Sorry SJ but Tyler as #3 still better than MVS at #3. No not at his salary but I still take what Tyler does for a team over MVS, or any of the other non-starters on the team.
All three of these things concern me to some degree, but none are keeping me up at night.
#1, Is Sam Darnold good enough? I don't know. One of my best friends is a Vikings fan and he was my first outside contact out of Helene who brought us all the supplies we needed. I spent a lot of the fall with him, including a beach trip that featured 2 Vikings games. I watched more of their games last season than maybe any other year of my life and Darnold looked terrific at times. He holds the ball too long sometimes, but I'd say the same about Mahomes and Burrow. The difference to me is that both of those guys (and Burrow maybe more than any QB in the league) will stand tall and make the throw knowing a hit is coming. And while Mahomes gets an automatic first down and a bonus 15, the flag never comes with Cool Joe. He's probably that QB I would want on the Seahawks more than any other. But I digress. Without rewatching a single play, I'd say that Sam Darnold, like almost every QB is way better with a clean pocket. But I didn't see him get that often last year, and he still performed about as well as Geno. The Vikings protection STANK in his breakout year, from my eye watching games at the time.
If the Seahawks need another starting CB... Yeah, I'd argue that they probably do. 'Spoon is fantastic. I know Riq is a fan favorite and I love the guy as a human. He's incredibly charming and funny. But I can't recall an NFL starting safety I've seen look less reliable. Some plays he didn't look like a football player, let alone an NFL starter. I've seen him shy away from contact like a guy who should be playing offense or a different sport entirely. He was better last year by every tackling and run support metric, according to what I have heard and read. And he was great in zone as well as man coverage last year from what I've heard and read. But those plays where he runs up to make the stop and all but turns his back to the ballcarrier and gets trucked or juked are burned in my brain from his career here. Guys like Sherm and Earl represent a whole 'nother world in how you tackle. Dave Brown, Trufant, Shawn Springs all would POP anyone with a ball in their hands. I can name 20 on othter teams with googling. I won't even bring up backfield guys like Kam or Kenny Easley. Riq has the God given gifts. I wish I just believed he was a football player. Who else are we talking about? Jobe? Tre at corner?
And Cooper Kupp? He's fantastic! Not sure he will stay in one piece for a whole season, and I fear he will be out at the end when it matters most. I would like more and better ball-catchers but that's the least of this fan's worries.
I mentioned this the last time I talked about Sam I Am at QB but wanted to recycle this again. Darnell played on crappy teams for the Jets and Panthers. Arron Rodger and the #1 overall draft pick for Carolina couldn't fixt that hot mess in either city. So Darnell goes in to the rehab ward with Kyle S in SF and spends a year learning how to play QB in the NFL. He then goes to play for O'Connell from both the Kyle S and McVay coaching trees. Sounds like pretty good specialist to rehab and learn the proper way to play offense in the NFL.
Word is around the league that Seattle regressed with Sam I Am due to Seattle's Offensive line problems, after playing in Minn last year. Wait a minute, you mean the Minn that just replaced their whole interior line this offseason (G,C,G) with a first round pick and two high priced free agents. Sounds like Minn wants to give McCarthy better protection than they gave Sam I Am last year. By the way, Minn also lost their starting LT in week 5 for the season. Defensively as SSJ pointed out they had z not so great D, and I don't think their RB stable is as good Seattle'd. Seattle has a better defense. Let's talk about Seattle's O-Line. Cross LT, Zane LG, Sundell C, Haynes RG and Lucas RT. A little footnote on Sundell who did play center for 2 years at NDSU. From Filed Gulls (Castro) "In 2023, as a fifth-year senior, Sundell played in 15 games and played a total of 877 snaps for the Bisons as a LT. He allowed 9 hurries, no QB hits, and only one sack while playing as a left tackle." That was next to Zane at both positions. He also has played some RT. Haynes by everyones chart should be a pretty solid guard, which he wasn't in 2024. So what's changed in 2025. An expereinced Line coach, a better run offensive scheme and a year to build his strength for NFL lineman and speed. Lucas has been quiet on the Injury front all offseason. Laumea also plays tackle and will competing with Haynes. I am not a Bradford fan and I don't think he is a good fit in the new offense. Just my opinion. Seattle is looking for versatility and athleticism in their O-Line. That's pretty much what it looks like this year and added a good enough swing tackle and has another center who will compete to start ( I vote Sundell) but is a sound player in Olu. Cabeldue is also a good fit at guard with Tackle expereince. With the addition of FB/TE Ouzts and Martinez at RB, Seattle is announcing they want to start punching people in the nose and take back last years lunch money that was strongarmed from them. That is a pretty physical bunch that lacked direction and continuity for those returning as last years punked on the playground crew.
Let's talk about receiving. No DK. Fewer penalties. Less Tude. So you replace him with two players. MVS and Arroyo. Lockett with both Kupp and JSN (inside or out) and the wildcard Horton/White 3. We also may suddenly have a return game. Remember when that existed in Seattle. Kupp by the way has a bigger chip than Baldwin did (they play a lot alike too), but brings his lunch box and professionalism to the locker room. Something prefered by MM.
I know OTA's have just started but the "flipped" roster SSJ) and the unknown commodity from this new Seahawks team, (along with the pundits Seattle's regressed gospell) should be a great motivator/innovator andmake for a fresh start in 2025.
I have little worry that Darnold will turn back into a pumpkin. He'll be fine (floor) and maybe very good (ceiling). We don't need him to be top 10, and in this offense, he might not get the numbers to put him there anyway. We need him to be efficient, and take what the defense gives him. We don't need him to single handedly win games.
I was harder on DK than many, not because I didn't like some things about his game. Ultra-competitive, fast, and powerful. What I took issue with were two things. His production in the second half of games was about half of what it was in the first half. Defenses found ways to take him away, and this leads to the second issue......discipline. He let people get in his head and that lead to penalties and the aforementioned lack of production late in games. Add to that his unapologetic nature after mistakes (penalties, fumbles) drove me crazy. I can live with mistakes but at least let me know you've learned something from them.
Kupp does not equal DK. Totally different dudes. Just like we don't need Sam to equal Geno, we don't need Cooper to equal DK. Let them play their games and let Kubiak leverage their capabilities to the greatest extent possible. I know people will want to compare them as the season rolls around, but it's pointless. Different players on different teams in different schemes, being asked to do different things. But it's human nature to compare everything. Whatever.
I thought DK showed some growth and maturity after the midway point of 23... Nope. Just a short run followed by regression. I was losing my cool with DK. Glad he's doing well, but also OK he's gone. Plus, I love Kupp. That dude is awesome. This team feels new and I think that's what's got analysts unsure...uncertainty seems to breed negativity.
Before the fans start to worry, please remember that there's a full training camp and preseason to sort things out. I think they will pick up some help ar RG. WR. and LB before the regular season starts. It always startles me how many good players are available before rosters are finalized.
They’re going to need it. Seattle Ass’t GM says that football is a “war of attrition.” To the extent that he’s right, lack of depth in too many areas is concerning. Even under best-case scenarios for performance, OL, WR, ILB, and CB are an injury or two away from being real problems.
I look at almost our entire second string defense with questions....if we start needing those guys to step up I'm not as confident in our defense. And the offense isn't much better...especially on the line.
Getting to the Pro's is finding a whole new level of pain for rookies. That so many of ours have made it to Year 2 is a good sign. Just still being here is cause for Praise. It is these young guys who will keep Coop in the game, wresting contested catches in ways DK could only dream of doing. It is measured in that one crucial Win we needed last year.
DK made an awful lot of tough catches in traffic. As Robert Turbin pointed out, he’s a possession receiver who can take the top off the field. I know I’m a minority at SSJ, but I think he’ll be missed.
Regardless of Kupp’s hands and wiliness, he’s 32 at a position that ages out quickly and has had multiple knee and ankle sprains and pulled hamstrings. I’m not expecting much. Even at that, there’s nothing below him on the depth chart, so he’s going to be on the field.
I much value your input, Paul. Truth is, I am here due to the wide spectrum of perspectives. I hold no doubts for DK's dedication to perfecting his Game. I just wish he'd done it last year. I expect to regret his leaving when we meet him in Game 2, as this may very well prove to be the change he needed. These men play at levels I myself can't dream of doing. My Bad if I implied disrespect.
Not at all, and I apologize for coming across testy. Redeye flight and lack of sleep is the sole excuse.
Re DK, my take is that he’s as good as he’s going to get: formidable over the middle of the field for any length throw; so-so on the sidelines. The trick is playing to his strength. Whether he’s “worth” 30M/yr is a question, but there is something to the bird-in-hand argument. I certainly would have extended him before Ken Walker.
I do think that between Schotty and Russell, DK was on the verge of being a perennial AP. He was a much a victim of Waldron and Grubb as anyone. (Interestingly—to me, anyway—in the Michael Robinson podcast interview, DK gushed about Russell and had almost nothing to say about Geno.)
The weird thing about Geno is that when he was pressured and acting on instinct and adrenaline, he was freakishly good. But then there would be plays where he had good protection and had a couple beats to think about it, and wouldn’t see the defender. Maybe he was staring down his target when he had the time. Whatever, Grubb put a lot on him.
I have the feeling that Darnold will do as well as Geno would in a well-executed Kubiak system. Maybe he won’t do as well under pressure, but he could be more consistent when things go to plan. So, given the coaching change, it’s parity.
When people bemoan the loss of DK and Tyler, DK looks the part and makes great plays, but he was so disappointing in the red zone. Had we lost 28 year-old Tyler, that would be huge, but that wasn’t the case. He just wasn’t the same last year.
For me, it’s not a matter of making up the yards of #14 and #16, it’s a matter of getting the RB committee clicking, managing the ball down the field, and becoming more productive in the red zone. Do that with a top defense and anything could happen.
If our incredibly young OL coheres AND Kubiak's scheme works with the personnel available AND we can establish the run, then (a) Darnold will be fine -- better than fine -- and (b) it won't matter if Darnold isn't fine because either Lock or Milroe should be able to succeed. If the line doesn't work, who plays QB won't much matter.
If we can stop the run against good teams, especially in the first half, we can be less concerned about our CB room. If we can't, well...
We're thin in the center of the Dline (sorry), and thin at ILB. Those two positions worry me. I'm not much worried about WR. JSN will be himself. Kupp will give us what he has. MVS will or won't and our season won't hinge on it. Tory Horton might. Arroyo probably, and might even be WR2 if we had to use him that way. That seems like enough pieces, and I'm leaving Barner out of the mix and pretending none of our RBs will be receiving threats.
I feel like we need to find one more contributor at one of those two positions. Mills MIGHT be that player on IDL, but I gather rookies who come in to the league injured have a longer onboarding process. Also, my sense is that ILB is easier to find. That said, we already cut the UDFA people said might stick...and his name didn't.
My concern is the lack of a true nose. Murphy and Reed can both be worn down by bigger Online men. If you look at the games we did not do well last year and lost, they had big lines and ran right at them.
Look at the size of Philly and thier massive line. Booker that Dallas drafted is massive.
I am less concerned. IMO a true nose is really meant for space eating runs up the middle. So many teams now play wide gap schemes and against those teams a big space eating (slow) NT is a liability. In short yardage situations it would be nice but that is also when you pack the box with an XL safety. A good NT would be a complementary piece but not a critical need.
As long as Kupp is playing he is an upgrade on DK, and that may not be the slight that some may think, but Kupp is still capable of MVP play. His hands are as good as prime Lockett and he's better than Lockett in almost every way. And I love Lockett. But remember that the year Kupp was a triple crown winner, he did not have an X receiver. He was it. And he produced anyways. Kupp is the guy that tore our hearts out time after time.
Along with JSN they will rock the NFL if the line can give decent protection.
Things to worry about #4 - SSJ may want to comment about this later.
I've totally bought into the idea that all of the IOL guys will get maraciously better in their third year with better coaching and schemes, and Grey Zable is already awesome, but what if they're not? I won't admit this out loud, but I'm a little worried. Talk me down.
Watched some of All_22 last night, and he mentioned, in passing, how high he was on the Baltimore lineman we signed -- Josh Jones (had to look it up) -- saying he was capable of filling in at tackle or guard, and admitting he was higher on Jones than most (but the Ravens are his team, so he should know). Early days yet, regardless how many straws I grasp.
Ok to be worried Ray, as it's an unknown and will likely remain an unknown until we get into the season. There are reasons for some level of optimism though.
- They continue to pour resources into the position, with 3 more lineman drafted this year, including Zabel in the 1st round
- They brought in experienced coaches, and an OC deeply rooted in this offense.
- They are committed to running the football come hell or high water, which allows the o-line to attack instead of being attacked
- The Kubiak system doesn't run shotgun, empty backfield over and over and over, making things trivial for the d-line to guess what's coming
- Use of the FB position brings an element to the running and passing game we didn't have last year. Oh, and he weights 274 lbs.
- Kubiak will use different blocking schemes for pass protection, and won't leave the line to block one-on-one all of the time.
- Abe Lucas goes into the season healthier than he was all of last year
None of this guarantees anything of course. But if the coaching is better, the scheme is better, and the players remain reasonably healthy, there is a chance. I'm not talking about elite, that's going a bit far. But average? I think that's certainly possible.
I'm with you Ray. I'm nervous that a small school kid with a lot of holding penalties gets overwhelmed initially by the jump in competition and his confidence takes a hit...and the penalties become an issue. I'm also nervous about running the ball more with o line that has continually graded better in pass protection (and usually not graded very well in the run game).
He doesn't strike me as a guy that gets intimidated. It's a DNA thing. I was pleased to find the Coaches found proof of this in his Senior Bowl performance, playing up and down the line there. Their concerns align with yours.
I agree with Danno statement, but I need to own that the last two years I was not a fan of Geno or DK. They both had their upsides and they deffinently had downsides. Downsides that cost the Hawks games…
If we’re fine with Darnold replacing Geno, and fine with DK playing elsewhere, I’m certain Kubiak, his coaching staff and system has to be better than Grubb’s, and the offense will be balanced and significantly more effective. As strange as it seems, since I thought Geno was a top 10 QB, I believe Kubiak preferred Darnold to Geno. I also feel given MM’s comments about Horton, that Kubiak was not very interested in DK for his scheme. JS/MM/KK may be in a microscopic minority who feel good about moving on from Geno and DK, but I have more faith in them knowing what’s best vs the rest who feel the opposite is true.
Both Geno and DK’s exits were surprising to me, esp Geno. Not that they couldn’t work out a deal but that suddenly (at least to me) the talks broke off and pow! they’re gone. Just never felt like either side was working all that hard on a solution.
I wonder if once they saw from the inside MacDonald’s hatred of Grubb’s pass-happy offense, and then saw Kubiak’s playbook, if they just realized it was going to be pound the rock, outs/slants and dump-off to the RB’s and TE’s, if both of them didn’t just say “man, no way am I going to maximize my value in this offense” and just bailed.
Whereas JSN and Kupp are going “whoa, right up my alley, YAC baby!!”
I think KK was higher on Darnold for his system than Geno. I think he didn’t like DK’s fit. He doesn’t like receivers with a limited route tree. That’s always been a part of DK’s game that was weak.
Couldn't agree more about most everything....One thing that I think will be interesting is the offensive system itself. Grubb did have a mean screen game and some cool concepts...it's the play calling where he seemed to go rogue a little. The KK system might not be as fancy or new, but I'm guessing his play calling will align with MM vision and could lead to more success even if it's an 'inferior' system. Super stoked to find out, can't freaking wait!
I think Grubb had excellent passing concepts, but the inability to establish any type of running threat led to teams ignoring Seattle’s run game and playing the pass almost every down. It’s hard to pass when they know it. The pass rush doesn’t need to delay to see if it’s a run, and the LBs and DB can focus entirely on a pass and disregard the run threat. From before the midway point of the season on, MM implored him to establish a run game to relieve the pressure on the passing game. By the end of the year we were so incompetent running the ball, we passed more often on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1. For the year as a whole 2 out of every 3 plays was a pass play. In one game the Hawks passed on 87% of offensive plays. Grubb needed an NFL running coordinator and an NFL OL coach. He’s back in Alabama, so all is good. If Kk fails, this could be bad for JS. I don’t think he will. RT is so much better with Lucas, Zabel can’t be anything but better than Tomlinson, Olu should be better, Sundell could be surprisingly better in year 2, We only need one of the multitude to step up at RG. There’s 4 possibilities without Sundell, who may get a shot at RG if Olu wins the starting job at center.
I can see JS hiring Grubb as a hat tip to the possibility college coaching understands younger players now better than the old league generals. I'll consider that speculation has been put to bed. Good on John for trying it out. No doubt now we'll have an entire team getting a deeper respect for these new 'old guys'.
In my heart of hearts, I see this year going well for us....if we win week 1....jk, but seriously, we are unproven and underrated and no one outside Seattle believes in us yet.
I think it is going to be a great season yes, but that first game against an established team with an offense that’s played together before, is a tall order. I have them 6-2 before the bye which would be awesome, but one of the losses is Niners W1 🤬
I held concerns that Saleh will be returning his butt-kicking talents on Defense back to the team, as before. Turns out he left 5 years ago, so most of his guys are gone and he'll have to restart from scratch? Frisco won't have to worry about their DC leaving for a while now, so it'll be a problem, hopefully next year.
By mid season, they will believe. I believe that the coaches and GMs believe already. It's those so called insiders that wish to downgrade us. We'll just have to educate them on the field.
Sorry SJ but Tyler as #3 still better than MVS at #3. No not at his salary but I still take what Tyler does for a team over MVS, or any of the other non-starters on the team.
All three of these things concern me to some degree, but none are keeping me up at night.
#1, Is Sam Darnold good enough? I don't know. One of my best friends is a Vikings fan and he was my first outside contact out of Helene who brought us all the supplies we needed. I spent a lot of the fall with him, including a beach trip that featured 2 Vikings games. I watched more of their games last season than maybe any other year of my life and Darnold looked terrific at times. He holds the ball too long sometimes, but I'd say the same about Mahomes and Burrow. The difference to me is that both of those guys (and Burrow maybe more than any QB in the league) will stand tall and make the throw knowing a hit is coming. And while Mahomes gets an automatic first down and a bonus 15, the flag never comes with Cool Joe. He's probably that QB I would want on the Seahawks more than any other. But I digress. Without rewatching a single play, I'd say that Sam Darnold, like almost every QB is way better with a clean pocket. But I didn't see him get that often last year, and he still performed about as well as Geno. The Vikings protection STANK in his breakout year, from my eye watching games at the time.
If the Seahawks need another starting CB... Yeah, I'd argue that they probably do. 'Spoon is fantastic. I know Riq is a fan favorite and I love the guy as a human. He's incredibly charming and funny. But I can't recall an NFL starting safety I've seen look less reliable. Some plays he didn't look like a football player, let alone an NFL starter. I've seen him shy away from contact like a guy who should be playing offense or a different sport entirely. He was better last year by every tackling and run support metric, according to what I have heard and read. And he was great in zone as well as man coverage last year from what I've heard and read. But those plays where he runs up to make the stop and all but turns his back to the ballcarrier and gets trucked or juked are burned in my brain from his career here. Guys like Sherm and Earl represent a whole 'nother world in how you tackle. Dave Brown, Trufant, Shawn Springs all would POP anyone with a ball in their hands. I can name 20 on othter teams with googling. I won't even bring up backfield guys like Kam or Kenny Easley. Riq has the God given gifts. I wish I just believed he was a football player. Who else are we talking about? Jobe? Tre at corner?
And Cooper Kupp? He's fantastic! Not sure he will stay in one piece for a whole season, and I fear he will be out at the end when it matters most. I would like more and better ball-catchers but that's the least of this fan's worries.
I mentioned this the last time I talked about Sam I Am at QB but wanted to recycle this again. Darnell played on crappy teams for the Jets and Panthers. Arron Rodger and the #1 overall draft pick for Carolina couldn't fixt that hot mess in either city. So Darnell goes in to the rehab ward with Kyle S in SF and spends a year learning how to play QB in the NFL. He then goes to play for O'Connell from both the Kyle S and McVay coaching trees. Sounds like pretty good specialist to rehab and learn the proper way to play offense in the NFL.
Word is around the league that Seattle regressed with Sam I Am due to Seattle's Offensive line problems, after playing in Minn last year. Wait a minute, you mean the Minn that just replaced their whole interior line this offseason (G,C,G) with a first round pick and two high priced free agents. Sounds like Minn wants to give McCarthy better protection than they gave Sam I Am last year. By the way, Minn also lost their starting LT in week 5 for the season. Defensively as SSJ pointed out they had z not so great D, and I don't think their RB stable is as good Seattle'd. Seattle has a better defense. Let's talk about Seattle's O-Line. Cross LT, Zane LG, Sundell C, Haynes RG and Lucas RT. A little footnote on Sundell who did play center for 2 years at NDSU. From Filed Gulls (Castro) "In 2023, as a fifth-year senior, Sundell played in 15 games and played a total of 877 snaps for the Bisons as a LT. He allowed 9 hurries, no QB hits, and only one sack while playing as a left tackle." That was next to Zane at both positions. He also has played some RT. Haynes by everyones chart should be a pretty solid guard, which he wasn't in 2024. So what's changed in 2025. An expereinced Line coach, a better run offensive scheme and a year to build his strength for NFL lineman and speed. Lucas has been quiet on the Injury front all offseason. Laumea also plays tackle and will competing with Haynes. I am not a Bradford fan and I don't think he is a good fit in the new offense. Just my opinion. Seattle is looking for versatility and athleticism in their O-Line. That's pretty much what it looks like this year and added a good enough swing tackle and has another center who will compete to start ( I vote Sundell) but is a sound player in Olu. Cabeldue is also a good fit at guard with Tackle expereince. With the addition of FB/TE Ouzts and Martinez at RB, Seattle is announcing they want to start punching people in the nose and take back last years lunch money that was strongarmed from them. That is a pretty physical bunch that lacked direction and continuity for those returning as last years punked on the playground crew.
Let's talk about receiving. No DK. Fewer penalties. Less Tude. So you replace him with two players. MVS and Arroyo. Lockett with both Kupp and JSN (inside or out) and the wildcard Horton/White 3. We also may suddenly have a return game. Remember when that existed in Seattle. Kupp by the way has a bigger chip than Baldwin did (they play a lot alike too), but brings his lunch box and professionalism to the locker room. Something prefered by MM.
I know OTA's have just started but the "flipped" roster SSJ) and the unknown commodity from this new Seahawks team, (along with the pundits Seattle's regressed gospell) should be a great motivator/innovator andmake for a fresh start in 2025.
Sam I Am, not green eggs and ham.
Sorry I meant Zabel note Zane. Senior moment.
Ok here’s mine:
We are all-in on dominating in the trenches. Our DL is where we’ve invested the most, and on offense we are unabashedly going to ground and pound.
We’ve overhauled our team and coaching staff to deliver this.
Great and proven strategy.
Do we have the horses (players and coaches)?
I’m just not worried. The Hawks have addressed my concerns and I’m just excited for the season to start.
Bring it on. Woohoo!
I have little worry that Darnold will turn back into a pumpkin. He'll be fine (floor) and maybe very good (ceiling). We don't need him to be top 10, and in this offense, he might not get the numbers to put him there anyway. We need him to be efficient, and take what the defense gives him. We don't need him to single handedly win games.
I was harder on DK than many, not because I didn't like some things about his game. Ultra-competitive, fast, and powerful. What I took issue with were two things. His production in the second half of games was about half of what it was in the first half. Defenses found ways to take him away, and this leads to the second issue......discipline. He let people get in his head and that lead to penalties and the aforementioned lack of production late in games. Add to that his unapologetic nature after mistakes (penalties, fumbles) drove me crazy. I can live with mistakes but at least let me know you've learned something from them.
Kupp does not equal DK. Totally different dudes. Just like we don't need Sam to equal Geno, we don't need Cooper to equal DK. Let them play their games and let Kubiak leverage their capabilities to the greatest extent possible. I know people will want to compare them as the season rolls around, but it's pointless. Different players on different teams in different schemes, being asked to do different things. But it's human nature to compare everything. Whatever.
I thought DK showed some growth and maturity after the midway point of 23... Nope. Just a short run followed by regression. I was losing my cool with DK. Glad he's doing well, but also OK he's gone. Plus, I love Kupp. That dude is awesome. This team feels new and I think that's what's got analysts unsure...uncertainty seems to breed negativity.
Before the fans start to worry, please remember that there's a full training camp and preseason to sort things out. I think they will pick up some help ar RG. WR. and LB before the regular season starts. It always startles me how many good players are available before rosters are finalized.
They’re going to need it. Seattle Ass’t GM says that football is a “war of attrition.” To the extent that he’s right, lack of depth in too many areas is concerning. Even under best-case scenarios for performance, OL, WR, ILB, and CB are an injury or two away from being real problems.
I look at almost our entire second string defense with questions....if we start needing those guys to step up I'm not as confident in our defense. And the offense isn't much better...especially on the line.
I think if the second team defence is a prime concern, we're in pretty good shape.
Getting to the Pro's is finding a whole new level of pain for rookies. That so many of ours have made it to Year 2 is a good sign. Just still being here is cause for Praise. It is these young guys who will keep Coop in the game, wresting contested catches in ways DK could only dream of doing. It is measured in that one crucial Win we needed last year.
DK made an awful lot of tough catches in traffic. As Robert Turbin pointed out, he’s a possession receiver who can take the top off the field. I know I’m a minority at SSJ, but I think he’ll be missed.
Regardless of Kupp’s hands and wiliness, he’s 32 at a position that ages out quickly and has had multiple knee and ankle sprains and pulled hamstrings. I’m not expecting much. Even at that, there’s nothing below him on the depth chart, so he’s going to be on the field.
I much value your input, Paul. Truth is, I am here due to the wide spectrum of perspectives. I hold no doubts for DK's dedication to perfecting his Game. I just wish he'd done it last year. I expect to regret his leaving when we meet him in Game 2, as this may very well prove to be the change he needed. These men play at levels I myself can't dream of doing. My Bad if I implied disrespect.
Hello from Dublin!
Not at all, and I apologize for coming across testy. Redeye flight and lack of sleep is the sole excuse.
Re DK, my take is that he’s as good as he’s going to get: formidable over the middle of the field for any length throw; so-so on the sidelines. The trick is playing to his strength. Whether he’s “worth” 30M/yr is a question, but there is something to the bird-in-hand argument. I certainly would have extended him before Ken Walker.
I do think that between Schotty and Russell, DK was on the verge of being a perennial AP. He was a much a victim of Waldron and Grubb as anyone. (Interestingly—to me, anyway—in the Michael Robinson podcast interview, DK gushed about Russell and had almost nothing to say about Geno.)
The weird thing about Geno is that when he was pressured and acting on instinct and adrenaline, he was freakishly good. But then there would be plays where he had good protection and had a couple beats to think about it, and wouldn’t see the defender. Maybe he was staring down his target when he had the time. Whatever, Grubb put a lot on him.
I have the feeling that Darnold will do as well as Geno would in a well-executed Kubiak system. Maybe he won’t do as well under pressure, but he could be more consistent when things go to plan. So, given the coaching change, it’s parity.
When people bemoan the loss of DK and Tyler, DK looks the part and makes great plays, but he was so disappointing in the red zone. Had we lost 28 year-old Tyler, that would be huge, but that wasn’t the case. He just wasn’t the same last year.
For me, it’s not a matter of making up the yards of #14 and #16, it’s a matter of getting the RB committee clicking, managing the ball down the field, and becoming more productive in the red zone. Do that with a top defense and anything could happen.
If our incredibly young OL coheres AND Kubiak's scheme works with the personnel available AND we can establish the run, then (a) Darnold will be fine -- better than fine -- and (b) it won't matter if Darnold isn't fine because either Lock or Milroe should be able to succeed. If the line doesn't work, who plays QB won't much matter.
If we can stop the run against good teams, especially in the first half, we can be less concerned about our CB room. If we can't, well...
We're thin in the center of the Dline (sorry), and thin at ILB. Those two positions worry me. I'm not much worried about WR. JSN will be himself. Kupp will give us what he has. MVS will or won't and our season won't hinge on it. Tory Horton might. Arroyo probably, and might even be WR2 if we had to use him that way. That seems like enough pieces, and I'm leaving Barner out of the mix and pretending none of our RBs will be receiving threats.
I'm thinking Kelce, Gronk and Kittle have set new standards for our young Tight Ends to measure themselves by. LaPorta. Expect to be amazed this year.
I'm less worried about NT, but agree 100% that after Knight and EJ, our iLB spot seems pretty thin.
I feel like we need to find one more contributor at one of those two positions. Mills MIGHT be that player on IDL, but I gather rookies who come in to the league injured have a longer onboarding process. Also, my sense is that ILB is easier to find. That said, we already cut the UDFA people said might stick...and his name didn't.
They moved Sheriff to iLB as well I thought, but I have no idea how that transition will go. Interesting experiment though.
My concern is the lack of a true nose. Murphy and Reed can both be worn down by bigger Online men. If you look at the games we did not do well last year and lost, they had big lines and ran right at them.
Look at the size of Philly and thier massive line. Booker that Dallas drafted is massive.
I am less concerned. IMO a true nose is really meant for space eating runs up the middle. So many teams now play wide gap schemes and against those teams a big space eating (slow) NT is a liability. In short yardage situations it would be nice but that is also when you pack the box with an XL safety. A good NT would be a complementary piece but not a critical need.
As long as Kupp is playing he is an upgrade on DK, and that may not be the slight that some may think, but Kupp is still capable of MVP play. His hands are as good as prime Lockett and he's better than Lockett in almost every way. And I love Lockett. But remember that the year Kupp was a triple crown winner, he did not have an X receiver. He was it. And he produced anyways. Kupp is the guy that tore our hearts out time after time.
Along with JSN they will rock the NFL if the line can give decent protection.
The rest of the article was great, too.
Things to worry about #4 - SSJ may want to comment about this later.
I've totally bought into the idea that all of the IOL guys will get maraciously better in their third year with better coaching and schemes, and Grey Zable is already awesome, but what if they're not? I won't admit this out loud, but I'm a little worried. Talk me down.
Watched some of All_22 last night, and he mentioned, in passing, how high he was on the Baltimore lineman we signed -- Josh Jones (had to look it up) -- saying he was capable of filling in at tackle or guard, and admitting he was higher on Jones than most (but the Ravens are his team, so he should know). Early days yet, regardless how many straws I grasp.
Ok to be worried Ray, as it's an unknown and will likely remain an unknown until we get into the season. There are reasons for some level of optimism though.
- They continue to pour resources into the position, with 3 more lineman drafted this year, including Zabel in the 1st round
- They brought in experienced coaches, and an OC deeply rooted in this offense.
- They are committed to running the football come hell or high water, which allows the o-line to attack instead of being attacked
- The Kubiak system doesn't run shotgun, empty backfield over and over and over, making things trivial for the d-line to guess what's coming
- Use of the FB position brings an element to the running and passing game we didn't have last year. Oh, and he weights 274 lbs.
- Kubiak will use different blocking schemes for pass protection, and won't leave the line to block one-on-one all of the time.
- Abe Lucas goes into the season healthier than he was all of last year
None of this guarantees anything of course. But if the coaching is better, the scheme is better, and the players remain reasonably healthy, there is a chance. I'm not talking about elite, that's going a bit far. But average? I think that's certainly possible.
I'm with you Ray. I'm nervous that a small school kid with a lot of holding penalties gets overwhelmed initially by the jump in competition and his confidence takes a hit...and the penalties become an issue. I'm also nervous about running the ball more with o line that has continually graded better in pass protection (and usually not graded very well in the run game).
He doesn't strike me as a guy that gets intimidated. It's a DNA thing. I was pleased to find the Coaches found proof of this in his Senior Bowl performance, playing up and down the line there. Their concerns align with yours.
I agree with Danno statement, but I need to own that the last two years I was not a fan of Geno or DK. They both had their upsides and they deffinently had downsides. Downsides that cost the Hawks games…
If we’re fine with Darnold replacing Geno, and fine with DK playing elsewhere, I’m certain Kubiak, his coaching staff and system has to be better than Grubb’s, and the offense will be balanced and significantly more effective. As strange as it seems, since I thought Geno was a top 10 QB, I believe Kubiak preferred Darnold to Geno. I also feel given MM’s comments about Horton, that Kubiak was not very interested in DK for his scheme. JS/MM/KK may be in a microscopic minority who feel good about moving on from Geno and DK, but I have more faith in them knowing what’s best vs the rest who feel the opposite is true.
Both Geno and DK’s exits were surprising to me, esp Geno. Not that they couldn’t work out a deal but that suddenly (at least to me) the talks broke off and pow! they’re gone. Just never felt like either side was working all that hard on a solution.
I wonder if once they saw from the inside MacDonald’s hatred of Grubb’s pass-happy offense, and then saw Kubiak’s playbook, if they just realized it was going to be pound the rock, outs/slants and dump-off to the RB’s and TE’s, if both of them didn’t just say “man, no way am I going to maximize my value in this offense” and just bailed.
Whereas JSN and Kupp are going “whoa, right up my alley, YAC baby!!”
I think KK was higher on Darnold for his system than Geno. I think he didn’t like DK’s fit. He doesn’t like receivers with a limited route tree. That’s always been a part of DK’s game that was weak.
Couldn't agree more about most everything....One thing that I think will be interesting is the offensive system itself. Grubb did have a mean screen game and some cool concepts...it's the play calling where he seemed to go rogue a little. The KK system might not be as fancy or new, but I'm guessing his play calling will align with MM vision and could lead to more success even if it's an 'inferior' system. Super stoked to find out, can't freaking wait!
I think Grubb had excellent passing concepts, but the inability to establish any type of running threat led to teams ignoring Seattle’s run game and playing the pass almost every down. It’s hard to pass when they know it. The pass rush doesn’t need to delay to see if it’s a run, and the LBs and DB can focus entirely on a pass and disregard the run threat. From before the midway point of the season on, MM implored him to establish a run game to relieve the pressure on the passing game. By the end of the year we were so incompetent running the ball, we passed more often on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1. For the year as a whole 2 out of every 3 plays was a pass play. In one game the Hawks passed on 87% of offensive plays. Grubb needed an NFL running coordinator and an NFL OL coach. He’s back in Alabama, so all is good. If Kk fails, this could be bad for JS. I don’t think he will. RT is so much better with Lucas, Zabel can’t be anything but better than Tomlinson, Olu should be better, Sundell could be surprisingly better in year 2, We only need one of the multitude to step up at RG. There’s 4 possibilities without Sundell, who may get a shot at RG if Olu wins the starting job at center.
I can see JS hiring Grubb as a hat tip to the possibility college coaching understands younger players now better than the old league generals. I'll consider that speculation has been put to bed. Good on John for trying it out. No doubt now we'll have an entire team getting a deeper respect for these new 'old guys'.
In my heart of hearts, I see this year going well for us....if we win week 1....jk, but seriously, we are unproven and underrated and no one outside Seattle believes in us yet.
I think it is going to be a great season yes, but that first game against an established team with an offense that’s played together before, is a tall order. I have them 6-2 before the bye which would be awesome, but one of the losses is Niners W1 🤬
I held concerns that Saleh will be returning his butt-kicking talents on Defense back to the team, as before. Turns out he left 5 years ago, so most of his guys are gone and he'll have to restart from scratch? Frisco won't have to worry about their DC leaving for a while now, so it'll be a problem, hopefully next year.
I predicted their season W-L record right after the draft. I have them 12 and 5. Splitting with the RAMS and 49ers.
By mid season, they will believe. I believe that the coaches and GMs believe already. It's those so called insiders that wish to downgrade us. We'll just have to educate them on the field.
I bet the farm on us kicking ass by mideason last year. I'm betting I'll do so again.
Let them naysayers eat crow!
And let the soothsayers eat whatever they want!!
And the Who?sayers.
The nay sayers, the doubters. Olds saying, Like “Oh ye of little faith!”