Quarterback watch: Will Levis tops Anthony Richardson

Anthony Richardson versus Will Levis

The main event of the weekend.

To highlight this, the Giants GM attended the game in person along with his Director of Player Personnel and his Assistant Director of Player Personnel.

Matt Berry, Seattle’s Director of College Scouting was there, as was Dan Morgan (Carolina’s Assistant GM), Anthony Robinson (Atlanta’s Director of College Scouting) and Ray Agnew (Detroit’s Assistant GM).

Prior to the game, Jim Nagy from the Senior Bowl once again compared Levis to Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, stating clearly: “This is what a future first-rounder looks like.”

So how did it play out?

By the second half, it was a case of one quarterback not needing to do anything — and another not being able to.

A week ago Anthony Richardson won a lot of praise, rightly so, for the way he performed against a solid Utah team. He showed great command of his offense. He was organised, appeared poised and he was in control. He made plays with his legs — showing off his extreme athleticism — and flashed a big arm.

Tonight, he looked like a player who was starting his third game in college football. To say he was a mile away from being ready for the NFL would be putting it mildly. In no way, shape or form was this a player who should be on any draft radar.

So what’s the reality after one good performance and one mess? That’ll be the big question going forward.

All of the composure and command was gone here. He missed all over the field. He looked jumpy and antsy. Every throw was a 100mph fastball. He was totally ineffective as a runner. When they needed a bit of inspiration at the end — he threw awfully on fourth down with the game on the line.

Florida went scoreless in the second half.

The ugliest play was a pick-six. He didn’t anticipate a squatting corner, completely misread the situation and threw it straight to the DB for an interception. It was essentially the game-winning score for Kentucky.

He had another interception that was unfortunate in that it was a sensational play by a defensive end — getting his hand up to block a pass and somehow corralling it in the same motion.

It wasn’t 100% awful from Richardson. He had a good two-point conversion — showing patience in the pocket, then checking down to the running back when his initial read wasn’t there. He had a great 3rd and 10 completion to start the second quarter — sticking in the pocket and throwing well with timing and anticipation. He made an impressive throw on the run early in the game — using play-action, getting on the move to the right and throwing off-balance from his own four-yard line — lobbing it 37-yards beautifully.

Those moments were few and far between though and covered in the mud of his overall display. His stat-line says it all — 14/35 for 143 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, four rushing yards on six attempts.

If he was the talk of the town last week, today was a bucket of cold water. He needs time to develop and now is probably a good time for us to park the draft talk and let him work through his first season as a starter.

For Will Levis, he can be a lot happier with his evening. It was far from a headline-creating, jaw-dropping performance from him either. Yet he made the plays he had to make, avoided mistakes and had a big touchdown pass to help secure this win.

Don’t underestimate the victory either. Kentucky hadn’t won back-to-back games against Florida since 1976 and 1977. Levis arrived in Kentucky in 2021 and has won back-to-back games against the old nemesis.

He did it playing behind an increasingly concerning offensive line.

To their credit, they came out after half-time and made Levis’ life very comfortable. Having run for only 20 yards in the first half — they re-committed in the second and ran all over Florida. Everything was stuffed in the first two quarters. By the end of the fourth, Florida’s defense was visibly tired after taking a pounding.

It really was ‘Exhibit A’ against the tiresome argument that a running game doesn’t matter. Kentucky bossed their opponent in that second half and Levis barely had to do anything.

It’s probably for the best. He was absolutely hammered in the first half, as the pass-protection issues from last week somehow got worse.

It started with his right tackle being judo-tossed into him on a QB-keeper. Then the same tackle decided not to protect the edge, allowing a pass rusher to run free while he stood and watched a linebacker who didn’t blitz. The end result was Levis on his back, helmet firing off a few yards away and cuts and bruises on his face. Then, for the hat-trick, the right tackle got in his throwing lane on a red-zone WR-screen pass.

He was hit high and low by the Florida pass rush and did well just to avoid injury for the second week in a row.

Despite this, he found a way to make plays in the first half. He had a wonderful pass from deep inside his own half to the right sideline. He needed every bit of his arm strength to fire it into a tight window.

His touchdown was equally impressive. It came on a play-action pass where he finally had some time to let a play develop. He spotted a 1v1 option downfield and gave his receiver a chance to make a contested grab. The ball travelled 61-yards through the air and it was effortless. It wasn’t even a full-velocity throw. Levis showed off easy arm strength.

He looked very comfortable in the Shanahan-style offense and he moved the ball before half-time when the running game was non-existent.

Levis also scored a rushing touchdown on a QB-sneak.

His interception was really a sack/fumble and it will probably be changed to that. When the O-line wasn’t letting Levis down, the protection calls were letting him down. The scheme put a freshman running back in pass-pro against Florida’s best pass rusher. The result was obvious — his arm was hit as he tried to throw and the ball looped up into the air and was caught.

We haven’t seen the best of Levis through two weeks but what we have seen is a big win, fantastic physical talent, a strong command of his offense and the kind of traits NFL teams will like. He has battled adversity in pass-protection and still made plays.

With his next two games coming against Youngstown and Northern Illinois — he’ll have a great chance to reach top form and start 4-0 before tougher — yet winnable — games against Ole Miss and South Carolina

My feelings haven’t changed. Levis is a first round talent with the potential to be a very high pick.

Miami’s offense produces concern

Going into the season I feared for Tyler Van Dyke having to play in Mario Cristobal’s offense. Sadly, those fears were legitimised against Southern Miss.

This was a dour, stodgy game that would’ve interested only a few purists and Pete Carroll. The Hurricanes were painfully conservative on offense. The gameplan was basically low-risk to the max — 40+ runs, a bunch of extended hand-offs in the passing game and grind it out. It felt unnecessary given the match-up.

Cristobal coached Justin Herbert at Oregon and never put him in a position to show his best form. The player in the NFL is a totally different proposition to what we saw with the Ducks. The offense was to blame, as was the ideology.

The same thing is happening to Van Dyke.

He excelled last year by being the focal point. Deep shots, spraying passes around the field. He delivered a progressive offensive gameplan. In this offense he looks stymied, unsure and he even hesitant.

That’s not to make excuses for what was generally a below-par day. He finished 21/30 for 263 yards with a touchdown and an interception. We didn’t see Van Dyke at anything close to his best.

The offensive line didn’t help. He was sacked three times in the second quarter alone as a series of blown assignments led to a wave of pressure. Even his final play of the game, as he trotted out to play out the last couple of minutes, resulted in a blown protection, a sack and a painful looking hit on the QB.

If Cristobal, a former offensive lineman, is going to play this brand of football — the least he can do is pass-protect properly.

Whatever the reason, he was double-clutching too much in the pocket. On his interception it was 4th and 2 deep in Southern Miss territory. He took an age to sit in the pocket, he had the double-clutch and then threw hopelessly late to a receiver he locked onto. The defensive back saw the telegraphed pass and picked it off.

He had a similar play late in the game with nine minutes to go. This time the pass-pro holds up, he sits in the pocket and waits too long. He double-clutches and eventually fires a late pass into the red-zone. It was nearly a second interception for an under-cutting defender.

The heavy-running approach did help on his touchdown. A flea-flicker was well and truly bought by the defense, allowing Van Dyke to loft an easy pass in behind the secondary for a 35-yard score.

He did flash a couple of times — showing off his arm strength. He also had a play early in the game where he manipulated the pocket with great footwork to avoid pressure, re-set and deliver a great pass.

Yet Mark Herzlich, the colour-commentator, kept yelling (speaking for us all) — unlock the QB. Let him be the focal point.

In the end Miami bored Southern Miss into submission, plus the sparse crowd and those watching at home. Job done, I guess. Yet on this evidence Mario Cristobal is going to Pete-ball TVD’s stock into a range that is beneath his talent level — just as he did with Herbert.

Van Dyke goes to Texas A&M next week. The Aggies, who were ranked #6 going into the weekend, were beaten at home by Appalachian State today.

Bryce Young toils but wins

Young struggled for the most part. He should’ve had an ugly interception on a 2nd and 6 with 14:19 to go in the first half. He takes the shotgun snap and appears to feel the interior rush. He still has three seconds in the pocket before he’s hit — but because he knows a big hit is coming, he throws recklessly over the middle and right into the hands of a defender (who drops the interception).

You can’t make that mistake and it was as ugly (probably more so) than Tyler Van Dyke’s double-clutch. He came back on the next play and converted the 3rd and 6, showing a lot more poise to let the play develop and throw a slant (although the receiver did a good job to get the first down, given it was thrown two yards short of the sticks).

On a 3rd and 3 with 4:46 left in the first half, he threw behind an open receiver blowing a chance to convert a first down. Considering he lacks the physical tools of the other members of what I’d call ‘the big five’ — you need to see him hitting these conversions when they’re this open. He also missed a 3rd and 17 conversion at the start of the second half, overthrowing an open receiver as the pressure Texas brought started to impact his comfort level. It’s a bit mealy-mouthed complaining about a 3rd and 17 — but the throw was on and he missed it down the middle with a streaking receiver releasing and uncovered.

With 9:59 in the third quarter he took what should’ve been a safety. You can’t stand in your own endzone for five seconds and get sacked. You just can’t. That’s an unforgivable mistake for an experienced QB at this level. They called it roughing the passer and then took it back and frankly — I have no idea what the refs were doing there.

By this point it was looking like a disastrous performance from Young, yet in the fourth quarter he sprung into life. He executed a vital 4th and 3 when Alabama were trailing 16-10 — throwing the ball over the middle with great poise and accuracy, even with the ref trying his best to get in the way of the receiver. He then completed another strong throw over the middle to get into the redzone — before finishing the drive with a brilliant touchdown pass.

Young scrambled to the LOS under duress, then jolted backwards and bailed on the pocket. He ran backwards (not advisable) and had three defenders running towards him. Off-balance, leaning back, he threw an inch-perfect pass into the endzone. The accuracy and velocity on the delivery were textbook. I’m unsure how he did it, given he had no base to throw from aside from a snap-quick re-setting of the feet, and had a defender in his grill.

It was an incredibly dangerous throw that at the next level could end with a different result. Yet here, with the completion, it looked remarkable. It was a stunning move to reposition his feet to throw and an ideal example of the value of footwork and base — even if you have to do it under the most extreme pressure.

Trailing 19-17 with just over a minute to go, Young drove Alabama into field goal range — mixing in sideline throws running through his progressions and throwing with accuracy and aplomb over the middle. With around 30 seconds to go, he pulled off a Houdini act to dodge a dead-to-rights sack — then scramble for a huge gain to set up the game-winning field goal. Again the refs blew it — failing to spot a blatant hold off the edge that should’ve been called. Nevertheless, it was fantastic playmaking and elusiveness from Young.

In the fourth quarter he finished 15-of-19 passing for 136 yards and a touchdown.

You have to credit him for pulling it out of the bag. You also have to acknowledge how well Texas’ defense played in making his life difficult in the first three quarters. That said, the good was very good and the bad was pretty bad on the day.

C.J. Stroud has an easy day but still shines

It was never going to be a big challenge for Ohio State against Arkansas State and Stroud took full advantage. He threw four touchdowns, completing 16/24 for 351 yards.

On his first score he had an eternity in the pocket, allowing him to focus on his slot receiver, holding the safety, creating an absolute mile of space for the in-cutting outside receiver. Stroud couldn’t miss — and the receiver, with the ball in his hands, simply ran away from everyone for a TD. Easy.

On one play in the shotgun he used a very quick play-fake, set his feet and from a perfect base just launched one of the sweetest looking downfield shots you’ll see to his receiver on the red-line. The pass travels 34-yards but was delivered into the hands of the receiver as if it was a hand-off in the backfield. Perfect accuracy, touch and velocity — with great technique.

Stroud’s second touchdown was another wonderful show of physical prowess. Another very similar play-fake. He then drops, sets his feet and again from an ideal base throws from the half-way line into the endzone, hitting his receiver in stride for a score. He made this 50-yard bomb look easy. Great technique on the throw, a ‘wow’ arm and the placement was again brilliant.

His third score was the kind you sort of expect when Ohio State suddenly finds itself up 31-9. A receiver runs through a crowd, there’s a blown coverage. Stroud finds him. It’s easy.

Stroud’s final touchdown was a lot more impressive. He drops to the 37-yard line and with a bit of pressure emerging to his left throws an absolute dime to the front left corner of the endzone. There’s tight coverage from the defender and there’s safety help so that pass had to have perfect accuracy. It did. Again, he made it look easy.

Throws like we saw in this game are why you put Stroud in the early first round. He has incredible natural, physical talent. The context is this was in a 45-12 win against Arkansas State in a game where he was sacked once. Unlike Tyler Van Dyke, Bryce Young or Will Levis — he didn’t face any adversity in the pocket. The key for Stroud to reach the top of the pyramid next April is to make these throws and improve his intermediate accuracy in tighter games.

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172 Comments

  1. KennyBadger

    Rob, get some sleep man. Congrats to the wazzu fans on the board, the discussion of your coach being the next one at Wisconsin has started in earnest. Cougars really won the line today.

    I wasn’t impressed by qb play today to robs point. But Levis shows poise the way RW did when he was running for his life the last few years in Seattle. It would be nice to see what he can do with time in the pocket.

    • Blackthorn

      “…only a few purists and Pete Carroll.” 🤣🤣🤣

  2. Whit21

    Ill read the article later.. but will levis looks a bit like a joe flacco thrower.. he has arm but constantly looks like hes finesse throwing the ball.. few times didnt read the right side blitz and his 1st read was left side.. which lead to easy sack.. so.. something for hom to learn.. but he did look better than richardson.. his snap throwing looked good and his legs.. but hes still a bit raw.. he could be better than b. Young..

    • Rob Staton

      I didn’t see any misread blitzes. I did see his right tackle decide not to block a defensive end and I saw the play caller put the RB on the edge rusher. He can’t do much about that

      • Whit21

        Yes, not much he can do.. but would have been better if he saw the free rusher before he got pooped in the chin.. especially from the right side..

        • Rob Staton

          Are you serious???

          How are you apportioning any blame to Levis for that???

          The right tackle literally chose not to block the pass rusher, who ran right up to Levis immediately off the snap and hammered him in the face — untouched

          If you’re blaming Levis for that, you might as well blame Russell Wilson for Blair Walsh’s kicking in 2017

          • Whit21

            Im saying i didnt like the lack of vision recognition.. i never blamed him..

  3. Romeo A57

    Thanks for this write up. A disappointing day for Seahawks fans hoping for a Franchise QB in the 2023 Draft. Richardson V. Levis was a big letdown.

    • Rob Staton

      I wouldn’t say it was a let down

      Reality check for Richardson

      Hard fought win for Levis

  4. GoHawks5151

    Thanks for all the dedication and work this weekend. Young played an incredibly Russell Wilson type game. If we are gonna talk about Levi’s receivers dropping ball last week, Young deserves some of that this week. This Bama team will have trouble due to it’s lack of outside speed.

    Van Dyke had just a weird game. The broadcast would have you believe that they were throwing down field all game. Cristobal is an O lineman at heart so I understand that he wants to pound the ball but I also think that they might not have the dudes to get over top. I think TVD could be the 5th guy taken out of these QBs easily and complete my Will Anderson and TVD first rd prediction

    • 509 Chris

      Will Anderson – TVD in the same draft would be a thing of beauty. Anderson and any of these qb’s in one draft could be a franchise shift on the seismic scale of the lob being drafted in just a couple years. A guy can dream.

  5. Henry Taylor

    Not a banner day for the prospects of a stacked 2023 QB class then.

    USC look pretty good with Riley, Williams and Addison. Might give the PAC 12 one last relevant team before they pack up and leave the conference to rot.

  6. L80

    That one low spinning tackle of Levis was an injury waiting to happen. He is lucky he didn’t get his ACL and MCL ripped on that one play.

  7. Trevor

    Just a reminder. All young college QBs have games where they struggle and look awful.

    Prime example Josh Allen his first year as a starter in 2016 vs Nebraska.

    16 / 32 for 189yds. 1 TD and 5 INT. I am guessing after that game no one thought he would be a top 5 NFL QB.

    • Rob Staton

      In fairness you could’ve just said Josh Allen’s entire college career was a struggle

      • Trevor

        Yes good point Rob. There were however flashes of greatness and he played at small school Wyoming not in the SEC.

        • Rob Staton

          He was awful at Wyoming, frankly

          Undraftable at times

          The Senior Bowl and combine shone a light on how freakish he was physically and it took two years for the light to switch on in the pro’s

          And here we are today

          • Trevor

            Rob do you think that comes down the level of coaching the receive or is it just a matter of physical / mental development. I assume a combination of both but it seems that the guys coming from small schools take much bigger leaps if they have the physical tools.

  8. Trevor

    Rob since you hi-lighted Will Levis early last year I got a weird vibe that he would be a Seahawk much like Abe Lucas this past season it just seems like destiny.

    My only concern is that he just looks like the type of QB the new Giants regime would love as well.
    The two teams I hope finish higher than the Hawks are the Giants and Lions who I think will both have Levis #1 on their board.

  9. samprassultanofswat

    Rob. Let’s say that if Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Tyler Van Dyke are off the board. Are you interested in Bryce Young or C. J. Stroud?

    Also you feel bad for Tyler Van Dyke because of his coach wanting to run the football 40+ times. This could possibly work in the Seahawks
    Favor. If his stock is lowered this could increase his chance of becoming a Seahawk.

    • Rob Staton

      I think Stroud and Young are first round prospects, yes

      • samprassultanofswat

        Thanks Rob.

  10. Trevor

    Day 1 of the 2022-23 season wish list for the Hawks season.

    1) Both rookie OT Lucas / Cross start, stay healthy the entire year and show they are legit starting OT heading into next season.

    2) Darrell Taylor takes his game to the next level and Boyce Mafe shows enough flashes to give the Hawks a legit pass rush duo going forward.

    3) Bryant and Woolen win starting spots in the secondary and show enough potential to be considered building blocks for the future.

    4) The Hawks new defensive staff shows they can game plan and adjust based on the opponent.

    5) The Hawks finish the season with a top 3 pick Denver does not make the playoffs. Giving the Hawks two picks in the top 17 and four picks in the top 50.

    • Trevor

      With those four picks in the top 50 the Hawks select.

      1st round :Will Levis (QB / Kentucky)
      1st round : Bryan Bresee (DT / Clemson)
      2nd round : Jared Verse (Edge / FSU)
      2nd round : Josh Downs (Wr / North Carolina)

      With that draft combined with this past draft the Hawks would be on their way to building something special IMO.

      • Peter

        A real center. Unless, blythe is more than a JAG.

        I like your very early picks.

        I’m predicting that Seattle will very much be in the market for a safety at the end of the year. If they could “magic up,” a Cine like prospect in the second I probably wouldn’t cry about it this draft.

      • Rob Staton

        Bresee has a very good chance to go in the top-10 so wouldn’t get your hopes up there

        • Trevor

          I agree Rob he is definitely a top 10 talent. Just hoping the league under values DT again.

          Have you had a chance to take a look at Jared Verse? Seems like could be this years FSU pass rush stud. Would love to hear your thoughts if you have Rob. He is a transfer in from Albany I think but looks really athletic and ideal size.

          • Rob Staton

            I agree Rob he is definitely a top 10 talent. Just hoping the league under values DT again.

            It depends on the DT though

            He has ideal size, insane athleticism and agility. He is the type of DT who has generally gone very early

            Have you had a chance to take a look at Jared Verse?

            Only saw him last week so I’m not really in a position to pass judgement yet

            • Trevor

              Thanks for the feedback.

              • Rob Staton

                Bresee.. at 290lbs…

                4.21 short shuttle
                106.83 SPARQ

                • Trevor

                  He plays like that type of athlete as well.

  11. Peter

    Thought levis played well enough given that he was getting killed. Kentucky gets two sort of tune up games before getting into the real meat of their season. Tennessee, Ole miss, and Georgia if he doesn’t get killed there as well.

    One of the many things Rob does that I like is put the brakes on a player if need be. Richardson has time to get it right but that was not high pick material.

    Already hoping to see TVD at the shrine game and Levis at the Senior bowl.

  12. Peter

    If you have time Rob I’d love to hear about any other players who stood out at non qb positions this weekend.

    Will Anderson obviously he is amazing but I wasn’t that impressed by the penalties. I wonder if he’s going to be pressing like that all year to sort of live up to his hype. If the seahawks get him of course that would be amazing.

    Being a selfish draft nerd I would love to see Seattle get a real force on the dline. Not just solid players who fit the bill but someone who teams have to scheme around.

    • Rob Staton

      My focus is on QB’s mostly Peter. Very difficult to watch other positions and QB’s

      The players who I can probably pass opinion on the best during these reviews are the receivers they throw to

      I try to catch up on others during the week but the last two weeks my day job has been relentless. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends. Was a relief in the end my broadcast at Plymouth was postponed due to the sad news in the UK this week

      • Peter

        I get it. And it THE main thing this year. I see posts about putting it off and just think yeah that would be possible if Wilson had retired. There is no way they can kick this can down the road a year with the picks they have.

        Again I’m being a bit selfish. As the season progresses I think we will see that this roster has for more holes than some fans realize.

        Due to your job are you going to be hammered at work with the odd (crappy,) timing if the world cup?

        • Rob Staton

          Due to your job are you going to be hammered at work with the odd (crappy,) timing if the world cup?

          Nah — it’ll actually lighten our workload dramatically. Fewer games to play domestically. Might actually make Christmas time quite enjoyable. Plus hopefully England do well (I’m not getting my hopes up though, we’re in a slump). I love a World Cup too, so will enjoy watching it.

          • Peter

            That’s awesome! I didn’t know if they threw every able body into coverage like they do here.

            Love the world cup. Most likely will be a reprieve at that point to whatever is happening with the hawks.

  13. Rob Staton

    I’ve now posted a 30 minute video review of my 11 hours of QB study yesterday

    It’s at the top of this article

    Also available via ‘The Rebuild’ podcast

  14. Trevor

    Really looking forward to watching the video and getting your breakdown of the QBs.

    My one thighs watching Levis was how the hell does he get through a year playing in the SEC with that OL. I will be shocked if he does to be honest.

  15. Troy

    It’s a bit of an analytics straw man that “the running game doesn’t matter” – it’s pretty important to note that’s not what the nerds say. The data points to running backs often being fungible at the NFL level because of a variety of reasons (injury likelihood, running success being more OL driven, age drop off, etc). That’s not at all the same thing as saying the running game doesn’t matter. Yes passing matters more in general, but I think it’s pretty important not to get those points mixed up.

    • Rob Staton

      Troy, plenty of people say the running game doesn’t matter

      It’s not a strawman

      Nobody is mixing anything up

    • Wade

      Rant…

      NFL “analytics” are a complete joke. Maybe it’s just because I’m do data analysis/modeling for a living…but the stuff these folks get away with presenting as data analysis is absurd. No one in any other industry would get away with the quality (i.e. lack their of) of analysis some football “data” bloggers/twitter-heads. It’s like they know we want to feel smart and think that if they confuse their audience just a tiny bit we won’t see through their bs.

      The money in football is still in scouting and scheme, which is fine. Football doesn’t have to be baseball and never will be. Thanks, Rob, for your excellent scouting.

  16. Palatypus

    Outstanding work Rob!

    NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN !!!

  17. Big Mike

    Well the good news is that Van Dyke will be well versed in the Pete Carroll offense when the Seahawks draft him. His talent will be wasted for a year or two in Seattle as well. I just hope the next regime is able to take advantage of his talent once a new owner send Carroll down the road and that he isn’t so risk averse by then that he never regains what he showed last year.

  18. Palatypus

    The Lions ran the ball very well against the Eagles on their opening drive of the year. Impressive.

  19. Rob Staton

    Justin Fields is not very good

    • Palatypus

      LOL

    • Simon McInnes

      If you want a preview of the Seahawks offence for this season, the Browns – Panthers game is a must see. Brissett over throwing open receivers and Mayfield getting sacked, with the odd interception.

      • Palatypus

        Since the games in my market are Saints @ Falcons and and Patriots @ Dolphins and I got to say the quarterback play today is brutal.

        To make it worse, Trevor Lawrence just had TWO touchdowns dropped by his receivers in the red zone on consecutive plays.

        • Palatypus

          Watching Red Zone.

      • Rob Staton

        The bits I’ve seen from that game on red zone make me want to… well… turn it off

        • Henry Taylor

          Pretty bad look for the 9ers to only be up 10 in that game.

  20. Mike

    So much for deebo not wanting to play running back. Kyle shannahan out here running him into the ground.

    • Roy Batty

      That was all just a game of chicken.

      Debo wanted top money and a lot of guaranteed cash. Everyone knew running was his strength, so no matter if he stayed or was traded, he was going to be running a lot with whomever he played for.

      The Niners knew he was the key to their offense so they blinked and paid him.

      Offer a man $58 million in guaranteed money over a 4 year span, he’s gonna gladly run that ball.

  21. Roy Batty

    So many teams will be drafting QB’s next year.

    The top five picks in 2023 are going to be very, very valuable.

    • Palatypus

      Trey Lance can’t dance.

      • Roy Batty

        It’s wild watching the low level of play from this many QB’s, knowing your own team is also in the market for one.

        My ideal scenario is a desperate team wanting to jump 2 spots, and trading the farm to the Hawks, and the Hawks knowing that that team and the one picking after them have little interest in their man.

        But, if you know who your going to hand the keys to the franchise to, it’s probably best to ignore those offers and just pick the player.

        Oh, and watching Fields is just excruciating. Hilarious that he looked All Pro vs. Seattle in his short stint in preseason.

        • Peter

          Over reaction Sunday comment coming in hot…

          The year Seattle is in the market for a qb with a good qb class more teams will need a qb then I thought before along with the wheels coming off the nfc west and Seattle might actually get a goofy 8 wins.

  22. Palatypus

    T.J. Watt is making Cincinnati’s offensive line look like Kentucky’s.

  23. Romeo A57

    I have been watching the Bears and Niners for some reason. Complete lack of passing game by both teams. Neither QB looks like anything, but the weather is very bad and the field is very wet.

    • Palatypus

      Yeah, record heat in California, then they get clipped by a tropical storm right after they get new grass.. That’s Gulf Coast weather right there.

      • Palatypus

        Er…uh…the game is in Chicago. My bad.

        • Romeo A57

          Any of that rain in California or Chicago would be most welcome here in Oregon right now to keep theses fires from spreading.

  24. Jordan

    I’m not a big fan of whatever the Colts philosophy at the QB position is; and I certainly hope that the Hawks don’t go that route.

    A new aging QB year after year that used to be good elsewhere.

    They seem to have little defined direction.

  25. Rob Staton

    Said they should’ve considered Davis Mills

    • Palatypus

      You were right.

      Colts game plan: Run the ball with Jonathan Taylor.

      Texans game plan: Stop Jonathan Taylor.

      • UkAlex6674

        Jomathon Taylor: hold my beer

    • Mick

      Much much better to give a youngster a chance than to roll with an old failure like Geno Smith.

      • Rob Staton

        Would be more fun for us, too

  26. Hebegbs

    Levis for me out of the 5 listed-looked like the most NFL ready QB yesterday. Against what looks like to be a pretty good Florida D and a pretty avg to bad Kentucky O line. Even his misses looked like NFL throws. He throws a great ball and mostly made good decisions when he was under pressure or the routes run were not open. I liked what I saw.

  27. Peter

    Nick chubb doesn’t think running backs are fungible.

  28. Mick

    Yey Bears are ahead.

  29. Dave1401

    I’m struggling to remember a week 1 with such underwhelming offense from so many teams

    • 12th chuck

      there’s probably going to be one more tomorrow night

      • Dave1401

        Well, playing your first game for a new team is always difficult …

        • Peter

          If russ struggles and Seattle is still planning to take the field tomorrow not sure how both teams get over 44.5 points.

    • Palatypus

      It’s like watching a fourth pre-season game.

    • Dave1401

      Everything picked up immediately after I wrote that lol. Amazing 4Q on redzone

  30. AlaskaHawk

    I’m watching the Bears -San Fran game and chuckling gleefully. I have realized that even if the Seahawks don’t do much this year, I still enjoy the losses / poor performance of our division rivals.

    • Dave1401

      Yes, me too. As bad as Geno/Lock are, at least they are cheap and didn’t cost multiple first round draft picks. Can you imagine what 49ers fans must be thinking right now? Jimmy G will be in before the end of the season

      • Hawks4life

        Trey Lance looks terrible

        • Big Mike

          First question to Shanahan will be “Are you going to change starting QBs next week Kyle?”

          And it will continue as long as Lance continues to shit the bed. But hey, you guys kept Jimmy away from Seattle so there’s that. (not sure Seattle wanted him)

        • AlaskaHawk

          Lance QBR 50.3 zero touchdowns and one interception, he did have 54 yards rushing.

        • Rob Staton

          Trey Lance is terrible

        • Wade

          You get the sense of some major dysfunction in that front office.

          How does a GM/coach tandem trade up for #3, apparently not yet know who they’ll select, and then a year and a half later have *this* situation.

          Feels like KS must have been trying to get Jimmy G signed all summer and finally got his wish. He can’t run anything creative besides “Trey, get us two yards on the ground” anymore. You wonder if he’s already on the phone with his GM arguing that they should pull the plug.

          For all the grief the Seahawks front office get, at least Pete and JS seem somewhat more functional.

  31. Canadian Hawk

    Thoroughly enjoying this Bear/49er game.

    Mud bowl – But feels like we’ll see Jimmy sooner than later.

    • Big Mike

      So if Lance fails, does John Lynch end up the fall guy or does Shanny go down too? My guess is that if he really did want Mac Jones and got Lance shoved down his throat he’ll escape.

  32. Mick

    Mayfield doesn’t make us miss him too much either.

  33. Peter

    For big mike-

    Love seeing steelers gifted 4 interceptions and still unable to pull it off.

    • Big Mike

      Likewise. If Cincy makes an XP we’re not even in OT

      By the way my friend, you spelled “stealers” wrong.

      • Palatypus

        Here we go again.

        • Big Mike

          Snap fail, badsly

          • Palatypus

            And Blankenship misses too.

            Blanket Shit!

  34. Palatypus

    Go Giants! (Don’t take our draft pick)

  35. Trevor

    I know players and fans hate pre season but I can’t remember ever seeing and uglier week #1 with regards to the quality of play on the field. Starters not playing pre season anymore certainly shows.

    • AlaskaHawk

      I agree, the NFL is selling an inferior product. ON top of which the coaches don’t have as much time to evaluate the new players and train them up.

  36. Big Mike

    Damn I hate the stealers

  37. Trevor

    Does Cliff Kingsbery make it through the season?

    • Peter

      Big move firing coach handsome with a 190 million dollar qb who has been injured and hasn’t done a thing of note yet.

  38. Forrest

    1st place Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West!?!

    • Peter

      7-10 might do it

  39. Peter

    Man, Rodgers. Think by connecting your chakras and traveling into your mind on an ayahuasca fueled journey you’d learn to trust a game breaker like Watson but so far he’s looking like Matt Hasselbeck. Nice safe short throws and letting the vikings get right on top of them.

    • Palatypus

      He did let the first one go right through his hands that would have been an easy TD.

      • Peter

        Rodgers will most likely not target him again. Watson at least in college should be used to create.

        No worries my best friend from high school is sinking my battleship because I have Rodgers and he has Justin jefferson.

  40. Hawks4life

    Kyler Murray looks scared every time he drops back

  41. Rob Staton

    Watching red zone today, it feels like half the bloody league needs a QB

    • Trevor

      No pre season makes for awful early season football.

      The Packers are exactly what a team looks like when they have the highest paid QB in the league and draft late in each round.

      This season is going to be hard to watch but it sure as hell beats the alternative watching the 2nd highest paid QB with inferior talent around him struggling to get into the playoffs and loosing in Rd 1. Have a feeling by the end of this season Broncos fans are going to have big time buyers remorse.

      • Peter

        Maybe so.

        Or maybe Sutton and Juedy have had lock and Bridgewater throwing the ball.

        • Trevor

          Guess we will find out soon enough. If the Broncos make a legit SB run I will be the first to say I was wrong.

          • Peter

            I don’t think they are making that run. Chiefs and chargers have picked up right where they left off.

            Just not sure about buyers remorse. If I was having buyers remorse I’d live in the desert and be wondering why kyler “study time,” murray is playing like trash.

      • Rob Staton

        Have a feeling by the end of this season Broncos fans are going to have big time buyers remorse.

        Or maybe they just solved a problem the Seahawks are going to find it mind-numbingly painful to solve

        • Trevor

          Quite possibly but one thing I am certain of. With the roster and draft capital the Hawks had they sure as hell were not going to win an SB anytime soon after making him the 2nd highest paid QB on the league. After all the goal is to win an SB not to be decent and squeak into the playoffs year after year with no legitimate shot.

          • Rob Staton

            Or maybe they could’ve appointed a great offensive minded Head Coach to make the most of the offensive talent on the roster and enable the QB to play his best football

            There’s a thought

            Seems to be working OK for the Vikings today

            • Trevor

              I still think they should do that but I don’t care who is coaching the Hawks, Mcvay or Andy Reid included. This team as it was constructed had no shot an SB. They did not even have an OT. Also would they have been able to sign Russ and DK or had to do what the Packers did.

              • Rob Staton

                You keep speaking in absolutes when you have no idea what would’ve happened or what the roster would’ve looked like with major changes to the staff and front office

                • Trevor

                  The new coaching staff would not have resulted in more draft picks, cap space or players currently on the roster. There are no absolutes obviously but I would love to hear how they could have paid Russ and upgraded the roster with what they had.

                  I do think they should have moved on from Pete a couple of years ago by the way instead of extending him.

                  • Rob Staton

                    Trevor, we’ve known for two years that there was an easy trigger in Wilson’s contract to create major cap space. The team could’ve pulled it at any point but did not because as we now know, they wanted to keep their options open to trade Wilson.

                    If they’d wanted to go and sign Terron Armstead this off-season, they could’ve done with the money created.

                    They also could’ve still drafted Abe Lucas and one of Boye Mafe or Kenneth Walker.

                    There are several teams out there being very creative with the cap to load up their rosters to support a QB. Seattle refuses to do that.

                    That’s the reality.

  42. Trevor

    Chargers and Bills look like the class of the AFC talent wise.

  43. Peter

    Don’t know how the broncos do this year but Carr looks like who a lot of us think he is.

    Nothing is this easy but try your best to cover Adams and the rest will take care of itself.

    • Trevor

      Wilson is a lot better than Carr but that still only makes him the 3rd best QB in the division.

      • Peter

        If you go on last year. Last 18 months of games truly you are right.

        Even if you’re a doubter part of you has to wonder what playing in a different system is going to look like.

        I mean look at Rodgers today? I know first game. I know the OC isn’t the end all be all. But I’m very intrigued to see what happens when a team was stoked to get a qb and has been designing their offense around him looks like vs. The fractious last few years in Seattle.

        • Trevor

          Absolutely I am incredibly intrigued to see how it plays out and I would be shocked if Denver does not get a spark with Russ at QB.

          I am not a Russ hater. In fact I loved him as a player. His toughness and competitive spirit was legendary and no one throws a better deep ball. I just think as he loses athleticism that he holds the ball too long, takes too many sacks and has a hard time throwing in the middle of the field. He is simply not good enough to take an average roster and elevate it to a SB contender. We saw it for the last 5yrs.

          Of course he makes the Broncos better but even in his prime he did not have the talent of Mahomes or Herbert and now he has to play them twice a year each.

          • Rob Staton

            He is simply not good enough to take an average roster and elevate it to a SB contender.

            And yet he took a below-average roster to +10 wins annually, usually without the help of a running game or defense, established a HOF career and set a ton of records.

            • Trevor

              You just made my point Rob. All that and 1 playoff win in 6 years.

            • Trevor

              If Russ leads the Broncos to an SB I will be the first to admit I was 100% wrong.

              • Rob Staton

                That’s not the point.

                The point is you’re basically ruling out any prospect of a competitive Seahawks team had Wilson stayed

                That is what I am arguing against

          • Peter

            So Trevor the reason I get prickly with people about this debate is the following:

            Herbert:

            Yards per attempt: 7.37
            Td/int: 2.72/1

            Mahomes:

            Yards per attempt: 8.09
            Td/int: 4.08/1

            Wilson:

            Yards per attempt: 7.82
            Td/int: 3.35/1

            That’s career. If you look at Wilson’s last 4 years including last year that sucked his td/int rate is: 4.22/1

            So he’s statistically better than Herbert and his prime with a bad year he is as good as Mahomes. Less Yards, better td rate.

            Those two are awesome. The big real difference is Herbert has thrown 1267 times and mahomes 2345 times versus Wilson only throwing 4735 times in many more years than either. That’s it. Their not better and Wilson isn’t better.

            In our frustration with a stale team I think a lot of us have lost sight that only Rodgers and Brady are better than Wilson. The others including Burrows, Allen, Jackson, murray, Herbert, and yes Mahomes (with him most likely passing Wilson) are not empirically better. They may seem better. They all throw more in offensive schemes. That’s it.

            • Big Mike

              Great post Peter with FACTS to back it up.

              The Wilson hate us beyond my comprehension.

              • Trevor

                Mike I am not sure what you are talking about there is no hate for Wilson. Far from it. If you actually read my post you would see that.

              • OP_Chillin

                Right but those aren’t the only or even the best stats for assessing QB play. There’s also the film component. Burrow I’m iffy on but Mahomes and Herbert play at a higher level than Russ IMO and especially Herbie is still growing in his game.

                Russ is probs like 6 to 8th rn which is still top tier.

                • Peter

                  Hit me with what you think the best metric is. I’m just quantifying based on known data sets. If you are talking about efficiency vis a vie how often you score vs attempts Wilson actually comes out better.

                  I already said I think herbert and especially mahomes are great.

                  All three complete 65-66% so the numbers work well. If one was way more or less inaccurate it would skew things.

                  You like herbert and he’s awesome.

                  But I honestly don’t know of a cleaner data set when players are full time starters than td/int. It shows how many points you score against plays that are truly negative. Total yards is worthless or deshaun Watson wouldn’t have gone 4-12. Completion percent is a good metric but not instructive to success. Murray is super accurate yet is mediocre in td/int.

            • Wade

              I also think Wilson > Herbert this year.

              But to be fair, efficiency means little without context. He’s going to have worse efficiency in Denver’s scheme even if he’s more impactful.

              • Peter

                Again I really like herbert but I’m not sure Wilson will be less efficient this year. It’s very possible he throws a ton more and “only,” gets 40 tds. Then sure less efficient but more impactful.

  44. Palatypus

    Giants win!!! Giants win!!! Giants win!!!

    • Peter

      Daboll getting jones to look almost reasonable and saquon where was that from.

    • KD

      Why is it important for the giants to win?

      • Palatypus

        Read the first paragraph of Rob’s article above this thread.

  45. 12th chuck

    seahawks first place nfc west. to all the haters that said we would suck, lol, ok only joking… enjoy this while we can, its going to be a long season

    • Rob Staton

      Jamal Adams is lighting a cigar as we speak

      • Big Mike

        Nice Rob. I literally LOL’d.

      • Palatypus

        That’s not tobacco.

    • Jabroni-DC

      If the season ended today…

      NFCW Champs!

      • Peter

        The cherry on top this season would be us getting to the playoffs at 7-10 or 8-9 and our foes somehow turn into the nfc least and get better picks than us.

        • 12th chuck

          tbh, they have been getting better draft picks for some time. regardless of draft order

  46. Big Mike

    To all the Mariners fans here, I REALLY hope you saw the bottom of the 9th today.
    Their playoff drought is nearing FINALLY being over.

    • Hawks4life

      As big of a Seahawks fan as I am, the Mariners have always been closer to my heart. That 9th inning was insane!

  47. Blitzy the Clown

    Got a chance to watch the replay of KY-FL. Will Levis is essentially pro ready. I think you could drop him into a training camp last month and he’d be better than League average starting today. Btw, I really admire Stoops. His OL wasn’t up for the Gators pass rush. At all. So he regrouped at half, went run heavy, and damned if they didn’t pull it off. That Kentucky OL can’t pass protect, but they sure can clear some lanes for their RBs.

    In this game, that Wildcat offense reminded me of the 2012-2013 Seahawks. They just ran the rock down the Gators’ throats. Imposed their will offensively. Florida had no answer.

    As a side note, I don’t understand targeting rules. Levis took a shot to his upper head/neck area as a defenseless player from a defender’s head/crown. Wtf is a “launch point”? Anyway, he’s a tough kid because that hit was full frontal.

    But I saw some good CFB yesterday and it was nice. Lots of intriguing prospects.

    • Palatypus

      I thought Kentucky’s defensive backs played well.

  48. seaspunj

    watching SNF seeing Mike Evan’s catch a fade from TB12 wish Seahawks did more of that with DK

    • Palatypus

      If I am throwing a fade it’s to Lockette. Jump ball to DK. Fade to Lockette.

      • seaspunj

        good point … Let’s hope 1 of the QBs drafted next season can work that magic DK jumpball 1 side and Lockett fade on the other.

  49. Peter

    There’s been acrimony. Taking sides. Retreating to different camps…

    I don’t dislike Dak in the slightest. And feel a bit for him. As much as one can when they (I) are not making millions to play a game.

    But before we embrace the rebuild fully let’s take a moment to enjoy that Dem Boyz have once again screwed up espn’s love affair with Dallas and let us remember friends that Seattle has been miles more relevant this century than Dallas has ever been.

    • Big Mike

      Fantastic post Peter. A truly irrelevant franchise who are endlessly treated like they’re important and that they’re a top flight team. They are neither. But let’s not leave FOX out of this too. They’re every bit as guilty as ESPN with them having the cowpartties on their “America’s Game of the Week” broadcast ad naseum. I will say it gets REALLY tiresome having the Dallas Cowboys shoved down my throat week after week of every damned NFL season.

      Of course now they’re going to have Dak being out for multiple weeks as an excuse for their irrelevance. Yay. My sincerest sympathies to Dak tho. Seems like a really good kid.

      • Peter

        I’ve always disliked the “America’s team,” moniker.

        But I truly hated when there was something special brewing in Seattle in the middle of 2012 and to watch the Seahawks after they drafted the qb I wanted I had to pay a boatload of money because I lived in Colorado and all the fox games would cut to the Cowboys.

        I remember turning on to ESPN’s football wrap up when Seattle was hanging high 40’s on teams ( hey Pete, where’d that energy go?) And they’d cover it for about 30 seconds.

        I’d pour one out for Dallas but it’s 6:30 in the morning and that team isn’t worth it.

    • 12th chuck

      top 3 worst things in the nfl, listening to troy aikman do play by play on dallas’ games.

      • Peter

        Nailed it

      • Palatypus

        That’s why I’m watching the Peyton cast on ESPN2.

  50. Cambs

    Rob, thanks for these thorough and thoughtful writeups.

    From watching the Alabama game … any peripheral takes on the all-too-brief Quinn Ewers appearance? I fully expect Seattle to come by a top-three pick honestly this year but there’s always the chance things break against them, draft-wise, and the ’24 class comes into view. From a casual standpoint, that felt like we got cheated out of the Mullet’s coming-out party.

    • Rob Staton

      I didn’t study him

      And to be honest, I see almost no prospect of them going into a draft with two firsts and two seconds and saying… we’ll give it another 12 months

      Carroll hasn’t got the years for that

      • Cambs

        Sure, of course. But things can happen. Two guy stay in school, Bryce Young’s size gets him knocked down to Day 2 by the league, and even without stealing a few extra wins you end up parked at 1.04 behind two immovable dead-red QB drafters at the top.

        Not a prediction or anything, just things on the spectrum of possibilities here in QB purgatory.

        • Peter

          I think Rob is right that they HAVE to do what is necessary to get a qb.

          But I do see where you are coming with the uncertainty of college ball.

          Levis I still very much think is going high.

          Stroud as well. Though personally I am less sold on Ohio St. Qbs. Maybe he breaks the mold.

          I’m not into young. That team is not the opposite per se of kentucky but it’s near enough. An endless supply of top talent everywhere. Alabama qb’s I’m pretty down on in the pros. His size is huge concern. He just looks small.

          Finally TVD. As a junior I’d have to assume he would get a good draft grade. But maybe he doesn’t if Cristobal is going to run 40x a game. If he gets anything less than a first round grade it might make sense to transfer to a team that intends to pass the ball.

          And then there’s a few later guys.

          A tiny bit concerned that Seattle will take it’s picks and trade for a qb. Maybe cousins has a great year and they get re-enamored with him…?

        • Rob Staton

          Young won’t be knocked to day two. It won’t happen.

          But even if it did. Great. You take him at the end of R1.

          Even if only Stroud, Young and Levis turn pro
          — that’s three QB’s and you have ample stock to move up if you even need to.

          We haven’t even played a game yet. Let’s leave the fatalist scenarios for another time

  51. GoHawksDani

    Hawks-Broncos final score tips?
    I guess Broncos will win 27-10

    • Ross

      I don’t think RW has a great game, but will do enough to win. Mostly because I think Geno will struggle to score points. I’m thinking 17-9, Broncos.

      • Peter

        I don’t think either are wrong.

        Very confused by vegas. Broncos +6.5. The o/u set at 44.5.

        Not sure denver will score enough. Not sure how Seattle scores many with Meyers/smith. If Penny can hold form from the end of last year a fighting chance.

        Broncos 24, Seattle 17….?

  52. cha

    BLUE MONDAY

    https://youtu.be/FYH8DsU2WCk

  53. VanHawk

    Broncos 37, Seattle 10…?

  54. 509 Chris

    I have to rant a bit. I was just reading comments from last night and people still believe paying Russ is why this team couldn’t win, along with late round picks. I would like to counter with 2 names, both players this site was very high on. TJ Watt, and Nick Chubb. (Probably several o line guys you could name too) Those alone may have have been enough to get us to another super bowl. What Russell did with ZERO defensive support and a shaky o line was extremely commendable. If more logical moves were made in the draft Russ absolutely elevates this team, or any other, to a superbowl. He left so he’s now an enemy, but let’s not rewrite the past. That was our guy.

    The talk about so many more teams needing a qb than people were originally counting is very preemptive. If Rodgers looks a little shaky in week 1 with the new shortened pre season, I think it’s safe to say many of these teams will kno k the rust off. I expect Burrow and the bungles to get things going for example. Trey Lance was a huge mistake though. Really surprised they botched that. For the most part sf has been a pretty well run front office for a long time. They’ve moved off of mistakes prudently and found ways to keep talent in the building.

    The cardinals are in the worst position a team can be in. Murray isn’t good enough to take them all the way, but he’s better than 65% of other pro qbs. Also that study clause business looked ugly for everyone. Do you trade him and risk slipping to irrelevance, or pay him and be a wildcard team every year with the occasional playoff win. Very much a poor man’s Russell Wilson.

  55. Palatypus

    To commiserate this historic event, my poison of choice tonight is Murder Creek Distillery Orange Dreamcicle Moonshine. It comes from Murder Creek up near Brewton, Alabama, just up Highway 29. It is a place that I’m sure Ned Beatty would love. So, I chose it because I am pretty sure what is going to happen to the Seahawks tonight is the same thing that happened to him in the movie Deliverance.

    Broncos 43
    Seahawks 8

    Play on banjo boy!

  56. chet380

    Is there a website for live comments during the game?

    • Palatypus

      Seahawks.net typically has live chat.

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