Appreciate the fact that the O-line made a difference in the super bowl win was stated! It actually usually does! Also appreciate that the Hawks seem to be acknowledging that fact Finally! Love the numbers, but I usually go by what my eye sees. A defense can have decent numbers and still not really be that good. Seattle and others haven proven that. I truly believe that if you have a solid Consistent D and a decent offense based in utilizing both factions of it, and a D that actually does a decent job on third downs gives the O and the team a higher probability of winning. So yes , a truly better D will give the team a better chance of winning.
Loved the bar graph even though with our eyes we saw it and all cried inside watching literally any team just figure out "Oh lets just run the ball"
Also the PFF thing is great, sad and just dirty at the same time. The phrase "stats dont lie" is no longer a real thing right??? Its beautiful and yet almost Bert Kreischer funny to see fans freak out when they see PFF had Riq as the #1 Man coverage corner in the NFL last season at 92.5 over Sauce at 88.7. First they dont believe it then they think why the #$%^ didnt we just leave Riq in man all season long. But then PFF also graded Tre Brown as the highest Press coverage corner at 88.5 with Jamel Dean a slow 2nd at 82.5. Common fans see these things and it blows there minds. So if this equals that and that equals this and Spoon is playing nickel we should just literally play press man coverage every snap with a single high safety and eat people alive. Then we all have a giant group hug, cry for ten minutes and realize Pete and Clint played only 16% man coverage. Which is bottom 5 in the league. Yet according to stats we literally had the best man coverage secondary in the NFL yet we never adapted.
That bar graph really solidifies that a change was desperately needed. Are we able to define if Pete’s philosophy changed at all over those years? The “we play straight up, bend but don’t break” just seemed to stale year over year. But I don’t know if there was any measurable difference for the last 5-7 years in the way we schemed it?
As much as I like fantasy football and all it's plethora of stats and numbers, I really don't think of the 'Hawks on that level much. I get that it is basically trying to deconstruct the process and pinpoint the specific detailed progress underneath the winning, but during the season I just watch the games and hope to win.
Being a fantasy football player demands that I separate my fandom from the game so that I don't have clouded judgment. The other side of that coin has proven to be Vice-versa (maybe even Versa-Vice). I tend to just enjoy the 'Hawks as a fan and I try not to think too much about the numbers.
Hoping they'll win more games and make a run at it this year. If it doesn't happen, I'll hope for next year.
I'm pretty certain your past work on FG contributed to my long-standing distrust of PFF and "I’m skeptical of any website that claims to grade all 22 players on every play of a football game within hours" explains why better than I could. Thanks as always for all the thought you put into this!
I dislike all of this offseason crystal ball gazing. We very badly want the Hawks restored to Super Bowl competitive level, made worse by qualifying for playoffs but not winning many playoff games. So I see us grinding away on all kinds of speculation about how they - or anyone - get better. Improvement to elite status seems so possible, but we see how elusive and mysterious that last bit of progress is. It seems as impossible to predict as what the weather will be like in 449 days.
Better or not on D, the Seahawks will only be "better" if they can win more game in the NFCW. At a minimum they have to split their games with their rivals. Being swept by the Niners/Rams can't happen , but if it does, regardless of D rank, this will not be an improved season.
Oke Doke...sense you opened the inspirational book referral door:
A good read that exemplifies why Bobby Wagner is a master of his craft, and was recommended reading by the same great Bwagz is "Chop Wood, Carry Water". The key to mastering ANYTHING is found in 'learning to love the process' needed to attain said mastery.
As convoluted as they are, salary caps prevent the NFL from being the MLB were the rich teams like the LA Dodgers can spend 300 million plus on players and small to medium market teams top out at 150 million . That's why I love it when the Dodgers lose the World Series!
But the Dodgers do lose. So do the Red Sox, and Yankees. Small market teams win the World Series about as often as random small market teams win the Super Bowl. An argument could be made to abolish the salary cap and just let super rich owners spend their stupid money any foolish way they want. That would certainly be better for the players. Ms. Allen has lots of money, let her spend it.
In MLB it doesn’t matter if your big market or small market, it only matters how much money you’re willing to spend. Kansas City and Minneapolis would be annual contenders if they had a budget of 250 million.
Here’s my chance to plug a friend’s book called “And That Was Only The Front Counter” by Noel Hart. It’s not about sports, but it is an easy fun read about his time working in an LA book store and the people that came and went. It’s a bunch of little fun anecdotes. So, if you want a kind of different and fun read, give it a go. I believe it’s available from AbeBooks.
I figured out salaries and cap stuff are fairly irrelevant a few years ago, I barely pay attention these days. Teams are gonna give out some bad contracts, that's life. And every team that does will deal with it. Denver just took a huge hit on Russ and they're fielding a team and will win games. The Saints push cap hits into the future every season and it never catches up with them. The Rams went all in and after a single bad season were back in the playoffs.
Salary caps and salaries should be meaningless to fans because they're barely meaningful to the teams.
I don't know...always find it interesting to see who they select to restructure when push comes to shove, and how much they free up. Agree that eventually all teams find a way to get under the cap as they need to be, but their "solution" choices intrigue me
Appreciate the fact that the O-line made a difference in the super bowl win was stated! It actually usually does! Also appreciate that the Hawks seem to be acknowledging that fact Finally! Love the numbers, but I usually go by what my eye sees. A defense can have decent numbers and still not really be that good. Seattle and others haven proven that. I truly believe that if you have a solid Consistent D and a decent offense based in utilizing both factions of it, and a D that actually does a decent job on third downs gives the O and the team a higher probability of winning. So yes , a truly better D will give the team a better chance of winning.
Loved the bar graph even though with our eyes we saw it and all cried inside watching literally any team just figure out "Oh lets just run the ball"
Also the PFF thing is great, sad and just dirty at the same time. The phrase "stats dont lie" is no longer a real thing right??? Its beautiful and yet almost Bert Kreischer funny to see fans freak out when they see PFF had Riq as the #1 Man coverage corner in the NFL last season at 92.5 over Sauce at 88.7. First they dont believe it then they think why the #$%^ didnt we just leave Riq in man all season long. But then PFF also graded Tre Brown as the highest Press coverage corner at 88.5 with Jamel Dean a slow 2nd at 82.5. Common fans see these things and it blows there minds. So if this equals that and that equals this and Spoon is playing nickel we should just literally play press man coverage every snap with a single high safety and eat people alive. Then we all have a giant group hug, cry for ten minutes and realize Pete and Clint played only 16% man coverage. Which is bottom 5 in the league. Yet according to stats we literally had the best man coverage secondary in the NFL yet we never adapted.
Sigh
$%^& you PFF for throwing dumb shit at fans
That bar graph really solidifies that a change was desperately needed. Are we able to define if Pete’s philosophy changed at all over those years? The “we play straight up, bend but don’t break” just seemed to stale year over year. But I don’t know if there was any measurable difference for the last 5-7 years in the way we schemed it?
Love all of the book reco’s! Thanks folks.
As much as I like fantasy football and all it's plethora of stats and numbers, I really don't think of the 'Hawks on that level much. I get that it is basically trying to deconstruct the process and pinpoint the specific detailed progress underneath the winning, but during the season I just watch the games and hope to win.
Being a fantasy football player demands that I separate my fandom from the game so that I don't have clouded judgment. The other side of that coin has proven to be Vice-versa (maybe even Versa-Vice). I tend to just enjoy the 'Hawks as a fan and I try not to think too much about the numbers.
Hoping they'll win more games and make a run at it this year. If it doesn't happen, I'll hope for next year.
That said, I have nothing against any of this discussion or the article.
I'm pretty certain your past work on FG contributed to my long-standing distrust of PFF and "I’m skeptical of any website that claims to grade all 22 players on every play of a football game within hours" explains why better than I could. Thanks as always for all the thought you put into this!
Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times is a 2018 book by Mark Leibovich
Fantastic insights into background facts about how teams really operate , and an easy well written book. I listened on audio.
I dislike all of this offseason crystal ball gazing. We very badly want the Hawks restored to Super Bowl competitive level, made worse by qualifying for playoffs but not winning many playoff games. So I see us grinding away on all kinds of speculation about how they - or anyone - get better. Improvement to elite status seems so possible, but we see how elusive and mysterious that last bit of progress is. It seems as impossible to predict as what the weather will be like in 449 days.
True, but you need SOMETHING Seahawksy to do during the doldrums of summer....
And THAT is the elephant in the room. I’d say that SJ has earned a day off (just one!), but that seems unlikely at best.
If you like "Thinking Fast and Slow" check out "Never Split the Difference". For everyone else...Calvin and Hobbs??
Just got "Never Split the Difference" but haven't jumped in yet, glad to hear you liked it
Better or not on D, the Seahawks will only be "better" if they can win more game in the NFCW. At a minimum they have to split their games with their rivals. Being swept by the Niners/Rams can't happen , but if it does, regardless of D rank, this will not be an improved season.
Oke Doke...sense you opened the inspirational book referral door:
A good read that exemplifies why Bobby Wagner is a master of his craft, and was recommended reading by the same great Bwagz is "Chop Wood, Carry Water". The key to mastering ANYTHING is found in 'learning to love the process' needed to attain said mastery.
As convoluted as they are, salary caps prevent the NFL from being the MLB were the rich teams like the LA Dodgers can spend 300 million plus on players and small to medium market teams top out at 150 million . That's why I love it when the Dodgers lose the World Series!
But the Dodgers do lose. So do the Red Sox, and Yankees. Small market teams win the World Series about as often as random small market teams win the Super Bowl. An argument could be made to abolish the salary cap and just let super rich owners spend their stupid money any foolish way they want. That would certainly be better for the players. Ms. Allen has lots of money, let her spend it.
Except unlike the big market teams, the small market teams are never in consecutive play offs or penants
I suppose that's true, but every fanbase has about as much hope of a championship as any other team. Not any different than the NFL ...'ish.*
*It's not really the same but pretty close, and MLB players are way better paid than their NFL counterparts.
In MLB it doesn’t matter if your big market or small market, it only matters how much money you’re willing to spend. Kansas City and Minneapolis would be annual contenders if they had a budget of 250 million.
Boooo
Here’s my chance to plug a friend’s book called “And That Was Only The Front Counter” by Noel Hart. It’s not about sports, but it is an easy fun read about his time working in an LA book store and the people that came and went. It’s a bunch of little fun anecdotes. So, if you want a kind of different and fun read, give it a go. I believe it’s available from AbeBooks.
I figured out salaries and cap stuff are fairly irrelevant a few years ago, I barely pay attention these days. Teams are gonna give out some bad contracts, that's life. And every team that does will deal with it. Denver just took a huge hit on Russ and they're fielding a team and will win games. The Saints push cap hits into the future every season and it never catches up with them. The Rams went all in and after a single bad season were back in the playoffs.
Salary caps and salaries should be meaningless to fans because they're barely meaningful to the teams.
I don't know...always find it interesting to see who they select to restructure when push comes to shove, and how much they free up. Agree that eventually all teams find a way to get under the cap as they need to be, but their "solution" choices intrigue me
“Versa in a vice” a great twist. May the 12s be with you.