Instant reaction: Seahawks beat Eagles, move to 8-3

Approaching a four-game run against the NFC East and the lowly Jets — only two things mattered. Winning and staying as healthy as possible.

This was far from a memorable performance but it doesn’t matter. At this point, the victory is enough.

The two main highlights are clear.

The defense, after weeks of toil, have a formula now to force sacks. Carlos Dunlap has elevated the performance of the pass rush tremendously and you can see other players answering the call. So many people were active up front — the defensive tackles and Rasheem Green in particular.

The blitz is now a complement rather than a desperation policy to create ‘any’ pressure. The whole defense looks better as a consequence.

It’s reaching the minimal level they needed to find. There are still a few too many third down conversions and missed tackles. The Hail Mary at the end was mildly irritating and very ‘Seahawks’. There’s still a lot of work to do.

The unit wasn’t at all an embarrassment though, like it was earlier in the season.

That’s progress.

The opponent was rancid too. They are a three-win team after all. It shouldn’t get any trickier against Colt McCoy next week. Building momentum is important for this unit though. They need belief. They need to feel and experience success. They need to connect. We’ve seen some of that recently.

I also think as a consequence the two old war horses are looking so much better. Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright are looking superb again. That’s the beauty of a better D-line too.

The other great positive was D.K. Metcalf. The Seahawks fed him the ball and he flashed the kind of qualities — against a really good cornerback in Darius Slay — that legitimately place him among the NFL’s best.

His ability to get downfield at his size is remarkable. Yes — he will have some drops. The one in the end zone tonight was pretty frustrating. However, you can live with it on a 177-yard night. He now leads the NFL in receiving yards and it feels like there’s more to come.

Praise is long overdue in an instant reaction post for the kicker Jason Myers — who again nailed all of his kicks. He is having a terrific season, as is the entire special teams unit.

The game was unnecessarily close thanks to a cluster of errors.

The playcalling on the two early fourthdown’s was suspect. A tricky play to a clearly not 100% David Moore and a play that relied on a pick to open up the only target on the design was a disappointing selection.

Overall the offense seemed a bit off aside from Metcalf. Everything felt ordinary and predictable today — Wilson, the running game. Thank goodness for big #14.

Metcalf had the drop that could’ve finished things earlier but a great Carlos Hyde touchdown was also called back on an unnecessary hold by Cedric Ogbuehi.

Third downs continue to be a problem. The Seahawks were just 2-10 on offense and gave up 8-17 on defense.

Thankfully the opponent took a full half to get going and towards the end, when it made perfect sense to kick a field goal to make it a one-score game, the Eagles sent out Carson Wentz to throw a horrendous interception.

The Seahawks will have to play a lot better than this in the tougher games ahead but it’s worth saying again — the key in this game and the next three is to win and survive injuries to set up the NFC West double header to end the regular season.

If you missed my article on Richard Sherman earlier, you can read it here.

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177 Comments

  1. Mark

    Yes they are 8-3.
    Yes they are very talented.
    Yes they had brilliant moments.

    However, against a better team errors like the ones we saw tonight will get them beat. Regular season or playoffs.

    What’s concerning is the errors have been similar throughout the season

    • Darnell

      Why are you stealing other people’s writing without citation or even a proper attribution?

      • Mark Musiitwa

        Am a bit young to know that stuff.

  2. JLemere

    I wonder if you can convert Jamal Adams to a 34 OLB. He would need to put on a little more weight (currently weighs 215), but it would make sense with his pass rushing and he wouldn’t have too much of a burden when it would come to coverage responsibilities. Just a thought as I was watching the game tonight.

  3. 12th chuck

    that was by far the worst officiated game all year. Defense stepped up, but it sucks just watching some of the guys standing around while the play is still going on. I doubt any teams will be asking to interview schotty for a head coaching gig now, even with eagle d line playing good, outside of DK, it seemed some what lethargic offensively. A win is a win

    • BK Matt

      that missed intentional grounding was mind boggling, he wasn’t within a few yards of the LOS. that ended up being a TD drive.

      • BK Matt

        but we also got away with a clear PI in the first quarter on Shaq. They also gave us a late PI in our favor.

        • hawdawg

          And a phantom sack of Wentz at one point….

  4. Paul Cook

    These are the things that immediately come to mind…

    –The Carson TD run
    –DK Metcalf
    –The KJ Wright batted down ball that stopped a drive
    –Philly’s D really came to play tonight and deserve a tip of the hat
    –The refs ANNOYED THE HELL OUT OF ME on both sides…keep the damn flag in your pocket and let them play…the ticky-tack-shyt was driving me crazy

    What matters most is that we win and stay healthy these next 4 games. It’s a positive in that way tonight, though a thoroughly unremarkable game.

  5. Brazilian Hawk

    Pieces are well set for the Seahawks’ defence to finish in a reasonably good position of not being a liability.

    Once things settle down, I believe Adams’ performances are going to be elevated to the all-round playmaker we’ve expected to be, heir to the Kam Chancellor’s role of being kind of a third-LB type of safety.

    Imagine how silly the negative comments about Adams will look when he finishes the season with close to 20 sacks + TFLs after missing time and playing through injuries.

  6. DJ 1/2 Way (Sea/PDX)

    “The Hail Mary at the end ” had a significant impact on the gamblers. Seattle was favored by 6.5 points and won by six.

  7. Chase

    Metcalf is special. That will be all.

  8. BK Matt

    DK is a beastmode type, his physicality can get the entire team fired up like Beast use to. Not sure he has the same presence but his play on the field is definitely beast-esque. They have to find ways to get him at least 10 touches a game so he can bowl over people and get both sides of the ball wound up! Just pray he holds up physically.

    • Sea Mode

      I think his opponents should be the ones praying they will hold up physically…

  9. Sea Mode

    Yeah, not sure limping into wins against a hobbled and then a bad QB is a great sign that we should be confident quite yet moving forward.

    Let’s just hope Dunlap is ok.

    • 12th chuck

      I was thinking the same thing, I am glad the d is playing better, but the somewhat hype of them playing better is not convincing enough. True colors of the d wont be able to show up until if and when we make the playoffs

  10. Forrest

    Agree with Rob 100% here. Not a great game, but mostly adequate and a step in the right direction; probably gave the Eagles way too much room to work with. Winning the next three convincingly will go a long way. Winning all 5 remaining would be the most ideal, but realistically they still probably lose to the Rams.

    This team is flawed, and if faced with the Packers, Saints or Rams in the playoffs today they probably lose, but there is a chance they go full “usual” December mode and play their hearts out. We’ll see. Let’s hope so.

    The defense looks better, but still probably needs more work to actually run on all cylinders next season; retain key pieces and get some more rotation/young blood and this could mold into a quality defense. The offense looks good, but also sometimes frustrating; I think they blew a lot of the “magic” in the early season games, but this is still the strength of this team right now and should remain so for the foreseeable future. ST looks solid, keep doing what they’re doing, no changes please.

    I’m passive for (playoff) success this year, but optimistic for next year provided the right FO decisions are made. Go Hawks!!!

  11. uptop

    One thing I’ve been noticing on the D recently is the use of more stunts, and how effectively they have been. Rasheem Green playing 3T with a TEX stunt with mostly Dunlap (sometimes Mayowa) has been absolutely ELITE. Its been so hard for lines to block, I expect to see a lot more of it.

    We cannot be running jet sweeps as much as I would want the Seahawks to. DK is too stiff, Tyler isn’t as fast, a DMo is not fast enough (even when healthy). Dorsett was brought in to give us that dimension but he’s been hurt and wont play. I hope we can find some speedy receiver to run that play to in the draft, it’ll really give us some great horizontal stretch to have to opposing teams respect the inside zone.

    Hats off to automatic Jason Myers.

  12. cha

    Post game press conf w PC

    “Shut em out with the FB, goose egg for the defense. Nice step forward and hope we can keep going. Carson ran like a monster. DK had a huge night – over 1000 yards. Spread 6 sacks out over guys. Took adv. Jason Myers nails the freakin FB. I had a terrible first Q. Gollee! I took the momentum away from us. I didn’t play much better later to tell you the truth, but that first quarter was lousy.”

    [john boyle] Defense play, you encouraged? “Very much so. Feel it, on their game, know their stuff, adjust and tweak as game goes. All those things take to play really good ball. Good night.”

    [art thiel] Slay try to bait DK deliberately? “Hope they keep trying. Handled the situation beautifully. Aggressive block early and they didn’t like it. Making known he’s not just there to catch but block.”

    [curtis crab] Pass rush, what changed? “A lot of guys contributed tonight, Dunlap couple rushes, Jamal had a rush, Bobby had a couple great rushes. Kenny mixing personnel, calls.”
    [curtis] Dunlap OK? “Sore foot, sprained something or other.”

    [joe fann] Bad first Q? Play calls or going for it? “My handling of it, handcuffed the guys a bit. Neither of them worked. Lost momentum by not getting scores, completing the sequence, I was pissed at me.”
    [joe] Quicker decisions, time outs? “Talk about it and think it through, it’s a big play. I told you, it was me, I screwed it up.”

    [tim] Run balance, Carson/Hyde? “Two keep pounding away, one gets hot go with him. Didn’t run the ball well tonight. Trouble running against them for years, same tonight. Need both aspects of offense going.”

    [gregg bell] Personality of team you want? “Last couple weeks moving in the right direction. Keep battling working to get better. Only 5 games left in season. Next game, right mentality, right approach, keep charging. Excited about belief, resolve, trust each other, offense/defense.”
    [gregg] Surprised they kept Slay 1on1? “No, they do what they do. I wasn’t surprised one way or the other.”

    [] DK one handed catch? “Marvelous job to stay in bound.”
    [] Which Carlos hurt? “Dunlap”

    [jackie] Griffin back/Ethan Pocic back? “Helped w continuity and feel. Made a big deal in mtg last night, welcom them back. Really well. I thought Jamal played well. Both shoulders firing. Great ot see him be able to make plays.”

    [maz veda] Consistent now that you have team back? “Uh, not sure what you mean. Always talk about being consistent. One step at a time. Every game so important, every game shows things we can do better to be a better team.”

    [joe fann] Jamarco Jones at RT? “Yeah.”
    [joe fann] Ogbuehi performance? “I gotta look at film. Penalty we didn’t like. Admirable. Can’t tell you until I see film.”

    [gegg] Int grounding on Wentz and TD drive? “Couldn’t have been griping more. That and the RW throw in the corner. Not griping just wish they could have gone anther way.”

    [john boyle] Bobby Wagner over 100 tackles again? “Tremendously consistent. Looking at a HOF player. All timer. So happy with him. 5 games left to play too!”

    • cha

      “Shut em out with the defense, goose egg for the defense” = I think Pete was saying the offense didn’t turn the ball over.

    • 12th chuck

      thanks cha!

  13. pdway

    I know it doesn’t really matter – but that hail mary is annoying – at least 23-9 is a better reflection of a workmanlike win over an inferior team.

    I don’t know – Russell doesn’t seem special lately – not sure what it is, or what combination of things. I suppose we missed Shel, but also the whole O-line was outplayed by Philly’s D-line, too many TFL’s for a good offensive team.

    Not a pretty game, good that we got the win of course. Still, we’re in 1st place in our division after 11 games, and I have to remember that I would happily have taken that from my pre-season POV.

    • Miami Hawk

      They are back to Pete Carroll football and its still the winning formula. You pass when you need to score and you run to reduce possessions to keep the other team from being able to come back. Russ isnt forcing it and throwing picks anymore. He had an easy TD on a perfect throw that Metcalf had a brain fart on (as he usually does at least once a game).

      Russ, DK, and the defense won this game handily. They could have put up more, but they dindn’t need to, and didnt really try.

      • Hawkdawg

        Russ also missed an open DK in the endzone by airmailing a short pass 5 yards over his head. Russ wasn’t all that sharp in this game, but no turnovers and some nice throws.

  14. Blitzy the Clown

    Rasheem Green beat a double team on his sack. Just split the two blockers down the middle and bull rushed to Wentz. Wish he could do that with anything approaching consistency.

    • Thomas Wells

      Good observation. I concur: would love to see more of that from green. Also think it’s a fair indictment of our offseason that Rasheem Green split the double team and fought through two guys to get to the quarterback, benson mayowa benefited from the stunt by going unblocked, and yet green somehow made it to the qb first

      • uptop

        Rasheem green at the 3T with the TEX stunt has been elite the past few games, he’s been very disruptive.

  15. AlphaDK

    I thought today’s game showed how much better Carson is than Hyde. Carson might’ve been on a touch count, or whatever the Seahawks version of that is, and he might’ve aggravated his foot in the first quarter, but it didn’t seem to bother him on his TD romp. He looked fresh as a spring chicken once he started to find his rhythm.

    The defense has shown promise of being greater than the sum of it’s parts for some of the last 3 weeks, still with some drastic failures on occassion, but holding together on the majority of plays this week and last. That wasn’t happening in the first half of the season, like ever. It’s a massive improvement, going from complete disarray 100% of the time to disarray only 15-20% of the time.

    Everything about the Eagles offense is bad. Wentz is playing bad, the OL is a patchwork of starters playing out of position and replacement level backups (something Seahawks fans should be familiar with), their best WR is … who? Miles Sanders is definitely NOT baby Saquon.

    I feel like this game was won 31-9, but the coaches chose to take the foot off the gas on offense. Seahawks spent all but a few plays of the 4th quarter with >95% win probability, and they needed to leave the game healthy.

    • 12th chuck

      I was happy with Bo Scarborough as well, Bo>Hyde

    • Sea Mode

      Even though he lacks pure breakaway speed, Carson just has that extra gear that Hyde seems to lack. Hyde has good vision and finds the holes, but doesn’t have the explosiveness to get past the LBs at the 2nd level.

      • Rob4q

        Remember though that Hyde had a nice TD run called back on a stupid hold by Ogbuehi…would have made hist stat line a little better. Carols runs hard and has good vision. He is also a physical runner as well…I’m happy they signed him as we haven’t seen Penny and not sure he is going to make it back this season…

      • AlaskaHawk

        I think Hyde is good at running downfield but too slow to run laterally. His best plays were running between the tackles. His touchdown that got called back was a great run!

        At this point the Seahawks lack a speedy shifty runner. Maybe Penny will do the that.

  16. Pran

    All pro DK, Jason, Dickson?
    Pro Bowl Russ, Lockett, Bobby?

    • Rohan Raman

      Bobby’s gonna be all-pro too. Also can’t believe you forgot the GOAT Nick Bellore for the Pro Bowl.

    • Darnell

      All-Pro can be tough to call.

      Pro Bowl: Russ, Brown, DK, Bobby, maybe Myers, Dickson, Bellore
      Has a chance: Lewis and Adams

      • Rohan Raman

        Adams will be All-Pro if he hits double-digit sacks as a safety. Lewis is a rookie. I don’t think that he’s gonna make All-Pro when guys like Wyatt Teller, Zack Martin, Shaq Mason etc. around.

        • Rohan Raman

          Realize that I misunderstood your point. Lewis to Pro Bowl seems possible b/c of injuries. Jamal is a lock for PB imo just b/c of sacks. Also xavier rhodes made it last year, so name value def counts in the Pro Bowl.

    • uptop

      I can’t believe your forgetting about the best in the business on having a early in the alphabet name, the mustache king Nick Bellore

  17. KennyBadger

    -fart noise-

    Feels good but there’s odor.

    Instant reaction.

    • 12th chuck

      lmfao

  18. seaspunj

    the Seahawks needed to do what it needed to for the win. The Eagles O did more damage to themselves and the Seahawks capitalized as best as they could.

    What is most important is how this team decides to pull it together and execute and be cohesive so when they face those true playoff type teams they will be ready.

    I think the NFC they are wide open and have as much of a legitimate chance to make it to the Super Bowl.

    having Griffin helped but I am still concerned about Flowers moving forward. Adam’s as much as he brings energy there are moments where he will give up a big play which for me is a concern mainly because it is an execution issue.

    the running game was tough to watch against such a physical Eaglss D line. Having Carson back was needed and Carson definitely showed how much the Seahawks run game brings an attitude.

    truth be told this Seahawks team reminds me of a poor mans LOB and a Poor Mans Beast mode running team. keep in mind that Seahawks superbowl team was an elite bunch.

    This Seahawks team has a punchers chance but arent the favorite

    • Miami Hawk

      The thing that is heartening is that the defense is getting better every game at running this scheme. They have been held back by injuries to the secondary which has left them disorganized. With Adams and Shaq and Diggs all in there, they are just waiting and hoping on Dunbar to get back and get with the program. Remember they have been playing with at least two or three new guys on the secondary every game and it has showed. They are improving as a unit each game as everybody gets their assignments down.

  19. Mick

    I’ll take the W but we got work to do if we want to win in playoffs. I hope we get to play Brady.

    Play of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFYkKAxEP2w

  20. GerryG

    Yeah, ugly win, but I’ll take it.

    Been scared about anything happening to Dunlap, night and day difference with him. Hope he’s ok.

    • GerryG

      Also, worst officiating seen all season. Eagles were robbed numerous times, that non intentional grounding worst, easiest miss I’ve seen on one of those

      • Rob Staton

        Terrible officiating today

  21. Rob Staton

    Jamal Adams bristled at a follow up question about Alan today.

    Which is a shame.

    I was hoping Michael Dugar would make it a regular feature.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC7bK-6-pU8

    • Rob Staton

      Bloody hell, he had a right go at Joe Fann too.

      Bit unnecessary. Awkward.

      • CaptainJack

        Unnecessary and awkward.

        Just how Adams is to this team’s future plans

      • GoHawksDani

        That was f’in awkward…Adams might be more crazy than ET3.
        I thought maybe these safeties collaborate in bigger hits that affects them, but Kam was a pretty smart and normal dude, so maybe there are just some bad seeds

    • Charles Hirsch

      Jamal certainly has a little crazy. Let’s just keep that on the field. Got to be able to turn off that switch. Fun watch🍿

  22. Volume12

    Not much else to add, if anything. Thought this instant reaction summed up my thoughts damn near word for word. Don’t see much to feel bad about. They won ugly. It’s ok. It’s the NFL. These games are gonna happen. Would much rather see a good defensive performance anyways.

    • charlietheunicorn

      Avoid injuries, stack wins…. defense plays competent during multiple games.

  23. charlietheunicorn

    The Cleveland Browns claimed safety Tedric Thompson off waivers on Monday.

  24. cha

    Grading my watch points

    Front 7, stop the run.
    Grade: A-

    28 yards on 9 carries conceded to the Running Backs. Miles Sanders was bottled up beautifully and just couldn’t get on track. 15 yards on 6 carries. This front 7 was active all night against a pretty awful OL. They made most tackles on first contact.

    Points docked for Carson Wentz running for 42 yards, but he was running for his life.

    Offense, establish the run and dominate.
    Grade: C-

    76 yards on 30 carries. Just enough to eat up the clock but definitely not enough to establish much of a tempo. Carlos Hyde took the lead with 15 carries but only produced 22 yards. Carson had 8 carries for 41 yards. It would appear that the Seahawks were very cautious with Carson in his first game back, despite PC’s claims that he was fully ready to go and explosive before the game.

    Particularly strange was they chose not to do anything resembling a traditional run on both 4th and 2’s early in the game. Particularly on 3rd and 3 from the 3, they run it to Hyde for a 1 yard gain. Then call a timeout and they call that awful Moore sweep. Talk about establishing a tempo.

    (As an side, I don’t understand why they don’t have 2 calls on 3rd and 3 made. Why not rush to the line on 4th and 2 and make the defense either commit a penalty or not let them get set and plow it into the end zone? No data to back this up, but I’d wager it would have more success than calling a timeout to let the defense catch their breath and running a ridiculous fly sweep.)

    Credit to the Philly front 4 for really giving the Hawks OL trouble. Iupati, Pocic and Lewis weren’t able to regularly control the interior. Philly does tend to give up big runs, though, and the one they gave up Ogbuehi got flagged for a holding call that killed the drive.

    CBs, let’s see a solid game in one on one matchups.
    Grade: B

    The Eagles WRs only had 46 yards on 9 catches. Wentz relied heavily on his TEs and RBs for catches. Flowers and Griffin each had 1 penalty called. Carson Wentz was absolutely terrible (the broadcast showed one play where Jeffrey had a step on Flowers but Wentz wasn’t even looking in his direction), but the CBs frequently gave the DL time to get to him.

    I wrote: You cannot give the WRs so much cushion they can take that 6 yard out time and time again to gain some offensive momentum.

    Very, very nice to see Flowers playing up on his man. Not giving that easy out just to keep the offense alive.

    RW, find the one on one matchups and exploit their CBs.
    Grade: A-

    I wrote: Darius Slay is conceding a 101 QB rating. He’ll probably cover DK Metcalf a lot. Offense, forget that he’s a 3x Pro Bowler and a 1x All Pro. He’s not having a good year. Throw at him.

    Mission accomplished. RW threw at Slay early and often. Metcalf dominated this matchup. Blocking him tough in the run game, running past him on deep routes, out muscling and positioning him on sideline routes. 10 catches for 177 yards.

    Would’ve loved to see the offense spread the ball around more (4 targets for Lockett? Zero targets for Will Dissly?) but sometimes when a team gives you a play all day, you take the play all day. Hopefully this will pay confidence dividends for RW and Schottenheimer when DK matches up against Jalen Ramsey again.

    Bonus Grade: NFL, we’re all confined to our homes. Put a good product on the screen.
    Grade: D

    Poor, poor game, refs. Bizarre penalty calls. Let’s huddle and take 2 minutes to decide RW should be flagged for Int Grounding. Now let’s immediately turn our mic on and say Wentz’ ball made the LOS when it was 2 yards short. An absolute mess of a game.

    And ESPN, poor, poor coverage.

    Larry, Curley and Moe in the booth wouldn’t stop talking about what is happening in game’s we’ve already seen to actually focus on the game we’re watching in right front of us. No injury updates, no real insight about game play, and Brian Griese, that angry 90 second screed about how the Eagles should keep playing Wentz after the broadcast team pointed out mistake after mistake after mistake was just painful. Sounded like he was channeling some outrage from getting pulled from a game in middle school he’s still sore over.

    And those graphics. Carson Wentz in a wagon riding through a pile of leaves. What was that? And a graphic about the Seahawks defense, showing cartoon character FB players, one of whom was #32 – Chris Carson who is an offensive player. Pathetic.

    • charlietheunicorn

      hahahaha Ok, I wasn’t the only one trying to figure out the graphic of Wentz and the leaves…. MNF definitely didn’t have the luster or shine I was anticipating form the broadcast team. You pay multiple billions of dollars to put a product out like that…. disgraceful. They barely ever utilized the sideline reporter for updates. She was stealing a paycheck….. ok, that isn’t true, they didn’t give her much to do.

      I would give the LBs a B for their coverage on the TEs during the game. Had some pass breakup, they also got nosey on running plays. Might have been some of the best LB play (as a unit) the whole season.

      • BruceN

        They had Goedert open on a few seam routes that thankfully Carson missed. Those plays are still out there.

  25. SeattleLifer

    Think you touched on most of it Rob, not a ton to mention in this game. My only question mark might be Lockett – is he still injured or is he possibly starting to show some tread on the tires this season? Could be circumstantial but I’ve just felt he has’nt been the same since his crazy game vs Arizona.

    • BruceN

      “ starting to show some tread on the tires this season?”

      A month after catching 200 yards and 3 TDs? It’s the game plan (like we do not use our TEs for some reason) and may be he is dinged up like anybody else this season. But I wouldn’t worry about him.

  26. Noah Parker

    Where da podcast/YouTube clip at???

    • Rob Staton

      It’s there now

    • Rob Staton

      Also Noah, please consider that I had to record this podcast at 4:30am then wait for it to publish at around 6:00am.

      Patience is a virtue.

      • BruceN

        You win the “die hard fan” award for staying up to not only watch the game into early morning but also record the podcast. Thanks for all you do…

        • Rob Staton

          Thanks Bruce

  27. Paul Cook

    All I can think about is let’s get to 11-3, get healthy and avoid major injuries, and keep getting better and more consistent on defense. I’m confident about our offense if we have a balanced attack. Our special teams are pretty much near the very top of the league. Our D just needs to keep improving and finding something resembling an identity, a more cohesive and nasty one.

    I want that Rams game 2 days after Xmas to really mean something, to generate a real buzz in this town.

    Go Hawks!

  28. clbradley17

    Not sure if it’s a troll or someone reading info on Seahawks or Dunlap’s Twitter or elsewhere, but seeing in comments on another post-game reaction video on youtube (Hawkblogger) that Dunlap tore a muscle in his foot – a season-ending injury. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B1Lvx-qB18&ab_channel=HawkBlogger

    Hopefully this is not true and just a rumour or a troll. That would be a devastating loss.

  29. Gohawks5151

    This is kind of the game I expected. It’s just like both Philly games last year down to the TE being the only threat on offense. Pete has a really good idea of what Pederson does even going back to their SB year. Plus the wheels are falling off. The offense was the same as last year too riding big plays down field for scoring opportunities. Philly played tough in the secondary and rushed the passer well, taking full advantage of Ogbuehi. Like Rob said, the win and health was everything.

    Quick points:

    -Adams is learning and the Seahawks are learning him. That’s a good thing. I think he needs Pete’s coaching and can get better this last stretch of the season.

    – The pass rush looks good. Lots of dudes stepping. Dunlap is the man.

    – Russ really needs to check things down to settle the offense. Take the pass to RBs and TEs and let them run. Too many negative plays.

    – I don’t care what PFF says, I see a lot of growth in Brooks. The coverage is good particularly for a rookie. Didn’t like the PI on him. Thought it was good. Also more of those gliding through traffic tackles. Gonna need him to replace KJ so he has to soak up as much as he can.

    – Carson looked good but I’m glad they paced him.

    – DK looked great. Lockett didn’t have room to take advantage tonight but he will. Moore looked off. They could really use a third guy. Come back to us Gordon…

    • pdway

      agree w all that. really nice to see multiple D-lineman getting push. Also thought Brooks looked good last night.

      A little hard to know b/c the Eagles offense has got to be near league-bottom right now – but thought our D was impressively consistent all game – encouraging.

      A little worried about RW’s play – missing some of that magic I’m used to from him – maybe it just wasn’t needed yesterday.

  30. Hughz

    The offense seamed rather vanilla today. And for the Pete sake please use Carson near the goal line.

  31. charlietheunicorn

    These rampant rumors about Dunlap……. Fudgeeeeee

  32. steele

    This was a solid if imperfect game. Work in progress, and still time to peak. At 8-3, with the schedule in front of them, I don’t see them losing more than one game. It’s an unpredictable season, but that’s how I feel now.

    My way premature prediction is that their NFC final competitors will be the Saints (if Brees returns at full strength, otherwise maybe not, they are beatable without him), Packers (usually beatable), Rams (also beatable). Hawks can win against any of them.

    AFC: Chiefs or Steelers.

    We’re skeptical and leery in here, but come on, let’s have some fun tonight. This is not an insurmountable road ahead.

  33. uptop

    Does anyone think Fletcher Cox could be on his way out of philly? With the cap hell and possible rebuild they’re facing Cox could be a real juicy prospect, we haven’t had interior push in the pass rush since maybe Clinton McDonald. Maybe Dunlap recruits Geno Atkins (No idea on his contract situation). This team would be great with some interior push and rotation.

  34. Ryan Hogan

    ‘Long time listener, first time caller’

    Rob, I tip my cap to you. I have followed this blog for years as you have delivered insights the mainstream media routinely misses. I have literally followed Joel Bitonio’s career because of you, (among others). I have always appreciated your weighed and measure approach to Seahawks football. You are a talent at identifying team needs, coach and GM ‘speak’, and the draft landscape.

    Alas, this is where we deviate. I have been patiently waiting for the silver lining of this 8-3 season in your writing. You’ve been clear our D line is a liability, (ad nauseam) no one would dispute that. You’ve been wildly critical of the miss on resigning Clowney, though hindsight has proven the Hawks were correct in showing restraint in that situation. I read your “Instant Reaction” after every game, and it feels like we lost. The NFL is the most competitive professional sport in America, the cap ensures that. There isn’t a team in the league without warts. Every single week is a grueling campaign of strategy, grit, and sacrifice. This is far from a page out of “Leadership Lessons in Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies”, just a reminder that NFL games are hard to win.

    I predict we win 12 games this year, and are awarded home field advantage (lots of playoff scenarios, but this is what I’m going with). Odds would dictate that would make us a favorite to win the Super Bowl. We’ve been given a gift of long term relevance in the NFL, let’s not be complacent. We have a flawed team, but a talented team…let’s speak this championship into existence!

    A loyal reader and advocate of the blog,
    Ryan

    • Rob Staton

      1. I have not been “wildly critical of the miss on resigning Clowney”. I have been ‘wildly’ critical of how they went about addressing fixing the pass rush in March, which was completely fair. I don’t mind criticism but you shouldn’t make stuff up, even if you claim to be a loyal reader. Here’s the reality of my position on Clowney. The Seahawks called him a priority. They pursued him, ‘ad nausuem’ as you might say, and not only saved money for him during a long, slow, off-season dance — they also didn’t pursue others. They failed to address their self-confessed priority in free agency seemingly because they were so determined to bring him back. The point of continuing to discuss Clowney, up until the point of him joining Tennessee, is that he was the only bloody player left. It was either him or go into the off-season with a completely inadequate D-line, which is what happened.

      Maybe you could just acknowledge that, rather than trying to make out an alternative reality.

      2. Everything I wrote abut the D-line and the defense during the off-season has proven 100% correct. Again, maybe you could just acknowledge that? I feel completely vindicated in the topics I/we discussed.

      3. I’ve just written an instant reaction post discussing pro’s and con’s. If you can’t handle me talking about some con’s after a scrappy, scruffy victory against a 3-win team — then I don’t know what to tell you. I am not a cheerleader. All of the points raised in this piece were fair.

      4. Your last paragraph troubles me. You’re basically saying no form of constructive (and legitimate) criticism should be voiced because ultimately, the Seahawks have been good and therefore we should just back off. Bollocks. They have a fantastic quarterback and therefore will always have a base level of wins. They’ve won the NFC West once in five years. They’ve got a 1-5 record against the Rams. They exit the playoffs every year at the same point. If that’s good enough for you, then that’s your choice. Don’t criticise those of us who actually want to win, though.

    • Jeremy Brewer

      I hear you Ryan, and strangely, this is why I read most articles here, which are well done.The opposite side of my positivity strengthens my enjoyment of the seahawks. I think they tried with Benson and Irvin, and thought it would be enough. They thought with Adams and Dunbar coming in, it would be enough. 30 plus teams are addled with wrong decisions, injuries aside. Just enjoy the Hawks any way you want!

      • Rob Staton

        If they thought Mayowa and Irvin were enough though, they were clearly wrong. So obviously wrong.

        They didn’t think that, in my opinion, as I’ve noted in numerous articles regarding the Clowney saga which evidently put them completely behind the eight ball.

        If people want to ignore all negativity and bury their heads in the sand — that’s their choice. But they shouldn’t come on to websites like this — where critical analysis is encouraged — and tell us all how we should act. What we should talk about. Complain that we aren’t positive.

        They don’t get to police the discussion.

  35. Sea Mode

    They should put DK in to defend against Hail Mary situations.

    • Big Mike

      I like it

    • cha

      And Lockett on the Hands Team.

  36. Mark Musiitwa

    It was nice to see Jamal play well today but a shame to see him be rude to our reporters. I feel if we stick him in that kam chancellor role, we will see the best of him instead of the blitzing safety role we’ve seen of him in this season.

    • Rob Staton

      I thought there were bad bits on the field too tonight.

      He’s a really good blitzer. He plays well attacking at the LOS.

      He’s not good in coverage though.

      We saw it all in this game. And his press conference was nuts.

      • D-OZ

        I saw his play differently Rob, without being bias to make a point. I saw improvement in Technic and it was he who knocked down the ” hail marry” that Goedert mad an outstanding play on.
        I loved his presser also. Very engaging with a whole lot of intensity, just like his play. entertaining to say the least…
        He is going to be a great player for the Hawks and isn’t going anywhere. Go Hawks!!!

        • Rob Staton

          Nothing about how that Hail Mary played out was a positive.

          I’m afraid you do sound a bit biased. Your final sentence suggests a willingness to just accept everything is great instead of acknowledging any kind of fair criticism.

          That press conference was not engaging. It was weird and slightly troubling. To me he comes across as insecure and too concerned what people think.

          • GerryG

            Anyone who pays a stylist definitely cares too much about what people think

            • Jeremy Brewer

              If I had 20 million bucks, I’d have a stylist too, to avoid shopping.

              • Rob Staton

                Alan is more than a stylist.

                He’s a fashion coach.

                Apparently.

                • Jeremy Brewer

                  Gimme that fashion coach, my wife knows I need it.

    • Sea Mode

      “It takes a lot for me to get salty” is literally the biggest BS that has come out of his mouth IMO. The fact that he even brought that up unprovoked showed quite the contrary.

      Fann should have come right back at his stupid provocation with something like, “pretty good except when you were trying to cover Goedert…”

      • cha

        It’s worth noting he was also griping after the NE game about some friends from the Dallas area teasing him about getting toasted in coverage by Cam, and talked a big game about how they’re gonna see something vs the Cowboys.

      • Rob Staton

        Should’ve just said…

        “It was a fair question Jamal”

        Or just blanked him completely.

        Poor from Adams.

    • GoHawksDani

      He was mediocre on the field. Missed a couple of tackles REAL bad.
      He can be a superhuman but also Cody Barton sometimes.
      I think Jets robbed us bad. Even if we’d give them a 1st and McDougald I’d say that.
      McDougald was a better safety than Adams. He made some big hits and covered much better and didn’t miss many tackles. Sure Adams great at blitzing, sacks, TFLs…but…put Flowers in his role and I’m not sure after some time we’d see a ton of difference. Blitz Bobby as much as Adams and I think Wagner would have similar stats.
      If we’d signed Adams in FA for like 12m APY, I’d be amazed. Awesome role player, specialist guy who you could send up to generate passrush or plant an RB in the backfield. Anything other than that and he’s mediocre or worse.
      And with that press conf, I’d say ship him out as soon as possible before it becomes another LOB fallout situation. Give us a 1st and a rotational player and we’re “good”

  37. Edgar

    Seattle is back to dominating but winning by one score. This is the only recipe Carroll knows and its what we get. Pete Carroll is a trash in game coach and this mix is the only way the Seahawks somehow win another bowl.

    Side note….Russell needs to transition out of the duck and muddle mode.

  38. Big Mike

    Guess the NFL will never do a thing about the shit quality of their officiating. Apparently making dump truck loads of cash without any accountability for the people who oversee the on the field product is all that matters. My 87 year old parents could’ve done a better job officiating last night and they both need a walker to get around. Reprehensible Goodell.

  39. cha

    Brady Henderson
    @BradyHenderson
    From
    @NextGenStats
    via
    @ESPNStatsInfo
    : DK Metcalf lined up vs. Darius Slay on 26 of his 27 routes. When Slay was the nearest defender, Metcalf caught seven of 10 targets for 141 yards. The 141 yards are second-most by a receiver vs. a single defender this season.
    8:37 PM · Nov 30, 2020

    • Mick

      The thing that worries me about DK more than his drops is that he gets in so many fights, he might get ejected in the most inappropriate moment. I also hope Jamal keeps his cool against the Jets and he doesn’t get kicked from the game for repeated taunting.

      • pdway

        I think all the fights are something of a rite of passage for DK. Defenders are trying to see if they can intimidate him (b/c he’s young I suppose_, and he needs to push back to hold his own. I’d be surprised if it happened much after this season.

        And make no mistake, it’s happening b/c he is a PROBLEM for the d-backs, i.e. you don’t see anyone picking fights w David Moore.

      • GoHawksDani

        He mostly kept his cool though. He was never flagged in these situations. I hope some wise vets (like Brown) are watching out for him and if it’d be trouble they’d pull him aside

  40. pdway

    from joe fann’s twitter:

    “Jamal Adams had a team-high 82.1 @PFF grade against the Eagles, including a 71.3 coverage grade. That was Adams’ best coverage grade since Week 1 (78.3)”

    He blew that tackle on Goedert – but that shouldn’t overshadow a strong game, he looked active and like a playmaker all game I thought. He may never justify the draft picks we traded, but that doesn’t mean he’s not additive to the team. They’ll have to evaluate this off-season, as has been pointed out here, but for the rest of this season and post-season, it’s good to have him out there, he’s a guy that gives us a chance to make game-changing plays.

    • Rob Staton

      A 71.3 coverage grade is decent but let’s be right here, Tre Flowers had a 69.7. K.J. Wright had a 67.8. Bobby Wagner had a 75.0. So let’s not overplay that grade for Adams.

      He received an 82.1 overall because of a 89.8 pass rushing grade. So the main bulk of his effort is because he blitzed well as usual. We all know he’s a good blitzer.

    • GoHawksDani

      Fann is only tweeting that because he’s afraid of Adams 😀 And probably wanna stay clear of this pressconf drama Adams created.
      Just to put the numbers in perspective. Per PFF (best safety tandems before 2020 article)
      “Since 2018, McDougald’s 85.4 man-coverage grade ranks fourth among the 104 safeties who have played at least 100 snaps of man coverage over that span, while his 62.7 passer rating allowed in man coverage ranks fifth among those who were targeted at least 20 times.”

    • Gohawks5151

      They used him so well this game. Being able to get pressure with 4 makes him stand out. His blitzing was no longer a necessity or expected by the offense. He was able to play back, play up at the line, blitz from depth and fake the blitz and drop. They also ran some of the fire-zone stuff with him blitzing, the LB sliding over to take his zone and dropping a DT in the middle of the field. Cool stuff.

      Also i just watched the Jamal post game and I don’t understand the negative comments. Are people not used to ragging on another guy? He had a smile on his face the entire time and admitted he was giving him a hard time. It wasn’t like Earl who made comments while giving you a death stare followed by awkward silence. It was nothing from my perspective.

      • GerryG

        I kind of agree after watching. Not as bad as when I read it.

        Hopefully it motivates him. He played better in coverage in this game, so I hope it continues to trend in the right direction. In fairness to him, I dont think there was a very good comprehensive plan on how to use him, and he got hurt.

        I still have always hated the compensation from day 1.

  41. Forrest

    I left this game thinking – dang, it must be frustrating to be an Eagles fan! …and I feel bad for Wentz. I could see the optimism for the Eagles defense heading into the season and after adding Slay, etc. But, I was scratching my head about their WRs. They needed to replace Jackson and Jeffery with younger talent who could separate. Then with the O line taking a huge step back with the injuries, etc., it created a perfect storm for Wentz. His personality would fit well in Denver. Or maybe Tampa could swing some magic to grab him in a year. Hopefully, he’s not a shot fighter by then.

    • Rob Staton

      The Eagles have become stale IMO.

      For me, not enough teams embrace the need for regular churn. You need to be willing to move players around and make difficult decisions. They constructed a brilliant Championship roster but they never felt like a dynasty in the making. After that Super Bowl, the thought should’ve turned immediately to transition and the next build.

      Now they’re stuck tens of millions over the cap for 2021, they have a massively expensive white elephant at quarterback, they are an ageing team with a lot of highly paid big names but not enough dynamic, young, cheap, well drafted players.

      The coach also seems zoned out. They need to make a change there. They need some excitement throughout the organisation.

      Change will now be thrust upon them and it will be more painful than it needed to be.

      • cha

        Their run/pass mix is the 4th highest pass % in the NFL. With a banged up OL all year, a tough defense and Miles Sanders producing strongly it would seem logical to lean on the run game. But they haven’t.

        In my watch points prep I browsed some Philly blogs, and there’s pretty persistent talk that Wentz has been given too much sway in the gameplan/org and is trying to throw himself out of a slump. It’s obviously not working.

      • GerryG

        Someone pointed out recently about Frank Riech leaving, which is a pretty good point I had forgotten.

  42. Paul Cook

    Sometimes I think one of the biggest/toughest decisions a team makes is whether or not to give a QB that big 2nd contract.

  43. Matt

    Here is some really cool perspective on DK Metcalf’s historic start to his career.

    DK is 61 yards away from having 2000 Receiving Yards BEFORE his 23rd Birthday.

    For context, a lot of people like to compare him and Terry McLaurin, who has had a great start to his career despite being in a terrible situation in Washington. Terry will be WELL PAST his 25th birthday before hitting the same milestone.

    Yes…he has inconsistencies and some frustrating drops…but he’s 22! The fact he is able to haul in difficult catches gives me hope that he will continue to improve on the “easier drops.”

    No matter what – he NEEDS 10 targets a game. It’s inexcusable to not manufacture him touches. We’ve been looking for Marshawn 2.0…well I think we have it – he just plays WR.

    • Matt

      And for comparison – no, I don’t think DK is like Megatron other than size/speed. They are completely different styles. DK is more of a combination of Desean Jackson and Anquan Boldin. Desean’s deep game ability was incredible but he has the physicality of Anquan Boldin. Boldin had FAR better hands, but when it comes to physicality – I see a lot of similarities.

  44. Rob Staton

    https://twitter.com/baldynfl/status/1333764284317376513?s=21

    This defense still has big issues.

    And they’re still not properly organised.

    • Big Mike

      Can’t prove it but if I had to guess that is on Adams. Regardless, that’s junior high level bad. Come on Norton you’ve got to do better!

      • Hoggs41

        For sure. Still a work in progress but as long as you can get better and still win games along the way its a positive. A question I have is this team lacks a killer instinct. Do we think this is something they can develop or are we just stuck with these closer than necessary games?

    • GerryG

      Yep, lots of moving parts (injuries) and basically playing a new blitz heavy system that nobody (players or coaches) is used to running. It’s not pretty. Just hope Dunlap wont miss too much time and they can gain some cohesion during this easier stretch against poor and/or backup QBs

  45. Gohawks5151

    Something that has been bothering me for a while is getting the play call in. Last night it seemed like they may have had a technical issue, but this isn’t a new thing and the general nonchalant attitude irks me. I’m not sure if it Schotty being indecisive or Pete interfering but it sucks. Russ has become a problem too slowly walking out of the huddle and seemingly not seeing the clock sometimes. It also just make the offense so much harder as you have no time to motion receivers or running backs to get a look at coverage or get a matchup advantage. Also to move around blockers from the TE spot. Watching Shannahan’s offense makes me jealous.

    • Paul Cook

      I’ve noticed that too. From the end of the last play until the time they are lined up at scrimmage takes them too long much of the time. I’d rather have them take the time at the line of scrimmage rather than hurrying to get the play off once they are there.

      Just one of those finer points Ive noticed as well.

    • GerryG

      They did such a great job on this early part of season. Now back to scrambling at the line again, so annoying.

  46. Big Mike

    Enjoyed the Podcast as usual guys. I especially liked the lead in Christmas song as well as the tree behind you Rob even if it made Robbie sick lol.

    Also agree with your opinion on Adams that had we given up only one 1st rounder it would have been worth it. Was thinking the same thing myself earlier today. And I especially loved your rant against analytics in that situation where the eagles chose not to kick the field goal. Terrible terrible decision. Makes me wonder if Pete did the same thing down on the goal line. Just don’t overthink. 3 points is always better than 0.

    One more thought on Adams, I question whether he will be good for team chemistry with all his griping anytime he gets the least amount of criticism. I also see a lot of the Cam Newton type look at me stuff every time he makes a good play. I don’t think that wears well on your teammates. I would trade him if I could get one first back, especially considering his questionable fit in Seattle.

    • Rohan Raman

      You can criticize other thing about Cam, but saying that his style wears on his teammate is pretty hard to say when there are countless examples of him being an incredible teammate and his ability as a leader and teammate is one of his most well-known and praised qualities.

      • Big Mike

        IMO you’re being naïve if you think the endless preening like a peacock doesn’t annoy at least some of his teammates.

        • Rohan Raman

          I mean why would it wear on his teammates? It’s not like he’s telling them how to dress. He has a right to dress the way he wants and most people think his outfits are either funny or somewhat interesting.

  47. Kurt ZUMDIECK

    Rob,

    You got it all right as usual. But you were being nice about those fourth down decisions. They were TERRIBLE. Lack of respect and it was evident they didn’t have THE play to run, so they talked about it and muddled through and the product on the field showed. Best kicker in the league and you don’t use him. Just bad.

    Seemed like on almost every run down, the Eagles were run blitzing, shooting gaps with backers and we had no answer but keep running right into it. Answer seems to be quick hitters to the tight-end, but with Cedric playing tackle, looked like they had to keep TE’s in to block. Schotty didn’t call a real-good in game play-calling.

    Poor reffing for sure.

    Thought you coulda called the Eagles DBs for holding Lockett on every play. contact inside five yards is legal, but that looked like a Philly street brawl, brass knuckles, knives and all.

    One PI Lockett got late in the game was a make-up call for the WHOLE game, the ref was just waiting so that it was on camera to throw it, his body language told me he wanted to call it, went to his pocket before the play was even over.

    Pete doesn’t like to run stunts cuz he’s all about contain on the QB, but they started running them effectively this game and it forced Carson W to keep his head down when he had open passing lanes cuz he was expecting to get people popping up in the gap.

    CW’s head is mess, seeing ghosts, being indecisive. Knee probably still ins’t working. Nobody open except his TE and he coulda gone to him more but the pocket kept breaking down too early.

    Adams is still the question mark. Don’t care about the draft picks but giving up McDougald too really puts them in a bind. Can’t bench him when he free-lances too much, but ARod will kill him if he leaves his responsibility like he does.

    In the end, you original analysis still holds, even with the addition of Carlos Dunlap. This roster is too flawed to make it to the SB, even with a prime RW.

    • AlaskaHawk

      The trouble is that even if the defense improves, and all the running backs are healthy, the Seahawks still have a ragtag bunch of offensive linemen that can’t block well enough to get a 4th and 1.

  48. cha

    Pete Carroll Show notes

    [q] Congrats on win? “Thanks seems like it was just yesterday.”

    [q] Biggest takeaway from victory? “Capture lead in division by winning. Good win, other teams in division struggled. Really good night for defense. Fit right together with last week’s game, really important to build momentum. Familiarity.”

    [q] Most intense atmosphere this season? “Just started that way, DK was getting after blocking. Our guys handled it great, they made a couple mistakes. Didn’t take adv but still set the tone.”

    [q] DBs frustrated with DK/gotten under their skin? “They’re trying to stand up to him. He’s got a real factor about him, he’s so physical. DK knows what’s going on, not getting himself in trouble at all, just stirring it up a bit.”

    [q] 6 sacks, see from DL? “Really good to see diff guys contribute and factor. They’ve had problems, working through it, but we took adv of it. Dunlap is the Firestarter. Improving since he arrived. Jamal again had a couple big rushes. Exciting to see. People think we were dead gone, but we’re not dead yet.”

    [q] Gush about Jamal? “Was his best game, best he’s felt. Able to play w shoulder. Made a difference in tackling, fit into things well. Aggressive in backfield on runs. Playing great FB.”

    [q] Bobby pass cov underrated? “Great play, should have received more help than he got. Complete package of a player. HOFer. Marvelous competitor.”

    [q] Griffin performance? “Really well. Really aggressive in coverage. Very consistent too. Concerned about jumping right back in. Watched practice this week, that’s why I was concerned. Great play on the ball he got flagged on. Great boost to us.”

    [q] Prepare for Hurts? “Didn’t change our approach, did prepare. 2 QB thing they did. A lot of stuff just prior that he was going to play a lot, surprised he didn’t. Didn’t feel like offense would change much, just his part of QB running.”

    [q] Eagles issues this year? “Obvious, trouble w OL. Sacked a lot. Run very well. Trouble in pass pro. 10 different OL’s. That’s the whole story. Happens to the QB when guys running in the backfield. We had 6 sacks, could have had 10. Really hard to play with that rush. Gets hard, tough season for them.”

    [q] Carson back? “Style of play is, we love it so much. Really a factor. Catches well too. Hoping he comes out feeling all right, doing it next week. Hyde played well too but Carson had the biggest plays. TD run, beautiful play.”

    [q] DK game? “Great game, really physical from get go. McLeod finishes aggressively on first play. Stayed with it the whole night. Could’ve caught ball in EZ. Great night anyway.”

    [q] Make of guys trying to challenge DK? “Varying reasons why. Know he’s a physical presence. Watching DK a lot. Emotions bubble over. Want to stand up to him. Physical enough, style of play in blocking that is unique. They don’t want to back down, but they also better look out. Embraced this whole way of playing, big impact. Getting jacked up. Colorful part of the game.”

    [q] 2 4th down plays? “Missed a block on goal line at point of attack. Didn’t execute well. More than that, I felt like I handled the rhythm of them very well. Sequence of events that sets them up. Sometimes you anticipate, sometimes you can’t. I didn’t help schotty enough. Kicking myself in the butt up and down the sideline. Didn’t give our guys best chance to execute.”

    [q] DK offended by Schwartz Megatron comment? Self motivate? “Coach S can say whatever he wants, unusual to bring that up. Johnson in the past – Mandalorian would’ve been more appropriate. Liked the way DK handled it. Jordan doc – talked about in offseason. Always found a reason. Guys have that mentality on alert for something to juice them up. Classic example. DK fired up anyway.”

    [q] Collier inside/out? “Thought he could play both. Didn’t know how effective he would be as a pass rusher. Having a fine year for us.”

    [q] Is RW competitive like Jordan? “Upbringing, goes very deep. High expectations of Russ by parents, he accepted that. Fueled him. His father had a really unique way of communicating what he could be if he attacked it in a particular manner, take him to places others couldn’t reach. Always connected to clear thought of high, high achievement. He handed me a typed out page of his goals first or second month in building. Who does that? But he did. Wanted it to be known what he’s going for. He challenged me! Always hold me to highest standards of achievers.”

    [q] Can you gush more about RW? “More poised now than he was. Grown, matured but exactly the same soul as before. Conveys the message better now. Players receive him well. Knows what he stands for, respect the heck out of him.”

    [q] Motivation born with or develop? “Familiar characteristics in makeup. Guys not satisfies them, nothing ever fills them up. Commonality about that. Can be taught, make them more aware of things, get grittier, persevere more, bounce back and be more resilient. Passion are elements of grit. But only to an extent.”

    [q] Neal and Ugo out there – important? “(laughs) really important! Developing them as we go. Tried to do a long time ago, just didn’t have everyone around. Gaining flexibility. Close out this stretch, gonna have a really in depth approach as to how we use our guys.”

    [q] Gush about Jamal Adams some more? “Part of a pressure that ball got thrown quickly, just blasted the guy. Best game, indication of where it’s going. Continue to get better too. Really thrilled because he finally felt whole.”

    [q] Pass rush difference? “Coming together of players, scheme, continuity from playing together. Been coming. Potential since back in camp. Dunlap big impact. Needed somebody to be a factor in PR, Bruce banged up, Benson banged up, snowballed on us.”

    [q] Dunlap injury? “Sore foot. Don’t know, bottom of foot. 645am MRI know a lot more.”

    [q] I love you. You’re awesome. Congratulations. “See how far it can take us. Exciting. Wish we could have fans home. Hey, let’s just sit and hang around here for a while! Have a big week and here we go.”

    • CaptainJack

      And Jamal Adams thinks this media group is overly negative… this dude really played in New York?

    • Steve

      I feel like the Seahawks PR team or Pete Carroll tell the reporters and radio hosts beforehand what questions they can/cannot ask. Why no questions about the offensive line or how they performed as a whole? Or why Russ ends up taking so many sacks. Is that about protecting the ball, bad play calls, or both? Why can’t he check out of those plays? It would be so much better than gushing and waving pom poms any time Pete mentions DK Metcalf or RW.

      • Rob Staton

        This definitely doesn’t happen.

        It’s not North Korea.

        • Steve

          Hmm…Well Danny must not have been invited for Thanksgiving and is trying to be invited to Christmas with Pete. If only they had a question that was submitted by fans that they could throw in every week.

          • Rob Staton

            Danny’s been uncomfortably cringe with Carroll all season.

          • cha

            He wrote up a preemptive strike piece late last night about how fans should shut up and be happy they won.

            • Rob Staton

              Why’s he being such a dick?

              What’s the end game with this?

              • cha

                Maybe he’s feeling the squeeze of the station changes and figures the best way to job security is fawning over the people who sign the checks.

                Or maybe there’s some kind of pandemic fatigue that is going on. Too focused on one issue and life outlets that were available before are not anymore. We all can relate to that to some degree but I like to think a good chunk of us are handling it better.

                Or maybe just the toll of every day, engaging with fans and not being able to work through the frustration of that has just become too much.

                • Rob Staton

                  I just don’t see what you gain from arguing with fans on twitter or writing articles like that.

                  Or offering the weekly awkward gushing praise.

                  You can avoid some of the pitfalls of the job without all of this. Or the constant virtue signalling, but that’s another story.

              • Steve

                Maybe he is feeling the heat because 710 as a whole had been disappointing (they got rid of Jim Moore, Wassell, and Clayton before they decided to bring Clayton back for segments)?
                It’s unfortunate because his takes on the vibe of the team have been pretty accurate. Said during the offseason the team was not willing to pay Clowney more than Bobby Wagner. He was not sure Shaquill Griffin will be paid by this team. He called him a good but not great player and that the Seahawks tend to keep players they feel are great. Now we can argue about some of their FA decisions (Finney, Ogbuehi, the DL as a whole), but he knows the direction the team tends to go in.

                • Rob Staton

                  Well if he’s feeling the heat, this is no kind of reaction.

              • GerryG

                My opinion, and Ive said this before, is Danny has let celebrity go to his head. He was just the dork newspaper beat guy, and now is the lead on the AM sport show that inverviews the Seahawks head coach. Ive read his stuff from day 1, he used to be humble, now he dictates what people should think, how they feel.

                • Rob Staton

                  Quite a few people in the media feel like they have to lecture people constantly on social media. On all sorts of topics.

                  • GerryG

                    I hate social media.

                    I don’t think are brains are wired right to handle the exponential increase to the amount of interaction we have with other humans. It was a grand experiment, that has had bad to detrimental results, imo

                    • Rob Staton

                      Agreed.

                      And it’s eliminated our ability to get away from certain topics and heated debate. It has created armies of cliques and groups. It’s a constant, toxic place.

                • Steve

                  Well said Gerry! Now with Clayton’s show removed, I tend to listen to Bob and Dave, who actually have pretty good shows and don’t go over old territory.

    • SteveLargent80

      About half of these questions were completely useless. Like go start a fan page if you want to compliment the team that much

    • cha

      I wish I could say that Rob. I really do.

    • Big Mike

      He was giving Pete major tongue………..

    • line_hawk

      “I didn’t help schotty enough. Kicking myself in the butt up and down the sideline. Didn’t give our guys best chance to execute.” – Carroll

      Crazy that Carroll is so involved in the offense; that he has to take a timeout and talk it over. Forget about him delegating defense to someone else next year!

      • GerryG

        All coaches are involved with 4th down strategy I think

        • line_hawk

          Yes, you can be involved in overall strategy. But based on Carroll’s comment, it seemed like he dictated the playcall.. and blew two timeouts early in first quarter doing so. You have to trust your OC and QB in that situation. It seemed like micromanaging to me. Anyway, I was just commenting in general that if Carroll cannot even help himself from not meddling in offensive playcalling, he is not giving up his defense for someone else to run.

          • Rob Staton

            I didn’t get the impression he dictated the playcall, rather it was indecisiveness as to whether to actually go for it.

  49. Volume12

    19 sacks in 4 games. They solved an issue mid-season. 👏👏 22 sacks & allowing 320 yds per game the month of November. Down from 500 in September, and 460 in October.

    Adams is close to breaking a 15 year old record. Arizona S Adrian Wilson had 8 sacks in ’05. Adams has 6.5.

    • Sea Mode

      Bailed out again by the trade deadline! First Duane Brown, then Clowney, now Dunlap!

      • Big Mike

        I will never say PCJS aren’t always actively trying to improve the team.

  50. Big Mike

    So Dunlap had an MRI at 6:45 AM per Pete. PLEASE give us some info Seahawks!! Team will survive the next 3 games without him if necessary but a season ending injury would hurt badly. As Rob mentioned on the podcast, his ability to win 1 v 1 is making a huge difference for the other guys rushing the passer.

    • Troy D

      Okay that is bad

      • BobbyK

        Big Mike’s post or the results of the MRI? Please say the post!

        • Big Mike

          Thought I made it pretty clear I was WANTING the results to be announced.

          • BobbyK

            You did. I just didn’t know he his “Okay that is bad” was referencing something he heard about the MRI being bad.

            Dunlap is already one of the most important players on this team.

  51. Big Mike

    Replay of last night’s game just started on NFLN, noon Pacific time.

  52. cha

    So Rob the Pitt/Balt game should be right in your wheelhouse, right? About 830pm or so your time for a change?

    • Rob Staton

      Yep, absolutely perfect 👌🏻

  53. BobbyK

    This Dunlap situation scares the crap out of me. This defense isn’t the same trash it was for a half a season before his arrival. His singular presence has been game changing. They can lose him against this upcoming 3 game clown show of opponents but they can’t be without him when they need him most.

    DK is unbelievable. He’s such a game changing player.

  54. cha

    Brady Henderson posted snap counts

    https://twitter.com/BradyHenderson/status/1333863377496584196

    https://twitter.com/BradyHenderson/status/1333842383130202114

    -PHIL HAYNES LOGS HIS FIRST OFFENSIVE SNAP IN 2020 WOOOO

    -Will Dissly 48 snaps and zero targets. I fail to grasp this. They’re going to need him in the playoffs and in 2021. PETE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LET THE BOY EAT

    -Jarran Reed 89% of snaps, his highest total so far this year. Danger

    -Mayowa/Alton split snaps 40/10. No. No. 35/15 or 25/25. This is the way.

    -Collier only 29 snaps. Hmmm.

    • Rob Staton

      Collier has got a lot of praise recently and I’m not particularly sure why.

      • GerryG

        Hope.

        Low bar at this point. He has made some solid plays, which is far superior to last year.

        He has also been more visible, rather than invisible.

        • Rob Staton

          I think there’s a lot of clinging to everything he does to justify the pick.

          Yesterday he got praise for a clean up tackle after Bobby flushed Wentz out of the pocket with a blitz. He celebrated like it was a great play or a sack. It was good of him to make the tackle but really, it was nothing special. Social media lit up with emotion for the moment (mainly because he celebrated the way he did).

          The truth is he has two sacks in 10 games and a PFF grade of 57.6 which is good enough to be the 89th best defensive end in the league.

          • Kurt ZUMDIECK

            Rob,

            That play and its reaction bugged me too. Something fell in his lap and he acted like Superman. If you never get to do your sack dance, guess you have got to any chance you get.

            Plus side is that in the past, we haven’t even been able to make those simple plays, so that is saying something going forward. ‘member we just need a mediocre defense to get us there.

            • Rob Staton

              A mediocre defense can support Wilson’s early season production.

              Wilson and the offense playing like this? Not sure.

              • Kurt ZUMDIECK

                Rob,

                RW is really a big concern right now.

                Play clock violations costing us timeouts makes me think he has somekind of long-term concussion probs. He seemed particularly manic in the post-game interview, all over the place like his thoughts were fractured.

                He seems more than just rattled sometimes, and missing a basic component like the play clock, when it is like three feet tall and right in your sight line is really concerning.

    • Kurt ZUMDIECK

      Cha,

      thought the defensive line looked the liveliest they have all year, and it is because of this rotation. Back to the LOB years, we got pressure and a set of good plays from a range of players who gave the defense a different set of looks.

      Collier down to 29 plays means we can still get those one or two good snaps from him. Hopefully?

  55. cha

    Packers sign Tavon Austin

    https://twitter.com/packers/status/1333878687188406272

  56. matt

    “Critical analysis is encouraged” Yeah right! You have banned and continue to ban every poster who disagreed with your 6 month long diatribe regarding your analysis of their failing to address the d line issues. How they should “just sign Clowney now”! What a joke, from a blog that had diversity of opinion to now being nothing more than sycophants, To your constant crying about wasting Wilson’s career cause they won’t win a superbowl I say I’ll take every game meaning something exciting then the pie in the sky, little boy not happy of your crap you use to justify ruining a great blog.

    • Rob Staton

      No, I have banned people who post abuse or kick off, just like yourself, because I have dared to fairly challenge and criticise the Seahawks this year.

      Anyone reading your post can see why a contribution such as this wouldn’t add anything to this community.

  57. Carl P

    A blog for Rob’s monologues and diatribes.

    An 8-3 Seahawks season.

    Poona Ford by Brian Nemhauser “We aren’t talking enough about
    @ PoonaF_95
    . He’s currently the 10th ranked DT in the NFL, per PFF.

    Since wk 7, he ranks 3rd behind only Aaron Donald and Jonathan Allen.

    And he’s not just a run defender. Ranks 9th in pressures since wk 7, 3rd last two wks. ”

    Jamal Adams 6.5 sacks.

    Jadeveon Clowney 0 sacks.

    Bobby Wagner the best linebacker of the year by PFF 87.6 grade.

    Rob’s miseries or his blindness?

    It no longer makes sense to read this blog.

    Goodbye

    • Rob Staton

      And yet you’re here Carl…

      On the blog…

      Clearly I’m living rent free in your head.

  58. Carl P

    I think it was a fantastic blog and you were a very good researcher. But a blog that does not allow different perceptions is no longer interesting.
    Thank you and goodbye.

    • Rob Staton

      And yet you are here.

      And your perspective is heard.

      And I spend a lot of time debating with others.

      What isn’t allowed is gatekeeping. If you can’t debate without doing that, this community isn’t interested.

  59. Mark

    Orange you glad we didn’t pay Clowney? People so quick to give up on the professionals that know even when they have a track record of success. Long live Schneider/Carrol!

    • Rob Staton

      1. They called Clowney the priority.

      2. They offered him a big, big contract.

      3. They pursued him for the entire off-season.

      Maybe you should be glad they didn’t get what they wanted.

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