then... Cross drew some very lukewarm takes because he was not "dominant" in his second year while dealing with an injury, as a second year 1.09 pick. BUT... the fact he started the first season then played as well as he did through injury last year was "unusual" I would say, and we are now seeing in year 3 the dominance that was projected.
Haynes... I like the approach the Seahawks are taking with him. It was about 50-50 whether he would start over Bradford but by letting him sit and learn a bit before he is thrown into the fire the Seahawks will likely have a better (and more confident) player when it comes time to jump into the fire.
The Detroit lines are both banged up (see: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2024/9/26/24253708/detroit-lions-week-4-injury-report-3-starters-return-to-practice) which maybe gives the Seahawks OL some hope of finding a way to neutralize Aidan Hutchinson and have some success (even running the ball), and of course the big news is that Ragnow is out. I do expect Detroit's OL to struggle as a result, but we'll see. If Nwosu plays (at 100%) even in a limited rotation, the Seahawks pass rush is going to get to Goff in passing situations, and might be able to survive the Detroit running game.
The line matchups are going to be very interesting on Monday, on both sides of the ball.
By the way, there is a very good video up at Pride of Detroit that analyses the Seahawks offense. Lots of nice things to say but believe the OL will get crushed.
https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2024/9/26/24254889/video-youtube-detroit-lions-seattle-seahawks-how-slow-down-offense-geno-smith-monday-night-football
What I see Grubb saying about Haynes is he needs to get heavier (muscle up) and be stronger (muscle up) before we toss him in to the grind. He's put him in enough to let the kid know for certain this is the thing to do right now. I have zero doubt Bradford is playing his ass off to give this time to develop. Good things are coming to those who wait, to include serious money (finally). We may well experience a Next Man Up in Detroit and play time is over, Rook.
I don’t agree that Dee Williams has been a serviceable return man unfortunately. He is likely still adjusting to the pro game, but his decisions to let the ball bounce rather than attempt to field for at least a fair catch suggest a lack of confidence that probably stems from the muff on his first return. The offense has had their backs right up against their own endzone on multiple occasions as a direct result of this, and there are multiple safeties to show for it as well. He needs to either be encouraged by the coaching staff or someone else needs a genuine shot at taking over those duties, a fair catch on every punt return would be a better net result than what we have experienced so far.
I appreciate SSJ keeping it real for me. In that vein, I’m not sure planning on Lucas starting next year is keeping it real. The longer he’s out, the more it seems to be a degenerative issue with the knee.
On the positive side, Stone Forsythe didn’t look overmatched last week. Maybe, just maybe, he keeps developing and we don’t have to replace him. But he is starting to play like a decent backup at the least.
I don't necessarily think that Lucas will start next year. My only intention with that line was to say that the Seahawks might have 4 starters, including Lucas. Or they might not.
We might have all five, if both Bradford and Haynes continue to improve. It may not be a good o-line, but it could be a Seahawks o-line.
I could argue that Charbs improved performance is indicative of our OLine finding their rhythm and pacing. It is good and right that fans bitch and make noise over a Hold here or an early movement there. I cannot believe these men bubbled to the top of their sport by being unteachable. Of course they have all the physical attributes to succeed. We might find a few with pissy attitudes, but let's be real: these coaches and staff will know how to deal with them or they'd be gone before any further damage is incurred. This is a brand new Team and I'll continue to be optimistic about where we are at and where MM has us heading. Is Coach holding out Olu and Haynes just to keep their ammo dry? (Didn't Olu play guard at times in college?) Is he holding back on Bobo and the things he'll be doing? Same with our new Tight Ends. We will soon be into a blitz of Division games. I'm okay with not seeing much more than generic plays and keeping huge talent quiet and hidden. All it takes is our opponent to screw up once and DK is off to the endzone. What else you got, Grubb? I'm seeing a world class Team by the end of this Season, no matter the Noise and no matter how long before we see Abe come back. Mack's 'fastball' is in getting the Guys believing in themselves, trusting nobody is better at designing around their strengths. Banged up this week? No problem. Next Man up...
The all 22 profile of Charbs from the Miami game actually showed some very good run blocking. The OL can do it—just need to be consistent!
So as I sit thinking on the line and struggles is it weird that I wish we still had Jake Curhan? I know he was a TERRIBLE TACKLE but man could that guy run block. Literally every big run Penny ever had came on a play behind him. Is it also weird after reading your article I was pondering putting Olu at Center and Williams at left guard and Haynes at right guard? Have Williams make all the calls and checks and just let Olu learn and just snap and block hahaha
I forgot to mention that I always like Curhan at guard, not tackle btw. Stone is a better tackle for now but I rather have Curhan grading the way for Charb and K9
FYI injury update just posted “The Seahawks practiced on Thursday afternoon without six players, including five starters on the defensive side of the ball. Three starting linebackers were held out of practice due to injuries”. Big Cat and Mafe along with last weeks LBs. Only offensive player out, Bradford.
Thank you recognizing Hankins (posted on your account during the game , although he often came to sideline only to be sent back out since depth was an issue) and of course Lockett. Need a FD or critical catch to get offense moving, go to Tyler. Geno throw ball better or deeper, and Tyler has a couple more catches and first downs.
Yes, I forgot to mention Hankins. I love the addition of him to the team. Great effort guy and amazingly good endurance when he was asked to do more last game. He's a great personality too. I hope he finds a long term home here.
Regarding the Murphy II injury, when I heard that he uses a "dead leg" technique and then saw it in action I was a little worried. I get that he has used it to great effect in college, but would it work in the league? I thought NFL OL types are bigger and stronger and hoped that it would not be an issue but it looked to me that he used that technique on the play he was injured on. A couple years as a pro, I'm sure the weight room fixes this but I am curious if anyone else was thinking as I was.
I had the same thought after seeing it on film for the first time. I don't know enough to say if it's actually a risky move, but it looks awkward.
I see a triangular support (mathematically very stout) that allows him to hold his ground on a double team. Problems arise when he goes out of it to move on a run-stop tackle. Up against 600+ lbs of concentrated pure brute force will be new to him. Coaching must be guessing too, at this point. Everybody is learning.
“ Surprisingly underwhelming: Michael Dickson.”
Look at his career numbers: Dickson is the definition of consistency. There may be more thunderfooted punters in the NFL compared to MD’s rookie season,* but that doesn’t change the fact that he is the same punter.
* Dickson’s best year was 2022.
I don't know which name besides a guard I could have written in there that wouldn't have gotten pushback, but if Dickson is getting pushback for having a 3-game start that I would call "undeniably" underwhelming, probably not many answers I had to choose from. As I wrote in there too, he's been a good punter for a long time. The question is whether or not he was underwhelming me, not if he was good. I don't have a problem with it if any fans want to say he's been good, that's fine.
It seems like he is an average punter this year and the real issue is value vs price. Seahawks are not getting the value so far for the comp they are paying him.
Yes to all Joe … I enjoyed the rant.
The unrealistic nature of football is both fun and exhausting. But you can use it to your advantage as a GM. Guys are too quick to start these days and too quick to get cut.
I am decently optimistic about the line moving forward. For these reasons:
1) cross looks very good
2) Stone! One game but a darn good one. I am a believer that players can improve, especially at certain positions like OL, and this is a big year for him.
3) TEs and RB … I have been very happy/impressed with Barner and Brown looked awesome last game. Add in Charbs who has been great in protection. You can add these guys to the interior mix to help
4) I was worried about Grubb going from UW to Seahawks line. That concern has come to fruition. But I don’t think it’ll stay that way. I think Grubb will adjust.
My hope is the Hawks stick it out. Do not bring back Jason Peters. Do not trade for anyone (unless a clear upgrade becomes an option). I’d rather struggle with young guys and hope to get better.
I also think this is a good matchup for the line in Detroit. I am expecting another big game from Geno and the offense
Go hawks
Doesn’t the poor interior line play feel like karma for JS complaining this offseason about how overrated and overpaid they are? 😂
Well, I like to think about how well Stone Forsythe played, and according to PFF, Tomlinson played well, too. Connor Williams is getting better and better, and Cross, other than one play, has continued to play well, if not elite. Really, it's RG that is the real problem, and a big part of that problem is penalties, which can be corrected.
Stone was a sixth round pick who has played a fair amount and produced some bad games and a few OK games, and that's not a bad return on investment. He's been involved in some of our better runs, and will face a HUGE test this Monday against the hottest pass rusher in the NFL right now, Adain Hutchinson, who I thought was over rated when drafted second overall. It turns out, he should have gone first overall. I'm hoping one of our TE's will help control him on critical passing situations. With help, and some luck we may escape without Hutchinson wrecking our offense.
Forsythe did well against the Lions last year. Fingers crossed he does it again this year.
My take on Olu and Haynes and any of the other young o-linemen is that Huff/Grubb have certain objective requirements at each position, and they are likely somewhat different than what the prior regime's were. It is very difficult to fix that in one offseason. MacDonald made a comment about Haynes in Wednesday's press conference (I think it was Wednesday?) that the issue was play strength. That's fixable. I expect the same is true of Olu. There may be other issues as well, but he commented specifically about the ability to 'move people'.
I expect all of the younger players are working on getting bigger and stronger, and honing their technique and mastery of the offense. If one of them is called upon, hopefully they'll be ready. I still have no concerns with Haynes. He seems to have the attitude and movement skills to be an average or better guard in the NFL. If adding strength is required, that is fixable in the weight room, and young athletes can add beef pretty quickly when they put in the work in the gym and then eat, eat, eat.
I'm going to guess we see Haynes and not Bradford this week. Just a hunch. MacDonald has acknowledged it is far from ideal to be swapping players in and out on the o-line. But, they clearly are choosing to do it because they don't like what they see, and they are waiting for one of them to own it. I don't really care who ultimately wins out, but would love to see one of them really come on during the year.
This is a great point Chris. Haynes' job this year and through next offseason is to build functional strength to play his position. He, like all rookies, have never had this full time job before with the same level of resources available to him. In the latest "Seaside Streams" post Kenneth included a video link from the O-Line Committee where Alex Boone points out that guards are making serious money now. The distinction between replacement-level guard and above-average guard could now be worth $10+ million per year on a new contract, particularly with younger players. These guys can see clear examples where time in the weight room turns into life-changing money, and I think that is more true of the big guys than the "skill-position" guys.
Re coaching turnover on special teams, I suspect it was just a "I'm bringing my guys in" decision. No shade on the previous staff. Haven't noticed how Dickson has been, but would be interested in seeing numbers and what his decline looks like in a future post. And how he compares with other punters in the league.
I understand why someone would hesitate to trust punting stats, but he has among the worst punting stats in the early going. I think with another game or two, adding up some more stats, definitely worth a recap because the 10-15 yard difference in field position is huge.
I read that MM only brought along 4 coaches he had worked with, whereas Pete was damn near 100%. Mike looked only at their abilities to teach to qualify them for consideration. Almost the entire staff is new to him. OC Ben Johnson refused to leave Detroit last year. I wonder if this may start a trend, as I have little doubt Grubb will get offers if he excels this year.
Fascinating. And honestly, a risk, right? Because MM has no idea how he will jive with them...but not that different than other industries I guess. Thanks for the insight.
I've been pleasantly surprised with our ILBs. Dodson hasn't been perfect, but he's been noticeable in good ways in high-leverage situations. Knight seems to be playing at a higher level than anticipated based on his pre-season play. He's either learning quickly from his mistakes or a better player than advertised (maybe MM just likes to keep these rookies grounded). I want to see Baker back out there, but this group has held up just fine in his absence.
I'm with you on Dickson. We all love to love him, but he's off to a rough start. I'm not worried about him or our special teams coverage units yet, but we need to see steady improvement moving forward. But let's be real, you can't lose the greatest special teams player in the history of NFL football, Nick Bellore, and not expect some growing pains. Am I suggesting that Bellore's absence is somehow responsible for our punter's struggles? Absolutely not. But I'm also not not suggesting that.
Let's realize Dodson's splash plays are contagious among all the Players, leading to extra ++ efforts made across the entire field. He's been a pleasant and unexpected surprise, along with taking the spotlight off Spoon. Hidden dividends paid.