Life was too easy for this man today. Far too easy.
The one positive today? At least the bye was last week so you don’t have to chew on this for a fortnight.
Seattle walked into the friendliest road atmosphere in the NFL and took on a Miami Dolphins team ‘roared on‘ by a two-thirds empty stadium. A Dolphins team that struggled to reach double figures against two porous defenses in their last two games. A Dolphins team on a three game losing streak, with a rookie quarterback throwing twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. This was the perfect opportunity to prove the road woes were overblown.
So what happened? Seattle walks out a deserved losing team. That was a ramshackle performance from the get-go. The Seahawks started flat and finished flatter. This was an opportunity to steal a march on NFC rivals facing tougher opponents. Tampa Bay were beaten by Atlanta and New Orleans face San Francisco later today. And the Seahawks blew it.
So what went wrong?
– Miami ran all over the Seahawks, picking up big gains at will and making life easier for Tannehill in the process. The defensive line couldn’t get off their blocks and the linebackers struggled to seal the edge. Is anyone else concerned that, especially on the road, the interior defensive line isn’t proving particularly stout against the run, but also offers virtually no pass rush?
– Leroy Hill struggled badly in coverage, giving up a free touchdown to a full back and whiffing on a couple of other occasions too. It’s games like this that really reignite your interest in Alec Ogeltree all over again. In fairness, Hill wasn’t alone. K.J. Wright looks increasingly awkward in coverage situations. At least Bobby Wagner showed up in that regard, even if he was targeted consistently in the running game.
– Pass rush? What pass rush? Tannehill had occasional, modest pressure. Overall, the Seahawks didn’t do anything like enough to get into Tannehill’s head. Bruce Irvin was very quiet – and while he has seven sacks for the year, you’d almost surrender some of that production for a bit more consistency. There was no interior push again, and that’s becoming more and more of a problem. Yet my biggest gripe today is the lack of creativity. We saw the occasional blitz, but we’re relying too much on the front four to create a pass rush. We need to learn from previous games where that hasn’t been anywhere near enough when we send four guys. Tannehill was far too comfortable in the second half.
– I don’t like to go on about offensive play calling, but what happened on that final drive? Russell Wilson found a groove before half time and had back-to-back long sustained touchdown drives. So what’s Seattle’s plan as they drive for the game? They run the ball and punt. That final drive was extremely conservative. When Miami got the ball back, they put it in Tannehill’s hands and asked him to get a victory. They went for the win. And that bravery was rewarded. I’m not saying they needed to try 40-yard bombs down the sideline, but certainly they could’ve been more pro-active on that drive and put the responsibility more on Wilson’s shoulders.
– Run blocking was a big issue. For a team that relies so much on establishing the run, I don’t think any of the lineman came away leaving a positive impression. Carpenter and Okung struggled pulling to the right as Seattle tried to stretch things out in the second half. Unger and McQuistan were regularly driven backwards. I’m surprised they kept running inside despite the continued lack of success and the excellent defensive line work by Paul Soliai.
– For whatever reason, something is missing on the road that exists in Century Link. Blame it on the Tanzania advert if you want, or the home crowd. But for too long this franchise hasn’t maintained the same level of attitude and execution on the road. As mentioned previously, this was the least intimidating road atmosphere you’ll see in the NFL this year. That stadium wasn’t even half full. The locals don’t care about this version of the Dolphins, they’re already thinking about next years draft. And despite Seattle’s very realistic ambitions of the post-season, you let the other team steal the win from you. Could you imagine San Francisco losing this game today? Me neither.
At the very least, Russell Wilson again looked comfortable and showed he’s not the issue when the team goes on the road. However, to blow a 14-7 and 21-14 lead with minutes to go against a struggling Miami outfit is a real review of where this team is. It’s good enough to flirt with relevance but it simply isn’t winning enough of these gettable close games. Arizona, St. Louis, Detroit, Miami. All defeats on the road. You can’t rely exclusively on beating teams at home. You could almost accept it if the problem was your rookie quarterback or the offense – but it isn’t. It’s the defense. The much praised and vaunted defense. The one unit that’s supposed to be getting it done, but didn’t get it done. Again.
This was a reality check day and there might be another one next week. I kept an eye on the Chicago game against Minnesota today and they were extremely impressive. And if the defense plays like they did against Miami, Jay Cutler will have a field day.
As for the draft, where does this leave Seattle’s need areas? You could make a great case today for drafting a nose tackle, a three technique, a linebacker who can cover. I don’t know. This defeat is too deflating to even consider the draft. Meh.
Worst game I’ve seen in awhile. I wouldn’t even refer to us having anything but an average defense. As far as I am concerned, Red, Branch, Hill, and Trufant need to be upgraded. I’m done with the Red experiment. He does nothing for the pass rush. Branch is jus a bgi body. No way, in this version of the NFL, that you get ZERO pass rush from the 3 technique and DE. This defense is so overrated it’s not funny. Kam is also very average this year. This is a schizo paragraph, but I just can’t believe how bad they are in vital situations.
The scary part, I feel better about the O going forward, despite the O-line proving it’s mediocrity, arguably a liability on the right side. You could argue that RW is one of the top 3 players on the team right now. That’s great for the QB future, but should speak volumes about the rest of the roster. Unfortunately, with our offensive philosophy, we need to upgrade a big chunk of the defensive roster as well as improve the O-line (yes, this is getting old).
I could go on and on, but I think we have vastl overrated this team, especially defensively. Perhaps, such a strong home field advantage is a huge detriment when going on the road, because it’s a drastically different environment? Who is available in FA? Geno Atkins? Michael Bennett?
Andy Reid would be the best FA pick up. IF we could bring him in as OC. Not gonna happen. But still
This is probably the hurt of the loss talking, but Carroll/Bevell/Bradley/Cable are looking to be mediocre coaches. Big time mediocrity. How do you run Lynch 19 times when he’s averaging 2 yds a carry instead of opening up Wilson who went on a streak of 16 consecutive completions? I get it, I love beastmode and the team is supported by the run, but when its not working why go back to it? Why, on the last drive when Wilson was hot do you run it on first and second down? And I’m sorry, but we are not a team that can rush 3 or 4 and get pressure… but we did that all day. And we did that all day against Detroit. Time to start looking at the problem. Coaching. Carroll and co. have brought in oodles of talent. Wilson is looking more and more like a coveted franchise QB. But something is amiss here that talent won’t fix. Carroll gave the team the entire bye off (you can only have one practice but still) and it showed. Went from few penalties to 10. Poor execution. Just an overall pathetic performance. For all this talk about being a “complete team” Seattle is looking more and more like a team dependent on the QB Wilson becomes. Had he not have had the day he had it would’ve been so much worse. The screen that lost yardage was a bad decision at the end, but it was a bad, ultra conservative call.
But something needs to happen here. Eventually you have to throw a curveball, and Seattle seems to be completely inept when their fast ball doesn’t work.
John you hit the nail on the head.
And you raise an extremely valid point about rushing three or four on the d-line. It doesn’t work with the players in Seattle. This is a team that continues to rely on one man for pressure on base defense – Chris Clemons. No linebackers rushing, no pressure from the DE or three technique. And you can stomach that while they’re stopping the run. But they aren’t stopping the run. They’re getting gashed.
So the question I have: Is denial in play here with the coaching staff?!? This appears to be the issue every single game this year, and yet no change. No change because the coaches deny the play calling is an issue. Denial the lack of blitzes are an issue. I am more upset at the coaching staff, play calling, than the athletes on the field. Hill and Tru are in a dire need of upgrades as well as the DL, but the play calling is at the heart of this.
I would say the plan Seattle has in place is very sound overall. No team calls perfect games every week. For the most part it’s about execution, and part of that is a lack of experience. I think the play calling and scheming for the most part has been sound with a few exceptions (eg lack of pressure vs Detroit, lack of blitzing vs Tannehill).
What changed the game for the Seahawks was the Earl Thomas “roughing the passer”. It absolutely devasted them emotionally, and that is something a young team like this is going to have to learn. Resiliency. For as tough as they are physically, they are mentally not very strong right now.
I’m not blaming Red Bryant specifically, but I said this after the Minnesota game: If you aren’t stuffing the run with him out there on the edge, what is the point of this scheme? Teams have found something in this defense to pound on and now it is more than a concern. It is a flaw. It is an issue that must be resolved, and soon.
The last drive screen play that lost so many yards… Russ has to learn to eat that play. Call it a bad playcall, but as a QB, you have to know you can’t lose that many yards when Marshawn has nowhere to go. The 3rd down call was the worst. How do you NOT keep someone underneath shallow to gain at least 10 yards? You have to give yourself a chance there and not just send everybody to the sticks and pray someone gets open. The Dolphins were all over it.
Failure of a game.
In defense of RW, a blown screen play in that situation can be dangerous. Sure, he could have spiked the pass, but that play could have been much worse (turnover, groudning, etc). Just a really poor idea in that situation. Bevell is very frustrating as is our loyalty to the run game. Its good to have conviction, but we can’t be fool hearted about that approach. MIA had our number in the run game and had no answers in the pass game. Queue the “definition if insanity.”
I think if it was up to Bevell he would have thrown more but PC overrides him. That’s my opinion
I think the crucial point in the game happened much earlier than the Earl Thomas “roughing the passer” call. I’m thinking of the decision to punt when the offense had the ball inside the Dolphin’s 40 yd. line. I’ll have to re-watch the game (something I really don’t want to do), but as I recall, it was in the 2nd Qtr. It was 4th and 1 and the Seahawks had the option to go for it, try a long field goal, or punt. The game was tied at that point. The decision was to take a delay penalty, then punt. I guess PC thought we could punt inside the 20, get a 3 and out, and get the ball back with good field position. Instead, Miami got the ball and marched down the field for a TD.
It’s time for a paradigm shift. Relying on our defense to keep games close may work some of the time, but I think it’s time for PC to realize that he can depend on Wilson to convert on 4th and 1, especially on the road when we need to do something to shake off the lethargy. Like many others, I’m beginning to think that our defense is way overrated and that in our division, we aren’t going to become champs by relying as much as we have on our defense and our running game.
Disheartening.
Both sides of the line looked like they were still on the bye. We keep losing these close games which has turned into a pattern. The team looked like they either weren’t prepared or weren’t properly motivated – either way, this falls at the feet of the coaching staff.
I agree on the lack of preparation comment — did they do any game planning to get ready for the Dolphins? When was the last time that PC showed some disgust with the poor play of his team? Did I hear that we gave up 228 yds. of offense TO MIAMI in the 4th Qtr.? Tell me it’s all a nightmare …
It was a horrible decision on that last offensive drive to play it conservative. The difference is, is that the dolphins gave Tannehill a chance to win the game and the Hawks decided to put this game in their defenses hands despite a overall poor performance. This defense needs to start walking on egg shells again, time for the some roster turnover. My suggestions? Replace Trufant with Thurmond, Chancelor with J.Lane, Hill with Malcom Smith, Red B. with the DL we drafted from Florida. It’s time to put some pressure on some of these starters who are not performing up to par.
My opinion (available in condensed form on my Twitter account, @CFRHawk):
The problem is that they have never put together a complete road game, you can’t blame only the O or the D. The defensive road regression coincides exactly with offensive road progression. The stats fully support this statement, take a look at what I dug up:
First 4 road games: 4 offensive TDs against (1 per game)
Last 2 road games: 7 offensive TDs against (3.5 per game)
First 4 road games: 2 offensive TDs for (0.5 per game)
Last 2 road games: 5 offensive TDs for (2.5 per game)
If you’re going to point fingers, it would appear that the offense has lost us more games (3/5) than the defense (2/5) has. However, I do think that the defense deserves more of the blame. I’ll take a slow start followed by progress any day over a fast start followed by a regression – especially if the “slow start” comes at the hands of a rookie QB. You always want to improve and strive for greatness. The road defense needs to be adjusted somehow. Whether it’s the playcalling, personnel issues, or just mental mistakes (ex: the two blown coverages that changed the game [Bess 39 yds, Clay 29 yd TD]), this needs to be sorted out by next week.
The bottom line: The Seahawks are not winning the NFC West after losing that game, it just no longer seems possible. The unofficial “target” now has to be the wild card spot, which is a game that will be played on the road. Chicago is now a must win game not only to MAKE the playoffs, but for the team to be able to confidently a) prove that they can win on the road and b) show that they have a legitimate chance to WIN in the playoffs.
After watching that meltdown against a crappy Miami offense I becoming doubtful of us even making the playoffs…
I don’t think they’ll win a road game to that puts them at 7 losses and based on yesterday I wouldn’t be surprised if SF came to Seattle and won which would give us an 8-8 record. Not too mention that our vaunted run “D” got gashed by freaking Miami for 189 yards!! Ugghhh…..
Maybe I’m just still upset over that crap performance and in a pessimistic mood…
Honestly. I am less concerned of playoffs this year and more concerned about the positive growth for a complete run next year. Playoff experience is awesome, but 3 road wins is something this current team, this year, will not be able to pull off. I don’t want to sound negative, but there is some glaring issues that even if the team made the playoffs would be one and done. I predicted an 8-8 before the first game started, and like you said looks about right.
New OC..period. Need DL talent with pass rush ability. Need LB and another weapon for Wilson. Need Pete to stop being so damn conservative.
There is plenty of blame to go around on this loss. I know we all remember the elite defense we used to have and want to draft to get it back, but I don’t think we can focus on any one area as both offense and defense sucked.
Defense: Yes we need a few new linemen, preferably people who are big 325+ and fast. By now you know I was against the Bruce Irvin experiment – a man that disappears when blocked. We got to draft better in the first round. Perhaps we can salvage him by trying him at linebacker, otherwise he will be gone in two years. A few blown calls between the safeties and linebackers. Draftwise:nosetackle, linebacker and defensive end are needed.
Offense: Russell Wilson and Turbin played okay, Marshawn did what he could. We just aren’t able to get a running game going because of the poor blocking. Likewise RW was running for his life when we went to pass. So offense line continues to be an issue and it has nothing to do with chemistery. Lastly, while we had some good pass completions, there wasn’t much separation between Tate (our hot receiver) or Rice and their defenders. It mostly boiled down to them jumping for the ball and having good hands.
RW pass to the end zone to McCoy was a great play. Finally the conservative play calling at the end. We hadn’t been able to run all game so why did they think they could then? If you look at touchdowns over the season it is clear that the Seahawks are more successful at passing and we need to rebrand ourselves as a passing team instead of pretending that we our run first. I blame this mostly on the offensive blocking since our running backs our excellent.
Offensive Draft: 2 Receivers, tight end, and 2 offensive linemen needed.
If a Bjoern Werner is available when the Hawks pick I would think Carroll would think of picking him up. A DE that can rush the passer and defend the run is what this defense is missing. Oh and a Leroy Hill upgrade is needed as well. I think conventional wisdom is the Hawks drafting offense in the next draft. I say pfffftt to that. I see 5 or 6 picks for D
It is tempting to draft defense because you remember the elite defense we used to have. Given an entire draft of defense we could probably become elite again. But that won’t put enough points on the board to win games.
I will say we were never elite. Elite implies consistency, which we do not have. We were a very good defense flirting with that status.
I think it’s more like a good defense flirting with very good… This lot is far from “elite” and was never that. You don’t blow three fourth quarter leads and even think you’re very good let alone elite.
Agreed. Never elite, not elite. Draft needs start with DL and LB. AlaskaHawk mentions 1st round woes. I agree.
I know this will go against the prevailing attitude about this game, but after thinking about it for awhile, and reading the various reactions, I feel badly for the defense. Yes, they gave up big plays and big drives, but PC and the offense did them no favors.
Time and again PC stubbornly played into Miami’s strength by running the ball again and again, despite continued failure. This led to one 3 and out after another, putting that much more pressure on the defense.
Time and again PC played it conservatively on 4th down, by refusing field goal attempts and putting it on his defense once again. On 4th and 1 at what – the 38? – either attempt the field goal or go for it.
Despite Wilson’s demonstrated effectiveness and consistency, PC takes the game out of his hands on more than one occasion.
What some may forget, as wonderful as Washington’s return was, it forced the defense immediately back onto the field. Yeah, we like the points, but it makes it that much more difficult for the defense to play effectively.
And that penalty on Thomas, negating probably the game-winning defensive play, had to be devastating.
All the offense had to do was extend one or two drives; kick a field goal instead of punting, just once.
Sure, we can blame the defense, but the lack of a running game, and PC’s insistence on sticking with it, and the lack of using Wilson more aggressively, cost the Seahawks this game.
You can’t blame the offense for leaving Charles Clay, a RB uncovered on multiple occasions.
I don’t care what the offense does throughout the game, if your defense is given the lead in the 4th quarter you have to protect it and this defense has been given the lead in the 4th 3 times and they have given up the lead. championship teams do not do that.
Sherman and Browner to be suspended for roids. Wow. Pete Carroll sucks. No discipline. He has taken tham as far as he can. Time to move on.
Yeah… it’s Pete Carroll’s fault Sherman and Browner don’t know what they can and can’t put in their body. What a silly thing to say.
Agreed.
It wasn’t roids, it was adderrall and agreed with Rob, how is this Pete’s fault that Sherman and Browner don’t know what they can and can’t put in their body?
Browner and Sherman facing 4 game suspensions now. Day just keeps getting worse.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8675242/richard-sherman-brandon-browner-seattle-seahawks-facing-4-game-suspensions-sources
Worst Sunday in a long time.
Season ending news.
Agreed…
It shouldn’t really be enough to decide the games against Arizona and St. Louis, but there’s no way Trufant, Lane and Thurmond keep a lid on Chicago or even Buffalo for that matter. And I think even with Sherman and Browner we’d struggle to beat the San Fran team that’s currently dominating in New Orleans.
What’s sad Rob is I’m starting to feel like last year’s team was better than this years team, yet they were held back by Tarvaris Jackson for so long. Sigh.
I think it’s basically not progressed from last year. Some of the issues we’re seeing this year in struggling to finish off games was prevalent last year (Washington, San Fran, Arizona). The defense hasn’t really taken the next step and I put that down to scheme. For three years we’ve used Clemons on base-D for a pass rush. It’s not enough. They need a guy at DE or DT who can rush on early downs. I think they probably get that and it might be the #1 priority in the off-season. The offense on the other hand has improved slightly, but not enough to take a giant leap in terms of wins/losses. We just have to hope that happens next year.
Thinking back on it, I believe you are absolutely correct- and it terrifies me.
This team is 6-5. They are a fortunate call and a bad Cam Newton throw away from 4-7.
There is something very wrong with our team right now.
I agree — we need to be able to get more pressure from our base-D, while still being stout against the run. It’s still too early to throw Irvin under the bus, but has anyone seen the improvement we expected as he “learned to pass rush”?
This is going to magnify our complete lack of pass rush too.
There goes half our defense against the pass. Ouch! Gonna be a painful finish to the season.
Let’s go cup half full for a sec…
1. They win the appeal
2. If not, Tru and Walter step up.
3. It re-energizes the team….aka NY Giants “us agains the world” mentality.
We’re 6-5 with the majority of our remaining games at home.
Not over people.
Not over if you are happy to be perennial runners-up to the 49ers. Even if we win a wild-card spot, we are not going anywhere in the playoffs unless we can play at home. And, we’ve got to be division and then conference champs to make that happen.
I don’t know about that. Perhaps we forget that both Trufant and Thurmound started ahead of Sherman just last year.
So lets say Trufant starts at LCB (his starting position last year) and Thurmound starts at RCB. They were serviceable last year, not sure why they wouldn’t by okay this.
So with that weaker defense, maybe PC takes the lid off the offense and plays more aggressively instead of relying on the defense like he has done so often in the past.
Even today, the Dolphins only scored 24 points. That’s not a lot. Nobody has scored a lot against Seattle all year. So even if the defense allows a few more points a game, who here doesn’t think Seattle’s offense can score a lot more, given the opportunity?
Perhaps a little strong on my behalf. It shouldn’t be the difference between winning a losing against St. Louis, Buffalo and Arizona. It could be against Chicago and San Fran. And I think we’ll need to win one of those two games to make the playoffs.
IMO, the worst case scenario isn’t Sherman and Browner missing 4 games this season and the Seahawks plummeting to end the year. The worst case scenario is if their appeals cause any layover into next season. I really hope that they don’t appeal if the suspensions would start either week 13 or 14.
This team is too young and inexperienced right now. There’s no guarantee that having them will get the Seahawks a playoff spot. As sad as it is, I’d rather that they sit out 4 games this year (preferably the last 4) and whatever happens this year happens. The team could theoretically rally and still make the playoffs (and get them back). Or they could plummet down the standings and, to take a glass half full perspective for a minute, be drafting from the early middle portion of the first round despite being a 9-11 win team talent wise.
This was starting to feel like THE year for them to make a splash, but maybe it’s meant to be next year? They can continue to build the roster and improve both in the sense of talent and maturity. This team can be a contender next year if key areas are addressed. Next season’s schedule should be a lot easier too. I know this is a “coward’s” way of thinking, but I’m just trying to brace myself for the worst by giving myself hope for next year. Only time can tell how this affects the team.
8-8 here we come!!!
I think focusing on what failed today would be a mistake. The team was out of sync early and gassed late. They could have used a practice during the bye week to keep them sharp. As for the draft we should focus more on what has failed throughout the year. Middle coverage and run defense have been big issues throughout the year. A LB like Ogletree would be huge but I also think we need a bigger LB for run situations and like everyone else has been saying… A DL that can rush. Sylvester Williams would be my choice. Improve the interior rush and Irvin and Clemons get more opportunities as well. This is also the pass defenses biggest weakness. Give the QB that kinda of time and there is only south you can do on pass D. The offensive line looked terrible today but they have looked the part at times. The thing to take away is that Wilson looked like a stud and that Tampa lost as well. At least that’s what I keep telling myself to keep from breaking stuff around my house.
Fire Pete Carroll. Let’s see what Schneider can do on his own. Pete has worn out his welcome.
Seriously???? Just over 2.5 years into a complete rebuild that started with a pure crap roster???? What exactly do you realistically expect???? Yes I am as frustrated as you are right now but if they end up at say 9-7 I will be happy overall with the progress they have made. If they’re like this at this time next year I think your comment has more validity.
RD 1: Dline, too much value not to go with a disruptive presence at this spot (Werner,Richardson,Short,Ansah)
RD 2: WR, this is where the WR value will be. (Wheaton,Rogers,Hopkins)
RD 3: OLB (A Brown, Hodges,Knott,Skov,Jenkins)
Sounds like a good start. I would settle for a WR or TE in the second, depending on who’s available.
Time to start scouting CBs
Can you draft a cornerback mid-season?
You can pretend. Some former 1st rounders out there I think 🙂
I am very depressed.
Please don’t let depression, sadness, anxiety or any other fleeting emotion cloud rational judgement. I’m sorry that you feel angry when a sports team disappoints you. But being irrational and moody changes nothing. Think, scheme and organize your thoughts before commenting please.
So, Seattle does not scout CB?
Why would they? We have a fantastic tandem already that might face some penalties, but your argument amounts to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. My point is that you need to calm down and not be irrational. Rob works very hard to make this a website dedicated to discussing clear and informed opinions and facts, not some backwater blog for your tirade of fallacious emotions. Get a hold of yourself.
Sherman and Browner need drugs to compete. Adderall is an excuse that allows the public to think lightly of the penalties. Please note that Adderall completely changes a persons mentality and allows one to perform at the highest levels. It removes doubt by relaxing the mind. So, go ahead, and pencil in Sherman as your starter next year. I won’t. He is done. Browner is definitely done. I don’t think people realize that today’s piss poor performance from both Browner and Sherman most likely reflects their play while OFF Adderall.
Scout CBs. Now.
rational thoughts please, everyone must realize taking adderall doesn’t make them the worst players in the league or the team, it does tarnish what they have accomplished this year and part of last year. Also the appeal process, ya never know. Also i myself have ADHD and i take adderall and the effects you mention are not all true, it enables me to focus and maintain my focus for longer than without it, and addreall CAN’T make you a better player all by its self, you have to have SKILL. So dont go saying they stink and we have to draft 2 cb’s beause your wrong, they will comback from this ( if appeal fails) and be fine and perform great.
Dude. These guys have failed drug tests twice already. The next failure is a years suspension. You absolutely need to scout CB. Enablers are the reason for drug abuse.
Yes Michael. Where did they fail tests before?
To get a four game suspension, you must be a second time offender. Enjoy.
send me a link to the rule or any of your evidence that supports your claim
I used the google and it says about the NFL drug policy:
“The NFL banned substances policy has been acclaimed by some[64] and criticized by others,[65] but the policy is the longest running in American professional sports, beginning in 1987.[64] The current policy of the NFL suspends players without pay who test positive for banned substances as it has since 1989: four games for the first offense (a quarter of the regular season), eight games for a second offense (half of the regular season), and 12 months for a third offense.[66] The suspended games may be either regular season games or playoff games”
I think we need to take away this guy’s belt and shoe laces…
You don’t know what you’re talking about. PEDs are different than recreational drugs or off the field behavior. That is where the first offense is a game or two. The minimum suspension first time for PEDs is 4 games. Then it’s a year. Then a league ban. It’s been that way for a while now. If Sherman and Browner had tested positive prior, they would be suspended for a year. You’re spouting off at the mouth and whining right now.
“removes doubt by relaxing the mind”. Perhaps if you were diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. It is amphetamine, relaxing the mind, no. Removing doubt!? Where are you getting this?
You are also assuming they have been taking the Rx the entire time of play, which they are tested and this is the first positive.
I am guessing you wish you could take this statement back..
when did sherman and browner fail drugs test before?
If there is a silver lining to this, perhaps it’s that we’ll get a chance to see if Walter Thurmond, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane have what it takes to play in the NFL. (I realize that Thurmond is somewhat established, but he’s battled so many injuries that I think the jury is still out on whether he’ll be a part of the team next season.) Remember that Richard Sherman got on the field only after Thurmond was injured last season. Backups sometimes rise to the occasion.
A second silver lining might be that, if we’re starting to struggle on the defensive line, we’re at least coming up on a draft that should be very strong in that category.
The days of hopeful evaluation were done in my mind. I was looking forward to relevance. This is a clear chop at the knees. I am down. I have no idea how this team responds. They will win a few for sure… talent will win out most often. But my god… this is bad.
Listen, Michael, I get it. Today sucked. You’re hurting – we all hurt – because we care, and we want this team to be a Super Bowl contender RIGHT NOW. I think that, as the week goes on, we’re going to realize that as bad as this loss was, a winning record and a playoff spot are still there for the taking. So, at least for the time being, the games do still have relevance, suspensions or no.
Also, this is a reminder that depth isn’t a luxury for any team. Injuries (and suspensions) happen in the NFL, and this latest setback is going to be a test of how deep our secondary is. You’d have to think that Trufant is unlikely to be back next season, and I’m curious to find out if his replacement at the nickel corner is already on the roster.
Finally – and I mean no disrespect in saying this – this IS a draft blog. Player evaluation is what drew us to this site in the first place. We’ve always had candid discussions about this team’s areas of need. I expect that to continue, and I expect the discussion around here to center around the current state of the defense in the coming weeks. Discussing how the team can get better is part of what makes dark days like this more bearable.
So, chin up, Michael. And please keep bringing your passion here to the comments section. I look forward to reading more from you soon.
I’d just like to bring up that Wilson had the highest QBR of ANY QB this week and becomes the second rookie QB to have 4 consecutive games with a passer rating over 125. Remember last year when we were chanting “If only we had a QB??” I give major props to Schneider for finding him and glad he convinced Carroll.
Wilson will have to play hard if Sherm and BB’s suspensions go through. The down side to all this is that the second highest QBR this week is Tannehill’s
I don’ t live and die by stats and stuff like that but it’s nice when they are in your favor haha
Way to look at the bright side of things. I STILL Think Carroll and Schneider are great for the program and we will get better every week. I CANNOT wait for the day they LET Wilson lead the offense without conservative play-calling.
Agreed! RW has been great this year for a rookie who did not get all the reps in OTC and TC. I think it is very likely that we’ve found our QBOTF.
I love how ESPN and many sportswriters make it look like they were using steroids, and calling out Pete Carroll and the Seahawks as cheaters. Adderall does not enhance athletic ability, it can help attentiveness, short term memory, and mental reaction time. It does not affect motor skills. It is although a known PED in the NFL. So Sherman and Browner are going to be ok. If they had a prescription from their doctor and took it during the bye week than their appeals might go through, but even if they are suspended for 4 games we do not need to draft another cb (except maybe to replace nickle). I love how uneducated viewers and analysts (not here, love the site), report on a drug that they know nothing about.
Kevin Williams wasn’t adderall, but didn’t he manage to drag his appeal on so long that it went away?
I beat my drum once again for drafting a DT that can rush the passer and stuff the run. This defense will not be elite until they have elite defensive line talent.
It’s obvious as the sun in the sky during the summer that opposing teams are keying off our defensive line personnel. Even inexperienced QBs like Tannehill can look across the line and go “69 in. 92 out. Audible to run.” Or “51 and 90 in. Audible to run.” Or “79 and 99 in. Audible to pass” or have the OC call a pass play knowing no pass pressure is coming. Or roll out to Red Bryant’s side knowing he will not be dangerous in pursuit. We’ve been watching teams do this for the last three years.Run the edges around Red Bryant. Audible to a run play keying on defensive line personnel.
As it stands right now we have a jumbo run stopping defensive line. And a smaller pass rushing defensive line. We don’t have a defensive line that can do both well at the same time. This allows opposing teams to key on defensive line personnel when calling plays. It’s been happening to us for quite some time. At home we gain an edge with the crowd noise which limits opposing teams ability to audible. So it doesn’t happen as often and allows us to dictate offensive options.
On the road they do all of the above a few times a game to gain key gains and score on us. They audible against our defensive line personnel or attack the lack of speed on Red Bryant’s side or the lack of size on Chris Clemons side.
I commend Pete and the staffs ability to jury rig an effective defensive line out of cast offs, third or lower rounders, and try with some late rounders, but it’s time to draft some elite interior defensive line talent to put us over the top. If Carroll and Schneider don’t pick up some early round defensive line talent, I’ll be quite surprised. It’s an obvious need, especially on road games. The lack of interior pressure on the road is night and day. The way opposing teams are keying on our defensive line personnel is a glaring weakness.
Yep. Werner,Richardson,Short – the type of everydown stud dlinemen that we need. Werner sure seems to me like a possible cure for what ailes us.
Funny to put it this way, but the with this dline the parts are very good (Red,Mebane,Branch,Clem,Irvin,Jones are all good to very good and would play signficant time for any team) but the sum may actually be less than the parts. The dlinemen may be overdiversified.
I have always felt that the beauty of the 3-4 was the ability defend passing plays and running plays equally as effectively with the base defense.
Bryant-Mebane-Branch
– Mebane is stout and good vs double teams, Bryant/Branch both have the length and point of attack strength to play 3-4 DE
Clemons-Wright-Wagner-Irvin
Now we have our 3 run stuffers, two best edge rushers and two best lbers vs the run all in our base defense. Obvious passing downs Jones/Scruggs comes in as interior rushers.
Seems like our current players aren’t going to put pressure on the QB no matter what formation we are in. Out of the players you named only Wagner has the surprise ability with a blitz, but that would leave the middle open.
I didn’t think our defensive line played that bad against the run. Rob what do you think?
Need some analysis here. Seems like we were hurt more by runs to the edge. Where were the linebackers? I know Wagner got locked up in the middle a few times, so that leaves our outside linebackers to tackle at the next level.
If you can’t get an effective pass rush without making substitutions on “obvious passing downs”, the other team is just going to go no-huddle to prevent you from making the substitutions. We have to get more pressure from our base-D without making substitutions.
Rob,
Now that you have had a day to think things over…. do you think it better to weight the draft more toward offense or defense? Or take a balanced approach? Seems like we have needs on both sides, but if we concentrated on one side then we might be able to do a makeover in one season. I saw a stat last night that Green Bay picked all defense in last draft, they didn’t look so hot.
There is also the option of drafting toward one side and filling in the undrafted side with free agents. What are your thoughts?
I think you try to stay balanced. I’ve just written a piece arguing defensive tackle is the greatest need, but then I could just as easily make an argument for getting that extra receiver or drafting Zach Ertz. I could make a serious case for drafting one of the very talented offensive lineman eligible for 2013. This is a front office that has filled needs outside of round one, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they kept doing that on both sides of the ball. But right now I think the key needs are: DT, LB and another weapon for Wilson at WR or TE.
I agree with those draft needs.
My only gripe with taking a 1st round DT is a large number of them turn out to be nothing more than average. Decent players that never make that big impact- and you just have to keep replacing them. If Seattle goes that route in round 1, they really need to make it count.
And if they do strike gold, it could change the outlook on this defense for a long time.
After the worst loss of the season, the Seahawks two glaring weaknesses were confirmed: 1) inept play calling on the road; and 2) lack of pass rush on the road. You would think that a team with a 1-4 road record would change its game plan, but Pete and Bevell went with exactly the same plan and are now 1-5. Ultra-conservative, ultra predictible play calling where the opponent’s D knows exactly what is coming, and even perhaps the worst team in the NFL can hold the Seahawks to 14 pts on offense, despite an outstanding performance by Russell Wilson. It is inconprehensible that Pete ran this failed game plan yet again on Sunday. The lack of a pass rush on the road has led to multiple late-game-winning scoring drives by the home team (see Miami, Detroit, Arizona, just to name a few). The 12th man allows Clemons and Irvin to get off quicker, but without that, the rush is terrible. The Seahawks blitz packages are perhaps the worst in the league. Without a pass rush, the opponent carves up the secondary going after Trufant in the nickle or throwing to the check-down guy. As crazy as this sounds, the Seahawks would probably be undefeated if they ran exactly the same offense game plan in each game, home or away, as they ran in the pre-season; and if they ran a decent blitz package so they could get off the field on third down more often.
My thoughts exactly. It appears this is a point mose agree on as well. It is unfortunate the coaches don’t see this nor agree. If they did we would see different play calling. I have not extensively watched the other 31 teams, but I would feel confident that Seattle blitz packages are underutilzed when compared. I am so tired of the play calling. The same run plays over and over again on offense. The constant 4 man rush on defense. Would Cable do a better job with the team if he had complete control?