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?
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!!!
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.
They may have paltry ypc but you better know they are going to run 50% of the time, come hell or high water. Which is why the passing game remains pretty wide open despite the damage people realize they’re going to suffer.
This is where Grubb missed the boat (well ok, one of the places Grubb missed the boat). If you run 50% of the time, every time, the defense will cheat up and the passing game will open up. But you can’t just fake a run like constant play action. You gotta actually run…and run…and run…
So I have begun to take our ineffective running game as hugely effective in accomplishing its role, to open the field up for the passing game.
All hail MacDonald for knowing what he wanted. All hail Schneider for going after the OC who could scheme it. And all hail Kubiak for actually delivering it.
When I watch the NFL ... The league has completely changed since the Brady/Manning era. I remember Brady sitting back in shotgun and picking defenses apart. Maybe Mahomes can do it and a couple others. But from what I see, the best offenses are back under center, run the ball, play-action, take shots down the field. The painful offenses are sitting in shotgun making a thousand decisions at the line and trying to have the QB figure it out.
Kubiak is crushing it and ahead of the curve, just like his Head Coach. Who I think watched Grubb's offense and said to himself, "Man, I would crush this offense." And went out and got KK. Huge move from MM.
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.
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?
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!!!
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.
They may have paltry ypc but you better know they are going to run 50% of the time, come hell or high water. Which is why the passing game remains pretty wide open despite the damage people realize they’re going to suffer.
This is where Grubb missed the boat (well ok, one of the places Grubb missed the boat). If you run 50% of the time, every time, the defense will cheat up and the passing game will open up. But you can’t just fake a run like constant play action. You gotta actually run…and run…and run…
So I have begun to take our ineffective running game as hugely effective in accomplishing its role, to open the field up for the passing game.
All hail MacDonald for knowing what he wanted. All hail Schneider for going after the OC who could scheme it. And all hail Kubiak for actually delivering it.
Great points and completely agree.
Saw this recently that may relate:
"Every NFL offense ranked top-10 in explosive plays also ranks outside of the top-12 in both:
- First down pass rate
- Shotgun rate"
1) Hawks
2) Rams
Etc. etc. etc.
Source: https://x.com/jagibbs_23/status/1987223332836835457?s=20
When I watch the NFL ... The league has completely changed since the Brady/Manning era. I remember Brady sitting back in shotgun and picking defenses apart. Maybe Mahomes can do it and a couple others. But from what I see, the best offenses are back under center, run the ball, play-action, take shots down the field. The painful offenses are sitting in shotgun making a thousand decisions at the line and trying to have the QB figure it out.
Kubiak is crushing it and ahead of the curve, just like his Head Coach. Who I think watched Grubb's offense and said to himself, "Man, I would crush this offense." And went out and got KK. Huge move from MM.
Here here. Well said.
You didn't say it but that Green Bay team lost to the Giants who went on to win the Super Bowl. I am sure you were meaning to say that.
Damn, we’re that bad in turnovers?!?! I knew it was bad. But 31st? Well thank goodness for Geno keeping us out of the cellar.