I have looked at the 22 of last years defense against the 49ers (Nov 17th in SF) we won, and how Seattle defense changed since the beginning of the year. Very promising. Seattle also added to that group with a year under McDonald and the adds at corner and safety. D-Law could well be an X-Factor as well as Hall. Nwuso is a mystery. He could also be an X factor.
So many of the early preditions of Seattle's offense have been tempered a bit since the first two preseason games. Here's where Seattle's offense comes out the gate firing on all 8 to start the season. Last year in NO, Kubiak's new scheme in the first two games scored 47 against Carolina and 44 against Dallas (with a healthy Parsons). With last years offense in the rear view mirror, I think Seattle has a great day in week one on both sides of the ball. The new offense really exploits the 49ers biggest achiles heel from last year. Run defense. They made a lot of moves in the draft to fix that but losing Greenlaw,Hufanga and Ward will be noticed on the defense. A quick note on Ryan Grubb's offense at Bama. They were upset yesterday by Florida State. I noticed this note in the recap "Alabama couldn’t solve Florida State’s defense, finishing with 87 rushing yards on 29 carries." Sound familiar.
From what I hear, all the starters on both sides of the ball will be ready to go with the exception of Hankins.
McDonalds opinion of the division in year two.
When asked on Thursday about his thoughts on where the Seahawks stack up against the likes of the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and 49ers, Macdonald couldn't have been more blunt in his response. "Bro, I really don’t care," Macdonald said, almost snickering at the question. "I just- I don’t care. I just care where we’re at."
Seatte is no longer intimitated by it's CA Bully's. I think you are going to see a different swag on both sides of the ball in Seattle.
Almost all of the pudits think Seattle is going to have an outstanding defense this year under McDonald 2.0.
The biggest question is about the offense:
Darnold, The O-Line and the WR group.
Darnold is playing again ( year 3 ) in an offense that caters to his strengths. Shanahan, O'Connell, Kubiak. The line has quietly done something no one thought possible after the March free agency period. They improved since last year. Across the board they are better than week one last year. The additon of the FB is an ignored improvment in this scheme that has not been mentioned much along with the TE room. Seattle doesn't appear to have the big name game changers on either side of the ball is the hack. IMHO. I'll take a team with a lot of good players throughout the roster instead of a few superstars. In 2013 Seattle didn't have any Superstars other than maybe Lynch. The upside this year might be better on the offensive side of the ball.
The defense seems to be pretty good going into 2025.
WR seems to be the weakpoint. Even Condatta has some concerns. My take is this. Everyone is talking about JSN (who is considered pretty good around the league). Most doubt Kupp. No one is talking about Bobo, Arroyo, Barner or Young. Young and Aroyo both have downfield speed. Seattles doesn't maybe have the markee names, but this offense doesn't demand that . This isn't a Ferrari offense, but more of a Land Cruiser. WR and TE's that block are important. As far as route running; I think JSN, Kupp Horton and Bobo are pretty good at that. The play action intermediate pass game is where this dog lies. I'm not sure if anyone noticed in the preseason but Seattle has ressurected a relic in the offensive playbook..The screen pass. Athletic lineman and a blocking receiving group is critical to this phase of the game. I'm pretty sure it is back in 2025 after a long hiatus.
Preditability is a thing of the past on both sides of the ball. The olffense and defense line up the same way most of the time, but run all sorts of schemes out of a single look. So much for defenses chucking the base D. Seattle was one of the leaders last year of teams not playing base against them.
I think as a whole Seattle is just a different team this year both in mindset, roster and attitude. A full offseaon with nearly 100% participation and buy in makes a difference
If you were hoping for some caviar and champagne Seattle will probably dissappoint you. But if a ham sandwich and a beer meets your fancy, pull up a chair and keep you hardhat on.
It's not a prediction - but for the first time in years I didn't draft a Seahawk for Fantasy Football. Not that I don't believe in us, i'm just sick of accidentally cursing the team! So without my jinx weighing us down we'll surely fly to 11+ wins a the Superbowl.
Very excited and optimistic for this second year of coach MM. JS and Jody Allen have provided continuity from the golden era of Seahawks football. Good vibes and good culture permeate this franchise. Coach brings a new freshness and modern contemporary approach defensively that should only keep ascending. The new OC Kubiak is an experienced tactician whose pedigree comes from a successful legendary coach who is his father. The much maligned O-line is looking to take the steps upward from the bottom ranks of the league to greater heights. Even though we do not know what will happen, there is a sense that the offense will be balanced with great emphasis on the run game, which the improved O-line will be a hopefully pleasant factor in its success. Sam Darnold is a veteran QB who had much success last year after years of malaise with poor teams and wearing the bust label as a result. He’s still young but much wiser for his experiences. At the very least he should be no worse than Geno Smith with lots of good potential. The biggest X factor will always be injuries. Every team with the best laid plans and strongest rosters can see it all go down if key players or combinations of key players are lost to injuries. Here’s to a clean and healthy season, and super good vibes. Take it one game at a time and stack those wins.
The scary thing after watching the pre-season over and over, if they start calling holding penalties we're going to see a very different outcome....like very different. On almost every play on the opening drive by the starters against the chiefs, there's holding by our guys that goes uncalled. Oof...
Here's another one, this time from The Athletic. Very interesting piece on new head coaches who have ex-head coaches on their staff. There are many more than I recalled:
Excellent! This is perfect. Just the way we wanted it. And in fairness, we have to go earn it, so I get where the doubt is coming from. I just don't think there is much doubt in the building.
If Sam does well, and Geno not so much, writers will write shit about how right the Seahawks were, and how wrong Pete was. If Geno does really well, and Sam not so much, it will be the other way around. Writers gotta write. It's silly really. They are on two different teams, and they'll be a myriad of reasons why they have success, or not, this year. It's unfortunate. I wish Geno the best, and also for DK.....except for week 2.
Enough with the preseason stories. Let's get to the regular season.
I have a friend in Pittsburgh, the nicest man on Earth, and he dearly loves his Steelers. He's totally convinced Arron Rogers and DKM are going to score 500 TDs between them and go undefeated for years to come. Silly old man.
12 months ago at this point I told everyone in ear shot Sam Darnold is better than you think. The Vikings will outperform expectations. I was called every variation of the word idiot in the English language and Darnold is not an NFL QB.
Fast forward to today and all these same people are telling me I am a jerk for pointing out Sam Darnolds defiencies.
Such is American football.
The big thing with Darnold that we will not know and may not is: how will he play in big games?
There is a reason KOC and the Vikings did not resign Darnold. I followed their season fairly closely and believe that the Vikings weee planing to sing him to a big contract … until the final 2 games.
Watching those games closely it wasn’t that he had bad games it’s that he mentally appeared to not be able to handle the moment. That led to the Vikings not offering him.
My hope is Darnold gets a mental coach and/or analyzes what happened and improved. Because he is a good QB in general. He is not great (yet) but he can get better. He can make the throws it’s just that last little bit. Can he get rid of the ball quicker? Can he be a little more accurate? And most importantly … can he play when the pressure is at the highest?
I’m excited and hopeful to see these answers. Can’t wait
It will be interesting to see for sure. I'm hopeful, but you know how far hope gets you. I think the big thing Kubiak needs to make sure is Sam always has a plan. And Kubiak needs to make adjustments if the defence is winning based on plan A. Get to plan B, or C. The Vikings (and Sam) just didn't adjust in those two games. But the best of QB's will struggle when the defence is in the backfield almost as fast as the football.
Whether we're a 9 or 10 win team, or a 11 wins or more team will largely be how Sam and that offensive line can play. If they hold up, and Kubiak calls great games, then we're in business. Make it easy for Sam on a high % of plays. Then let him take the deep shots when they are there. He throws a nice deep ball if he gets the time.
Having San Fran in week 1 puts a big test in front of them right out of the gate. No warm up game (or games like last year). But, we've had months to prepare for them, and they us. I read this morning that the 9'ers are picking MVS's brain for tips. I figured they grabbed him more for that than his skill as a WR.
“But the best of QB's will struggle when the defence is in the backfield almost as fast as the football.”
And that is the difference between Geno and SD. Geno dealt with quick pressure for three years and still produced at a high level. SD, at least to this point, has not.
That’s where I’m at with the 2 QBs. When things are good around the QB, I think SD is only slightly below Geno and other upper level QBs. But when things break down around the QB, SD is much worse than Geno and others.
The difference grows depending on situation around QB.
SDs highs can get close to Genos highs … but his lows are far worse than Genos.
So, the team needs to be good around him, supported by good run game, and good play calling.
I think SD will be good in a good offense. My questions will be 1st and 20, 3rd and 7, a bad day from the line. Can he overcome that when needed? That could be a next growth step for him. I’m hopeful. I like SD
Let’s roll the football out there and see what happens!
I expect we'll agree to disagree on Geno's effectiveness under pressure, or just his overall effectiveness. Good QB, no doubt. The degree of good is something I expect we'll differ on, and that's totally fine. We're not going to agree on everything here, nor should we. And I respect your take on it, and don't presume to think I'm right and you're wrong. It's totally possible that you're right and I'm wrong. Sam's a Seahawk now, so obviously that's where my focus is. Hopefully (there's that word again) he'll play very well. We'll see.
My understanding is that it wasn’t a real offer. It was something less than $30M and no guarantee to start and 1 or 2 years. Basically a backupish offer
Prior to the final two games I think the Vikings were looking to go soemewhere around 40-50M a year and 3 year + deal.
I've seen no evidence the Vikings were ever planning on offering Darnold a long term contract. They drafted McCarthy 10th overall last year for a reason. Darnold said the offer was for 1 year, but he didn't say for how much, so I can't speculate.
Right … so they never really offered him a contract or starting spot.
I followed the Vikings closely last year because of Darnold situation. I believe they were fully planning on signing Darnold to a long term deal prior to the final two games.
It wasn’t just that Darnold was bad (he was unplayably bad) it’s that he mentally looked like he couldn’t handle the moment. At that point, I think the Vikings chose to move on.
My hope is that he has learned and handles high pressure games better this year hoping we get to one.
There are a lot more reasons than Darnold that the Vikings lost to the Lions and the Rams. I don't believe for a second that those games were the reason he is in Seattle. Darnold is in Seattle because the Vikings drafted their QBoTF last year #10 overall. It's that simple.
If teams made their personnel decisions based on the outcomes of one or two games, the NFL wouldn't have any players in it. Patrick Mahomes would be out of a job based on his performance vs the 49ers last year, which was worse than Darnold's performance against the Lions.
Patrick Mahomes? The guy that has (I think) 3 super bowls? The guy that has played at a high level in many big games? No I don’t think the chiefs or anyone in this world thinks Pat Mahomes can’t play in big games.
When a team looks at Patrick Mahomes they see a guy who will step up in big games. When KOC and the GM looked at Sam Darnold they saw a guy that folded in the biggest game. Then decided he was not a guy they could trust with a $40-$50M a year contract. And moved on to JJ.
They weren’t the only ones. Tom Brady said the Raiders would not consider Darnold.
When you go to battle as a team, you want someone you believe in.
Like I said. Read the quotes, watch the interview, watch the game tape. I did … did you?
I do think having JJ makes that decision to move on easier. So I get that point.
My impression about the Seahawks is the same as it was 6 months ago.
I like the trajectory of the team. I like the head coach and the defense.
I like the OC hire and what it could mean for the offensive line. I like the offensive line with 1 year more experience but would’ve liked a vet to add tot he mix. Didn’t work (fries) and not crying about it. We move forward.
The season hinges to me mostly on the O line. We lost our WR and QB. We are worse at both positions. Can the OC, potentially improved O line/run game make up for those defiencies?
Maybe.
But the big thing to me is I’m not sure about the division. as I’ve started to dig into week 1 and looking at the landscape of the NFC west. I am just not sure how good the other teams are. Week 1 against the Niners I am starting to see very positively. Think that could be W.
Overall, like the trajectory of the Hawks. Took a step back losing some stars but gained in terms of offensive direction and one year closer to some primes for players. And the division may be open.
As I tell my sons every season, " you tell me who gets injured and I'll tell you who goes to the SB.,"
Our defense is much better, so they won't be on the field for 40 plus minutes per game and our offense will have more drives. I think the new O scheme fits Darnold to a T so we'll see fewer sacks and red zone picks. With an improved O line, a FB , better blocking from WRs , TEs and a wide zone blocking. the run game should keep 3rd and 9s to a minimum.
If our STs don't improve, we'll lose games we should win. I hope MM fixes before the real games start.
I'm not worried about the special teams... if I recall correctly the gaffes during preseason happened with guys who are mostly no longer with the team.
Wel, my first thoughts are about Parsons. If Parson's is a liability in the run, then he was totally overpaid, and he acts as the peak of the mistake in overvaluing sacks versus run stopping ability. Remember that Pete's old mantra was first you must stop the run (which he failed at for his last five years as our coach and that is what sealed his fate). If you cannot stop the run then you just lost the game. So guys like Demarkus Lawrence are devalued and we ended up with him in what I consider a bargain. And he is no slouch against the pass, as SSJ said, he could easily end up our best pass rusher. Though that would be a bad thing because they hope Hall steps his game up a bit and gets 12 or more sacks. But Demarkus is that good that he will surely get 7 or 8 sacks this year, guaranteed. Watts can stop the run, too, so his worth (40M/Year) seems closer to his value to a team than a mostly one trick pony, no matter how good he is at that one trick, and I do grant that.
Enough about Parsons. My impressions are wildly optimistic about this team. Remember that last year and as far into the past as this old brain can remember, the Seahawks offenses, regardless of our successes, almost always lost the time of possession (TOP) battle. Our defense had to deal with that last year and still found success. Think of how much success they will have with a TOP winning offense?
That alone is my argument that this team will be wildly successful. However, that is predicated on the assumption that this team has solved its OL problem they had last year, and Lucas is back, last year he was not back, even though he played. The holes I saw our running backs run through, which were about the size of the mouth of the Mississippi River, tells me our OL problem is solved. If it is, our RB's will be supplying plenty of explosive plays I hear people wondering about.
I never felt Parsons would be a serious option for the Seahawks. He's an excellent player but it hasn't been JS's MO to trade and give top of market deals to players, which Parsons wanted. His personality fit was also a question for me. He and D-Law did not seem to be compatible. And, Mike MacDonald has had top defences without the top of market pass rushers, and has gotten production out of budget players. If Pete was around he'd go for it, and would have created another potential Jamal Adams situation. I think the Seahawks were smart for staying out of the Parsons drama.
Green Bay better be cautious with him. Rush him onto the field too early and he could be on the sidelines for most of the season with an injury.
The Officiating relaxed calling Holds and such in preseason. My concern is our newbies are rudely introduced to a whole new level of scrutiny. I can only expect our Coaches are fully aware of who needs to adjust what/where/when and how. Welcome to potential Big Bucks, boyz. Go forth and prosper...
I look at the team this season and see one that is improved over last year’s 10-7 team. We have a REAL offensive coordinator that uses an NFL offense, not a more gimmicky college offense. The Oline appears better with a blocking scheme that matches the players.
We had a great draft and overall personnel is deeper/better. Our WRs are different (for the most part) but as good. Lockett gave us very little last season, JSN will likely be better than last season and Kupp/Horton can match DK’s production without the annoying penalties.
I think a lot of Hawks fans are gonna fall in love with K9 all over again. This offensive scheme is made to order for him.
No way the D isn’t better. Simply from more experience in MMs scheme. And Coach has a year of seasoning under his belt.
I see 10-7 as the floor for this team and 13-4 as a real possibility, maybe better.
Yes, my enthusiasm is…unbridled. As it always is this time of year!
I think we may be underestimating the effect that the blocking scheme has on the efficiency of the blockers. We could very well see a huge jump with only one different (Olu pending?) change in personnel (Zabel) strictly because the difference in scheme. Running off the ball, play action, etc give the linemen a small advantage they didn't have last year. Just wait for it, a whole new world....
SSJ has instilled a better focus in me on all-things O-Line this year than at any time in my life. It is what I pay the most attention to when I can start/stop the tape on Monday. I hope our Big Men in both Trenches feel the love, as knowing the challenges on the offensive side mirrors the troubles a Defense is up against., thus illuminating their challenges. Best education I've had over decades.
Darnold may very well end up with way less yards just because his top targets are not deep route guys. But I would expect his completion rate to go up and his sack numbers to go down if most of his job is quick outs. And I am 100% OK with that. I would prefer a 10 play 75 yard drive to a 6 play 25 yard drive. I will not miss the 1-10, 2-10, 25 yard pass, 1-10, 2-9, 3-9, punt of last year.
The defence will be improved, and will play better than last year overall. Top 10 I think, is a reasonable expectation, if injuries are modest. Offense has to be better, and will be. Whether that's a modest improvement, a dramatic improvement, or somewhere in between remains to be seen. I don't see them losing 7 games this year if they are somewhat better on both offence and defence.
Game 1 will tell us a lot. Win or lose the themes of the season will emerge. There are a thousand ways to win or lose a game. But hopefully we find a way to 'complementary football' and MacDonald is pretty pumped up after week one.
I think as fans we are acutely aware of the fragility of our team — are we one bad hamstrung away from disaster? — and forget that fragility is the norm.
I look at this team as a three-year arc, though it's never possible to know what point on the arc we occupy. I think that arc takes us to the Super Bowl in three years, but, y'know, I'm often wrong about such things.
So. I believe in the coaches. We have hired, on both sides, coaches who are adaptable and who implement systems that do not demand the players be the best at their position. If we are able to keep the bulk of them here for my three-year arc, that stability and versatility will become a strength. I am particularly curious to see what Kubiak can do in his second year here -- he's never had a second year as OC -- once his base system is in place and he has a deeper understanding of his roster, and what needs to be added and subtracted from that roster. He and MM are both mad scientists...or, perhaps, magicians, inasmuch as they like to conceal their art.
I think Darnold will be fine unless things break badly around him. I think the receiving corps will be fine, because the scheme will play to their strengths. I think the OL will be mostly fine, but there will be games in which bits and pieces of it look rickety because they're young. I think the D will be top-ten. I think Emmanwori is going to have an up and down year, and hope he's up for that. Same with Arroyo. He'll have games where he's a star and games where he disappears.
My hope is that the team does two things: (1) Beats good teams, and (2) Wins a playoff game. Just one. Just enough to get a taste, in the second game, the one I expect them to lose, of what it's going to take.
And as for JS: Grow your own, sign the best of 'em, keep up the good work.
Beat good teams, that's the next hurdle. We can't go from good to great padding our win totals on bad or mediocre teams. We have to start beating good teams. Until then, we're pretenders.
Beating good teams is the thing. As nice as the defense closed last year, they didn’t show that they could stand up to good teams. That’s clearly the next step.
I have looked at the 22 of last years defense against the 49ers (Nov 17th in SF) we won, and how Seattle defense changed since the beginning of the year. Very promising. Seattle also added to that group with a year under McDonald and the adds at corner and safety. D-Law could well be an X-Factor as well as Hall. Nwuso is a mystery. He could also be an X factor.
So many of the early preditions of Seattle's offense have been tempered a bit since the first two preseason games. Here's where Seattle's offense comes out the gate firing on all 8 to start the season. Last year in NO, Kubiak's new scheme in the first two games scored 47 against Carolina and 44 against Dallas (with a healthy Parsons). With last years offense in the rear view mirror, I think Seattle has a great day in week one on both sides of the ball. The new offense really exploits the 49ers biggest achiles heel from last year. Run defense. They made a lot of moves in the draft to fix that but losing Greenlaw,Hufanga and Ward will be noticed on the defense. A quick note on Ryan Grubb's offense at Bama. They were upset yesterday by Florida State. I noticed this note in the recap "Alabama couldn’t solve Florida State’s defense, finishing with 87 rushing yards on 29 carries." Sound familiar.
From what I hear, all the starters on both sides of the ball will be ready to go with the exception of Hankins.
McDonalds opinion of the division in year two.
When asked on Thursday about his thoughts on where the Seahawks stack up against the likes of the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and 49ers, Macdonald couldn't have been more blunt in his response. "Bro, I really don’t care," Macdonald said, almost snickering at the question. "I just- I don’t care. I just care where we’re at."
Seatte is no longer intimitated by it's CA Bully's. I think you are going to see a different swag on both sides of the ball in Seattle.
Almost all of the pudits think Seattle is going to have an outstanding defense this year under McDonald 2.0.
The biggest question is about the offense:
Darnold, The O-Line and the WR group.
Darnold is playing again ( year 3 ) in an offense that caters to his strengths. Shanahan, O'Connell, Kubiak. The line has quietly done something no one thought possible after the March free agency period. They improved since last year. Across the board they are better than week one last year. The additon of the FB is an ignored improvment in this scheme that has not been mentioned much along with the TE room. Seattle doesn't appear to have the big name game changers on either side of the ball is the hack. IMHO. I'll take a team with a lot of good players throughout the roster instead of a few superstars. In 2013 Seattle didn't have any Superstars other than maybe Lynch. The upside this year might be better on the offensive side of the ball.
The defense seems to be pretty good going into 2025.
WR seems to be the weakpoint. Even Condatta has some concerns. My take is this. Everyone is talking about JSN (who is considered pretty good around the league). Most doubt Kupp. No one is talking about Bobo, Arroyo, Barner or Young. Young and Aroyo both have downfield speed. Seattles doesn't maybe have the markee names, but this offense doesn't demand that . This isn't a Ferrari offense, but more of a Land Cruiser. WR and TE's that block are important. As far as route running; I think JSN, Kupp Horton and Bobo are pretty good at that. The play action intermediate pass game is where this dog lies. I'm not sure if anyone noticed in the preseason but Seattle has ressurected a relic in the offensive playbook..The screen pass. Athletic lineman and a blocking receiving group is critical to this phase of the game. I'm pretty sure it is back in 2025 after a long hiatus.
Preditability is a thing of the past on both sides of the ball. The olffense and defense line up the same way most of the time, but run all sorts of schemes out of a single look. So much for defenses chucking the base D. Seattle was one of the leaders last year of teams not playing base against them.
I think as a whole Seattle is just a different team this year both in mindset, roster and attitude. A full offseaon with nearly 100% participation and buy in makes a difference
If you were hoping for some caviar and champagne Seattle will probably dissappoint you. But if a ham sandwich and a beer meets your fancy, pull up a chair and keep you hardhat on.
It's not a prediction - but for the first time in years I didn't draft a Seahawk for Fantasy Football. Not that I don't believe in us, i'm just sick of accidentally cursing the team! So without my jinx weighing us down we'll surely fly to 11+ wins a the Superbowl.
Wanted Zach for potential but yep.
Has anyone heard anthing about the Bears signing Martinez off our PS to their 53 roster. Heavy Sports mentioned this 3 hours ago
Very excited and optimistic for this second year of coach MM. JS and Jody Allen have provided continuity from the golden era of Seahawks football. Good vibes and good culture permeate this franchise. Coach brings a new freshness and modern contemporary approach defensively that should only keep ascending. The new OC Kubiak is an experienced tactician whose pedigree comes from a successful legendary coach who is his father. The much maligned O-line is looking to take the steps upward from the bottom ranks of the league to greater heights. Even though we do not know what will happen, there is a sense that the offense will be balanced with great emphasis on the run game, which the improved O-line will be a hopefully pleasant factor in its success. Sam Darnold is a veteran QB who had much success last year after years of malaise with poor teams and wearing the bust label as a result. He’s still young but much wiser for his experiences. At the very least he should be no worse than Geno Smith with lots of good potential. The biggest X factor will always be injuries. Every team with the best laid plans and strongest rosters can see it all go down if key players or combinations of key players are lost to injuries. Here’s to a clean and healthy season, and super good vibes. Take it one game at a time and stack those wins.
The scary thing after watching the pre-season over and over, if they start calling holding penalties we're going to see a very different outcome....like very different. On almost every play on the opening drive by the starters against the chiefs, there's holding by our guys that goes uncalled. Oof...
I'm concerned by that thought, but wonder if that's a Seahawks-only phenomenon. I saw some holding, but wasn't focused on it.
I did notice a lot of it against our defense.
Well said. This group of edge rushers is a lot of B+ guys. Let’s see if they turn in some work worthy of a stellar grade. Time will tell.
Well…guess another reminder we’re Seattle and tucked away in anonymity…
https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-predictions-picks-for-mvp-seven-other-top-awards
28 analysts.
We got 3 votes on winning the division
We got no votes on being a wild card (but AZ got one)
We got no votes OR mentions for MVP
Nor for Offensive Player of the Year
Nor for Defensive Player of the Year
Nor for Offensive Rookie of the Year
Nor for Defensive Rookie of the Year
Nor for Comeback Player of the Year
Nor for Coach of the Year (although Pete came in 4th)
Not even one mention.
Hope this ends up on the bulletin board.
Aaaannndddd....
Here's another one, this time from The Athletic. Very interesting piece on new head coaches who have ex-head coaches on their staff. There are many more than I recalled:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6581609/2025/08/31/robert-saleh-brian-flores-nfl-coaches-lessons/?source=athletic_pulsenewsletter&campaign=14687052&userId=6280905
Kellen Moore HC Saints with Brandon Staley
Schottenheimer HC Cowboys with Matt Eberflus
Ben Johnson HC Bears with Dennis Allen
Aaron Glenn HC Jets with Steve Wilks
Kyle Shanahan HC Niners with Robert Saleh
Andy Reid HC Chiefs with Steve Spagnuolo
Kevin O'Connell Vikings with Brian Flores
Mcvay HC Rams with Wade Phillips and Raheem Morris
And of course Mike Macdonald and Leslie Frazier, one of the first hires he made, right?
Nope.
Crickets....
Excellent! This is perfect. Just the way we wanted it. And in fairness, we have to go earn it, so I get where the doubt is coming from. I just don't think there is much doubt in the building.
It’s ironic in a way. The scribes who all said Geno was shitty are now apparently saying he was worth the 10 wins?
He and DK and Tyler obviously — entire rest of the core team still here other than Dre’mont (??).
Has to be Darnold and Kupp vs Geno and DK.
So be it.
Let the games begin!!
If Sam does well, and Geno not so much, writers will write shit about how right the Seahawks were, and how wrong Pete was. If Geno does really well, and Sam not so much, it will be the other way around. Writers gotta write. It's silly really. They are on two different teams, and they'll be a myriad of reasons why they have success, or not, this year. It's unfortunate. I wish Geno the best, and also for DK.....except for week 2.
Enough with the preseason stories. Let's get to the regular season.
I have a friend in Pittsburgh, the nicest man on Earth, and he dearly loves his Steelers. He's totally convinced Arron Rogers and DKM are going to score 500 TDs between them and go undefeated for years to come. Silly old man.
I don't see how that will end well, but what do I know.
ZZH sez: Let the games begin
Legion of Nobodys. Cool. Bring it. It's back-to-school time, scribes.
Legend of Whom so it sorta rhymes 😆
Love it! The LOW boyz!
Yeah the LOW boyz, perfect!!
12 months ago at this point I told everyone in ear shot Sam Darnold is better than you think. The Vikings will outperform expectations. I was called every variation of the word idiot in the English language and Darnold is not an NFL QB.
Fast forward to today and all these same people are telling me I am a jerk for pointing out Sam Darnolds defiencies.
Such is American football.
The big thing with Darnold that we will not know and may not is: how will he play in big games?
There is a reason KOC and the Vikings did not resign Darnold. I followed their season fairly closely and believe that the Vikings weee planing to sing him to a big contract … until the final 2 games.
Watching those games closely it wasn’t that he had bad games it’s that he mentally appeared to not be able to handle the moment. That led to the Vikings not offering him.
My hope is Darnold gets a mental coach and/or analyzes what happened and improved. Because he is a good QB in general. He is not great (yet) but he can get better. He can make the throws it’s just that last little bit. Can he get rid of the ball quicker? Can he be a little more accurate? And most importantly … can he play when the pressure is at the highest?
I’m excited and hopeful to see these answers. Can’t wait
It will be interesting to see for sure. I'm hopeful, but you know how far hope gets you. I think the big thing Kubiak needs to make sure is Sam always has a plan. And Kubiak needs to make adjustments if the defence is winning based on plan A. Get to plan B, or C. The Vikings (and Sam) just didn't adjust in those two games. But the best of QB's will struggle when the defence is in the backfield almost as fast as the football.
Whether we're a 9 or 10 win team, or a 11 wins or more team will largely be how Sam and that offensive line can play. If they hold up, and Kubiak calls great games, then we're in business. Make it easy for Sam on a high % of plays. Then let him take the deep shots when they are there. He throws a nice deep ball if he gets the time.
Having San Fran in week 1 puts a big test in front of them right out of the gate. No warm up game (or games like last year). But, we've had months to prepare for them, and they us. I read this morning that the 9'ers are picking MVS's brain for tips. I figured they grabbed him more for that than his skill as a WR.
“But the best of QB's will struggle when the defence is in the backfield almost as fast as the football.”
And that is the difference between Geno and SD. Geno dealt with quick pressure for three years and still produced at a high level. SD, at least to this point, has not.
That’s where I’m at with the 2 QBs. When things are good around the QB, I think SD is only slightly below Geno and other upper level QBs. But when things break down around the QB, SD is much worse than Geno and others.
The difference grows depending on situation around QB.
SDs highs can get close to Genos highs … but his lows are far worse than Genos.
So, the team needs to be good around him, supported by good run game, and good play calling.
I think SD will be good in a good offense. My questions will be 1st and 20, 3rd and 7, a bad day from the line. Can he overcome that when needed? That could be a next growth step for him. I’m hopeful. I like SD
Let’s roll the football out there and see what happens!
I expect we'll agree to disagree on Geno's effectiveness under pressure, or just his overall effectiveness. Good QB, no doubt. The degree of good is something I expect we'll differ on, and that's totally fine. We're not going to agree on everything here, nor should we. And I respect your take on it, and don't presume to think I'm right and you're wrong. It's totally possible that you're right and I'm wrong. Sam's a Seahawk now, so obviously that's where my focus is. Hopefully (there's that word again) he'll play very well. We'll see.
The Vikings did offer to re-sign Darnold and he turned them down.
What was the offer?
My understanding is that it wasn’t a real offer. It was something less than $30M and no guarantee to start and 1 or 2 years. Basically a backupish offer
Prior to the final two games I think the Vikings were looking to go soemewhere around 40-50M a year and 3 year + deal.
I've seen no evidence the Vikings were ever planning on offering Darnold a long term contract. They drafted McCarthy 10th overall last year for a reason. Darnold said the offer was for 1 year, but he didn't say for how much, so I can't speculate.
Right … so they never really offered him a contract or starting spot.
I followed the Vikings closely last year because of Darnold situation. I believe they were fully planning on signing Darnold to a long term deal prior to the final two games.
It wasn’t just that Darnold was bad (he was unplayably bad) it’s that he mentally looked like he couldn’t handle the moment. At that point, I think the Vikings chose to move on.
My hope is that he has learned and handles high pressure games better this year hoping we get to one.
There are a lot more reasons than Darnold that the Vikings lost to the Lions and the Rams. I don't believe for a second that those games were the reason he is in Seattle. Darnold is in Seattle because the Vikings drafted their QBoTF last year #10 overall. It's that simple.
If teams made their personnel decisions based on the outcomes of one or two games, the NFL wouldn't have any players in it. Patrick Mahomes would be out of a job based on his performance vs the 49ers last year, which was worse than Darnold's performance against the Lions.
Patrick Mahomes? The guy that has (I think) 3 super bowls? The guy that has played at a high level in many big games? No I don’t think the chiefs or anyone in this world thinks Pat Mahomes can’t play in big games.
When a team looks at Patrick Mahomes they see a guy who will step up in big games. When KOC and the GM looked at Sam Darnold they saw a guy that folded in the biggest game. Then decided he was not a guy they could trust with a $40-$50M a year contract. And moved on to JJ.
They weren’t the only ones. Tom Brady said the Raiders would not consider Darnold.
When you go to battle as a team, you want someone you believe in.
Like I said. Read the quotes, watch the interview, watch the game tape. I did … did you?
I do think having JJ makes that decision to move on easier. So I get that point.
My impression about the Seahawks is the same as it was 6 months ago.
I like the trajectory of the team. I like the head coach and the defense.
I like the OC hire and what it could mean for the offensive line. I like the offensive line with 1 year more experience but would’ve liked a vet to add tot he mix. Didn’t work (fries) and not crying about it. We move forward.
The season hinges to me mostly on the O line. We lost our WR and QB. We are worse at both positions. Can the OC, potentially improved O line/run game make up for those defiencies?
Maybe.
But the big thing to me is I’m not sure about the division. as I’ve started to dig into week 1 and looking at the landscape of the NFC west. I am just not sure how good the other teams are. Week 1 against the Niners I am starting to see very positively. Think that could be W.
Overall, like the trajectory of the Hawks. Took a step back losing some stars but gained in terms of offensive direction and one year closer to some primes for players. And the division may be open.
As I tell my sons every season, " you tell me who gets injured and I'll tell you who goes to the SB.,"
Our defense is much better, so they won't be on the field for 40 plus minutes per game and our offense will have more drives. I think the new O scheme fits Darnold to a T so we'll see fewer sacks and red zone picks. With an improved O line, a FB , better blocking from WRs , TEs and a wide zone blocking. the run game should keep 3rd and 9s to a minimum.
If our STs don't improve, we'll lose games we should win. I hope MM fixes before the real games start.
I'm not worried about the special teams... if I recall correctly the gaffes during preseason happened with guys who are mostly no longer with the team.
My only real concern is our special teams. They were the only group that caused me concern every time that we were receiving the kick.
The rest of the team only looks to be improved overall to me.
Good catch...
Wel, my first thoughts are about Parsons. If Parson's is a liability in the run, then he was totally overpaid, and he acts as the peak of the mistake in overvaluing sacks versus run stopping ability. Remember that Pete's old mantra was first you must stop the run (which he failed at for his last five years as our coach and that is what sealed his fate). If you cannot stop the run then you just lost the game. So guys like Demarkus Lawrence are devalued and we ended up with him in what I consider a bargain. And he is no slouch against the pass, as SSJ said, he could easily end up our best pass rusher. Though that would be a bad thing because they hope Hall steps his game up a bit and gets 12 or more sacks. But Demarkus is that good that he will surely get 7 or 8 sacks this year, guaranteed. Watts can stop the run, too, so his worth (40M/Year) seems closer to his value to a team than a mostly one trick pony, no matter how good he is at that one trick, and I do grant that.
Enough about Parsons. My impressions are wildly optimistic about this team. Remember that last year and as far into the past as this old brain can remember, the Seahawks offenses, regardless of our successes, almost always lost the time of possession (TOP) battle. Our defense had to deal with that last year and still found success. Think of how much success they will have with a TOP winning offense?
That alone is my argument that this team will be wildly successful. However, that is predicated on the assumption that this team has solved its OL problem they had last year, and Lucas is back, last year he was not back, even though he played. The holes I saw our running backs run through, which were about the size of the mouth of the Mississippi River, tells me our OL problem is solved. If it is, our RB's will be supplying plenty of explosive plays I hear people wondering about.
I could go on, but that enough for now.
I never felt Parsons would be a serious option for the Seahawks. He's an excellent player but it hasn't been JS's MO to trade and give top of market deals to players, which Parsons wanted. His personality fit was also a question for me. He and D-Law did not seem to be compatible. And, Mike MacDonald has had top defences without the top of market pass rushers, and has gotten production out of budget players. If Pete was around he'd go for it, and would have created another potential Jamal Adams situation. I think the Seahawks were smart for staying out of the Parsons drama.
Green Bay better be cautious with him. Rush him onto the field too early and he could be on the sidelines for most of the season with an injury.
The Officiating relaxed calling Holds and such in preseason. My concern is our newbies are rudely introduced to a whole new level of scrutiny. I can only expect our Coaches are fully aware of who needs to adjust what/where/when and how. Welcome to potential Big Bucks, boyz. Go forth and prosper...
I look at the team this season and see one that is improved over last year’s 10-7 team. We have a REAL offensive coordinator that uses an NFL offense, not a more gimmicky college offense. The Oline appears better with a blocking scheme that matches the players.
We had a great draft and overall personnel is deeper/better. Our WRs are different (for the most part) but as good. Lockett gave us very little last season, JSN will likely be better than last season and Kupp/Horton can match DK’s production without the annoying penalties.
I think a lot of Hawks fans are gonna fall in love with K9 all over again. This offensive scheme is made to order for him.
No way the D isn’t better. Simply from more experience in MMs scheme. And Coach has a year of seasoning under his belt.
I see 10-7 as the floor for this team and 13-4 as a real possibility, maybe better.
Yes, my enthusiasm is…unbridled. As it always is this time of year!
I think we may be underestimating the effect that the blocking scheme has on the efficiency of the blockers. We could very well see a huge jump with only one different (Olu pending?) change in personnel (Zabel) strictly because the difference in scheme. Running off the ball, play action, etc give the linemen a small advantage they didn't have last year. Just wait for it, a whole new world....
SSJ has instilled a better focus in me on all-things O-Line this year than at any time in my life. It is what I pay the most attention to when I can start/stop the tape on Monday. I hope our Big Men in both Trenches feel the love, as knowing the challenges on the offensive side mirrors the troubles a Defense is up against., thus illuminating their challenges. Best education I've had over decades.
Darnold may very well end up with way less yards just because his top targets are not deep route guys. But I would expect his completion rate to go up and his sack numbers to go down if most of his job is quick outs. And I am 100% OK with that. I would prefer a 10 play 75 yard drive to a 6 play 25 yard drive. I will not miss the 1-10, 2-10, 25 yard pass, 1-10, 2-9, 3-9, punt of last year.
Long as the interception number is less than half the TD total!
The defence will be improved, and will play better than last year overall. Top 10 I think, is a reasonable expectation, if injuries are modest. Offense has to be better, and will be. Whether that's a modest improvement, a dramatic improvement, or somewhere in between remains to be seen. I don't see them losing 7 games this year if they are somewhat better on both offence and defence.
Game 1 will tell us a lot. Win or lose the themes of the season will emerge. There are a thousand ways to win or lose a game. But hopefully we find a way to 'complementary football' and MacDonald is pretty pumped up after week one.
I am hoping for the defense to be top 3. I think anything less than top 5 is regression.
Top 5 is the floor, I agree.
I would be happy with that.
I think as fans we are acutely aware of the fragility of our team — are we one bad hamstrung away from disaster? — and forget that fragility is the norm.
I look at this team as a three-year arc, though it's never possible to know what point on the arc we occupy. I think that arc takes us to the Super Bowl in three years, but, y'know, I'm often wrong about such things.
So. I believe in the coaches. We have hired, on both sides, coaches who are adaptable and who implement systems that do not demand the players be the best at their position. If we are able to keep the bulk of them here for my three-year arc, that stability and versatility will become a strength. I am particularly curious to see what Kubiak can do in his second year here -- he's never had a second year as OC -- once his base system is in place and he has a deeper understanding of his roster, and what needs to be added and subtracted from that roster. He and MM are both mad scientists...or, perhaps, magicians, inasmuch as they like to conceal their art.
I think Darnold will be fine unless things break badly around him. I think the receiving corps will be fine, because the scheme will play to their strengths. I think the OL will be mostly fine, but there will be games in which bits and pieces of it look rickety because they're young. I think the D will be top-ten. I think Emmanwori is going to have an up and down year, and hope he's up for that. Same with Arroyo. He'll have games where he's a star and games where he disappears.
My hope is that the team does two things: (1) Beats good teams, and (2) Wins a playoff game. Just one. Just enough to get a taste, in the second game, the one I expect them to lose, of what it's going to take.
And as for JS: Grow your own, sign the best of 'em, keep up the good work.
Beat good teams, that's the next hurdle. We can't go from good to great padding our win totals on bad or mediocre teams. We have to start beating good teams. Until then, we're pretenders.
Beating good teams is the thing. As nice as the defense closed last year, they didn’t show that they could stand up to good teams. That’s clearly the next step.