Just signed up for the paid Joe experience............Truly love your insight and writing ....I felt guilty for reading everything and not paying a hard working man .........GO JOE
Joe, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but saying Walker's stock went up on that game performance is really a stretch. Homer and Dallas were far more impressive, although Homer was favored with some huge holes Walker did not enjoy. Doesn't mean I don't also have a lot of hope for Kenneth. Can already tell he brought his cuts with him from college.
Without looking at the 22's, I was impressed with Cross, personally. A quiet game is often a good one for a LT.
Geno completed one long dime in the middle that was sweet. Drew threw a great seam shot to Parkinson who couldn't hang on. Overall, Drew felt more on top of things to me than Geno, but not sure how much evidence I really have for that. Geno has got to watch the reverse spins in the backfield to avoid the rush. He's not Russell, even if he's watched him for many years. Pete continues to talk Geno up. His discussions of Drew seem a bit more reluctant. Might all be part of the plan...
Taylor can rush. Needs to finish. Impressed once again with Robinson's win rate. Some nice pressures. We need Brooks back. Rookie CBs got in some good work. Mixed results, but the skills are there.
Was impressed by Myles Adams' effort and penetration. Not sure of the caliber of OL he was working against, but he showed something.
Whether the Seahawks win ten games or five depends on the QB. Geno, as everyone has noted, only throws underneath, so a D will immediately adjust, cheat up, and shut down our offense, leading to double digit losses for the season. Lock has skills but needs continued coaching better than what he got in Denver to have any hope of get over his "brain-lock". Cannot every rational person see that the only reason to start Geno is to tank the season for a top R1 pick? The OL, TEs, WRs and RBs are playoff quality, so the QB is it. Assuming Hurtt and Desai can design the correct defensive scheme to maximize our talent, we can do some damage on D. It was infuriating to watch Picket pushing off blatantly on every play and the refs ignoring it, and painful to watch Bellore trying to tackle NFL RBs. Cross, Lucas, Mafe, Walker, Bryant and Woolen look like home run picks.
I wonder what the OC thought. Which QB does he think will execute his type of game plan better. Who does he want to work with and find success with. I think Carrol will listen to his opinion and go with it until and if it’s proven wrong. Lock is the starter for preseason game 2 or the competition was a fake.
Run defense... ugh. Is it the line, the inside LBs, or the outside guys? Whatever, we need to get that fixed! I haven't been worried about Cody Barton... until now. The defense looks rudderless with Cody as the main guy. Maybe Brooks is the rememedy but at this point it looks like they need to acquire some experienced LB depth. I know it won't happen but it makes me salivate thinking of Roquan Smith in Cody's spot. Jordan Hicks, Zach Cunningham, and Anthony Hitchens are vets who could get cut for cap reasons after the preseason. Zach Braun of NO was a third round pick but has precious little time on defense. A guy who many thought would go in the first round but fell the the third, he could be available. Dallas' Devin Harper was drafted in the last round but has elite athleticism. If he gets cuts I hope the Hawks take a look. The Ravens' Malik Harrison has been in the doghouse since he was wounded during the bye week last year. They have a number of good prospects. Seattle should be interested in any middle LB the Ravens cut.
Overall, the pass rush seemed to be improved over last year. Lots of pressure on the qb, lots of bodies in the back field, and I mean deep into the back field. They just needed to finish some plays. Like Mafe did.
I've no idea what we can really think about the Oline the Steelers played tonight. Will reserve judgment until the pass rush is in reg season action. But yes, great start for Mafe!
Quick thoughts. Thought the OL did really well. Expected worse. D was not up to par and tackling was atrocious. Lot of blown coverage but kinda expected. Could almost watch the rookies learning in real time. Lot more good than expected. Was prepared for trainwreck. We even kinda looked like an NFL team. Look out when we get a real QB. Just my thoughts.
Lock certainly looked better than Geno to me, and had better results, but I'm becoming more convinced every day that Geno is going to start. No matter what good things Lock does, Pete always finds something to be publicly critical of. In the mock game, Pete made special mention of a deep route Lock didn't pull the trigger on. In this game, without even verifying the protection called yet, Pete laid the strip sack fully at Lock's feet.
I have also noticed Pete will never say a single bad thing about Geno, and even puff him up post game when he really doesn't deserve it. Maybe this is all meant to be motivational for Lock. Or maybe Lock is just an insufferable pissant that coaches are going to hate, and Fangio wasn't unreasonable in his treatment of Lock. It's starting to feel a little more like the latter.
I totally agree that Lock looked much better than Smith. From the stands, Lock LOOKED like an NFL quarterback, Geno does not. My Steeler-fan wife agreed. My comp for Lock is Phillip Rivers. I don't see a Brees or Brady in Lock but definitely a Rivers-type quarterback: possible to be above average with good talent and maybe some bad picks that are tolerable. This isn't a competition in my eyes - Geno looks dreadful in command of this offense.
Let's wait and see if Lock doesn't get his 1 reps this week. Nothing is off schedule yet and I wouldn't read too much into Pete's comments. Read into typical team/Pete behavior over the last 13 years. That's much more telling. He's certainly not pleased with Geno just because he's nicer about Geno to the press.
Yes, but there's a difference between your peers liking you and your coach respecting you. Also, don't forget about Geno. The players may like Lock, but they LOVE Geno. They talk about it, but you can really see it when they play.
I watched some of the Falcons/Lions game yesterday. Then watching this game today, it was nice to see Lock being almost as exciting to watch as two rookie QBs that we passed up in the draft.
We're you sad at all watching Pickett play for the Steelers tonight? Did you see anything in His (or Ritter's Falcon's debut) that made you wish Seattle had taken either of them?
Did not/have never thought once about Kenny Pickett as Seattle's QB or a regret. We have to find a way as human beings to come together and realize that sometimes draft classes don't have good QBs. The Seahawks know first hand via Geno Smith.
The 2013 and 2022 draft classes, as I wrote in February, looked exactly the same. And in 2013, even Ryan Nassib was getting top-10 love in mock drafts. There were 4-5 first round QBs in mock drafts. Tyler Wilson! Then EJ Manuel was only 1st rounder, Geno Smith was only 2nd rounder. There's no good reason to believe that any of these QBs are going to be great and Pickett was the only QB I expected to be drafted in the first round.
I had Ridder/Willis with 3rd round grades and people said I was crazy.
Pickett is going to be with the 3s for as long as the Steelers can help it. The Seahawks have their eyes on 2023, let's be patient with them.
No there wasn't a single moment either of those guys made me think woops we missed one. Picket is going to be on the bench the whole year and Ridder better hope that's where he stays. The Falcons don't have but 2 or 3 weapons
You said it'll be hard for Young to make the 53. I'm going out there now too say he does. He had that work ethic and humility that makes for a great locker room guy. I think with his small school status he's a run-thru-the-wall, chip-on-the-shoulder kind of guy Pete loves. Nearly UDFA type.
He's got the size and speed for special teams.
I say he makes it and forces playing time. Waldron even tried to jet sweep him. With DK blocking, that might spring in real games.
I think I would probably have Dareke Young making the final roster if I did a projection. He could make it, I think more to the point of that it is tough for all players in his position to make a final roster. Like, Young, Melton, Cade Johnson, Hart, Fuller, Thompson, maybe only one of them makes it.
That's right. Making that final cut it difficult. There's a size and speed that goes along with the attitude that seems to put him and Johnson forward a bit.
You've got a good feel for the final spots--that's why we read here.
We could have chosen Ritter in the 3rd, instead of Lucas. Picket was gone before we took Mafe or Walker. So, we wouldn't've missed out on either of them.
What Lock offers is enough to make me happy with our decision. Cross and Lucas add a lot of talent/value to the online.
I just hope we actually get to watch Lock play. I'm not interested in watching any more of Geno.
Personally, I'm pleased with this "game". I'm not expecting the Hawks to be good this year. Our draft class looked as good as advertised. In my view, Lock played significantly better than Smith. I'm hoping he starts on Thursday against the Bears. Would like to see how he does against a first string D. I'm not saying the Hawks are making the playoffs this year. Just that I've raised our under-over for games won this season from 3 to 4.5.
Just signed up for the paid Joe experience............Truly love your insight and writing ....I felt guilty for reading everything and not paying a hard working man .........GO JOE
Joe, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but saying Walker's stock went up on that game performance is really a stretch. Homer and Dallas were far more impressive, although Homer was favored with some huge holes Walker did not enjoy. Doesn't mean I don't also have a lot of hope for Kenneth. Can already tell he brought his cuts with him from college.
Without looking at the 22's, I was impressed with Cross, personally. A quiet game is often a good one for a LT.
Geno completed one long dime in the middle that was sweet. Drew threw a great seam shot to Parkinson who couldn't hang on. Overall, Drew felt more on top of things to me than Geno, but not sure how much evidence I really have for that. Geno has got to watch the reverse spins in the backfield to avoid the rush. He's not Russell, even if he's watched him for many years. Pete continues to talk Geno up. His discussions of Drew seem a bit more reluctant. Might all be part of the plan...
Taylor can rush. Needs to finish. Impressed once again with Robinson's win rate. Some nice pressures. We need Brooks back. Rookie CBs got in some good work. Mixed results, but the skills are there.
Was impressed by Myles Adams' effort and penetration. Not sure of the caliber of OL he was working against, but he showed something.
Whether the Seahawks win ten games or five depends on the QB. Geno, as everyone has noted, only throws underneath, so a D will immediately adjust, cheat up, and shut down our offense, leading to double digit losses for the season. Lock has skills but needs continued coaching better than what he got in Denver to have any hope of get over his "brain-lock". Cannot every rational person see that the only reason to start Geno is to tank the season for a top R1 pick? The OL, TEs, WRs and RBs are playoff quality, so the QB is it. Assuming Hurtt and Desai can design the correct defensive scheme to maximize our talent, we can do some damage on D. It was infuriating to watch Picket pushing off blatantly on every play and the refs ignoring it, and painful to watch Bellore trying to tackle NFL RBs. Cross, Lucas, Mafe, Walker, Bryant and Woolen look like home run picks.
Appreciate your point of view, as always. I like you including Condotta and Bell’s commentary for reference in making your analysis.
I wonder what the OC thought. Which QB does he think will execute his type of game plan better. Who does he want to work with and find success with. I think Carrol will listen to his opinion and go with it until and if it’s proven wrong. Lock is the starter for preseason game 2 or the competition was a fake.
I think Shane Waldron has to go with the QB who executes better, not necessarily the QB who executes the game plan he prefers.
I wouldn't give an advantage to Lock just yet.
Geno played against 1st stringers, in the first quarter he faced mostly starters. He was bad for 28 minutes, but his 2 minute drill was really good.
Yeah, nobody has an advantage or a disadvantage until Drew Lock starts.
Was the sack on Lock a missed protection call by Lock, a missed call by the center, or just a misplay by a lineman?
I have to assume the rb in at the time whiffed on that. Didn’t catch who it was. I wonder if there’s a replay of this game somewhere?
Lock said after that it was his fault.
I suppose he could have had a hot read to get rid of it quickly to but my god that rusher was untouched and in his face in about a second and a half!
Run defense... ugh. Is it the line, the inside LBs, or the outside guys? Whatever, we need to get that fixed! I haven't been worried about Cody Barton... until now. The defense looks rudderless with Cody as the main guy. Maybe Brooks is the rememedy but at this point it looks like they need to acquire some experienced LB depth. I know it won't happen but it makes me salivate thinking of Roquan Smith in Cody's spot. Jordan Hicks, Zach Cunningham, and Anthony Hitchens are vets who could get cut for cap reasons after the preseason. Zach Braun of NO was a third round pick but has precious little time on defense. A guy who many thought would go in the first round but fell the the third, he could be available. Dallas' Devin Harper was drafted in the last round but has elite athleticism. If he gets cuts I hope the Hawks take a look. The Ravens' Malik Harrison has been in the doghouse since he was wounded during the bye week last year. They have a number of good prospects. Seattle should be interested in any middle LB the Ravens cut.
Didn't play Woods or Brooks. They'll improve the run D.
There's gonna be some LBs out there, but not sure how many will be exciting. Good examples though Dale, those could be on their mind.
Was it just not seeing football for awhile, or did Homer seem faster this year?
I think he did the best Penny impersonation of the night.
I think that's what it looks like when your O-line creates holes. We haven't seen that for years. At least, that's how it seems.
Overall, the pass rush seemed to be improved over last year. Lots of pressure on the qb, lots of bodies in the back field, and I mean deep into the back field. They just needed to finish some plays. Like Mafe did.
I've no idea what we can really think about the Oline the Steelers played tonight. Will reserve judgment until the pass rush is in reg season action. But yes, great start for Mafe!
Quick thoughts. Thought the OL did really well. Expected worse. D was not up to par and tackling was atrocious. Lot of blown coverage but kinda expected. Could almost watch the rookies learning in real time. Lot more good than expected. Was prepared for trainwreck. We even kinda looked like an NFL team. Look out when we get a real QB. Just my thoughts.
D didn't look good, might need to give Clint Hurtt a lot of slack through this season though.
Yes, I agree the only promising players that stood out, were the RBs. I was also disappointed with the QB outing, Smith was embarrassing.
The RBs were so good and Penny wasn't even out there!
Lock certainly looked better than Geno to me, and had better results, but I'm becoming more convinced every day that Geno is going to start. No matter what good things Lock does, Pete always finds something to be publicly critical of. In the mock game, Pete made special mention of a deep route Lock didn't pull the trigger on. In this game, without even verifying the protection called yet, Pete laid the strip sack fully at Lock's feet.
I have also noticed Pete will never say a single bad thing about Geno, and even puff him up post game when he really doesn't deserve it. Maybe this is all meant to be motivational for Lock. Or maybe Lock is just an insufferable pissant that coaches are going to hate, and Fangio wasn't unreasonable in his treatment of Lock. It's starting to feel a little more like the latter.
I totally agree that Lock looked much better than Smith. From the stands, Lock LOOKED like an NFL quarterback, Geno does not. My Steeler-fan wife agreed. My comp for Lock is Phillip Rivers. I don't see a Brees or Brady in Lock but definitely a Rivers-type quarterback: possible to be above average with good talent and maybe some bad picks that are tolerable. This isn't a competition in my eyes - Geno looks dreadful in command of this offense.
Let's wait and see if Lock doesn't get his 1 reps this week. Nothing is off schedule yet and I wouldn't read too much into Pete's comments. Read into typical team/Pete behavior over the last 13 years. That's much more telling. He's certainly not pleased with Geno just because he's nicer about Geno to the press.
From what I have read all of Lock's teammates like him
Yes, but there's a difference between your peers liking you and your coach respecting you. Also, don't forget about Geno. The players may like Lock, but they LOVE Geno. They talk about it, but you can really see it when they play.
Lock >> Geno.
Not surprised to see DeeJay have a good game--we have great depth at RB.
Surprised the OL played as well as they did. Geno got sacked despite good time to throw--his first drive was gawd awful.
D was more porous than I had hoped it would be.
I did not see who the RB was on the play when Lock was strip sacked at the end but it was absolutely his responsibility to pick up the blitzer.
D looked BAD. Thankfully, it's hardly the D we will see vs Denver.
I watched some of the Falcons/Lions game yesterday. Then watching this game today, it was nice to see Lock being almost as exciting to watch as two rookie QBs that we passed up in the draft.
We're you sad at all watching Pickett play for the Steelers tonight? Did you see anything in His (or Ritter's Falcon's debut) that made you wish Seattle had taken either of them?
Did not/have never thought once about Kenny Pickett as Seattle's QB or a regret. We have to find a way as human beings to come together and realize that sometimes draft classes don't have good QBs. The Seahawks know first hand via Geno Smith.
The 2013 and 2022 draft classes, as I wrote in February, looked exactly the same. And in 2013, even Ryan Nassib was getting top-10 love in mock drafts. There were 4-5 first round QBs in mock drafts. Tyler Wilson! Then EJ Manuel was only 1st rounder, Geno Smith was only 2nd rounder. There's no good reason to believe that any of these QBs are going to be great and Pickett was the only QB I expected to be drafted in the first round.
I had Ridder/Willis with 3rd round grades and people said I was crazy.
Pickett is going to be with the 3s for as long as the Steelers can help it. The Seahawks have their eyes on 2023, let's be patient with them.
No there wasn't a single moment either of those guys made me think woops we missed one. Picket is going to be on the bench the whole year and Ridder better hope that's where he stays. The Falcons don't have but 2 or 3 weapons
Ritter. Ridder. Sorry. My phone prefers Ritter I guess.
I think I feel the same as you. I just don't know enough about QB evaluation to make an educated statement.
I am happy with the talent we added in the draft, and feel like Lock has as much potential as anyone else we could have drafted this year.
Taking them means we couldn't enjoy Cross or Walker or Boye
This draft class is perfect.
Agreed!
You said it'll be hard for Young to make the 53. I'm going out there now too say he does. He had that work ethic and humility that makes for a great locker room guy. I think with his small school status he's a run-thru-the-wall, chip-on-the-shoulder kind of guy Pete loves. Nearly UDFA type.
He's got the size and speed for special teams.
I say he makes it and forces playing time. Waldron even tried to jet sweep him. With DK blocking, that might spring in real games.
I think I would probably have Dareke Young making the final roster if I did a projection. He could make it, I think more to the point of that it is tough for all players in his position to make a final roster. Like, Young, Melton, Cade Johnson, Hart, Fuller, Thompson, maybe only one of them makes it.
That's right. Making that final cut it difficult. There's a size and speed that goes along with the attitude that seems to put him and Johnson forward a bit.
You've got a good feel for the final spots--that's why we read here.
We could have chosen Ritter in the 3rd, instead of Lucas. Picket was gone before we took Mafe or Walker. So, we wouldn't've missed out on either of them.
What Lock offers is enough to make me happy with our decision. Cross and Lucas add a lot of talent/value to the online.
I just hope we actually get to watch Lock play. I'm not interested in watching any more of Geno.
Personally, I'm pleased with this "game". I'm not expecting the Hawks to be good this year. Our draft class looked as good as advertised. In my view, Lock played significantly better than Smith. I'm hoping he starts on Thursday against the Bears. Would like to see how he does against a first string D. I'm not saying the Hawks are making the playoffs this year. Just that I've raised our under-over for games won this season from 3 to 4.5.
He's got to start on Thursday. Anything else would be lunacy.
I think so too. Hope Pete's thinking along similar lines.