My last two articles were about injuries and suspensions for a reason.
The Seahawks are decimated and things are getting worse.
Instead of going into next week’s NFC West decider against San Francisco with their chest’s puffed out, ready to go and try to secure the #1 seed in the NFC — the Seahawks look like a battered mess.
Here are the players who were absent today or picked up injuries during the game:
RB1
RB2
RB3
WR3
TE1
TE2
LT
LG (Iupati returned in the second half)
C
DE
DT
CB
FS
Very few teams can withstand this number of injuries.
This was still a humbling afternoon.
They were beaten, handily, in all four facet’s of the game — offense, defense and coaching. They suffered a third home spanking of the season.
If they lose to the Niners next week, they’ll finish 4-4 at home and they’ll be 14-10 at home over the last three seasons.
This result in isolation doesn’t mean anything in the race for the NFC West Championship. Win next week and the Seahawks will at the very least be the #3 seed. It also seems clear that certain players were rested with next week in mind.
That said, this performance was so utterly abject that it has sucked the life out of the build-up to next week’s game. It destroyed the realistic hope of securing home-field advantage in the playoffs. It also exposed some serious weaknesses within this team if key players can’t return.
The idea of this group — minus Quandre Diggs, Jadeveon Clowney, Shaquill Griffin, Duane Brown and Chris Brown — going toe-to-toe with the 49ers is fanciful. Brown and Carson have already been ruled out for the Niners game and beyond. The season is teetering on the edge.
The Seahawks were absolutely whipped on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Both the O-line and the D-line were terrible. The complete inability of both lines shut down any opportunity to do anything on offense or defense. They weren’t competitive.
It took the Cardinals a bit of time but by the second quarter they’d sussed out Seattle’s run game. They moved Russell Wilson out of his comfort zone and on a day when he had to do his one-man-show act, he was at his most jittery and antsy.
The Seahawks couldn’t do anything on offense. Once the scripted first drive was in the books, it was painful to watch. They couldn’t run, they couldn’t pass. A one-yard gain was hard earned. The Cardinals flew around and hit. They were faster, stronger, more physical and imposed their will. They were better in every aspect.
After Seattle’s initial scoring drive, here’s what followed until their next points:
Punt in Arizona territory
Three-and-out
Three-and-out
Three-and-out
Three-and-out
End of the first half
Fumble by David Moore
Three-and-out
Three-and-out
Three-and-out, field goal (after the blocked field goal)
They gained one first down in nine drives.
Their first two drives in the first quarter totalled 135 yards. They finished with 224.
The Seahawks simply had no answers to problems and the questions posed to the opponent were often the wrong ones. There was no counter, no adequate adjustment. Arizona lost their starting quarterback and still outscored Seattle.
It’s a brutal reality that Brett Hundley moved the ball far better than the Seahawks. Kyler Murray’s hamstring injury creaked open a window of opportunity for an undeserved comeback. Yet the offense simply wasn’t capable, in any way whatsoever, of creating anything. No time. No explosive plays. Everything underneath, short, or Wilson under pressure or feeling phantom pressure.
On defense the usual problems were prevalent. The pass rush simply isn’t good enough. That’s a kind review. The D-line looked inept without Clowney and Al Woods.
The defense gave up big plays and they gave up the frustrating conversions to extend drives. Nobody — nobody — could make a play to swing back any kind of control. That was especially the case at 20-13 and needing to get the ball back to mount a comeback. Hundley simply marched downfield and scored an easy touchdown.
Compare that to the inspired play of Budda Baker, relishing his return to Washington, partnered with a dominant and disciplined D-line. Chandler Jones had four sacks and was sprinting downfield to force a fumble at the start of the second half. Baker and Jones set the kind of tone Clowney and Diggs have been setting for the Seahawks. Without them, they looked hopeless.
They beat San Francisco in Santa Clara by creating consistent pressure and making plays at the second level. I’m nervous about next week. I fear that this defense won’t be able to do anything. We might see a repeat of the Rams loss two weeks ago — but worse. If they can’t pressure Jimmy Garoppolo, good look watching a banged-up secondary defend George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders.
With no Brown and no Carson — how are they going to be able to function on offense?
It could get into 2017 Rams at home territory.
This is a team hanging by a thread due to the injuries. It’s incredibly unfortunate and the resilience they’ve shown this season warrants greater fortune than this.
There’s a fairly stark reality here though. They’re just too injured. That, more so than this embarrassment, is the great festive season damper here. A year of close wins, promise and finding a way is threatening to end with a whimper.
Merry Christmas š
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I agree, it was painful to watch. We need some good injury report news or we probably do not have much of a chance. All I want for Christmas is for my Seahawks to all heal up and be ready for Sunday Night. Go Hawks!
Injuries is a convenient excuse but the reality is they are just too hurt. Rob you were wise to highlight it previous to the game. I remember a few runs where our oline got pushed back 3-4 yards ON A RUNNING PLAY. Losing Brown was probably the straw that broke the camels back. If Brown is in itās likely Jones doesnāt have such a huge day and totally wreck our offense.
“Too hurt” is right. Nearly every Super Bowl team has to have good injury luck to make a run. We were always a fringe contender this season and we don’t have the depth to compensate for the losses of our starting LT, LG, C, FS, DE, RB(x3), and CB…. not many teams would. I’d be shocked if they could beat the 49ers, but maybe they could pull out a playoff win against PHI? C’est la vie
Season is over, unfortunately. I donāt expect this team to even be competitive over the next 2 weeks. The luck has run out. Probably would have been better if they went 7-9, ad their talent really suggests. This team, even healthy, doesnāt feel even close to the top tier in the MFL.
The season isn’t ‘over’.
But I fear a bloodbath next week and limping into the playoffs on back-to-back home defeats with a ton of injuries is a recipe for draft talk in January again.
Respectfully, the season is over. Carson is done. Duane is done. Clowney most likely done. They have no chance of winning a playoff game – I feel very confident about that.
The season is not over.
I’m not going to go round in circles with this either.
It’s perfectly easy to discuss the massive issues this team has without feeling the need to announce the season is over when Nick Foles won a frickin’ Super Bowl two years ago.
the season is not over, they may even win a playoff game, but the super bowl dream for this year is definitely over
This negativity seems to miss the point. We have made the playoffs and are still in the hunt for winning the division and having a bye.
More importantly, who really thought we would be here at the beginning of the year. This looks like a 10-6 team and has looked like that all year long. This at one point was the 4th youngest team in the NFL and they play like it. Our record is so good because they haven’t finished like it. This is a really good sign about the future.
Right now the only difference with the team that has grown throughout this season is that now the injuries have become absolutely crushing since we simply do not have the talent to spare. Fair enough. I agree that Pete.was obviously resting talent today and we saw the effect of our lack of depth both talent wise and spiritually (for lack of a better description). And where we did have depth like at RB we are now decimated.
Realistically this team has played over its head all year. We might have lost too.much after this game to pull that off again but while I am not optimistic I won’t count them out since we have Russ and if Clowney and Diggs are healthy our D will be light years beyond today. Also if they have to game plan for almost zero running game Russ will be dialed in to.pick up the slack. That by itself makes it worth the wait for the most anticipated regular.season game of the year in the NFL.
I think this is what happens when the whole team collectively is holding back for next week. Let’s hope so, at least.
Merry Christmas, SDB!
Nagy with the (obvious) words of wisdom:
All insights relevant and true, Rob. I have to say, however, that PC made a MASSIVE error in judgment in the first half by NOT going for it on 4th down on the second series. If we had made that first down there (the risk reward was vastly in our favor given the field position and the few blades of grass needed to get the first down), the entire complexion of the game could have been different. We go in to score there, or even get a FG there, we’re up two scores, 14-0 or 10-0. I’m still utterly miffed by that.
But yes, we are limping towards the playoffs, and our and the forecast looks cloudy if we don’t get just about all of our players back next week who are iffy now.
Just a listless performance.
Meh.
The bigger issue was the play call on 3rd and 1.
But the rest of the game was such an incredible pasting it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. They were totally hammered. That punt to the one-yard line wasn’t a difference maker. Being destroyed on both LOS’s was, being physically pounded on both sides of the ball was, being far inferior in every facet was.
I disagree with you here. Games are often won on about 5-6 key plays. Football is a game of momentum. I said before the game that we needed to come FAST out of the gate, establish real momentum. We took a lot of potential momentum away from ourselves there when we needed it most, when we were as shorthanded as we were.
And yes, that 3rd down play was horrible as well.
The decision to punt there and put Arizona on the one-yard-line had zero consequence on the game.
Them being on the one-yard-line was not a good situation for them.
We lost because we have an army of injured players and we got our arses kicked in every single way possible.
Sometimes you just have to agree to disagree. There’s no way anyone can tell me that if we get that first down there, and then go in for a touchdown that the complexion of the game doesn’t change entirely with us up 14-0. Nobody can say that it wouldn’t have.
No Paul we don’t have to agree to disagree.
It’s like saying in a soccer match a better corner-kick routine on one corner could’ve prevented a 5-0 stomping. The net result of the play you’re complaining about was Arizona on their one-yard-line. That is NOT good for them.
We got our arses handed to us. Simple as that. You’re acting like the 4th and 1 was an automatic conversion and then that would somehow transform the rest of the game.
You’re painting my thoughts about the game with your own broad brush stroke. Let’s get something straight here.
1) We were injured/out-manned this game (Got it, know that)
2) Our OL got pushed around all game (Got it, know that)
3) etc, etc…I kno what you said i your post, and agreed with it all
That doesn’t take away from the play I mentioned as being a key play that could have changed the complexion of the game. As Dave Wyman just said on the TV, the margin between winning and losing in the NFL is miniscule. That was a potential 14 point momentum shift there, one of those few key moments in a game that can make the difference, as Dave Wyman always says.
I just don’t want the Hawks coaching staff to make such a bad decision again. There’s something to be learned there.
Again, youāre using the most extreme positive outcome. Suddenly a 4th and 1 call equates to a touchdown drive. You continue to ignore that they were pinned at the one yard line ā a positive outcome for us.
One play in this game wasnāt the difference to anything. We were hammered!
It is tiring to hear anlysis saying that the game was lost because we didn’t pas enough or didn’t go for it on 4th down at one point or didn’t go for 2 instead of kicking
No they are not. Games are lost because the other guys liked up and kicked your ass. Those tactical decisions only become relevant because you are getting ragdolled at playing football.
The punt.pinned them at the 1. That is a massively positive play. By it’s results it was the smart play by Pete. We lost in spite fr that huge play because we got whooped on most of the rest of the plays.
Play calling and bad refereeing are the easy analyses for frustrated fans. A good coach will anlayze it by looking to the fact that we couldn’t do shit with our opportunities. Not going for it was not the turning point. Not being good enough to take advantage of it was whether due to injuries or not.
I don’t think it would transformed the rest of the game. But I do think it would have delayed the inevitable somewhat.
Believe me, however that game looked on TV could not have been worse than what it looked like in person. Just awful football in every way. The defense struggled to be sure, but the offense was high school-level inept for most of that game. That series after the Green block and Blair run-back was just nauseating, in play-calling and execution, both. And nausea was by no means limited to that particular series. That one just happened to have been played right in front of me.
Dickson played alright overall, though. And Meyers made his two kicks.
Delaying the inevitable still doesnāt change the game though.
When asked last week Pete said “he LOVES close games”. So no way he would go for it 4th and 1. Its manufactured adversity. And no way Russell should be MVP, he should have taken over the game at some point. He looked flat emotionally. I still think we should have drafted Chubb instead of penny. Hopefully we take a back in the top rounds instead of the McDowell’s and collier’s of the world. Good season… but its over.
Maybe this will finally put to rest the idea that Russ is an elite level, MVP candidate style QB. Russ is a top-ten quarterback who can win a Superbowl with an elite defense, but he does not have the ability to put the team on his back. The season is over and as long as Pete and Russ are around the chance that the Hawks win a Superbowl are over. This franchise has dug a hole that they can’t get out of. They will show for moments (and get our hopes up), but will always fail like they did tonight. We have to adjust to this new reality.
Momentum is a myth
Momentum isn’t a myth. Neither is it the be-all and end-all because it’s not an unstoppable force.
I find these conversations so maddening to be honest. The whole ‘momentum isn’t a thing’, ‘run game doesn’t matter’ stuff. Just a bunch of dog’s barking at a lamp post.
BIG MO
It can’t all be about injuries. The team looked totally lifeless. flat out of sync, that goes to the coaches.
It is tiring to hear anlysis saying that the game was lost because we didn’t pas enough or didn’t go for it on 4th down at one point or didn’t go for 2 instead of kicking
No they are not. Games are lost because the other guys liked up and kicked your ass. Those tactical decisions only become relevant because you are getting ragdolled at playing football.
The punt.pinned them at the 1. That is a massively positive play. By it’s results it was the smart play by Pete. We lost in spite fr that huge play because we got whooped on most of the rest of the plays.
Play calling and bad refereeing are the easy analyses for frustrated fans. A good coach will anlayze it by looking to the fact that we couldn’t do shit with our opportunities. Not going for it was not the turning point. Not being good enough to take advantage of it was whether due to injuries or not.
MASSIVE error? The game didn’t pivot on that decision. We were simply and obviously out-manned. When the left side of your line is Demarco Jones, Ethan Pocic, and Joey Hunt your offense isn’t going anywhere. Jones doesn’t have the quickness required for a NFL tackle and Hunt doesn’t have the brawn. It’s the same on the defensive side where Diggs, Clowney, and Woods are devastating losses.
If leaving possible points on the field is less than valuable than field position then okay.
Less Valuable*
I’m not sure that was Pete’s decision. When Meyers came off the field Pete confronted him and didn’t seem happy.
How do you know the game wouldn’t have changed there. The answer: You don’t. Yes, we were out-manned today, and that is precisely why we had to extend the momentum early as much as we could. I bet many great coaches would have gone for it there. We didn’t.
+1
It’s irrelevant Paul.
You’re focusing on ONE play that led to a positive (Arizona on the one-yard line). We got our arses handed to us. That one play was nothing more than a firing point for everyone to moan.
I’m not focusing on one play to the neglect of others. I’m just saying that was a very key play.
Okay. Let’s back it up here. If we make the first down (likely) and go in for a TD and take the lead 14-0 there…you don’t think that gives us a better chance to win than the other team racing down field for TD as they did? You’re saying there wasn’t a real momentum shift there?
It seems pretty clear to me that it was.
Again, just an agree to disagree thing. Difference of opinion.
Paul, you’ve just taken the most extreme positive outcome there. I could easily say if they punt, it’s at the one-yard-line, they concede a safety, they score a TD on the subsequent drive — it’s a nine-point swing everything’s great rah rah rah.
It was one isolated play in an entire game where we got our arses kicked in EVERY facet of the game.
It was a complete irrelevance. Arizona didn’t kick our arses because we punted them onto their one-yard-line rather than attempting to convert a 4th and 1.
Did I say we didn’t get our arses kicked in many ways this game? No.
I agree that Pete should have gone for it there. The analytics are pretty solidly in favor of it. But it’s a long, long shot to suggest that if he had, not only would the first down have been converted, but also that the Hawks would have then gone on to a touchdown, and THEN gone on to play significantly better than they actually did so as to win the game. Way too many iffs, and the probability that they all would have hit, if you do whatever reasonable math you can come up with, is almost certainly very, very low. Could it have happened? Of course. But a whole different team would have had to be playing for the Hawks after that theoretical conversion than actually played.
The thing is you’re doing the what-if game as well. I just know this. There is a likely probability (not a certainty) that we get the first down (Carson for one yard?). Then it’s first and ten at the mid thirties and our offensive momentum is still cooking at that point.
Now, anything can happen, but the likelihood is that we either get a touchdown from there (what? a 50% chance, we’re moving the ball and they haven’t stopped us yet)), or we kick a FG up ahead (what? probably a 90-95% chance with any additional yardage?). So the odds are we get the first down, and then the odds are that we go up either 14-0 or 10-0. I think that’s a very fair and entirely reasonable proposition.
Anyone who watches football knows that momentum oftentimes feeds upon itself. Not a guarantee at all, but it’s better to have momentum in your favor than against you. I think we can agree on that. So were kicking off to them with either a 14-0 or 10-0 lead and perhaps a little more bounce in the step of the D and a little more enthusiasm from the crowd.
What happens instead? We punt. They soon score. It’s now tied 7-7. They gain the momentum and never give it back till the blocked kick.
Yes, that was a very key moment/decision that changed the complexion of the game (we DID go downhill from there). I don’t think there’s anything nutty at all to point such a thing out as being significant.
WE PUNTED THEM ONTO THEIR GOAL LINE.
Then letās focus on that instead of one play where we decided to punt Arizona to their goal line.
Why did they have Jones at LT in the first place? The dude doesn’t have the athleticism to be a guard, let alone a left tackle. This was a coaching mistake. The Niners have tons of injuries and still beat the Rams. This is about overcoming adversity. This is about Pete and Russ not being good enough.
Watching most of the games this year it just feels like there is an extreme void in talent. The defense just doesn’t look right. No speed or explosion at all. No stoutness against the run. I think our secondary is actually okay. But man does this team need a disruptor on the on the IDL. As far as the offense it just hasn’t looked very good lately. I’m not sure what the deal is. Missing one OT shouldn’t be an excuse for the showing they put out there today.
I honestly hope our first few picks are DT, WR, OLB.
Time to just rest everyone next week. Carson will be out till the playoffs maybe indefinitely.
So, if we lose next week (and supposing the Eagles will be able to handle the Giants), we would travel to Philly for the Wild Card. Snow game, anyone?
We got lucky playing an injury depleted team that game as well.
Good lord this is getting absurd. You can never prevent injuries but it seems like Seattle should have maxed out their injury credit card.
Looking in to the draft Seattle has to draft an OT that can succeed Brown (Trey Adams?), a WR who can step in to the #3 WR role (Lynn Bowden, Michael Pittman or the guy from Liberty), a real LB to play alongside BWagz (Murray out of Oklahoma).
I think you have to after pass rushing and TE in free agency
They obviously need a 3rd wideout, and maybe it’s just me, but the situation is a little similar to when they took Lockett. The quickest way a rookie probably makes an immediate impact as neither a #1 or 2 is as a returner.
Get a ‘2fer’
2-fers, I agree V-12, I was a big supporter of Tyler Lockett when the Seahawks traded up to draft him & he has turned out very well. A player in the coming draft that is similar to a somewhat bigger Lockett is
WR-Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona St. I think a lot of people are sleeping on Aiyuk. His draft position may
be pretty similar to Lockett’s and he will likely be drafted somewhere in Rd-2 or perhaps as late as the
end of Rd-3 at worst. I also recall reading somewhere that Aiyuk was one of the leaders in the “YAC”
category according to PFF. Below are the most likely “kick returners” available in the coming draft, there
are only a few other options, all with lesser stats. All stats are current & from cfbstats.com.
WR/KR-Jalen Reagor, TCU, 5-11/195 – Currently #25-overall at cbssports, #54 at drafttek=?
2019: 12-games, 43 rec. for 611-yds, 14.21-ypc & 5-TD’s, 14 rushes for 89-yds, 6.35-ypc, 0-TD’s.
+ 15-punt returns for 312-yds, 20.80-ypr (#2 in FBS) & 2-TD’s.
+ 5-KO returns for 72-yds, 14.40-ypr.
Total all-purpose yards: 1084-yds, 14.1-yds per play, 90.3-yds per game, 7-total TD’s.
*WR/KR-BRANDON AIYUK*, Arizona St. 6-1/206, Currently Rd-2 to early Rd-3, #95-overall at drafttek.
2019: 12 games, 65 receptions for 1192-yds, 18.34-ypc, & 8 TD’s, 1-rush for 6-yds, 0-TD’s.
+ 14-punt returns for 226-yds, 16.14-ypr (#3 in FBS) & 1-TD.
+ 14 KO returns for 446-yds, 31.86-ypr (#3 in FBS), 0-TDās.
Total all-purpose yards: 1870-yds, 19.9-yds per play, 155.8-yds per game, 9-total TD’s.
OTHERS:
WR/KR-Antonio Gibson, Memphis, 6-2/221, Currently not ranked at cbssport or at drafttek?
2019: 12-games, 32/636/19.88-ypc/8-TD’s + rushing: 31/363/11.71-ypc/4-TD’s.
+ 22 KO returns for 633-yds, 28.77-ypr (#6 in FBS) & 1-TD.
Total all-purpose yards: 1632-yds, 15.9-yds per play, 76.8-yds per game, 12-total TD’s.
WR/KR-Joe Reed, Virginia, 6-1/215, Currently NR at cbssports, #405-overall at drafttek.
2019: 12-games, 70/627/8.96-ypc/6-TD’s + rushing 6/28/4.67-ypc & 0-TDās.
+ 22 KO returns for 764-yds, 34.73-ypr (#1 in FBS) & 2-TD’s. (odd, this with possession type WR stats?)
Total all-purpose yards: 1419-yds, 14.5-yds per play, 118.3-yds per game, 8-total TD’s.
RB/KR-Raymond Calais, La-Lafayette, 5-9/185, (scat back), NR @ cbssports & #484 on drafftek.
2019: 13-games, rushing: 112/867/7.74-ypc/6-TD’s, Receiving 8/69/8.63-ypc/1-TD.
+ 17 KO returns for 500-yds, 29.41-ypr (#5 in FBS) & 0-TD’s.
Total all-purpose yards: 1436, 10.5-yds per play, 110.5-yds per game, 7-total TD’s.
Of these options (IMO):
— Reagor, likely GONE when the Seahawks pick, late in round 1 (unless they trade up and/or target him).
— Aiyuk MAY be available with one of the Seahawks 2-nd round picks = A Seahawks target in Rd-2 = ?
— Gibson would be a pretty good later round pick, potentially a Rd-5/6/7, a “semi-sleeper” type pick.
— Reed might also be a pretty good late Rd-7-ish. pick or more likely an UDFA, a true āsleeper”.
— Calais, UDFA, at best, most likely due to size, unless he hits a super hot 40 time, he’s an UDFA.
If I was in the Seahawks draft room, I’d be “banging the table” for AIYUK in round 2 plus I would likely
also want them to take a shot at Gibson and/or Reed (among others) on day 3/UDFA. IMO, Special team
stats are important but often are overlooked in the draft process, so, to me, the “2fer” logic is pretty damn sound. The additional benefit of targeting Aiyuk with a 2-nd round pick is they can then use their
#1 and one of their 2-nds (the second one?). on the DL & Pass Rusher positions that are also their really
big NEEDS. Of course, the way JS/PC run their drafts, trades will happen and any players they really want, especially on day 2, could be had, perhaps with a little master manipulation of picks, up or down.
Thoughts?
I can tell this, ‘have to get an OT to succeed Brown’ line is going to drive me crazy for the next four months.
‘Draft a backup who hopefully won’t play for a few years in an area of the draft where you never find starting LT’s’
š
Yep, donāt think drafting an OT with a high pick to succeed Brown is the answer. If they resign Ifedi and Fant, they have pretty good depth. Maybe they go the FA route for some depth though!
Injuries are such a big part of the NFL game, and thatās the story of this game and probably the rest of the season. If we can get some of the key guys back for next week or the playoff game, we have a chance to win. If not, its gonna be a really tough road, like we saw today.
Regardless of where/how they acquire a competent backup/successor it’s a necessary step. The offense cost us the Arizona game and most of that fell on the left side of the line where Jones, Hunt, Pocic, and Iupati played the majority of snaps. We can’t win with that group.
The league is struggling like crazy to find adequate LTās and youāre asking for them to find one to be a backup.
Key players get hurt. Could happen to RW. The lack of Clowney and Diggs was equally as vital as the lack of Brown.
Ah, but Brown is 34 and losing ground and skills to father time.
No he isn’t.
The amount of rubbish spouted about Duane Brown is doing my head in. People have been trying to retire the dude ever since he arrived. Pack it in.
Itās incredibly unfortunate and the resilience theyāve shown this season warrants greater fortune than this.
Sums up how I feel pretty nicely. It feels so unfair that this crazy, heart stopping, zero quit team is succumbing to this amount of injuries, its almost as bad as the 2017 season only this year they had a real shot at going all the way.
All I want for Christmas is a promising injury report. Hope you all have a good one sdb.
Rob I think you have summed up the situation perfectly. This team has always bounced back after a loss and if they can get Brown, Clowney, Diggs, Griffin and Carson back I think they still have a shot but if not it could get ugly next week.
I knew this was going to be a bad week as the focus always seemed to be on next week against SF and looking ahead in the NFL is never a good thing.
No Brown or Carson
A least the Cowboys lost. What a disaster that has been this year.
They lost on all 3 phases, had no flow or rhythm, look slow on defense, and punted from inside Arizona’s 40 yd line when they had what little momentum they could muster.
Just disgusting all around. š¤®
That was the key turning point of the entire game. As Rob pointed out, we did nothing after that. We squandered the momentum early thinking we could always get it back when we wanted to, which was a foolish way of thinking being as depleted in the ranks as we were. That will go down as one of the most self-defeating decisions made all year by the coaching staff. I felt it then, I feel it now, and I might just feel it again a few weeks from now.
Pin ’em deep worked when they had a great defense.
Everything in my blood and bones told me that we had to jump on them early this game being so short-handed. We did on the first drive. We were doing it on the second drive again. That is until we took our foot off the gas.
Anyway, with all the injuries and suspensions, it doesn’t seem to make much difference now.
My main concern out of this game is Russ. This was the year O needed to carry team but last 5 weeks been hot mess.
Well when you lose your tight end, left tackle, running back’s, mid-season acquisition at WR and your top wide-out is injured, you’re not going to be on fire as a QB.
Have you seen what hes been working with…
A true MVP candidate QB would have found a way to elevate those around him and would have won the game. We are paying out the nose for a high-level game manager. You are absolutely right to be concerned. The problem is that there is a lot of the fanbase who thinks the guy walks on water and aren’t honest about who he is. This team can only have a serious playoff run wit him at QB if the team is stacked with talent and that ain’t happening with John and Pete at the helm. It is what it is. We are a wildcard (at best) playoff team till we make serious changes.
Carson and Prosose both have ending season injury. Injuries destroyed our SB chances at the end of the season.
Duane Brown will have knee surgery, and probably out for year.
Brown is going to have knee surgery.
Oh, so they going RB in the first 3 rounds.
So Carson and Brown need surgery, Lockett is still hurt and Clowney still has his hernia.
Diggs has a high ankle and Shaq has a soft tissue issue
It was a good run but no Way theyāre beating Seattle and theyāre not beating GB/Min on the road
*San Fran
More blows for the Seahawks: Seattle HC Pete Carroll said RBs Chris Carson and CJ Prosise are out next Sunday night vs SF and OT Duane Brown needs knee surgery.
From Adam Schefter
Last I heard Carson and Prosise are both gone for the season.
Oh wow. Just heard the injury reports mentioned here. Our goose is cooked. Sad that it had to end this way.
It’s looking like my 11-5 prediction for the year is sadly going to come true. I was starting to get greedy until the shyt really started to hit the fan of late.
Sadly this does appear to be the case. I said 10-6 but I think a margin for error of one win is always fair either way. And they’re likely going to end up 11-5, one win better than last season. This year promised a lot as it developed but how far along they actually are compared to a year ago is debatable.
I predicted 8-8 so you guys had a lot more optimism than I did. The talent just isn’t there and it’s been noticeable all year. No speed, explosiveness, physical tone setting, or hitting on defense. Offense is coming up inconsistent as they always tend to do at the end of the year.
I think I went 7-9, but I’m a jerk.
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Inconsistent at this time of year ? Most were saying here the Hawks would catch fire late as they have in past years.
The beginning of the year I said this was a 11-5 team. I also said they were not a Super bowl team but they were a playoff Team. It really feels like it. I like to hope that with all the new guys playing can only get better for next year. I like to remind everyone that maybe playing on the road will help them surprise everyone. One can hope but it could be more like the 2012 where we win one and lose the 2nd in a nail biter. Then next year we win it all. Go Hawks!
Russell Wilson got kill out there today. He took one of the hardest blindside sacks, I’d ever seen him take. We all lucky take he isn’t injured. The next two games with this Offense Line is going to be scary.
A year of close wins, promise and finding a way is threatening to end with a whimper.
Merry Christmas š
//fUck
Maybe we just need to be on the road. It would be a daunting task but it has been done before. Hell we have played better on the road then at home anyways. A side note is, if Minnesota wins there next two games (which they are favored in both) and we lose to the 49ers we will be the 6th seed.
If you can’t rush the passer, function on offense and are missing multiple starters — I’m not sure home/road really matters much.
Well Rob, you’re generally the realist in the room, as opposed to the irrational fan boys (pardon the redundancy). They will often say something along the lines of “With RW we can beat any team.” Well, one against 11 ain’t good odds. This team has had a marvelous over achieving year, aided by gutsy players getting some genuine breaks that allowed the string of marginal wins. The team we saw today, yes, injury riddled, but regardless, is who this team is. I wouldn’t characterize the next two games as bloodbaths, but they will look very much like the game today. The next two games will be against teams with better individual talent, and better coaching staffs top to bottom. They will have a clear vision of what’s ahead of them and will be correspondingly highly motivated. We’ve got a proven championship head coach, but his supporting staff is not at the level we need to repeat the glory years of a half decade or so back. They appear incapable of scheming to fit the talent available rather than the talent they wish they had. Pete all but took over the job of DC tonight as could be seen on the TV coverage. Up to this point I thought that Schotty was having an improved year, mixing his plays and, for the most part, giving his squad a fighting chance within their abilities. Today he fell flat in not adjusting to the players he had available. I missed some of the game but it’s hard to remember if there was a single slant pass to negate the stout D rush (just one example of several alternatives that could be made). we’re down to mid grade players with mid grade coaching and we’ll get less than playoff quality performance.
But, even with that somewhat gloomy outlook there is still some play to be enjoyed. R. Green is showing very nice individual growth. Homer, out of necessity, is showing he might have the talent to perform if the system plays to capitalize on his abilities. D’calf should develop into a top notch receiver (he’s already close). Lockett still has his career in front of him with some help. There are other individual performances to look forward to, just not to blossom this season. With some off season development and augmentation of talent on both player and coaching staffs next season could be what we actually wish we had.
For all that today was uber frustrating, it was still a decent, and mostly entertaining, year. Lots of room for debate, some sparkling highlights, and the development of some foundational players. Let’s hope JS and company has a fruitful offseason getting the most out of the assets they to invest.
2 questions: who is out there for RBs to sign? And should we know discuss the possibility of RB in the 2nd/3rd?
Alex Collins maybe? D’Onta Foreman or Thomas Rawls? Don’t know if there are any published lists out there of current FA’s
I tell ya this: I’d take a one-and-done playoff game this year just to see Marshawn in a seahawks jersey one more time. Sorry not sorry
Do you think they’ll reach out to Lynch?
Marshawn returning has a certain nostalgic value but I think we all know it’s about as likely as snow in the Sahara.
So youāre saying thereās a chance!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-qoE13eK9E
I said the same thing about Trump becoming president.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/local/weather/sahara-desert-partly-covered-in-blanket-of-snow/2018/01/09/1ebad66e-f53a-11e7-9af7-a50bc3300042_video.html
Looks like the desert might be getting some snow! Hahaha
Let it snow… let it snow… let it snow…
Not a chance
With the way RBs went down, this reminds me of a few years back. Seattle then picked up anyone they could find and drafted RB to fill the RB “stable”. When your top 3 RBs are down due to injury and the whole identity of the offense is based upon the rush…. my way too early prediction is that they will be drafting a RB 2nd-4th round…. because they need some depth/help.
This is exactly the same problem with the TEs, they got hit hard and often by the injury bug at TE ā¦ leaving them bare boned. Really freaky stuff. I definitely can’t recall Seattle being banged up so much under PC….
And season ending injuries to center and left tackle.
It will take a miracle to defeat SF next week. Will we sit Brown, Clowney, Diggs, and Griffin essentially conceding the West and hoping for some playoff health? Carson’s loss is gut punch. Even if we had Penny, Carson is the tone setter we need, much like our previous addiction to Marshawn Lynch. We can replace Carson and Procise for the playoffs but teams are limited to four free agent additions. Will that be enough? We’ll promote Xavier Turner but have to hit the open market for running back help. I also wonder if we’ll promote Chad Wheeler since we are woefully thing at tackle. Jones is not an NFL tackle so if either Fant or Ifedi go down we’re in big trouble. It seems the coaches like Jones and Hunt but both are technicians who are physically overmatched on a team that relies on power. This game may have reset our expectations for free agency and the draft by making the offensive line a priority.
Heartbreaking end to an otherwise good season
Guys, I share all of your apprehension about next week vs. SF. SF is playing with too much confidence now, they seem mostly over the emotional hump, and, I hate to say it, look Super Bowl bound.
If not for the injuries, I fully expected the Seahawks to match up. That scenario is gone, unfortunately. It is truly ridiculous how decimated they are.
I am still holding out for an underdog’s shot. Maybe SF will be overconfident.
Their secondary is still vulnerable, as demonstrated by the Rams. And Jimmy G still crumples under pressure, if there is enough of it. He can be expected to toss at least a pick per game.
Regardless, this team has overachieved this season, and they deserve applause for doing as well as they did. Their last win vs. SF was proof of who they are, and what they were capable of.
Boss versus Jones.
/shudder
No Carson or Brown and Diggs likely to miss the rest? I’m officially hoping we lose first round lol
There has been so many positives this year, we should be excited for where this team can go in the future
We all know about Pete’s desire to establish the run, and some folks think it’s outdated. I don’t have a problem with establishing a strong running game. But I think Pete’s method of establishing a running game may be problematic from a medical standpoint.
Pete likes to run his backs between the center an guard, right into the middle linebacker. And he wants them to finish “strong,” in other words, to punish the tackler. He also wants to see the same punishing finish to runs off tackle where the running back is tackled by corners or safeties.
The problem with punishing the defense on every run is that the same runner is punishing himself, too. And even a powerful back like Chris Carson can only take so much punishment before he breaks.
This run game probably worked very well in the college game, where defenders were smaller and slower. And Pete always had the dominant offensive line as USC. But in the NFL it may just be a recipe for disaster against the speed and strength of modern defenses. And it is certainly difficult with the offensive lines that we’ve seen in Seattle.
What’s the answer? Running back by committee? Rotating lead backs?
I don’t know the answer. But the limitations of the human body may prove to be the ultimate limiting factor to Pete’s favored style of run game.
The answer was Lynch and were not going to find that again. Simple as that.
And even Marshawn’s health card expired eventually. That style of running is just brutal on the runner. Defenders get to split the load. Runners don’t.
I think we should load up on bigger guys. Instead of the 5’10” 220 lb. guys we should be getting the 6’1″- 6’2″ 230+ guys while also adding “3rd down backs”. Just because Marshawn could handle it doesnt mean every ‘tough runner’ at that size can. I want Derrick Henry’s.
I would argue our biggest coaching flaw with our running game is our tendency to want 1 guy to be ‘the guy’. Which lines up well with your point of view. We did start to go towards running back by committee but Penny got hurt pretty quick.
My point is I dont believe Carson and Penny are 25+ carry guys. Homer looks like a good 3rd down back. Carson and Penny will likely start again next year but IMO we should be changing our approach from here on out and look for a workhorse.
You’re overreacting. This is Pete’s tenth year in Seattle with this system. Has this happened before? The odds of our top three running backs going on injured reserve during the same season again are exceedingly small. By your logic all of the league’s top running backs should be on IR by now. In reality only Carson in his 16th game and Dalvin Cook have succumbed which is probably no worse than any other position average.
Henry, Chubb, Carson, Elliot, and McCaffery are all within six carries of the same workload. If you add pass targets McCaffery has had a much bigger load than Carson.
Here’s a link to RB stats for 2019.
https://fantasyfootballers.org/rb-running-back-nfl-stats/
After scouring the net I can’t find any rumors about Hamdan’s possible replacement. Has anybody heard anything?
Probably don’t have any rumors to talk about yet, since it just happened and we’re rolling into the holidays. Really bummed to see Paopao not returning though, TE has been a really solid position since he came on and he’s also a pretty outstanding and underrated recruiter.
Yeah, you gotta be careful because you never know when a person is going to become your boss. Regardless, Lake and Paopao apparently don’t mesh which isn’t a reflection on Paopao, it’s just part of the coaching biz.
Concerns about focus + execution?
Regardless of injuries, thought they put on a shit show: flat/uninspired/sloppy with no sense of urgency. Inexcusable.
IMO, they need leadership as much as talent. That alpha that checks you, leads by example, holds everyone accountable. Less Carroll/Wilson/Wagner, more Clark/Lynch/Kam.
I couldn’t agree more. Posted earlier Carroll is not a true motivator. For years he had Kam, Sherm, Earl, and doug all vocal guys that held their teammates to a higher standard. Pc didn’t have to do it, now he does, and he is failing.
Carroll needs a bad cop.
totally agree. again, the BAMF seems to be missing in a big way. I always have missed Breno Giacomini. I hope they find some similar o lineman that can pass block as well
People donāt half talk rubbish after a loss.
in a span of 2 games, our defense got old. you can add LB and RB to our team needs for the offseason.along with o line, TE, receivers and pass rush. Time to protect Wilson as best we can right now specially from himself. I am all for addressing the offense via trades and f.a.. Hopefully enough of his prime left to make it matter
What a bizarre game.
An avalanche of player loss culminated in a complete lack of focus.
At some point I saw Russ dejecting (for him at least) on the sidelines. They lost their identity, and couldnāt overcome. Pretty hard to play in synch with that many moving parts.
Iām with Rob on not focusing on the one fourth and one play on the second drive. They took a penalty on the FG attempt and with how many they took elsewhere on the game, I wouldnāt have been surprised if they blew a fourth down attempt as well. The third and three run play off LT with a fourth string RB behind backup left OL after the fake punt was a waaaay worse decision.
Doesnāt matter when you canāt stop a backup QB or affect his game in the least.
What this game showed me was how scary good Ariz will be in a few years. Murray looked like 2012-2013 Wilson running and passing, Their team defense looked very good on the DL with excellent pass rush and their own fast LB and Budda (ET) Baker. They even have a good RB.
It looked like Seattle was playing the 2012-2013 Hawks today. It looked like Arizona used Seattle’s team building approach these past several years.
They’ll win next week on the sheer will of Russell Wilson. This is his comfort zone… prime time…all the marbles on the line. After that…I don’t got much faith. Carroll’s teams are always built for a defense to carry the o. If jadavion comes back…it could happen….see first San Fran game . Today the problem was the poor play by Wilson. ..we sink or swim with him.
The problem today was NOT the poor play of Wilson. He did as well as could be expected considering he was constantly running for his life with 2 seconds to throw. You put any QB (Brees, Rogers, etc) behind that porous OL using 2nd and 3rd stringers, and NO running game threat, and they would not have done any better.
I lay this more on the injuries to the OL , RB, and Clowney, and the suspensions. It has nothing to do with playing on the big stage. Their success next week will depend on getting their starters back, which won’t happen because most of them are out for the season. I expect a loss next week.
Russ doesn’t have the talent to will a team to victory like elite-level QBs do. You will be sadly disappointed next week. We are gonna get killed, Russ will put up a stinker and then have his typical cheery post-game press conference. The season is over. Our Superbowl window is completely shut. It is what it is.
Sean — I’m not going to have a go at anyone for being a misery guts after yesterday. But there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Last time I checked, we are in the playoffs, with the chance of a seed, and if not with a game @Philly. So, no, we have at least two other games, and Jerry Jones probably has not (btw, thank you, football santa!).
Another idea… next time, we will not hype the DL or OL for a good day at work, so that we don’t need to verbally slaughter them if the shit hits tbe fan.
Sean,
LOL. Sean would rather have Krieg or Hassleback running the show.
Russ is elite. Once in a generation QB and the first elite QB the franchise has ever had.
Russ is an above-average QB that has been on a stacked team. He’s a bit better than Hasselback (who would shred the NFL with these rules) but not much. I get it though. Being honest is tough. Having a Pollyanna, delusional perspective helps one deal with the difficulties of life. So you do you, Romeo. Pretend that Russ is a superstar. Act like losing in the Wild Card round is the same as winning the Super Bowl. Reality is tough and I get why delusion is more comfortable.
SeanMatt, stick a Turkey leg in it. Nobody wants to hear it.
This season is over. We will be very fortunate to win another game. Time to focus on the draft, free agency and, next year. Rob, you were right. This is team with many flaws. You have been saying and articles, over and over all season long. Next year will be better, fingers crossed. Go Hawks!
P.S. Thank You, Rob for all the hard the work, you put in everyday for us.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
It’s not over. You may be right that we won’t win another game but hey we still have a shot at the 1 seed and/or the NFC West. Who wouldn’t want this chance, this late, despite the odds? I thought we looked like a 7-10 win team going into the year. They have exceeded my expectations. We are in the playoffs. Just enjoy the ride.
Meant to say this before, but I can’t for the life of me begin to comprehend starting Jones at LT over Fant, especially facing Chandler Jones.
We love the 6 OL lineup, short at TE blah blah blah. That is an inexcusable mistake. Jones is completely overmatched physically even at Guard, he was exposed there after his first stint earlier in the year
Sorry, but to load all the rubbish at the doorstep of a guy who basically plays his rookie season and had his first start at the most complex position in pro football is missing the point.
Fluker sat on his arse two times.
Ifedi…. I counted numerous missed assignments, and he is helpless vs speed rushers. You can also not move Fant to left, because he is acting RT with two heavy G inside.
Only Iupati and Hunt were playing to their potential.
Duane Brown is the band aid holding this unit together. I guess, he was playing injured for a couple of weeks, because his play was trending downwards. There is a better-than-50% possibility he is calling it a career. Having no developed replacement shows how bad OL development is with this franchise.
Why is there a better than 50% chance heās calling it a career?
Why do Seahawks fans just start making things up every time thereās a setback?
Itās as simple as this ā- we have too many injuries and we got spanked by the Cardinals. We donāt need to make stuff up to try and force other arguments.
This has nothing to do with a setback. I said the same weeks ago when we handed the Vikings their arses.
I also don’t want to loose Brown.
But every year of pro football is a gift, the more the elder a player gets. This type of muscular injuries will only amount, with all thinkable follow-on injuries. He will have to choose between another season and a life in pain.
I think, Duane is a smart guy. He will take responsibility for himself and his family.
You made an assertion that there’s a better than 50% chance of him calling it a career.
Either back up statements like that with facts and info or don’t bother making such claims.
Simple.
Yes the OL was bad across the board last night, it we saw Fant at LT earlier this year and looked quicker and more fluid than Jones did. It was a calculated gamble on the the teams part, clearly they wanted to preserve their 6 OL flow, I think it was a mistake.
I’m just dejected. I get injuries, but this is a gut punch to a somewhat promising season. I hope there is a core here that adds some playmakers in the offseason. But this went from a special season to a waste in 2 weeks of injuries.
** and suspensions.
Let’s not let Al Woods and J Gordon off the hook, both used PEDs
The way pats dropped gordon makes me think that his suspension was known for awhile. I’m sure the seahawks took a flier on him knowing theres a good chance he gets hit. Woods tho is an underrated loss. He was a good rotational DL.
This is a tough pill to swallow. The whole season has been exhilarating and fun to watch. Seeing all the close wins made me think this could be a season of destiny. Now injuries have really deflated our chances, and we have to make each year count because our division is stacked. Iām not expecting much from this point on. If we win again it will be exhilarating, but if not, oh well.
Thereās still a chance though. If we get our defense back and Clowney balls out, we get some turnovers, and Russ pulls a rabbit out of a hat, we can win, and with a Packerās loss tomorrow, we can still get a bye to get more healthy and hope Duane Brown can get back. Obviously, the loss of our backs is massive. However, maybe Homer can step up and Xavier Turner can channel his inner thomas Rawls and make something happen. We canāt give up hope but even if they lose, which is likely, it sure has been a fun season.
Last thought. Since o line is really banged up, why not try to get Ursua out there? He has the strengths of getting open quickly and finding soft spots. I think it will be hard to run the ball a ton successfully, and then go deep on play action. I think they should do what they did against Pitt and get quick passes flowing to Ursua, Lockett, Homer, and Hollister. Doubt t will happen, but I think it would be worth a shot. Got to keep Russ uptight. Go hawks.
I wonder if reedās market will Be small.
Why not hire Thomas Rawls? They also evaluated Nick Brossette, formerly LSU, a couple of weeks ago.
Hello darkness my old friend…
…the Browns and Bengals fans know darkness, this is hardly darkness for the Seahawks.
I chose to look at this as a way to see what some of the young guys have… season isn’t over yet,
I hope we draft Cam Akers. I think it would be a good complement, Carson, Penny, Akers and Homer.
It would be cool to get a fb/te/hb hybrid. Really freaky to lose all three running backs, guess we just need to address it in the third or fourth. This could of happened to anyone
I am a huge USC fan.
Ivan Lewis was known for causing injuries among players when he worked with Pete Carroll. Then he went to the huskies where they realized that Ivan had an issue with injuries around their players. He then followed Sark to USC, where they struggled with injuries until 2018. So to recap, everywhere Ivan Lewis has gone, there has been severe injury problems. Many have questioned his injury prevention ideas (if you are familiar with USC or UW message boards). Yet somehow we hired him? When I saw that he got hired, I audibly gasped because I thought it would be the end for the Seahawks cause everyone was going to get hurt. But then I calmed down because I realized I overreacted, no one person can make that much of a difference right?… After what I have seen maybe I didn’t… I did not fully buy into the strenghth and condidtioning coaches causing injuries, but after seeing it happen in 4 straight football regimes, I can no longer state the sample size is negglible. Seems like there is something wrong with Ivan’s strength and condidtiong training everywhere we go.
Ivan the Terrible is on our staff?
Strength and conditioning is my profession and I can tell you with absolute certainty that nearly all soft tissue injuries can be mitigated. There will always be flukey things that happen that you can’t avoid, but the type where a dude pulls up with a Hammy when he is untouched are 100% preventable. Structural injuries (ankle injuries, broken bones, etc) you can’t really do anything about.
The problem in my experience has always been time. If the HC doesnt allow enough time for good workouts, not much you can do. Likelwise some coaches allow for good workouts, but expect it to all be focused on getting bigger, faster, stronger. That type of workout is much different to an injury prevention workout. No, they aren’t mutually exclusive, but there is a trade off where it becomes much less effective for injury prevention.
Then there are just plain outdated and bad philosophies. M<y personal vendetta is against static stretching (everybody get a spot on the field and sit down and touch your toes). There is all kinds of research out there showing how bad static stretching is for you and how much better dynamic warmups are for preventing injury and turning on the muscles. Its incredible to me how resistant to change some older S&C guys are. They have the mindset of "it worked for 30 years when I was playing" or something like that.
So aggravating to see.
Thanks for this perspective makes me even more depressed. I really hope they fire him.
I completely agree that having our top 3 RBS go down in such short order is freakish (though not like we haven’t seen the team rather snakebit on that count at least once before in recent years). Still, it has been an entertaining ride to this point, and they exceeded at least MY preseason expectations.
But, the final act has yet to play out, and JS has plenty of lattitide to shoot for a touch of off-season magic. I favor the FA route to address any OL issues and the edge rush. Sink those day one/early day two picks into weapons to put around Russ (unless one of those *too good to be belived* things falls into our laps). Later picks for depth, speed and pure orneryness?
Lots of data to be amassed (Senior Bowl, combine, etc.) Before discussions on position groups, much less specific players, but my attention hasn’t wandered with a couple of losses. I call it glorious to have lived through the Schneider/Carroll era. Go Hawks..Forever!
My instant reaction is just sadness.
This brave and resilient team deserved better than to have its glorious fighting season end prematurely as they lose close to half of the roster while being the 1st seed in the NFC with 2 home games left on the season.
This may not be a SB worthy roster but with all hands on deck They could have given any team a tough run for their money.
As we look ahead, If we can keep Clowney and Reed, I think we can do ok with Green, Reed, Ford and Clowney on the DL. A rotational speed rusher would be a great addition but I think we have more urgent needs for our FA cap dollars.
I am sorry to say but have very little faith in rookie Offensive Linemen especially those drafted outside the top 15. We need an OL that can pass protect in addition to run blocking and this line is not it. They only way to upgrade this line for 2020 is to invest money in it and bring a player or two close to their prime. We may need to take a hard look at Brown, fantastic player but possibly reaching the end of his physical time…
The next step depends on the answer to- Dissly, fluke injuries or fragile? If the answer is not full confidence – TE is next on the list.
Next on my priority list is a quality nickle corner followed by drafting WR3.
We can afford keeping Reed & Clowney, upgrading the OL (A guard/Center or two) and a solid nickle in FA. The rest will need to be drafted or traded for.
Great post!
I think they need much more than that cast of D-liners. Clowney and Reed, fair enough. Green has taken a step forward. Ford and Jefferson have had their moments. But this team simply does not have anywhere near enough speed and twitch in its pass rush. An additional speed rusher isn’t just a preference it’s a must — if not two. Seattle struggles as badly as any team in the league to create pressure. It’s the single greatest hindrance in preventing them from taking a step forward and must (and will) be addressed.
I agree on rookie O-liners. There are some I like (Isaiah Wilson, Cesar Ruiz) but experience and quality on the line is vital. They’re also going to be picking in the 20’s it seems so the top O-liners will likely be gone. I don’t see why people are thinking Brown is reaching the end of his physical time. Yes he’s older but so was Whitworth. Brown has played through pain at a high level. I think they can rely on him for at least two more years.
They must (and will) add at least one TE and one WR.
Both lines need to do much better in pass rushing and pass protection.
On the DL – Ford and Green, even Reed should do better next year (all young and growing). Clowney with a full off season should be fully integrated and give his best on week 1 rather than week 10. Even Griffin will be better….
On the OL – No starter will be better next year, they will all be worse to some extent, it’s only a question of rate of decline….
That is why when push comes to shove I see the need in FA as OL first, DL second…hopefully we can budget both in…
Griffin is just a player they’re rolling out to try and find some — any — speed. Their use of him is a tip to what will be one of their major priorities in the off-season.
The pass rush is inept, inadequate and there’s absolutely no chance the answers are already on the roster. This unit will get serious attention in the off-season.
Whatās a better matchup for the Hawks?
-Win NFCW and get 3 seed then face 6 seed Vikings at home
-Lose and get 5 seed and then go on road to face 4 seed Eagles
I tend to think option 2. If GB beats the Vikings tonight I would actually prefer if the Hawks last next week and went on the Road in Rd#1 to play the Eagles.
Well, luckily I doubt the guys in the locker room are saying the season is over, and as long as they are getting dressed up and heading out to play some football the next Sunday, maybe we should save the eulogy in good taste.
Arizona is heading in the right direction as a team, and I see them a lot like I saw the 49ers last year, loaded with high talent/high draft picks just needing some confidence to be a really scary team.
Certainly I feel like availability (injury history) needs to be a bigger part of team building, but itās freakish bad luck that caused the team to be so decimated at the end of this regular season. Iād love to say itās something easy, off season training too hard, or too physical of practice, or needing a different training staff, but for the most part I believe itās just really bad luck, ( and some players that have just been habitually injured) to be this injured at this point of the season.
There will be a whole off season to postulate how to avoid being the most injured team in the league in coming years, but for right now Iām more interested in how to put a rooster together on short notice to compete this year. Chris Warren 3 would be my first call, heās a bruiser that looked like a pretty damn fine fit for the Hawks in pre season, and at 6ā2ā and 250 pounds maintains that bully the team dreams of being.
Jonathan Cooper, Austin sefarios Jenkins, Sammie Coates, havenāt had the careers youād have suspected they would, and might have some ball left in them. Iād be really interested in what retreads the members of the blog think could contribute for a playoff run.
If this blog had a different format, I’d post a Monty Python picture, “I’m not dead yet…”
We still have 2 more games to watch (although maybe not enjoy) and it’s the NFL so you just never know how guys show up any given week. That said, I expect to carry two more losses into the offseason, BUT there’s plenty of silver lining:
1) This was never the season we had all the pieces in place- Rob and others (self included) predicted 10-6, Hawks exceeded expectations.
2) Now we get lower picks in the 20’s
3) Injuries to Clowney, Brown, Carson, Diggs aren’t catastrophic. They’ll be ready to go by OTA’s
4) Reed hasn’t done enough to garner a massive contract (could be bad if you were hoping for a nice Comp pick)
5) Losing sucks, young guys will remember how close they came and what it takes to play a full season.
6) Going to be a fun offseason on this blog with so much cap space and draft capital.
Would love to see the money spent on the DL and offense built through the draft:
R1- WR
R2- C (cutting Britt)
R2- TE
R3- RB
R3- OL/DL
“Bring out your deeead!” *dink*
“I’m not dead yet, I feel fine. I think I’ll go for a walk”
To say they overachieved and that they weren’t quite equipped to contend yet is basically saying they won’t contend in the next few years. With the amount of turnover coming this offseason, 2019 was actually a small window to make a quick run before a possible full blown rebuild upcoming. This isn’t baseball-
I’m not sure what you’re reading- but this is a terrible take.
What core players are they potentially losing this year? They have cap room to retain/sign anyone they choose and a stockpile of picks. How are you supposing they’ll be worse next year?
They had to add Clowney, Diggs, and Gordon in-season just to get to where they are. Both Diggs and Clowney can be credited with a win- without them, we’re likely 9-6. If they stayed healthy all season, we’d be contending.
Clowney played week 1 so I don’t see how he was added in season.
Talking about how they have a stockpile of picks and lots of cap money would be great if any of their current rookie picks outside of No Hands Metcalf were making solid contributions and they didn’t have so many free agents to be. There are so many moving parts, the cap money will get swallowed up quickly just to retain some of their free agents and other signed to fill out the roster. They currently have a bad Oline and a bad Dline with atleast 5 of those starters up for new contracts. I don’t see how they will be improved next season over this one with that amount of turnover while trying to get remarkably better on both sides in the trenches.
I said before the season that I expected 11 wins with an outside shot at 12 if things fell right. Well, here we are.
Injuries are a real thing and they suck. If SEA has any shot at winning this week or in the playoffs, it will fall on Russ and the offense. Play like the MVP candidate from early in the season and they have a shot. I have no expectations going into the next few weeks.
SEA is such a weird team this year. As easily as I could see them losing the next two weeks, I could also see them catch fire on offense and squeak by a few teams. The NFC is still so wide open, and I don’t believe any team will waltz through the playoffs. Obviously I hope GB loses tonight and that opens up a sorely needed first round bye opportunity. I don’t think it will happen though, as GB always seems to do everything in their power to tick me off.
In Russ we trust ladies and gentlemen. Go Hawks.
I said they would be 11-3 heading into the Cardinal game but end up with a plethora of injuries losing their whole stable of running backs while Pete Carroll would continue to coach like he has a decent defense instead of relying on his strength, the offense. Well….here we are.
Prescient. Do you have any future lottery guesses I could have?
I have no idea if Marshawn is in shape at all or has anything in the tank even if he is but wow an reunion would be interesting to say the least. I thought it was just wild speculation but I guess not.
Beastmode coming back and Hawks going on a playoff run would be a storybook ending to a pretty crazy year. Highly unlikely but given it is the Xmas season one can dream.
I’m here for it.
As Rob points out the loss yesterday was due to the enormous amounts of injuries -and nevertheless they were at times tantalizingly close. If we stop drake immediately responding with a touchdown? And later ….anybody else had the feeling they were one or two catches or interference calls away from 20-20?
This already has been an astonishing and very pleasurable season. They outperformed their talent. They reached the playoffs again…and were very close in reaching a first seed, a bye…in the second year of the transition.
When the development of players finally caught up with the outperforming -the injuries struck. It started with locket …who has not been back at his best level yet. Then we lost penny -who could have taken snaps from carson -and maybe kept him from getting injured? Then diggs -and with him we lost the safety that made the whole secondary look …actually great? Gordon was the third receiver that could have made us a good passing team if and when necessary. Without clowney our pass rush cannot be good enough. And without woods the run defense is diminished. Is it a wonder we lost?
As always the commentary here is valid and interesting. Yes i believe also that the running style carrol wants needs a committee approach. We need three good running backs. That is better for the team and better for the individual athletes. We should resist the temptation to anoint an every down back. (We also should develop the run game accordingly. SF is the model.)
The comments about our strength and conditioning staff and injuries worry me.
I think we will be even better next year. The young players will keep developing. We are ia very good position when it comes to free agency and the draft. We have a specific unique way of playing, a great culture, a fantastic gm and coach and a qb who will be the best in the league for the next ten years.
The biggest problem is that we are in a terrifyingly good division. The nfc west will be the best for years to come. That will put a first seed out of reach …. forever.
Is this season over? No. I am not optimistic when it comes to our chances against sf next week. We will in all probability lose that game. But i see us winning against the eagles. And if we heal up -and meet sf again -we could surprise them.
Realistic out come? A first round win. Against the odds? A third super bowl presence in the schneider and carrol era.
Go hawks.
My Xmas wish for Pete is that he is more aggressive from hear on out and trusts to offense on 4th and short instead of the kicking game. I love Pete and know it is in his DNA as a defensive coach to punt or kick and trust the defense but this squad needs the offense to lead and protect this D.
I know this may be unpopular but I feel we need to address the RB position in the draft this next year. Carson got injured again…and has had fumbling issues. Procise got injured again. Penny never really showed that he could be a tough SOB at all….and this injury will probably hurt his confidence when he comes back. All this and Pete is an ‘establish the run coach’.
For our offense to work properly I believe we need TWO Carson types for the very reason that just happened last night. I know you can’t bank on assuming injuring but shouldn’t we get a 2nd round RB with one of our two 2nd round picks this year?
argh..
I actually am super excited about the prospect of next year’s team. We have a pretty young team and they have all had some really good experience this year. JS/PC have some tough decisions to make in the draft and in free agency but we have a good young nucleus with a good GM and some money to spend.
This is the perfect draft to address the WR and RB need. I can’t remember a draft where I liked more of both position in the first 2 rounds.
This is what I feel like is happening. Correct me if I am wrong. Teams are limiting Russ’ choices. Lockett may not be as healthy as he was earlier in the season (?) but Defenses are keying in on him and forcing Russ to throw to other receivers who just are not as good. Hollister had the most targets in the first half. Lockett was only thrown to once. In the second half, Russ targeted Lockett 11 times and he only hauled 1 of those in. I am not sure that Russ has the confidence in his other receivers. While losing Josh Gordon does not seem like much-since he only made a small contribution-he is a top tier WR that defenders had to keep an eye on. DK, as good as he’s been at times, is not consistent. Jacob Hollister has had some clutch moments but he’s not Gronk or Jimmy Graham. He’s not even Will Dissly. Russ doesn’t have the weapons that he can count on. He is really missing Dissly and more so missing Doug Baldwin. I don’t claim to be an expert armchair QB here but this is just something I have noticed in the last few games. Anyone?
I think most of on SDB would agree that we need another weapon at both the TE and WR positions.
Iād definitely agree to that, but wouldnāt necessarily think they have to be the first two selections in the draft. Iād say it more than a moderate concern that Chris Carson canāt stay healthy, and as much as it kills me to say it, I wouldnāt break the Bank for him. There are a lot of good backs in this class.
My take on the game wasnāt a lack of offensive weapons, it was a lack of protection which isnāt a surprise given 2-3 starters on the Oline missing during the game. Iām firmly in the retain Ifedi, and hopefully Britt given health camp. Itās a real bummer that Haynes and Simmons havenāt scene the field or been healthy.
Rob,
Thank you for your work and effort each week,. we all appreciate it.
I am thinking the Hawks should take a WR that can get separation in the 2020 draft in R1, I am also thinking the Hawks need to load up on OL and DL. The OL was ranked near the bottom which needs to be fixed.
In your opinion, is it the lack of talent on the OL, or is it the lack of quality coaching that is the problem?
I think the OL is too injured. Any line will struggle without the experienced starting LT and C.
Yes, lately the OL problems are increased because of the injuries. What is troubling is even when they are healthy, the OL is ranked well below league average. With OL coach Cable gone, that helped. But the OL is still not performing as it should, either because of lack of talent or lack of coaching. I don’t know which.
I’m not really concerned with where they’re ranked by groups like PFF. To me they’ve been a massive improvement in 2018 and 2019. Wilson has had two of the best years of his career and the run game is back in business.
Love the blog Rob. Thank you for all your work. What linebackers do you like for the Seahawks? Iām not sure if BBK is ready to start next year but I think Barton will.
Thank you
Merry Christmas and Go Hawks
I canāt see them adding linebackers to be honest after last year. But it depends on the way the group tests. They have a very specific type.