Process over Results. Same this week, and we'll see where that takes us. That said, there are a few undercurrents that I wonder about, and whether they will become part of the emotion of the game.
First, MacDonald vs McVay. I know Mike won't look at it like this, but it's hard to ignore the defensive genius and new 'kid' on the block against the offensive genius, and 'kid' who has been around the block (and won a Super Bowl). Stafford is playing really, really well.....so what will Mike have cooked up? This would be a game when I'd go to Leo and Murphy and say 'go have yourselves a game. I want pressure up the middle all day long'. If he beats the blitz, that's fine. Just make sure he has to pick himself off of the ground after every throw.
Second, how can Darnold not think about the last time he played the Rams, and what everyone has been saying about that performance ever since. 'Can't perform in big games'. 'Can't win when the lights are the brightest'. On and on for 10 months. I know he'll say it's just another game. No way! It ain't. He's human (pretty sure) so there is absolutely no way he's not thinking about that. Wanting a measure of revenge has to be in the mix, at some level of his subconscious thinking. I hope he dominates them and gets to wash it away.
Third, Kubiak has watched the film of that loss to the Rams in the playoffs last year. He knows what happened, and what part of that was Sam, what part was the OC, and what part was the players in front of him. He'll want Sam to have answers. He'll really want Sam to win. He will not want a repeat, and have Sam have to listen to all that noise again. He'll have a plan. He'll also be in Sam's ear this week about not reliving the PTSD of that game, and tell him to just go play. He'll have some easy completions schemed up for the first drives to get him going. He'll talk to the o-line and tell them 'nobody touches Sam today!'.
I think the Seahawks will give the Rams all they can handle, and then some. There will be a handful of plays that decide the game, and hopefully we're the team that makes them. It will be excellent football in any case.
Here is a really good video. If SSJ doesn't put it in the newsletter I will probably repost it in tomorrows comments as I think most people have read the comments for today. But if you are still here give it a look. Tre Wingo from ESPN. Anything longer than 5 minutes and it starts to lose my attention. This was only 15 minutes and I paid attention the whole time. Just stumbled on to it, don't follow him or ESPN but I was glad to find it.
The Move That Changed Seattle — and the Stat Nobody’s Talking About
Trey Wingo was one of the best ESPN Sportscenter anchors before going out onto his own (i don't recall if he was part of the mass firings they did a few years ago or if he just left on his own). He was great because he is well-spoken and entertainingly funny while also being being very well informed.
Thanks for the video, Idaho. You earned Trey another subscriber!
To get to the Super Bowl we probably have to beat the Rams. Three times seems a lot to ask. I’ll settle for the one that really matters and enjoy the ride.
That said, in the last two games, we had some obvious passing downs, and Sam still shredded the defenses. Yes, the heavy boxes help the odds on deep, play action shots, but it’s not like this offense can’t convert from empty, shotgun formations.
It’s possible that the running game will improve, even against the Rams defense. We have a new speedster on the team to help back up defenders. Olu looked great in pushing his man back and in getting to the second level. Bradford has been quietly improving. Zabel continues to gain experience. And with a big, early lead, we got lots of running reps on Sunday.
If the running game takes off, watch out.
I still remember the Dallas game, where it clicked for Marshawn and company. It was a turning point for the team. This team has all the pieces needed to make a similar leap.
Let's remind ourselves, Olu Oluwatimi played college ball for a really big deal program, won awards Sundell could only dream of, he's heavier, stronger, faster than Sundell, and has an extra year of professional experience. I'm not worried about the center position.
I want to see us control the game. Sometimes we want to run for just one yard so getting two is quite successful whereas getting two yards generally is not a great feat. When we want to grind the clock we can successfully do so. When we want to run the ball from the two in the Superbowl we can and do. Sam is awesome, he's playing super confident and looks great. Love our team and our chances against the rams. FTR!
This is the most nervous I have been about a game in years, and it's a week 11 game. Is it hyperbole to say this is the biggest game of the season, tied with the next time we play the Rams?
Not hyperbole, as that would mean an exaggerated claim not meant to be taken seriously - and I know you are being serious!
I totally agree though, I cannot remember feeling so excited and nervous for a game - I feel like a 5-year old who’s written to Santa asking for a new bike. How slow are all the clocks and the watches!
Hyperbole, if you ask me. Because the game is in L.A., the Rams need to win while the Hawks want to win. To me the main thing this Sunday is that win or lose, Seattle plays well.
I'm feeling reasonably confident Seattle will make the playoffs, even though the remaining schedule has the Rams twice, plus Indy plus SF again, plus at least two trap games. But for the #1 seed or going to the Super Bowl, I know they can't avg 3.7 ypc (even though I defend vigorously their need to run 50% of the time) and I know they can't have this many turnovers. Spot on article.
Loving the hype for sure, I’m not sure if it’s PTSD from Let Russ Cook, or many years of lots of close wins, but it’s hard to feel confident yet. A complete game against the Rams is probably what is required to change that.
That being said, until then, speculation on if Darnold can keep it up or if he will regress to the bad losses he had last year (at least that’s how I remember them, half pay attention).
So that brings me to the question, what was it last year, that the Vikings felt like Darnold was worth letting go? What went wrong in the losses? Where has he improved this year to give confidence there won’t be a regression? What is Kubiak doing that can’t be stopped in the 2nd half, like Shotty & Russ did?
I followed the Vikings fairly closely last year as I liked Darnold and thought he was ridiculously underrated.
Darnold only had one bad game prior to the final two games (against the Jags). But the final two games changed things. The team and Head Coach, appeared to me, to lose confidence and reverted back to the original plan (JJ). Had those final two games not happened, I am confident he would still be a Viking.
Detroit game: this was a game where Detroit was decimated by injuries, and their defense was horrible at the end of the year. They had guys signed off the street starting for them. Darnold was inaccurate throughout the game, missing many open receivers and leading to 9 points. Football players are always injured so maybe there was something he didn't disclose? I don't know, but it was nothing like his other games. And after the next game it was thought of that he can't handle big game pressure.
LA Game: Looked confused and got sacked a bunch. Kupp has come out and defended Darnold (as to be expected) this year saying that people don't understand what the Rams did to him. Could be true, don't know. But following the Vikings you could see the air come out of the locker room and the writing was on the wall. at this point as he performed way under the standard he set for the rest of the year.
So, to most onlookers, it looked like the two biggest games and biggest spotlights overwhelmed him and he lost his accuracy and field reading abilities. Does that continue? We shall find out, but the Vikings decided to pivot to the young/cheaper option.
This year he has been even better with accuracy, throw times, and reading the field. He looks like he has complete control of the playbook and is on the same page as KK. However, these QB attributes you could probably say are tied together. Meaning, the better a QB knows where to throw the ball, the more accurate they will be etc.
But accuracy up and sacks are down.
But the big question remains of how he will play when the lights are the brightest. So far so good.
After I made that comment, I went to YouTube and watched the Vikings NFL super condensed highlights for the midseason Rams game and Week 18 Lions game, plus watch both of the Seahawks-Rams games (these are the 10-12 min highlights, so a lot gets left out).
For the Rams game, the first half, he looked like everything we are getting. But after half, they moved down the field, stalled in the red zone, Vikings settled for FG’s, while the Rams got TD’s when down there. But the horrifically missed facemask, turned safety, is very reminiscent of this years 49ers & Bucs games. It may just be something we just have to live with, like DK unsportsmanlike penalties.
The Lions game, pretty much everything you said is what I noticed. His OLine was not holding up, and even when they did, he was rushing throws. His accuracy was off all game, but the D did no favors.
As a bonus, I watched a video breakdown of the playoff loss to Rams. He had issues, but it also seemed like the receivers were at fault too, a total team collapse, not just Darnold.
After watching the 2 Seahawks-Rams games, that made me feel better. I forgot how well our D played in the first game. The difference was 2 Geno red zone INT’s, one a pick-6, and a missed XP…and we lost by 6. The week 18 game I would chalk up to playing lots of Rams with no tape, and us no longer playing for anything.
When in doubt, Kubiak and The Guys shoved the running game down their throats last week. Smart Ball. Gave him a pause button. No worries, Sam. We got this... If there is a There there, he shook it off.
These running stats are tough to know what to make of because of the context. When games are decided in the first half, the y/c are going to suffer in the second. When you stubbornly run into loaded boxes knowing the payoff will come in the explosive passing game, then y/c are going to suffer. We're still middle of the pack in total rushing yards, and top ten in attempts. I think we can ignore the 3.8 y/c to some degree. Instead, consider that we are 7-2 and have the 7th most rushing attempts in the league and are tied for 6th in rushing TDs. That sounds like an impactful running game.
I love Sam, his bullet-speed passes are incredible and terrifying because he really knows how to hit tight windows immediately from under center in a way Russ and Geno really couldn’t.
I think the two drawbacks he may have is: 1) some slight issues with pocket awareness, he can be elusive but the strip stack this week and vs the texans you would’ve hoped he might have felt and adjusted slightly. Haven’t seen the 9ers one in a while but that could maybe fall on same category.
2) some arrogance with the tight windows throws across his body, had a couple that haven’t been punished yet, one or two that have been picked, and a few that have made us hold our breath.
No QB is perfect, I’m riding with Sam. Just trying to think honestly about where I get nervous about him as we rightfully celebrate everything he is doing so well. Hopefully he grows to be a bit more ball secure.
Question for the rest of the group except Garry B. When I read that team A has a good run defense, I wonder if that is because the teams they are playing are behind and instead of running the ball they are passing because they are trying to catch up. If anyone knows that or wants to do the deep dive into the stats it might be interesting. Then again, it might not.
I think we can look at a couple other stats in our analysis.
Opposing teams yards per carry, the Rams are ranked 7th at 3.9 per tote. The Hawks, btw, are ranked 3rd at 3.7 per carry.
Opponents rushing attempts per game, the Rams have the 11th most attempts per game average at 25 attempts per game. The Hawks have the 10th most attempts at 24.4 per game. Opponents are still running the ball even though the yards are not there.
Great question -- situational football does make a huge difference in something like the running game. Hell, Seattle ran nearly 80% of the time against AZ bc what the hell else are you going to do when it's 35-0 and you aren't even at halftime yet.
Felt really bad for JSN bc he would have easily added to his 100-yds receiving games streak. Only 12 passes total, the entire game, and the man still nearly gets 100. Wow.
Too many stats here! Seahawks are playing great right now! Both the D and the O are doing great. The players are playing together very well and the coaching and play calling are just about right. LA Rams well be a great test for us. Our road win record is not an accident. Don’t know how coach Macdonald is doing it, but he has figured out how to get the most out of our players. He is a great chess player and we may have the best coach and GM in the entire league! GO HAWKS!!!
This is The Game circled on every calendar that matters. These Players live for pressure situations. They drink it in, gargle, slosh it around and spit it out. Go back for more, hoping this time will hold a challenge. These Coaches are tuned to design to each Man's strengths and exploit any weakness seen or hinted in Frisco last week. Olu got his measure, finally, as did Sheed. He came in and our Run Game took hold. Showed his Brothers he can dance their Dance, and then some. A primal War Dance. The Bench is eager, waiting, keen, well slept. Fate has them prepared to a high degree. Let the Ram fans and the national press have their fun. On this next Sunday, I would not wish to be a Rams player. Shhh. They have no clue.
I'm hoping that Olu² being in and the effectiveness of our run game last week will give LA a little pause when deciding how to try to shut our passing game down.
I believe it is safe to say at this point Darnold may well have the best season of any Seahawks QB ever.
Teams are still stacking the box against Seattle much of the time when they are running, it is third in short and they don’t need that much yardage so the Defense crowds the line.
Much of the time they are running without a full back, which I thought was going to be a huge part of their offense
Hey there, can this cheap Joe ask a question not even remotely related to the current post?
Can you, will you, please do something about the "Most Popular" list on the ride of the opening page? I just know in my heart of hearts that those six articles aren't really the most popular pieces you've published in the last year or so. Thanks.
The Hasselbeck years are a little (a lot?) fuzzy to me but compared to Russ and Geno, I am amazed at how quickly and accurately Sam is with the ball. One of the knocks on him was he held the ball too long but I am not seeing that. And the throws are amazing. He throws it into tight coverage without getting it picked or deflected. And he throws it over 50 yards in the air and it gets in the right place. And I am not talking about plays that go for 50 yards, I mean the ones where he puts it in the air 50 yards. I am sure that some of the quickness is the system and we should give KK credit for that, but no matter the system the player still has to make it work and Sam is doing that. He just needs to learn how to miss the helmets.
Sam has 5 fumbles this year. I saw a Hasselbeck interview a few weeks ago and he had only one area he wanted to see Sam improve. His analysis is Sam tends to hold the ball low and has a higher propensity to be swatted out than if he held it higher. I thought that was an interesting point.
Process over Results. Same this week, and we'll see where that takes us. That said, there are a few undercurrents that I wonder about, and whether they will become part of the emotion of the game.
First, MacDonald vs McVay. I know Mike won't look at it like this, but it's hard to ignore the defensive genius and new 'kid' on the block against the offensive genius, and 'kid' who has been around the block (and won a Super Bowl). Stafford is playing really, really well.....so what will Mike have cooked up? This would be a game when I'd go to Leo and Murphy and say 'go have yourselves a game. I want pressure up the middle all day long'. If he beats the blitz, that's fine. Just make sure he has to pick himself off of the ground after every throw.
Second, how can Darnold not think about the last time he played the Rams, and what everyone has been saying about that performance ever since. 'Can't perform in big games'. 'Can't win when the lights are the brightest'. On and on for 10 months. I know he'll say it's just another game. No way! It ain't. He's human (pretty sure) so there is absolutely no way he's not thinking about that. Wanting a measure of revenge has to be in the mix, at some level of his subconscious thinking. I hope he dominates them and gets to wash it away.
Third, Kubiak has watched the film of that loss to the Rams in the playoffs last year. He knows what happened, and what part of that was Sam, what part was the OC, and what part was the players in front of him. He'll want Sam to have answers. He'll really want Sam to win. He will not want a repeat, and have Sam have to listen to all that noise again. He'll have a plan. He'll also be in Sam's ear this week about not reliving the PTSD of that game, and tell him to just go play. He'll have some easy completions schemed up for the first drives to get him going. He'll talk to the o-line and tell them 'nobody touches Sam today!'.
I think the Seahawks will give the Rams all they can handle, and then some. There will be a handful of plays that decide the game, and hopefully we're the team that makes them. It will be excellent football in any case.
Here is a really good video. If SSJ doesn't put it in the newsletter I will probably repost it in tomorrows comments as I think most people have read the comments for today. But if you are still here give it a look. Tre Wingo from ESPN. Anything longer than 5 minutes and it starts to lose my attention. This was only 15 minutes and I paid attention the whole time. Just stumbled on to it, don't follow him or ESPN but I was glad to find it.
The Move That Changed Seattle — and the Stat Nobody’s Talking About
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg0HJ4EsCqQ
thanks Fred. That is a great video.
Great video, thanks for finding that
IdahoFred, You've done it again. This is a g o o d listen. This man certainly doesn't have a southern d r a w l. He's quick speaking 'n well spoken.
We All We Got ! We All We Need !
Trey Wingo was one of the best ESPN Sportscenter anchors before going out onto his own (i don't recall if he was part of the mass firings they did a few years ago or if he just left on his own). He was great because he is well-spoken and entertainingly funny while also being being very well informed.
Thanks for the video, Idaho. You earned Trey another subscriber!
To get to the Super Bowl we probably have to beat the Rams. Three times seems a lot to ask. I’ll settle for the one that really matters and enjoy the ride.
Unless Stafford’s back…
Let the running game cook.
That said, in the last two games, we had some obvious passing downs, and Sam still shredded the defenses. Yes, the heavy boxes help the odds on deep, play action shots, but it’s not like this offense can’t convert from empty, shotgun formations.
It’s possible that the running game will improve, even against the Rams defense. We have a new speedster on the team to help back up defenders. Olu looked great in pushing his man back and in getting to the second level. Bradford has been quietly improving. Zabel continues to gain experience. And with a big, early lead, we got lots of running reps on Sunday.
If the running game takes off, watch out.
I still remember the Dallas game, where it clicked for Marshawn and company. It was a turning point for the team. This team has all the pieces needed to make a similar leap.
Let the running game cook indeed!
Let's remind ourselves, Olu Oluwatimi played college ball for a really big deal program, won awards Sundell could only dream of, he's heavier, stronger, faster than Sundell, and has an extra year of professional experience. I'm not worried about the center position.
Good points. That will help me sleep better.
Mark Schlereth points out the Run Game starts with the Center, when asked about Olu.
Love Mark.
I want to see us control the game. Sometimes we want to run for just one yard so getting two is quite successful whereas getting two yards generally is not a great feat. When we want to grind the clock we can successfully do so. When we want to run the ball from the two in the Superbowl we can and do. Sam is awesome, he's playing super confident and looks great. Love our team and our chances against the rams. FTR!
This is the most nervous I have been about a game in years, and it's a week 11 game. Is it hyperbole to say this is the biggest game of the season, tied with the next time we play the Rams?
Not hyperbole, as that would mean an exaggerated claim not meant to be taken seriously - and I know you are being serious!
I totally agree though, I cannot remember feeling so excited and nervous for a game - I feel like a 5-year old who’s written to Santa asking for a new bike. How slow are all the clocks and the watches!
Hyperbole, if you ask me. Because the game is in L.A., the Rams need to win while the Hawks want to win. To me the main thing this Sunday is that win or lose, Seattle plays well.
Cool. It's a Caring Thing. I suspect it drives much of what the 12s bring to the stadium.
And yeah, I circled the date when the schedule came out.
For reasons that escape me I'm not nervous at all. I think the Hawks take care of business.
2 444, nice work.
I'm feeling reasonably confident Seattle will make the playoffs, even though the remaining schedule has the Rams twice, plus Indy plus SF again, plus at least two trap games. But for the #1 seed or going to the Super Bowl, I know they can't avg 3.7 ypc (even though I defend vigorously their need to run 50% of the time) and I know they can't have this many turnovers. Spot on article.
Every game is a big game, for sure, but I'm not seeing the 49'ers as much of an obstacle.
Loving the hype for sure, I’m not sure if it’s PTSD from Let Russ Cook, or many years of lots of close wins, but it’s hard to feel confident yet. A complete game against the Rams is probably what is required to change that.
That being said, until then, speculation on if Darnold can keep it up or if he will regress to the bad losses he had last year (at least that’s how I remember them, half pay attention).
So that brings me to the question, what was it last year, that the Vikings felt like Darnold was worth letting go? What went wrong in the losses? Where has he improved this year to give confidence there won’t be a regression? What is Kubiak doing that can’t be stopped in the 2nd half, like Shotty & Russ did?
I followed the Vikings fairly closely last year as I liked Darnold and thought he was ridiculously underrated.
Darnold only had one bad game prior to the final two games (against the Jags). But the final two games changed things. The team and Head Coach, appeared to me, to lose confidence and reverted back to the original plan (JJ). Had those final two games not happened, I am confident he would still be a Viking.
Detroit game: this was a game where Detroit was decimated by injuries, and their defense was horrible at the end of the year. They had guys signed off the street starting for them. Darnold was inaccurate throughout the game, missing many open receivers and leading to 9 points. Football players are always injured so maybe there was something he didn't disclose? I don't know, but it was nothing like his other games. And after the next game it was thought of that he can't handle big game pressure.
LA Game: Looked confused and got sacked a bunch. Kupp has come out and defended Darnold (as to be expected) this year saying that people don't understand what the Rams did to him. Could be true, don't know. But following the Vikings you could see the air come out of the locker room and the writing was on the wall. at this point as he performed way under the standard he set for the rest of the year.
So, to most onlookers, it looked like the two biggest games and biggest spotlights overwhelmed him and he lost his accuracy and field reading abilities. Does that continue? We shall find out, but the Vikings decided to pivot to the young/cheaper option.
This year he has been even better with accuracy, throw times, and reading the field. He looks like he has complete control of the playbook and is on the same page as KK. However, these QB attributes you could probably say are tied together. Meaning, the better a QB knows where to throw the ball, the more accurate they will be etc.
But accuracy up and sacks are down.
But the big question remains of how he will play when the lights are the brightest. So far so good.
After I made that comment, I went to YouTube and watched the Vikings NFL super condensed highlights for the midseason Rams game and Week 18 Lions game, plus watch both of the Seahawks-Rams games (these are the 10-12 min highlights, so a lot gets left out).
For the Rams game, the first half, he looked like everything we are getting. But after half, they moved down the field, stalled in the red zone, Vikings settled for FG’s, while the Rams got TD’s when down there. But the horrifically missed facemask, turned safety, is very reminiscent of this years 49ers & Bucs games. It may just be something we just have to live with, like DK unsportsmanlike penalties.
The Lions game, pretty much everything you said is what I noticed. His OLine was not holding up, and even when they did, he was rushing throws. His accuracy was off all game, but the D did no favors.
As a bonus, I watched a video breakdown of the playoff loss to Rams. He had issues, but it also seemed like the receivers were at fault too, a total team collapse, not just Darnold.
After watching the 2 Seahawks-Rams games, that made me feel better. I forgot how well our D played in the first game. The difference was 2 Geno red zone INT’s, one a pick-6, and a missed XP…and we lost by 6. The week 18 game I would chalk up to playing lots of Rams with no tape, and us no longer playing for anything.
When in doubt, Kubiak and The Guys shoved the running game down their throats last week. Smart Ball. Gave him a pause button. No worries, Sam. We got this... If there is a There there, he shook it off.
These running stats are tough to know what to make of because of the context. When games are decided in the first half, the y/c are going to suffer in the second. When you stubbornly run into loaded boxes knowing the payoff will come in the explosive passing game, then y/c are going to suffer. We're still middle of the pack in total rushing yards, and top ten in attempts. I think we can ignore the 3.8 y/c to some degree. Instead, consider that we are 7-2 and have the 7th most rushing attempts in the league and are tied for 6th in rushing TDs. That sounds like an impactful running game.
💯
I love Sam, his bullet-speed passes are incredible and terrifying because he really knows how to hit tight windows immediately from under center in a way Russ and Geno really couldn’t.
I think the two drawbacks he may have is: 1) some slight issues with pocket awareness, he can be elusive but the strip stack this week and vs the texans you would’ve hoped he might have felt and adjusted slightly. Haven’t seen the 9ers one in a while but that could maybe fall on same category.
2) some arrogance with the tight windows throws across his body, had a couple that haven’t been punished yet, one or two that have been picked, and a few that have made us hold our breath.
No QB is perfect, I’m riding with Sam. Just trying to think honestly about where I get nervous about him as we rightfully celebrate everything he is doing so well. Hopefully he grows to be a bit more ball secure.
Question for the rest of the group except Garry B. When I read that team A has a good run defense, I wonder if that is because the teams they are playing are behind and instead of running the ball they are passing because they are trying to catch up. If anyone knows that or wants to do the deep dive into the stats it might be interesting. Then again, it might not.
I think we can look at a couple other stats in our analysis.
Opposing teams yards per carry, the Rams are ranked 7th at 3.9 per tote. The Hawks, btw, are ranked 3rd at 3.7 per carry.
Opponents rushing attempts per game, the Rams have the 11th most attempts per game average at 25 attempts per game. The Hawks have the 10th most attempts at 24.4 per game. Opponents are still running the ball even though the yards are not there.
The Rams have a good run defense.
Great question -- situational football does make a huge difference in something like the running game. Hell, Seattle ran nearly 80% of the time against AZ bc what the hell else are you going to do when it's 35-0 and you aren't even at halftime yet.
Felt really bad for JSN bc he would have easily added to his 100-yds receiving games streak. Only 12 passes total, the entire game, and the man still nearly gets 100. Wow.
Too many stats here! Seahawks are playing great right now! Both the D and the O are doing great. The players are playing together very well and the coaching and play calling are just about right. LA Rams well be a great test for us. Our road win record is not an accident. Don’t know how coach Macdonald is doing it, but he has figured out how to get the most out of our players. He is a great chess player and we may have the best coach and GM in the entire league! GO HAWKS!!!
This is The Game circled on every calendar that matters. These Players live for pressure situations. They drink it in, gargle, slosh it around and spit it out. Go back for more, hoping this time will hold a challenge. These Coaches are tuned to design to each Man's strengths and exploit any weakness seen or hinted in Frisco last week. Olu got his measure, finally, as did Sheed. He came in and our Run Game took hold. Showed his Brothers he can dance their Dance, and then some. A primal War Dance. The Bench is eager, waiting, keen, well slept. Fate has them prepared to a high degree. Let the Ram fans and the national press have their fun. On this next Sunday, I would not wish to be a Rams player. Shhh. They have no clue.
I'm hoping that Olu² being in and the effectiveness of our run game last week will give LA a little pause when deciding how to try to shut our passing game down.
Oh, yeah...
FTR!
Always and forever….FTR!
Yes indeed...FTR!
Free The Rainbow?
Kidding, I get it.
I believe it is safe to say at this point Darnold may well have the best season of any Seahawks QB ever.
Teams are still stacking the box against Seattle much of the time when they are running, it is third in short and they don’t need that much yardage so the Defense crowds the line.
Much of the time they are running without a full back, which I thought was going to be a huge part of their offense
Warren Moon 1997 is the touchstone for me. He carried that offense: After Joey Galloway, the next best receiver was the immortal Mike Pritchard
I remover the game that year against KC. He was on fire
Hey there, can this cheap Joe ask a question not even remotely related to the current post?
Can you, will you, please do something about the "Most Popular" list on the ride of the opening page? I just know in my heart of hearts that those six articles aren't really the most popular pieces you've published in the last year or so. Thanks.
The Hasselbeck years are a little (a lot?) fuzzy to me but compared to Russ and Geno, I am amazed at how quickly and accurately Sam is with the ball. One of the knocks on him was he held the ball too long but I am not seeing that. And the throws are amazing. He throws it into tight coverage without getting it picked or deflected. And he throws it over 50 yards in the air and it gets in the right place. And I am not talking about plays that go for 50 yards, I mean the ones where he puts it in the air 50 yards. I am sure that some of the quickness is the system and we should give KK credit for that, but no matter the system the player still has to make it work and Sam is doing that. He just needs to learn how to miss the helmets.
Forgot to say he can take a hit although I wish he didn't.
Sam has 5 fumbles this year. I saw a Hasselbeck interview a few weeks ago and he had only one area he wanted to see Sam improve. His analysis is Sam tends to hold the ball low and has a higher propensity to be swatted out than if he held it higher. I thought that was an interesting point.
Good, Don Ellis. Problem fixed.