I did have to keep reminding myself that this is not the team that will be playing during the season. I get the impression Pete views preseason a bit differently than other coaches who can't back away from the obsessive need to win. Really chuckled at DK's annoyance with Pete for not allowing him and Lockett more than 3 snaps. He might want to keep the binky for another season.
While I probably wasn't paying real close attention to the tackles the Bears made on the Hawks, I couldn't help but notice it seemed to take the entire defense to tackle a bear.
Some of the commentary on Kenneth Walker III made me think there are announcers who really want to be able to say "told you so" on the early draft pick.
Never forget, I have no idea what I'm talking about because I watch football differently than those who truly understand all the positions. 😜😜
They talk about cutting the players. When are they going to talk about cutting the coaches? And we need to cut the special teams coach first. Ok, maybe we need to give him a chance to get to the regular season with the starters but the special teams play is sub par. And just to be different from everyone else I blame the coaches for not preparing the qb, rb, and line for the blitz that caused the fumble last week. Yeah I know there was a similar play earlier in the game but I still think the coaches should have given that group a heads up. And while I'm at it I might as well blame them for all the dropped balls. Hurry up and get Lock in a game again. I was somewhat hopeful at the beginning of training camp but like some of the other commenters it looks like it's going to be a long season. Or maybe it's just our second string and the starters will make it somewhat watchable. Thanks Joe for all your posts and insights.
A comment on Eason: he sees the field well, is quick to make decisions and has a strong arm. Though he had *a lot* of incompletions, I don't recall a turnover worthy play.
The only thing to criticize is that he lacks touch. His fades were atrocious. Is that coachable? Because if it is, and Eason responds well to it, he can be the best QB on the roster (a small bar to clear, of course).
I don't hold any hope that Eason will be a competent NFL starter in the foreseeable future. Would love to be wrong. Guy's got a strong arm and the kind of stature one wants in a QB. He lacks poise and mobility, doesn't know what to do when the pocket collapses, isn't particularly accurate with his passes (fade routes included). Coaches have been trying to work with him for years. Husky fans are well acquainted with his shortcomings. One of those guys who looks great on paper, at least certain aspects of his game.
Same could be said of Lock, that he shows a lot of potential but hasn't yet shown it on the field. But Lock has a better are, more accuracy and way more mobility. He needs to process faster and make better decisions. Easier said than done but not outside the realm of possibility. I don't want to pronounce Eason hopeless but I think it's a longshot that he carves out any kind of NFL career, even as a backup.
No reason to worry about Cade. He's fighting for a spot on the practice squad. Cross is going to make rookie mistakes. Hopefully he'll outgrow them. So far, he's doing well overall. The first exhibition blew me out of the water -- him and Lucas. To get bookend tackles with so much potential out of the same draft is outstanding.
Do I worry about Geno's struggles? Absolutely not. I've long ago resigned myself to the fact that Smith is a career backup. If he were to start against Denver, I'd surrender all hope of a miracle, maybe just record the games and use them at night to help me fall asleep.
I used to very grateful for the Bears. They gave us a top ten first round pick for Rick Mirer. That became Walter Jones. But I think Schneider had paid back the organizational debt to the Football Gods by giving a top ten first round pick, another first round pick, and top of the market contract to Jamal Adams. So I no longer felt indebt to the Bears.
Yes, they generally have boring teams. I did live in Chicago in the mid nineties and followed them closely during those years. Yes, I see you Dave Wannstedt!
It's crazy to me that a team can hold relevancy for 35 years based on having a great defense that one time. They so rarely are a fun team to watch. Outside of the Peanut Tillman games, they can go to hell.
Tried to watch the highlights on the train to the south coast, but app was rendered unviable due to poor connection. Or was it because iPhone now sports a new feature to protect your mental health by screening out content likely to trigger negative reactions?
That was horrible, but all preaseason offerings should be taken with a huge grain of salt. We’ll be better when the games matter, but my god, Geno looked slow out there. I think I’ve run out of the last reserves of rabidly misplaced off-season optimism. All aboard the Lock train, and fingers crossed for Lewis.
It's fair to say that teams will almost always be better than 3 points. But I don't know that the Seahawks will be competitive in very many games. They had plenty of starters/key contributors on the field and the Bears did not. That's the biggest concern for me--Geno is one of the options to start at QB. That's wild.
Who cares about protecting the ball if you can't get a first down. I'd rather watch Lock throw red-zone interceptions than Dickson punt 10 times (no offense to Dickson). If any nails were driven into any coffins tonight it was Geno's.
I hope the coaches are learning something about the WRs from these games, because I'm not. Special teams kick return coverage was bad. I know a lot of the guys playing preseason special teams aren't making the final roster, but it'd be nice to see one or two of these guys stand out. I'm sad for Cade and I hope he gets another chance.
I was only able to watch the highlights, but O and D line looked solid again. I'm dreading the news on Lewis' injury, but at least there is some depth at guard (we think).
Cobe and the Avatar looked good. If they and Abe Lucas all continue to progress into solid contributors (or better) then we killed this draft!
Can we put Roquan Smith on the plane and bring him home with us?
It appears, so far, to have been a phenomenal draft. But that takes a bit of time to manifest and the Hawks are digging out from a huge hole. We were just a few excellent skilled players and a bunch of borderline NFL talents. A draft like this can go a long way toward fixing things but it will likely take next year, and maybe the year after too, to really right the ship, and that's presuming we continue to draft well and most of the guys develop. Particularly when we take a QB in the first round; that's such a craps shoot.
I'm afraid performances like this give me less hope for spending any capital on Roquan Smith. It was a wake up call: Seahawks have more issues than QB.
Lock gets COVID and may have cemented himself as the starting QB.
Fourteen possessions (not counting the ends of the halfs), seven 3-and-outs, ten punts. Of the 27 receptions, two accounted for 70 yards. The other 25 went for 183 yards (7.3 YPC).
OK, not many starters played. But (a) that’s true every year and (b) this was at home against a roster that some say ranks as the worst in the league. I get that eternal optimism is part of Corbin Smith’s schtick, but there’s such a thing as insulting your audience.
I've long felt this year's team will be somewhere between 2-15 and 7-10, with the under-over at 4.5 wins. I'm not going to say this preseason game validates my perspective because it's not really possible to evaluate a team based on its pre-season performance. The pre-season is good for evaluating individual players but not teams. Too many starters sit and the coaches are trying guys out in new situations; not worrying about the final score.
It's not fair, no. But it is kinda fair because it meets our low expectations. Really good players sat, but the Seahawks may not have enough "really good" players who are sitting. I don't get my hopes up that much more when I consider who will be added to the O and D because there's a lot of guys who are starting who did play and it's not as though Sidney Jones and Artie Burns and Gabe Jackson are really making my wheels turn to think about getting them for full games.
You've said what I'm feeling. We're in rebuild mode to the extent that any franchise is ever in rebuild mode in a league like the NFL, where the difference between success and failure is paper thin.
There's a part of me rooting for a lousy season for the draft pick, even though I agree with you that it's a foolish perspective. A quick glance at an evaluation, written up in "The Athletic", detailing how all the 2022 first round picks are doing so far, shows how "noisy" (if not quite random) the whole thing is. Clearly, the guys at the top of the round are better bets than the ones at the bottom, but their careers are a jumble of factors, some in the control of the players and the teams, some not.
Cross had at least two false starts I thought it was three and a holding penalty. The only thing negative I have seen about Cross is he did have 12 penalties in his Sr year. As soon as he concentrates a little more, and realizes how good he is the penalties will come down.
I agree with Ken in that Lock's stock has gone up. If he plays well against the Cowboys, he is in.
Is it me or has our new defense not figured out how to fill run gaps ?
Personally the Bears also rank low on my list of teams to watch, but Walter Payton was the all time leading rusher and great to watch. That however was 36 years ago so I am showing my age
I'll be supremely disappointed if Geno doesn't start. You've made this point many times now but what more is there to learn about 32 year old Geno Smith? If you're not putting points up in preseason or inspiring your teammates to play well then why wouldn't you go with the young guy instead?
To me this seems like an easy call, play the guy who's shown some upside and is still young enough to learn new things.
I'm fine with it. I typically skim through those sections because Ken already has my support. Clearly he has yours too, Geff and Zeahawk. But writing a blog, and making a living from it, is hard work. It's not something a shrinking violet will be successful at. There are folks who don't yet know how good the information on this site is. Best way to get folks to take notice is to point it out. Again and again because that's what it takes.
There's a lot of information available online for free. Most of it's worth exactly nothing. For what we get here, I consider my $5 monthly contribution well worth it. Ken gives a lot of his work product away for free. I think he's doing it right. Entice folks with good info and then offer more if they're willing to help keep the lights on.
Really bad looking tonight and the discouraging part is that even if a lot of starters sat, the potential QB didn't. And if it's not him, the upgrade isn't that appealing.
Agreed but maybe with a real confidence shot from Pete, Drew can compete. It seems we are going to be a team that can't afford hardly any errors if we hope to win. I still think it's all looking good for 2023. Also linebacker depth maybe a problem, but with Adams Diggs and a third safety tackling will be better
I did have to keep reminding myself that this is not the team that will be playing during the season. I get the impression Pete views preseason a bit differently than other coaches who can't back away from the obsessive need to win. Really chuckled at DK's annoyance with Pete for not allowing him and Lockett more than 3 snaps. He might want to keep the binky for another season.
While I probably wasn't paying real close attention to the tackles the Bears made on the Hawks, I couldn't help but notice it seemed to take the entire defense to tackle a bear.
Some of the commentary on Kenneth Walker III made me think there are announcers who really want to be able to say "told you so" on the early draft pick.
Never forget, I have no idea what I'm talking about because I watch football differently than those who truly understand all the positions. 😜😜
Your opinions are just as valid!
They talk about cutting the players. When are they going to talk about cutting the coaches? And we need to cut the special teams coach first. Ok, maybe we need to give him a chance to get to the regular season with the starters but the special teams play is sub par. And just to be different from everyone else I blame the coaches for not preparing the qb, rb, and line for the blitz that caused the fumble last week. Yeah I know there was a similar play earlier in the game but I still think the coaches should have given that group a heads up. And while I'm at it I might as well blame them for all the dropped balls. Hurry up and get Lock in a game again. I was somewhat hopeful at the beginning of training camp but like some of the other commenters it looks like it's going to be a long season. Or maybe it's just our second string and the starters will make it somewhat watchable. Thanks Joe for all your posts and insights.
Yeah, special teams not getting a reprieve just because of the other bad units. Unfortunate situation for the special teams to also be bad.
A comment on Eason: he sees the field well, is quick to make decisions and has a strong arm. Though he had *a lot* of incompletions, I don't recall a turnover worthy play.
The only thing to criticize is that he lacks touch. His fades were atrocious. Is that coachable? Because if it is, and Eason responds well to it, he can be the best QB on the roster (a small bar to clear, of course).
The "Is Eason Coachable" thing has been going around for 7 years, so I'm gonna go ahead and say no.
Eason was playing against scrubs. Don't make too much of it.
All my comments are independent of competition. And he was also throwing to scrubs.
I don't hold any hope that Eason will be a competent NFL starter in the foreseeable future. Would love to be wrong. Guy's got a strong arm and the kind of stature one wants in a QB. He lacks poise and mobility, doesn't know what to do when the pocket collapses, isn't particularly accurate with his passes (fade routes included). Coaches have been trying to work with him for years. Husky fans are well acquainted with his shortcomings. One of those guys who looks great on paper, at least certain aspects of his game.
Same could be said of Lock, that he shows a lot of potential but hasn't yet shown it on the field. But Lock has a better are, more accuracy and way more mobility. He needs to process faster and make better decisions. Easier said than done but not outside the realm of possibility. I don't want to pronounce Eason hopeless but I think it's a longshot that he carves out any kind of NFL career, even as a backup.
Things I'm not worried about:
- Cross penalties (yet)
- Geno struggling to move the ball
- Cade bobbling the punt
- A few drops by the rookie and practice squad receivers
Things I'm very worried about:
- Lack of discipline on special teams
- Bad tackling galore
- Losing this bad to Bears backups.
If I'm remembering correctly, Michael Bennett was a frequent penalty for coming off the line too soon.
No reason to worry about Cade. He's fighting for a spot on the practice squad. Cross is going to make rookie mistakes. Hopefully he'll outgrow them. So far, he's doing well overall. The first exhibition blew me out of the water -- him and Lucas. To get bookend tackles with so much potential out of the same draft is outstanding.
Do I worry about Geno's struggles? Absolutely not. I've long ago resigned myself to the fact that Smith is a career backup. If he were to start against Denver, I'd surrender all hope of a miracle, maybe just record the games and use them at night to help me fall asleep.
I used to very grateful for the Bears. They gave us a top ten first round pick for Rick Mirer. That became Walter Jones. But I think Schneider had paid back the organizational debt to the Football Gods by giving a top ten first round pick, another first round pick, and top of the market contract to Jamal Adams. So I no longer felt indebt to the Bears.
Yes, they generally have boring teams. I did live in Chicago in the mid nineties and followed them closely during those years. Yes, I see you Dave Wannstedt!
It's crazy to me that a team can hold relevancy for 35 years based on having a great defense that one time. They so rarely are a fun team to watch. Outside of the Peanut Tillman games, they can go to hell.
Very good memory, what a beauty Walter Jones was. He was so good he could sit out training camp and Holmgren would let him, all be it begrudgingly
Tried to watch the highlights on the train to the south coast, but app was rendered unviable due to poor connection. Or was it because iPhone now sports a new feature to protect your mental health by screening out content likely to trigger negative reactions?
That was horrible, but all preaseason offerings should be taken with a huge grain of salt. We’ll be better when the games matter, but my god, Geno looked slow out there. I think I’ve run out of the last reserves of rabidly misplaced off-season optimism. All aboard the Lock train, and fingers crossed for Lewis.
It's fair to say that teams will almost always be better than 3 points. But I don't know that the Seahawks will be competitive in very many games. They had plenty of starters/key contributors on the field and the Bears did not. That's the biggest concern for me--Geno is one of the options to start at QB. That's wild.
Who cares about protecting the ball if you can't get a first down. I'd rather watch Lock throw red-zone interceptions than Dickson punt 10 times (no offense to Dickson). If any nails were driven into any coffins tonight it was Geno's.
I hope the coaches are learning something about the WRs from these games, because I'm not. Special teams kick return coverage was bad. I know a lot of the guys playing preseason special teams aren't making the final roster, but it'd be nice to see one or two of these guys stand out. I'm sad for Cade and I hope he gets another chance.
I was only able to watch the highlights, but O and D line looked solid again. I'm dreading the news on Lewis' injury, but at least there is some depth at guard (we think).
Cobe and the Avatar looked good. If they and Abe Lucas all continue to progress into solid contributors (or better) then we killed this draft!
Can we put Roquan Smith on the plane and bring him home with us?
It appears, so far, to have been a phenomenal draft. But that takes a bit of time to manifest and the Hawks are digging out from a huge hole. We were just a few excellent skilled players and a bunch of borderline NFL talents. A draft like this can go a long way toward fixing things but it will likely take next year, and maybe the year after too, to really right the ship, and that's presuming we continue to draft well and most of the guys develop. Particularly when we take a QB in the first round; that's such a craps shoot.
I'm afraid performances like this give me less hope for spending any capital on Roquan Smith. It was a wake up call: Seahawks have more issues than QB.
Lock gets COVID and may have cemented himself as the starting QB.
Fourteen possessions (not counting the ends of the halfs), seven 3-and-outs, ten punts. Of the 27 receptions, two accounted for 70 yards. The other 25 went for 183 yards (7.3 YPC).
OK, not many starters played. But (a) that’s true every year and (b) this was at home against a roster that some say ranks as the worst in the league. I get that eternal optimism is part of Corbin Smith’s schtick, but there’s such a thing as insulting your audience.
What does it say about your team when a guy becomes more likely to start by sitting out a game?
Yeah, we need reality Paul! I hate that some people in "media" are pushing a false narrative.
I've long felt this year's team will be somewhere between 2-15 and 7-10, with the under-over at 4.5 wins. I'm not going to say this preseason game validates my perspective because it's not really possible to evaluate a team based on its pre-season performance. The pre-season is good for evaluating individual players but not teams. Too many starters sit and the coaches are trying guys out in new situations; not worrying about the final score.
It's not fair, no. But it is kinda fair because it meets our low expectations. Really good players sat, but the Seahawks may not have enough "really good" players who are sitting. I don't get my hopes up that much more when I consider who will be added to the O and D because there's a lot of guys who are starting who did play and it's not as though Sidney Jones and Artie Burns and Gabe Jackson are really making my wheels turn to think about getting them for full games.
You've said what I'm feeling. We're in rebuild mode to the extent that any franchise is ever in rebuild mode in a league like the NFL, where the difference between success and failure is paper thin.
There's a part of me rooting for a lousy season for the draft pick, even though I agree with you that it's a foolish perspective. A quick glance at an evaluation, written up in "The Athletic", detailing how all the 2022 first round picks are doing so far, shows how "noisy" (if not quite random) the whole thing is. Clearly, the guys at the top of the round are better bets than the ones at the bottom, but their careers are a jumble of factors, some in the control of the players and the teams, some not.
Cross had at least two false starts I thought it was three and a holding penalty. The only thing negative I have seen about Cross is he did have 12 penalties in his Sr year. As soon as he concentrates a little more, and realizes how good he is the penalties will come down.
I agree with Ken in that Lock's stock has gone up. If he plays well against the Cowboys, he is in.
Is it me or has our new defense not figured out how to fill run gaps ?
Personally the Bears also rank low on my list of teams to watch, but Walter Payton was the all time leading rusher and great to watch. That however was 36 years ago so I am showing my age
It will be interesting to find out what caused Cross to commit four false start penalties. None at Pittsburg, right?
None I remember
I'll be supremely disappointed if Geno doesn't start. You've made this point many times now but what more is there to learn about 32 year old Geno Smith? If you're not putting points up in preseason or inspiring your teammates to play well then why wouldn't you go with the young guy instead?
To me this seems like an easy call, play the guy who's shown some upside and is still young enough to learn new things.
I think you meant if Geno does start
I think you mean Lock!
Yes, of course. My synapses aren't firing correctly after watching that game. :-)
Bingo card - every time they talk about Cross or Lucas they say “air raid”.
Good call!
I’m SO proud of myself. I watched it to the VERY end
Actually the last 10-15 minutes were kinda interesting.
Eason made some pretty good throws. Too bad some of those were drops
He almost made a game out of it.
I stopped watching after the 2nd quarter. Maybe I'll go back and watch the second half.
Last half of 4th quarter was watchable maybe even kinda fun.
Eason's always had a strong arm. Not much else. But yes, more entertaining.
I'm fine with it. I typically skim through those sections because Ken already has my support. Clearly he has yours too, Geff and Zeahawk. But writing a blog, and making a living from it, is hard work. It's not something a shrinking violet will be successful at. There are folks who don't yet know how good the information on this site is. Best way to get folks to take notice is to point it out. Again and again because that's what it takes.
There's a lot of information available online for free. Most of it's worth exactly nothing. For what we get here, I consider my $5 monthly contribution well worth it. Ken gives a lot of his work product away for free. I think he's doing it right. Entice folks with good info and then offer more if they're willing to help keep the lights on.
Are you doing a newsletter, brother? Clicked on the link but didn't see anything there. If you create one, I'll check it out.
Really bad looking tonight and the discouraging part is that even if a lot of starters sat, the potential QB didn't. And if it's not him, the upgrade isn't that appealing.
Agreed but maybe with a real confidence shot from Pete, Drew can compete. It seems we are going to be a team that can't afford hardly any errors if we hope to win. I still think it's all looking good for 2023. Also linebacker depth maybe a problem, but with Adams Diggs and a third safety tackling will be better
I'm not convinced the 2023 draft will be enough. Even with four picks in the top two rounds. We might have to suck into 2024.