Instant reaction: Seahawks handle Jets, move to 6-4

These two guys had a rough day in Seattle

This was a great win. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. During the game I noticed people complaining about play calling, a lack of offense and one or two other issues. Quit complaining. The Seahawks handled this game after the early setback of a Jets turnover-touchdown.

Here’s the facts. Seattle’s defense didn’t concede a single point and completely shut down Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and co. The offense struggled early on against a good Rex Ryan defense, but that’s to be expected. Check Ryan’s record against rookie quarterbacks because the guy can coach a defense. It took a while for Russell Wilson to get settled today. Eventually, Darrell Bevell found intelligent ways to combat the exotic blitz packages. And in the end Wilson had two touchdowns, Marshawn Lynch had over 100 yards plus a score and the receivers made big plays.

You can linger on a difficult period after the Jets touchdown if you like. Or you can concentrate on some solid in-game adjustments and another great win for the Seahawks.

Wilson continues to show real potential. His two touchdown throws were right on the money. He had a couple of moments where he tried too hard to hold onto the ball and make a play. One led to a touchdown for New York. Yet unlike a lot of young quarterbacks, it didn’t get to him. Anyone who saw Miami’s Ryan Tannehill today saw a rookie throw a pick-six and go on to throw two more interceptions as he tried to force a response. Wilson was unflappable after his turnover. He’s yet to throw a pick at home and now has 15 touchdowns for the year. Get excited.

Sidney Rice and Golden Tate are showing why they can become a very productive tandem for this offense. They aren’t just making plays, they’re scoring touchdowns. A problem area a few weeks ago is becoming a strength. It’s no coincidence that the production has increased as Wilson has settled into the NFL. As the quarterback continues to grow, I suspect we’ll see even more from Rice and Tate.

Marshawn Lynch has over 1000 rushing yards after ten games. Enough said.

On defense, Bruce Irvin is up to seven sacks as a rookie and Richard Sherman continues to play at an elite level. There won’t be a more deserving Pro Bowl debut if Sherman gets to Hawaii this season. The Jets’ offense is one of the worst in the NFL, but it’s good to see the defense as a unit hit back with a shut-out after a couple of difficult games.

The Seahawks can feel very good about their position at 6-4 going into the bye. There are tough games ahead against Miami and Chicago, but these are occasions where you have to prove you belong. There are six games to go and four wins likely gets you into the playoffs as a wildcard. Although the 49ers struggled against St. Louis today, they maintain a 1.5 game lead in the NFC West. San Francisco has Chicago, New Orleans and New England among their remaining opponents, but they also face the Rams again, Miami, Arizona and Seattle on December 23rd. The Niners are getting a lot of breaks again this year (today being a huge example). In terms of the NFC West title, that luck may not run out until 2013.

As for the draft, one thought struck me today. The Seahawks are running more and more trick plays. They’re still throwing downfield and they’re looking for advantages all over the field. In my last mock draft I projected Cordarrelle Patterson (WR, Tennessee) to Seattle. This is a guy who returns kicks, takes snaps at tailback, will take an end around with a throwing option, run downfield routes. He does it all. Watching this offense today, I think he’s even more of an option than I did previously.

Here are Patterson’s numbers: 638 receiving yards, four touchdowns. 553 kick return yards, one 98-yard touchdown. 270 rushing yards, three touchdowns. One pass attempt, complete, for 28 yards. He’s 6-3, 205lbs and will run a good time at the combine.

In the past I’ve thought if anyone drafts Patterson in round one, it’ll be a team in a position to make a ‘luxury pick’. He’ll be a home run hitter. Suddenly, this Seahawks team looks capable of justifying such a pick. And imagine this offense with another explosive receiver? The front office appears to like multi-faceted playmakers with size and speed. Patterson fits the bill.

It’s merely one option at this very early stage. But it’s an option we might need to give greater consideration as we move forward.

24 Comments

  1. Hawksince77

    Rob, yes, I was one of those frustrated by some of the play-calling. (I just listened to the game – won’t get to watch it until tomorrow so maybe my comment is not entirely relevant.)

    Coming out in the second half with a run/run/pass/punt series, for example. It was obvious by then that they had to pass sometimes on first down, and they were only up by one score at that point, and even a field goal would have been great.

    And then that thrid and one, when the Jets were lined up in their 4/6 alignment. Why run against that? A play-fake and naked bootleg allows Wilson to run for it, or throw it. Sure, it might go incomplete, but Lynch might also get stuffed at the line (like he did).

    I was happy to see more open play-calling later in the second half. That was a game where uber-consevative offense could lose you the game, easy.

    • Rob Staton

      I didn’t have a problem with the play calling to be honest. I fancied our defense to handle their offense all day and as soon as we went 14-7 up I was hoping for an ultra conservative approach. The Jets did a great job unsettling Russell after the first drive. It kind of felt like if we didn’t turn it over in the second half, we would win. And that proved to be the case. And kudos to Darrell Bevell for being creative and finding ways to exploit the blitzing as the game wore on. Seattle simply had to play solid football today to win.

      • Hawksince77

        No doubt an awesome win for the Seahawks, because it’s exactly the kind of win PC has built the team for. A defense that gives up zero points; rushing for more yards (or close to it) than passing; winning the TOP battle by a mile; and closing the game out with an unstoppable rushing attack.

        And the big strikes down the field, for big TDs.

        Simply awesome.

    • Brandon

      Why do people have a problem with run-run-pass when the run downs are being handled by a 1,000-yard rusher?

      • Hawksince77

        It’s a matter of balance and predictability. If the defense knows you are going to run, they do better stopping it. That’s why I like the read option – instead of play action and Wilson turning his back on the defense, he can make the read, hand the ball off Lynch, keep it, or throw it. That gives him the best chance to judge what the defense might do.

        I haven’t seen the game yet, but every time Seattle gets the ball to start the second half (which is almost every game) the EXACT play-calling pattern emerges. They run run run run until they have to throw, putting Wilson in the toughest position to pass the ball, and then punt.

        Every time.

        That’s not how they start the game, typically. Why start the second half that way?

        • AlaskaHawk

          I was watching for that R-R-P pattern. It did happen a few times but I think you will find that over the entire game there was a good mix of plays and it wasn’t always predictable. That said- the run was not very successful in the first half. Mostly do to our offensive line not blocking well. Fortunately there was improvement in the second half or it would gave been a long day for us.

          The defense looked great- though Shermans interception was more from a late throw than anything else- I give him credit for making a difficult catch on the sideline.

          Great games for the hawks . Too bad San Fran didn’t lose. If it weren’t for dumb penalties by st. Louis….

        • Attyla the Hawk

          I didn’t have a problem with running early. We were getting good gains (4+) regularly. And as frustrated as we might be with it, the play action was possible because we didn’t quit on it.

          We got them to cheat in a predictable manner and we went over the top for scores. Those plays owe success to the R/R/P.

          • AlaskaHawk

            I saw a lot of defensive penetration of our offensive line in the first half. It is frustrating when Marshawn gets tackled 3 yards behind the line. The offense got on more of a roll in the second half.

            I really don’t think success was due to R/R/P because everyone knew we were going to pass. Mostly it was ball placement. The first long catch by Tate was strictly ball placement, he had no seperation from the corner. I liked the mix, we did throw on first down. Wilson was struggling in the first half, but he really took it to them with play action passes in the second.

            As for going over the top – if that’s our goal then lets draft another speedy wide receiver. Someone who can get separation over the top. Combine that with a few quick slants in the middle and someone will be open.

            • Hawksince77

              I just heard PC explain the problem in the first half with the running game, and it’s strange. Apparently when the offensive line was getting off on the snap, and pulling one direction or the other, the Jets defensive line didn’t follow them, didn’t react like the Seahawk offensive linemen expected, and that left gaps because the Seahawk offensive linemen weren’t hitting the Jet defensive guys they expected to hit.

              Once they figured that out, Cable slowed them down and the run-blocking improved. “They just weren’t playing very well,” PC said of the Jets defensive line, or something along those lines.

  2. James

    The announcers said that Russell Wilson has the highest QB passing efficiency rating in the NFL for home games. He is now ready to go in and steal a road win at Miami or Buffalo (Toronto). The Chicago defense will be a great test for him. If Russell continues to improve, and the D maintains their edge, the Seahawks can scare some team to death in their round one road playoff game, although the 49’ers are suddenly mortal and might be overtaken. I don’t expect a sophomore slump from Russell, given his make-up, but by his third season, this team will be ready to challenge for the ring. Believe it.

  3. Peyton

    It seems to me that Patterson could be compared somewhat to Percy Harvin or Randall Cobb in that he returns kicks, lines up in the backfield, and can make a lot happen after the catch. The difference being that Patterson is 6-3 compared to Harvin’s 5-11 and Cobb’s 5-10. Is this a fair comparision to make?

    • Rob Staton

      It’s not a direct comparison for me because Patterson isn’t quite as elusive or explosive as Harvin. There aren’t many guys like Patterson in the league to form a comparison.

  4. Colin

    It becomes more apparent with every game that a stud 3 tech would make this defense a helluva lot better (not that it isn’t vaunted as is), but the Seahawks are still getting pushed around up front a bit. Granted, the Jets have a pretty solid group up front, but early on the Jets were def. winning the point of attack.

    For my money, I’d say we resign Jason Jones and let Alan Branch hit the road. With a deep draft of DT’s coming out, this isn’t going to kill us at all.

  5. Kip Earlywine

    I watch Patterson and I wonder how he’d ever reach our pick. Way too much raw potential to slide out of the top 15, IMO. JPP played DE, but he was drafted 15th overall which I think is appropriate. Coples was drafted 16th overall. Randy Moss was drafted 21st. Nate Solder was high risk/high reward and he went 17th overall. I could probably think of more examples, but guys that are high ceiling with high risk usually go mid first round.

    If we picked say 25th and had a shot at Patterson, I think he’d have to be considered- perhaps even more so if the current WR group continues to look safe and satisfactory. Seattle can afford to take that risk, and a motivated Patterson could become a special player. A difference maker.

    • AlaskaHawk

      Kip,
      With all the good defensive players and a few QBs getting picked ahead of us, it’s possible that we could get the second or third receiver off the board. Not sure who will be first receiver chosen, but there are a lot of receivers to evaluate. Like Keenan Allen, Robert Woods and Terrance Williams. They are all worthy of first round picks, though of course someone will slip to second round.

      So have hope – Patterson could easily fall to us. For some reason he reminds me of Wes Welker, mayer because he is willing to go into the middle.

  6. A. Simmons

    That’s why I like coming here. I get a completely reasonable with a slight positive bias review of the game.

    WR and three tech with the first three rounds is what I’m looking for in the draft. I think they can find a decent nickel corner with players already on the roster. A high talent split end and three tech is what they’ll be looking for this year I believe. Patterson looks like a good option.

    I think they’ll definitely be looking to replace Leon. He’s been a great return guy. I think they expected more from him as a change of pace back. They’ve gotten almost no production from Leon during games. Can’t keep saving a roster spot for a player that only does returns.

    • Michael

      Ya I would be a little surprised if Leon were back next year. I like the guy and I won’t ever forget the game against SD that he basically won single handedly, but he’ll be 31 next year and wouldn’t be impossible to replace. As far as roster space goes, I see your point but I personally don’t mind it. Assuming close to equal production, I would much rather have Leon out there risking injury than a player whose loss would severely hinder the offense or defense ala Ed Reed in Baltimore (never understood that one).

    • Attyla the Hawk

      I think that’s part of the equation for getting a solid #2 WR

      Tate is very good at returns and has shown that ability for us at the NFL level. I can see him being an upgrade to Leon right now. His quickness, shiftiness and acceleration are outstanding at this level. His running skills are excellent and I’d put them ahead of Leon at this point. But you can’t risk a starter back there shagging kicks long term. And Leon still has considerable value at that role left. No reason to put additional hits on Tate.

      Add some top down depth. Tate as returner and slot. Baldwin as slot and 4th wide.

  7. Tyler

    First time responders here. Would you consider Patterson a Percy Harvin type of playmaker? I think this is what this team needs to put it over the top. Also I am stoked for this years draft, Pete and John always get it done. Great time to be a hawks fan.

    • Rob Staton

      I think he’s a different player to Harvin. I’ve not scouted a player like Harvin before, explosive, nimble and ideal size for the job he does. Despite all Harvin’s off field concerns he was still a mid first rounder. Incredible talent. Patterson is taller and less likely to do some of the things Harvin does, but he can still be a big threat in multiple roles.

  8. Michael

    I have to confess that I was feeling a little greedy when I realized just how much better the Seahawks are than the Jets. Take away a few of the miscues and this game could have easily been a 42-0 beat down. Now that I take a step back and get a little perspective I am very pleased with the victory, especially with how the defense bounced back from a couple of tough weeks.

    If I did feel like nitpicking a little, I would say that I am still a little underwhelmed by the offensive play calling. I like the results that the trick plays have yielded so far, but worry about Bevell getting too cute too often. Also I have never seen a so called “west coast guy” with such an aversion to the slant route, and that can be frustrating at times.

    One last thing. I love the Seahawks usual choice to defer and get the ball in the second half, but I can’t remember the last time we did anything with it. In contrast to that, this team has looked pretty good on game opening drives. I almost wish Bevell would throw “situational playcalling” out the window and just run a scripted drive to start the 2nd half. A three-and-out from your own 20 is probably worse that just kicking off to them as far as field position is concerned.

  9. Alex

    At this point, I’m still someone hoping for 3 tech DT in R1 and WR/WLB/RT in R2/3/4 (no particular order). That’s where the greatest values are.

    • Snoop Dogg

      You just labeled my thoughts exactly (I don’t really care what order they are picked in, even round 1 as long as they are best talent available). Not only is the value strong there, but this is where the slightly more intriguing Seahawks needs are.

      I also wouldn’t mind drafting a QB too so we can get a quality backup and get rid of Matt Flynn’s contract via trade.

    • Attyla the Hawk

      I have to say I agree here. It just seems much more difficult to find a quality 3 tech with rushing skills later in the draft than it is to develop a WR. A 3 that can provide above average pass rush seems to require a top 12 overall except in years of exceptional depth.

      At this point, it would seem we would be obliged to resign Jason Jones. Even though his durability is consistently inconsistent. Jones (or a player that can provide what Jones can) seems to be required for Irvin to be anything but invisible on the field. Irvin needs that help.

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