Chase Young was getting major hype on Twitter after Ohio State defeated Penn State 28-17. That’s understandable. He had three sacks and four TFL’s in another terrific display. There’s no doubting he’ll be a high pick and he’s not suddenly emerged on the scene in 2019. We could all see how good he was last year too.
However, with Young constantly being presented as the clear #1 talent eligible for the 2020 draft — I think some perspective is needed.
Firstly, he was playing a turnstile at right tackle for Penn State. If Will Fries had been holding a matador’s muleta his performance would’ve made more sense.
Young consistently got to the point of contact before Fries had even dropped into his set. That’s to Young’s credit and speaks to his quickness. However, Fries just looked so lethargic on the kick-step. On the first sack he had ample opportunity to drop and get his hands up and he just leaned into Young, riding his coattail into the backfield.
On one TFL Young had a simple bench-press into Fries’ chest to jolt him off balance. On another TFL Fries squatted into position and showed feet of stone as Young simply cut back into the B-gap to fly to the running back.
One of Young’s sacks also came about because the quarterback dropped the snap and was scrambling backwards to retain possession.
I’m not for a second trying to suggest Young isn’t good or won’t be a top-five pick. I just think we need to remember the situation in this game. And let’s be right here — there are some minor issues he needs to address.
Young’s run defense and ability to contain his side of the field was an issue last year and I’m not sure Ohio State has played anyone yet to test that. They will receive that test — either in the playoffs or when they face Michigan. He’s such a good pass rusher that it’s not something that’s going to define his grade but it has to be noted if we’re talking about him as the next great defensive end.
Secondly, Young only ran a 4.94 at SPARQ despite only weighing 226lbs at the time. His vertical jump was 30 inches and his overall score a quite poor 92.31. This doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t massively improve on those numbers at the combine. Watching his short-area quickness it’d be shocking if he didn’t run a lot faster at the combine. Again though — it’s something to note. Everyone’s going to expect a great combine performance based on what they’re seeing on tape. He might not test as well as some imagine. We need to wait and see for that.
I also think the ‘Chase Young is the best player in the draft’ campaign also sheds light on the way we under-appreciate left tackle’s. Andrew Thomas is a phenomenal player. Possibly the cleanest left tackle prospect I’ve written about since starting this blog over a decade ago. Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about him being the best player in the class? Simply put — it’s because he doesn’t have the stats as a tackle or the big highlight plays to create a buzz on Twitter.
If a defender like Young has a bad snap — it never gets pulled up because you can point to all the sacks and TFL’s. If a left tackle has a bad snap, it’s seen as a problem. We hold tackle’s to a different standard and expect near perfection. For defensive ends — as long as they splash enough the negatives are often forgotten.
Young might be the best player in the draft. It might also be Andrew Thomas or Joe Burrow or a fully healthy Grant Delpit. I don’t think it’s a clear cut choice.
Looking at the other feature players — Yetur Gross-Matos had his most productive half of the season with two sacks and 3.5 TFL’s in the first two quarters. On one sack he rushed to the outside and controlled the contact against the left tackle with good hand-placement to the left shoulder-pad. He then worked back inside, rag-dolling the tackle out of the way to hammer the quarterback. YGM has always flashed excellent hand-use you just want to see more plays like this (because we know he’s capable). He left the game on a couple of occasions and had a club on his hand.
J.K. Dobbins again flashed a great ability to get to the outside with fluidity and ease. He also has the speed to break big runs and showed physicality to finish with his first touchdown, carrying defenders into the end zone. For his second score he received good blocks from the right guard and tackle and found the hole to finish for the score. Dobbins also had the ball ripped out on a fumble in the backfield at 21-7 to make a one-sided game interesting. It was a good play by the linebacker Micah Parsons (one to watch for the future as a former coveted 5-star recruit and 110.17 SPARQ athlete).
K.J. Hill received a perfectly placed touchdown pass. Hill has some inconsistent games but possesses high athletic upside and some potential. He could be a later round steal. He ran a nice route here, separated and showed good concentration to catch over his shoulder.
K.J. Hamler had a quiet game. He started off with a decent 26 yard kick-return but was restricted by Ohio State’s extremely talented cornerbacks. He finished with three catches for 45 yards. Shaun Wade almost picked off one of Hamler’s receptions and is one of the few college cornerback’s able to stick with him in coverage. Wade later made an incredible play on the ball while covering Hamler on 4th and 12. We’ve been talking him up all season and finally the national media are giving Wade some attention. He’s one of the most talented players eligible for 2020 and should be squarely in the top-25 conversation.
Elsewhere…
— Minnesota threw for 211 receiving yards in a 38-22 win against Northwestern and all but one eight-yard reception went to Tyler Johnson or Rashod Bateman. Johnson has been in our top-50 from the start and he finished with seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. Bateman, however, might be an even bigger talent (although he’s not eligible for 2020). He finished with seven catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson’s touchdown was a beautifully tracked and high-pointed 18 yard reception to the right corner of the end zone. His body control and hands are on-point. Testing will be big for Johnson but he’s incredibly polished, competitive and consistent.
— Alabama rolled to a 66-3 win against Western Carolina. DeVonta Smith scored two touchdowns including a 57 yarder where he danced around half the defense to hit a home run. The opponents were clearly overmatched but it was a great example of Smith’s speed, quickness and ability to create. The second score was a quick hitter to the flat and he just beat the defender to the sideline for an easy TD. Smith is massively underrated and fully deserves to be talked about as a first round talent. Jerry Jeudy also had two catches for 66 yards, Henry Ruggs didn’t play and Xavier McKinney had two interceptions. The first was floated into coverage and he did well to track it with his back turned (though the pass was begging to be picked). He had to recover because initially he misread the play and was running up to the LOS. A better opponent would’ve capitalised on that. His second came on a tipped pass and led to a 78 yard return for a touchdown. Najee Harris had 14 carries for 66 yards and a score, plus a 12 yard touchdown reception.
— I recorded the Georgia game to watch later this weekend. The main area of focus will again be Isaiah Wilson, who I think is hugely underrated and possibly the second best draft eligible tackle behind team mate Andrew Thomas. D’Andre Swift ran for 103 yards on 19 carries and added 29 yard on four catches.
— Stanford tight end Colby Parkinson had four catches for 60 yards in a 24-20 loss to California. It’s really hard to judge Parkinson. Stanford put him at receiver a lot, ask him to try and block in acres of space on receiver screens and don’t do enough in-line blocking with him to properly judge him in that area. He can run to the seam but he’s often let down by poor quarterback play and a lousy offense.
— Today was my first proper opportunity to study Michigan center Cesar Ruiz. For a few weeks Tony Pauline has been reporting that some scouts view him as the top draftable center. Today’s performance in a hefty win against Indiana showed why. Ruiz fits 6-4 and 319lbs into quite a compact looking frame — ideal for a center. He very easily gains leverage and control off the snap. He’s not long-limbed and he’s sturdy. His footwork is very impressive and he does a good job switching blocks on stunts and working in small areas to handle rushers. There’s plenty of desire to get to the next level when possible. He’s powerful and strong. There’s a lot to like here. Along with Nick Harris and Tyler Biadasz there are some good center’s in this class. Josh Uche left the game with an injury in the second half but earned a sack/fumble with a power rush against an overmatched freshman left tackle. He also had a nice TFL on a blitz, plus a further TFL and two QB hurries. The announcers highlighted the issue with Uche though. In their words, he doesn’t have a position. They line him up in areas to make plays. He’s small and doesn’t have an EDGE frame. He looks like a linebacker who rushes in sub-packages. He’s good at what he does but his pro-upside is a question mark.
— Wisconsin ran for 403 yards in a 45-24 win against Purdue — with Jonathan Taylor adding another 222 on 28 carries to continue his strong season (with one touchdown). Taylor is so smooth on cuts and has good speed. He has virtually no wasted movement and we saw that today on a gliding 51 yard score. He also fumbled just before half-time. Testing will determine how high he goes in the draft. Tight end Jake Ferguson had two catches for 30 yards.
— Jalen Reagor has been hamstrung for most of the year due to poor quarterback play and that was the case again in a narrow 28-24 loss to Oklahoma. Reagor had one catch for nine yards and one run for 16 yards. On one snap Reagor blew by the cornerback on a deep route and created miles of separation and an opportunity for a big play. The quarterback delivered a terrible pass on a horrendous overthrow. He was also the victim of poor refereeing on an uncalled hold at the end. It was a weird game because Ceedee Lamb also had a quiet day for the Sooners (two catches, 16 yards, one score, one run for 21 yards).
— Oregon’s Justin Herbert hampered his stock with a two-interception performance in a loss to Arizona State. It was another strange game. On one long early drive the Ducks didn’t throw once, marched downfield and came away with no points. Why are they so hesitant to let their QB run the show? Herbert flashed the ability that will have some teams marking him in the top-10 — nailing an incredible downfield pass while scrambling to his left and throwing from an improbable angle. Yet the picks were equally eye-catching. One was lobbed straight to a defender on a throw that was never on (what was he seeing?). The other was just so careless as he moved to the right and threw straight to the corner. On both occasions he just locked onto his primary target. It was poor from Herbert and they were the kind of plays Joe Burrow would never make. With Tua’s injury, Jordan Love throwing picks galore, Jacob Eason struggling and now Herbert creating question marks — the QB class is in flux (aside from one player). Plus — the PAC-12 continues to be awful. It’s got even worse this year. That said, two Arizona State blog favourites played well. Eno Benjamin ran for tough yards and tricked a defender into the turf on a reception. Brandon Aiyuk scored the game clinching touchdown on a deep ball (poor coverage from Oregon). Both players are worth monitoring.
— Clyde Edwards-Helaire is a diamond. He looks like a mix of Michael Turner, Darren Sproles and Maurice Jones-Drew. He’s smaller and squatty but plays with great power, physicality, consistency and speed. His performances get better and better. In a 56-20 win against Arkansas he ran for an 89 yard touchdown — darting around and sprinting away from defenders. He had 188 yards and three touchdowns on only SIX carries. Six! He added 65 yards on seven catches. CEH is a great talent and it’ll be fun to see him at the next level. Joe Burrow again flashed poise, accuracy and surely he has the inside-track on being the top pick in 2020. He finished 23/28 for 327 yards and three touchdowns. He had four runs for 24 yards.
— Regular readers will know I’ve had doubts about Jacob Eason all season and his play isn’t getting any better. Yes — he will throw a dazzling pass or two per game to flash his amazing upside. He isn’t elevating Washington though. After their latest loss to drop to 6-5, he now has five interceptions in his last three games. He has no touch, he overthrows, he can’t improvise on the move. I’m not sure returning next year will improve his stock because he’s a poor fit for this offense. I’m also not sure how any team can spend a high pick on him based on what we’ve seen so far. He finished 21/34 for 206 yards a pick and a score. Laviska Shenault continued his return to form for Colorado with 100 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches, plus 17 rushing yards on three carries. Washington’s talented tight end Hunter Bryant had 82 yards on five catches. Bryant is explosive and has excellent short-area quickness. It’d be intriguing to see him in Seattle’s offense. Keep an eye on Nate Landman the Colorado linebacker he’s an underrated player.
— Curtis Weaver has dropped from 300lbs to play EDGE and has had a really productive career at Boise State. He had another sack against Utah State. It’ll be interesting to see how Weaver tests because he looks like a guy who has slimmed down. His 10-yard split and overall twitchiness is a question mark to be answered. Jordan Love finished 21/26 for 229 yards a pick and a score in the 56-21 win for Boise State. He now has 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on the season. Rather than turning pro he might be better off making a graduate transfer to Oklahoma.
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Mond is putting on a show against Georgia. He may have a career in the league.
Mond has some pretty good games but I still think he will end up being a late round flyer and possible a back up in the NFL.
The minute you start thinking Mond is a decent quarterback he will do something dumb and remind you that he is not. He is my least favorite Aggie quarterback in a long time and I can’t wait until he is gone. I doubt he gets drafted. Don’t get me started about the Aggies and Jimbo…
Lets go to work boys
Good lord our OL is stacked
Incredibly stacked.
Lemieux is my favorite guard in the country and Sewell has top 5 pick written all over him.
I’ll be watching Reagor tonight, as well as CD Lamb as always (sweetheart is Oklahoma girl…my b-team now).
On a side note, Penei Sewell is a pretty incredible LT talent there at Oregon. Not eligible for the draft next spring, but one to watch.
If Sewell leaves for the NFL after the 2020 season he should be a sure fire top 10-15 talent, possibly the best young LT in CFB.
Frustrating watching Jacob Eason. He has all the physical tools, but I just don’t see any “it” factor there whatsoever.
Yup, he has attributes, but is sorely lacking in skills. He doesn’t seem to have pocket awareness. He has a rocket launcher for an arm, but lacks accuracy and touch. He doesn’t seem to go though a pre-snap read very well to know how he should progress through his options. He also doesn’t anticipate, understanding by receiver route and defender position that his man will come open on his break and getting the ball on it’s way to take advantage before the DB can react. He’s mechanical.
Suck it Oregon…SUCK IT!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Stay classy UW…
fwiw.observations from the Wisconsin/Purdue game (from a Wisconsin alumni)
Jonathan Taylor (RB)..another 200+ yard game..but I understand the skepticism on him from the Mock drafters….he slithers thru holes (Marcus Allen like)…he’s more technician than raw physical specimen…how is that going to translate to the next level??
Tyler Biadasz (C/G)..he’s the real deal..if you need an interior lineman and he’s available..take him
Jake Ferguson (TE)..something looks off to me on him vs last year. Bigger and slower than I remember…if he comes out it will be interesting to watch how he tests at the combine.
wild card..Quinten Cephus (WR)..horrible back story (eventually acquitted)..but stands out on the field for his athleticism and production in a run first offense..may be a late round steal??
DC will like this.
Starting to think Miss St RB Kylin Hill (5’11, 215 lbs). might be the guy for Seattle if/when they go RB. Excellent receiver outta the backfield, breaking all kinds of team records, never puts the ball on the turf, capable of some aggressive runs.
237 total yds from scrimmage tonight
Such a fun player.
Man oh man Montez is a tough mother! But once again my Huskies are soft 😔😔😔
We could do worse, that’s for sure. Dude has made some highlight reel grabs. Will he make it to the end of the 3rd? Not confident in that.
Kenny? Brother, the desert snake has bit!
Geez, that was meant for you V, not sure how I missed the thread to reply. Hill is one to keep an eye on .
Is Eason still going in the first?
He’d better go back to school. The player he reminds me of is Ryan Mallett. Big arm, good size, but he’s just not the kind of baller that makes for a good NFL QB
I would rather Eason goes pro. Let a Dawg-for-life take the reins and start the next era fresh.
Ohh, and maybe a new, innovative offensive coordinator. Any recommendations, comments, suggestions?
I had the same thought as well: Just send him to the NFL and be done with it. If he declares, he’ll just be Josh Rosen 2.0. He’s just not a good QB. On the other hand, he probably should turn pro and get drafted in the 3rd-4th round rather than end up being a 7th round pick.
I still believe, given the right situation, Rosen can succeed. If he declares, I see Eason as the next Paxton Lynch.
I never talked about him in R1.
Why do we continue to talk about a player every week if he isn’t good and not a fit for the Seahawks? What’s the obsession about?
Don’t ask me — people seem to love talking about him.
Rob, who would you say can be a Seahawk offensive line target if Isaiah Wilson decides to go back to school? The challenging thing about Solari is he prefers veterans over young players. But most of the offensive linemen on the team (aside from Joey Hunt and he’s no slouch) are absolutely massive compared to an average OLman. I could see them target Becton from Louisville, Kindley from Georgia, or Wanogho from Auburn. Both teams are excellent running the football on the year in part because of those guys
I think Wanogho would be an option but there are a few options. I think you’re right about the veterans though.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is actually ridiculously good, breaks tackles, makes people miss, excellent receiver. Gone from ‘underrated’ to someone who should be talked about with the top group of backs in this class.
I’m also into Thaddeus Moss from this offence, need to really dive into his blocking, but from my perspective he seems to do everything well. And apparently his Dad used to play in the NFL? Not that that’s influencing my opinion of him…
Moss looks like a nice development project.
CEH looks terrific.
Went to UW v Colorado and was only a few rows from UW sideline.
Eason- as you said, no touch. Missed plenty of open receivers, but was also able to drill a few throws in tight windows for short yardage. Thought CU did a great job with their pressure, Eason was hurried quite a bit. Still think an NFL team will take him higher than he should as his play is strong when he has a clean pocket. He had little trust in his line. But he also continues to stare down his first read.
Bryant- just a beast. Showed nice in line blocking on LBs, acrobatic catch to adjust to the ball that was overthrown- he was running, then burst for two steps at a different upfield angle, all while keeping his eyes on the ball, leaping off one leg to make an easy looking catch.
Harris- he’s wider than the other Oline, compact thick frame. Would need to go back to the tape, but saw him move to 2nd level a few times run blocking and seal up a LB. other times, he had no rushes on pass pro and failed to even get a hand on someone. The whole line overall seemed confused on blocking assignments and hardly could movie the line on run blocking.
Shenault- such an intriguing player. Has speed, burst, balance, and incredibly hard to bring down, lowers his shoulder for extra yards. His lower half looks like a RB. His touchdown was kind of lucky, but good concentration on him to hold on. He had a wide open drop and on a couple occasions I saw other players having to tell him where to lineup, he looked confused at times. Wonder if his lack of use this year has been related to difficulty learning playbook and understanding the game.
Adams- I don’t see even a 2nd rounder in him. Slighter frame, seemed slow with first step. Nothing really stood out to me.
Newton- tough RB, definitely brought a different feel and toughness to the offense when he was on the field, seems Seahawky to me.
Thanks for the write up 👍🏻
Nice write up Rob. Given the strength of the center class is that a position for the Hawks to target in the early rounds? Position seems pretty unsettled right now and I’m not sure they view Hunt as the solution right now.
It all depends on Britt.
No Clowney today… so likely no pass rush.
Not good at all. And not good for the rest of the year if he’s seeing a specialist then missing a game. The one player they can’t afford to lose on defense.
😱😱😱…CRAP!
Yep —- a tough game just got harder.
I’m concerned because their defense is legit and will cause us some problems. I sincerely hope our unit isn’t going to be a frustrating mess like it had been leading into the Niners game. SOMEONE has to stand up and have a day. I have no confidence in this DL without Clowney though.
I’m doing a podcast with Brandan after the game btw.
MVP time.. we’ll know.
Luke Wilson too
Jaron brown a healthy scratch
Lockett is active though
Philly is without Lane Johnson, Jordan Howard, Alshon Jefferey, and Nelson Agholor.
Their receivers are JJ Arcega Whiteside, Jordan Matthews, Mack Hollins and Greg Ward. The fastest guy in that group is Ward at 4.58 40. Hes 5’11 180. Everyone else is basically a jump ball specialist.
Jordan Matthew’s has only been on the team for a week and they just promoted Ward from the practise squad like 24 hours ago.
We got this.
It’ll be a lot easier to find those receivers if Wentz has all day in the pocket and no pressure. Because no pressure is what this defense has produced all season with the exception of Clowney.
My concern is the passing game to the RBs with Kendricks covering.
Clowney ruled out.
This one has all of the indicators for a typical frustrating grind that Pete loves and knows how to win, and it will drive us all crazy. Bend but don’t break, keep those slow receivers in front of us, pass rush close but not there, run game grinds away but no domination, Russ struggling in the rain and wind, all of the usual suspects. The Griffin bros with a timely sack and a pick to make a difference. Seahawks 23-17.
I’ll take any win (we all will) but not sure how much fortune we have stashed for these close games.
we are for sure playing with house money at this point.
Losing Clowney royally screws us.
Hell no. Minor setback. We’re going to roll over this team that we’re simply better than.
How about some interceptions today? We’re due for some. How about Diggs starting us off?
Metcalf can’t high point to save his life…
Body catcher. Needs the JUGs machine this off-season.
Yeah, he’s got to work on that.
100%.
It’s a problem to be honest — because he gets a LOT of targets.
Joey Hunt…NOOOOO!!!!!!
Michael Dickson…NOOOOO!!!!!!
Joey Hunt gets blown up and then what was that punt?!?
Dickson…WTF was that???
So far…
1) Missed interception
2) Dropped pass
3) Crappy punt
LOLOL
DK…we need a WR bc he flat out can’t be trusted. He might just be a really dynamic #3, but he gets way too many targets and misses way too much.
He’s a small receiver in a bog body.
I am totally on board with a WR as our first pick. Rob is right. This class of WR’s is deep as shyt. I am seeing so much impressive talent every weekend. Yeah…I’ll take him…and him…and him…
He’s electric at what he does — crossing routes to separate, deep balls, speed receiver. But his size is a red herring because he doesn’t do any of the things you’d expect a bigger receiver to do well.
Ouch… what a let off. What is Shaquem doing there!?!
Carson Wentz is just tall Rex Grossman
Whew…we dodged a bullet on that weird throw from Wentz. Would’ve been an easy TD.
Typical Seahawks start to the game 😒
Hollister got his god damn bell rung
Blow the GD whistle ref! That’s atrocious to let Hollister get wrapped up high and low with his knee on the ground without stopping the play. I’m so over the officiating this season
Looked very ugly for the knees and head/neck area
How was that not helmet to helmet?
Traps it against his body and guess what he does?
Wind looks like it is a legitimate factor
Did someone put a TE curse on us?
Gotta keep the ball at DK’s eye level or lower. He just can’t make a catch he has to go up for.
Flea flicker!!!
Malik Turner needs more looks in this offense. Great find by the scouting staff
Schotty really coming into his own as OC
Using the Eagles’ aggressiveness against them.
That play only works if you’ve got a QB with a strong enough arm to throw through the swirling wind.
RW for MVP.
What a catch by Turner! He officially pasted Brown and Moore IMO
Beautiful!
😱😱😱👍👍👍…wow!
Maybe Ansah will do SOMETHING this game. We can hope…can’t we?
Kendricks having a better game today finishing off his tackles
Pooonaa!!
YEAH BABY!!! Let’s go in for a TD now.
Turnover!
Boom Baby!
Still haven’t lost hope for Rasheem Green
Eagles defense been lining up in the neutral zone several times so far today and nary a call from the line judge 🙄
Another play another PHI neutral zone infraction uncalled
What a punt
Amadi is just always there…
Can we PLEASE just jump all over a team that’s ripe for the picking?
That route to the outside matched up vs the LB could be frustrating today.
Yep, and we got no Nickel CB on this team.
Third down conversions continue to vex Seahawks’ defense
We are effing shooting ourselves in the foot again today. %$#&&@!!!
What a BS flag… what happened to 5 yards of contact?
Doood
Cmon Quill
What a terrible flag. Ref’s going to take away a fumble for THAT?
Thank you Bradley for making amends!
Pass rush showing up sans Clowney which is very encouraging.
Boom!
Mac Daddy!!!
Great pressure vs the Jumbo package
Carson Wentz is a 2 pack of a**. He stinks.
Got to make this count. Forced three turnovers (one called back poorly). Got to make it show on the scoreboard.
This games is SOOOOOO ours…but we just won’t take it.
I have not given McDougal enough love this year.
The DL ha not been bad with Clowney out surprisingly and getting pressure. Even Ansah looks better today. Maybe the bye week did him some good.
That Hawks safety duo with Mcdouglad and Diggs is solid now.
I think Penny got the memo.
These refs. Won’t blow the whistle on a play that’s clearly over, but will blow the whistle on a play clearly still going on
Oh no. Russ baby what is you doing?!?
Wind
I think he over thought that play, Russ doesn’t miss those often.
Why do Russ float balls when not necessary..
Ahhhh Russ.
Wind
Possibly but still. Thought he was going to run it in.
Brain explodes! Why can’t we jump on teams when we have every opportunity to? It’s a crime that it’s only 10-3.
Two turnovers, could’ve/should’ve had a third. Big plays. One score game 😐
They’re killing me. LOL
D-line making me eat my words so far.
They’ve stepped up big these past 2 games
Another fumble I think there too — Wentz lucky to cling on.
It’s the entire d-line too, not just one person. Exciting.
Eagles def line is missing key guys, the perfect recipe for our fledgling pass rush!
Reed starting to look like 2018 Reed.
Q Jeff getting some push.
Even Ziggy seems to be contributing.
An ailing Eagles Right side is helping but this is encouraging.
the rotation is starting to gel, offense on the field for more than three and outs helps as well.
Four man rush minus Clowney gets a sack…is this real life?
We’ve GOT to extend the led here. With this wind, the 2nd half sets up perfectly for us.
Look at Wentz not taki g what the defense gives him. Trash
Wilson holding the ball too long today.
And it’s classic Seahawks that we’ve had two turnovers, sacks, big plays on offense and it’s STILL only a 7-point game and we’re 3rd and 13.
We should be 14 up!
What was penny doing there. Completely lost on that sack.
This offense continues to blow opportunities. I guess we can’t have a perfect game…
No sign of Locket so far today so far. I hope that injury is not going to be something that impacts him the balance of the year.
Also would be interested to know what the plan is. Lot of long-developing pass plays. We get to 2nd and four after a run and throw (sack) to get to 3rd and 13. Not even trying to establish the run.
The 2nd & 4 look like a busted play. Penny didn’t know where he was supposed to be, then dropped his assignment.
But I agree, why not call another run and play for 3rd and short at worst?
Yep looked very funky. Although for some reason Fox has brought back Sky-cam pre-snap which is massively confusing and annoying.
Gonna be another tight game y’all, as per frickin usual
Unnecessarily so, too!
I’m SO frustrated and disappointed that this is still a one score game. We’re letting them hang around. Quit playing Russian Roulette Hawks.
Once again, all 3 units can’t get on the same page. STs playing well, D is fantastic, O-line has not played well today. Although as I type this out it dawned on me that Philly is getting coverage sacks/pressure.
Rasheem Green has looked tremendous today.
He’s getting better, it’s just taking awhile.
He really have. Looks so much more active. Maybe the increased playing time helps as well.
Hoping they make it 2 score game before half time.
Hope the Hawks can make adjustments at Half Time and switch up to that quick passing game. Russ is holding the ball way too long today. I know the Philly secondary is awful but that pass rush is not.
Green is playing really well today. Nice to see.
Give me some Josh Gordon too.
Agree completely. He is a big receiver who knows how to use his body. He makes that slant pattern look so easy,
Defence keeps playing like this and it wont be a 1 score game for long. Only a matter of time before Russ gets going.
Duane Brown is getting worked today.
Metcalf two huge drops.
Shooting ourselves in the foot.
Unreal.
NOOOOOOOO…..
What in the cinnamon toast f**k is that Metcalf?
Metcalf need to catch balls.. everything is 50:50 with him..not reliable at all.
Metcalf…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! 😡😡😡
DK needs help this offseason that’s just unexcusable
I fear this is who he is. That he’ll be capable of the impossible/improbable and also the most maddening nonsense.
With that hulking body comes inflexibility to adjust to 🏈
Yeah I tend to agree with that, incredible highs and baffling lows. Let’s just hope we get more highs as he grows. Would love to see Gordon get some opportunities in the second half, I doubt he would have dropped that one.
Bench him.
What is it with this team that they can’t handle good fortune? It’s almost a psychological thing.
We can ill afford to lose Reed
Reed hurt. Awesome.
Reed… NO, Please NO!
Ansah picked a good game to finally show up
Green created all of that. Just walked back Dillard right into Wentz’ lap.
Green had a great half of football! I think that bye week helped Ansah get a bit healthier because he is showing a little bit finally.
Agree with ya about Ansah. Has always had talent just been maddeningly inconsistent throughout his career. Maybe he’s finally found a level of consistency.
He is basically a 2 trick pony and has been his whole career. Either speed around the edge or straight bull rush.
Until this week he just looked slow around the edge and had no power in his bull rush. Pete said before the bye that he had been playing at 260 instead of the normal 275 he played at previously because he could not workout with the injury.
Maybe, at least fingers crossed, he is getting healthier which in return is bringing some of his power and explosion back. I really hope so because it would be a game changer if he could be elite down the stretch .
On the flip side it could just be that this Eagles OL is awful.
Hope I am not jinxing the Hawks but this is the absolute sickest stat I have ever heard.
The Hawks are 54-0 in the Pete Carrol / Russel Wilson era when leading by 4 or more at the Half.
Metcalf has everything to be one of the top-five receivers in the league.
His inability to high-point, track the ball properly and make contested catches will be the thing that prevents him getting there.
But all are correctable and he has the personality and QB that will put in the time to fix these issues.
It’s quite difficult to develop high-pointing and ball-tracking to be honest. Not impossible — but difficult.
We need to be patient with DK. He’s a rookie still learning the game at this level. Yes, he has a lot to improved on for sure, but he’s still a weapon we need on this team.
We do. But these are issues that might be hard to switch up.
I’m exasperated. Is the score 10-3? Really?
This is why football is so compelling.
The Seahawks defense, particularly the defensive line, is playing well. And the offense isn’t executing.
The only silver lining I can possibly come up with is the confidence building. Maybe the defense can lead them to a win for a change.
It would be 2 in a row if they did.
First couple of sequences are key here. Can’t let Philly back into this.
They could really put this game in their control by marching down the field and scoring a TD
Homer sighting!
Zero penalties against them.
Now six against us.
That last one was ridiculous.
This is beyond ridiculous
My homer-ism is itching to call some kind of fix.
That Lockett call was silly.
That PI call was complete bollocks but what’s the strategy of an inside run on 1st and 20?
The OL has not looked good today in either run game or Pass Pro and Russ has held the ball way too long. Hopefully bye week rust.
Come on Schotty design some plays to get Locket back involved.
For all his issues concerning his drops, Metcalf is almost impossible to defend on slants.
Also need to remember that he’s creating all these opportunities. His ability to get open is beyond mpressive for a rookie.
He didn’t get a ton of opportunities due to playing time at Ole Miss.
It’s almost as if expectations for him are a bit unreasonable at this stage.
Clutch play by Carson to extend the drive
Wilson a bit rattled today.
Wind seems to be impacting him.
Kind of surprised how much Moore is featuring today
Two penalties on Iupati today 😒
Looks like he’s having trouble hearing Wilson’s calls.
Seattle penalties — 7
Philly penalties — 0
Always find it dubious when you see it weighted like that. Ref’s being very fussy with us and not with them.
It is a crew that likes to throw lots of flags, but the disproportionate number for us seems off.
When the game reply is available I’ll post photos of multiple plays where PHI is lined up in the neutral zone that the refs failed to call. It’s glaring.
I saw one where they started offside then stepped back. Seen a couple of close ones too.
Main one for me was the helmet-to-helmet on Hollister not called or on DK’s catch no PI.
DK gonna give me angina
Overthrow by a finger tip.
Julio Jones makes that play.
Maybe. It sure as hell wasnt no drop though.
Oh for sure. Didn’t mean to suggest that was all on DK.
I’m starting to get pissed off now. LOL
Sick of game plan… long developing plays, 50:50 balls and what not.
It’s up to Eagles to give us the win.
Our the defense to generate some more turnovers/scores
Is Lockett just a decoy today?
Clearly he’s not 100%
Switch to the quick game Hawks, please and thank you!
I think we need the D or ST’s to get us a score.
Now no Clowney or Jarran Reed 😐
Philly chipping away in the short game. I’m very prepared to see us do a bit of this and not feel like we need to go for six right away on every sequence.
Gotta get off the field on this 3rd and long
Blitz didn’t get home. Shame. They’re building momentum here. Cannot believe it’s a one-score game still that we’re having to cling onto.
🤦🏽♂️
Trey Flowers having his best game as a pro so far
Has Shaq Griffin even been targeted today?
What a crazy a** play!
OMG
Shaqeem!!! Boom Baby!!!
Pressure, turnovers + drops and penalties.
The ying and yang of this Seahawks performance.
And of course. Get a big turnover. Then have two five-yard penalties. 1st and 20.
FFS.
Fine play by Quem
Capitalize for once Seattle. Please.
To then two penalties. This is getting inexcusable.
What the hell is our offense doing…. way to many penalties
Rare poor clock management by Wilson
Hands catch from Metcalf? My god.
Russ not playing like an MVP. Misaligned penny on a protection. Delay of game. Missing people high and low. Guys not helping him out but some mistakes on his end today.
Russ is no MVP. Schotty laid an egg
Carson been the best player on the offensive side of the ball, Penny has been good, and they seem averse to running it.
They keep trying to make the big play happen.
No penalty on Cox for punching our guy…what the heck???
Bloody hell lads this is a joke.
HOW MANY PENALTIES??
You’re keeping them in the game!
Russ don’t like wet weather…
This has become the most frustrating game of the year for me. I can barely watch it now. It’s driving me crazy.
Why aren’t we targeting Gordon?
Another phantom call by the refs. Replay didn’t show any infraction by Hunt.
This kind of blatant one-sided officiating ruins the game
Why are we going for the big play over and over its obviously not working. Just get some yards and stop overthinking the game. Classic Seahawks playing down to a worse team. Russell is playing like a average at best QB today.
It’s crazy. Play the short game! Get some yards, be us. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot.
Maybe that’s why QJ tried the lateral on the fumble. Gotta score points somehow.
Offense is going to lose us the game at this rate.
How is that not defensive PI on the Eagles?
Ref trying keep Eagles in game.. I don’t blame them they have to keep that division interesting. It’s on Russ and Schotty.
😱😱😱😔😔😔…seriously…WHAT THE FRACK?!?!?! 🤬🤬🤬
The Hawks offense looks awful but this is the most one sided officiating I have seen in quite a while. Wow
Wilson has been majorly off today. Never plays well in poor weather it seems.
And they’re running it — a novel concept. We should’ve tried it.
Surprising with Russ playing in Seattle that he always seems to struggle if there is wind or rain. Plus he is one of the most mentally tough players in the league. Wonder what the issue is?
They are running the ball we are air mailing. What happened to Pete’s love for rushing
No idea on the plan. They’ve constantly attacked. Which is good but perhaps not this much.
Not one word by media will talk about this officiating.
I’m in shock. The refs just called a penalty on the Eagles
Finally the Eagles get a penalty…FINALLY!!!
Well defensed.
Thank god Wentz is a dumpster fire.
ANOTHER penalty.
I’m getting sick to my stomach.
The discrepancy between penalties for these 2 teams is getting ridiculous.
I’m sure D.Brown was telling the offense to get it going because the defense is doing everything to keep this game close. This officiating is as one sided as it could possibly be, 11 to 1 for the game….
Now we’re without Poona Ford too. No Ford, Reed or Clowney. 😐
The offense needs to step up big time with a long drive that results in points because the depth on that DL is getting scary now.
Wouldn’t be as big a deal if SEA had converted on some of their earlier scoring opportunities. But in a game this close, those injuries will loom large.
This is the drive boys, TD incoming.
Run. The. Ball!
Stop pressing.
Huge 3rd and 1 here.
I think we’re seeing the effect of hurt TEs. None of those midrange valve releases.
But shouldn’t the Hawks have game-planned for that a bit?
Run the ball and do the short passing game. It’s finish time fellas, beat these guys.
Worry for me now is we might get predictable trying to force the run.
Nice inside run for Penny
AGAIN — long developing pass play, Russell takes too long, sack.
Rinse and repeat.
Bailed out by a terrible call by the refs.
Did I see Gordon jogging on a pass route?!?
It’s a form of coaching malpractice to continue to call these long developing pass plays.
Love the hand switch from Penny
Another flag.
Penny is either a short to no gain or an explosive 15 yard + play. He makes his long runs look so easy.
Carson has to have an issue. Hes barely on the field.
Nevermind!!! Guess its working!
He has more touches than any back in the league.
Penny needs reps. Only 14 in 4 games prior to this one.
Completely agree. Just a weird timing.
Penny bay-bay!
WOW! Penny with the jolt!
PENNY!!!!!!!!!
It FINALLY HAPPENED!!!
Boom! Penny taking it to the house!
Wow and like that he takes it to the house.
Loved the end of that run. Thats what we need to see from him. Finishing runs.
You got my love back, Penny. LOL
Penny…WOW!!! Boom Baby!!!
Flashing beastmode to get into the end zone!
Called it.
Haters?
**crickets**
No crickets here. He did what nobody on the offense could seem to do.
The offense finally executes and Penny finishes. Welcome relief.
If Seattle can get Penny going with Carson, add one more weapon for Russ, and add another mauler up front? This offense is gonna be incredible. Like LOB legendary.
Comparable to what New Orleans had with Kamara/Ingram.
Somehow, someway, come up with another stop here.
Oh my god! What a play from Diggs
Diggs has been a revelation for the secondary
It really is amazing the impact he has had so far.
Tremendous
Schneider is not just a wizard, but a damn archmage for the Diggs pickup.
Perfect fit for us for such a value cost.
I’ve been defending Thompson/Hill since they were drafted, until Diggs/Blair show me a real safety play. NFL is a big boy league.
(Apologies for the word salad.)
Taking all they will away!!! Boom Baby!!!
The dam has finally broke.
Carson. Come on.
Him and Metcalf are so talented, yet plagued it seems.
Oh man. Miscommunication there, but still.
Are you effing kidding me!!!
I’d go with Penny for the rest of this game
Diggs is a Bada** love the addition!!! Carson just had his last touch of the game if Pete is smart…
Carson………………..NOOOOO WHY???????
FFS Carson!
Poona was blatantly held on that run by Carson. Refs ignored it.
Poooonnaaa!!
I love Carson it he is going fumble his way to the bench if he does not smarten up because you can’t have fumbles like this from your lead RB if you want to win heading into the playoffs.
Been thinking for the past few weeks that Seattle will trade Carson before Penny.
Great defensive play!
Great defensive series. That 4th down turnover might be the difference in the game.
POOOOOONA!!!
This D is playing lights out today!
What the hell is happening here?
Incredible defensive performance, totally rank bad offensive performance.
Sounds like a lot of the 2015-17 Seahawks games
Could not agree more. Seems like the defense used the bye week properly, and the offense slacked off…
It’s been a cold windy day that seems to be affecting both offenses. Not an excuse of course, there are definitely concerning things to fix. But I want to say this game is more outlier than a trend.
No more Carson today please
He’s too talented. I think what happens is more of a 50-50 split with and Penny going forward.
They have rode him so hard it was inevitable a malfunction would occur.
How good is Shaq Griffin getting? Hasn’t bern targeted once for a reason and when he finally is, keeps points off the board.
Everything (timing, reads, etc.) is clicking. Amazed at his development/improvement.
Last year people questioned if he should be a starter even. This year he has clearly shown he can be a shot down CB.
I think FLowers could be the same way next year as he continues to improve and learn how to play CB.
This defense is gaining confidence. Really hope Clowney and Reed don’t have anything serious because like all Pete Carrol defenses they seem to be peaking as they head into December.
Come on. How about 3 or 4 first downs here. Please!
Is the coaching/fan base ready to admit that if Carson can’t fix his fumbling problems by this point in the season then he most likely won’t ever fix it?
That seem like a bit of a stretch.
They said the same thing about Tiki Barber 15 years ago. Said the same thing about Ricky Waters 25 years ago.
Thing is, he didn’t have a fumbling issue before. Sometimes when it rains it pours. I think he can stull overcome it, but he might need some time to cool down as Penny’s relief.
Really hard to judge the D considering how many players Philly are missing but they are doing what they have to do. The offense is ass today though. Sit Carson and let Penny have a go for the rest of the game.
Just win this ugly game. Screw mvp talk. Just find ways to win ugly until all 3 phases decide to show up together.
There’s Lockett
Dumb desperate challenge flag by PHI
Followed dumb play calls by Seattle.
This O-line has been atrocious. Iupati looks lost at times pass pro
Thinking the same thing. He’s a good run blocker, but a distinct liability in pass pro. They should consider Jararco Jones.
Amadi. What a gem (teams wise). If this dude ain’t in the pro bowl the system is rigged.
Amadi is amazing on ST
Really excited for our secondary if he can lock down the slot spot.
Whew. That hump move from Shaqueem was so beautiful.
Isnt this our go to 10am playstyle. Sloppy, missed opportunities, and somehow claw our way to a win.
Trev. There’s Flowers!
Lol I am happy for him.
Most fan bases would be ecstatic to have a young CB duo like this.
Trey Flowers getting in on the action too…BOOM!!!
Definitely Flowers’ best game of his pro career
Wentz looked like he gave up on that throw. I like Carson but what a dud of a game and pretty much season from him.
You think it’s been a dud of a season for Carson?
Talking about Wentz lol
My bad. Didn’t catch the first word of your first sentence. D’oh!
Great job by D today. Wow. Nice to see Ziggy and Shaqeem show out as well.
The inverse of the season so far. Brilliant defence forcing turnovers. Stinking offence.
Was probably always going to happen. Not that anyone wants it. That time of year where you better have a defense. Will almost guarantee that offenses around the league will start to cool off.
Yeah definitely. Chuffed that we haven’t had to worry about Jason Myers for at least another week as well.
Most games have been ugly but this team is going to be 9-2 with very legit chance to end up with home field advantage and a 1st round bye. The most amazing thing is undefeated on the road including 3 early Eastern starts.
Wow people can criticize Petes game management at times but has to get a ton of credit getting this team to this spot. They play hard every single week.
This win puts us at 8/8 in winning seasons in the Wilson era. Pete knows what he’s doing.
NFL record for Wilson. Most winning seasons to start a career.
A wins a win but if the final score is 17-10 it’ll leave a bad taste in my mouth lol
Well good news is that it’ll only be 17-9!
Thank god haha! Now let’s hope the Patriots win tonight for us!!
Correction Packers
What a butt ugly win today, but we’re 9-2. Here’s to hoping that the Packers beat the Whiners tonight and that Reed and Clowney are ok. On to the Vikings at home.
NO is in danger of losing to the Panthers as well. Good thing for us if that happens.
Panthers missed game leading chipshot FG. Saints got this.
This felt like it could be a trap game… so I’m very happy to leave with a W even if we played poorly on offense.
So pumped for the win and the defense was amazing but the OL play was worrisome to say the least. I think they almost have to consider starting Jemarco Jones at one of the Guard spots.
Rob, just love your blog. Thanks for putting in all the work for us Hawks fans. Are there any quarterbacks in the NCAA that have a similar skill set to Lamar Jackson. The way Baltimore has changed their offense to accommodate Jackson’s skill set is revolutionary. I could see other teams attempting the same approach.
Not at the moment. Some good QB’s but none like Lamar. Although in fairness Lamar even at Louisville had amazing potential. He was a blog favourite.