Bank questioned the renewal of my subscription; I answered their email that it was a valid charge BUT they were closed for several days over the holiday -- I see from a message via Substack support that this is not unusual, if you haven't run it through again, try now, as of yesterday morning the bank agreed to pay
Really good game against a really good team. Too bad we didn't get rewarded, but it shows we can go toe-to-toe with a SB contending team. One could even argue we were only a miscue or two away from a win.
- I'm totally perplexed at why Grubb insisted on throwing the ball 80% of the time. Without the threat of a running game, the Vikings were getting more and more aggressive as the game went on.
- Penalties will kill you, especially against good teams. A few less of these and who knows what might have happened..
- Speaking of penalties, I wouldn't argue that some of the calls against us weren't legit, as they were. What I would argue is that there were pretty obvious DPI's and o-line holds that were not called on the Vikings at critical times.
- I thought the defense played really well against an elite offense. They forced 6 punts, which is really good. Just need to clean up the mistakes.
- Woolen is so frustrating to me. All the talent in the world, but just doesn't have the mindset you need to get to where he could get to. If he can't get himself squared away, he's going to cost himself a lot of money. He may already have.
- A lot of people will point to Geno's two interceptions, and fair enough. I'll point out he played injured and despite that, I thought he did enough to win. Others will say he did enough to lose, and I understand how you might have that view. That's the life of Geno.
If we play this way (sans the penalties) against the Bears and Rams, we'll win both games. If.
I'm lightening up on Riq. His closing speed is huge in designing deceptive coverage meant to invite an INT. The QB will see his receiver has his man beat. Add in his vertical leap and I can see MacD taking risks to generate TOs.
We couldn’t figure out why Grubb went all-pass, either. Establishing the run often takes time; you can’t abandon it just because you don’t get 7-8 yards a play right off the bat.
Also, we didn’t get the three deep balls on third-and-long, although it’s hard to know how much of that was Grubb and how much was Geno. Each was the last play in a three-and-out, two came when the defense needed a blow, and the other when they had fallen behind by 10. Seems to me that you play for the sticks in those circumstances.
Noah Fant is credited w/a tackle so Geno wasn't perfect! ;-) Vikes dropped another pick.
I agree w/Fox's Mark Sanchez; last pick appeared to be a 90 degree down & out timing pass that DK ran incorrectly - similar DK miscue earlier this season. Timing passes are thrown to the spot a guy is supposed to reach, not direct to the guy.
Agree w/Jon's comment below that Geno's a bridge - and if he wants too much, he's water under the bridge. Not to be a Geno apologist, but 2024 O line doesn't deserve better. It's not news the O-line can't run or pass block. 2024 Hawks are one dimensional-pass-1st (and 2nd, and 3rd), especially vs. Viking-quality teams. Opponents know Hawks can't run, they overplay Hawk pass game, the law of averages takes hold.
Still, the Hawks had a chance minus dumb penalties (dumb penalties not news either).
I didn't understand the Jefferson coverage. He ran a lot of N-S routes. DK is mostly N-S and gets bracketed front-back a lot. Was Woolen's safety help, supposed to be "just in time"? It never was in time. Last Jefferson TD; Woolen's eyes look totally in backfield until way too late. Why'd he make that mistake after being smoked several times?
Short of the Rams taking a commissioner-mandated dive vs. AZ, it's wait'll next year - and the dreaded 4+ mos. of draft predictions (ugh).
But the glass is half full. I thought 8-9 was optimistic. 8's a done deal. Good on team, 1st year HC & coaching staff. The staff needed a season to jell, operationally figure what flies and what doesn't in the NFL - particularly Ryan Grubb. For the "Grubb's gotta go" folks; are you nostalgic for the ever so dynamic Shane Waldron/Pete Carroll juggernaut? Hope not.
2024 was a much more entertaining O, warts and all.
2024 was a training wheels year. Consider what Grubb inherited:
1. An O-line made of "guys", not a Unit [that run blocks worse than it's terrible pass blocking]
2. Can't run, so it's pass-or-die w/(really) fading Lockett, streaky DK (he's a #1?), ascendant JSN -
But certainly not the 3-headed receiving monster we thought it could be.
3. His share and more of O turnover & injuries - both line & RB
Consider what Macdonald worked through:
1. Injured or ineffective OLB & ILB
2. D-line made of Williams & "guys" that don't get consistent QB pressure & is inconsistent vs. run
As Ken pointed out pre-season - not a lot of long term $ tied up in the roster.
There'll be lot's of coming and going in 2025.
With a more experienced coaching staff and a full year of JS as "the man", the Hawks have a ton of needs, but I expect them to take a steps that will lead to more success vs. top tier teams like the Vikes.
This place feels more downbeat than last week's loss to the Packers.
Idk, I thought that was one of the better games of the year for the Hawks! Mixed use of JSN and DK at varied levels kept the defence guessing. OLine held up pretty much. KW3 made some inside runs work instead of always trying to bounce out. Defence did it's damnedest to hold the game in check, and getting blown deep by JJ and J is no shame.
To go down by 3 to a 12-3 team is huge improvements. It was a pretty rounded performance with plays made on both sides of the ball. Really a close scrappy game the kind we were asking for against these stronger opponents. If we can beat Bears by 8+ and Rams thats a hell of a 3-game finish to build upon!
I'm sorry, but I think I'm done with Geno. The alternative was terrible in limited action, and Geno clearly hasn't lost the team in a way that necessitates a change, but I don't see him as anything other than a bridge anymore. Whatever anti-turnover magic sauce that Pete Carroll sprinkled on top of Geno clearly didn't carry over to the new staff. He's better than he was as a Jet, but unlike last year or the year before he's showing shades of that past. His TD/INT this year is a real throwback to 2014, and that's not good enough.
I must have seen a different game than just about everyone else here. This was a tough loss to a good team, but it’s not like they didn’t bother showing up (like last week) and it’s not like Justin Jefferson isn’t an HOF receiver who has never been the difference in a game. They didn’t play a perfect game, but no one ever does. This was a tense, exciting game and no one has to hang their head.
My rule of thumb is that, to win, a team has to win the TO battle on the road and break even at home. As well as the defense played, they couldn’t get a TO and we coughed up the ball twice. End of story.
The Vikings are a good side. The Hawks took it to them today. Yea, Geno made Geno errors, but he also made some great plays - nothing new there. Yes, the O-line needs improvement - nothing new there. But the fact they were in the game for as long as they were against a good team is better than other recent games IMO.
Coaching is suspect here. False Starts, Tre Brown Off sides, face masks, and letting JJ get behind the defense. McDonald has more discipline than Pete Carroll but not much.
Jody best serve notice on Schneider that he best get a O line or he’s done!
Mike Holmgren’s teams perennially led the league in fewest false starts. It didn’t matter where he coached or who played on the OL or who the assistant coaches were. As it’s hard to believe that his teams spent much precious practice time on this, maybe it’s because his offenses were almost always in rhythm. In contrast, a couple yesterday’s false starts happened when the offense couldn’t get the play going.
So many avoidable errors- will any reporter have the nerve to ask MM why, and insist on a real answer? Why does this team repeatedly beat itself and why doesn't it learn to do that less?
How many days ago did SSJ write about how hard it would be to trade Geno? Sheesh. The two interceptions in this game vs. what Darnold did (not to mention Darnold's way younger) tell you all you need to know. The second pick, especially, really stinks. But Geno also missed JSN open in the end zone on the drive that led to a FG instead of a TD.
It's legit to say that Geno sees a lot of ghosts because he's under constant duress. He is. I doubt you can do much better if you keep the crap line he's stuck behind. Bo Nix would dissolve in the same situation.
But he also screws up just enough to make it really hard to win. Yes, he's got serious guts. But there are these high-leverage flaws in his game that you cannot ignore.
As for more blame, you bet; you saw a lot of cracks in Seattle's secondary. The quick crossers seemed, once again, impossible to stop. Minnesota does that as well as the Rams or Detroit, and Seattle just doesn't have a solution for them. Seattle's D blew a bunch of chunk plays all day long. And this is one of only a few games where it seemed like McD was out-coached.
But even so, there was one unit on the field that, time and again, was a weak link. Does anyone care to guess which one? Hint: Seattle ranks DFL in how much they pay that unit. And Seattle can barely stay on schedule when it's 1st and 10. First and 15 is murder on this squad. So, yeah. Draft a line, pay for a line. Then Geno—or whatever QB you have—doesn't have to constantly play hero ball. Because look at Darnold checking down all day.
I'm not sure about Geno's mental processing skills, especially in crucial situations. He misses checkdowns, holds on too long (that last sack before the FG attempt should have never happened), and wings interceptions like no other
If Geno throws the ball away instead of taking an unnecessary sack, Meyers has a shot at a much more make able field goal and then he ends the game with an another pick.
No extension for Geno. He has one more year on his contract giving the Hawks time to find his replacement.
Good bye Geno, good by interior Oline, good bye SP coach Harbaugh, Good bye this season!!
Bank questioned the renewal of my subscription; I answered their email that it was a valid charge BUT they were closed for several days over the holiday -- I see from a message via Substack support that this is not unusual, if you haven't run it through again, try now, as of yesterday morning the bank agreed to pay
Really good game against a really good team. Too bad we didn't get rewarded, but it shows we can go toe-to-toe with a SB contending team. One could even argue we were only a miscue or two away from a win.
- I'm totally perplexed at why Grubb insisted on throwing the ball 80% of the time. Without the threat of a running game, the Vikings were getting more and more aggressive as the game went on.
- Penalties will kill you, especially against good teams. A few less of these and who knows what might have happened..
- Speaking of penalties, I wouldn't argue that some of the calls against us weren't legit, as they were. What I would argue is that there were pretty obvious DPI's and o-line holds that were not called on the Vikings at critical times.
- I thought the defense played really well against an elite offense. They forced 6 punts, which is really good. Just need to clean up the mistakes.
- Woolen is so frustrating to me. All the talent in the world, but just doesn't have the mindset you need to get to where he could get to. If he can't get himself squared away, he's going to cost himself a lot of money. He may already have.
- A lot of people will point to Geno's two interceptions, and fair enough. I'll point out he played injured and despite that, I thought he did enough to win. Others will say he did enough to lose, and I understand how you might have that view. That's the life of Geno.
If we play this way (sans the penalties) against the Bears and Rams, we'll win both games. If.
I'm lightening up on Riq. His closing speed is huge in designing deceptive coverage meant to invite an INT. The QB will see his receiver has his man beat. Add in his vertical leap and I can see MacD taking risks to generate TOs.
We couldn’t figure out why Grubb went all-pass, either. Establishing the run often takes time; you can’t abandon it just because you don’t get 7-8 yards a play right off the bat.
Also, we didn’t get the three deep balls on third-and-long, although it’s hard to know how much of that was Grubb and how much was Geno. Each was the last play in a three-and-out, two came when the defense needed a blow, and the other when they had fallen behind by 10. Seems to me that you play for the sticks in those circumstances.
Noah Fant is credited w/a tackle so Geno wasn't perfect! ;-) Vikes dropped another pick.
I agree w/Fox's Mark Sanchez; last pick appeared to be a 90 degree down & out timing pass that DK ran incorrectly - similar DK miscue earlier this season. Timing passes are thrown to the spot a guy is supposed to reach, not direct to the guy.
Agree w/Jon's comment below that Geno's a bridge - and if he wants too much, he's water under the bridge. Not to be a Geno apologist, but 2024 O line doesn't deserve better. It's not news the O-line can't run or pass block. 2024 Hawks are one dimensional-pass-1st (and 2nd, and 3rd), especially vs. Viking-quality teams. Opponents know Hawks can't run, they overplay Hawk pass game, the law of averages takes hold.
Still, the Hawks had a chance minus dumb penalties (dumb penalties not news either).
I didn't understand the Jefferson coverage. He ran a lot of N-S routes. DK is mostly N-S and gets bracketed front-back a lot. Was Woolen's safety help, supposed to be "just in time"? It never was in time. Last Jefferson TD; Woolen's eyes look totally in backfield until way too late. Why'd he make that mistake after being smoked several times?
Short of the Rams taking a commissioner-mandated dive vs. AZ, it's wait'll next year - and the dreaded 4+ mos. of draft predictions (ugh).
But the glass is half full. I thought 8-9 was optimistic. 8's a done deal. Good on team, 1st year HC & coaching staff. The staff needed a season to jell, operationally figure what flies and what doesn't in the NFL - particularly Ryan Grubb. For the "Grubb's gotta go" folks; are you nostalgic for the ever so dynamic Shane Waldron/Pete Carroll juggernaut? Hope not.
2024 was a much more entertaining O, warts and all.
2024 was a training wheels year. Consider what Grubb inherited:
1. An O-line made of "guys", not a Unit [that run blocks worse than it's terrible pass blocking]
2. Can't run, so it's pass-or-die w/(really) fading Lockett, streaky DK (he's a #1?), ascendant JSN -
But certainly not the 3-headed receiving monster we thought it could be.
3. His share and more of O turnover & injuries - both line & RB
Consider what Macdonald worked through:
1. Injured or ineffective OLB & ILB
2. D-line made of Williams & "guys" that don't get consistent QB pressure & is inconsistent vs. run
As Ken pointed out pre-season - not a lot of long term $ tied up in the roster.
There'll be lot's of coming and going in 2025.
With a more experienced coaching staff and a full year of JS as "the man", the Hawks have a ton of needs, but I expect them to take a steps that will lead to more success vs. top tier teams like the Vikes.
This place feels more downbeat than last week's loss to the Packers.
Idk, I thought that was one of the better games of the year for the Hawks! Mixed use of JSN and DK at varied levels kept the defence guessing. OLine held up pretty much. KW3 made some inside runs work instead of always trying to bounce out. Defence did it's damnedest to hold the game in check, and getting blown deep by JJ and J is no shame.
To go down by 3 to a 12-3 team is huge improvements. It was a pretty rounded performance with plays made on both sides of the ball. Really a close scrappy game the kind we were asking for against these stronger opponents. If we can beat Bears by 8+ and Rams thats a hell of a 3-game finish to build upon!
I'm sorry, but I think I'm done with Geno. The alternative was terrible in limited action, and Geno clearly hasn't lost the team in a way that necessitates a change, but I don't see him as anything other than a bridge anymore. Whatever anti-turnover magic sauce that Pete Carroll sprinkled on top of Geno clearly didn't carry over to the new staff. He's better than he was as a Jet, but unlike last year or the year before he's showing shades of that past. His TD/INT this year is a real throwback to 2014, and that's not good enough.
I must have seen a different game than just about everyone else here. This was a tough loss to a good team, but it’s not like they didn’t bother showing up (like last week) and it’s not like Justin Jefferson isn’t an HOF receiver who has never been the difference in a game. They didn’t play a perfect game, but no one ever does. This was a tense, exciting game and no one has to hang their head.
My rule of thumb is that, to win, a team has to win the TO battle on the road and break even at home. As well as the defense played, they couldn’t get a TO and we coughed up the ball twice. End of story.
3 things
Officiating really hurt us. Did they decide the game....maybe
Geno - the INT machine. His INTs kill us
Grubb- he just does not get the NFL. Can we hold on another year. I say NO if we can upgrade.
What the hell do we do at QB? We go nowhere with geno. But how do we improve? JS, figure it out. We PAY you to do so
At least we did not leave at half time
The Vikings are a good side. The Hawks took it to them today. Yea, Geno made Geno errors, but he also made some great plays - nothing new there. Yes, the O-line needs improvement - nothing new there. But the fact they were in the game for as long as they were against a good team is better than other recent games IMO.
Coaching is suspect here. False Starts, Tre Brown Off sides, face masks, and letting JJ get behind the defense. McDonald has more discipline than Pete Carroll but not much.
Jody best serve notice on Schneider that he best get a O line or he’s done!
Mike Holmgren’s teams perennially led the league in fewest false starts. It didn’t matter where he coached or who played on the OL or who the assistant coaches were. As it’s hard to believe that his teams spent much precious practice time on this, maybe it’s because his offenses were almost always in rhythm. In contrast, a couple yesterday’s false starts happened when the offense couldn’t get the play going.
So many avoidable errors- will any reporter have the nerve to ask MM why, and insist on a real answer? Why does this team repeatedly beat itself and why doesn't it learn to do that less?
How many days ago did SSJ write about how hard it would be to trade Geno? Sheesh. The two interceptions in this game vs. what Darnold did (not to mention Darnold's way younger) tell you all you need to know. The second pick, especially, really stinks. But Geno also missed JSN open in the end zone on the drive that led to a FG instead of a TD.
It's legit to say that Geno sees a lot of ghosts because he's under constant duress. He is. I doubt you can do much better if you keep the crap line he's stuck behind. Bo Nix would dissolve in the same situation.
But he also screws up just enough to make it really hard to win. Yes, he's got serious guts. But there are these high-leverage flaws in his game that you cannot ignore.
As for more blame, you bet; you saw a lot of cracks in Seattle's secondary. The quick crossers seemed, once again, impossible to stop. Minnesota does that as well as the Rams or Detroit, and Seattle just doesn't have a solution for them. Seattle's D blew a bunch of chunk plays all day long. And this is one of only a few games where it seemed like McD was out-coached.
But even so, there was one unit on the field that, time and again, was a weak link. Does anyone care to guess which one? Hint: Seattle ranks DFL in how much they pay that unit. And Seattle can barely stay on schedule when it's 1st and 10. First and 15 is murder on this squad. So, yeah. Draft a line, pay for a line. Then Geno—or whatever QB you have—doesn't have to constantly play hero ball. Because look at Darnold checking down all day.
So true about Geno, up and down game, 2 picks and 2 others that should have been picks were dropped by the defenders.
Hawks did a great job keeping it close and competitive against a top-tier team.
I'm not sure about Geno's mental processing skills, especially in crucial situations. He misses checkdowns, holds on too long (that last sack before the FG attempt should have never happened), and wings interceptions like no other
How 'bout them Bears, huh?
They played well vs Detroit. When they learn to get out of their own way they will be a good team.
Same w/Hawks?
As long as the Hawks don't show up thinking it's a sure win.
KenJoe ('n Seaside Jay if travelling together 'cause Christmas) be Safe 'n have a Great Visit!
No, he's on a weekend birthday outing.
Thanks, Rozone.
If Geno throws the ball away instead of taking an unnecessary sack, Meyers has a shot at a much more make able field goal and then he ends the game with an another pick.
No extension for Geno. He has one more year on his contract giving the Hawks time to find his replacement.
Good bye Geno, good by interior Oline, good bye SP coach Harbaugh, Good bye this season!!
I put that more on DK again intuiting a route unique only to himself.
Geno’s INT was every bit as bad as the one Howell threw last week, and set up the points that were the ultimate margin.
But lots of reasons on both sides of the ball for the loss.
JSN is a baller!! Barner!
But virtually no run game.
Why do we see DK around most of the INTs?
Barner looking good! Hope he keeps working on his game. He could be a real steal looking back in a few years.
Anyone notice that #19 makes clutch catches on the very rare times he gets targeted?
PC was right about turnovers. They will kill you. The lack of Seattle getting many all season hurts as much