Job done.
Given the occasional unpredictable nature of week one, not to mention the prep time afforded to coaches, getting out with a win is all that matters in your opening game.
The Seahawks handled their business with an assured display.
There were two big positives to accompany the victory.
Firstly, Russell Wilson. There’s no other place to start. This was a majestic performance and exactly the kind of showing you get when you possess a legit franchise quarterback.
The Colts have some pieces on defense and certainly the Seahawks weren’t given a comfortable ride into the 2021 season. They had a stretch of consecutive drives that went nowhere, with a Carson fumble sandwiched in the middle.
Yet Wilson was able to take the opportunities that were there. Four touchdowns, each involving a high degree of skill and accuracy.
Wilson quietly put up a four touchdown day as if it was a fairly mundane occurrence. There was a time, pre-Wilson, that we might’ve spent the rest of the season talking about such a performance.
The ability to read the defense on Tyler Lockett’s two scores and deliver the perfect pass. The velocity and placement on the D.K. Metcalf touchdown. The Gerald Everett play was perfectly schemed and executed.
This was a statement performance by Wilson, drawing a line under his struggles at the end of last year.
Seeing the quarterback in this kind of rhythm is the ultimate positive from week one.
Along with that, the edge rushers did a good job creating pressure on Carson Wentz. The Colts are banged up on the O-line and they had to take advantage. They did, clearly.
Being able to use Benson Mayowa as a rotational cog rather than a 90% snap lineman is crucial. Darrell Taylor had a splash play. Carlos Dunlap and Rasheem Green got involved. Bryan Mone flattened Wentz at one point.
It was particularly enjoyable to see Taylor so involved, given what happened to him a year ago.
I’d still like to see Geno Atkins added this week because you can never have too much up front. Yet this was a very good showing from the pass rush.
The results speak to that too — Indianapolis were only 5/13 on third down and 0/3 on fourth down. They only averaged 4.7 YPP.
They had a lot of time in possession and had their moments but it always felt like the Seahawks were in control of the game. There wasn’t a nervous moment, from the minute Lockett scored for the first time to the conclusion.
It has to be said there will be tougher challenges ahead. I think people were almost so surprised that Wentz wasn’t a disaster, especially coming off an injury, that they gave him a bit too much credit online. He looked stupefyingly average to me.
That merely served to punctuate the brilliance of Wilson.
Next week the Seahawks host Tennessee, who looked surprisingly awful against Arizona today. Whether that was merely a loosener for the Titans, who knows? But Seattle has a great opportunity to start 2-0.
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Colts had Quentin Nelson, arguably one of the best lineman in football (tho slightly banged up), Ryan Kelly who is a paid and serviceable Center, and Braden Smith who they just paid. Add in Glowinski who has played well for them. I am pleasantly extremely surprised and happy with the push and pressure of our DLine. Mone looked great.
I was glad to see easy throws for Wilson. As the article pointed out, he made a number fantastic tosses. But there also seemed to be a fair number of easy, repeatable plays.
Some simulator predicted 0-9 start for hawks. Good start they should try to get better.
That was 1 out of the 2,000 simulations they ran and has gotten far too much attention
It really has.
Clickbait from ESPN and too many people took the bait
Exactly what they wanted and it worked like a charm
Along with this they literally say that this was one crazy simulation, not a normal one
The Colts seem like a solid but limited (because of Wentz) team, but the Seahawks have routinely struggled against teams like that in years past, so to take control of this one early on and never really let it go is both somewhat impressive and VERY welcome.
The D line looked better than in any of the games of the last few years. Green was top, Mone impressed, the pash rush worked because we could rotate, the run defense was awesome. Jordyn Brooks was really solid. I liked DJ Reed a lot. The only defensive player who didn’t play at the level of expectations was Adams – because in his case expectations are set high. And I loved the way Taylor crushed the RT.
Russ is a genius. You can’t buy this, totally right decision to keep him and try to make him happy. We used TEs right, Carson played very good minus the fumble, Eskridge looked good, too bad he got hit. Fuller looked decent, Pocic needs probably more playing time. I would still invest in a center.
Agree a bit on Adams, but it was both nice that he wasn’t beaten for a deep play (though obviously this isn’t much of a test) and he also came very, very close to a huge sack on the opening drive. He got called for offsides but it looked to me like he was coming across the line as the play-clock was at 0, and the refs ignored several potential delays-of-game against Indy.
I think you forgot that Tre Flowers gave up a TD because…well he continues to be mediocre and uninspiring.
meant to reply to Mick*
Offense has some kinks to work out but it was nice to see waldrons offense in action.
Wilson was his brilliant self and we shouldn’t take it for granted, but a highlight for me was seeing several plays that were schemed to perfection by Waldron for easy completions/yards. The screens, easy out to Lockett on 3rd and a few, jet sweep motion and eventually hand off to Eskridge.
Patience, not forcing the ball to DK in double coverage, but the moment they finally man him up 1v1, right to him for the TD. That’s what I want to see more of.
And give me Collins over Penny/Dallas at RB2.
Yes, Waldron delivered in his first regular season game. Word is the playbook still has quite a few elements to be revealed, which nice. Still as early as it gets, but the Waldron bump could be real. (I know this game gave me a bit of a bump.)
Collins was a late scratch ” coaches decision ” anyone know why ?
Probably wasn’t showing enough in practice. Green did well when they moved him inside, at times. He’s definitely making his case over Collier. If they pick up Atkins, then Collier will be even further down the depth chart.
Schneider said in the pregame interview that they’re ‘changing some things on the DL this year’ so take that however you like.
He was asking about Alex Collins, I think.
Grading my watch points
Find a way to contain the running backs
Grade: B
Taylor with 116 yards on 56 rushing and 60 receiving and zero TD.
Heins with 82 yards on 34 rushing and 48 receiving and zero TD.
Both were fairly quiet for gaining almost 200 yards between them. Taylor’s best run was 12 yards.
Given how talented they are, how bad Wentz is and how miserable the Colts’ WRs are, we knew the RBs would be featured heavily. They just couldn’t get enough big breaks to carry the offense and too much of the game fell on Wentz to be a factor.
Mission Accomplished.
Prevent the Colts’ offensive line from dictating the game
Grade: A-
The Seahawks had 5 TFL, 2 PD from the DL, 10 QB hits, 3 sacks, and held the RBs to 3.3 yards per carry.
I wrote:
Very good summary. One question I have is about the OL. You and Rob both mentioned Colts OL was banged up and I thought they were only missing Fisher/LT which was expected all along due his injury from last year. They were expecting that and prepared for it in the camp trying three players competing for the backup left tackle spot; Sam Tevi, Will Holden, and Julien Davenport.
What other key starter was banged up and missing? In August PFF ranked Colt’s OL as the 2nd rated line in the league.
PFF:
“ The Colts have one of the best offensive lines in the league once again, especially when Eric Fisher is healthy and ready to go.”
Quenton Nelson had the same surgery as Wentz and his back flared up this week. He played but he wasn’t himself.
Kelly had missed time on the COVID list.
They hadn’t had any time to even practice together as an OL with Wentz and it showed today.
Good point on Nelson.
From IndyStar,
“ Nelson’s injury is unrelated to the foot surgery he had at the beginning of training camp to remove a loose piece of bone from his foot. Nelson has been on the injury report for back issues before, and it sounds like this injury is related.
“He had something in his back, he has the occasional back flare-up,” Reich said. “He’s having a little back issue, and so we just wanted to try to get ahead of it and get back on track.”
Chandler Jones on pace for 85 sacks with 5 sacks today vs Tenneseee.
Alan has Jamal Adams trying out some Halloween costumes early.
Today’s costume: The human circulatory system.
I’m seriously LOLing
IF the Colts OL & front-7 are as good as I think they are… this could be a good Hawks team… the most equipped to go on a run since 2015.
The Hawks were winning up front on both sides, and that’s as enormous to me as RWs performance.
It’s only one week, but I’m cautiously hopeful.
This game definitely gave my perspective for this season a high octane kick. We were flying partially blind into this game due to our new OC and not seeing much of anything at all from our starters since the end of last season. It was a breeze. Never in doubt. An anxiety free experience.
What a balanced offensive attack. We played smash mouth football well, especially early on. Our short passing game was both diverse and effective, giving RW a bunch of easy completions. We hit our TE’s, RB’s, DK on a few short flings. We kept their defense off guard with some sweeps/end arounds. And just when you almost forgot about it, we hit some longer passes. Not much to be critical or complain about.
And, as Rob already mentioned, RW was an absolute maestro to day. He just looked re-enthused and as confident as ever.
The new offense under Waldron and RW is off to a promising start, methinks. So much of it is about trust and confidence.
As for the D, they had ups and downs, but overall I’m left with a more optimistic feeling than I expected. After the PTSD of last season’s start, today was quite a welcome relief. People mentioned a bunch of players who deserved mention. I just have to add that I think Darrell Taylor might just be the real deal. The guys got moves, talent, and drive.
Anyway…great win.
This was a great way to start the season. I don’t think much of Wentz and there will be much tougher QBs to face in the coming weeks but you play the hand you’re dealt and the Seahawks passed with flying colors today. Very pleasantly surprised.
+1
Effing Browns looking dynamic and formidable as hell on offense so far today.
Malik on the field too! kind of cool. good for him
I still think we deserve a compensation pick for him. LOL
I was surprised by the amount of ‘kills’ by wentz today but was pleased with the front 7 and that they didn’t get too cute with adams. Titans wrs will certainly test our weak spot.
Hopefully Eskridge is ok and he can get back on the field. What a deadly trio of receivers that can be. DK is a grown man, Eskridge has the juice and Tyler Lockett floats about like a ghost. The TE group seem adequate enough when used correctly, they’ll pick up some vital 3rd downs. Carson is a beast (plz don’t fumble). Penny is probably the most disappointing Seahawk’s pick ever, get Alex Collins involved please.
TEs are MUCH better than adequate.
Adequate seems a little harsh. I thought our TEs played very well today. You don’t need big receiving numbers out of them when you have DK and Lockett, but they answered when Russ went to them.
And just think, Colby Parkinson is waiting in the wings…
I think adequate undersells them a bit.
To clarify, I mean adequate in the sense that we don’t need Travis Kelece superstar tight ends. We just need guys that get the job done with consistency. Although Dissly planting the Colts defender on his arse was certainly satisfying to watch.
Literally funny as hell, but if anyone would be that level of a bitch, it’s Rodgers.
FWIW, Brian Mone is my surprise Seahawk of the game. Dude balled out, and even showed some pass rush chops.
He keeps playing like that, he’s going to start over Woods.
Who’s your surprise Seahawk of the game?
Jordyn Brooks
Wagner and Brooks were in cheat mode, today. They were everywhere at all times. They keep this up and both will be cruising into 120+ tackles for the season, which is insane for a pair of LB’s on the same team. They both did a fantastic job of limiting the Colts positive running plays. Taylor is a great runner, but they shut him down on multiple occasions, just before he appeared to be revving up to get a big gain.
Darrell Taylor
Penny. Can’t believe he got hurt.
lol!!!!!
Green needs to be up there too
Yup. Green for me.
Taylor kept jumping off the screen to me.
good lord please do not take RDub away from us. It would be the greatest tragedy in Seahawk history to lose him over a coach or management. You fire your coach and change shop to keep talents like his! I pray they figure this out and he stays in town at least another full major contract cycle.
Too short, can’t throw over the middle, blah, blah, blah. All bullshit. He’s not perfect, but……..
I was 19 when the Seahawks played their first ever game. I used to fantasize about having a true franchise QB and I did so for many, many years……..36 to be exact. Agree with you 100%
This site has really got me focused on Chubb of late. Watching him closely today, he runs in this squatty, powerful, low center of gravity way that make it really hard to get a clean and effective hit on him. You almost have to gang tackle him.
The browns running attack it crazy good, but even so, the chiefs D looks super soft
Man that 75 crazy 75 yard TD pass and muffed Cleveland punt really completely turned the momentum to KC and their raucous crowd. Cleveland is going to smart from this game if they lose.
Great way to start the season! Does any other team in the league have two starting DT that were UDFA? They are young and look great, Watching Mone today made me feel a lot better about watching Reed walk. Plus Taylor looked like a legit speed to power edge rusher which is a great sign.
Based on this evidence I never want to see our established starters play another preseason snap.
Like most of us I was sitting here before the game going….what do we have here?
Very pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
Agreed – very pleasantly surprised by the DL/LBs but I am tempering wild optimism until seeing them do it against an offence with a less cautious gameplan
Quick thoughts,
1. DL was impressive and harassed Wentz the whole game. This against a highly ranked OL was good to see. The vaunted running game was kept in check (113 yards and 3.8 YPC including 20+ yards by Wentz who was running for his life most of the game).
2. The new fast tempo offense looks pretty good. It was refreshing to consistently snap the ball early in the shot clock.
3. It was great to see McVay’s influence in the game plan and use the TEs frequently (how about that stiff arm by Dissly, get off me!). The jets sweeps by Eskridge were great. Hopefully he won’t be out too long. High percentage throws for Russell were good to see.
4. Our 3rd down defense was better than last year. Still gave up a few long ones (like the 3rd and 16 at one po8nt).
5. All of a sudden our 2020 draft is looking pretty good. Taylor was all over the field and Brooks looked great.
6. We should kick the tires on Reiter (70.9 PFF grade)
The best thing was our aggressive approach on both sides of the ball. We were willing to take the initiative and stick the boot in when we had the chance. So nice to see us take a lead, extend it, and play from the front instead of trying to reduce the number of plays. Particularly enjoyed the play of Carson, Lockett, Everett, Dissly on offense and Taylor on defense. Sorry to see Penny get hurt again. I’ve been cheering him on because I love his potential, just like I did with Prosise but I’ve made peace with the fact he isn’t up to the rigors of the game at his position.
Taylor was awesome, Brooks too!
Green was pretty good, Mayowa was decent.
Mone was really good commanding double teams and pushing the iOL.
#8 was his usual awesome self.
I’d too like a bit more inside depth but this DL seems pretty good.
I liked our safeties too.
CBs were OKish but could use some improvement there.
LB group was solid.
On the offense Russ played a really good game and kudos to Waldron. I like a lot how he used the TEs and designed the runs. Apart from the fumble (which was rather a great defensive play than CC’s fault as I saw) Carson ran well and Penny or Dallas weren’t bad either (although a noticable step down imo). Lockett is so good it’s a shame everyone is so hyped on DK. Don’t get me wrong, DK is amazing but Lockett…doesn’t have huge body or arms, probably not running around 4,33 or so but still he’s Mr Reliable. Always getting open enough and catches everything. I didn’t like DK’s taunting move but his big yards catch and TD was awesome. OL functioned well enough. Eskridge has a nice sweep and a good catch he can also be a valuable piece.
Overall there are some things that could be better but this was a great start to the season. I hope they might able to get a couple more guys (some DT depth and maybe try to trade for a CB or OC?) and build upon this win
Glad to have you “back in the fold” Rob. At the end of last year, with all the b.s. that social media brought your way, you, for good reason, seemed dejected. Keep up the great work, we love your effort, observation and candor.
Brian
Latimore for the saints new 100 mil contract. how and where do they get all this money???
They have to be pushing the vast majority of it into future years. That is the Saints way, as they continue to show.
Anyone else notice how fired up Russ was? It was like he was in the playoffs. Pretty cool.
I enjoyed that. I think he’s the type that benefits from firing himself up like that, or rather the Russ Bot programming seems more authentic this year.
He seemed very aggressive and violent almost in his celebrations if that makes sense, I think he’s happy to be back playing football, and happy to have a good offensive coordinator/play caller.
I hope he’s happy enough after we hopefully go far this season that he will want to stay.
jesus, Ramsey is everywhere early. what a player.
This game is gonna get ugly…
Listening to Packers@Saints@Jacksonville and how awful Aaron Rodgers was tonight, I had a childhood Looney Tunes flashback.
Does anyone remember Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a half Century?
I’ll age myself here…..I remember it and all the rest of the Looney Tunes
Offence positives
– TE involved
– no drive killing penalties
– 4th quarter aggressive kill shot TD
Defence positives
– pressure from everyone
– Taylor
Week 1 can feel like that squinty eye Futurama meme. Can’t tell if we’re really good and they’re really bad. Either way, a solid win is a solid win and some things just pass the eye test.
A few observations while watching some replays:
– Mone had a GAME. Dude was used in pass rush downs packages too and delivered. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t take near the best defensive grade.
– Linebackers we’re just okay. They got to the spot, but noticed both Wagner and Brooks missed a few tackles. Wagner looked real quick on a blitz so nice to see he hasn’t lost a step.
– Jamal who? His name wasn’t called much, no splashy play other than when he was offsides on his sack. Probably just as well- he wasn’t thrown to much, saw him on the sideline on long down to go plays.
– Pocic- my word. I thought there was a competition at Center, but he makes Fuller look like and all-pro. Buckner demolished him.
– Gabe Jackson had some veteran blocks that stood out, but also noticed him get beat inside. Hard to place it on him or the center.
–
From NFL.COM
“Next Gen stat of the game: Russell Wilson: 5 of 9, 68 yards, three TDs when under pressure; 13 of 14, 186 yards, TD without pressure.”
https://www.nfl.com/news/2021-nfl-season-week-1-what-we-learned-from-sunday-s-games
After the poor showing in the third quarter I’m a little concerned about Waldron’s ability to adjust in-game. But it’s still a solid win on the road against a quality opponent. Also: who’s responsible for designing the team’s new sweatshirts? Waldron looks like he’a wearing a backpack. Alan!
Funny one, we’re last in our division. NFC West is going to be a blood bath.
Prediction: 49ers trade Jimmy G to NY Giants.
Couple of things I liked:
– RW3…78% comp percentage, 4 TD to 3 receiver, 1-2 longer balls but ton of quick and relatively easy passes
– Carson 5,7 YPC, 33 yard run, running angry, not having a negative run and only 1 run for zero gain as far as I remember
– Eskridge 13 and 9 yard runs
– uptempo offense <3
– Lockett 25 yards per catch
– DK in the 2nd half, and also not forcing the ball to DK in the first half
– Getting the TEs and RBs involved in the passing game
– Young guys stepping up on the defense (Brooks played well, Taylor played well)
– cheaply acquired players playing well (Mone, Ford)
– Diggs played well imo
– "Raheem" (those commentators :insert facepalm:) Green had a pretty good game, hopefully not a good spike but a tendency
– Liked the rotation on the DL
– Pretty decent changes to the defense (but…see down below)
Things that could be better a bit:
– Some changes on the D# could come a bit sooner (the stacked formation abused us for some plays)
– 3 sacks are not awful, but we could probably eliminate 1 or 2 of those with quicker reads, designs, etc
– I'd like to see more RBs (only 3 touches for other RBs)
– If they could incorporate some ARod-like up-tempo flow (some of the hurry up are not really that just go without the huddle but staying pre-snap for 20-25s, some of them are true designed hurry ups, and some are reads by the QB to catch the defense mid-switch with 12 men on the field
– I need to see more from Adams. He played OK, but nothing more than McDougald
– Secondary reacting rather than attacking the ball and ballcarrier
Okay, it’s only one game, BUT, my 17-1 bet for the Hawks to win the NFC Championship is looking really good right now! The 49ers have injuries. The Rams showed some weaknesses. The Packers? Tampa is going to be tough and we’ll have to see if Arizona and the Saints are for real (I doubt it). But, I’m loving our chances against the Titans next week (at home) after their stinker. I see us being 4-0 heading into the Rams game at home and I love our chances there. The Titans, Packers, 49ers, Washington (QB?) and Bears games all look easier on paper now.
Shane is your next head coach after Pete retires in a couple years. …and can they stop talking about his shoes!?!
Steady…
How drunk are you right now?
😉
Pump the brakes a little. Still 16, 16? Sixteen more games to go!
It was an encouraging win, but how about we see a few more games before we crown them NFC champs. It’s going to be brutal within the NFC West, and they have quite a few other very tough games on the schedule.
A couple of things to remember:
1. Colts are probably a bad team.
2. Every team in the NFC West kicked ass.
But it was definitely encouraging. Keep up the optimism.
PFF Offense
https://i.redd.it/qj9mps6p5an71.jpg
Duane Brown elite pass blocking grade, didn’t allow a single pressure.
PFF Defense
https://i.redd.it/k4yp7agf5an71.jpg
Darrell Taylor elite pass rush grade
Robinson was absolutely abusing that backup LT on the game ending drive. I’d like to see him get some of Mayowas snaps.
Interesting comparison of Alton Robinson and Rasheem Green. I would’ve guessed reverse of the grades since Green seemed to live in the backfield and was on a number of key plays and Alton wasn’t nearly as noticeable, to my untrained eyes.
Biggest and most pleasant surprise of the preseason and game 1 is Darrell Taylor. I was one who thought we’d never see him on the filed and not only is he playing, but playing well. I know it’s early, but there’s promise there. Very happy to be wrong about him!
Shell. Something to be said for just not having to worry about what’s going on at that spot. Can be a little easy to take for granted.
Brooks, Taylor, Lewis, ARob. What a class.
Pocic’s pass blocking? Would a traffic cone at least have scored a 7?
Yeah Fuller’s 39.4 looks positively spectacular by comparison. We still need help at C.
I want to rewatch it but this game has quite a bit to be excited about.
I was distracted by my kids a bit, but I dont remember Wilson being forced to run around just so he could make plays like he’s had to
the last few years. I assume that has something to do with paly call design to get rid if the ball quicker? I’ll rewatch…
Also the push in the run seemed mostly strong. Carson was at the line or further in the positive before contact and could bull over guys for 4-5 yards. That solid.
Dee Eskeridge seems… even faster. If that makes sense..lol
Taylor is my boy! I’ve had such high hopes for him that I tempered but now eff it. I know the next Jersey I’m getting 👍 He wasnt the best ever but we’ve been starved for good D line/edge play. I think weve found it.
Wentz was rarely settled . Looked.like Wilson the last few years having to wiggle as juke just to try to escape the initial pressure. Good to see it.
Between Taylor, Green, Hyder and Dunlap we should be able to rotate players like Robinson, Mayowa (and hopefully Collier?)in so they can get those splash plays we like so much. The DTs need to keep doing what they’re doing. Atkins would help.
Just all around good play calling. There was maybe a few Offensive play calls that I was wondering “why”? But for the most part it was great
Kudos to Waldron. Excited for whats next!
Pete Carroll Show w Salk
“Really terrific weekend, fun playing FB. Guys played like crazy. Came together because of way we managed offseason and preseason. Banked on what we learned last year, worked well.”
[q] You’re creative and finding ways to do things? “I’m probably more that way than the young guys! To me that’s competing.”
[q] Shane Waldron specifically brings? “Breadth of commitment. Believes in a lot of stuff we’ve talked about. Become part of his coaching background. Tempo, communicate, what you can do. Big palette he works from, communicates it well. First time talked to him, fired up but you never know. Everything lined up, he’s been able to back it up. Game day same as practice field. Operated, sense for what is going on. Carryover occurred on game day.”
[q] Chemistry w Russ on gameday? “Communicating whole time. Even when Russ is at LOS. They do it together. Fun to watch.”
[q] One play that was definitely a Shane Waldron? “Sight and pick up blitz. Open minded to do what we’ve done in past. Draws from all good things. Scored a lot of points last year. Willing to incorporate. Russ got us picking up a pressure. Execution years of exp with Tyler. Illustration of Shane’s openness and creativity.”
[q] Lockett CF catch? “One of those Tyler-Russ moments. Perfectly done, choreographed. Gorgeous. Tyler didn’t know Willy Mays’ catch. Tyler working on it pregame.”
[q] Cover 2 Beaters? What are they? “Two high safeties half field coverage. Need concepts to attack that principles. Array of them to beat those safeties. Harder to run intermediate routes.”
[q] TE’s play a major role? “They can. Varieties of way to do it, spread field.”
[q] TE’s involved? “Really liked that. Gerald just beginning to show what he can do for us. Alive on 3rd down.”
[q] Their TE blocking? “Fine. #2 rush defense last year, we ran ball 5 yards per carry. TE’s role in that.”
[q] Carson looking good, violent? “See us popping short yardage play right off the bat. Ran well after catch too. Sent a message about who he is.”
[q] Ran behind Jackson and Shell? “Guys are huge. Good coming off ball, loves attitude part of game.”
[q] Defense rotational depth? “Clint did really good job managing. Only one time guy sprinting on field late. Line depth what we saw all through camp. Taylor very good first game. Mayowa well in his role. Carlos forced the issue. Alton didn’t get as much time as I’d wished, loved what he did. Green loved him, changed position, terror on edge. Young kid, forget how young he is. Guys inside played well. Hoping to find combination.”
[q] Developing Green? Goal? “Came to us young. Young pup just getting going. Always hoping for upside. Bright, tough, great length, explosive, strong. Found a better spot for him to show his stuff. Guys on edge factor in run and do pass stuff too. Cut it loose all camp, showed up in game. Excited.”
[q] Team traveled well? “12-1 best East coast, next team 5-2. Adapt and get used to it. Excited to take new guys through it. Perfect weekend. Blast the whole time. Energized to play 10am.”
[q] 9/11 anthem?
[q] Injury updates penny? “Calf issue, determine next couple days how we handle it. Looked great couple carries. Gotta take care of him?”
[q] Dee Eskridge? “Felt fine last night. In protocol though. Penny too.”
[q] Eskridge role? “Really isn’t anything he can’t do. Fantastic range, strong hands. Take it slowly so we don’t overload him. Build confidence.”
[q] Longer for WRs to adapt? “Lot of growth that needs to take place. Some WRs are better than others. Natural athletes. Pick up things on their own. Others, it doesn’t always come to them. Dee was a split end, played out in college, didn’t get in slot. Had to figure that out from workouts we saw. Soon as he got here we figured out he could do everything. Limited by college team but not in practice. Bring him along slowly.”
[q] DK how good can he be? “Really getting into it now. He’s no secret anymore. Guys know dynamic he brings. Can play inside outside. Could have gone to him early but didn’t. He was great about it, he didn’t care. Tried to rile some guys up early and got bit (laughs).”
[q] Taunting rule? “I thought celebration was great. Step in right direction, this is other way. But it is about respect.”
[q] Turn 70 this week happy early b-day! “I thought Marv Levy was so frickin old, no way! I didn’t think I’d be coaching at same age as Marv. Great respect for him.”
[q] Home next week 12s? “Can’t wait for the crowd to see Jamal and what he can do?”
[q] Won game before 4th Q yesterday? “Felt good. Crucially valuable game. Looked at this team as championship club. Had all elements. Performed really well.”
Had a laugh/cry when Salk asked Pete for a Waldron play that he’d introduced and Pete instead praised Waldron for being willing to run aspects of the old offense.
“(Penney) Looked great couple carries.”
Uh no Pete. Looked rather pedestrian.
Pete has the 10:00 AM thing utterly dialed in. He was cocky about it at the beginning of the post-game presser and you know what, he has every right to be. I don’t even consider it a factor anymore when the schedule comes out, only consider the team the Hawks are going against.
Such a fantastic change from Holmgren when 10 AM games were nearly a sure loss.
I think what has us all feeling good today – is not just the win – but how good we looked doing it. We won 12 games last year, but it was only a very few of them that didn’t leave some bitter after-taste, b/c some gaping weakness was made obvious.
Pretty complete game for us yesterday, the offense has been discussed and I agree w everything folks are saying; and the D controlled the run, and pretty consistently rushed the passer. If Taylor can continue to be a contributor, and maybe even Green too – it changes expectations for me.
Colts aren’t SB favorites, but they’re not pushovers either, that’s a quality road win to get things started for us.
Great video, thanks Rob and Robbie.
Rob, I live in Europe and also stream games on my laptop. You gotta work on your advert-avoidance skills!
I keep a browser window with twitter or field gulls or whatever minimized but sized exactly so. When they go to commercial, I either switch over to Red Zone, or I hit mute and restore my minimized window. I have it sized so that I can barely see the edge of the game broadcast. When the telltale signals of green grass on the edge of the screen show up again, I minimize the window and unmute.
I haven’t had to sit through a single annoying commercial in almost two years.
Been thinking about Rasheem Green’s game and how excited I am about it.
When he came out he was a very raw toolsy guy, he’s shown flashes but I’ve never seen him dominate in the way he did. And barring the LT, this is a very good line on paper.
We clearly still have to see him do it consistently, but given the dude is still only 24, this feels like it has the ingredients of the beginning of a real breakout season.
It was just so refreshing to watch the Hawks play big boy football. Good execution, almost no penalties, controlled the game, kept Russ pretty clean. No hair pulling moments, no bumbling around until the 4th then relying on Russ, and the D held their own. Just a great game. Thank you giving my heart a rest.
Some thoughts from around the NFCw…
Matthew Stafford is a bigger deal for the Rams than I was willing to admit. They are a very good team with him. Not invincible by any means, but still very, very good. Their two biggest position group weaknesses are RB and LB. Otherwise, their roster is stacked with pro bowl/all-pro caliber players. And they are exceedingly well coached.
I feel like Kyler Murray is going to have a Mahomes-esque bust out of a season this year. And because of that, I think the Cardinals, whose roster is as stacked as the Rams, could be our biggest competition for the conference. For me, whether it’s the Cards or the Rams depends on the coaching chops of Kingsbury.
I don’t fear SF this year. I respect their roster and coach, but I see them imploding during the season like they did last year.
As I was saying…
They also lost a CB for the year and people are asking for Sherm to be re-signed. Like most, I don’t believe he pays this year, if ever again but it shows they’re thin there.
Cornerback is becoming the new O-line
Teams are desperate at the position
I’m with you on that one, Big Mike. Richard needs to focus on getting himself right before he gets back on the field. Hope he can. I’d like for him to be alive when he gets added to the ring of honor.
Stacked with pro bowl/all-pro caliber players? Stafford, Whitworth, Donald and Ramsey come to mind. Formerly, Desean Jackson. But I wouldn’t call that stacked with that caliber of player.
Donald and Ramsey are from another world. But we’ve beat the Rams before and we can do it again. And Stafford is not even in the same conversation as Brady, Rodgers, Wilson, Mahomes, Allen.
Stafford might not be Mahomes, Wilson, Rodgers etc but you might want to wait a few weeks to get a fuller picture of what he is as part of a non-shambolic franchise before you dismiss him
And for me if there’s one thing the Seahawks defense lacks it’s that X-factor game-changer. The Rams have Donald/Ramsey, the Cards have Chandler Jones and the Niners have Bosa. Seattle is trying to compensate with depth.
Oh sure, the system can make a QB look better than actual value. All the Rams needed was an improvement to Goff, not a Mahomes.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think our game changer in the D is Bobby Wagner.
Well like I said, let’s see how Stafford gets on in LA. I suspect you’re dismissing him way too early.
Wagner is a good player but there’s absolutely no way he’s a ‘game-changer’ in the mould of Aaron Donald, Chandler Jones or Nick Bosa.
The hope is Jamal Adams plays that role
A safety isn’t doing that
During game one last year, Jamal Adams was that game changer. I hope he reprises that role, but didn’t see any evidence yesterday.
If for game changer he has to blitz no thank you. He can blitz little bit as surprise.
@Sean: I second this
We had a cake schedule last year and got rightly blasted in the playoffs. As a fan of good football, I welcome the tough division and hope the players/coaches do too.
As a player on a good team, I loved those matchups.
I noticed that on many pre-season lists that Josh Allen was rated higher than Russell Wilson. I wonder how many people still feel that way today.
Pittsburgh defense is good to start with. Also Josh Allen is equally good as Russ.
Mina Kimes pointed out today that Pittsburgh played dime on almost every single down against the Bills yesterday. It was a very simple game plan by former Seahawks Keith Butler. Take away the deep ball, rush four, and don’t let Allen scramble to the perimeter. On play after play Allen missed the easy check down to the backs in the flat. So, yeah, they’re equal if you are talking about the Rams playoff game.
Time for Collins to get RB2 work and never give it back
💯
That would be just what the doctor ordered.
I’ve tried to support Penny all these years but I think its time to say goodnight
In all this time with Penny, I might only be able to count on one hand the amount of times where I said wow…this guy’s got something. But even then, if you can’t stay on the field, what good does all his “maybes” do us?
At this point I’d keep Penny around just for depth through the end of this season. But I’m done with him as I was finally done with Procise.
Yes!!
But they probably aren’t going to give it to him, are they? Has “versatility” blinded them? Then don’t keep 3 QB’s on your 53 man roster. There must be something going on that we don’t know about.
Hey Rob, I know you didn’t like the “adverts” during the games yesterday but I’m wondering if you saw the one with Elton and Lil Nas X? I thought it was great since EJ was getting crap about ordering a side of mayo for dipping fries. Assume that’s an English thing?
I think I missed that one.
Dipping fries (or as they’re known over here — chips — which is better, BTW) in mayo is a Belgian thing and should be thrown right in the bin. No right-minded Brit would ever commit such a crime.
Ketchup for chips, 100% of the time.
Lil Nas X was right to call it out
Ketchup only if there’s no ranch or tarter available. Still better than mayo tho.
I am a malt vinegar and lots of pepper guy myself.
Tartar with chips????
You fiend.
It’s a Pacific Northwest thing. I’m not alone. When I moved to San Diego and asked for it they looked at me like I was from Mars or something.
In that case, I’m beginning to wonder if you’re all from Mars
Well, just yesterday I had fries/chips with tartar, ketchup and Tabasco. It was quite amazing!
He’s right about tarter though, it’s good. But Fri sauce (ketchup + mayo) is best
It’s weird that tarter with chips feel gross, but tarter with Fish & Chips is a necessity.
Fish & Chips for me — salt and vinegar on the chips a must (not too much vinegar so the chips go soggy). Decent amount of ketchup. Has to involve mushy peas, the more the better.
Defo having fish & chips this week after this conversation
What is it about mushy peas. That just doesn’t go with Fish and Chips! Nothing green (or pea green) goes with F&C. Must have the malt vinegar though…a requirement!
Well over here, where fish & chips were born and based, the vast majority of people have peas or at least acknowledge the existence of peas in the fish & chips equation…
But that is very much more a northern thing, the mushy pea
I wouldn’t say that. I think fish and chips generally are tied to mushy peas
Yeah I worked at a Fish and Chip shop in Cornwall and mushy/garden peas were ordered with about 80% of dishes. Personally dont really like em but that’s definitely a regular thing.
> You fiend
That was the same reaction my friend got years ago when he asked for fish and chips at tea time. That was quickly forgotten though, when his father referred to Welsh as a “dead language”.
Yes, we were in Wales at the time.
Wendy’s chocolate frosty for dipping.
Used to think this was gross until my ex did it and I tried it. Pretty tasty actually.
Came here to post this comment. As usual, cha had it covered. 👍🏻
For the record “Caribean” Ketchup, which they serve in some places here in Florida, is just regular ketchup made with brown sugar and plantains/bananas. Also, I’m pretty sure that “fry sauce” that they serve at places like Freddy’s Steak Burgers is just Thousand Island dressing.
Also for the record, I prefer Coleman’s mustard, which IIRC comes from Kensington in the U.K.
I lived in the Boise area for a while and they insist fry sauce is an Idaho thing. Just a mix of ketchup and mayo, but certainly good on your chips.
Coleman’s the company come from Norwich, but they do varieties of mustard that are not necessarily local to Norwich. Interesting thing from when I was working in Connecticut in in 1999 on how language and pronounciation is so easily changed/ruined, depending on your opinion. One of the people I was working with was from Norwich, CT and had all their lives been around people who pronounced it “Norritch” (which is as it would be in the UK). Then there was a sudden influx of new inhabitants from other parts of of New England, and within about three or four years, the predominant pronounciation had become “Nor-witch.” Which I think means that I was not imagining it when the usual US word in use was “acclimatised” rather than “acclimated.”
P.S. There was a point to this when I started but I forgot it halfway through typing… 🙂
We Scots know that brown sauce is at least a match for ketchup any day. Living in Seattle area we get 3-packs of Daddies’ from Amazon on the regular. Brown Sauce and proper British tea bags are the only things from back home that I absolutely cannot do without. I’m even off the Irn Bru nowadays. I enjoy Belgian style fries with mayo, for the record. They are not like British chips, as you well know Rob. I would never put mayo on chips from the chippie but it’s good with the crispy twice-fried version!
Brown sauce is a strong option on a Bacon or Sausage sandwich.
Not with chips!
I refuse to accept the mayo and fried potato combo in any form. But I do enjoy a BLT with mayo.
Rob, puree sundried tomatoes in your mayo with a bit of minced garlic. It’s the best spread on a BLT.
sun dried tomatoes are absolutely amazing
Thing I miss about Scotland is the chips and curry (well, the black pudding and haggis too). They serve it out in the states, but just not the same!
Not a Scot mind you, but a frequent traveler there.
This has to be the strangest (and funniest) topic tangent I’ve seen on SDB!
I’ll take these condiment-centric debates any day over the ‘jesus christ we have no pass rush at all’ monday mornings of last year….
For the record, mayo is an overrated and overused condiment. I can’t believe what people dip in mayo or put mayo on. Even mayo based condiments are usually pedestrian at best.
What about wasabi mayo?
Vinegar w/ fish & chips + mushy peas is one of the most delicious things ever created by the brits
No
I came for the Seahawks and stayed for the fries [chips].
IMHO vinegar smells like rancid gym socks. More ketchup please. The moral to the story in the end though — to each their own.
Just read a couple of 2022 mock drafts.
My god — I’m sure some of these people don’t watch CFB.
Carson Strong as a top-five pick FFS
Perhaps whoever mocked it is simply working on the assumption that the Bears or Jets will already be back on the QB search…
This will be an awful QB draft.
Rattler nearly got handed his ass over by a freshmen QB.
Howell nothing without his proven staff.
Purdy not able to elevate a competent team around him.
With Phil Jurkovec injured, I see Strong flying up the draft boards, simply because he is a QB able to throw some deep balls.
What do you think about Brennan Armstrong, Virginia?
Not watched Armstrong.
For me Strong’s arm strength is overrated. I just think he’s a bang average QB.
I wonder if DJ Reed is quietly snickering somewhere?
What a flat press conference this afternoon. PC looked like he needed a nap.
Can’t blame him, he is turning 70.
Looked fine to me. Yeah, it was fairly subdued, but he was joking around quite a bit. He certainly didn’t look like he needed a nap.
Rob I know you remember when the raiders drafted Clelin Ferrell 5 pick in 2019 draft today he was a healthy scratch.how brutal is that.
Not good, Mayock & Gruden been really up and down with their drafting
They fell in love with the person – thought he’d be the captain of a rebuilding team. Here’s where these guys mess up…Captains tend to be your best players or the overachievers (Bellore). You can never let the “captain” part outweigh the physical skill set in the evaluation.
I could always tell that would be Mayock’s weakness.
Ferrell will be in the NFL for a long time but never more than a roster filler.
The growl of horrible beasts can be heard on the wind coming from the west.
Center Watch: Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum. Anyone checked him out? Was on the freak list this year and I think he warrants a closer look.
https://mobile.twitter.com/dpbrugler/status/1437448288085725185
PFN ranks him first at C. Probably gone before we get to pick.
Wouldn’t be so sure. He tends to get overpowered at times. Athletic though
Started watching the game replay but couldn’t get past mid 2nd quarter due to nfl.com streaming issues 🙄. But I have several player observations so far…
Kyle Fuller wasn’t the weak link on the OL vs Indy. In fact, I thought he played pretty well, especially in run blocking. He clearly outplayed Pocic, not just in terms of stats/pff, but to the eye test. I’m not saying Fuller is a better C than Pocic (thought I’m not not saying that), I’m just saying the OL was significantly better with him in than Pocic. Even if Ethan weren’t reinjured, I think it’s clearly Fuller’s position to lose at this point.
I am becoming increasingly impressed with the development of Rasheem Green this year. There’s one play in the 2nd quarter where we sack Wentz and Green is right there. He doesn’t make the sack (I’m forgetting who does, maybe Dunlap), but Green would have if the other Seahawk defender hadn’t; he was that close. Anyway, he starts out wide right, maybe 7 gap. He fires off the snap and runs up to the LT who’s settling back into his pass pro set. Green stuns him with a double hand shot to the chest. You can literally see the LT kinda pause when Green hits him, like ‘whoa wasn’t expecting that’. Then it looks like the LT anticipates Green making a move outside – the LT doesn’t actually make a move that way (like I said he’s kinda stunned by the hit), but it looks like his balance slightly shifts that way, and when it does, Green deftly steps inside and around him and is at the QB in a couple of strides. He didn’t just beat the LT with athleticism. Rather, Green set him up and beat him with technique, and that gives me hope Green might yet achieve his potential.
Darrell Taylor is another one. He didn’t merely show off some pass rushing skills, I thought he looked good – not merely ok, not just adequate, but good – in the SAM role. I am, dare I say it, excited about him now.
And finally, Mone didn’t start out well vs Indy. The first few defensive series he got abused a bit and wasn’t a factor. I haven’t yet rewatched enough of the game to get to the parts where he stood out, but I know he did, so I was a little surprised to see him play so relatively poorly early. It means he got coached in game, made adjustments, and started putting it all together.
That’s it for now.
Thanks. Please continue when you get the chance.
Still need a better C but doubt we sign/trade one.
I have ot say that, dfor me, the play of the game wasn’t any of the great TD passes/receptions, nor the sacks & pressures *& not even Dicksons kicking. it was the Mone false start where he shoved the opposing centre backwards into Wentz. Attitude!
Thank God it didn’t drag into the season with his hold-in. How soon do we extend him?
They should have given him 2 year extension before season started.
Agreed.
I’d much rather gamble on having to pay dead money on him because you held on a little too long than move on from him while he is still playing at a high level.
You can see in his face and skin that he takes very good care of himself.
🤔
hahaha fair enough! Telltale sign if someone is resting, hydrating, eating/living clean, and has minimal vices
also, that they are avoiding the abomination that is french fries w mayonnaise.
Post of the day.
This…and we just don’t have an heir apparent that we know of on the roster yet. Any potential replacements for him on the roster still exist in the realm of wishful thinking.
That is what is odd about it. The Seahawks ‘make him happy’ deal includes dead money.
So it would appear they were ok with guaranteed dead money as an accommodation, but not the dead money an extension could potentially bring.
Odd when you’re talking about your star LT.
I guess they got burn more than couple of times (Lynch, Kam etc) with injuries and now they are over cautious. Just my guess.
Should already be extended.
Unless his demands are totally unreasonable, it’s madness that he’s actively stating a desire to continue playing and they’re dragging their feet… staring at a bleak future at LT from 2022 onwards.
I would’ve liked us extending him also but I suspect they want to go the Withworth route. He signed a 3 year $30M contract that is mainly a 2 year $14M and likely year to year after that, considering his age. I suspect Duane wants to be paid and security of a multi-year contract.
https://nfltraderumors.co/rams-lt-andrew-whitworth-agreed-to-3m-pay-cut/
Well we all want a lot of things don’t we?
If he ends up walking in free agency next year it will be a disaster
100%, I thought a Brown extension should have been one of our top priorities.
We already witnessed something similar with Jaran Reed. He wanted extension, Seahawks wanted to restructure, now he’s gone.
We were lucky Brown accepted a restructure, it’s not like they could have gone into game1 without their starting LT.
Brown obviously felt a bit pressured to accept; as he did not sound very happy about not receiving an extension.
He’ll be likely the top LT in Free-agency.
Seahawks likely had their best opportunity to resign him, and didn’t take it.
If he hits Free-agency I can easily see him gone, as his price will only go up if not injured.
I actually think a 2year 30M ext. Would have gotten it done and been good for both sides.
Unfortunately we might never know and see Brown in a different color uniform next year.
Hard to imagine Forsythe as are starter next season.
It’s almost like they’re doing all these 1 year deals in case things go wrong this season; and Wilson asks to leave. Then if he does your not tied to many players.
Hope we have a great season and we never have to find out.
It’s official. 49ers now without their starting RB and CB. And it’s not even Week 2 yet.
Oh Hell to the Yeah if we can get him back.
Maybe Polite can s stick on the PS longer than three weeks
Somebody’s going to IR probably.
I like it! Rhattigan plays with intensity and is a solid addition to special teams.
Bradley McDongalds will be starting for Tennessee. Maybe luck has a lot to do with it
BMac will probably pick off RW and force Carson to fumble, again
Well that’s pretty scary if he gets back anywhere close to what he was, especially across from Chandler Jones…
https://www.espn.com/blog/arizona-cardinals/post/_/id/34824/arizona-cardinals-j-j-watt-done-tiptoeing-around-his-training