First half
— As first halves in opening pre-season games go, this couldn’t have gone much better. Turnovers, big plays from a backup quarterback, the receivers and defenders making a ton of plays, the pass pro was generally good, Blair Walsh was perfect and Seattle scored 34 first half points (unusually high for pre-season but that’s what turnovers do for a team).
— There were also obvious things to work on. Tedric Thompson’s blown coverage on the +70 yard touchdown was a pretty obvious mistake he can take away to work on. Delano Hill also lost the ball in the air late in the half, allowing LA to get a late field goal.
— The overriding positive is, however, how much Seattle dominated as soon as the starters left the field. In 2013 Seattle stormed through pre-season with their superior depth. It was a show of strength, a flexing of muscles. It’s entirely possible the Chargers are really bad but the Seahawks’ depth looked really competitive today in the first half.
— Turnovers. Three of them. Seattle got the ball and put points on the board (17 to be exact). This is Pete Carroll/Seahawks football.
— The first saw Michael Wilhoite tip a pass into the hands of Terence Garvin for a superb pick six. Wilhoite and Garvin could lock themselves in quickly as the two premier backups at LB. It was great to see Naz Jones make a similar deflection on the second for a Tylor Harris pick. Christian French was gifted a third turnover after a botched hand-off. He almost took it in for a second pick six before Chris Carson punched it in.
Terrence Garvin with the PICK 6!! Wilhoite made a good hit on the RB to pop ball up. Garvin grabbed it for the INT. #Seahawks #SEAvsLAC pic.twitter.com/i46vUYbosn
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) August 14, 2017
— Garrison Smith had a nice interior rush on the Garvin pick, forcing the quarterback to make an ill-advised throw. Cassius Marsh had a nice TFL and Bradley McDougald drew a holding penalty when running into the backfield. Dewey McDonald also managed a nice TFL vs the run and David Bass recorded a sack despite being held.
Second tackle end stunt in a row worked on the right side, but David Bass slipped inside for the sack. #Seahawks #SEAvsLAC pic.twitter.com/wPdCRfOxWn
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) August 14, 2017
— Yes the first team defense gave up a straight forward TD to start the game. It’s worth noting Seattle has conceded points on their first pre-season defensive drive in five of the last six years. They played vanilla against the team that wrote the book on how to exploit Seattle’s zone coverage in 2014. In other words, it’s no big deal.
— Seattle’s third offensive drive was very encouraging for a number of reasons. The pass-protection was very good, Trevone Boykin made some nice completions and had an excellent run play and multiple receivers made big plays.
— Kasen Williams’ high-point grab in coverage, Tanner McEvoy finding a hole in the zone and Kenny Lawler’s smart red zone touchdown highlighted the talent and depth Seattle suddenly has at receiver. Lawler looks bigger and Williams’ catch will challenge Paul Richardson’s on the first drive for most impressive of the day. The receivers were a big positive in the first half.
Kenny Lawler on a quick stick between zones. Good read and throw by Boykin to get the TD! #Seahawks #SEAvsLAC pic.twitter.com/l0YqGT8PjQ
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) August 14, 2017
— Boykin hasn’t received positive reviews for the way he’s performed in camp so far but he seems like a guy who’s able to turn it on when it matters during a game. He seems to thrive when surrounded by chaos, with ice in his veins and a knack for playmaking. He looked sensational in the first half, extending drives and making key conversions with his arm and legs. He was accurate, fast and methodical. Austin Davis has a job to match this in the second half.
— Kasen Williams had another great catch on the left sideline, almost a carbon copy of his first grab. It set up Seattle’s final touchdown before half time.
Kasen Williams on the sideline fade route! He made a few awesome grabs when I was at camp. #Seahawks #SEAvsLAC pic.twitter.com/0ysGbrmEof
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) August 14, 2017
KASEN WILLIAMS Pt. DUO!! Great catch down the sideline on a fade route vs zone coverage. He's playing great! #Seahawks #SEAvsLAC pic.twitter.com/18tCk4eAo4
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) August 14, 2017
— Marcus Lucas found a way to have an impact wearing #85. He’s a name to watch going forward. It was interesting to see him featured on the first drive too. There’s not much room for a tight end to emerge with all the depth at receiver — but they carried four TE’s in 2016.
— Blair Walsh had a perfect half and looked comfortable, confident and on-point.
— J.D. McKissic was on kick-return duties and had a nice special teams tackle. Having a reliable return man given Tyler Lockett’s recent return from injury could be very important.
— I’m going to reserve judgement on the O-line performance until I can focus on each player. Overall the pass pro appeared competent with a few errors (which is to be expected). A positive start.
Second half
— Kasen Williams is playing his way onto the team in this game. Four catches for 119 yards, all very similar jump balls to the left hand side. The third he actively stole the ball away from a defensive back who looked certain to make an interception. His fourth catch was inches away from a touchdown, somehow getting both feet in bounds on a superb circus catch. He was arguably the big individual winner in the game for Seattle.
— Chris Carson looks as good as advertised. He hit the hole with authority, scoring two red zone touchdowns where he powered his way in for a score. This was an impressive start to his pre-season although he only had seven carries. Tellingly he came in before Alex Collins and Mike Davis — a suggestion he’s ahead of both and so far heading for a clear roster spot.
— Boykin’s first negative play of the night was a deep shot to Cyril Grayson leading to an interception. He was under pressure and didn’t get enough on the throw as a consequence — but Grayson appeared well covered.
— Christian French followed his fumble recovery with a sack. He was only signed this week after a tryout. He’ll warrant monitoring moving forward. He also had a couple of plays where he seemed to be absorbed.
— It was a shame Cyril Grayson couldn’t come down with the touchdown to the right corner of the end zone. He got open pretty quickly in the route but Austin Davis hesitated, abandoned a clean pocket and then threw a looping but accurate pass. Grayson just couldn’t get his second foot down. It was a nice effort.
— Alex Collins had to wait for his turn and had a couple of nice plays with his first few touches. However, on a fourth and one he failed to pull in a touch pass from Davis that should’ve been caught to extend the drive. He made up for it with a touchdown to finish a well executed Davis touchdown drive.
— Considering there was a fair bit of negativity about Seattle’s two backup QB’s in the first two weeks of camp, both looked more than competent here.
— One thing that was noticeable — Naz Jones doesn’t give up on plays. He finishes, plays to the whistle and will sprint to the ball carrier downfield when needed. He also hammered Cardale Jones for a QB hit. He’s a bad ass.
— Following on from Marcus Lucas’ good start earlier, Tyrone Swoopes made a couple of really nice plays. He’s a developmental TE but on this evidence worth keeping an eye on. He’s probably a guy they hope to slip onto the practise squad but this was a nice start to his pre-season.
— This isn’t unusual during a Seahawks pre-season but it was great to see the likes of Kam Chancellor, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham and Richard Sherman supporting their team mates, all focused on the game deep into the fourth quarter.
— Seattle only gave up two sacks in the game. On first watch the O-line played well when Joey Bosa wasn’t on the field and the running backs overall did a good job in pass pro too. The run blocking could’ve been better but it’s not always easy to judge in a pre-season game with so many moving parts and the D-lines generally staying fresh.
— It’s testament to Seattle’s sudden RB depth that a guy like Mike Davis almost ended up being an afterthought. He ran with physicality and toughness here and could yet make things interesting in pre-season.
— Blair Walsh had plenty of practise today with eight kicks. He nailed all of them with a long of 42-yards.
— Rookie Mike Tyson was well beaten on a downfield pass late in the fourth quarter. Seattle made up for it shortly after with a fourth turnover of the night to kill the game — Pierre Desir executing a well timed blitz to get a sack/fumble.
Final thoughts
It’s only one pre-season game and this might say more for LA’s depth than anything — but this was a mightily impressive opening game for the Seahawks. They forced turnovers, put points on the board and had big plays on both sides of the ball. The 2013 pre-season showed off Seattle’s depth in a similar fashion. This was a very encouraging start to 2017.
What did you think to the 48-17 win? Let me know in the comments section.
You can now support Seahawks Draft Blog via Patreon by clicking the tab below.
Yo, Rob! I love the burst and physicality we saw from Chris Carson! Hope he gets more action in second half.
Missed the starters but my thoughts post 1Q:
-Deep, intense competition for roster spots obvious at skill positions -and so tight I wouldn’t want to be choosing….
-Boykin played outstanding & benefitted from a short field but Austin Davis looked good too. Very poised, good decisions, equivalent scrambler and has starter experience from Rams.
-Carson, Collins, Davis all were productive both in run & pass. Can Carson be the goal line back please ? Underlined why they love him, hits the hole harder than heck and he has plus size.
-Backup WR competition is going to be fierce. Karen, Lawlor, Moore, Grayson all making plays. Wouldn’t want to choose
Great start to the preseason. I’m going to wait on a verdict on this o line until they face the much more talented Vikings and Chiefs front sevens. But so far, so good. Go Hawks!!!
There will Be some really talented receivers who end up getting cut by this team. Impressive stuff.
What a fun game. I caught myself flashing back to the 2013 pre-season just like Rob.
LB depth is maybe the best since Pete and John got here.
I was hoping for a good run game and 30 carries/4 TDs is really good. 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings all ran well. That typically indicates good O-line play. Chris “Choo Choo” Carlson showed burst and goal line vision to add fuel to the hype he has been getting in camp.
I was wondering if one of the young receivers would show something and
Kasen Williams flashed like the pro he was projected to be before his college injury.
I loved seeing all the turnovers. More memories of 2013.
I posted in the other thread that the backup QB battle is over. Boykin needs maturity but he can clearly play.
Headed to bed with a smile tonight looking forward to dreams of blue and green.
Agreed, very reminiscent of the bully 2013 seahawks. Also Philip Rivers has the Seahawks D figured out like no one else.
It was VERY interesting to see Lucas come in and be featured before Vannett 🤔
I think on Lucas’ first catch, Vannett was on the field in a blocking capacity. They seem to be honing Vannett to be a blocker first and foremost.
How much play do you think Naz will get this year? How did Reed play? Interior pass rush is key.
Naz looked great today. Reed stuffed the first run play of the game. I see Reed getting majority of the snaps early, but Naz will get plenty of well-deserved reps in the rotation.
Looks like Pete has some first world problems with all the talent at RB, LB, TE, and WR. Look forward to discussing those battles with you all as pre-season rolls along.
My early favs are Carson>Lacy, Kasen Williams and Kenny Lawler>Kearse, and Willholte>Morgan.
I think the table is set of Naz Jones to be a big contributor on the DL as a rookie, and I think Reed looks poised to take the next step as a player. In the short time he was in, Reed looked really quick off the ball.
Really liked Naz Jones amd Garrison Smith.
Terrence Garvin looked athletic and confident.
Kasen Williams balled out. 30 yards per target. Can he keep it going?
Pocic and Hunt both looked really good against backups.
Quill might be taking that cb2 spot
Too many split carries at RB. Sample size~
Now that was fun! Interesting to see Carroll and Sherman yukking it up on the sidelines. Discord, not so much.
Like Rob, I enjoyed seeing the vets urging on the young guys right up to the end. The whole team seemed energized.
The offensive line looked much better than I expected, which is pleasing, and Fant is huge.
Naz Jones could be a star. His height, intensity, strength, and surprising penetration did not seem rookie-like.
Fun.
Ive compared Naz to Jurell Casey and I stand by it 100%. I fully believe he will be that good one day its just a matter of how soon will be get there. In a different draft I believe he could have gone as high as early second round.
I had a lot of similar thoughts as you did Rob.
-Kasen playing himself into a spot and being the big winner of the day. Naz being a bad ass, and Chris Carson probably being ahead of Collins at this point.
It was just such a game of “oohs and ahs” pretty fun to watch.
The whole team looked intense, the defense was flying around.
It looked like that deep touchdown Benjamin scored maybe he should have been jammed at the line?
I know the Seahawks like to jam, idk if that was suppose to be the call there but none the less, it seemed like there
was the usual things you expect in the first preseason game.
Where there was a couple communication/assignment goof ups youd expect on the defense, i thought the field awareness and reactions were sharper then id expect.
They were swatting balls, flying to the tip ups, swarming to the ball.
The defense looks deep and I hope it can keep causing ruckus and forcing turnovers come regular season.
The broadcast I was watchinh was the local one and they kept repeating how the Seahawks brought in a lot of guys who have been around a little bit, and while thats nothing new for Seattle, it seems like we could have hit on some Vets this go around.
Wilhoitte, McDougald, Garvin, Luke, Lacy, Quill, Naz and a lot of guys competing on the Dline, and that deep Dline was so key to our Superbowl rum, itd be cool to getting back to being the bully, amd with this D, a beefed up Oline, Lacy and Carson added to Rawls with Procise for a changeup.
That performance got me excited
That Benjamin TD was on 2 guys. Garvin, who looks like a solid pickup, and Thompson. Garvin has to keep Benjamin in front him and then release him, but Thompson got caught cheating upfield. He saw the 3 WR set and was too far away from the hash where he’s supposed to pick Benjamin up.
I suspect its why the went to a Man based D after. This zone D is intricate and it’ll take Thompson and Hill a little bit of an adjustment period go get used to it.
2 main under the radar things I noticed:
Vannett blocked really well tonight, here’s hoping he breaks out.
Roos was just plain dominate. He constantly owned the guy acroos from him.
I’m looking forward to watching Roos
This is why they draft the way they do. Injuries suck and can’t be avoided so when they do occur, do you have the depth so the bottom won’t fall out from under you like it happened last year. So far? đź’Ż
Too early to say and others have pointed it out, but this is our deepest team since 2012-2013. RB depth is ridiculous, more depth at WR than ever before, nice collection of talent on the D-line, and the DB group has a ton of potential and good looking projects (still got Shead as well). O-line is playing with more fire.
Really liked what I saw from CB Shaq Griffin. He’s always in the receivers hip pocket. Combined with his size and recovery speed, we haven’t had a #2 like that. Ever.
DT Naz Jones keeps playing like this and he’s gonna snatch Rubin’s job from him halfway through the season. That big boy is a playmaker.
Boykin struggles in practice IMO because its too structurer. He’s a ‘live action’ or ‘when the bullets start flying’ type due to the system at TCU. Damn near perfect performance from him.
O-line? Wow. They were blowing dudes off the ball. Every single one of them T’d (above the waist) up after the snap. Ethan Pocic is one nasty mf’er. Love not his versatility, but this entire group as a whole.
Loved seeing ET out there laying cats out and maybe it was just me, but did anyone else notice the infectious energy the sideline had tonight?
This was one hell of a statement win.
+1 on Naz. I can see some pretty fun stuff in the future pairing him up with Reed inside, 610 lbs of pure badass lined up together.
Reed looks like he’s leaner or something.
Admittedly, I’m a little behind on the NFL right now. What’s wrong with Douggie? I noticed he wasn’t there.
Had a minor accident at training with KJ rolling over his leg from behind. Was simply rested from this game I believe.
Nothing serious. If it was an important game and we needed him, he would have played. It wasn’t, so he didn’t. No need to stress an ankle tweak. It’s nothing serious now and we don’t want it to become one.
Reed has slimmed down a bit. Perhaps Clint Hurtt set some goals for him, seeing upside as a three down player, and told him that quickness is key.
Here are some take aways from my eye
Carson looked very good catching the ball and rushing the ball. I didn’t see if he picked up blitzes / etc that well… but they were shuffling guys in and out, hard to keep track. But i can easily see what they like about him… 1 cut and explosion through the line.
Kasean Williams showed up in a big way. Even if the TD was a likely out of bounds play…. he still had 70+ yards in 2 qtrs of duty. The only concern was every play was some variation of a go route. I want to see more of the route tree…. but he got himself very close to the 53 man with this performance (and in practice play/studies from reports out of camp).
I thought Boykin had a nice 2 qtrs of duty. Only one very poor throw and 2 other under thrown balls… which Williams bailed him out on. Made some nice short, intermediate and long passes up the sidelines. Would like to see more long up the middle passes…. he definitely shows up when the lights turn on.
OL and DL both appeared to dominate the line of scrimmage most of the game. OL really imposed their will once the second/third teamers were in….. I thought Pocic played solid at RT, RG and C. Not perfect, but he brought some finish and nasty to the line on some of the plays. I noticed very few dirty pockets, forcing scrambles by the QB… also very encouraging. A few twists or stunts I noticed were picked up.. even when it was a 5 man rush…
And I’ll close with Nazzir Jones looked like he belonged. Active hands… and the depth at LB was very apparent. It is going to be tough to make the 53 man cut, but this team has a ton of depth at many spots now. And 2 1 yard rushes for TDs….. you know what Seattle is going to be bringing this season… PAIN.
My post game 53.
Surprises to make roster:
Chris Carson
Kasen Williams
JD McKissic
Tyrone Swoopes
Pierre Desir
Dewey McDonald
Christian French
Surprise Cuts:
Nick Vannet
Mike Morgan
Mark Glowinski
Joey Hunt
Players who I didn’t put on because of injuries:
Dion Jordan
Malik McDowell
(Assuming both Jefferson and Richardson will be ready for start of season)
Players I wanted to put on but just didn’t have room for:
Kenny Lawler
David Moore
Mike Davis
Jeremy Liggens
David Bass
Tylor Harris
Here it is:
Offense:
Quarterback:
Russell Wilson
Trevone Boykin
Runningback:
Thomas Rawls
Eddie Lacy
Chris Carson
CJ Prosise
Marcel Reese
Wide Receiver:
Doug Baldwin
Jermaine Kearse
Tyler Lockett
Paul Richardson
Kasen Williams
Tanner McEvoy
JD McKissic
Tight End:
Jimmy Graham
Luke Willson
Tyrone Swoopes
Offensive Line:
George Fant
Luke Joeckel
Justin Britt
Oday Aboushi
Germain Ifedi
Rees Odhiambo
Ethan Pocic
Defense:
Defensive Ends:
Michael Bennett
Cliff Avril
Frank Clark
Christian French
Cassius Marsh
Defensive Tackles:
Jarran Reed
Ahtyba Rubin
Nazair Jones
Garrison Smith
Quenton Jefferson
Linebackers:
Bobby Wagner
KJ Wright
Michael Wilhoite
Terrance Garvin
Dewey McDonald
Safeties:
Earl Thomas
Kam Chancellor
Bradley McDougald
Delano Hill
Tedric Thompson
Corners:
Richard Sherman
Shaquill Griffen
Jeremy Lane
Deandre Elliot
Pierre Desir
Neiko Thorpe
Few things:
1. This team is going to keep more than 7 OL. 9 is necessary for depth.
2. Interesting choice to keep 7 WRs, could happen with McKissic listed a RB. So far, I’m not so sure he makes this team. He didn’t flash in KR/PR tonight and wasn’t used much else where. Kenny Lawler is a safer bet than him and Kasen.
3.I wouldn’t count Darboh out yet in the slightest. As fun as this competition has been, this draft grade + natural skill that will appear in later preseason games when he’s back from injury will keep him around more likely than not.
Cut Dewy, Swoopes, Kearse and McKissic. Add Darboh, Alexander, Vannett and Roos. Lawler and Williams are interchangeable at this point imo.
It was the first game of preseason, and it had a surprisingly high number of highlights from different players. So nothing is written in stone yet. Let’s hope the team plays this well all season.
Vannett blocked very well when he lined up next to the T. I don’t think he’s going anywhere. It would be a surprise if he got cut.
A few thoughts.
1. Boykin was a lot of fun to watch, and I thought Austin Davis held in pretty well when they switched to him. I’m really looking forward to the concerns over the backup QB spot to die down substantially this week on sports radio, and in the prints.
2. Loved what I saw from Kasen Williams, but man did David Moore look GOOD on those catch and runs. WR seems loaded. Wish we could have gotten to see Darboh play, though.
3. I jumped even farther on the Chris Carson Hype Train. I might be assistant to the conductor. I dug what I saw out of Mike Davis, but I wanted to see even more Carson.
4. As much as I’m excited about Carson, I think my favorite rook might be Nazair Jones. The practice that I was l lucky enough to catch, Naz was showing that same type of activity during the 1v1s that lead to the swatted pass turned INT. His pursuit was really pleasant to watch. With McDowell on ice, he’s gotta be smelling opportunity. This guy feels like an eventual starter.
5. I liked what I saw out of Griffin, but I was really pleasantly surprised at what I saw out of Pierre Desir. There’s some sneaky depth at cornerback.
6. Loved what I saw out of the backup LBs. Wilhoite brings a level of football badass that KLP and Coyle never really had, and it was fun to watch the athleticism of Garvin.
7. Marcus Lucas and Tyrone Swoopes are making interesting cases at TE. I noticed during the practice I caught Lucas getting a lot of action with the 1s. I think this might be something to keep an eye on.
8. Liked what I saw out of the DL depth with edge players David Bass and Christian French, and DT’s Garrison Smith and Jeremy Liggins.
9. I continue to think Jarran Reed is poised for a break out this year. He looked really quick off the ball in that first series.
10. I thought George Fant and Germaine Ifedi showed up well, and that was most encouraging. Over all, I thought the fellas on the OL did well. Rees Odhiambo looked good out there.
It’s just one game, but it feels like there is a really interesting depth to this team. Definitely feel it at WR and RB, but also TE, dare I say OL, definitely DL, LB and corner. It’s going to make the cuts all the more interesting. Will there be surprise cuts of veterans? Or do they hang onto a bit more of the older guys because they sense that the opportunity for a Super Bowl return trip is really close, and they’re going to want to lean on that experience? Either way, some good football players aren’t going to make this 53.
What’s up with Darboh, why didn’t he play? Was wondering that, but missed why.
Sternum injury apparently. Pete said he didn’t know how long he would be out.
The process of paring down this 90 man roster to 53 could be painful. Fulfilling, perhaps, but we could see some of our cuts giving us problems in the future. No doubt that the Seahawks waiver wire will be a regular point of study for a lot of teams.
Normally, in this kind of situation, a lot of new talent, would lead to a turnover for the elder statesmen. Oh, like Chancellor, Sherman, or Thomas? Or like Bennett, Avril, or Rubin? Move on from Baldwin, Graham, or Wilson?
Most of the players who have experience and will be waived, will likely be the reserves from last year. This new wave of young players will be the new depth.
It has to be scary for the backups like Desir, Eliot, Morgan, and the like, but they also know that they would likely be able to start on another team, and for the golden ring, maybe in their home town. Good luck to them. Most of the time.
Fun game last night. I’ve seen a lot of people down on Ifedi today, while clamoring for Pocic to start over him. To be honest, I thought both guys were ok last night. Ifedi struggled against Bosa for sure, but there were times I saw Pocic beaten by the backups. Overall, I was just more encouraged that our OL situation will be better than last year.
Saw a bit of David Moore love up above and I agree. He’ll probably get cut, but hopefully we can PS him because I liked what I saw.
I think we need to slow the roll a little bit on this McKissic over Darboh talk. In my humble opinion, JD has a much higher chance to pass through to the PS than Darboh and it’s not like Darboh has been a dumpster fire according to practice reports. From what I’ve read, he seems to be doing a solid job and he’s learning both the X and Z positions. If we keep 6, it may be Baldwin, P-Rich, Lockett, Kearse, Darboh, Williams/McEvoy.
I loved what I saw from Carson and honestly I thought Mike Davis outperformed Collins. Whoever gets cut from those 3 will get poached, guaranteed. If I were looking to start an argument, I might also say that Lacy has less value to me than Rawls, Procise, Carson, and Davis but he’ll be a near lock to make the roster.
So, which of our promising young guys will get “injured” before cutdowns and stashed on the IR to redshirt? Also have to wonder if the change from two cutdowns to just one will help us sneak some guys through waivers.
Another thought, there is no way David Moore is 6’2″ like he’s listed on the Seahawks website. He looks more in the 5’11” range to me and with that number it brought back visions of Deion Branch (don’t throw things at me). He looks more like a slippery, RAC-type WR than a speedy, deep threat. But again, it’s only one game.
Carson lowered the boom on his second TD…that poor defender just got completely trucked. He had another nice gain called back by penalty too.
So glad football is back, especially since the draftblog is active again! What really stuck out to me the most was how good Pocic looked. His main criticism in camp was lack of strength in run blocking, which didn’t seem like an issue last night. I love how he bullied a few of the Chargers players after the play was over. He really looked great all around.
With how poorly Ifedi and Glo played, my hot take is going to be that Pocic ends up winning either the RG or RT job.
I was very happy with the game last night. I was a little worried about the first drive, but rob quelled that with reason. Vanilla def, dink dunk hell = chargers td. I was pleasantly surprised by shaq. He was constantly in the defenders hip showing the speed and feel for the receiver. Needs to turn his head and he might get us those picks we were lacking last year. I think the injury to lane helped him show his worth. Imagine the beast he could become with that athleticism and sherm taking him under his wing. Excited for the next game!!!
Yesterday, was a great way to start. We dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball. The passing game was on mark all night. I was disappointed in the running game. Our RB’s only gained 97 yards. For as much control as we had of the contest that is not very good. The biggest yards occurred when Davis reversed field. Collins then tried to do it,, too. Both abandoned the one cut and go philosophy toward the end of the game. When the ones were on the field we gave up pressure to Joey Bosa. He beat Ifedi twice in the first series. Fant also whiffed on a pass protection. So, I would say the O Line, as good as it was against the Chargers backups, needs some more work. Ifedi, seems better in run blocking than pass protection. Pocic, was solid and stepped in as the center and the team never missed a beat. Everyone played along the O Line but no one really distinguished themselves as the bell cow blocker that we can run behind. There were few of the drive killing, false start penalties you often see in preseason, however. So that was good. Let’s give the line another week before we draw too many conclusions.
I think it’s time to let Kearse go, to much young talent with much more upside to take a look at.
For first action was impressed with how we handled line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Lb depth much improved, and rookies Griffin, Carson, Pocic & Jones showed up big for first action.
Back up QB play should put the Kaepernick talk to rest.
It’s a bit soon to talk about letting Kearse go. The younger WR’s played well — but it’s one pre-season game and Paul Richardson just got hurt. Plenty of time for this to play out. I suspect Kearse will be on the roster regardless.
agree..need a veteran who understands system and does dirty work too
Where do we get one of them
To early ? Last year would not have been to early, never understood the extension. Good bet we will let someone more talented go and it will be a mistake. Yes Richardson is made of paper, but yet another reason to gamble on high upside VS blah we get with Kearse
I think people are overestimating that other teams will poach all of our WRs that don’t make the final roster. Honestly, Darboh would be the only one I would be worried another team would actually claim. Remember, someone would need to release a player off of their final 53 in order to claim one of our guys. I would guess most of the teams will have a young, unproven WR that they hope to sneak onto the PS so why would they make a claim for one from another team? Kasen passed through waivers multiple times in the past. McKissic was on the street. I can’t see a team claiming Moore. Grayson isn’t ready for a 53 man roster. McEvoy has talent and ST value, but is his production valuable enough for another team to go after him? Lawler was on the PS before. There are no cuts to 75 this year, so there will be a massive number of names hitting the waiver wire at the same time. We can still get some of these guys on the PS to develop them AND keep Kearse. His experience in the system and versatility does have value whether or not people want to acknowledge it.
Rob — what are your initial thoughts on Shaq Griffin’s performance?
Hard to judge. Not reviewed his tape after the first drive. Not much he could’ve done with the Gates TD. My initial thought was — not convinced this is a guy who has to start over Lane if/when he returns.
Boykin is exactly the right kind of backup QB IMO. If you can’t get a genuinely good one, like, say, Garoppolo then your best bet is a high variance – swing for the fences – kinda guy. When you’ve lost your most important guy, playing to win feels like a much better strategy than playing not to lose. I wouldn’t be happy if he had to see serious playing time, but I’d be more excited than if we rolled Austin Davis out.
Watching him at TCU, I always felt like he wasn’t ever going to settle for a L. He takes some risks with runs and throws, but he does it out of a deep desire to win.
Enjoying some preseason football before school starts again and I have to devote most of my time to Saturdays on Montlake. Cheers to another successful run in the Petersen era!
Damn, Chris Carson seems like the real deal. Speaking of hammering… that poor defender on his second TD run. He’ll fight for those tough yards. The fade combo with Kasen Williams will forever be preseason legend.
Boykin looked good. Especially nice arm punt.
DT and WR depth is going to be really interesting this year.
I forgive Tedric Thompson for the ugly coverage. First preseason game and adjusting to the NFL. I think he proved that he has real talent with his time at Colorado.
Antonio Gates… are you ever going to retire?
How about the OL’s cut blocks all game?
I only remember the GI false start and an RB chop block for penalties.
On the false start I was like “wow there’s that explosion hope they dont flag him” and they did.
Pocic looked great finishing blocks. Gonna be hard to keep him on the bench
Didn’t Roos get called for a chop block?
Maybe it was Roos. Thought it was Mike Davis or Tre Madden
Madden was called for one later on.
Take on Ifedi?
Not re-watched the tape yet. The Chargers broadcast was difficult to watch and that’s all I have access to.
He looked crazy athletic and like the strongest guy out there at times.
If he can put it all together amd remain consistent we’ll have a good one on our hands.
His false start looked like a bad call to me. He’s just that explosive.
Pocic looked hungry
crazy athletic? Im not sure what game you watched.
The Gif breakdowns Ive seen, Ifedi looks like a slow Plodding Toddler in a hulks body.
His prospects of being a true pro is now the #1 depressing thing on this team overtaking my Malik sadness.
Link?
https://twitter.com/guga31bb/status/897249193017921536
https://twitter.com/TumbarelloHB/status/897100616459198464
Struggles vs 2nd stringers…
Sorry if you saw one play that ruined the guy for you.
I’m rewatching the game right now with a focus on Ifedi and he looks awesome in the run game.
Flies off the ball. His footwork is still choppy, which I wrote about before he was drafted, but he looks so explosive and strong. Had a pancake block at the second level. They ran behind him and threw to Kasen Williams all the way to the goalline
I thought he played better than I thought he would. He gave up an inside rush from Bosa, but I the settled in. Pocic is giving him a serious run, though.
Apart from getting beat badly on one play by Ingram crossing his face, Ifedi looked alright. I think he’s our best option at RT because of his size and strength. Pocic was good too but looks like he needs to add 15 lbs of muscle, not unlike many rookies. Pocic looked great inside, especially in his second level blocking, it’s very natural for him.
Personally, I thought he played OK for the most part. Got beat on a few speed rushes and one bullrush/disengage. His pass set seems a little slow, not sure if it’s slow feet or just getting used to being back outside. Once he got his mitts on a guy, they were basically done though.
Pocic was obviously playing against deeper backups, but he just looks solid. Nothing that will blow you away, but he seems to be so sound in his technique.
In his limited snaps, I thought Joeckel looked good both at LT and LG. Fant was fine, which is an upgrade from last year.
Meant to reply to the original post, sorry Aaron.
Pierre Desir didn’t catch his pick but the coaches will look at that as one in the same, add his strip sack and coverage abilities and he was a huge winner yesterday.
I thought he had a really nice game.
Great notes Rob. Some of the items I saw but forgot due to all the action going on in this game.
Very happy to see Boykin putting it together in his second year. While I like the fact he can scramble, the fact he can push the ball downfield is what makes him the best backup for Wilson. If the worse happens and Wilson gets injured, Bevel should not have to change calls or expect others offensive players to adjust their play to compensate for the QB change/skills or lack thereof.
I didn’t remember seeing Quentin Jefferson playing, was looking forward to what he may bring this year in terms of pass rush but Naz Jones is a pleasant surprise in getting pressure from the inside.
I am hoping for the best with Griffin but reality is that the good QBs we play this year will be going after him. Hopefully, he takes it in stride and just learns from getting torched occasionally. Its going to happen.
I hope the musical chairs being played with the OL ends by the third pre-season game to give the starters some time together.
Like others have said, the energy was certainly there from all the team. Great to see!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKOBynvZ3_U
This wouldn’t hurt in the slot or the edge. He’s a hard nose player that will fit right in with their play style.w
After Mike Garafolo’s appearance on good morning football and Davis Hsu’s gut feeling that a trade for a DT could be a possiblity for the hawks, I thought that it could make sense. Why? Because they lack a pass rushing DT (Bennett is one, QJeff MAYBE another) and they have a second round pick from nexts years draft available (because malik will be “next years second rounder”, therefor they can trade that pick this year to get production on the field this year. Seems at least possible, doesn’t it?
My guesses for the trade partner:
-Bills (obvious house cleaning)
-NYJ (well, number one pick in 2018 here we come)
-LAR (Donald hasn’t reported yet, so he has to have a secret deal in place with the hawks, hasn’t he? Sorry just me daydreaming)
Your take?
What did Mike G say on good morning football?
“There could be tweaks coming from a roster standpoint.” Not 100% the exact words he said, but close. I recommend to watch it, if you see his statement you can be almost be sure something is in the making (or at least in disscusion)
I have no more info on Malik’s condition than anyone else and hate to be a Debbie Downer, but ‘Malik next year’ might be overly optimistic.
Defo Richardson….other 2 are impossible: Donald won’t be traded as they wish /will extend him. Dareus’s dead cap hit would be $20m in ’17.
Malik will probably be back by next year. But the whole thing is deflating. I don’t watch the first round of the draft any more because Seahawks usually trade out to the second round. Then their first pick of the year goes down with an off field injury. I’m still processing the whole thing.
Fortunately the rest of the team looks good this year.
Bob Condotta‏
@bcondotta
Hearing Malik McDowell is back in Seattle. Wouldn’t mean he’s close to playing or anything, but maybe closer to working out more.
11:50 AM – 15 Aug 2017
My guess would have to be Richardson.
Aboushi got the start at Guard, if I recall correctly….. I think he was in the RG spot and Ifedi was the RT.
If that was the case, they road graded some fools in the run game.
Wasn’t the starting 5 OL: LT Fant, LG Joeckel C Britt, RG Aboushi and RT Ifedi ?