Having started the season with two unnecessarily narrow victories, the Seahawks needed to clean things up to continue their unbeaten start.
Today, the opposite happened. Things got worse. A lot worse.
Let’s run through the list of horrors:
— Giving up a punt return touchdown for the first time in four years
— Chris Carson fumbling again and seeing it returned for a touchdown
— Failing to convert on 3rd & 1 and 4th & 1, followed by a Saints scoring drive
— An illegal formation turning a missed field goal into an extended scoring drive
— Recover a fumble, give up 15 yards because someone on the sideline ran onto the field
These are just the highlights. I know there are more.
You can’t make this number of mistakes, give up this many cheap points, fail to execute this badly and expect to beat anyone.
Seattle saw a New Orleans Saints’ team minus Drew Brees and brought their own equaliser to the game — a truly wretched performance.
This will be a long week for Seahawks fans. You’ll hear a lot of people questioning this team. People will question Pete Carroll and his philosophy.
Criticism of the staff and the players is fair. Whether it was poor preparation, execution, decision making or play-calling — this was a terrible performance.
Yet this was also, in a perverse kind of way, a classic illustration of Carroll’s message. The Seahawks out-gained the Saints by 250 yards. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 177 yards. The best player on the field was a running back (Alvin Kamara). The Saints didn’t win by throwing it all over the yard. They won because they played three phases of football well and the Seahawks didn’t.
And how often has Carroll highlighted the importance of that?
Little things like being superior on special teams and winning the turnover battle matter sometimes. Especially when it leads to cheap points.
It might be a good thing for some fans to endure this loss. Re-adjusting expectations after a 2-0 start could provide some benefit down the line. They were lucky to be 2-0 and based on what they’ve shown through three weeks, had no right to be unbeaten.
They’ve lost a lot of experience and quality over the last two years. They still have an extremely good quarterback and some other big name players. This isn’t a complete roster though — far from it. There are band-aids and young players everywhere.
And there’s perhaps a greater problem I want to come back to later.
This team will provide some exhilarating wins, just as they did in 2018. They’ll provide some extremely frustrating losses too (again, just as they did in 2018).
This probably won’t be the only game where you’re cursing at the TV or yelling from the stands.
A 2-1 start would’ve been approved by most fans before the regular season. This loss will feel jarring because it was Bridgewater not Brees and the Seahawks were awful. Yet this wasn’t a playoff game and they get to play again next week.
The Carroll Seahawks have always been frustrating early in the season and liable to lose a game or two they shouldn’t. They also improve. They need to improve now.
That doesn’t mean Carroll avoids criticism. Playing this poorly so early in a game will always lead to a finger being pointed at preparation and the attitude of a team. Did a 2-0 start and the knowledge of Brees sat at home in Louisiana go to their heads? If there was any complacency the staff bear responsibility — especially when the weekly message is a determination to focus on going 1-0.
A coach has to have his team ready to play. The Seahawks bumbled their way through the first half and dug themselves a hole too great to climb out of.
That happens sometimes though. So I want to come to the issue I said I’d come back to earlier. For a team so determined to set the tone and be physical, have they remotely achieved that through three games? The running game is nowhere near what we saw in 2018 so far. Statement moments like running in short-yardage situations — the Seahawks didn’t win those battles today.
They’ve gone with a big, hulking offensive line for a reason. Yet their two wins so far haven’t been delivered off the back of a strong running attack.
It’s not just about their running game though. Does the team have enough attitude? Seattle’s Super Bowl team was dripping with intensity. They were loaded with alpha’s who punished opponents physically. This current team seems to have a distinct lack of BAMF’s. They have very talented players. They have players who can be physically excellent. Where are the tone-setters though? Players like Kam Chancellor and Marshawn Lynch? Even a Brandon Browner or a Breno Giacomini?
Are they nasty enough? Are they capable of consistently imposing their will on opponents? Where are the hits, the pressures, the turnovers? Where’s the fear factor, the thing that opponents have to be wary of?
This isn’t to say they’re a soft, finesse team either. Nobody would dare make that suggestion about Duane Brown, Bobby Wagner and others. Three games in though — where’s the physical edge?
Other notes…
— The Seahawks are in a tough spot with Chris Carson. He’s fumbled three times in three games and that doesn’t include the botched hand-off last week. In the first half you’d be forgiven for thinking he was playing in rollerblades the way he slipping around. He’s so important at his best so you can’t bench him but he can’t keep fumbling either.
— Is there a problem with the turf? It was wet today but players were slipping against the Bengals and throughout the pre-season in drier weather.
— Tyler Lockett had 154 yards and a touchdown, Will Dissly continues to make plays as does D.K. Metcalf. Shaquill Griffin played well on the first viewing. Jason Myers is consistent. That’s about as much positivity as I could glean.
— They have only five sacks in three games and only one interception. They’re not forcing errors or creating much pressure. Where are the hits? Why is the tackling so poor? Is there a player currently starting in the secondary you could realistically view as locked-in for the long term?
— This was a weird week in the NFC. Dallas allowed Miami to last longer than they should. The Eagles were poor in a loss at home to Detroit. The Falcons mixed between sublime and ridiculous to lose against the Colts. The Giants, starting their rookie QB, went into Tampa Bay and stunned the Buccs. The 49ers turned the ball over several times but an impotent Steelers’ redzone offense couldn’t capitalise.
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On the turf, this is a new turf installed before the season. Apparently there’s a shine or sheen on it that needs to be worn off. Sounders games had issues too with players slipping.
As for the game the coaches were bad absolutely they were but you can’t pin the blame as much on them as people have been.
The players did not come to play is that on the coaches getting them prepared to play sure but there needs to be an internal responsibility by the player to get up for every game as well.
You named all the noticeable mistakes including Tedric getting a 15 yarder for coming off the bench.
Also, Tre really struggled. Especially on that short TD and the screen to Hill. On both plays which for short yardage plays Tre was playing 4/5 yards off… Why? He needed to attack those instead of playing so soft.
Russ especially in the 3rd had some really bad underthrows. On the Dissly throw up the seam of that throw is on target Dissly goes in for a TD. Then on the 4th down throw to Lockett to miss him like that. Also on 4th and 1 to check to a throw and a throw to Malik at that. The stats show that Russ had a fantastic game but he had plays that contributed to the loss but people will blame Schotty
Zero problem with Schotty here. Make throws, keep your feet, don’t fumble
What about overusing the swing pass to the left? What about the repeatedly failed sideways passing plays in the second half? Schotty deserves some serious criticism.
No coach calls a perfect game.
They were down 20 points with a QB that was 15-16, 170yds, 1 TD 0 INT.
That’s not on the play caller.
Think of how bad you have to mess up to ruin that stat line, especially with a D that was mostly playing well.
And the inside runs against the Saints??? Really? Are you suicidal? They are one of the best run stopping teams especially for inside runs.
Russ throws way better to the right btw so yeah… Short passes, screens also not working against the Saints, their LB corps is good.
I think Schotty was OK in this game. Could’ve picked up the pace quicker and play up-tempo from the start of the 2nd half. But I’m not that mad at him. PC and Ken Norton was much worse and the players were even worse.
T2 was the one coming onto the field? How about cutting him? Skip this “we love everybody, we are forgiving to all of you guys, let’s enjoy ourself” hippy-dippy bulls.ht and implement a bit Belichik-like military system, where you either do your job, not hurt the team, or you can go
Wow, this is a lot of negativity after one bad game. Did you really believe the Hawks were on their way to the Super Bowl after the first two games?
Players and coaches make mistakes, and sometimes they will cost you a game! It happens! Move on and try to do better next time. You’re ready to cut a player because he was penalized for coming onto the field to celebrate a positive play?
All is not lost. Give the Saints some credit for making a few game changing plays. Hopefully the Hawks make those plays next time. We also know the trend of Hawks teams under Pete have gone this way; slow starts but steady improvement as the season goes on.
Well based on they’re a slow starting team which started 2-0 with a potential to go 4-0 it was reasonable to maybe hope for it. Even when I saw the close games, those were because some easily fixable mistakes (like too many penalties, a couple of fumbles). I thought those were the exceptions not the trend. But it seems like nowadays the ton of penalties, weak defensive play, not able to run and giving the ball away is the trend.
I wouldn’t cut T2 because he celebrated. I would cut him because he is not a good FS, he allowed a couple of TDs and didn’t make any big plays to compensate. And even when he’s not playing and has little to no chance to hurt the team, he even managed that then.
15 yards can mean a TD or an FG, or a TD or nothing in a drive. Sometimes you have to hold, sometimes a PI is even necessary, sometimes you need to have a block in the back or sometimes an unnecessary roughness is hard to avoid. But this is a mistake that you can avoid if you have some composure. I’m not sure if it was T2 or not. If it was a key player, then bench him, fine him, punish him somehow. If it was a coach have a big talk with him.
You cannot shoot yourself in the foot. Not with the Always compete philosophy, not with the always try our best and always shoot for a win.
Dani, the seahawks are in many ways the anti-patriots, anti-belichik team in the NFl. This is by design. It is what makes them great. Its what makes them attractive for UDFA’s, free-agents, veterans. It is the core of the culture PC and JS created. And it absolutely does not mean not holding players to account -or nor competing.
I know, and this is I like them. But they might go too far. A lot of times I feel PC is just a big softy who likes to run around and having fun. Like a puppy. I like him as a dude, or public figure because of that, but I’m questioning if it’s on a level that is still working for the NFL.
I hate Belichik, but undeniably he’s the greatest coach probably ever. I think Brady is just a solid, top5-10 QB and the system made him “goat”. Put Russ into that system and he’ll be just as good as not even better. And a lot of player wanna go to NE because of their successes.
I don’t want this team to be the Patriots. But a scale of “Patriots military never smile” (0) to “PC happily running around while just having fun like a puppy” (10), I’d try to dial the later back and find a middle ground (like a 6 if Pats is 0 and current Hawks is 10).
Not sure how much PC keep accountable his staff or players
My takeaway is the massive number of mistakes is so far from clean football.
I’m not surprised the last second DL isn’t that effective, I’m not aghast at lack of talent. It’s the mistakes that are so glaring in all three games.
Despite the final score and the stat lines for a few of the players, this was an ugly loss. We can spend all the time in the world lamenting, analyzing, dissecting each snap, each player, each call, but that’s not really relevant to the bigger picture. Some of us predicted a 9-7, maybe 10-6 season, and after this showing today 9-7 almost looks optimistic. Some will write it off as “one bad game”, and maybe they’ll prove correct, but not likely.
The biggest lesson is that this is a mid-level (at best) team again this season. They got beat soundly by a team that’s been on the road for 10 days (since seeing their homes), that is a dome team that handled the rainy, outdoors better, and did it with a back up qb. Man for man comparisons might favor them with one better running back and probably right tackle and (gasp) maybe punter. After that, the talent level is fairly comparable with the Seahawks having an edge at qb. Where they shine, and why they won, is that they have a superior coaching staff, top to bottom. More innovative head coach, better DC, better OC (see head coach), and better special teams coach. Likely their subordinates are better as well. That’s not to say PC isn’t a good coach, he’s probably in the top 5-10, but his staff isn’t great enough, merely mid pack. But then, they’re his hires……….
Right now it looks like double losses in division to Rams and Niners with, hopefully, a spit with the Cards. That gives them 6 losses after today, with others likely to add to that. Bye bye bye, and most likely wild card.
I don’t really know why you used the words ‘more innovative’ to separate Payton and Carroll. Sean Payton spent the last few years re-building a running game and defense. The offense he runs is tailored for Drew Brees, one of the best to ever play the game — but is equally featuring Alvin Kamara and in previous years Mark Ingram too. They are immensely balanced. They’re not running the air-raid. I guarantee Payton was influenced by the Seahawks making two Super Bowls and then the Broncos winning one off the back of this so-called less innovative approach.
I wonder if you’re trying to pigeon hole me with the anti-run game folks. That’s not me, nor what I said. Would the word astute be more accurate than innovative? Perhaps. Payton manages his time outs better, his play mix is less predictable, and, based on outcome not intent, he doesn’t have many games where it appears a repetitive pattern of errors go unresolved. They all make mistakes, but the best curb them quickly. For example; Al Woods covers the center and cost the team big time on a ticky tack penalty. You could see him discussing it on the sideline afterward. I suspect in practice he lines up that way and nothing is said to correct it so that’s what he does in real time. Those kinds of things happen too often in Seahawk world, less so with better coached teams. As for learning from the team dynamic 6 or so years ago, that goes to my point. We had a more talented coaching team (that top to bottom thing) that got a higher level of positive outcome from the talent available. Just like I don’t subscribe to the silver bullet mentality that thinks a singular elite talent will turn a loser into a winner, I likewise don’t believe a singular elite coach can either, they still need a team around them that supports sufficiently to compliment/assist the elite behavior.
I didn’t try to pigeon hole you. Simply didn’t agree with the suggestion that Payton is more innovative and explained why.
For me they’re simply both great coaches. One today had a mare, as he’s admitted himself.
They got what they deserved. This boring do nothing first half showing has really played itself out. I watch the good teams assert themselves on their home turf while the Seahawks plan to get to half up/ down by 3 or tied. It’s horrible football to watch week in and week out. We look like Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines. Wildcard one and done looks like the ceiling once again.
And I imagine you also watch good teams struggle at home from time to time, like the Eagles today laying an egg against the Lions.
The Cowboys had a very poor start today against Miami at home.
Seattle’s had 10 years with this leadership. They’ve produced 100 wins. I’ve never been bored.
But Seattle does this all too often under Carrol. And it’s not everyone but the Coaches and Wilson’s fault; there’s enough mistakes to go around.
One thing is certain. This fumble crap has to stop. The resulting TD given up turned out to be the difference between winning and losing. (I know, it’s more complicated than that.) If Carson is going to lose games for us with bad ball security, he will find himself sitting on the end of the bench. Yielding a punt return TD was no help either. Ugh.
Thankfully I missed this game. NFL comedy at it’s tragic best.
The good news is that I was sitting next to a Miss St. fan on a flight & inquired about RB Kylin Hill. He said that Hill keeps getting better & better. Hill matches the Hawks’ measurables & is pretty electric with power from what I’ve seen. Quite a receiver too.
We’re gonna need to add another RB. Carson at his best is great. I just don’t see Seattle ponying up big at the position going forward, especially in light Carson’s recent woes. Keep the cupboard & the competition full.
I didn’t like Mike Dickson punts and/or punting coverage team. He can do lot better when I see what other punters are doing. Poor tackling which is not something you see from hawks. Pass coverage is poor so far.
I don’t have anything to add, except to say that I look forward to your analysis – especially after a loss.
You have great insight and fair criticism of the team that’s hard to find.
I genuinely think some of the issue lies with coaching and Carroll’s philosophy. I also don’t think there’s any reasonable expectation that it’ll change while he’s here. For all his faults, he’s obviously shown that he can produce great results, but I also can’t help but feel that we’re wasting some historic talent in Wilson and Wagner with a dogmatic coaching philosophy and could really use a large shot of pragmatism.
I respect your right to hold that view but Russell Wilson just had the best season of his career a year ago playing with this philosophy. The Seahawks as an offensive unit had one of their most successful seasons statistically.
It frustrates me a bit that every loss is met with these never ending discussions about philosophy. Pete Carroll has won 100 games in 9 and a bit seasons. We’ve never had success like this. And people are so quick to tell him he’s an old duffer who doesn’t know what he’s doing.
You may be right.
The only argument I’d make to your point about Wilson’s best season last year is that his entire career has been under Carroll. Last year was his best, but who’s to say it (or any other season) couldn’t have been even better were it not for a rate limiting factor in the equation.
Regardless, I’m not (and haven’t ever been) in the “fire Carroll” mob. I’m more responding to the theme in the article you wrote which I think might be more in agreement with the line of thinking you’re criticizing than you realize.
Either way, I appreciate your analysis.
He’s a 3rd round pick whose been to 6 pro bowls under Pete and 2 Super Bowls.
I don’t see a problem with the philosophy.
Right on Steve! Can’t blame the philosophy, they just didn’t execute it well yesterday. Better days ahead!
Past success does not make PC immune to criticism. It is entirely legitimate to question the coaching and playcalling (and the philosophy which underpins the same) in light of the consistent issues we have seen over recent seasons and the ugliness we have seen in all three games this year. The Seahawks’ success during the PC era (particularly during 2012-2014) has been primarily due to superior talent (a testament to PCJS’ evaluation and development), execution and the atmosphere created by PC (again giving credit where it is due). However, the in-game Xs and Os, abysmal clock management, chronic inability to start games with any type of flow, insistence on running (many times into a stacked box) for the sake of running instead of adjusting the gameplan to your personnel and those of your opponent – these are all real issues worthy of criticism. We could get away with it when we were fielding future HOFers at so many positions, but not now. There is no doubt that PC is probably the best in the game at the “soft skills” of coaching, but the in-game performance is leaving a lot to be desired.
I specifically wrote in the article that he isn’t immune to criticism and listed some complaints. Criticising is fine. Noting the success he’s had over 10 years is also a perfectly plausible response when people question his philosophy.
Tackling is attitude and to your point this Seahawk team doesn’t bring it. While they may improve over the coming weeks there is absolutely no excuse for being this unprepared for three straight weeks.
Yes they are younger but they also have veteran leadership at qb, left tackle, mlb, old, de, wr. There are enough high quality veteran players that the excuse of youth rings hollow.
A players coach is great when the team is winning. This team needs a swift kick in the ass and some grueling work in order to get match fit.
On the issue with the turf: I can remember issues with slipping in previous seasons (an away game at Carolina comes to mind). Is the issue more with a poor equipment manager?
Assuming it is with the turf at Century Link, could the problem also be exacerbated because they practice on grass at the VMAC? Almost every photo or video I see of them at the VMAC is on the natural grass fields outside, I really only see them use the indoor (turf) field when they’re filming interviews etc.
Maybe it’s time to practice on the same surface they use during games.
I couldn’t see the Saints have the same issues (OK, Kamara slipped once) as Carson. I didn’t even see most other players slipped that much. It seemed like he wore different shoes than others. Or maybe he cut harder. But this is just baaad
What exactly do you think an equipment manager does?
He does not tell players what to wear.
He’s the liaison with suppliers, ordering what they ask for, keeping things stocked and maintained.
Tackling is such an easy thing to get right. Have they moved away from the fundamentals, lack of focus on nailing the basics? Just go pony up for a rugby or League coach who can teach them how to do it properly. It’s not even an attitude thing, just learn how to do it properly.
This was just one of those Seahawks games. We’ve seen them before and we’ll see them again. Most of us would have taken 2-1 as a start to the year, this was a dumb loss but sometimes they just happen.
Rob, you said.. “Criticism of the staff and the players is fair. Whether it was poor preparation, execution, decision making or play-calling — this was a terrible performance.” Sometimes we need to just vent after a game like this and some of us are more emotional than others. Maybe tomorrow you can lay the wood on us. (:
I’m happy to do that but I also want to engage in conversation and debate. That’s also a meaningful part of reacting to a loss, talking it through.
Great plan by Saints staying in Seattle this week. Were they tipped on game plan? Were the young Hawks scared by blood from Pete’s nose?
Special teams were horrible, pass rush with big bucks ends was horrible. I liked the fight by Wilson, did not like the fight by the tackling linebackers and db’s. I do not think Kamara had fish oil on his jersey, wow that was bad tackling.
Carson was all effort, needs to realise he is not a fast runner and feel the tacklers coming from behind the runs.
Great re-cap by Rob as usual.
There was a whole lot of bad form in tackling, and a back like Kamara will expose it, which he did. Lots of grabbing, reaching, hitting with no wrapping…his yards after contact, on run and pass, were pretty darn good, I’ll wager…
Will also add… based on three games so far, the Seahawks are going to have a lot of cap space in 2020.
LOL, subtle but effective commentary.
Ziggy’s debut was a dud (not a huge surprise), and Jadeveon’s performances are getting progressively less impactful so far…
Rob – I’m guessing this is in reference to Clowney’s performance? I could be wrong, but I seem to remember there being a lot of missed tackles on his part today.
He’s always there but fail to finish. Lot of weak arm tackle, lot of almost pressure. Maybe he’ll get better. Maybe it’s because there is no real presence apart from him on the DL and they double team him a lot
Meh the constant pass to Pete at every chance sometimes seems odd. He was severely outcoached. The failure to go for 2 is absolutely baffling. Pete admitted as much after the game but it’s odd it happened. I saw a tweet from an ex nfl player and he said that might be the most basic, outdated offense he’s ever seen in the league and that it’s propped up because of Wilson and he may be right. Pete feels like Jeff Fisher but with an elite QB. I know it’s not totally fair but it’s close. Frustrating loss all around.
Not a great day for Pete and staff but…
They didn’t shank a punt that landed even with/behind most of the coverage.
Didn’t line up in the wrong spot on a FG
Didn’t fumble the ball
Didn’t overthrow an open WR on 4th down in the endzone
Didn’t check a play to the fifth WR on 4th down and over throw him by ten yards
This
Not everyone has Sean McVay or Andy Reid. I don’t want Chiefs vs Rams games like last year every week.
It’s like teams trying to play Golden State Warriors b-ball and thinking they can win.
Running the ball and playing great defense still works in this league.
There is a difference between running the ball and running the ball.
It’s possible to run the ball while you’re still amazingly creative. Just watch a Ravens game or Chiefs game. They find ways to run the ball or make screen passes work with multiple lineup with different players. I like running the ball, but for that to be successful:
A, you need to hide what you’re doing. If the opponent knows you’ll run on the B gap every time, they’ll adjust
B, The OL needs to be able to open holes most of the time
C, You need good RBs
D, You need your RBs to be able to protect the ball
E, Do no loose yards on running plays. Worst case scenario should be getting back to the LoS
F, Tailor runs to your RBs. Do not run outside wide runs with Carson and don’t try to for Penny inside vs a strong iDL
G, Get creative with multiple RBs, fakes, end-arounds, jet sweeps, pitches, screens, delayed runs, etc
H, You should have really good run blocking WRs, TEs
They might only succeed on C
Coaches don’t fumble, allow PR TDs, or line up for field goals incorrectly. My gosh there were so many “unforced errors” in this game! Even with all the errors, had they converted on the 4th down in their own end late, they may still have had a chance to win despite spotting the Saints TWO TDs on the fumble return and PR.
There seems always to be a game or two like this early in the season, and I will chalk it up to that. I am certain there will be some tough discussions on “Tell the Truth Monday.” I expect to see a better performance next week!
I agree with the great majority of points and that you made. Where I perhaps differ with you is that I have a much more optimistic perspective about this team. I didn’t expect us to really begin to blossom as a defense and defensive identity until about game 9 or 10 (just throwing an approximation out there). We have a lot of new players and personalities on the defensive side of the ball and it will take time for them to gel. There’s talent there up front. The secondary is certainly a work in progress, but I’m seeing some smatterings of improvement in certain players.
The offensive line is bothering me the most as a unit. Putting the penalties aside for a moment, it’s almost hard to believe we were the rushing team that we were last year so far. That was supposed to be one thing we could count on from them to start the season, moving the line at the point of attack, opening holes, and the like. I’d like to see some more BAMF on the offensive line.
I hate losing. But strangely enough, as sloppy as we played at times (and this must be cleaned up), I wasn’t as bent out of shape about this loss as I sometimes am by losses. I thought it a game where simply what had to happen for the Saints to win happened long enough into the game where we just never got into sync or rhythm. There were a few times in this game where we could have easily wrestled the momentum back and started to take control of the game, but didn’t. I saw this game as a teachable game, a game to learn from. I think they will.
I think what you call BAMF I tend to call leadership. We could use a little more leadership on this team. We don’t quite have that yet on the defensive line or secondary, for example, guys who will take some real ownership for the team’s play, and elevate the play of those around them.
I don’t know. I’m just a little more optimistic about this team in spite of this loss and our failure to put anything resembling a complete game together as of yet.
I concur. I have seen enough negative comments across the internet
when the Seahawks loose. I love your positive comment. 🙂
I concur as well!! There’s no question they played a very poor overall game yesterday, but still had the chops to keep fighting, and nearly got back into the game. All this despite both special teams and defensive td’s by the Saints. Gotta believe there’s better days ahead!
I’m just about done with Carson. He had been a great story, low draft pick, fights his way into a starter role, does really well…but if you are going to fumble every game you just aren’t worth it. His fumble/TD sort of set the momentum of the game, and really seemed to highlight the comedy of errors the hawks displayed tonight. They never truly recovered after that fumble.
Pete always preaches ball security, and surely after back to back weeks that had to me a major emphasis for him and it still happens? Something smells rotten.
Bench him, start Penny and procise in his place and spells with homer.
I’m starting to cringe everytime he carries the ball.
All the run plays in passing situations are killing me. I think the Hawks are averaging negative yardage on runs on second and long. Maybe it’s all setting up one hell of a play action bomb, but geez. It’s not like it’s really that great to turn 2nd and 15 into 3rd and 10, but they’re routinely turning it into 3rd and 16.
I also question the decision to run on third and six in the red zone, back when the game was in doubt. The tv guys were praising it because “you know it’s four down territory” so a shorter fourth down was a good thing… but wouldn’t you rather take two shots at gaining six than one shot at gaining four? I don’t think anybody could watch our offense yesterday and expect that a run on third and six had any chance of picking up the first.
Yes we had a terrible game.
Carson’s fumbles are concerning. I wonder what happens next.
Defense looks ok.
Special teams was not good enough.
We always have a bad game early. Hopefully we learn from our mistakes and are better for it.
2-1 is still a good start. Go Hawks!
“Whether it was poor preparation, execution, decision making or play-calling — this was a terrible performance.”
That’s what struck me most. They just didn’t execute. Basic tackling, run blocking, filling return lanes on special teams.
Nailing PC in the face with a football in warmups was a perfect metaphor for the day. Wasn’t aware of surroundings, didn’t look, etc.
Even RW had issues. The 4th down throw to Lockett in the end zone was off the mark. That’s his trademark, nailing a perfect throw at a key time to lift his team.
Part of the missing attitude (but not all) is the problems Carson has been having. He has been a tone-setter on offense. The OL knows he’s going to fight for yards, and like Lynch they’ll get energy from him. With him slipping and sliding and fumbling, the tone has been very uneven.
It just seems to me the Hawks took the game for granted. No Brees, yea. The lack of motivation starts and ends with PC. So the Hawks basically handed the Saints a win. So as I said before all streaks come to an end, and the Saints ended their losing streak in Seattle. The question now is ” can the Hawks keep their winning streak alive in Philadelphia ” later in the year..
I have to look at that play again, but RW missing TL in the end zone was, to me, not the easiest completion to make. I think we’ve gotten a little spoiled by him. He had a pass rush on the left side, and yes, he missed the pass. But it’s not like that play was to be taken like a fait acompli.
anyone else think the lack of a fullback is hurting our run game?
The negativity early in season every year is appalling with seahawk fans. Not saying its here, just in general. But I’ve seen the Patriots blasted early on for the same stuff, yet both teams come around mid season and grow into tough playoff caliber teams. Would be nice to play the jets/dolphins a few times a year to get a couple easy wins. But this is what the seahawks always do. It’s there process. And while its refreshing to see RW play great early on, the other stuff is normal now. Is it annoying? Yes, but it is week 3. And I just want health and growth week to week until they hit there proverbial stride.
Today was there complete breakdown game in the early part of the season thing that they do. It always within the first month only usually on the road. But atleast it was against the saints and not the buccs or giants. It’s the NFL, every team outside of 4 or 5 are usually playing close every week and parity is huge. But this is still a top half team, I think even top 10. We should can the fire everyone and hot takes.
Carson is the big issue so far this year. Fumbles got to stop. Waive that tiki barber magic over him. The defense seems good, just not dominant. Pass rush will.get a boost with reed. And why is everyone so high on ansah??? Isnt he the guy that has like 4 great games a year and disappears the rest? Hopefully he brings it for rams/niners. We might only be a wildcard team. Or we might be that dominant 2nd half team that walks into the playoffs with momentum.
All I know is PC doesnt panic, and as a coach that shows more in the locker room. Clean up some mental errors and beat the cards.
While I’m typing this browns taking it to the rams.
Great analysis as always Rob.
Yes, today was super frustrating but like you said, most would take a 2-1 record after the three games that the Hawks have played.
I do hope someone at a Hawks presser this week brings up the turf. Something is going on.
All we lack is talent.
That is just venting, and I get it. But hardly true.
We ended up by losing by less than seven points and yet:
Gave away seven points by lining up incorrectly as we defended a field goal.
Gave away seven points off a fumble recovery.
Gave away seven points from a missed pass in the end zone.
Dicks any single one of these things and the game could easily have a different outcome. Seattle had to come up with a perfect storm of garbage today in order to lose, and they did. As bizarre as it sounds, I’m actually somewhat encouraged in that those things seem pretty easy to clean up and if they would have been in this game, Seattle is that an entirely different place.
Not venting. I didn’t see the game & though I’d much rather win the result wasn’t a huge surprise. I believe we will be pretty solid by late season.
I wrote that thinking of our championship roster and wondering who from this squad would bump a starter from that squad.
Thomas, Chancellor, Sherman & Maxwell obviously keep their jobs. Thurmond as the nickel.
Wagner & KJ are still the same people but I would take the younger versions. Kendricks over Smith.
Avril, Bennett & Clemons remain the primary pass rushers. Too early to say if Clowney bumps any of them.
Mebane stays but I’d take Reed (sans suspension) over McDaniel.
So Reed & Kendricks bump, Wagner & KJ cancel themselves.
On Offense I’d take Lockett over Tate & probably Brown over Okung. Wilson is still Wilson.
Maybe Dickson over Ryan on teams but that’s a close call.
It was such an amazingly talented roster. Thus the above comment.
They also gave away 7 points by going for it on 4th down deep in there own territory and they gave away 3 points by not kicking a field goal on 4th and long. Those 2 decisions alone could have made the difference in this game. Then we’d be talking about the 3rd ugly win of the season.
Unless that kid Homer has something great our running back situation has become concerning. Someone who cant protect the ball becomes a liability and useless to the team. That fumble and score sucked the life out of that team. Every defense in the league will be gunning to strip that ball from Carson now that he’s a well known fumble. Start Procise and Homer next week.
Something is off and has been off for the last couple years. I don’t think it’s lack of talent or scheme. The slow starts, poor special teams execution, and lack of ferocity on defense are products of coaching and getting guys ready to play.
Pete has his own style and it works well in other ways so I realize I’m focusing on some negative here, but at some point they can’t swap out the roster and have the same problems and have us continue to blame player execution.
Also at this stage of his career, I put clock management somewhat on Russ’ hands. All elite quarterbacks know how to manage the game inside 2-minutes.
It’s frustrating to lose this way, but it’s also a key reason many of us predicted 10-6, they don’t have it yet.
We would be 10000% 0-3 vs any competent team with starting QB.
Bengals game was 21-20. They lost against the niners 41-17. 49ers got less points and scored almost double as us.
The Bills beat them 21-17. They scored less against the Bills and Bills scored the same as us (but the Bills team is still mediocre and just up and coming yet)
Steelers 0-3 also. We win against them 28-26. Steelers lost against NE 33-3. Frisco win against them 24-20 (with playing bad, Garoppolo throw 2 ints, and only 1 TD)
NOLA 2-1, with they only beat Houston by 2 points (with Brees still active) and they got massacred by the Rams (27-9).
Our 2 wins are not really wins…only for the standings and scoreboards, but it show us how “good” is this team. We can be happy with it, but this is not really a playoff team. And I’m not even sure it’ll be an SB contender next year
Lots of overreactions on the interwebs today.
Seahawks had a bad day. Nothing new. Russell had 450 yards and 4 TDs and almost got the comeback win. The season isnt won or lost in week 3.
R-E-L-A-X.
Guys, once we trade for Jalen Ramsey and Melvin Gordon we’ll be fine! 😉
I actually do want Ramsey though just saying lol.
Fair’s fair though Coleslaw — last week you were suggesting 4-0 or even 6-0. You’ve got to expect people to be very disappointed after this home defeat. And there are clearly some issues to discuss with this team.
That was trashtime “comeback” TD. Saints dominated all day, and Hawks made mistakes in nearly every drive. And it’s not new. They had similar mistakes in game 1 and 2. It’s just that the Saints are a contender team. We can beat mediocre-bad-shitty teams by a couple of points and will lose against better team by a couple of points and the best teams will annihilate us. They’ll get better by the second half of the season. But this is a 9-7 or 10-6 season at best and with 49ers playing solid and there are some other emerging teams we likely won’t make the PO. If we can beat out the niners or lions or Vikes, Eagles from the Wild Card fight we might make it, but it’s gonna be one and done again.
Optimism is a nice thing, but sometimes you get to face the facts about: penalties, turnovers, young guys, lack of pressure from DL, too much pressure from opponents’ DLs
Imagine if Brees played. This could have been a blowout. This mantra of winning in the fourth quarter is outdated. Sean Payton knew it all along, if we put a big gap it will be too late for them to come back on the fourth quarter when they wake up. You cant sleep walk 3 quarters with good teams and expect to win. I thought we learned this last yr in dallas.
This, 100%
Also 100%, you can’t win a game in the first half, but you sure ca n lose one
On a side note…. I’m bleeping so happy for Daniel Jones and the way he balled out today. I thought it was ridiculous how people were talking crap about him before and after the draft.
He may still be a bust but at least for the first game a bunch of draft analysts are eating crow
It was almost guaranteed to be a very inspired effort from New Orleans. I’m not sure Seattle was prepared for that.
NFL road teams have considerably greater intensity level following a loss than after a victory. Somehow the mainstream media totally ignores that reality. This is the reference point, regarding expectation: 54% of road teams coming off a defeat cover the pointspread…45% of road teams coming off a victory cover the pointspread.
That trend has held up for decades. Basically, if you are at home you always want that road team to be a fat cat contented team coming off a string of victories.
Instead, Seattle today was in the worst possible situation. They had an NFC Championship Game (Cream Team) opponent desperate for a victory after losing outright in an anticipated game one week earlier. The Brees injury merely added to the certainty of an inspired performance.
I bet sports in Las Vegas for 24 years. That is the type of stuff you hear all year long there in every sport. None of the local wise guys give a flip about personnel, except for college basketball where one guy is so vital. In all the other sports they laser focus on the situational aspect of the game.
It is the reason that handicapping sports in Las Vegas and outside Las Vegas are like totally different galaxies. Outside that city nobody cares about situational trends or knows the first thing about them. It is all subjective and all fixation on technical matchups. In Las Vegas the tendency is to totally ignore or devalue the physical aspects while spotlighting which team figures to be motivated or sleep walking.
Top teams on the road after a straight up defeat is one of the gold wagering scenarios in sports. The Patriots have feasted in that mode throughout the Brady/Belichick era.
Also, 0-2 road teams are notorious for putting up great efforts. That third game is so pivotal and the road aspect rallies the team together. The Dolphins never would have been that competitive today if the game had been played at home. Inept NFL teams are historically far greater investment on the road than at home.
Seattle is now a Crowd team. There is no such thing as 2-1 being a disappointment for a Crowd team. There is no such thing as tighter than necessary victories for a Crowd team. Fans assign far greater variance among those NFL Crowd teams than actually exists. Week to week details and players basically don’t matter. If you are a mid level team then the schedule tries to trick you because recent results try to suggest you are markedly superior to another Crowd team. But once the game is underway you quickly find out that is not the case. Start giving 4 points or more with Crowd teams at home and you’ll grind out a loser every single season.
If teams are going to play small ball we’re going to have problems. We don’t have a consistent pass rush to get to the QB when they take 5-7 step drops, let alone quick passes. If guys like Bridgewater can complete checkdowns and quick outs with impunity our D will be exposed. We’ve got zero inline penetration to counter it, non-existent nickel play, and we lack a head hunting safety that would make teams think twice about throwing underneath. Carroll has to solve this soon because the dink and dunkers are going to kill us with a 1000 cuts.
Other than that this loss isn’t a huge concern for me. Field conditions sucked and we had some horrible bounces. It happens.
What does bother me are all the disloyal morons already calling for Pete’s head. We’re 2-1 and haven’t come close to playing our best ball yet. Carroll will find a way to get us firing on all cylinders by midseason like he always does…
Got to be at South Carolina be Mizzou game and Javon Kinlaw is a game wrecker. He disrupted Lizzo is offense all day long. Jordan Elliott from Mizzou took over the 2nd half. He had some quick pressures that caused Hilinski to get rid of the ball.
Albert O, TE for Missouri is an absolute red zone beast. His backup Daniel Parker jr is going to be a nice 2021 draft prospect. He’s a stud blocker working on his receiving.
Well, it looks like I am in the minority but I think we played almost perfect first half on offense and on defense. Special team make huge mistake that cost us to much …
Carson’s fumble destroyed us totally. If there weren’t fumble there wouldn’t be 4 and 1 and it would be completely different game.It would be at least 7-7 at half time. We would won this easily at the end..
OL played more than good game imo. Zero sacks, and couple of huge holes for Carson which he didn’t use. One time he missed the hole, the other he sliped etc. Awful game for him and it s shame Penny was injured.
For me the biggest concerne after this match is Brown’s injury. If he really tores his biceps that would be huuuge lost for us. Much greater than this game.
There are some really positive sign for future…RW is better than ever…Locket, DK and Moore are above average WR corp with pontential to be really good…Shaquill looks pretty good so far…Uncle Will looks like first or second round pick and not 5th…defense play really good vs run most of the time…
The biggest concerne for future is pass rush and safety position…We don’t have FS, and both Hill and Mcdougald had bad misses last night…and pass rush doesn’t exist so far…Clowney, Ansah looks great on paper but on the field not so much so far…We will see how it will look when Reed comes back and when Jadeveon and ZIggy spent some time on the field…
Rams and 49’s are 3-0…If we lose vc Rams in two weeks that would be it for this season, but future is bright for us…
“If we lose vc Rams in two weeks that would be it for this season”
What exactly do you mean by this statement? Do you actually think the season is over because of 1 loss early
in the season?
Have you seen the schedule? Even if we somehow finish the division 3 and 3, I can’t see how they get to 10 wins. Too many weak spots in the team and Wilson can only carry them so far. You seem to basing your optimism on past teams and performances.
Rob, and most everyone I agree; One of those games. Typical Seahawks, who will get better as the year goes along.Ideally Jarron Reed is our BAMF who comes in and solidifies the whole defense.
Whole bunch of miscues threw this game and Carson gets one more game.
But what I wanted to comment on, which no one has mentioned, is sometimes you just got to bow down to what we all want and today we saw him,felt him and I for one could only marvel at one Kamara.
That man was a beast! Yes we lost the game but he won it for New Orleans!
That was as close to Marshan Lynch as I’ve seen, just spectacular.
Frustrating. They’re failing at all the little things and it snowballs.
They are a paper tiger. If you actually see them play, setting the tone seems like hollow talk. They lucked into some good drafts in the beginning of their run. They are clueless about how to find tone-setters or BAMFs. Its pains to say Sherman and company might be right to point they lost their way.
In any case, they need to draft better plain and simple. Their last four drafts have been mediocre at best (and I am being gentle). Not a single pro-bowler they have drafted in the past four drafts on offense/defense. Things like that are going to catch up to you. At this point, if RW goes down, this is a top-5 pick team (may be top-10 because they lucked into two wins).
Finally, Norton seems way over his head. D needs to improve fast or he will be on the hot seat.
Need to add that RW was excellent for the circumstances (rain, weather , everyone making mistakes). What was the point in making him take unnecessary hits in the last 30 seconds when the game was already lost? And is there a reason Dickson doesn’t hit onsite kicks?
I will answer one of my own question.. Dickson doesn’t hit onsite kicks because he is a punter. I meant to say Myers.
Ok this is not true…
When you say last 4 drafts you probably mean 2015,16,17 and 18 because it is waaay to early for 2019 (and it is still to early for 2018)…
2015 – Clark and Locket (both are pro bowl caliber players IMO)
2016 – Reed has played on pro bowl level last year…it isn’t his problem he wasn’t elected
2017 – for now none but i have high hope for shaquill and you have carson, moore as starters
2018 – to early , but some of the picks already looks good, like Disley, Flowers etc (we will see for Penny and Green)…
Carroll isn’t a couch who gives a chance early for young players to play…
I think 3rd season is when you can say some pick is goog or not…
Yes, 2015 found Clark and Lockett but 2016-2019 are bare so far.
2016 – Reed is above average but he is not a pro-bowler. Teams don’t have to plan around him. I am talking Michael Bennett or Fletcher Cox level, not Aaron Donald/Watt level.
2017 – Moore is No 4 (at best a poor man’s No 3) receiver on the team. Carson hasn’t had a complete (16-game) productive season. Shaqill seems to have gotten better. Its hard to evaluate him because even though he might be the best among the secondary, teams are easily targeting the other side and getting success. Where is the probowler?
2018 – Lots of mediocrity so far with hope for development. Except Dissly, who I don’t know how would have fared without the injury.
Last few years, the theme was that big balls Pete is not afraid to play young players and in fact they are better suited to his free-flowing style.
“They lucked into some good drafts in the beginning of their run.”
I know the Saints game was extremely frustrating but we don’t need to go back through time and now write off everything this team achieved as ‘luck’. You’re not ‘lucky’ when you draft two potential Hall of Fame defensive backs in round five, a superstar quarterback in round three, trade for a team legend using a fourth rounder and a bag of balls, add two of the best linebackers in a generation in rounds two and four and sign two top end pass rushers for relative peanuts. The way they built their Super Bowl team was exceptional. It is extremely wrong to look back and say it was lucky. It was no such thing.
So, at what point do they lose the benefit of doubt? Only one (2015) of the past six drafts has really found a borderline impact player (Clark/Lockett). Granted 2019 is still raw but still four out of five mediocre to bad drafts is a big enough sample size to doubt their judgement.
They never lose the benefit of the doubt. They built a legendary team. Because they haven’t been able to build two legendary teams, it doesn’t mean the first go-around was ‘luck’.
This is on PC. I love the guy, but some of his mantras are pure bullshit and some are even harmful.
Always compete, and doesn’t matter who you are, but how you play? Then why is Brown starting? Why is Jennings with the team?
Doesn’t matter how you start the thing that matter is how you finish? Yeah, because that worked…
And his redemption process is killing me… Did you fumble? Did you drop a pass? Did you drew a flag? Hey, doesn’t matter, the ball will go to you in the next play so you can redeem yourself. How predictable? Almost every time
And how hard it could be for the other coaches to prepare for NOLA?
1, They lost Brees, Teddy is OK, but he’s not a good deep passer and not as refined as Brees in his throws.
2, They like to run (although with Brees it’s a lot less, but they balanced even with Drew)
3, They have Kamara, one of the very best at his position
4, They have Thomas, who is a very good WR
5, They have a really solid front7, especially in the middle
6, Their LBs are fast
7, OK secondary, some players even good, but Apple is a big weak link
So what do you do? Play cover 2 most of the times? Put Kamara one on one? Try to run inside a lot and throw screens and passes around the LoS? Jeez
No…how about stop Kamara, stop Thomas and make Teddy beat with his arms using other WRs?
How about moving the pocket a bit, play fast, throw middle passes and rape Apple with deep shots?
They said: protect the ball, establish the run, be physical, win the field position battle, tackle well, play good ST, be good at deep passes. None of these happened.
ST? Only Amadi flashed a bit, other guys hurt the team or did not help them
Defense? How much broken tackle? Only Bobby was half solid and Griffin had a nice PBU. Basically no passrush, atrocious run defense in the front7
Offense? Still pretty mehh line play. Carson fumbled again. How much time will he fumble before he gets benched? I love the guy but this is ridiculous. He has every tool to be a top5-10 RB in the league but not if he fumbles this much. Dissly also makes some boneheaded mistakes in blocking. Really good catcher but he needs to clean his game. Blocking all together is awful, especially blocking from WR/TE/RBs. Pass and run also (but Dissly had a nice block for Cam Jordan, so he’s capable, just makes mistakes). How can the screen game be this awful? Why? Why is that other teams can easily get 4-6-10-20 yards from screens, and we are lucky to get back to the LoS?
Coaching staff needs to clean up their act. Players need to get it together. This team would have major opportunities.
Russel, Metcalf, Lockett, Carson, Penny, Prosise, Brown, Fluker, Britt, Dissly (and also Moore, maybe Ursua or Turner)
Clowney (? is he on this team? Can he tackle? He was pretty mediocre in this game), Ansah, Reed, Ford, Woods, BWagz, KJ, Kendricks, Barton, Griffin, Flowers, Lano, Blair, McDougald, (Amadi, Taylor)
Myers, Dickson
This roster has championship caliber qualities. They should’ve win 3 games by: 31-14, 28-16, 24-15
Remove turnovers, remove most of the stupid penalties, crank up gameplan and gameplay a bit and it’s not an utopia. They are their worst enemies
Rob, when you said there will be a lot of cap space next year, on which player did you aim?
Clowney?
Multiple players.
Who among those out of contract in the off-season is playing like it?
For now, nobody. But exept Clowney and Ansah nobody plays for huge money.
And I think Clowney and Ansah are two that he has in mind.
One thing not mentioned was the dreadful tackling. Iv’e never seen guys like Kendricks and Wagner both miss tackles on the SAME PLAY !!!!
And McDougald had Kamara dead to rights and tried to knock him out of bounds (or something) he looked like a rag doll vs. a steel cylinder, and he goes for the TD.
Just a dreadful performance across the board.
Another thing. The kept trying to run up the middle the whole game. Failing to try and get outside when it wasn’t working. And of course running out of time at the end of the half with 2 time outs to burn. Inexcusable.
Well, this game could be a blessing in disguise. Yes, they displayed a poor performance on the field in front of their home team supporters, which is an extension of their team. Everyone in the stadium believes that they should have won that game.
There may even be a few hand injuries that were not the result of game activities, due to frustration from the outcome of this game. Hopefully, this bitter taste that is foaming from the mouths of the entire team is harnessed to produce that nasty edge that’s lacking on the field. I saw a glimpse of that with KJ. He was pissed. I am hoping that attitude permeates thru out the entire team, coaches included.
What happened to PC before the start of the game, typified what happened during the game, getting hit in the face by their own misfires, and there were plenty to go around in the team.
So, it’s on to the desert. We shall see what affect this bitter taste has on their play, early on in the game. With 31 tackles between them, KJ & BWag have the platform to light a fire in the locker room to hit their opponents in the face instead of themselves. This will be a true test of the leadership that this team needs. That’s the only good thing about this loss.
Arizona hasn’t won a game yet. They want a win bad and they are at home.
Seattle is pissed about this loss and wants to win in Arizona bad.
Division rival. Both teams pissed. Can’t wait.
I hope they’re pissed. I sometimes love and sometimes hate PC’s puppy-mentality:
“Hey guys, it’s OK, we tried our best, nobody is perfect, we need to focus on what can we do better, blablabla”.
Nopenopenope, this team needs a bit spanking. They need to know that this is not acceptable. This game could have easily be won. Easily. A little better tackling, not letting a return TD, not fumbling, a bit more consistent passing and running. Not by a lot, just by a bit. If they’d play as last week, eliminate fumbles, eliminate stupid penalties and this game would’ve been like 34-16 to the Hawks.
How did Kam&ET&Sherm always said? Iron sharpens iron. They lost it. They need to call out some guys, need to get angry a bit (control it, so it won’t pour on the team, but a bit Angry Doug cannot hurt), they need to hit hard, run hard. I’m f’in mad. I’m fuming. Not because they lost. It happens. But because they seem content with it.
You’re not fine with losing, you don’t give up…Kamara broke some of your tackles? You don’t arm-wrap him. You get angry and you wanna lay him out.
I’m mad because they lost the fire. They are not “nasty” (not Suh-like, but Kam-like), they’re not intimidating, they are not controlling games. This needs to change or doesn’t matter how much money or draft capital will they have next year, they cannot be a championship team
Pete Carroll has never said, “Hey guys, it’s OK, we tried our best, nobody is perfect, we need to focus on what can we do better, blablabla”.
Not even close.
When they have a loss like this he’s usually very honest about what went wrong, he always takes responsibility and answers the questions that are asked.
It’s simply wrong to suggest otherwise.
Sorry Rob, but I don’t think he ever took responsibility for the Super Bowl loss.
Of course he did. He immediately said it was his fault. As did Bevell and Wilson.
What more could you/we realistically expect?
Jarron Reed….
This is who we are missing the most….and who we need to sign the most after the season.
Clowney has been OK so far but does he have a sack yet? Let’s say he gets 5-7 sacks this year….what are you willing to pay him to stay on the team?
Ansah I am not willing to scrutinize too much yet but I did focus on him this game and I’m not impressed.
Flowers in my opinion should be seriously considered as a back-up.
Both of our safeties are below league average.
Our O-line seemed to do better this game but I wasn’t really focusing on them so not really sure.
Really looking forward to Rob’s evaluation on what positions he thinks we should focus on considering it feels like we need to fill so many.
Pete acknowledged he had a bad day at the office- that’s good he’s aware. Happens to all of us. Now curious how he and the coaching staff respond. I thought the defense and offense played good enough to win overall, but lost due to special teams and over-aggressive 4th down play-calling.
Pretty much.
“It was recently reported the Jaguars turned down the Baltimore Ravens offer of tight end Hayden Hurst, a first round pick and second round pick for Jalen Ramsey.”
Well that would be my best offer too (1st + 2nd + Flowers for example or 1st+3rd+Griffin)
Chris Carson….
“Three lost fumbles in three games is extremely bad for someone who was benched in JUCO for that same issue. Stretch it back to last season and he’s had five fumbles over his last ten outings, with three of them resulting in touchdowns.”
I’m starting to get the feeling that every team we face are going to be Mike Tyson punching at the ball whenever Carson is running with it. This is starting to get concerning for me even though I have been his biggest fan even to the point of hating the Penny pick.
Should we seriously consider drafting a first or second round RB next year?
No.
Carson’s fumble was disturbing, he knows it has been an issue him yet when two players are dragging him down he puts his free hand out to break his fall rather than hold the ball with it.
I will say this about this team. It’s really difficult for me to in any way somewhat accurately prioritize our draft/trade/FA needs at this time. On the defensive side of the ball, there’s a lot to sort out when it comes to the secondary and defensive line. I have no idea who the true keepers are now, at least in terms of the money you might want to invest in them. The offensive side of the ball is a bit easier for me. Offensive line is top priority.
That makes this site and this year on the field interesting for me. Who is going to step up and take command on defense besides Bobby Wagner? I don’t know. Is there anyone on the offensive line who isn’t expendable beyond Brown? I’m not sure.
All I know is that I want to be surprised in this way as the season progresses. Fant, Pocic, Blair, Griffen, Flowers, Ugo, Clowney, Collier….someone step up and start making me happy. LOL
“I will say this about this team. It’s really difficult for me to in any way somewhat accurately prioritize our draft/trade/FA needs at this time.”
Completely agree.
There are so many areas that could be priority needs. We need time to see how certain players progress and develop. The only thing I’m certain of is the need to add some BAMF types.
Yeah. It’s wait, watch, and see mode now. It’s an interesting year for you and this blog. And for fans like me who try to look a little deeper below the surface than the average fan. 🙂
Is Reed a BAMF type? He seemed to be an Alpha coming out of Alabama. I’m not too worried about this team yet. The Hawks need to be ready for the Cardinals, they always play us tough. The most frustrating part of the game yesterday to me was when we forced a fumble on a punt on their half of the field and then got a 15 yard penalty (supposedly on T2, if so, DAMN Tedric you in the dog house) and we didn’t end up getting points off the turnover. SO ANNOYING.
Reed is certainly a tough player and a talented player. Nobody is fearing him on game week though.
I think the two BAMF’s I’m hoping to see on the field more and we’re drafted to bring this attitude back are Amadi and Blair. Would love to see both alternate with McD on the field.
They also seem to be an upgrade in speed too. I think the Hill and TT experiment hasn’t worked thus far.
For me…
Defense:
Griffin plays well. Not sure he’s a CB1 or CB2, but he’s a starting CB.
Flowers is questionable for me.
I’d draft a CB relatively high (2nd/3rd round) or draft 2 CBs lower (between 4th and 7th).
We need depth and someone to challenge Flowers.
Taylor seems OK at nCB, Amadi could challenge him.
I’m not sold on our safeties. McDougald is a solid swiss army knife, he’s valuable but he’s not amazing. Lano is adequate, but not good. Can Blair be the answer? I need a starting caliber S next to McDougald. I feel Hill is a quality backup. If Blair can give us that then cool. Hill (and maybe T2) can be valuable backups. If Blair is not the definitive answer, I’d draft another S relatively high (depending on ceiling, if the new coming of ETIII even 1st round, but most likely 3rd, 4th)
We’re set at LB
I wouldn’t pay Clowney big money, unless he gets at least 8+ sacks and 25+ TFLs.
I wouldn’t pay Ansah big money (unless he really delivers, but I doubt)
I would re-sign Reed for a moderate price. If he returns and under 10 games he gets 6+ sacks and plays amazing, then we need to open the piggybank, but if he’s playing OK (more likely…I mean 2-3 sacks and couple of good games as run defender), I’d try to give him something like a 12m APY deal
I wanna keep QJeff. Short contract to prove he can be a really good (rotational?) player. 2 years 5m APY, 8m GTD
I think if we have a chance to get an inside guy who can wreak havoc we need to jump on it. Otherwise, I’d try to get a big run stuffer only, but good at that DT (like 340 pounds or something like that) in the later rounds
I need a good DE too. I would get that in the first 3 rounds (depending on how Collier will do. If he plays well, we’re fine getting a DE in 3rd, if he’s not doing that well, get a DE in 1st/early 2nd)
As for Offense:
OG is a must. Fluker is an injury prone guy, who runs hot and cold. Iupati also injury prone and not sure if he’s a stopgap or not. Pocic might be a solution, but I need someone else (maybe Haynes can be that guy, but still). A big mauler.
Hopefully Brown will be fine, I hope we’re set at LT. I would try to re-sign Ifedi for the cheaps (5-6m APY 3-4 years). He’s OK. He needs help (Fant), but he’s OK most of the times. Sometimes amazing run blocker, sometimes awful. I’d keep him, and groom Jones and Fant. If one of them is ready, I’d try to trade Ifedi (maybe for a 3rd/4th/5th)
We’re solid at C, I’d keep Hunt too.
I like DK and Lockett. We’ll see how Moore does. Depending on Urusa/Turner/Brown/Jennings, if none of them are OK/good, I might try to draft a smaller, quick dude (more of a quick, raw, project player in the later rounds)
I don’t trust the health of Prosise. I don’t trust the hands of Carson. I don’t trust the vision of Penny. I know nothing about Homer. I would definitely keep them as of now, but I’d draft an RB.
If Carson will have troubles then a bigger, stronger, enforcer type of RB. (between 3rd and 6th rounds) If he’s OK and Penny starts to get better than a quicker, pass catcher, PR/KR duty, gadget RB.
I want our WRs/TEs to get the f out in the open, learn to run block, have an RB that can destroy opponents by jet sweeps, quick screens.
I weep a bit everytime I see Saints, KC, and other teams run a screen game. It’s a thing of beauty how well their players block. We’re atrocious at that.
So for me the priorities:
1, DE
2, OG
3, CB
4, DT
5, S
6, RB
7, WR
But a ton of things will depend on how certain players will play
So many fans seem to feel the team will get better and put in a good run later in the year. Maybe they will but this is not the same team of the last couple of seasons. I think the schedule and the strengthening of the NFC West work against that happening.
Certainly possible that you’re right. I’ve always thought it’d be a similar season to 2018. But they do face bigger challenges this year I think.
So that the off-season seemed dripping with aingst over what the passing game was gonna look like and that has actually thrived. We should all be happy with RW’s improvement in getting rid of the ball faster and manipulating the pocket better.
I would like to point out that Seattle’s physical run attitude sealed the Pittsburgh win with a 4th and 1 conversion by Carson.
I think the penalties are getting Seattle behind schedule and not allowing them to be more run oriented in the first few games. Until those are cleaned up we may be in for more of the same.
I’m rather optimistic about Carson and the defense which has been put in tough situations by the offense and Special Teams. Next week will be a big road test and we’ll learn a lot about this team moving forward.
One last thought from me. PC is taking it on the chin [ as well as the nose ] for not calling time out at the end of the 2nd qtr. Wilson could have also called time out but didn’t.
Last week a similar play allowed Chicago to get their time out at Denver with a second to go. No idea why Seattle weren’t afforded that. D.K. was down with a second on the clock.
That play didn’t bother me personally. It’s all the other stuff that made it a complete mess.
Great point and I noticed that too. Was unsure why the replay booth didn’t take a second look or why CBS never replayed the catch with the time. Failures at every level. Could’ve been a game changer and momentum shift going into halftime.
Hope the league admits this mistake during the week.