Instant reaction: Pre-season game one (Colts)

Some quick thoughts…

— A lot of things seem clear, which is a surprise given the increased competition this summer. Tedric Thompson and Bradley McDougald have locked up the jobs at safety unless Earl Thomas returns. Rasheem Green is Seattle’s second best pass rusher after Frank Clark. Health permitting, Byron Maxwell is likely the #2 corner. The offensive line appears set. The key battles seem to remain in the kicking game and receiver.

— Green in particular was the major highlight tonight. His two sacks, quickness off the snap, great hands. This was a really exciting start. Green is big and quick and looks a natural for his size. On this evidence he has a chance to develop into something special. Seattle needed to find a pass rusher in this draft.

— Austin Davis had an ugly looking interception (Keenan Reynolds didn’t really help with a poor route) but it seems pretty safe to say he’ll win the backup job. Alex McGough should make it to the practise squad. McGough isn’t putting much pressure on Davis according to the camp reports and this game kind of solidified the QB hierarchy.

— In previous years the Seahawks would almost show off in the second half of pre-season games. The depth would flash and Seattle would smother opponents. For the first time in a while there was a pretty stark difference between the first and second half. The Seahawks have a lot of talented players in the #1/2 group. Their depth is not close to what it once was. It’s perhaps quite predictable given the turnover of players this year. But it was evident based on a sloppy second half.

— Akeem King looked good at corner based on the first watch through, Jacob Martin is quicker than expected, Justin Coleman looks ready for a second successive big season and the running back duo of Carson/Penny gives real cause for optimism (along with Rasheem Green). It was also good to see the Seahawks properly mix in the run and play action. I’ll watch the game again tomorrow to check on things I missed.

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65 Comments

  1. Seahawcrates

    I liked the ease and self-assurance Carson showed. I also noticed Penny kept scrapping in pass protection to keep Wilson clear on that touchdown to Vannett.
    I was encouraged that the run game seemed able.

  2. C-Dog

    I loved watching Rasheem Green’s game at USC. Thought Seattle got ridiculously lucky getting him in R3. The fact that he is just a puppy with those kind of moves is really exciting stuff.

    Jacob Martin is an interesting player. His post game interview on Q13 is worth watching. I’m not sure I’d sleep on him making this team and having an impact.

    This whole draft class, for the most part, feels loaded with players that could make an impact.

    Solid efforts from youngsters T2, Carson, Moore, Q-Jeff, and Vannett. Seattle needs their home grown talent to take the next step, and these guys are showing signs of that.

    If they get 16 games out of RW, I think this is a 10+ win team. If they lose him for a stretch, yikes.

    • McZ

      +12

      I remember having mentioned Braxton Berrios predraft, he his virtually Amendola 2, out of fear, that after Grahams departure, nobody takes those intermediate, unconventional routes. Vannett and Dissly did quite well, and this prevents RW from becoming one dimensional against the top secondaries we play.

      Still not convinced of the OL, the real test follows next week.

    • Logan Lynch

      Agree with much of the sentiment as you can see from my post down below. What is refreshing to me this year (and granted it’s only after the first game) is the fact that we’re actually seeing the majority of the draft class making instant contributions. In years past, we’ve kind of had to write off the fact that the rookies weren’t doing much as them just being young and taking time to assimilate. It’s nice to see guys come in right away and ball.

      I do find it a little strange that there’s really no UDFA with buzz this year compared to years past. Poona has some, but he’s not a pass rusher, so his role as a run stuffer will likely go unnoticed for the most part. Maybe this will change and one of the guys will step up as preseason rolls on, but I’d be ok with the UDFA taking a backseat to the drafted players for once.

      • cha

        “Poona has some, but he’s not a pass rusher, so his role as a run stuffer will likely go unnoticed for the most part.”

        I’ll say! Surprised there isn’t more talk about his play last night. I thought he showed very well in his snaps, swallowing up blockers and holding the anchor. A couple times I noticed Indy double teamed him and they still couldn’t move him out of his gap. If he can do that against first team OLs in the regular season, the Hawks uncovered a real gem on first & second downs and the LBs will have another great year making tackles because they’ll be clean.

  3. FresnoHawk

    Green was the best defensive player at USC he was either going to suck in the NFL or be real good, I like what I’m hearing. Dallas vs Niners was on in my area, Dallas looked good, Bo Scarbrough looked good, passing game looked good, and defense looked good. If they had ET they could have the best secondary in the league. Dallas would be wise to pony up a 1st and maybe more for ET because their LT started to break down last year and their OL dominance may not be around much longer. They have 3 beasts at RB, DL looked good, and they have studs at LB, their CB’s are good but the FS is not much help. We can beat Dallas on the deep balls that seems to be the hole in the defense. How are we going to feel playing ET in the playoffs?

  4. All I see is 12s

    I’ve been talking to he JaMarco Jones a lot. But let’s face it, Ifedi played very well this game. Let’s hope he keeps it up. Especially now that Jones has been injured.

  5. Aaron Garrett

    Three takes…

    1) Carson looked really good. He looked decisive, physical, and ready to impose his will.
    2) Green looked like a promising young pass rusher. A steal imo in RD3.
    3) It was so refreshing to see downhill man blocking and pulling guards in our run game. Whenever we did it with Cable it looked so much better than the ZBS, but Cable was so stubborn and wanted to die on that hill.

  6. All I see is 12s

    It’s also a cruel bit of fait that all of Ifedies competition gets hurt in week 1of the preseason.

    • Georgia Hawk

      This is the most significant thing to note imo. By all accounts Ifedi played well. I have a feeling that can be directly attributed to being pulled and playing with 2nd team a good bit over the week. So, how does he react if there is zero competition? Does he revert to last year/first half of training camp Ifedi or keep playing well?

      • Hawk Eye

        Avril said the problem with Idedi was he played with the the attitude of “1st round entitlement”.
        Needed to get pushed and have his job threatened.
        Hopefully the kid gets it now and understands the other guys want his job and are willing to work harder than him.

        • FresnoHawk

          Wow! I didn’t know that! I would attribute to Cable so in a way that’s good news!

    • Adam B.

      The injuries to Jones and Battle may have bought Ifedi a little more time, but I very much doubt that Pete will let “not a disaster” slide for much longer.

      I imagine how he fairs against the much more potent Chargers DL will be extremely telling in how much more leeway Pete is going to give him.

      If Germaine struggles, I can see the Hawks potentially even moving Fluker outside and putting Roos or Sweezy in at RG.

      • hawkdawg

        Fluker doesn’t have the feet to play tackle in the NFL. If a guard had to move out there, Pocic would be better, at least eventually…

  7. Georgia Hawk

    “It was also good to see the Seahawks properly mix in the run and play action.”

    Nailed it.

  8. Georgia Hawk

    For those that have been having issues with posts taking hours to show up, as I have, I made an accidental discovery.

    If you refresh Flash Player at the top of the page, it instantly loads posts. Mine have been showing up like earlier in the year.

    Could be coincidence, could be a fix…dunno. Just thought I’d share.

    • Georgia Hawk

      Aaaaaaaaand it was coincidence. Back to delayed posts now.

  9. Largent80

    I dont see a link to refresh the Flash Player anywhere.

  10. GoHawksDani

    And what about Dickson? What a sick punt! 61 yards that got muffed.
    We nailed a couple of picks this year in my opinion.

    The guys I’m most excited about:

    Still early, but Green seems pretty good and still young. Like a work-in-progress, young Bennett but with more patience.

    I’m pumped about Dissly. That dude can catch and block well. Really like how he uses his body when catching the ball and also hard to bring down. He’ll be an instant contributor, but I think if his movements become more fluid and progress as a receiver, he could be Gronk-like (remember! He’s still early in his progress as a TE)

    Dickson is awesome. He’s not just a punter, he could be a legit weapon. If he’s real, he could be a rookie pro-bowler punter!

    OK rookies:

    Penny. He did well, but for a first round pick, I expect a bit more. Maybe it was the weak second string OL, but Carson looked much-much-much better. Penny wasn’t bad, but based on this on a 1-100 scale Carson could be a 90+ and Penny is around 75

    Quem Griffin: He did really well. The only reason I’m not utterly pumped about him is that he won’t start (maybe this year maybe for the next 2-3 years). He won’t dethrone KJ. A possibility is that the Hawks won’t extend/re-sign KJ because they think Quem could be a cheaper but not less talented successor. But for that, he still has to go a long way

    Flowers: I think the DPI was bs. A little bit grabby, but I think that not every referee group would call that. Still has a lot of work to do, but he did fine for his first NFL game and his first NFL game AS A CB.

    Third-string rookies:

    Jamarco Jones: Maybe he did well, but didn’t see him much in action. Hopefully, his injury is nothing serious

    McGough: He wasn’t awful, he did a couple of things really well. Maybe a bit too much checkdowns, but better throw checkdowns than ints.

    So, in my opinion, the Hawks got 4 pretty good quality starters (including Penny here) and 2 guys who could become starters. That’s really amazing especially considering how little draft capital they had.

    Other guys for whom I’d jump on the hype-train:
    CARSON! Dude is a beast. Wow, just wow

    Wilson! (Already hyped about him of course, but he seemed more focused and even better)

    Moore played good, I hope he’ll make the cut

    Coleman seems like a legit slot CB, he also might make this year’s pro bowl. Tbh I think amongst our three CBs (Griffin, Maxwell and him) he’s the absolute best.

    Shaq Griffin also played really well. I think he won’t have much trouble handling 1# CB tasks

    McDougald and Thompson played pretty well in the safety spots. Maybe not Kam and ETIII but I’m not afraid about the backend of our field

  11. Trevor

    Hard to really take anything from the 1st pre season game but I think the offense is going to be dominant this season. Assuming they can stay healthy of course I think this OL group with Cason and Penny at RB can be a top 5 rushing attack. I think this will take a lot of pressure off the defense and help slow the opposing teams pass rush.

    I really like the play design on the 1st possession. They had a nice mix of rushing, passing and moving Russ. I think with an improved run game and OL Wilson is a legit MVP candidate this season.

    The play I liked most for the offense was on 4th and short they simply handed the ball off to Carson and ran behind Fluker to pick up the required yardage. This simply never happened last year and was a huge Achilles heal for the offense. If they can dominant the line of scrimmage in short yardage situations like this it will solve a ton of issues the offense had last season particularly in the red zone.

    I for one am excited about the offense for the first time since Beast Mode moved on.

  12. Trevor

    Given that we entered last years draft without a 2nd or 3rd round pick I think this is going to be our best draft class in 6 years.

    It is still really early to make any judgements but early indications are really positive.

    -Penny looks like he can be a great compliment with Carson and I thought his pass pro which was thought to be an issue was solid in Game #1

    -Green fat out looks like a steal for a 3rd round pick and truly could develop into a Mike Bennett replacement. Given his age and inexperience the sky is the limit. If he develops as he should it will be a huge boost to this defense.

    -Dissly is as advertised as a blocker and has better hands than expected. I really think the Z Miller comp is legit. He and Vannett could be a solid though not spectacular young TE combo.

    -Shaqueem appears to be exactly as advertised. He was all over the field last night and his speed shows for sure. Seems like the Hawks are going to have to find a way to get him on the field. The one thing that really sucks is that KJ and him play the same position. KJ is one of my favourite Hawks and I was hoping they would resign him to keep as a leader on the D with Wags but if Shaqueem keeps improving I am not sure how you keep him off the field.

    Dickson- Exactly as advertised. There really is no punter competition IMO. Better and cheaper punter who can be a legit weapon. Just needs to work on his holds for kicks. He can really help what was a bad punt coverage unit last year.

    Flowers- Perhaps the rookie with the most upside IMO. He is incredibly raw and there will be a learning curve but wow his size and athleticism jumps off the screen. He looks like an athletic Brandon Browner. I think he has legit star potential in a year or so once he learns Pete’s technique. Seems like a coachable kid and the only other rookie I can remember seeing Pete so excited about and hands on with was Carson last year and Russ when he was a rookie.

    Martin- I kind of thought he was a camp body given his testing #s but I thought he looked really good so far and has a chance to make the roster and even contribute as a situational pass rusher.

    Jone-Too bad he got hurt but I think he is a developmental guy for next year as a swing tackle and early comments all seemed to be positive about him.

    So all in all you have a really sold group all whom should make the roster. It is the first draft class in a long time I am excited about after week #1 pre season.

    • lil'stink

      There were a few times where I thought Martin looked incredibly quick and explosive off the snap, much quicker than his 1.68 10 yard split would indicate. I wonder if they don’t see him as being a LEO, even though they haven’t seemed to have used that position much the last couple of years.

    • Largent80

      Awesome analogy Trevor and I thank you as a guy that couldn’t watch the game.

    • Volume12

      I agree about Flowers. 6’3 corners don’t grow on trees. He just has the look of the next PC CB. Thought he played well, didn’t get beat over the top/deep. They picked on him a bit which is only natural.

      • vrtkolman

        He reminded me a lot of rookie Shaq Griffin. Solid, didn’t get beat over the top (as you said), and limited YAC. That’s a good sign.

  13. Logan Lynch

    Being out of market sucks. I wasn’t able to get a good stream until basically right before the Davis INT through the end of the game, but that won’t stop me from giving my thoughts!

    I’m really encouraged by what our draft class showed. Penny looked good, even in pass pro. Yes, he got stopped in the backfield a few times, but that was on the OL mainly. Green, as mentioned, looked great. I think he tired out towards the end of the game, but he did play a lot. Dissly looks like a sneaky good receiver. Everyone gives the Zach Miller comp, but he really did remind me of that last night when he would sit down in the soft spot of the zone and make a nice grab. I think he’ll contribute more in the passing game than expected.

    I missed a lot of Shaquem’s contributions, but it sounded like he had a heck of a first impression. I did see him get eaten up at the line of scrimmage a bit later in the game and he had trouble getting off blocks. That will come in time though. The team really loves him, you can tell by the way Bobby was giving him crap in the locker room after. Flowers is a work in progress, but he looks like he’s off to a good start in the CB conversion. Many times, he was in the right spot and seemed to keep the ball in front of him, which is huge in this system.

    Let’s be real, Dickson is pretty awesome. Similar to a great hitter in baseball, his kicks just sound different even on the telecast. Like a cannon shot. Good distance, hang time, and a muffed punt. Jamarco Jones seemed solid, but had that injury which Pete called “legit” after. We know what that means, so I wouldn’t expect any contribution from him this year. Jacob Martin really surprised me. He looks better rushing the passer than playing in space to my eye. If Mingo hadn’t gotten that sack, Martin would have. Good explosion off the snap. McGough was up and down. He almost got Moore killed on that deep pass where he overshot him, but had a few nice plays.

    Other observations:

    Carson looks awesome. I think he and Penny will be a great tandem. Carson is so twitchy and explosive, whereas Penny seems smooth and deceptive. I love it. T2 look faster this year to anyone else? I know he gets ragged on for his combine speed, but his burst to shut down a few of those runs was impressive. Oh, and Russ is awesome.

    Finally, there were a few guys that had that “look” last night. What I mean is when I saw them play I thought “Ok, this guy is a player”. Tough, gritty, confident. The three that stood out to me were Green, Martin, and Moore. I really think Moore will have a big impact this year if he stays healthy. I have more thoughts, but this is already too long, so I’ll stop here for now.

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      Where did you find a stream?

      • Logan Lynch

        NFL Streams on Reddit. They have it broken down by game. The ads can get annoying and some streams are better than others, but out of market beggars can’t be choosers.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          Thanks LL!

          • Logan Lynch

            No problem, hope it helps!

  14. neil

    Mc Goo ? Is that the Scottish pronunciation of Mc Gough ?

  15. no frickin' clue

    Did not see the game but curious for those who did – how did the WRs and TEs look when it came to helping out in the run game? I heard Dissly did well but then again that’s what got him drafted so no surprise there I guess.

  16. STTBM

    Nice write up Rob!

    I thought Mingo looked good, and the sack was great. Should turn out to be nice FA pickup. Shaquem really sticks his nose in there–dare I say it–like Kam. And he’s so fast…Hill just doesn’t pack the same wallop, and he’s a work in progress, but there’s plenty to like. He’s going to be a good player, IMO.

    Akeem King showed well, for the most part, but was badly beaten on a long pass, and Carroll will hate the TAPE on that one. Flowers is also a work in progress, but I think he’s the real deal.

    David Moore has got to make the roster. Darboh just isn’t showing up. Carson is our starter, and Penny is a nice addition. Bennett finally gets it.

    Really bummed to see Jones hurt. Every year I think the line will improve. And every year since we lost Ice Fisherman I’ve been disappointed: but this year feels different. Solari is the key. And Fluker is a stud. Hoping Ifedi puts it together and Pocic holds his own.

    Truly excited to see if Schotty can fix our slow starts. I believe. Screens are fine, but on third and long it’s only fun if they work: otherwise you might as well run a fb draw…

  17. Matt

    I think we are in for a really fun season. Not fun, in the sense of a ton of wins/playoffs…but fun in the sense that we will get to see who the next generation of Seahawks are going to be.

    A couple guys I wanted to point out:

    Jacon Martin – surprising burst. I really like his potential.

    Tre Flowers – I LOVED his game. Was it a great game? Not even close, but I saw characteristics and the attitude of a guy who will eventually succeed and become a nice player. Let’s not underestimate how hard of a transition he is making.

    Chris Carson – Please please please stay healthy because you look awesome.

    I want to see Will Dissly and Nick Vannett on the field together, quite a bit. I think that’s a potentially fun duo at the TE spot. Both guys look like they can really contribute without giving away the playbook.

    Russell Wilson…small sample size, but he looks like a guy poised to become a clear top 3 NFL QB. He looked strong, fast, decisive.

    Last note…loved what I saw from Schotty. It’s the first time in quite awhile that I saw easy completions and didn’t feel like I knew what was coming playcall wise. The last few years was riddle with the same formula, from my amateur perspective.

    • jdk

      I have been entirely pessimistic about the OC hiring from day 1, but I was incredibly happy with what I saw last night from the offense.

      Still don’t think first round RB was the answer to the running game issues, but Penny looks like he will be a great addition.

      IF the run game continues to be solid, I think Seattle could ride MVP caliber play from Wilson right into serious contention.

      • Matt

        I like Penny and think he will be good…but I agree, still don’t love the use of resources on that one.

  18. Omar

    I was very impressed from what I saw from this new/young team. They look very talented. T2/Moore/Green/Twins/Carson+Penny/Dissly are all starting to look like the future of this team. Also, for those who were discouraged about Penny’s debut, he was playing with a small amount of snaps with the 2nd String OLine. They need to give him more snaps with the Starting OLine.

    • JimQ

      Penny is an elite returner, why he wasn’t returning kicks is questionable, I’d guess the coaches are trying to sort out the returner position, but Penny really needs some touches to show his return abilities.

      • Omar

        I really want to see Penny get a bunch of carries, but I know that since it’s preseason, coaches need to see what other RB’s can do as well

  19. Largent80

    If 2nd and 3rd string depth is a concern after the first preseason game is prevalent it seems we’re doing ok.

    A ton of new/young talent and most of them played well, there is a lot to like without expectations.

  20. icb12

    Penny looked ginormous.

    • MyChestIsBeastMode

      Ya, he looked thick — in a good way. Carson too (obviously). Bye bye Jimmy Graham. Hello Seahawks ground & pound football (with effective play action too!). JG’s TD’s will be readily replaced with the elusive 🦄 from last season — rushing TD’s.

      • AlaskaSouth

        Brock was saying that Penny is 236lbs. That’s huge. Hopefully he still has his quickness and can use that bulk to get more YAC. Carson looked significantly better in their limited carries, but Penny is a legit RB who should get a TON better.

        • red

          Penny was listed at 220 at the combine wonder what he played at for SD ST, I am thinking 225ish.

  21. Pedestrian

    I watched a bit of the Giants game to compare to Barkley to Penny, since there have been plenty of comparisons.

    Barkley had a breakaway run on his first touch that was real impressive, his lateral movement is unreal, truly special. Problem he has is his o-line as there were several instances he just got blown up in the backfield. His season will be very dependent on whether his lineman can create enough space for him.

    The same is true for Penny. Both players are more finesse rather than a bruiser like Lynch was – which requires more from the guys in front to be successful. Compare Barkley’s lateral cut and the one I saw from Penny shows they both have a chance to be special, but (based on one pre-season game) Penny may be a poor mans Barkley. Which is not bad considering the incredibly high ceiling both players have!

    It’ll come down to the teams o-line play, scheme, play-calling, effort of their blockers, injuries, and how many touches each back gets. I think Penny has the advantage of having better quality of all the above, and therefore, will likely have a better season. The only exception is Barkley will get more touches as the lead back, but also more prone to injury. This year will be very interesting to see who emerges as the next Kamara – rookie RB of the year.

    Also to note, Nick Chubb did not look so great. Seemed to struggle in decision making/rushing through the right hole.

    • Bigten

      I agree with the Chubb review. He played very poor to me. With mayfield and ward looking everybit the top 5 picks they were. Of all the rookie backs that played yesterday, the ones that played wel were ones that we identified for the hawks. Ronald jones and ballage were ones that also seemed to play good. But of all others, Penney and Barkley were the ones that stood out. And aside from Barkley’s first run, Penney had a similar day getting stopped behind the line and adjusting to the NFL. Gonna be fun watching Carson and Penney tandem this year

    • Volume12

      Offensively the Giants have a chance to be special if they can stay healthy and Barkley lives up to the hype. Unfortunately from what your describing, he’s still suffering from taking TFL’s. Happened to him quit a bit at Penn St. Hope he works that kink out.

      Penny for a big back has what most his size don’t. Can make guys miss.

      • Pedestrian

        Totally agree! Watching Barkley highlights, you can tell he is always looking for the big play and that comes back to bite him for sure. I’d imagine if he were running behind the cowboys o-line he’d rack up well over 1,000 yards – ROY. But that’s the problem with being a top 5 pick, his options were Browns, Giants, Jets, Broncos, Colts…

        I think come week 1, both players will have adjusted and their production will improve. I’m going to be interested to see the role/importance of our fullback. Do Giants have one for barkely to run behind?

        On another note, McGough looked OK for a rookie, but he also flashed. It’ll take another year of learning from Russell, but man, he couldn’t have asked for a better mentor! On the one play, he looked like Russell spinning out of tackles to find his man downfield. There’s a lot of instinct to that style of play, the kid has it, he just needs a lot more experience.

      • Pedestrian

        Also, comment on the Giants offense. I just don’t think they put it together. Their QB is aging and pretty inconsistent, Odell is a bit of a headcase (his mind seems elsewhere tangling with kicking nets), offensive line woes plenty, they seem to be facing an identity crisis too.

        But hey, I didn’t expect the Eagles to make the playoffs last year!

      • H

        Tbf, Barry Sanders had the same problem. Im confident Barkley will be pretty good regardless.

    • cha

      “Both players are more finesse rather than a bruiser like Lynch was – which requires more from the guys in front to be successful.”

      Lynch was a once in a generation player. ‘more finest than a bruiser like Lynch’ can be applied to every RB in the league.

      Penny is not strictly a finesse back. He led CFB in yards after contact last year. He’s 236lbs and will not shy away from contact when it’s warranted. But he doesn’t actively seek it out like Lynch did at times. Which is a good thing, as Penny has demonstrated durability.

      • Pedestrian

        Thanks for the input Cha!

        Maybe using Lynch in the comparison wasn’t fair. Chris Carson is a better example of a bruiser, same with Thomas Rawls (though not that great), Mark Ingram is another example. Their style is more about breaking THROUGH tackles for an extra 3-5 yards.

        Penny, I think, is more along the lines of Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara, CJ Spiller, and Barkley like I mentioned. They rely on out maneuvering defenders and using their athletic profile to make the play – hence the finesse observation/opinion. But you mentioned he doesn’t seek out contact like Lynch did, and I think we’re pretty close to saying the same thing – just different running styles.

  22. BobbyK

    The Dissly Bear is exactly what this team has needed. A dominant beast on the edge for a team who wants to be a “run first” squad. Add him (good blocking) to a much improved OL and Carson/Penny are going to have a great year. Remember, Carson has proven to be an injury machine from college through his first year in the NFL so having Penny is huge. Not being negative about Carson because he is a legit stud when healthy, just that I’m glad we’ve got good/great insurance for him.

    A punter who is a weapon? I never thought I’d see the day. But glad I’m about to see his career begin.

    I’ve been critical of past drafts after the legendary first couple of them (deservedly so) but this one looks like it has the makings of a good/great one. Third best draft in this Mr. Happy and The Duke Boy era? I think so. Early, but early returns definitely promising.

    Just bought tickets yesterday for pre-season game #3 in Minneapolis. We’re sitting not too far from behind the Seahawks bench. First game ever for my 7-year old son. I’ll post some observations a day or two afterwards. I love how one can see the “little things” on the bench from that perspective.

  23. mishima

    Confirmation bias or am I seeing a new found clarity and direction on offense? Run the ball, utilize RBs and TEs in the passing game, simplified blocking scheme, be patient and wait for the explosive play.

    Love it.

    Bummer about Prosise, Darboh, Jordan, but it’s probably time to move on.

    While I agree that TT, McDougald and Griffin are locks at FS, SS and CB1, I would not be surprised to see Tre Flowers beat out Maxwell for CB2.

  24. Gohawks5151

    I was pleasantly surprised about 2 things last night. The first was the blocking by the tight ends. All of them. Dissily is a beast. He was crushing blocks and even handled an end (Sheard?) on a missed double with Ifedi. His ability to catch is a bonus. Vannett and even Swoopes had nice down and seal blocks in the red zone as well.

    Second was the young D line combo of Greene and Ford. Greene looked quick, explosive and long. Still so young and can get so much better. See if he is ready for some counter moves after teams get some info on him. Ford is a dump truck. So low and strong he was immovable. Consistently held double teams and made tackles. He needs some counters as well when longer blockers can get hands on him early. Great first impression though.

    The main thing i want to see more of is the Offensive play calling. The play action was on point tonight. But it always is when you can run the ball. I know we aren’t gonna see it in preseason but what does our play mix looks like when we can’t get the run going? Can we manufacture yards better than the past 2 years? Schotty used to call some QB runs back in the day. If that an option besides the read? Where are the screen passes? RPO’s? Cant wait for next week.

    • Coleslaw

      I saw a screen pass.

      I think Russell will be running bootlegs A LOT and you can run on half of those successfully, especially with the magician we have at QB.

      I see a lot of Run plays, PA, bootlegs/PA bootlegs, and screens in the future. Mixed with the spread and up tempo/ quick passing offense schotty likes to run.
      So basically we’re a real offense now, not Peewee football play calling lol. Seemed so redundant at times and it’s crazy to see the clear difference without Bevell.

      • Gohawks5151

        Haha. True. Agree on the bootlegs. Like I said I don’t expect to see any of this stuff in the preseason. I always thought Russ would thrive in an Andy Reid (and now Doug Peterson) offense in part because of some screen diversity (Tunnel screens etc). The new-ish wrinkle now would be the RPO’s. His escapability gives him a rare 3rd option

    • McZ

      Someone with deeper football knowledge than me told me, that Wilson doesn’t throw much screens, because he doesn’t have to. He can always run the 3-5 yards on his own, keeping the play open for a deep ball.

      I agreed with him, that Wilson sooner or later will have to throw more screens. But this time is four or five years away.

  25. Coleslaw

    Carson has to “start” over Penny. Hes the perfect guy to get the tough yards on a fresh defense while wearing them down, and Penny is the perfect guy to burn those gassed defenders. This has a chance to be the best 1-2 punch in football. Devonte and Coleman still likely hold the crown though, they some beasts…

  26. FresnoHawk

    Watched most of the game and it matched up my analysis of camp with the exception of Ifeldi. Nothing but fantastic news. Penny looks like Curtis Martin RB Jets & Patriots, it’s no surprise Pete is the one to draft him and that the Patriots made the call for a trade during the draft. Our second pick in the draft being DE Green USC & his performance gives me a ton of confidence in both players due to the Carroll connections & coaching background. Once again the Seahawks demonstrate their superiority over the NFL draft!

  27. KD

    Two small things I noticed last night:

    1.) When it was announced that Poona Ford was in the game, I paid a little extra attention. There was a moment shortly after where Poona got right under the guard’s center of gravity and just wrestled him down. I can see what Rob was talking about with regard to the leverage he can have.

    2.) Did anyone else notice this or am i just crazy or mishearing things. There was a seahawks commercial during that game with two guys yelling in a canyon. They’re trying to get some kind of reaction and one of them says under his breath “Maybe if I cut my had offfffff….” Seemed bizarre, but did i hear that right or am I just going crazy? 😛

    • Aaron

      As to your two points…

      1) Poona Ford looked really disruptive. Did see a few plays where he got a little over aggressive and didn’t maintain gap integrity. Overall he’s a great pickup and I hope he makes it on the final 53 or PS.

      2) I saw the ad but I usually mute ads so I’m not sure what was said.

  28. SheHawk

    Wow. How much fun to watch the rookies deliver and see much of Rob’s insight manifest on field. Really interesting SDB comments.
    It’s such a different + better perspective to be watching our young, talented and hungry core grow v. Hoping the aging core could hold it together for a last push to the SB while knowing it couldn’t last much longer.
    We’re at our core a bunch of young studs with world class vets ( Russ, bags, ADB, Brown, KJ..) leaders. New and improved coaches driving the bus. Love it. Future is so bright. 🙌😁💪

  29. Robert Las Vegas

    Rob I was wondering what your thoughts on the seahawks going to formations with two tight ends instead of a fullback.

    • Rob Staton

      I think we’ll see some of that but Tre Madden will likely be kept for FB plays too.

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