A week ago Pete Carroll asked his team if you could win a game in the first quarter. Today, the answer was a resounding ‘yes’.
It felt like a bad dream. Carolina came flying out of the traps. The Seahawks were reeling. The game plan went out the window within minutes of the game beginning.
The Panthers were emphatic, brilliant and dominant. The Seahawks have come back from slow starts before — but this was on a different level.
On offense they got behind so quickly they were never able to establish whatever plan they had. You can’t run the ball and control things at 14-0, 21-0 and 24-0. The offensive line resorted to early season form, giving Russell Wilson no time at all. Wilson wilted as a consequence — throwing two horrendous interceptions including a pick-six.
Defensively they couldn’t limit the run or put Cam Newton under any pressure. Even with a four-man rush Carolina relentlessly found open receivers. When they needed a bit of luck — a Cameron Artis-Payne fumble for example — the ball bounced favourably for the Panthers.
On key deciding factors in any playoff game — turnovers, third down conversion — the Panthers held the edge.
The momentum just spiraled, Carolina’s offense and defense feeding off each other. The Seahawks were like a boxer taking a couple of big early shots, hoping to hear the bell. Yet in no time at all the score was 31-0.
It was stunning and embarrassing for Carroll. He looked on, aghast, trying to figure out what was unfolding. They had no time to adjust as Carolina kept coming. Kept throwing punches. They needed half time after five minutes.
When the game finally settled down we saw that both teams are actually quite evenly matched. The Panthers aren’t 31 points better than the Seahawks. This was the ultimate fast start and it won Carolina the game.
Seattle needed to limit the damage during this wave. 10-14 points is manageable.
31 is not.
It is so typical of this team that they still fought back. There was no giving up. It wasn’t going to be enough with such a mountain to climb — but there’s no quit in this group. That’s the encouraging thing going into the off-season.
This has been a year of adversity. Having to deal with the Super Bowl loss, hold-outs and injuries. Making the post-season was an achievement. Having to win on the road three times to return to the Super Bowl was a step too far.
This is a crucial next few months for this team to re-stock, reload and get the house in order for another tilt next season. Even so, it’s a gruelling thought that we have to wait until September for the next challenge. Or that this team will not claim redemption for last years agonising finale.
Here are some key points as we look ahead to the off-season:
— It’s not the end anybody anticipated but Marshawn Lynch’s final act in Seattle never got more interesting than a hashtag titled #buswatch. What a way for an era to end. Six carries for 20 yards.
— It could be a similar story for Russell Okung. Annually banged up — his Seahawks career possibly ended with another injury today. He left the game in the first half.
— The Seahawks can’t afford another six weeks of trouble on the O-line in 2016 and they can’t afford to be pushed around like they were here in the first half. Do you move on from Okung and/or J.R. Sweezy? Do you replace Justin Britt or Patrick Lewis? Is Garry Gilliam a left tackle candidate? How do they turn this group into a strength?
— What is Kam Chancellor’s next move after his 2015 hold out? This defeat and the season overall surely won’t strengthen his position?
— How do the Seahawks rediscover what made them so formidable at Century Link? They finished 5-3 at home. They were 3-3 in the NFC West — that’s another area for improvement.
— What’s the plan on defense? Brandon Mebane, Athyba Rubin, Jeremy Lane and Bruce Irvin are free agents. None of them are necessarily ‘core’ players — but they’ll all need replacing with some importance if they leave.
— Jermaine Kearse deserves a new contract. He just does.
— Seattle’s identity is based around finishing and coming from behind when needed. However, they’ve started slowly in several big games now. Here, Minnesota, the Arizona home game, the Super Bowl last season, the NFC Championship game against the Packers. It feels like this needs to be addressed. How you start does matter.
The Seahawks have the #26 overall pick in the draft following Pittsburgh’s loss to Denver.
Well, that was a hell of a 2nd half. Made me proud to be a Seahawks fan.
I agree 100% Love the grit on this team and it will bode well for the future
If we could just only play the second half of every game we’d never lose.
Team looked totally different the second half. It has been a long season, and quite the roller coaster. Thanks Seahawks and all the fans!
Hel of a second half! Hope Kearse starts getting credit for all he does.
I will save my weekly fire-bevel column for later. Ironically, there won’t be anything surprising.
Hard to believe a team this good can be that bad for an entire half. Offense had less than 0 points and defense couldn’t bail them out like they are asked to do every week.
This wasn’t scarring like last year but it didn’t feel good.
Looking forward to a championship offseason!
That team showed a tremendous amount of heart. Have never been prouder in a loss than today. How many other teams just fold in that situation. It also showed that we should embrace Wilson as our identity and not pounding the ball to set him up. Still want to run the ball but let the pass lead to running the ball. Was there a more obvious play than read option to Lynch to open the game. Sad to see the end of Kam and Lynch but as always NEXT MAN UP!! Cannot wait for next year.
Agree with this, K-Man. Although can’t help but wonder if they’d just stemmed the tide early on and limited the damage (10-14 points) that they’d have won this. Perhaps in the manner of the Washington 2012 wildcard game.
Man, it was embarassing early on. But, as Rob said, there is no quit in this team and they actuallty made it thrilling till the end. 31-0 was impossible to come back from, yet who else but us almost made it happen.
2 months ago some were debating whether we made the playoffs. IMO, it’s quite an accomplishment with all the injuries we had, and the poor play on the O-line early on.
Had we not given Carolina 10 points off TO’s early in the game, we win this thing hands down.
It really does suck that we have to wait 6.5-7 months for more Seahawk football, but this team has nothing to be ashamed of.
It shold be quite the off-season. Now it’s time for the Shrine game, Senior Bowl, combine, pro days, FA, and the draft.
It was a solid season. Personally, it was a joy watching the evolution of the passing game. For the future, I think it was important for the players and fans to see that there is life after Lynch, and it looks good.
This will be the most interesting offseason we’ve had since 2013. So there’s that to look forward to. Go Hawks.
The problem is, that hot start by the Panthers should never have been allowed to happen. The Seahawks should be the ones dictating games, not reeling. This disaster on both sides of the ball, this total collapse, is unacceptable. No matter how noble the second half was. Bottomline, the Seahawks are not the bullies of the NFL anymore. That must be restored.
We are left with a long list of problems to be addressed from top to bottom. Coaching and personnel. Every position must be evaluated, including veterans. A bad season full of turmoil and no consistency.
Hate to agree
Well come on. That was their 3rd away game in three weeks. Last weeks emotional finish, the travel, and the east coast time zone thing all took their toll. They just didn’t have it today. Hopefully we will draft well this year for the o line. As far as I an concerned Okung has to go, he can’gt seem to stay on the field so what good is he?
Not accepting that excuse. You’re playing for a chance to go to the NFC championship. That should be enough incentive to make sure you are mentally and physically up for the game
No excuses. This team had many chances NOT have fallen to a 10-6 level, and to have given themselves the advantage going into the playoffs.
So there is a long, long list of problems that need to be sorted out and fixed,from draft to playcalling to the performance of individuals, including star veterans (many of whom regressed).
Losing Avril and Okung made a difference today, but the collapse occurred early with everyone in place.
Overall, I come away pretty unhappy with the top down. The coaching. Is this coaching staff creative and brilliant enough to outcoach opponents on a consistent basis? I would like to see some changes.
Couldn’t agree more.
I’ll tell you what Steele, the offense does what it did today in the first half most of the time we play someone good.
It’s time to stop looking the other way and pretending guys who don’t get it done are good enough.
How did they do in the first half against Arizona in week 17?
Let’s not overreact to the disappointment.
Fair point. But as I mentioned before, the Seahawks are a Jeckyl and Hyde offense. Either soaring as against Arizona week 17 or stymied as in much of the first half of the season and in the first halves of so many games. We’ve been specialists in the 3 and out when we desperately need a drive.
I’d just like to see some balance, less either-or.Why must it be feast or famine? It’s like we’re either really on or we’re really off.
In a game like this, clearly our up tempo shotgun spread offense is worlds more effective than our normal pro style offense (255 passing yards and 24 pts in the 2nd half). Why does it take until 21-0 or 28-0 before we start implementing. Establish the pass out of the shotgun which opens up the read option. I’m sorry but everyone knows our game plan to start which is why Lynch is getting stuffed in the backfield in the opening drives and play action turns into pressure and interception. The best way to avoid a big early deficit is to get 1st downs off the bat. It’s infuriating that it takes 31-0 to get any sort of urgency into the offense.
David: I agree. I think they must improve their Passpro from GCG because Russ has provent to be an unstoppable quick throw pocket passer if he has a little time. Our middle line was just blown up yesterday. On the pick 6, Kearse or Willson was wide open 10 yards past Lynch. That’s a play Russ makes with even modest passpro.
My sentiments exactly.
This unfortunately is one of the conclusions to be drawn. The Rams game exposed some off the same issues, most notably that the Hawks were getting out hit and physically beaten at the point of attack. One of Pete Carroll’s core and explicitly stated foundational tenets is to outhit the opponent on every play. We don’t have the personnel on our offensive line and also in our base defense (especially the interior of the defensive line) to accomplish that against physical teams. We were the softer and less imposing team yesterday. And it’s most pointedly exposed when we face a team with dominant defensive tackles and fast, hard hitting linebackers. Especially when we don’t have a defensive line that can do the same to the other team’s offense. Which means we can’t turn the game into a slugfest that we’ll win over the course of 60 grueling minutes in a playoff game.
The question of where do we ungrade and whom to replace was made more apparent yesterday. You can’t out physical a team with only good defensive ends but a weak interior line. Nor with both guards and a center who will routinely just get pushed around. And our attempt to ‘come back’ forced us into being more of an explosive play but also a finesse type of team. Which I do think is the way we should evolve, as long as we don’t allow becoming weaker up the middle. Which we now unquestionably are from a year ago.
Seahawks need to get the east coast wake up time down, they were still asleep when the first quarter started.
and it’s a pissweak excuse.
Olympic athletes, boxers, rugby players travel the orld and play games when their body clock is telling them it’s 2am, having to play at 10am is not an excuse.
I think you have to resign at least one of Rubin or Mebane. Next year is do or die for Jordan Hill. I think Kam is trade bait. He gambled that his worth was more important than the risk of holding out and frankly his coverage skills this year don’t inspire confidence that he’s worth the elite $$$ anymore.
Bruce Irvin is expendable. I love the guy but they didn’t redo his contract for reasons. I thought Kearse deserves a contract and more money. He’s money in big games and consistent.
Not sure I’d spend much on Jeremy Lane. He’s a good but not great DB and we really need to get a proper complement to Sherman.
The OL needs work. Okung is gone. Schneider needs to work some magic here. If we have a solid OL we likely win 3 more games this season and maybe end up in the NFC Championship game.
Lane’s a slot guy
Agree on most.
Don’t know about trading Kam, but if you don’t get complete buy-in from him in the offseason and camp, have to go that route.
Lane seemed tentative out there today. I like having him, but not for a lot of money. It might be time to just accept that Britt is a bust. Just whiffs way too much. Draft should be spent rebuilding the lines, IMO.
Things steamrolled there in the first, but I really felt like we did a lot of it to ourselves. Not Marshawn’s fault, but the first quarter in particular felt like every bad game we’ve had this year: forcing it to Marshawn to “establish” him, routes taking too long downfield, Russell in shotgun too much and holding on to the ball way too long waiting for routes to develop while he ignored/missed open guys underneath. When we went back to a rhythm passing game in the 2nd half things clicked. Hit the back foot and let it fly, even if it’s just a 6-yard out route.
I will never agree with those who say Irvin is expendable.
The problem is he is just not a great pass rusher, and without that we can’t afford to have $20-ish million tied up in three LBs. Much cheaper options can be found to replicate the linebacking part of his job.
Not sure if I agree on letting Kam or Irvin go. Especially if it means we just get less physical at those positions. I would let Mebane go, but keep Rubin. To me the most glaring weakness on the defense was exposed on Carolina’s first drive yesterday. Our defensive interior cannot impose itself on good offensive lines. The Dallas game last year really exposed the first cracks in the foundation. Then it was Kansas City running all over us midway through the season. And the Rams being the more physical team this year. And Carolina rightly exploited it properly.
The same corollary problems on the offensive line are now just obvious. I know the front office likes ‘special athletes’ with their first pick. But a Kawann Short type is also a special athlete who makes a much bigger difference foundationally in terms of not being physically beaten play in and play out than a player like Paul Richardson. And we don’t have an actual problem with receivers not getting open.
Nor do we have glaring coverage problems in our secondary for the first two and a half seconds after the snap. When Russell doesn’t have time to throw and has to go the magic scramble act, it’s because we are getting physically BEATEN where it matters. And so many of Cam’s completions yesterday we when he had five seconds to look around and space in front of him to step into that throw. That’s getting physically BEATEN as well. When we beat the Panther’s I the past Cam was throwing off his back foot. Because he had no choice.
One of Pete Carrol’s foundational principles is to out hit the other team on every play. And we used to literally beat up and savage other teams. We simply don’t have the interior players to accomplish that on either side of the ball.
I’d like most of all to see upgrades at guard, center and defensive tackle therefore. That would mean replacing Mebane with a young, hungry badass that would make Avril, Bennet and Clark far more effective. I’d replace any of Lewis, Sweezy, and Britt IF upgrades can be obtained. I think we are likely no worse if we let Okung go, since he is simply not an imposing physical difference maker. And we mounted our comeback just fine without him.
I’d make sure the Wagner, Kam and Earl are each on one hell of an offseason conditioning program as well. Kam remains under contract. And it’s doubtful they will find a more physically capable upgrade. Get him healthy. And if he can’t get his range and speed back then, it would then be time to think about his successor. But I don’t think we’re there yet.
The game was a lot like the season. Horrible start, great second half. In the end, not quite enough. They are not far off unstoppable. Proud to be a fan. Go Hawks!
Well put.
This was agonizing and enthralling all at the same time. I think the idiots Buck and Aikman did touch on a fantastic point- Seattle travelled more than any team in the league this year. No surprise from the Shield. As bad as it was, we came within a c-hair of the greatest comeback win in playoff history ON THE ROAD. So heartbreaking. Although I am sure if I had the audacity to go to ESPN boards in the next 6 months the trolls would talk like it was 73-0 and we didn’t do anything all day.
I need Lynch to be shown out. What he did was great in his time here, but this needs to be Russell Wilson’s team without any possible undermining. Although he really did make some bonehead plays today. He is always good for a few in big games.
The defensive gameplan and execution was utter garbage. How many times was Olsen (the one guy who should ABSOLUTELY not be allowed to beat us) wide open. With nary a soul near him. That was infuriating. If Kam is not at every single OTA, optional team workout, and every single day at training camp, then I want him out of here. He is a liability as much as he is a playmaker this year. Of he doesn’t fully commit to being on this team and being the leader he says he is, then dump his salary and start again.
Lastly, Okung cannot be counted on. He was a rookie once, and had to learn. So will the next guy. Give someone else a chance. As far a the line goes, it needs a real overhaul with some solid veteran presence. The guys in there now were not that great, so let’s get some fresh blood and vompetition and let it settle where it does.
Heartbroken. So close. Within a touchdown after that start. This one stings almost as much as last year. Tough loss
Yeah- I was an advocate for keeping Okung, but I was thinking about this when he went out today. If there’s a team that would roll the dice on a 1st year LT in the middle of their championship window, it’d be Seattle.
Ecspecially after his awful performance today. Him and Britt. Lewis is a nice backup, but he really lacks situational awareness.
Sweezy wasn’t any better. The lack of consistency overall is maddening.
They moved the ball pretty well when Bailey was LT, not that Bailey will be the LT next year, but I think there’s a chance neither will Okung.
I thought Britt had the worst game on the line. he has to go. Bailey is okay but probably better in a guard spot. I think we should say good bye to Okung, his body won’t age well. The right side of the line played better then the left today.
I’m expecting alot of changes on the offensive line this summer.
Britt moved to LG because Bailey wasn’t playing well enough there.
Britt moved because he wasn’t working out at RT. Not sure if he actually out competed Bailey, or if they gave him the start because he’s a R2 pick and Bailey a UDFA.
Yeah, I don’t know. I think they were pretty outwardly disappointed in Bailey’s play at LG, they were even trying Sokoli there and Keavon Milton there before they radically shifted Britt inside.
Britt is a bust in passpro and so is Sweezy. I hope Glowinski takes RG and maybe the uber athletic Sokoli can provide an option at LG who can at least get in front of a DT. Britt should spend the off season trying to shed his Frankenstein boots.
By the timr bailey went in they went more of a soft coverage and blitzed less..
They sent more pressure as the game went on, though, and Seattle was still able to move the ball.
Lockett’s TD came on a corner blitz from Norman. That’s far from a base vanilla defense.
Volume 12 – regarding your comment about rolling the dice on a first round LT, I think JS is more likely going to trade our first pick for a veteran LT. It may be costly to get a quality guy, but we have seen that JS has no reservations about trading picks for key players. We can use the $$ that we would have had to pay Okung under a new contract to partially pay for the new guy.
There is nothing wrong with Lynch and I expect him back next year. We run a lot and always lose at least 2 backs for extended time each year as a result.
The Defensive game plan was great the equipment planning was horrible if we have the right cleats or Carolina doesn’t rig the field to its favor with a fresh resod I think you will see the game from the 5 minute mark in the 2nd on. For the record that would have been Corolina 7(14 if over the whole game) and Seattle 24. I see the gamble on 4th and 5 as a coaching mistake forced by the situation.
You are right Okung cannot stay healthy but he is a top 20 LT when healthy which means we can afford a top 20 player in half the games for the cost of a mediocre replacement. Top 20 LTs are drafted in the first 15 picks which we will not see for a long time barring a severe Wilson injury.The miss rate on those tackles drafted in that slot is about 60% with only 2 in ten being worth the 1st round selection.
The problem I see with the line is Sweezy and Lewis not having the strength to hold against good DTs. Sweezy accounts for this by extreme leverage which is either successful or results in a free runner, Lewis just get pushed back and the only compensation is help or a 2.5 second clock on the QB. Britt is similar to Sweezy but I see fewer free runners from his side. Bailey is a good pass blocker but needs help with a chip against elite speed rushers, Okung can get there and is a good run blocker as well but is often injured and is susceptible to the swim back across due to his large kickstep.
Marshawn Lynch is a much loved Seahawk and I can understand why fans don’t want to consider a future without him. However, this is the stark reality. His career as a Seahawks running back ended yesterday. We should cherish the moments he provided — but ultimately be prepared for the inevitable.
What a comeback. And that onside kick was ever so close. But credit to Carolina. You can’t spot an opponent 31 points.
Newton had all day in the pocket. Our lack of interior pass rush was once again on full display. Obviously Avril going out didn’t help.
So much of the game is won and lost in the trenches, and we lost on both sides today. Something needs to be done to address the lack of talent on the OL if we are to make it to another SB.
Carolina plays a lot of max protect and we often only brought 4, which is part of it
Which is why I believe we need a true difference maker added to our D line interior. It’s not necessary to have special players at every single position. But if there’s a place of the defense that we most glaringly need one, it’s at defensive tackle. You cannot outhit and outmuscle a team with just athletic a fast twitch defensive ends. We got pushed around for the first half of yesterday’s game up the middle. And on both sides of the ball up the middle. In the playoffs, the less physical team nearly always loses. And we were not the more physical team yesterday. It may be wishful thinking to hope the front office finds the next Cortez Kennedy. But it’s not unreasonable to think they need to find our own Kawaan Short. And I’d much rather they target that kind of player than another receiver. Or the next Percy Harvin or Jimmy Graham in free agency. Yes those players can be difference makers, but they also don’t protect you foundationally from getting pushed around a simply outhit.
And as much as I love the overall philosophy of our front office, I’d have rather spent cap space on retaining Giacomini, a healthy and now developed Carpenter, and keeping Unger than any of the free agency moves they’ve made in the past two years. Although I do really like the Rubin signing and hope they keep him IF they can put a smash mouth, wrecking ball next to him to replace an aging and not explosive Mebane.
You may not win the game in the first 3 quarters, but it sure helps to show up in the first 2.
Tough loss, but in some ways this team may need a few knock downs to come back better. This reminds me of 2012 – comeback win against WA and loss to ATL. Comeback win at MN and loss to CAR after getting behind early.
Play calling didn’t help much in the first half – first down run to ML over and over again, and then left with long conversions. I have been the biggest fan of Marshawn, but I hope we can be a better team going forward without him. Not necessarily his doing, but the eggshells Bevell walked on not to piss him off and get him touches are now over.
Most concerning is our defense – something isn’t right, and they will have to figure that out. And well, there is that offensive line problem.
Not surprising end when you struggle throughout the season with lack of turnovers and big plays. Time to heal some wounds and get back to it next year.
I’m not a bandwagon fan, been here since 1976 – big wins, big losses – it is football. Looking forward to the discussion about the draft choices going forward!
Go Hawks!
“Most concerning is our defense”
I disagree. SEA defense held Newton to 161 yards and 1 TD. Stewart may have had a 100 yard game, but more than half of that came on the first play from scrimmage. They also shut out CAR in the 2nd half.
The offense gave up the difference in this game – 2 INTs for 10 points.
The defense played well against average teams, but gave up big plays numerous times especially to TEs – that is concerning to me. That was a problem all season long and it was never fixed.
Only thing wrong with the defense was a lack of TOs this year.
They have one weakness. That’s it. TE’s. And I actually think it’s the best weakness to have defensively. There’s a dearth of talent at the position coming out of the college ranks due to teams not really coaching it up anymore.
There’s maybe 10 or 12 good to elite TEs, amd that number wilo decease once Witten, Gates, and Heath Miller retire.
Leaving Olsen wide open is no excuse, but Seattle is missing a Malcom Smith like LB. Thought it would be KPL, but he’s more of a Mike Morgan, ST’s type.
The defense is no longer dominating. That is a serious problem. The flaws have been evident throughout the season. Some continuing problems haven’t been fixed since 2012: TEs, dink-dunk at the top of the list. The interior rush is meh. The secondary, better since Cary W. (was kept too long as it is), but serious lack of depth. Sherman, Earl, gave up plays they did not previously. Kam is average, at times a liability.
There is needed work across the roster. I am mostly concerned about the defense and the o-line.
Good points, we need to replace Irvin with someone who can cover a TE. Same with Cam if he doesn’t step up. Good time for a minor overhaul. Lynch, thanks for the memories. This team’s identity was running the ball and stopping the run but it needs to switch to a passing offense that can protect our QB and stopping the pass. Teams have figured us out. Evolve or die.
Pass defense starts with stopping the run.
Pete’s CB factory is loaded with young prospects who have a year or more of indoctrination under their belt. I wonder if they don’t try to upgrade the middle of the pass rush with an early Draft pick. Hill is inconsistent and QB’s killed us this year when we were not able to stress the middle of the pocket. I hope Glowinski can be an improvement at RG passpro. Maybe the athletic Sokoli can be an upgrade in passpro over the lead booted and unathletic Britt. Russ is a surgeon from the pocket when he has a little time and the game plan features quick throws! I predict next year we will field our best team!
To be fair though, Cam was never put in a position to need to throw it much. And when he did have to to, he had plenty of space and TIME to step into that throw. Cam didn’t have to be great yesterday. We played a game that would allow any number of average quarterbacks to beat us. And Cam is at least well above average.
I think the lethargic and cautious nature of the Hawks in the first half had a lot to do with the loose field conditions. Everyone was slipping around and could not make their normal cuts, which causes everyone to move more slowly and carefully. One of the best ways to neutralize a fast team is to make the field slippery. You would think they would have the right size cleats on at the beginning of the game, not wait until they were behind 21-0.
You know the panthers had the right kind of shoes on, they were not affected by it as much as the Hawks.
Also, remember the panthers had 2 weeks to study film and recognize plays, and it showed. That is the second time this year they had two weeks to prepare to Seattle’s one week.
If this is true, then it’s a coaching and preparation blunder of epic proportions. Pete Carroll and his staff have coached how many football games on every kind of field? I don’t believe myself that the field was the real reason. We’ve seen enough games this year and last where we were simply beat physically at the line of scrimmage. Dallas last year, Kansas City last year, the Rams games this year and then getting run over in the first half yesterday. I think the front office would do well to acknowledge and address squarely that we don’t have the personnel to win the physical battle against a team with a dominant offensive or defensive line. And I hope it becomes their number one off season priority.
The good news…..is how bout Tyler Locket? Real deal. Make Graham receiver instead of TE and then we have something.
It’s crazy that just last year we were saying the receiving core was our biggest weakness. Doesn’t seem to be anymore
O line help and all will be well with the offensive skill positions. S&C gambled that they could cheap out on the O line and it was not good. Can you imagine if Russ was not so mobile how bad it would have been?
I’m looking forward to next season.
If Seattle can get their OL fixed they will be good for a long time.
This receiving core is solid and Rob is absolutely right that Kearse needs a new contract. Would also love to see them Keep Rubin, Bane and Lane if possible. Irvin may be too expensive to keep, but there is talent in this draft that could step up.
I hope the coaches learn to always kick field goals in the first half by next year.
It’ll be interesting to see how this off season shakes out. Will there be drama with holdouts? I certainly hope not. I hope the players get to reflect on the opportunities they lost this season by being selfish. Home field would have been huge today.
It was great seeing Kris Richard improve as a DC as the season went on and I look forward to seeing this defense again next year. I think they can still get better, especially if we see players like Clarke and McCray improve.
As always, it’s great hanging out with you guys on this blog. What a special place to discuss football and Rob thanks for all the hard work it’s a great way to curb a few months of depression and look evermore forward to the draft.
We’ll, here’s to reviewing a lot of college tape between now and April 28th!
After the loss in Seattle, not covering Olson better was baffeling.
Well they were primarily playing zone so it’s not like one guy was assigned to Olsen and Cam had so much time in the pocket (max protect vs 4 man rush) so it’s not shocking that someone would end up wide open underneath and a few times it happened to be Olsen. Many times he wasn’t even the first read , but the point is if you give a QB that much time playing zone, there will eventually be someone wide open, if it wasn’t him it would have been someone else.
No pass rush from the line. Just stymied by their O-Line.
Just as concerning, the offense in the first half.
When we go to slow-developing pass routes, zone blocking runs, etc the O-Line fails, and we flounder and lose.
When it’s quick-hitting passes, and power-running with Rawls, we succeed.
The question is: why do we keep going back to the offense that fails (i.e. St Louis at home, Vikings, and first half of this game)? It’s clear by watching the way other teams have picked us apart in the past (Patriots, Chargers) that getting rid of the ball fast to receivers at short and intermediate distances is the best offense. The Pats are at times unstoppable with this.
It seems like the focus on stars like Lynch and Graham pull Bevell out of this clear-headed observation. He loves to run offenses geared around certain players rather than just a base offense that works. (Why, for instance, are we running a play at the end of today’s game with Lynch spread out wide? Does that really fool them? Is he better than a practiced WR at that spot?)
Looking forward to some line changes and hopefully some sanity when it comes to scheme.
I don’t agree with the focus on Bevell here. Sometimes the other team just plays better. The Seahawks didn’t come out trying to establish long developing routes or zone too much on Marshawn. In a flash the Panthers were all over them — all over Lynch, Wilson, the O-line. They impacted the game, changed whatever plan Seattle had. They had to adapt on the fly but in a shot it was 31-0. Sometimes it’s not the Seahawks, it’s the opponent.
Fair enough. And I agree that it’s just as often the opponent playing well as the Seahawks failing. But I also feel as though I’ve seen two separate styles of offense from this team. And, Rob, even you would have to admit that it’s kind of feast or famine. We either seem to have lots of 3 and outs or long successful drives. Of course, it’s hard to say what the problem is. Will be interesting to see how things are addressed in the off-season. Thanks for the reply.
I think overall the Seahawks were caught in a transition year. Moving between a Lynch-centric offense to one led by Wilson. And when they had the core group they’ll have next year (plus better O-line play) they looked electric. That is the thought I will carry into the off-season, with the hope they can add a few more pieces and maybe get even better.
It’ll be interesting to see how Seattle handles this transition. Will they be more like the Patriots or Steelers?Hopefully they continue to make good personnel choices.
That is exactly the thought that I had, it’s gonna b interesting to see what direction they will take offensively post lynch era, they just need to figure out what that direction is and get the pieces to fit it. We got a taste of what russ can do if protected which is encouraging for the future, we need to replenish the defense, and refit the offense, and we r off to the races again!;), onward and upward!,
Great defensive lines beat the Hawks this year, Carolina, Rams twice, Cincinnati, Arizona’s DL isn’t bad either. Packers were the only team with and average DL we lost to this year.
We play the AFC east next year, add to that another date with Carolina and 2 with the rams, it’s gonna be ugly if we don’t improve there.
Disagree with you here Rob. We reverted back to our marshawn O from the start of the year and we simply don’t have the mauling line to make it work often, especially against a D like Carolina or StL
Looms and another poster earlier are spot on; it’s the short quick passing game that allowed our explosion not only in the second half today, but the second half of the season.You can use passes to open the run, despite what some others here feel. No one says you have to abandon the run or even change your core philosophy.
Almost every first-half pass today sent 3 receivers 20 yards down the field. It should be no surprise we weren’t able to block. It should also be no surprise that we moved right down the field in the second half getting the ball out quick.
I didn’t see the Seahawks reverting back to anything. It was impossible to judge what they had planned because Carolina absolutely dominated the first quarter. The first offensive play was a run for -3 because Star Loutlelei blew up the interior. The second play was a pick six after Carolina blew up the interior, contained the edge and forced Wilson to panic and throw a bad check down.
At that point it’s 14-0. Your game plan is edging towards the garbage bin at that point. When Wilson throws another ugly pick shortly after on one of the quick throws people are talking about here — and the score continues to grow — you’re reeling. You have to try and find something that works.
It’s impossible to judge what the Seahawks intended to do today given that start. They were trying to figure it out on the run against a tidal wave of Panthers intensity.
“You have to try to find something that works.”
Exactly. If you saw adjustments in the first half please clue me in. There was no attempt at getting the ball out quick in the first half. Cripes, with 50 seconds left in the first half, down 31 points, we hand the ball off twice to lynch taking all but 10 seconds off the clock before missing a long FG.
It’s incredibly hard to adjust when the other team is all over you, figuratively throwing punch after punch and you’re just trying to survive. What chance did they have to properly adjust? Every drive was ending in a flash — on two occasions with interceptions. At one point Wilson had two completions to each team.
I think we need to appreciate what happened in that first half. The Seahawks were pummelled. And they needed to stem the tide somehow. But they weren’t able to do it because Carolina were relentless. They needed half time badly. We saw what happened when they had the time. In the first quarter and a bit the Panthers just completely destroyed the Seahawks in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Hard to make adjustments under that pressure.
As for the final drive — they ran to Lynch once and then threw to Willson. It wasn’t a great plan, but I sense at that point they just wanted to get into the half.
I always appreciate your insight, but we saw different things. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
What I saw today was the same plan that failed miserably against StL; a disregard to getting the ball out quick. As you said, Carolina destroyed us on the line. So again, running 3 receivers twenty yards deep was not surprisingly very unsuccessful.
And yes, you can adjust your attack after 14-0, and 21-0, and 24-0….etc. In fact, sustaining a few drives could have stemmed that very tide you mentioned, just the same as a defensive stop or two
I agree you can adjust at those scores, the point I would try to make is Carolina virtually prevented the Seahawks from doing anything with a tidal wave of intense pressure and physical domination on both sides of the ball in the trenches. They pretty much needed half time to stop the bleeding. It’s a shame half time couldn’t come after five minutes…
Rob what did you think about the drive at the end of the first half before the missed FG. First down with one minute left and we run it up the middle, then throw it up the middle. Do you think this is good playcalling?
To me it was a clear waste of clock and more of the same outfox-the-fox bullshit.
Had we moved the ball better and got that FG, our last play would’ve been for the endzone and the tie and Russell kills it in those situations. No onside kick for Coleman to run under, just a line drive and Tarvaris winning the cointoss.
The shortcomings Looms described didn’t start in the first half, they started last season at the latest.
I think they wanted to get into the half personally.
I’ve gotta agree with Looms, as far as the Offense goes in the first half. I’m not calling for Bevell’s head, but I am perplexed as to why we did go back to the long developing plays. Carolina had an extra week to gameplan, and I have to believe they looked hard at that Rams game(s). That’s been my biggest gripe all year…I mean it’s almost like they rely on RWs Houdini acts to get out of those jams. I say, why even put RW in that position to begin with? Every time he drops back he could/should be getting rid of that ball in 3 sec or less. And to be honest, I don’t really see how Lynch coming back would really change that gameplan that worked while he was out. He can obviously run, and he’s better than average catching the ball, and can block.
Kudos to the team though for a hell of a comeback. I’ll admit that I lost hope. The hole was just a little too deep. Looking forward to all your draft analysis, Rob. Thanks again for a good season and all you do. Go Hawks.
But hasn’t that been the question al season? Why did it surprise the staff to see that stuff fail? Everyone else has been watching it fail all season, not counting the easy stretch.
Time to talk rosters:
My order goes
Lane
Rubin*
Okung (for the right price)
Kearse
Sweezy (for the right price)
* – Rubin needs a nose tackle beside him to be effective. So whether that’s mebane or somebody else, that’s the only way you keep him.
I’d like Irvin back but his tweet from earlier in the season points to him leaving. Hopefully he doesn’t but I don’t want the FO to break the bank for him
A few thoughts
-I think it’s obvious we are moving on from Lynch. He just doesn’t seem to run to the holes the way Rawls and Cmike do. I like the combo of Rawls and Cmike plus a draft pick going into next year.
– The interior of the OL needs a massive upgrade. I think they might need to go after a C and/or G in FA and maybe the draft too.
– Kearse is a great 3rd receiver. I can see them offering him a 3 year deal. Not sure if he will take it or if he is looking for more money elsewhere. I think he can get a fair amount in FA.
– The DL can get good pressure but can’t seem to disrupt good pocket passers. Today they couldn’t get through the Carlina OL at all. Clark might be able to improve that next year but I could see them going after a DT in FA.
-I think the biggest thing this offseason will be the OL. If they can help Russ out, he has shown he can compensate when the defense struggles. This is the future of this team IMO.
Agreed with running with Rawls and Mike. Also, I think we should target a 3rd down back. Fred Jackson just doesn’t look right for me. Also agreed with Kearse. He earned that. Today he played the best football in his carreer to finish the best season in his carreer.
Primary needs: OL, RCB and LB.
Secondary needs: SS, DT and 3rd down back.
IMO DT is a bigger need than CB, maybe LB too depending on what happens with Irvin. But they’re more likely to address DT in FA and CB/LB in the draft.
Considering how much playing time CMike got today, I don’t see a future for him in Seattle. Why would he stay when he proved he can run, and he knows they will stick him back on the bench.
Michael’s lack of action today had little to do with being benched and more to do with the fact they fell behind so emphatically and had to abandon the run. Lynch only had six carries himself.
If this was a typical Panthers/Hawks game (a 12-9, a 16-10) Lynch and Michael get a lot more action.
I agree with this DT need. This year Seattle relied on essentially 2 nose tackle types to tie up blockers and keep the LBs clean. Their pocket collapser inside was almost solely Michael Bennett with a little bit of Clark and Hill sprinkled in. I think there’s a pretty strong chance they look to FA to bring in a guy who can disrupt more inside. I still like Rubin and Mebane, but they’re very limited against stronger interior lines.
Wow, what a great second half! Made me proud.
And what a terrible first half. OL was awful, and Russ made bad decisions and held the ball way too long. He made up for it in the second half though. Giving the ball to Lynch took us away from what has worked lately, quick plays that helped offset some of the OL problems. I saw Britt and Sweezy whiff multiple times. I think it may be time to show Britt the door. He just doesn’t have what it takes to be an NFL tackle or guard. I think Sweezy and Okung are both gone. We actually played better after Okung left the game, but I think that’s mostly because Bevell starting calling quick hitting pass plays. Which should have been called from the very first possession. Why did it take til the 2nd half?
Last thing – Kearse played the game of his life. What a clutch player!
Lynch ERA is over, was a great ride thanks for the memories
Okung great first pick by new FO, time to be done to injury prone to be trusted at large Cap hit
Sweazy done, Glow pass blocks better and will be cheaper.
Kam set the tome for a terrible start, again can’t be trusted trade for a pack of smokes.
Rebuild O Line trade up for left tackle if needed.
Try to resign Irvin
Draft CB and Kam replacement.
Hope Richardson, Graham and Rawls come back healthy.
Resign Michaels for RB 2 I think he earned another shot, draft RB 3 who is scat back who catch catch
Make a run for SB 51
Wouldn’t mind seeing Dixon from LA Tech as that 3rd down back.
Kenyan Drake could work in RD 3 or 4 RB3 great KR as well. I have a hard time using a RD2 pick for a 3rd down back have to think Dixon is gone before 88TH-89TH pick. Plus RB is loaded next years draft.
With Dixon more like a 5th or 6th wasn’t suggesting 2nd round there.
If he slips a bit would be nice value. Looking at NFL Draft Scout they have him at 68 early third rd late 2nd. Looking at 3RD back in FA Kendall Hunter will be UFA him might be decent for vet min.
Nice to see the comeback. Nice to see they didn’t quit.
I have been saying for a long time, and a lot disagreed. Move on from Okung. Too much to pay for someone who misses (which a lot countered) a lot of time.
Let go:
Okung/Mebane/Sweezy/Jackson/Ryan/Morgan/Dobbs/Jackson/R. Lockette/Pierre/Brown/Coleman
Trade/cut:
Lynch/Chancellor
Keep:
Shead/Lane/Kearse/Rubin/Tukuafu
Sign:
Mack/Boone/J. Howard
Draft:
Lee
Striker
Perkins
Day
QB Wilson
RB Rawls/Perkins
WR Baldwin/Kearse/Lockett
TE Graham
OL Gilliam/Glowinski/Mack/Boone/
DL Bennett/Rubin/Day/Avril
LB Lee/Wright/Wagner
CB Lane/Sherman
S Thomas/Shead
You solve your OL in FA with Mack and Boone (which in turn helps the running and passing game) and replace Irvin and Kam with Lee and Striker (although leave Shead to start at SS).
I hope we resign Bruce if we can afford him. He doesn’t get near enough credit and the trio of Wagz, KJ and Bruce is formidable. He has improved in coverage – take the $6.5 that we get with Marshawn leaving and go from there.
Who is your Left Tackle here?
Gilliam
Not sure I want to switch Gilliam, he’s solid at RT – maybe you draft one or maybe there is a solid FA. I like Spriggs from Indiana – was also a TE. Also played in a zone blocking scheme – he’ll need work, but maybe Cable can improve a top OT rather than a lower level guy.
I came to terms early in the game that they would lose, but way for them to keep it interesting. Carolina was Cleary the superior team today (at least when it counted). Despite the lose it doesn’t sting as bad as the Super Bowl or even the ATL in 2012. Hey, on the bright side maybe this means they won’t trade away their first round pick, bell they might even trade up…Definitely excited for next season with hopefully a rejuvenated defense and a newly dominant offense.
Some thoughts:
-Lockett is legit. He was worth all the picks plus some. He’s gonna be a superstar next year.
-Baldwin is a priority extension in my opinion, he’s Wilson’s best target right now, and they are way to tight to split up…plus, he’s the first 1000 yard WR since 2007, and 14 TDs…no brainer.
-Rubin, Lane, and Kearse should be extended/resigned.
-Okung is not worth it, he’s a liability. Irvin wants to much money, but if they don’t pick up any vets on OL or defense he should be a priority. Sweezy is a toss up, and Mebane is still viable, but only if he takes less.
-Lynch (as much as it troubles me to say this) is expendable. Maybe he gets traded to Oakland for a 4-5 rounder, or he retires, or maybe he goes somewhere else, but the Beastmode era is essentially over.
-Graham should come back healthy (hopefully), and with the look of the offense as of late he should prosper…no trading him yet.
-FA should be vet OL and maybe another vet DL for rotation. Mack backed up by Lewis sounds interesting.
-Draft: 1st-If they lose Irvin=Instinctive LB/S (Lee, Striker, etc.), If he stays then another playmaker on offense (Fuller, Boyd). 2nd-OL, maybe Dhal or just a meaty RT. Possibly a RB depending on who is available. 3rd-DL depth, maybe a SS if Chancellor starts his antics again. 4th-7th-CB, OL, DL, and RB.
-Speaking of Chancellor, he’s giving me a bad feeling about the secondary. Sherman is still in his prime ditto with ET, but Chancellor is not only looking bad in his play, but he is also a distraction in the locker room.
-Bennett is too valuable to ignore. Him and Aviril are dominant.
-Clark had a good (late) season, and may be the heir to either Bennett or Aviril in a few years.
-Richardson (if healthy) will be a dangerous addition to have around next year.
-Wilson with a good pocket is one of the best in the league. OL is the off-season priority.
-Bevell is great…if anyone says “Fire him,” I’m gonna cry. I do think that they should upgrade their positional coaches a bit though.
It came done to a 15-1 team playing to be historical and prove that they belonged versus a team who was expected to be great because of the past few seasons. This season wasn’t a wasted year. But it was a learning year for both the team and fans. Great season, here’s to next season…Go Hawks!!!
They definitely need to rebuild the O line. Okung and Sweezy can go. I would scream out loud in joy if Cable and Bevell left, but I know that will never happen 🙁
I think Kam and Lynch played their last games as Seahawks. Would not be upset at all if Kam was traded and we were able to get some legit value for him.
“I would scream out loud in joy if Cable and Bevell left, but I know that will never happen”
And replace them with whom? Is it worth noting again that per DVOA Seattle had the #2 offense in the league?
Replace them with better coaches would be my plan. In 3 of the last 4 playoff games the offense has been horrific coming out of the gate. I’m not counting last year’s Superbowl, but it took about an entire half to get more than one first down.
Who are the better coaches?
It’s not a coincidence that every HC hired this off-season is offensive minded.
Everyone wants to replace coordinators and big chunks of the roster, yet when there’s growing pains and guys getting acclimated, it’s ‘unacceptable.’
Some who can throw it near the sideline when we’re driving from our own 33 with a minute left in the half would be better.
Someone who throws it near the sideline when we’re driving from our 40 with 30 secs to the half would work.
Someone who doesn’t do the weird shit that Bevel did in those two situations.
and countless others like them.
Who is someone?
Just because we can’t name someone doesn’t mean there are better options out there. I’m sure management knows plenty of “someones” who can come in and not shit the bed with gameplans like Bevell has done the last two years of playoff games.
aren’t better options out there.
Anyone.
This is still the team to be on. People want to come here. We’re not in the situation we were in after Bates got fired. Bevel was a good hire for that team.
Rob, love the blog, but I know the best way to get you to respond to a comment is to bait you with a “Fire Bevell”. 😉
Fail…
That ranking is arguably more about great players than great scheme. I think Bevell is middling at best and for the love of pete, there are bound to be some fresh faces out there who could flourish with all our weapons. It is okay to feel that our offensive scheme could improve with some fresh ideas
It’s okay to think that. I think it’s also, sometimes, a bit unrealistic on behalf of Seahawks fans to not appreciate how exciting and productive this offense has been for several years. That’s not always easy to remember when you get used to winning.
One of the biggest concerns going forward is DC Kris Richard. I don’t think he knows when to utilize blitzes or disguise them. The lack of blitzes is troubling. If a QB knows only four rushers are coming on every play they will get comfortable. Cam had all day to throw today, and this has been an ongoing problem all season. If you blitz on occasion just to put that in the back of the QBs mind, the next time the QB sees five people on the line at least he might think one is coming. Even after Cam had 5 seconds to throw the ball play after play, Richard continued to only rush four, we could not get off the field. I could not believe all the third down we kept giving up due to the lack of pressure and continued to only rush four. I know we led the league in points against, but if you look at the overall stats for this team the last four years to include yards and points per game, they are all down, and the only common denominator is Richard.
Agree with Eric. There has been a clear dropoff from Quinn.
There’s been a dropoff, but as I remember it Quinn blitzed less than Richard, and Bradley blitzed less than Quinn.
Maybe part of the problem, which I think is exagerrated, is Richard doesn’t have Richard coaching the secondary.
I too was frustrated at the lack of a pass rush but I wonder if that was part of the scheme? Did they deem Cam more dangerous as a runner and thus were content to hold the gaps and contain rather than more aggressively pushing forward and risking Cam slip out the other side?
I’m digging this team and looking forward to the off-season. Elite QB who continues to improve; developing O-line; rookie contributions from Rawls, Clark, Lockett; #1 Defense with 3rd different DC.
Now, it’s just time to tweak the roster, esp. the O-line. Choosing to appreciate the contributions of Okung, Lynch, Sweezy and even Kam, but convinced it’s time to move on, change up some personnel, re-establish our dominance.
Proud to be a Hawk fan. 2017 run starts now.
Rob what % chance do you think Coleman falls to our pick? Almost everything around the net says 2nd rd pick or later. He just seems like a home run to replace Okung.
I think he’s a top-10 talent. Others think he’s a second rounder. I don’t really know what they see. I hope he’s there.
74.56%
I think it’s more like 74.23%
Really hoping his age and the health history scares enough teams off that he’s within striking distance.
History shows he will fall to us and we will pass on him for some one we have not even discussed, and he will go on to be great!
Ha!
Bitonio….ughhh
83.43% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
If he’s there at 20, I hope we trade up and get him. Wasted so many #1 picks over the years, let’s not screw this up.
If there is anyone out there who still disagrees with me about the line being a must to rebuild, there is your proof. Against good teams they are maddenly inconsistent and Okung is made of glass. He’s not going to age well. Do what you can to get the left tackle of the future, and draft Garnett. GARNETT!!!!!!!! Maybe Glowinsky takes over at the other guard, but Sweezy can not be resigned for any price. Oh, and if you can somehow swing OJ Howard as the tight end of the future, that would be swell.
I totally agree. Let me add that Britt needs to be replaced ASAP. All we need is a tackle and two guards! OJ Howard would be a steal in the 2nd round.
Howard is returning to Alabama and won’t turn pro.
If people think Jimmy Graham isn’t a TE and can’t block, why would you want OJ Howard?
Agree as well – Sweezy will be too expensive, Britt is a bust – Gilliam and Patrick Lewis can be solid. I doubt we’ll be able to pick up big time FA at o line, so it is going to have to be through the draft.
Carolina has an exceptional roster, so I don’t want to take anything away from their defense, but I think it’s time to move away from the idea that Cable can simply plug whoever into the line and get results. The FO needs to find talent, not just bodies. Whether it comes from higher draft choices or free agents, they need to find better talent for that position group.
This will be the biggest off season in the Pete Carroll era, imo. Huge free agents (starters line the LT position), key cog player free agent (pass rushers like Irvin and DT like Rubin), and players with contracts that may depart or get cut (Lynch). This is a draft John needs to hit on, a free agency they need to hit on, and players they need to keep (or replace) but may not be able to. This is why it is difficult to keep winning in this era of the NFL.
Can they pull this off season off and remain the NFC powerhouse , or do they need to start a mini-rebuild? Do they keep the same coordinators, or do they get hired elsewhere or replaced? This is huge especially with the likely move to part ways with beastmode your offensive identity for the past four years. Last year it was moving on from a superbowl loss, and now it is how do we sustain but still remove and add players while maintaining a winning franchise. Look to Greenbay, Patriots, Steelers and you will see how difficult this next year or two will be to not just win, but get back to the big game (the goal).
Big decisions ahead. I hope we pick a d choose wisely, and get lucky because there is luck involved.
I think paying all the players they did ended up doing more bad than good. I hope they take the opposite approach this year. Really though I think the coaching was not good this season. Not talking about Carroll, but the assistants and coordinators had some pretty shitty stretches and it all culminated in the Panthers game.
On Norman’s 3rd qtr sack, Lynch looked lost on the protection. I get that Norman left his zone coverage late, but Lynch’s assignment was pass pro/pick up the blitzer. Lynch was late to assist Sweezy on the inside even though Sweezy didn’t need help on that play, and Norman ran right behind Lynch on his way to Wilson.
That and then burning a timeout on 3rd and 24 was the game IMO. I don’t get why you call a timeout there. Who cares, take the delay of game.
Wouldn’t you assume that Sweezy would inevitably need help as well? I would.
You pick up blitzers from inside / out. Norman gambled and won….
That’s exactly what I was thinking. You just convert a fake punt. You know you need to basically score on every possession. Wilson had plenty of time to get rid of the ball and move on to 3rd and 10 and instead he tries to to run around and takes a 14-yard sack. And THEN, to top it off, can’t get up to the line and has to burn a timeout on a 3rd and 24! After the clock management issues in the past few games the entire second half I was thinking “offense – please don’t waste any unnecessary timeouts”. But that would be too easy. That timeout was crucial.
Looks like we have the 26th pick, if Colman falls it’s a good spot to trade up if we have too. After today I want this to happen more then I want a different player. Other options are very intriguing but for team need/problem area this will help use more then any other position. Let draft season start. Great season, this team showed me a lot this year and I’m very excited to see what they show me in the future.
I’m good with how this season ended up. I think the evolution of Russell in the pocket is huge. Looking forward to the team transitioning into more of his team. It will be a fascinating offseason in 2016. Lots of free agents up, lots of directions they can go with who to retain, how they might attack free agency. I would not discount trading someone big.
In terms of our own free agents, I most suspect Kearse, Lane and either one or both of Rubin and Mebane back. I think there is a very strong chance they bring back Irving. I am almost expecting that they will allow Okung and Sweezy to walk, or at least test the market. I think Glowinski is a strong candidate to inherent the RG, and that is the one young player on the OL I’m most excited about.
In terms of outside free agency, I think they may add a veteran to the OL, and I kind of think they might bring in a new face or two at DT, as that is how they like to spent free agent money. Don’t think they will go in the direction of Corner. I think after Cary Williams, Pete is going to be more likely to develop the position from within, that’s why I think Lane is all be guaranteed, Shead likely as well.
In terms of the draft I think they will strongly target OL, RB, WR, and LB if Irving isn’t signed. DT, I think they draft later for depth.
I would like to say Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett are untradable players. I would really like to say that, but I wouldn’t put it past John Schnieder to make another blockbuster move if one presented itself.
It was a really fun ride this year despite the levels of crazy. Really hope the circus skips this town next year, though. Go Hawks.
You lose Bennett it won’t matter what DT they get in FA or the draft. That’s a big step backwards IMO.
Yeah, I essentially agree with that (although I think it depends on what kind of DT we are talking about in FA or trade), and I’m as big of a Mike B fan as you will find, but if we accept John Schneider’s willingness to make big offseason deals, and look at this roster, I think one player we would have to include as a possibility would be him. How likely that would be is another matter.
I also think it’s potentially going to be a very interesting situation between the player and the team. IMO, I think he is vastly underpaid for what he does. I think they way they set up the DL this year, the team doesn’t function very well without him, and I think there’s a chance they could be in for some rocky waters. I think he has a case, and a much stronger one than Chancellor does at this point. Just kind of the tea leaves I potentially see. I think Hawk fans might need to brace for that.
I’ll be gobsmacked if Bennett isn’t back with SEA next year. I’ll be surprised, but not as much, if Kam isn’t back either.
Wilson needs more consistency with his long passes, which were short vs MIN, and long vs CAR. But it has been satisfying to watch him evolve this season.
I don’t think either are going anywhere. I get what ya mean though.
Agreed on Wilson. That and touch. But, it’s only his 4th, going on his 5th year. He’s only going to get better.
I have all the faith in the world that so long as he stays healthy, Russell Wilson’s passing will get better and better each year. I agreed with Rob Staten in that this was the transitional year from Lynch to Wilson.
The Seahawks were a complete Jekyll and hyde team this year. When they were on, there was no better team (and by a good margin, IMO) but when they were off…they were a team that struggled mightily.
This game was a perfect example of that. The only reason they are not moving on is they completely no-showed in the first half and that’s not taking anything away from Carolina who played great. Then, in the second half, they turn the tables and shut down Carolina.
The key for success IMO was in establishing the quick rhythm in the passing game rather than opting for explosive plays that take longer to develop. But where was that focus in the first half? In the second half, they clearly made that the primary point of attack and what a difference.
Re Bevell, there’s no question that he’s a talented play caller and was key in the turnaround and stretch run but my perception is that when he’s on there’s no better but when he’s off there may be no worse. Overstated maybe but the point still holds. For example, with time running out in the first half he calls a run for Lynch and a short pass over the middle both plays having almost zero probability of stopping the clock So you gain 20 yards and take 30-40 seconds off the clock leaving scant time for any scoring/play options. Just bizarre in my view. Still, he may have found the pathway for offensive success next season (no small feat) so you have to give credit where it’s due.
This remains the most talented team in the NFL so it’ll be interesting to see how PCJS cover the gaps and deal with the salary cap attritions. Clearly I think they’ll need to address OL and DL but as long as they can continue to draft like in the past, this team should be able to compete deep into the playoffs for the next 2-3 years.
Agree, M. Inconsistency has been the theme. Inconsistent everything. Season, games, playcalling, performance. We can’t have this up and down.
Great comeback attempt. It has been repeated over and over again through the last few years that the Hawks start slow during 10AM games. I am not sure how to fix that. May be they should just stay on the road after the Minny game. Or got there on thursday instead of friday. I don’t know the answer but something needs to change.
Second, the defensive scheme is terrible. The sitting in the zone doesn’t really work when your dline doesn’t generate pressure. For all the folks getting on Bevells head, Richard is the one who needs to be on the hot seat. This whole dink and dunk defense works against inconsistent quarterbacks (the type the Hawks have faced the the second half of the year) but the defense gets killed by good quarterbacks. This is a theme and if Richard cannot adjust, he should go.
Also, it seems the failure of the ’13 and ’14 drafts is going to come back to haunt the Hawks next year. The pipeline is dry. We don’t have good starter pash rushers (forget the depth), Wager seems to be regressing, Kam is a liability. We need to dip into the free agent pool to fill holes. We have enough cap space and we should cut Kam, Lynch, Graham to free up an additional 20M. (Graham of course if he cannot come back at full strength which is more likely based on the injury history).
Overall,
1. Cut Lynch, Kam, Graham
2. Extend Willson, Baldwin, Rubin, Lane/Shead, Kearse
3. Free agency priority: OL, Pass rusher, Safety (Mark Barron, Thurmond)
“We don’t have good starter pass rushers (forget the depth)”
Avril and Bennett aren’t good pass rushers? Can’t say I agree with you there…
I also wouldn’t expect the Seahawks to cut Kam or Graham. It just isn’t going to happen and I’m not sure why anyone would hope for that either.
Avril and Bennett are awesome but they cannot do it by themselves as was seen today or numerous times when QBs picked the Hawks defense apart due to lack of pressure. It happened in the superbowl, both Panthers game, the Rams game, the Bengals game to name a few. Time after time, QBs sit in the pocket and pick the zone apart.
As for folks already on the roster, Clark can develop in a year or two but he is not there yet. Marsh seems like a special teams only guy. Hill is good when playing but mostly injured, Irvin is inconsistent and almost gone. I am not implying the Hawks dline is bad, I am only saying that playing a soft zone coverage needs an above average to good dline and the Hawks line as a group is far from it. They struggle against decent Olines and good QBs. If Richard cannot produce a counter in one full year, then that is a problem. They need a 13 version of Clinton Mcdonald.
As for Kam and Graham, Kam has lost a step (heck a couple of steps). Opposing teams have been targeting him the whole year (with success). Sure, he made a couple of splash plays that caused fumbles but does that absolve him from getting beat in the pass defense? His situation seems like Lynch 2.0. Weird character, hard to cut, player getting slow. Graham, purely based on his injury.
Another thing I want to point out:
Its notable that Michael didn’t get a single carry today. Was it to appease Beast Mode? More importantly, would the Hawks offense have started better if Michael was in the game to begin? Lynch did miss a few blocking assignments to start. Hard to know but we don’t need no drama next year. Get rid of Lynch, get rid of Kam.
Here is how I would reply on the D-line…
Most teams in the league don’t have one of Avril and Bennett. Seattle has a truly dynamic pairing there. It’s very easy to forget that. Not many teams have three exceptional pass rushers. With Clark developing they have a nice group overall. Also consider the scheme which is predicated on doing a specific job and not winging it. The Seahawks run a very disciplined albeit simplified scheme. The D-line a lot of the time is asked to contain to guard against the run with the responsibility on the pass rush awarded to the edge and LB’s. It would be nice to have a nickel rusher like Clinton McDonald but they are so rare. I can see them adding a pass rusher (inside or out) but I’m not convinced it’ll be a big splash. Perhaps a one-year deal veteran or a mid-rounder.
On Kam and Graham. I think people are too quick to write Kam off just because of the hold out and the lasting bitterness there. If he was on the open market 20+ teams would be all over that. He is a genuinely excellent player that the rest of the league is trying to find to a man. There’s no need to cut him. Ditto Graham — they have $34m in cap room. They can let him recover.
Michael didn’t get a carry because the game went away from Seattle so quickly. They couldn’t run the ball. Lynch only had 6 carries himself. They had to throw to get back into the game.
I wasn’t that impressed with Kam’s performance this season. He does seem a little slower this year, and also missed key tackles. I’m not sure what is going on, but his health does need monitoring. I don’t think he will last past his current contract. I do think the holdout effected his conditioning and game play early on.
Seattle had the luxury of having McDonald on the roster when they also had Bennett in 2013. It’s interesting because they cut McDonald at the start of the season in favor of Hill, but when Hill got injured, that brought back McDonald. They also had Jaye Howard on the roster that year and cut him in favor of Hill, too. Two very good inside rushers. Interestingly, Howard is scheduled to be an free agent, if KC doesn’t reach a deal with him. This is the one guy I would monitor, if Seattle wants to make a bigger play to try to add inside there.
There’s no need to cut/trade Kam, Lynch, Graham, but I think they should. Kam and Lynch, while the heart/soul of the team, are in decline; Graham is recovering from a career threatening injury. I’d rather have $54 million than $34 million in cap space to better address multiple needs, esp. on the offensive/defensive lines. The Seahawks’ Super Bowl teams were built on talent evaluation, player development and risk, not by holding on to players past their prime.
Team needs to go all Clubber Lang, next year. Eye of the tiger. 🙂
You should stop with the 34m free cap space. It’s not accurate because it doesn’t consider a full 53 man roster. It’s closer to 19m free.
Spotrac is estimating $30,002,194 based on a $154M cap with 36 players signed. Cut/trade/retire Lynch and it’s another $6.5M or $9M post June 1 cut. Yes you have 17 more guys to fill the 53 man roster but cap space is cap space. That’s accurate.
http://www.spotrac.com/research/nfl/nfl-2016-team-financial-power-rankings-562/
Not true Kyle. They need to reserve around $7m for IR and the PS. The rest they can use how they see fit.
Spotrac is now projecting $30m without cutting Lynch and $36.5m free if they do. So $30m minus IR and the PS money is an accurate number.
But it’s not the # with 53 players on the roster is the main problem.
This team looks like it is always feeling things out early on. I would prefer they have a plan and attack. Today the interior was crumbling. That would have been a perfect opportunity to roll the pocket and pass quickly. Nope. Let’s deep drop. Leaving the backs in today against the blitz was really effective. When we flanked them outside we were killed. Bevell needs to not wait until the second half to make adjustments.
“However, they’ve started slowly in several big games now. Here, Minnesota, the Arizona home game, the Super Bowl last season, the NFC Championship game against the Packers. It feels like this needs to be addressed. How you start does matter.”
This. SO MUCH THIS.
I may never grasp how the Seahawks consistently cannot come out of the gate with any energy or creativity. What is the purpose of being offensively conservative early in the game? Is it just a feeling out process to see what the defense is doing? A commitment to establishing pace by insisting on running?
Why not at least once, have the offense open their first possession with a no huddle offense? Or try quick slants to get 7 yard chunks to set up 3rd and 3 instead of 3rd and 9? Or design a couple RW runs to get the defense back on their heels?
Why consistently put so much pressure on your defense? Why play from behind?
I don’t know if it is Bevell, Cable, PC or the players. But it needs to be addressed.
The Panthers deserve the win. But a couple of thoughts,
The offensive line needs improvement. There was enough offensive play in the first half to flat out kill the team’s chances.
And 10:00 AM EST games MUST change. As far as I see it, a 10:00 AM EST game is roughly the same thing as a 9:00 PM PST game – patently unfair. And I do not comprehend in any way why the NFL continues to allow this because it does NOT make for better games. (And I remain intensely irritated about this)
That’s the funny thing. I started feeling awake right at about the same times that the Seahawks started playing with competence. Sleep schedules are genuine things.
No, with the line play that the Seahawks had they probably didn’t deserve to get to the big show. But I do have to admit — seeing things turn around in the second half of the season, the awesome things done by Baldwin and Lockett – I’m going to look back on this season with a lot of happiness.
There was a lot to appreciate. Let’s appreciate.
True that you can not win a game in the first 3 quarters, but you sure can lose one. How come Pete’s always compete mantra does not work out in the first quarter of a game or a season? If we want to not play in cold weather or 10 AM how about play the whole year and at the very least only have to travel for 1 playoff game instead of 2 or 3?
You can’t blame bevell for the slow start when the o-line gets blown up on every play. Its hard to call plays when that happens. I think in the offseason we need a good free agent center and possibly a free agent guard. let okung and sweezy go.
draft a tackle and guard to groom under our free agents develop sokoli for another year. also drafting a cb if also a priority.
The reason they were getting blown up is because he was calling long-developing pass plays. They weren’t getting blown up in the second half when we went to a hurry-up, short pass attack. That’s on Bevell. Too little adjustment, too late.
The second interception wasn’t a long developing play. I didn’t see a concerted effort to go with long developing plays early. To me the Seahawks were just getting beaten up in the trenches. That was the issue. It’s hard to throw even a quick pass when the LOS is being re-established almost immediately.
What can I say, we got Bevelled again. He did an amazing job down the stretch, but we were due for him to have a bone game. Once again, he fails to have a workable game plan at the start of the game, and of COURSE with Lynch back, we completely regressed to our crappy zone read shotgun offense.
Wilson and the offense played admirably in the comeback in the 2nd half, but Bevell had a crappy game plan (to make Lynch comfortable?) and Wilson regressed in that plan until the second half when we went back to what had been working.
They should’ve benched Lynch after the first 5 mins because it was obvious he didn’t have it today.
Next season we need to hit on a lot of picks on defense and OL and use our $$ from Lynch and Okung and Sweezy leaving to sign a C and re-sign Kearse (assuming he’ll sign for a reasonable rate). We need to keep the window open. . .
I’m very surprised people are just resorting to Bevell criticism again.
Carolina flat out dominated. They were incredible early on. The Seahawks were getting smacked around in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
It doesn’t matter what offensive plan you have when Star Lotulelei is dropping Marshawn Lynch for -3 on the first play and on the second play your QB is under incredible duress and makes a terrible pick six. It’s 14-0 and you’re chasing the game.
This wasn’t an ineffective game plan issue. This was a case of one team flat out dominating and the Seahawks being unable to stem the tide and limit the damage. They just gave themselves too much to do.
I get that Bevell is the default guy everyone rips on when things don’t go right, but in this game I had a serious problem with how they started on offense. The clear cut gameplan IMO should have been what they did in the 2nd half – go 4 wide and spread out Carolina’s defense. Stress their poor secondary (with 2 starting corners off the street). Instead they ran Lynch up the middle and threw out of an I formation.
I know that this could have blown up in their face anyways with how the O line was blocking. They were inviting Carolina’s defense to be aggressive though with what they came out in.
I think sometimes we have to credit the other team. They dominated in the trenches early in the game — on offense and defense.
Being dominated is unacceptable. But being unprepared for an attack, for not being able to immediately adjust and respond, is even more unacceptable.
It feels short-sighted to blame Bevell for this one. It may sound radical, given the second half, but I’m more inclined to blame Russell.
It is plain that Carolina came out breathing fire – and equally plain that Russell – admittedly under duress – made two poor throws that led to two quick scores.
What should have happened is moot, but it would have been better to play a bit more conservatively at the front end, take Carolina’s punch and try to drain that initial burst of energy. The two initial turnovers made that difficult. They changed the complexion of the game enormously. If the Hawks are prone to slow starts (and they are), the answer is Belichickian: slow down, get small chunks, make little drives and play field position at the start. Throw the ball away if you have to, and don’t try to thread needles. If that means three and out, so be it – just push the other team back to their own side and make them work.
There were other lapses in the first half: On Stewart’s big run, it looked to me like Earl slipped on the turf. Plus there were several plays involving Olsen – but the reality is the defense allowed Cam 17 points, discounting those two big turnovers. That would have/should have been enough to win. The adjustments needed to come more quickly in the first half. Just my opinion.
I’m sorry, but that’s just pollyannaish thinking. Short and Lotuleilei are monsters and it is absolutely expected they would blow **** up. But that’s the thing, there are plays you can run that would minimize that. Keep extra blockers and run a rollout. Run toss/sweeps to the outside with C-Mike (who’s faster than Lynch by a country mile). Or run the offense we were running with devastating effect the whole second half of the game and season. Instead he runs up the middle out of shotgun right at the destroyers and then the next play he runs more pass plays where no one is schemed open and Wilson has to either stay in the pocket for 10 seconds or run until he makes something happen and of course it gets blown up.
It does no one any good when Bevell gets a pass for this stuff. Win Forever and Always Compete should extend to coaches. He consistently does this a few times a season and it’s almost a given in any big game, that we’ll come out slow.
Everyone wants to give him a pass whenever he blows the game plan because our DVOA or ANY/A or YDS/Att is in the top 5, but just imagine if we didn’t ALWAYS have to overcome a slow start against a tough opponent? We’d be unstoppable. I gave Bevell lots of credit for his second half performance, but today he was about 80% of our problem and it doesn’t do any of us any good to just say he’s not the problem when he clearly is a big part of if not the biggest problem facing our game play.
Stop swearing (second edited post of yours today) and go have a lemonade. Angry instant reactions don’t do anyone any favors.
I’m sorry about the cursing, but it just REALLY gets to me when we are all supposed to be breaking down what happened and many people keep telling me that the emperor’s new clothes look great when I can clearly see he’s naked. I’m not trying to attack you Rob, because there are a lot of people that do this, but Bevell clearly has a problem and it does us no good to gloss over and say we simply got outplayed.
We got outplayed by a significant margin in the first half because we had a terrible gameplan to combat the things we KNEW (or SHOULD have known) the other team was going to do. I’d give Bevell a pass if Carolina came out and literally invented a new defense that no one had ever seen before that just crushed us, but they played the defense they’ve played all year, and against us in week 6, and we responded by calling shotgun runs up the middle to “establish the run” (which is just a stupid call, no way around it) and long developing pass plays on 2nd and long when we’re pushed back and we KNOW we’re going to have trouble blocking their 2 DTs. Again, if this was unexpected stuff, then you tip your cap to the other team, but having the other team do EXACTLY what we expected them to do and still not be ready for it or at least not maximize our chances is dumb and that’s been Bevell’s weak spot.
Several times over the years he’s been our OC, he’s either gone away from the run against an opponent that had a bad run defense (Dallas 2014) and gone completely pass whacky or he’s gone ultra conservative until the 3rd quarter (too many times to count) and we’ve had to fight back from a hole once our offense has adjusted. I’m not going to call for Bevell to be fired because A) I know it’s unlikely and B) he’s not without obvious talent once the 3rd quarter of the game starts, but he has a HUGE weak spot for game planning the start of games and it needs to be examined.
Sorry for sounding a little unhinged, but it makes me feel like I’m taking crazy pills that we can talk in this site (which is great and I love what you do and all the other commenters most of the time, really) about which defensive end prospect we shouldn’t draft because he has bad hand skills or a low-motor or how some CB is awesome, but his arms are only 30 7/8″ long and therefore they won’t draft him and then at the same time, everyone seems unable to see that our Offensive Coordinator has a very glaring deficiency in his ‘game’ that seems to raise it’s ugly head at least several times a season. I went through this for YEARS with other fans and Tim Ruskell.
Other teams are going to come out strong every time if they know we’re going to come out weak like we always do, and while we always fight back, this whole season it’s seemed like we haven’t been able to make it and maybe we need to stop digging ourselves a hole at the beginning of seasons and games.
I completely disagree with every point you make here.
Bevell stubbornly tried to do what was least effective during the season, seemed surprised that Carolina played well up front and attacked in ways the Hawks have been vulnerable to, and got impatient.
The early results didn’t just happen to the Hawks, without their opportunity to affect anything. You think maybe Lotulelei dropping Marshawn for -3 on the first play could be due to the opponent expecting that play and the LBs not worrying about their zones?
Also, chasing the game at 14-0 in the first? Coaches do it all the time, but it is almost always a mistake to let the score dictate your approach that early; more than enough time is you get scores and stops, no matter how you get them.
The slow start isn’t a new problem. The team does get some major credit for winning games after slow starts, but they’ve also been quite lucky in some of them too.
I’d have a hard time firing Bevell because I don’t have a new answer and he is good at times, but to act like he’s blameless (or anywhere close to it) and be surprised at criticism doesn’t make any sense.
Exactly, well put. I don’t think we should fire Bevell, since he’s shown that he can be an amazing playcaller with the 2nd half offense. But he’s either terrible at coming up with gameplans against what teams know we want to try to do, or else he’s being forced to start vanilla and conservative (by PC?) and then when we’re behind in the 2nd half he gets to do what he wants and he lets it fly.
Either way, this is a glaring weakness and either way it’s got to get fixed. When we’re calling plays that give Wilson easy reads, spread out the defense and allow for quick throws, our offense is one of the top 3-5 in the league. At this point there should be no going back, that should be our identity. Whoever is holding up the transition (for whatever reason, be it incompetence, stupidity, or ego) is really setting the team back. We’re paying Wilson $$ for a reason, he needs to be the man now and we need to come out of the game and throw these quick hitters to get positive/efficient yards and move the chains to start the game. . .
It’s not Bevells fault that on the first 3 offensive plays Lewis whiffed on Lotuleilei, Britt got schooled on Short then Okung whiffed.
Everything that was wrong was a byproduct of the o line not doing their job then Russell with the dumb throw to the middle of the field which went pick 6 instead of throwing it away
It absolutely is Bevell’s fault because that is a completely expected thing going into the game. I’m a football novice, and I could tell you immediately that Kawann Short and Star Lotuleilei were going to own our interior o-line (much like I could say the same about Aaron Donald and the Rams).
My problem with Bevell is that given you know that’s going to happen, it’s fucking insane that you call a shotgun spread run up the middle, with no lead blocking and Lynch is not fast. Like what happened in the 2nd half, we spread them out, ran option and rub routes and kept Lynch in to block and Wilson got it out in 2 or 3 seconds.
That’s called examining what the other team is going to do and what your team is going to figuring out a way to beat it. We’ve done that the whole second half of the season (other than the Rams game) and we absolutely destroyed teams. Bevell is **** at making a game plan or is being pressured by players or PC to stick to this conservative offense to start games. I blame Bevell because it’s ultimately his job, and he’s either bad at this (supremely important) aspect of it or he’s being forced into it (which if that’s the case then he needs to call out whoever is pushing that or quit). Either way, however good he is and was this season, he’s ALWAYS good for a couple Bevells a season and we were long overdue…
Could not agree more
Please do not swear. I’ve had to edit this comment LooseSasquatch.
Sorry about the swearing, but if you’re cleaning them up, you missed one in the 2nd paragraph. I’d edit it, but I can’t. . .
If he knew his personnel and he knew who was lined up on them, he would’ve seen it coming.
If he watched the game tape of the other good teams we played, or just the last game with CAR, he would’ve seen it coming.
Long routes aren’t the best solution when you’re facing a great pass rush with an O line like ours.
Some 80 posts and no one critical of Earl this year. People will say he allows them (the D) to do so much, but he just didn’t bring it much this year. He didn’t want anything of Stewart on that TD run and why is he meeting/brushing him when Stewart is already at the goal-line? Earl, is was clearly a hand-off and you were untouched.
Both lines need addressing in the draft. I assume the lack of pressure on Cam N today was due to holding your spot so he couldn’t run, they relied on his normal bad completion and it didn’t happen. Wish they would have sent a LB on a bit of a delay from time to time.
As stated before, I am sick of the cover 3 (Richards), wish they would have gone man at times. Seems like cover 3 allows a few easy holes as long as your QB can make a couple of reads and has a good arm.
He did lead the team in interceptions with five.
And if you dislike Cover-3, it’s worth noting that scheme has provided the #1 scoring defense for four years in a row.
Yeah I don’t know how you can criticize the Cover 3. Won us a SB and shoulda won us 2.
Outside of the SB win, which cover no one would have worked, the lowest scoring D for the other 3 years have lost by giving up 30, 28 and 31 (24), nothing special in those games.
Cover 3 has been the backbone of this defense from day one.
The backbone of this team, really.
I think the secondary was great. Carolina showed what you can do on offense with a good offensive line. Our defensive line barely forced any pressure all game. They were gashing us for 4-5 yards on the ground a pop (much like the first meeting).
I want Russell to fix one more thing: throw the ball away a little more. In these games of inches, it might make a difference.
I agree that Lynch is gone. It makes me sad, because I love/d watching him, but I see no other way.
Keep Kearse – I agree with that, too. And Irvin, if possible. But I think Kam is probably gone, and that too is a pity.
These guys have played a whole lot of games in the past four years – enough to make up almost a fifth season. That’s a grind. I thought they were done after the first half, but they kept me watching. They’re a great team, and we are fortunate. The point about the transition to RW is right. He elevated his game and found a new level, as did Baldwin. We have an elite QB, and a strong receiving corps.
I am less worried about the O-line than some on this thread. More concerned about keeping the defense strong and tough. So even though everyone’s talking about O-line in the draft, it won’t surprise me to see some high picks on D. That part of the team is also in transition, and it needs to stay strong.
They were in every game, folks – all the way to the end. That’s quite an achievement. The 49ers crashed and burned. Other opponents slipped into mediocrity. We could be rooting for a crap franchise somewhere else, never tasting what we’ve tasted. Savor it.
Go Hawks.
I wonder how much did Kams knee that was hurt before the super bowl is still hurting him. I know that he said that it was miraculously was healed by God, but he was a step slow and his ability to change directions was not the same
I thought he was healed by Recovery Water?
I love pete , best coach we’ve ever had, won us a super bowl, but he has to take blame for this loss. He always talks about it’s not how you start, and the hawks continually get in a hole early on. We were down 9-0 to vikings and were lucky to win, 19-0 to green bay in nfccg and were lucky to win, down to 49ers 10-0 and barely won to go to sb. It caught up to him today, i believe other teams are aware of this and come out to get a lead and hope to hold on. He has won a lot of games this way but it doesn’t work anymor
There certainly is room for improvement here. It doesn’t require a revolution in philosophy — but they can do a better job not falling behind so emphatically in big games.
I think a lot of that has to do with the OL. The other teams DL is fresh and we always struggle with protection and run blocking to start games.
But this is inherent in Pete’s philosophy to keep things close, 4 years ago we were down 20-0 to the Falcons at half time. If we had the Cowboys OL it still wouldn’t change, sometimes he wins and other times like today you lose.
They came out too hard early and ran out of gas.
It was a big gamble that paid off. They were shot in the 2nd half, but the 31 points was enough.
Just wanted to say it was another exciting year to be a Hawks fan. No team provides more drama and excitement than ours.
It is easy to make emotional snap judgements after the game so I will reserve all comment on what the team should or should not do till another day.
Just an awful start that could not be overcome. I truly believe an early East Coast game coming off playing in -40 was just too much to overcome particularly with the bad field. Carolina just came out on fire after a Bye week and we could not match their intensity until it was too late. It really was as simple as that.
Here looking to a fun Shrine and Senior Bowl then off to the combine and draft. Looking forward to some great banter and chat on here.
Thanks for all the great work this season Rob it is greatly appreciated.
Go Hawks!
I still say Richard is not making timely decisions. It was apparent after the first qtr we were not going to get to Newton rushing four. Where were the blitzes ? Also he playes the same basic defense all the time. When he puts eight in the box to stop the run he doesn’t disguise it . so opposing quarter backs see that right away and throw quick passes to the tight end over the middle. If you are not going to disguise it at lleast assign one player to jam the tight end and let the other seven handle he run.
There were a few but they never got close to getting Cam. I don’t know if they are too predictable or what …
Minus the absence of Byron Maxwell, this is pretty much the same defense that thrived on turnovers the last two years. Why are those gone and how do we get them back? An interception or fumble recovery would have given them a chance even in this game.
As bad as the offense was in the first half (including a TD and a very short field position) we’ve seen that happen before (like the last two NFC Championships) and our defense held firm. At least better than three TDs and a field goal in four straight possessions. A team that prioritizes defense so much on the cap and in the scheme can’t have that happen. I love Sherm, but he’s wrong: they’ve taken a step back on that side of the ball.
They say you should never make decisions right after a tough loss. The best thing to do is take a step back and assess the situation. That’s what makes me think of the “sign Kearse” crowd right now. I’m fine with that, but at what cost? He’s not a great receiver who should be paid like he’s one of the better WRs in the NFL, that’s for sure. If he comes back, resigned, he’ll be our #3 WR at best (probably not if Richardson ever stays healthy and lives up to his potential). If Rob is on to something and the Hawks end up taking Will Fuller, how much is Kearse really worth and how many catches will he have next year if that’s the WR situation… not to mention Graham and Willson at TE? I just don’t see the “pay the man” mentality there if we’re truly assessing the situation.
I would give him 2.5-3 mil a year but that’s it.
I like Corey Coleman but as a bigger target I like Josh Doctson, but he seems to be in the Jordan Matthews/Allen Robinson mold which they passed on to take Paul Richardson
Wow you guys are truly baffling. Kearse had been nothing but rock solid the last 3 years and makes the most important tough catches in every big game, but you haters STILL the made-of-glass-ain’t-never-done-a-THING-in-the-pros Richardson is some kind of saving grace. It is the pinnacle of disillusionment. Really ridiculous. Yeah just any rookie is going to come in and make the most important receptions in the history of the franchise. That’s going to happen. Lockett was a one in a million pick. We are fortunate to have him. That won’t happen but once every 10 drafts. So all the Kearse haters should really get a grip, have a reality check, realize that he was a major reason we even mounted a SEMBLANCE of a comeback, and actually be glad that he is part of the core of this team going forward. Or maybe you all will just hate hate hate when he makes ANOTHER game winning catch next year, too. I KNEW that ESPN.com would be a cesspool of unfiltered, childish ignorance- but here on the draftblog it would be nice to see we fans have some decent perspective.
Kearse is playing where he should which is the 3rd WR and he should be paid as such which is 2.5-3 mil. If kearse wants 5-6 mil are you going to pay it? I wouldn’t for a 3rd option.
I love Lockett. He has been spectacular but let’s not get carried away and say he’s One in a million pick or a once in a decade pick. Donte Moncrief, Martavis Bryant, Stafon Diggs, Allen Robinson, Jarvis Landry. All picked in the past couple of drafts who are just as explosive.
The stat where him being the first player since Gayle Sayers to have a punt return for a TD, a kick return for a TD, and a receiving touchdown begs to differ. I don’t think a single one fo those players returns punts OR picks. Plus his drop percentage is light years ahead of any of those guys. Also I don’t habe a clue where anyone speculated that Kearse was looking to get 7 million. Or anything close to that. He made 2 something this year. We will probably get him on a 4 year 8.5 million deal and it will be worth it.
I’m simply stating we’d all like to have him back, but what will it cost? I’m all for it at 2-3. How many times have we seen NFL players hit FA and get overpaid. It happens all the time.
Jarvis Landry returned both and Stafon Diggs returns punts but could return kicks except they have Cordarrelle Patterson.
Kearse made 2.35 mil last year there’s no way he will take less. If he stay for 2.5-3 I’m all for it. Anything more…no
I stand corrected. Diggs didn’t return punts. He did it in college
I think he’ll be closer to 3 or 3.5 and if I was Paul Allen I’d jump all over that
What would you pay Kearse moving forward? That’s an honest question. Please answer (I don’t need words in CAPS to understand the point you are trying to make).
For me, your answer will determine whether or not I agree with you. If you say $3 million per year, I’ll say, “heck yes,” lets keep him around. He’s a great guy, teammate, and, yes, he makes clutch catches for Russ. How could you not want a guy like that on the team?
If your answer is higher or quite a bit higher, then I think you are failing to understand that there is only so much of the pie for everyone to go around. The Seahawks have locked up their core players and have let the others, more role players if you will, move on and gone with youth so they can afford to keep their superstars. Kearse is not in the superstar category. He’s in the “great to have if the price is right category, not in the “lets pay him more than he’s worth because he has been good a good teammate and made some big catches,” category.
Thankfully, Schneider and Carroll make informed decisions on every player to determine their worth. They understand the mentality that you can’t pay everyone. I think an “unfiltered, childish ignorance” would be them paying each player what some fans think they are worth and realizing, at the end of the day, there isn’t room to pay everyone.
Saying you’d “pay” Kearse without giving a value to what you think he’s worth is like sounding like a politician. You have an idea (Keep Kearse) but you don’t say how you’d do it (money).
Personally, I hope we keep Kearse, Lane, Irvin, Mebane, and Rubin, but I’m not going to say we should pay them no matter what because there is a fine line between their monetary value and what they will produce.
For example, lets say you only have $15 million to spend on players and Kearse will cost $4 million, Irvin $6 million, Lane $3 million, Mebane $4.5 million, Rubin $3.75 million, Okung $6 million, Sweezy $3 million (just random figures, most probably not realistic for what they’ll sign for, but realistic in terms of making a point). How do you spend that $15 million? You have to make choices. That’s simply my point above – a little more rationale than outright being a liar and calling me a “Kearse hater” when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Dang. Eat crow (me). You did provide a monetary value. I just missed it. I simply disagree with over $4 million. I’d go closer to $3. Agree to disagree, I guess.
Actually the suggested contract I gave was 4 years 8.5 mil. I think that would the perfect contract for his skill set and past performance. So yeah around 2 and some change per year. But you see the comments- plenty of people write that we should dump Kearse for someone better. Lots write that. He is a core player, especially for the role he plays. I think their logic is terribly flawed
Id be really pleased with Fuller as the Hawks first rounder but only if there isn’t any suitable o-linemen available. Heck I would entertain the thought of taking a corner too. Sad to say goodbye to beast mode but Rawls looked more than ready to fill his void. Hopefully we can sure up that o-line for next year and really let Russ sling it. Toss some cash at Kam and M. Bennett as well. I’d like to see us keep Kearse and Lane. All and all you gotta be really high on this team after today’s game. Fought really hard and kept that warrior mindset after just about the whole world wrote them off for the second half. The extra time in the offseason will do wonders I bet. Looking forward to next season and some future updates on the draft, Rob!
Does anyone know about Cliff Avril? Necks are a scary thing. That could put a huge dent into what position we may draft.
Carroll said after the game Avril was fine, which is good news.
Russell Wilson has joined Tom Brady as one of the two best QBs in the league. Russ is more explosive, and Brady is more consistent. Brady benefits from having a coach flexible enough to play to Brady’s strengths, especially as he is older and has to go more with the underneath passing game. Pete seems to go back-and-forth of taking advantage of Russ. Our play calling to start games is abysmal, as committed to a vanilla running game as the French army was to the Maginot line… uninspired, obvious and inadequate. At halftime, usually dealing with a terrible offensive performance and often being behind, we loosen up and hand the reigns to Russ and usually he finds a way to pull off a win.
It is not just the play calling that is sub-standard at the start of games, but the offensive line performance is pathetic. Running plays get stuffed in the backfield, and Russ has to scramble for his life or surrender to the sack. Defenses know what is coming and have the talent to whip our OL, so we struggle to score maybe a couple of field goals. In the 2d half, when we turn Russ loose by necessity, their D gets back on their heels and our OL doesn’t look so bad. As to our D, although lacking the youth and depth of the Super Bowl win, we are still damn good, certainly good enough to win most games if we decide to make the effort to cover the TE.
If we aim to win another Super Bowl within the next two or three years, before age begins to decline Sherm, ET, Kam, Bennett, Wagner, et al, we must rebuild our offensive line immediately and change our play calling to begin games. Okung made (but did not earn) a $7.3 mil cap hit, and that is plenty of money to sign a FA such as Joe Thomas. John/Tom Cable’s draft must do far better in finding a top OL starter or two. Assuming Bevell is back, Pete has to direct him to hand the offense over to Russ and be creative while doing it. Then, we can be back where we belong this time next year.
I’m not really sure it’s fair to say that Brady and Wilson are the two best, while leaving Cam Newton off the list. Cam had no turnovers today and Wilson threw two costly picks that cost the team 10 points. Actually, Wilson had as many TD passes to Panthers as Newton did. I guess it depends on how you look at it. He’s great, no doubt, but there’s a reason Newton is going to win NFL MVP award this season. And I don’t like him and Superman crap one bit.
If you want to put Wilson next to the greats then Wilson has to make better decisions. He needs to throw the ball away sooner and make the plays that are available. He looks really good some times, but other times it is like he is working against the team. Someday he will be mentioned next to the greats. But that is many years away.
As for Cam Newton, it baffles me how he has time to flex his biceps for the crowd and still get back in the huddle and call a play. Man must be really quick>
Agreed. I can’t stand that guy and his showboating mentality. He’s good though.
Dont like someone or what they do? Then beat them, period! That act alone speaks volumes and shut all the BS down in a hurry…
You didn’t watch the Packers game?
Wilson had a great second half no doubt and he’s a top qb but he’s not clear-cut ahead of Rodgers. What an amazing throw out of the end zone. And his next one was even better.
Lets face it the Hawks sleep walked thru the first half. More than likely the effects of 3 consecutive road games and the time zone lag. But they didn’t give up and that tells all .About Kearse, I don’t know if it is a good idea to let him go. Wilson is real comfortable with Kearse and Baldwin, and some times that is more important than bringing someone else in to save some money.
I don’t think Kearse is going anywhere. Too tied to Russell’s mental health to ever let him walk.
I don’t want Kearse to go either but are you going to give him $7 million to keep him around if there is another team in the NFL willing to pay it? I think that answer is an obvious, no. $2-3 million? That’s a different story.
I am tired of sleepwalking through games or at least the starts of them. Packers in NFC Championship. Check. Patriots in Super Bowl. Check. Vikings last week. Check. Today. Check. At some point, are we going to admit that we’re not as physical as we like to think we are to man-up against teams when it matters most (or the Rams all the time)? Our DL can man-up for the most part, but the OL continues to be a mess and usually never plays physically like we want and is a big part of getting us into these messes.
Not likely Kearse gets offered $7mm/yr. Remember, Tate’s market was $6mm. Going off that, he’s probably in the $4-5mm range. And much more worth it than…say Sweezy.
I agree. Kearse’s market probably isn’t going to be that expensive. He has a great chemistry with Russell, and the other WRs, the passing game evolved this year and he ‘s been a big part of it. He’s young enough to think his best football is still ahead of him. I think he gets a bit underrated by folks, personally, and I think this is a situation where Seattle could value him more than other teams.
I think the desire to cut Kam is ridiculous, we’ve seen in the past that healthy Kam is much better in coverage than just came back from an injury Kam. He was banged up this year, and to me that means draft an insurance policy to be there in case the injuries continue. If you cut him, you’re out of a slightly above average (at worst) starting strong safety. Plus, don’t forget the kind of game he had literally one year ago against Carolina, it’s not like there’s no hope for him returning to form.
i think cutting kam has as much to do with his willingness to be all in, I think the team as no trust in him. I know i don’t. I’m not sure he does, hence the reason he wanted more money to be moved up and guaranteed.
Even if that was the case (I think they trust him, I don’t think the hold-out created a point of no return) — you wouldn’t cut him with so many teams happy to take him off your hands.
Carroll was emphatic in the press conference when Kam returned to the team that he would be a Hawk for a long time. I’m pretty sure they won’t cut him. I do leave a wee bit of an area in my brain where maybe he could be dealt if the right deal came up just because of John Schneider’s willingness for splashy trades, but it have to be the right deal, impact player for impact player.
Kam wanted more money. He barely earns what he is paid now. I, and the team, will not forget what he did holding the team hostage, and screwing up the LOB (Legion of BUST) for the first half of the season. I would TRADE him in a second. Bye bye. He was a bust in coverages, ie Rudolph in Minnesota-should have lost there, and he isn’t fast enough to cover TE’s…
Huh? If he’s so bad in coverage and such a liability, how did he mess up the early part of the season?
“— Jermaine Kearse deserves a new contract. He just does.”
I disagree. For me, it is the drops alone. He is a WR3 at the end of his contract (hated the 2nd rd. tender). He doesn’t possess any game changing ability like speed, size, savvy, or hands. The rookie udfa UW receivers are waiting in the wings to step into that WR3/4 role at a fraction of the price, while under club control.
+1 roster spot
+1 2017 comp pick
+$ cap space
The problem with the UW UDFA WRs waiting in the wings is that though they have potential, we don’t know for sure that they can produce when it’s game time. I agree that Kearse is basically only a #3 or #4 WR on our team but in that role this year, he’s been really productive. Therefore, if we can sign him to a #3 or #4 WR level contract, I’d much rather go with a known entity that Russell is comfortable with than to take a chance on those UDFA WRs, who don’t necessarily have any special qualities either but would be cheaper.
Not sure what else Kearse can do to earn an extension.
11 receptions on 15 targets for 110 yards and 2 TDs vs CAR. The best stat line for any WR in today’s game.
He showed good chemistry with Russ… and found the soft spots in the defense.. over and over. Norman couldn’t even contain him when he made 1 catch in the endzone. Very under rated guy for the offense, I would bring him back for a fair price, if I were the Seahawks brain trust.
That was due to the RW3 scramble, not Kearse. Norman got a finger on the ball also…
Kearse is also responsible for some of the most important plays in franchise history. Had the Seahawks comeback to win in Carolina, Kearse would’ve been instrumental again.
They need him. He’s not a flashy player — but he’s an important one.
I totally agree. He has a great chemistry with Wilson, and was a big part of the passing game opening up this year. He’s not flashy, he’s steady, and at times incredibly clutch. I think this is a situation where his value to the Seahawks is going to be greater than another team he would sign with.
If we went into next season with Baldwin, Lockett, Kearse, Richardson, and UW kids alone, I would feel pretty good about this passing offense. If they added another piece in the draft it would be a luxury pick.
You’e so far off its a joke, the guy has been nothing short of “CLUTCH” do you understand what the term means?
adjective
1.
(in sport) denoting or occurring in a critical situation in which the outcome of a game or competition is at stake. Jermaine Kearse has demonstrated the very epitome of the term. Please do yourself a favor and shut your mouth!!
The consensus of these replies is that you all value Kearse’s chemistry with Wilson. There is something to be said for that because you can’t just create it. Regardless of how “clutch” he can be from time to time, Kearse is still a WR3/4. The front office has already shown that they value him by tendering his RFA contract earlier this year. We will see in two months from now when FA starts. Hope they don’t pay more than ~3$ mil a season for him.
Cam and Russ are the new Manning /Brady for the next 7-8 years.
I agree. Guaranteed to play against each other next year at least once.
Tough loss today and after reading all the comments above, here are some of my thoughts about that game.
On that first running play, I would have preferred that we had gone with a quick pass rather a hand-off to Lynch instead. The run attempt of course failed miserably but I don’t think it was due to a terrible call because as Rob and others noted, Star Lulutei(sp?) was 3 yards in the backfield by the time Lynch got the ball, and there were two or three other Carolina DL that soon joined him. On that pick 6, the OL again crumpled and under pressure, with a guy hanging on to him, Wilson threw a horrible pass to Kuechly. The OL played terribly in the first half and just didn’t give our offense a chance to do anything.
If our D was playing its typical stout self in the first half, the damage could have been contained. Even at 14 – 0, I wasn’t too worried but we kept giving up points throughout that first half and 31 – 0 was just too deep of a hole for us to climb out of. Our run D, or lack thereof, was really puzzling to me. For most of this season, even when the secondary was giving up big plays, the Dline had been solid in holding the other team’s running game in check but in the first half today, for whatever reason, our Dline was regularly being blown off the LOS for solid gains. Given how well Rubin & Mebane have played, I’m still shocked that Carolina was able to manhandle us like that in the first half. I didn’t know/think that Carolina had that dominant of an OL. Though discouraging, it really shouldn’t have been surprising to us that we’d be down 31 – 0, with both our OL & DL being so dominated by Carolina’s lines.
Despite the horrible play in the first half, I was impressed that the coaches and players made the necessary adjustments during half time to almost complete an unbelievable comeback. Carolina played great and very much deserved to win today but damn, if we had another quarter…
NO doubt about it, we need upgrades on the OL, whether it’s through FA and/or the draft. I really hope that Shon Coleman continues to be underestimated by all the other teams so that we have a chance to draft him but most likely, he’ll be another great player identified by Rob that will be gone before we draft. Kearse is had a great game and season and I do want to resign him but like bobbyk, I view him only as a 3rd or 4th WR so his contract should be reflected at that level. Kam didn’t have a great season this year but I didn’t think he played terrible either so barring any more threats of a holdout in the off season, he should be back as our starting SS next year. Like everyone else, I’m interested to see how our FO upgrade the team this offseason. Go Hawks!!
I often times wonder why people have to wait until halftime to make adjustments that aren’t working when it’s still late in the first quarter.
I wonder that myself and maybe it’s because making major adjustments on the fly during a game isn’t as easy as we fans think?:) I mean, whatever adjustments the coaches and players made at halftime were very effective and the Panthers coaches and players couldn’t counter that and they didn’t stop us as much as the clock did. And obviously, beyond changes in schemes/tactics, we also executed a lot better in the second half.
Panthers also let off the gas…… reading their own “press clipping” about how good they are…. and almost got bit in the ass. Seattle just needed one more possession .. and came much closer than they should ever have to winning the game. When you are up 31-0 and let the other team score 24 unanswered points…
If the Panthers do this “act” against the Cardinals, they will get flat-out beat.
And Paul Allen…oops can u fire an owner?
And John Schneider …he had a bad draft back in ’12
And our QB… Too short
🙂
Seahawks own the #26 pick. That’s so high compared to the last couple of drafts I’m almost giddy.
Don’t get your hopes up. They are going to trade it for Joe Thomas. (no, I don’t think they will… but nothing would surprise me with Carroll/Schneider anymore)
It actually wouldn’t surprise me.
Better Joe Thomas than Harvin or Graham.
I thought the Special Teams was decent overall. I questioned not taking the chip shot FG before the half…. I was good with it being 31-3 going into halftime. Seattle floundered, then got the ball back, then missed a 55 yard FG….. as time expired. Lockett was everything and more this whole season. He showed up big in the game today. The kid has a bright future.
Now, let’s go get another guy like Lockett and really take the next step in the passing attack.
With such little success running inside maybe they should have tried CMIKE running outside. Might have taken some of the rush away from the Panthers
I know everyone hates to think about this.., but prehaps it is time to move on from Pete Carroll? I know everyone will instantly cringe at this reading this but think about it… two playoff games, three playoff games in two seasons were the seahawks get completely shut out in the first half. Embarrassing, and its starting to look like a pattern. Not to mention the Atlanta and Washington Games in 2011. It is almost as if Carroll is just not properly preparing the team, an insanely talented team, to go out and excecute in the beginning of games. It took a miracle named Brandon Bostick to get to super bowl 49 and Pete couldnt pull it off once there, blowing a two possesion fourth quarter lead. We had no business winning the Vikings game either. The team looks like a jr college team for the first half the following week in much more suitable temperatures.
The frustrating thing is how good the hawks looked in the second half. These players have what it takes, but why can’t Pete so rarely produce four good quarters of football? Also he is the oldest coach in the nfl. Pete has brought a great culture here. He has been fantastic and made our team relevent again, but prehaps it is time to move.
We are so quick to lump all of the blame on Bevvell, Cable and Richard but Pete is the HEAD coach.
Mike Pettine is available…
Great response!!!! I think that some readers on this blog have forgotten what life is like for the fans of most teams in the league. We had the top scoring defense in the league and one of the most explosive offenses and I am reading about how it might be time to move on from Richard, Cable, Bevell, and now Carroll? Wow! Get a grip people… we just lost a playoff game by 7 points to a team that went 15-1 in the regular season on their field.
wow man. I hope this is a joke post because if it’s not, it should go down in history as one of the most crazy things ever written on this site. Fire Carroll? Seriously, think before you type.
Eh I knew people would hate it. But it’s all about winning….
We should consider every option but there’s no way, IMO, we should move away from a head coach that brought us our first SB ever, has taken us to the playoffs for straight years, took us to the SB 2 years straight, built the #1 scoring defense in the league for four straight years etc. Yeah, there have been hiccups along the way but damn, this has been the highest and most sustained level of success that the Seahawks have ever had! In Pete I still trust!!!!
It’s all about winning.
That’s all this team has done under PC.
In all the years that I have followed this blog, this may be the dumbest comment I’ve ever read.
“I know everyone hates to think about this.., but prehaps it is time to move on from Pete Carroll?”
You’ve got to be kidding? He is Seattle’s greatest asset.
No. No. No. No. No. No.. aaaaaaaaaaand no.
Look, we aren’t going to be Superbowl champs every year. What Pete Carroll offers is being a contender most every year. That’s what his teams were down in USC, that’s what he’s mostly done up here. I’m sure as far as Paul Allen is concerned, Pete can coach as long as he wants to up here, and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon.
And Paul Allen…oops can u fire an owner?
And John Schneider …he had a bad draft back in ’12?
And how about our QB… Too short?
🙂
You have got to be joking smdh. I really hope you are not serious.
Do teams typically “pre-mortem” in game planning? Because considering what we’ve seen and who the opponent was, “Carolina’s D-line eats us alive” should certainly have been the first “how we would lose” scenario, and the first Plan B. It doesn’t seem past expecting our highly paid coaches at the top of their profession to be able to anticipate that possibility and adjust to it before half the game is gone. They weren’t *actually* getting punched.
For all that, they were actually right in the game when it was 31-14 with almost 8 minutes left in the 3rd. Teams come back from 17-point 3rd quarter deficits all the time (*cough*Cincinnati*cough*). You can’t tell me that every arse in the stadium wasn’t clenched after Lockett pulled that deep ball in. It was disappointing at that point that it took more than 16 minutes of game time to find the next score. That for me is where the comeback fizzled … but all credit to Carolina’s play in that span, doing enough on both offense and defense to get the clock back ahead of the comeback. That long-developing sack Russell took from Josh Norman late in the 3rd quarter after the fake punt was just such a killer, going from 2nd and 10 at the 43 to 3rd and Janis. We needed the throwaway so bad — 3rd and 10 in plus territory throwing on Carolina’s crap DBs is still a good chance to come away with points.
I also thought considering the score they should have been going for 2 every time. Granted it’s not *likely* that you hit 3 straight deuces to make 31 points a four-score game … but it’s possible. No risk it, no biscuit.
Ah well. For me, a season where we ultimately paid for our 2013 and 2014 personnel sins. There are holes and it’ll be an interesting offseason, but this team was still in the conversation for the league’s best and our probable rivals next year have holes of their own too. Lick wounds, rock draft, evolve, and get ready to make the most of the first stretch in franchise history where Seattle will be fielding a top-5 QB.
From Walter Football:
One of the happiest stories in college football in recent years has been the successful comeback of Auburn offensive tackle Shon Coleman. In 2011, Coleman underwent treatment for leukemia, and after beating cancer, he returned to the field without any issues the past two seasons. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder was a productive blocker for the Tigers and he decided to skip his senior year to enter the 2016 NFL Draft. Some media pundits have projected Coleman to go in the first or second round, but the teams we spoke to haven’t graded him that high.
When this draft writer added Coleman to the 2016 Offensive Tackle Rankings, I pegged him in the Round 3-5 range. Thus, I was surprised to see some media pundits putting him in the first or second round. I thought maybe they’re seeing something I didn’t, so I checked with sources on where they were grading Coleman.
A few teams said they had him in the fourth round. They feel that Coleman is limited as a player. He has great size, but is only just an average athlete. He gets movement in the ground game and his run blocking is much better than his pass protection. They don’t feel he can play left tackle in the NFL, so they project him as a right tackle.
Another team had a more optimistic view of Coleman, grading him as a late-second, early third-rounder. They feel that Coleman can play tackle or guard in the NFL. However, they think he should not start immediately and needs a year of coaching to get better before he sees the field.
One could make the argument that Coleman should have returned for his senior year, but after what he went through early on in college, it is definitely understandable that he wouldn’t take an injury risk by returning. Perhaps he will go late in the second, but even if he’s a mid-rounder, Coleman is an inspiration in what he accomplished.
Read more at http://walterfootball.com/nfldraftrumormill.php#8QORO7vouBSw0c7l.99
Keep the non R1 perception rolling, perfect fit for Seattle
Cheers Rob.
Thanks for the mention on the podcast(if it was me you were talking about)
Very proud of this team. What an entertaining, interesting, frustrating at times and transformative season to witness. Wilson reached new personal heights as a passer. The rookies were a blast to watch. Lockett, Rawls, Clark & Glowinski look like a fine class. Thanks to the guys who will be moving on in life beyond the Seahawks.
Now down to business. We lost the line of scrimmage today on both sides of the ball and we were beaten by a more physical Carolina time. Carolina did to us what we did to San Francisco a few years ago. The reigning bully got out bullied and knocked out of the playoffs.
Love the glass half full approach.,, every team has warts. I say accentuate the positive and try best to fix the negative
I read the comment about firing PC and the coaching staff. I’ll remind everyone of 3 instances I can think of where this ended up costing a team multiple S runs or perennial playoff appearance.
1) Andy Reid in Eagles land. They haven’t done much since he left… and now are in complete chaos.
2) Jim Harbaugh in 49ers land. He got them to the NFCCG multiple times and 1 SB appearance. He was shown the door and they have been spiraling downward ever since. Dumpsterfire even.
3) Jimmy Johnson in 1994ish Cowboys land. The team had won a SB and was primed to win more, due to coaching and player acquisitions. Due to a very short sighted owner, he blew it up due to ego…. they got 1 more SB after the firing, but have not even been close to sniffing a SB since 1995. 20 years ago.
I would think Paul Allen would be shrewder than this… only bad teams fire successful HCs…. because I would rather be like the new era Patriots than dysfunctional models of other NFL franchises.
Yeah, Paul Allen isn’t firing Pete Carroll. Paul Allen is probably perfectly happy to have Pete coach his Seahawks for as long as Pete wants to keep coaching, which could easily be another 4 to 6 years.
2 Div round losses and 2 SB appearances (1 Ring)… not bad at all when you think about it.
We could be the Cleveland Browns fan… who would kill for any ray of hope in our football team.
If any fan base deserves a SB, it is the Browns fans. Putting up with that dumpster fire for years.
love this blog. Rob brings it and I enjoy the comment section more than fieldgulls. Everyone keep it up.
Thanks man.
Also want to point out that due to this site I’m less bummed out when the season ends because things seamlessly shift into off season mode. You’ve created the NFL afterlife Rob. The moment of playoff death is still painful but the hangover doesn’t last as long. What’s next? from a fan perspective.
Much appreciated!
Thanks man.
State of the Offensive Line. Questions, questions, questions.
Up until today I was firmly in the “resign Okung camp”(2016 UFA). Now I’m skeptical.
Why does Bailey(2016 RFA) occasionally look like a serviceable LT pass protector but horrendous anywhere else?
Justin Britt… Russell Wilson’s health deserves better protection.
Patrick Lewis, 2016 RFA. Expect him back, preferably as the backup C.
Sweezy, 2016 UFA? We are transitioning to an offense that requires better pass pro. How much $?
Gilliam. I’m fine here. There is room to grow.
I will continue pounding the table for Alex Boone to come in at LG. His latest deal was for 2 years with a modest $3M apy. I believe he wants to be a Seahawk. Our first pick in the 2016 Draft (#26 or whenever) is Cody Whitehair, OL, KSU who we move to C (Watch Pittsburgh take him!). Mark Glowinski takes over at RG. We at least minimum tender Lewis & Bailey (who were both undrafted) so that we can match any offer. I would expect at least one or two more OTs brought in one way or another and hopefully one of them is better than Bailey. For now though we have the known, economical & comp pick reaping lineup of;
LT Bailey,
LG Boone, Britt
C Whitehair, Lewis
RG Glowinski, Sokoli
RT Gilliam,
There will be growning pains again but with a higher talent level and much higher ceiling imo. If we learned anything today it’s that football is still a simple game. Control the LOS and your offense looks good. Duh!
Super Bowl LII is in Minnesota in 2018. We always go to the Northern SBs. Book it!
I echo all the sentiments that Britt has got to go. He was a below average RT and he’s a below average LG. Whiffs way too much in both pass and run blocking. I saw at least 4 times where he gave up near-instantaneous pressure in this game. Never thought I’d miss James Carpenter.
Britt was definitely the weak link today. Had to laugh when I saw him running around like a chicken with his head cut off looking for someone to block, while the guy he was supposed to be blocking takes down Russel.
I wonder how the front office still feels about not retaining Carienter, Giacomini and Unger. Or not drafting a player like Bitinio. They get enamored with players like Paul Richardson, Percy Harvin and Jimmy Graham, which is a bit off to me given their proficiency at finding and developing skill position players from the UDFA pool and later rounds. And those players do not make you a more physically imposing team, though they certainly can add explosiveness.
Overall I love how our organization gots about finding and drafting football talent. But I would prefer myself that their priorities shift toward maintaining physical dominance at the line of scrimmage.
Burning question in my mind, how do we becoming the bully again on D? How do we stop collapsing at the end of games (getting worn down)?
Could Avril move to LB to replace Irvin a la Dwight Freeney?? Avril knocked it of last 2 playoff losses, and will get worn down based on games/snaps played per season. He started out at LB and maybe this would prolong his life.
Passing downs Clark could play DE.
Running downs, let’s get a proper, bullying 5T again a la Red Bryant. Might allow us to stay bigger vs power teams and whilst saving some powder for on passing downs?
Where do we get a 5T? Spend Okung/Lynch/Irvin money on Wilkerson, Malik J or Hardy (if cheaper)? Or how about drafting a tweeter like Austin Johnson or Shaun Oakman (maybe not the best prospects but just spit balling).
At the same time on passing downs, maybe Kam is a liability now but not if used differently if Irvin leaves ? We were a different team when we dominated with BMax, Thurman, Browner and I think this may would have successfully covered up his coverage shortcomings. Maybe Kam becomes a liability without such depth/quality and it is time to transition him into a true buck SS? Potentially on passing downs could Hawks runto a Nickel/6DBs and play Kam with only 2LBs (Wright/Wags) similar to AZ or CAR approach?
Hate to say Kam is done but based on his season, he is not in a position to ask for a raise but rather might be deemed tradeable if they think he can’t rediscover his form!? If he can’t, maybe it’s time for a more cover SS rather than a box SS
Good analysis, I tend to agree with all of your points. We need to find ways to play Bennett and Avril less, so that A) they are more explosive and less tired and B) they lessen their injury risk. Bennett’s been a rock, playing nearly every down, but Avril seems to wear down much easier.
Remember back in 2013 when both of those guys were playing 40% of the defensive snaps? That’s what I’m talking about. Of course moving Avril to LB would maybe also help. Basically switching him to Irvin’s role of LB on running downs and DE in nickel/dime situations.
I agree that it may be time to make a move on Kam. He looked like he wasn’t right all season. Now I don’t think we should get rid of him, perhaps it’s time to move him into the Deone Buchannon role in AZ, where he’s a base SS and a nickel/dime LB?
Either way, we need to get our swagger back on defense and it’s going to be tough because we can’t bring everyone back. . .
Sorry for the grammar, no time to proof read…
One other point, the NFC West is changing. The teams in it are no longer power teams, but turning into more spread offences.
Now that we can look at the draft as our main focus, shouldn’t we look at last year’s, first? Obvious successes, Tyler Lockett (Pro Bowl?), Frank Clark. Possibilities, Mark Glowinski, Kristjon Sokoli, Terry Poole, Tye Smith. UDFA, Thomas Rawls (can I hear an amen?).
In addition we should look at injured players like Paul Richardson, Jimmy Graham, Tharold Simon, and Jesse Williams.
In the case of offensive linemen, it is not uncommon for a player to take a couple of years to become effective, so Glowinski (especially), et al, could contribute more than any expected rookies.
Both Tharold Simon and Tye Smith have the kind of characteristics the team likes and could challenge for the spot opposite Sherman.
Rookies are raw, and the Seahawks have definite roles for their players, so we should not forget those youngsters who are now benefitting from a year in the system. The incredible SPARQy Sokoli, the quick footed and aware Glowinski, the promise of Tye Smith. Do these players fit in?
Yeah, I’m not overly concerned with CB. Between Simon coming back (who we were basically forced to IR because we didn’t have a roster spot to stash him for 6 weeks thanks to Kam’s holdout) and Smith having a full year under his belt combined with Lane coming back and Shead rounding into form, I think we’ve got it already.
I would honestly be surprised if they drafted a CB in the first 3 rounds and I think it’s pretty likely that Tharold Simon is our starting CB opposite Sherman. I’m sure we’ll draft our usual 4th/5th/6th round CB or two though.
I think at this point they need to offer Kearse a reasonable salary and let Richardson go or IR him next year so he can really get himself right (I don’t think his cap number would be a problem for this) and then if he doesn’t have a productive next year, then you part ways with him. Sometimes a guy just can’t stay healthy and it’s not any help to keep trying to bring him back or rely on him. Him coming back and contributing has to be viewed as a cherry on top and they have to plan as though he’ll be injured.
Sweezy should go, just because he seems at best similar in skill to Glowinski, who is cheaper and under contract for 3 more years. I think at the end of the day they have to let Okung go, just because of the injuries. If he could stay healthy, he’d be worth a reasonable salary offer, but as of right now, they’d be better off targeting BPA in the first or 2nd round on a tackle and maybe moving Gilliam over to LT (which seems a more natural position for him).
I think they should re-sign/extend Patrick Lewis, but they should also absolutely try to find a starter with better pedigree at C, whether that’s making a run at Alex Mack (or whoever else is on the FA Center list) or a high draft pick. As for LG, maybe they could play Bailey there? Or probably draft someone else, but Britt is a disaster and needs to be cut. He has few redeeming qualities even as a backup. . .
I know it has been hotly debated on here but there is no denying Chancellor is a liability in pass coverage now. Kam has definitely lost a step with injuries and age. He is a glorified LB now and still strong against the run but an absolute liability in the passing game. His lack of coverage skills severely impacted the entire secondary this year. Earl can only cover so much area back there and this year was caught trying to do too much quite often. If you look at the pass coverage and against TEs in particular when Kam was hurt late in the season the whole unit played a lot better.
The reason why Kam wanted more guaranteed $ is because he knows better than anyone that he is not the same physically anymore. I get that now and don’t really blame him for his desperate attempt to get more $ guaranteed.
Hawks fans including myself have to come with grips that the two players who created the identity of this team Lynch on offense and Chancellor on defense are past their prime and it is time to move on. Hopefully we can trade them to at least get something of value. Beast to Oak for a 6th-7th and Kam to Wash, Jack, Atl for a 2nd -3rd.
The only way I see Kam leaving is if he holds out again or threatens to. After the 2015 season I can’t see him doing that.
I really hope Kam doesn’t and that the focus is back on the team this off season. Bennett is the one I am most worried about because he irreplaceable IMO.
Speaking of the Bennett contract – does anyone know how much of the fines Kam accrued on his holdout the team actually made him pay? I wonder if that sort of info gets around the locker room, and if it would come into Bennett’s decision making process regarding his contract. I think Bennett’s joke about his wife not letting him holdout had a bit of truth to it. He knew a holdout likely wouldn’t benefit him in the long run.
I think Bennett was the MVP of the defense this year. If anyone deserves a raise it’s him. I always wonder how teams handle things like this behind closed doors.
I’m bracing myself for a stickier situation this year between Bennett and the team, more so than Chancellor. I think he has a very legitimate gripe considering how they have built the DL and his role on it, which is pretty much everything. Another reason why I think it is important to procure another pass rushing DT this offseason. Hill is unreliable in terms of his health, and Clark hasn’t shown enough there yet. Bennett was pretty much overworked. He’s not a stupid guy. I think there’s a chance when he signed that deal after 2013, he was thinking he was going to be a guy in the bigger rotation on a path back to the SuperBowl, and not THE GUY. I don’t see that going away.
I really don’t see Kam bringing in anything more than a 5th round pick. Maybe a 4th if we’re lucky. Perhaps he has a change of attitude about his contract. If he is “all in”, so to speak, he is one of the strongest leaders on the team. Something to keep in mind.
Perhaps I’m trying to be an optimist but I’m not completely ready to move on from Kam. Maybe we could even try him at LB, although he might be on the lighter side. With Irvin potentially moving on and KPL looking kind of ‘meh’ in his limited opportunities who knows? Of course, if Kam’s body is breaking down like some fear a move to LB might make things worse for him.
I like the idea of him as an LB but not to replace Bruce as I don’t think Kam has ever rushed the passer. Maybe like the way Ariz uses Buchanon perhaps.
I agree about Kam as a pass rusher but it almost seems that while Irvin has developed into a nice SAM his pass rush skills have kind of stalled or plateaued. Perhaps it’s just how he was used.
I think our OL has to be the priority this off season. I was a proponent for resigning Okung but seeing him leave again like that yesterday makes it hard to feel comfortable that he will age well with a long term deal.
The ideal scenario of the OL this off season IMO.
-Draft Shon Coleman Rd#1
-Draft Adam Bistonaway Rd#3-4
-Sign Alex Mack (C)
-Re-Sign Patrick Lewis (backup C)
-Let Okung and Sweezy walk unless they will sign for team friendly bargain deals
-Sign Alex Boone
-Cut Britt or keep as a backup swing guy
2016 OL
LT Gary Gilliam
LG Boone
C Alex Mack
RG Glowinski
RT Shon Coleman
Backups: Lewis, Bistonoway, Sokoli, Britt
This line would be a good combination of youth and veterans setting us up nicely for 2016 and the future.
2016 Free Agency Hopes
-Resign Rubin 2-3 year deal
-Resign Mebane 1-2 year deal
-Resign Shead
-Resign Lane (might take a 1 yr deal to stay healthy and build value)
-Resign Kearse if he will take 2-3 mil per on a 3 yr deal. He is a 3rd WR option at best so lets offer him a deal like that if not let him walk. Love him in the locker room though.
Let Walk
-Bruce can’t have that much $ tied up at the LB position and I really did not see him as a difference maker this year. If he had followed up 2014 with another great 2015 I may have thought differently
-Let Okung Walk unless he signs at a big discount. Will be hard to replace and LT is hard to find but he is too injury prone to give a long term deal at a key postion.
-Let Sweezy walk. Glowinski is just better
Potential FA Targets
-Alex Mack or fall back option Wisnewski. The middle of our line has to be focus #1 this offseason. Mack would be a great fit and the #1 target for the Hawks I hope.
-Alex Boone at LG would be a huge upgrade. If the middle of our line was Mack, Glowinski and Boone I think we would be set to face the likes of Aaron Donald.
-Jaye Howard DT- Need to find a penetrating DT to add to the line depth.
-Reggie Bush as a 3rd Down RB. Vet min deal and use him in 3rd down situations only. Perfect compliment to Rawls and Michaels if he is healthy.
-Ben Watson -TE he is a good blocker, solid pass catcher and seems like good team guy. TE group of Willson, Watson and Graham sounds pretty good to me.
-Malik Jackson-DT- He will probably be too rich for our blood but certainly would be a nice addition.
-Oliver Vernon-Edge-Another guy who will probably be too pricey but worth a look if Bruce walks.
Does anyone have any information on the Hawks possibly realigning back to the afc west?
my understanding is there is no longer a need, as the Rams and Chargers are in different divisions. IF the two teams relocating were Oak & Sd, then a realignment would be necessary as the league wouldn’t want two teams from the same division sharing the same city
Let’s see where the Raiders land…. there may yet be a realignment of divisions/conferences.
I doubt it, if chargers and raiders moved it most likely would of happened and if raiders move to San Antonio I don’t think it would change anything
It’s also one less 10 AM game too.
Sehawks travel something like 30,000 miles a year. STL IIRC is 1,300 some odd miles from here, compared to LA which is only 900 or so.
Yeah, unless the Raiders move to region with an AFC team already established, there will be no realignment. Which disappointments me a little. I would love to have our old Cheifs/Broncos/Raiders rivalries back
This is the second season in a row where the outcome of the game changed because of a Russell Wilson interception (two interceptions this year): late interception last year, and early interceptions this year. But we got behind early in both games, and Wilson brought us back in the second half. If we are going to live or die by Wilson’s right arm, then we better find a way to maximize his success, and I think that means investing in a real OL. No more projects, no more passing on solid OL (Bitonio) to reach for the Britts of the world. Let’s help make Russ successful by investing in linemen who can blow even LA Rams DTs off the ball.
I know it sounds like sour grapes but the one thing that irks me the most is the league office getting it’s wish to keep the Hawks out of the super bowl. They did every thing they possibly could thru scheduling. From starting out two games on the road in grudge matches, to being the only team to play 4 teams coming off bye’s, to getting the 4th toughest schedule { the Patriots got the 22 toughest} to giving us both early games in the playoffs. It is a proven fact west coast teams going east are at a disadvantage. You the Carolina game this week is in the LATE slot. I so hoped the Hawks would make it to the super bowl if for no other reason than to spit in the eye of the league office.
Interesting conspiracy theory. I did wonder why the Hawks had to be the ONLY early game this whole weekend.
Not just that CRAP, but they postponed Seattle vs Minnesota until Sunday so that the weather would get COLDER!!! Saturday, when they would normally be scheduled, was changed to allow for ‘$money$’ to be made from a ‘competitive’ game! BS Usually it is AFC/NFC…on each day…but they broke that tradition and had both AFC games, then NFC games…a few commented on TV about it…
I just went back to 2008 and it NEVER happened before!!! AFC Saturday, NFC Sunday…So they do this on purpose. I like parity, but down right piling on is ridiculous!!!
I made a pretty detailed post about this a couple of threads back. You hit the nail on the head. It goes much deeper than this playoff run though. I will say- watch how we opened the season and then closed it (On the road against rivals), the officiating disparity, the 10 am start times. There are plenty of things that don’t add when you look at trends and patterns. A lot of people think it is a bunch of hooey and excuses, but I always say- if you have a multi billion dollar industry like the NFL, you don’t think you have your hands in every last detail to make sure you have as much control as possible? So you know you are on to something
Rob, I’m assuming SEA picks Shon Coleman(LT) and Joe Dahl(LG or C), Okung leaves, Sweezy leaves, Glow takes the RG spot, Gilliam stays at RT and Britt is benched (he is the WORST OLineman ever).
Would you rather see SEA sign Alex Boone for LG and Joe Dahl at C or sign Alex Mack and Joe Dahl at LG? Does SEA have the money to sign one of this guys?
I am not Rob but I would definitely prefer Mack at C and Dahl at LG. I think suring up the middle of the OL is priority #1 this off season. Russel can deal with pressure off the middle but not up the guy.
Agree completely about Britt having to go.
I think the days of the Hawk’s D being the “bully on the block” are gone. The defense is designed to stop the run, minimize big plays and hold people to field goals. With that as the goal, the defense is top-5. To get back to being the team we saw two years ago, they need interior QB pressure, not just from the edges. The reality is that finding good interior pass rushers is incredibly hard. There’s only one Aaron Donald. I think we need to accept that our defense is going to be good, but not otherworldly. I’m ok with that.
What this really means is that the offense is going to have to pick up the slack. We are going to need to outscore people and not rely on the defense to save the day every week.
We’ve seen what the offense is capable of when going up against lesser opponents without quality pass rushers. We need to level-up the offensive line so that they can be at least average against good pass rush. Seattle wins that game yesterday with better o-line play and they probably win 3-4 more games during the regular season if the offense could close out the game.
adding to this:
During the second half run I think we were all guilty of thinking the o-line had made drastic improvement to the point where they were a strength of the team. This probably was an illusion. Yes the oline improved, but the quality of opponent didn’t give us a true look at what we had. The truth is that they’re better, but still are way overmatched by strong pass rush.
The team’s goal next season has to be win the division. Another wild card slot pretty much guarantees more 10am starts. To win the division, they absolutely have to at least split with St. Louis, errrrm LA and ARZ. I want to see the Hawks put up 21 against the Rams next season. To do that, Wilson needs time to pass. To do that, the offensive line has to improve. They don’t need to be best in the league, just better than what they are now.
I’m with you Cysko and also bigDhawk. The interior pass rush needs to be improved, through both draft and free agency.
I have always believed that a team must be judged by its worst performance against the best opponents. String together those moments from this season, and that’s the list. Fix the worst, and you raise the whole apparatus.
This season was extremely Jekyl and Hyde. As such, it will be a long and complex list.
I’m not sold on the idea that interior pass rush is so incredibly hard to find. Clinton McDonald was a great 3rd down interior pass rusher for us in 2013, yet we found him on the scrap heap and tossed him right back a year later when were done with him. If guys like McDonald really do grow in trees, as our treatment of him and his subsequent modest signing with Tampa Bay suggests, then we have done a really poor job of replacing what should be garden-variety nickle pass rush. If not, then we made a big mistake letting him go for almost nothing. Either way, our interior pass rush should have been better than it has been since winning SB48.
After thought to my previous post ; The reason they have it in for the Hawks, in my opinon, is the beat down of their golden boy Manning in super bowl 48, and Lynch’s ” I am only here so I don’t get fined” attitude with the media. Unfortunatly for the Hawks that resentment is going to linger on even after Lynch is gone.
I think you’re looking too deep. I’m sure there was some scheduling bias, but it is simply because people get bored of the same team(s) in the superbowl. It’s no secret that the league would prefer someone else other than seattle in there simply for ratings.
It seems to me they gave the Patriots a easy path. Don’t you think they are rooting for BRADY VS manning again ? Ibelieve they want the Patriots and Broncos every year.
Sorry I meant to say ” Brady or Manning”
its sad to me that a team with so much talent can play so bad. it just seems like we are so unprepared. like were just asleep out there. like we just expect to win cause were the hawks not because we are prepared. every good team we faced this year(and some not so good) the defense stunk it up. not once against a 500 or better team did we hold them under 25 pts. that’s telling to me. its great thumpin the shitty teams and uits great that we were the #1 d in scoring for the fourth straight year, but we could not stop quality teams. even shutting out Carolina in the second half was not what it seemed. they took their foot off the gas. there needs to be some changes this year.
1. o line unfortunately it was a mirage all of them suck I honestly wouldn’t mind if we just started over. a new fab 5 maybe a line with actual o lineman would help.
2. coaching how in the world do we start sooooooooo slow? coaching whether its getting the players prepared or the gameplan this has to be better. its great that we have better second halves but that’s not enough
3. I really believe that players have grown too comfortable. everyone got paid and no longer has that edge that made us the most dominating team in football so to solve this we need to trade or dump a player that has not performed. kam would be my choice trade him let everyone know that thee jobs are not safe unless they perform. Sherman Thomas wagner bruce lane all have not played as well as previous years. the coaches need to send a message.
4. everyone keeps talking about our great pass rush where is it? it comes and goes yes I love having MB and CA but even they don’t show up all time. not talking effort talkin results. against Carolina and there average oline we got 1 sack and cam had all day to throw all day!!!!! we just need more.\
5. they should not resign bruce man that guy takes a lot of plays off. its been getting worse too ive noticed it all year play doesn’t go to his side and he might as well be stting on the bench. hes got to go.
6. time to adjust. teams have figured out the d. how can olsen not have anyone within 5 yards of him. it just seems that were doing the same shit over and over don’t blitz play zone and torched by good teams. it works great against shitty teams but the good ones know how to attack it.
I love my hawks and was proud they made a game of it. but this team is too talented to go 10-6 or to fall behind 31 pts in the frist half. go hawks
There is a psychological principle called the “recency bias” that causes us to overweight the importance of events which are more recent in our memory. For example, no points scored in the first half so fire the offensive coordinator who just led the highest scoring offense in Seattle history.
As we begin to consider the offseason, we should remember a few roster-building principles that Seattle has demonstrated:
1. You lock up your Pro-Bowl core players. Seattle has no Pro-Bowl free agents this off-season but Doug Baldwin and Michael Bennett fit in this category. Baldwin has 1 year left on his deal so he fits into the Seattle extension model. Bennett has 2 years left so he is a bit trickier but I think they work with him like they did with Marshawn.
2. You keep your restricted free agents. Alvin Bailey and Patrick Lewis and Christine Michael will be back next year although none look like starters. Deshawn Shead is listed by some as restricted and by some as unrestricted.
3. You don’t give market 2nd contracts to non-pro-Bowlers. Goodbye Bruce Irvin and Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy.
4. You don’t give market contracts to 30-year-old role players. Brandon Mebane fits this category.
Here are some of the story lines to watch:
Seattle can save $6.5 million by cutting Marshawn Lynch. He worked so hard to come back that I don’t think he is ready to retire but he might. Otherwise, I think you wait to see how Lynch looks in OTAs and how Thomas Rawls handles rehab before you decide how to move forward.
This will be another off-season of change for the offensive line. The Seahawks kept Mark Glowinski and Kristjan Sokoli on the 53-man roster all season for a reason; they expect both to compete for starting jobs. Glowinski seems to be the likely replacement for Sweezy. Do they still see Sokoli as a potential center or will he compete with Britt at LG? That still leaves a center or guard spot and left tackle to fill via free agency or the draft. Can Schneider work his magic again and trade a 1st-round pick to Cleveland for Joe Thomas and then sign Alex Mack? Recent drafts have had numerous rookie mid-round centers becoming starters for playoff teams but not so many rookie left tackles doing the same. Does Seattle see Gary Gilliam as a potential left tackle?
Jimmy Graham faces a difficult rehab from his knee injury. Will he be ready for the start of the season? He would save $9 million against the cap next year if he is cut so the FO will be watching his recovery very closely.
How much will the salary cap increase? Spotrac estimates the 2016 cap to be $154 million. We tend to focus on the cap space for Seattle but all 32 teams will have extra money that will likely drive up free agent prices for starters like Bruce Irvin, Russell Okung, J.R. Sweezy and Jeremy Lane past the point where Seattle can afford to keep them. You also can’t project 2016 salaries on what the same player got in 2015 so forget about past salaries when considering what Kearse will cost; it will be more than $2.3 million. Seattle recently has used additional cap space to lock up core players so that would seem to prioritize Baldwin and Bennett.
Which veteran free agents does Seattle keep? They will surely make a run at keeping Ahtyba Rubin but they won’t break the bank. The same goes for slot corner Jeremy Lane. I think that Jermaine Kearse stays because I don’t think that the skills that he has that are so important to Seattle (run blocking and pass catch efficiency) translate to a big free agent offer.
Will there be any contract drama again? I don’t think the front office does anything with Kam Chancellor unless he holds out again and Kelcie McCray provides adequate insurance. Doug Baldwin and Michael Bennett both earned an extension/restructure.
If I am right about Okung and Irvin and Mebane, then I see the priorities for free agency/draft as LT, OLB and DT. You don’t need to use an early pick on a run-stuffing NT. Some say right CB is a priority but Seattle loves to develop CB talent and they have a bunch in the pipeline (Simon, Smith, Burley, Seisay, Jean-Baptiste). Adding another playmaker to the offense could become a priority if there is a setback to Graham or Rawls and they lose Kearse in free agency.
Just listened to the Pete Carroll show on Brock and Saulk.
Here’s what I took from it, and I think how it applies here.
1. He said they want to keep as much of our own guys as they can.
I agree that Lane, Kearse and Rubin are probably as likely to come back as any of their free agents. All three are more valuable to Seattle than probably other teams out there.
I also think there’s a chance Bruce Irving’s market won’t be that high and he comes back. He’s 29. Do you give a big free agent contract to a OLB/DE hybrid who has never made the pro bowl? I think his best deal might be in Seattle.
2. They are excited about free agency and some of the players that should be.
This is interesting. They lost the line of scrimmage battle to the Panthers yesterday plain and simple, on both side of the ball. They lost the line of scrimmage twice against the Rams, too. If there are two areas where I think they make bigger splashes in free agency than in the past few years, I think it is OL, and interior DL.
3. They are always looking to add pass rushers through the draft and free agency.
For those how crave more pass rush, I think you can take comfort that Pete does too.
My Take on moving forward:
Cut: Marshawn Lynch, Kam Chancellor
Release: Bruce Irvin, Russel Okung, JR Sweezy, Brandon Mebane, Fred Jackson
Resign: Deshawn Shead, Ahtyba Rubin, Jermaine Kearse, Jeremy Lane, Marcus Burley, Derrick Coleman, Christine Michael, Tarvaris Jacksom
Sign: Alex Mack (Center), Alex Boone (Guard), Jaye Howard (Defensive Tackle)
Draft:
1. OT (Shon Coleman, Germaine Ifedi)
2. LB Eric Striker
3. DT Vernon Butler
3c. S/LB Miles Killebrew
Qb: Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson
OL: Gary Gilliam, Justin Britt, Alex Mack, Alex Boone, Shon Coleman, Alvin Bailey, Mark Glowinski, Kristjan Sokoli, Patrick Lewis
Wr: Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett, Pual Richardson, Kevin Smith, Kasen Williams
Te: Jimmy Graham, Luke Willson, Chase Coffman, Cooper Helfet
Rb: Thomas Rawls, Christine Michael, Bryce Brown, Derrick Coleman
DL: Michael Bennet, Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Cassius Marsh, Demarcus Dobbs, Ahtyba Rubin, Jaye Howard, Vernon Butler, Jordan Hill
Lb: Bobby Wagner, Eric Striker, KJ Wright, Kevin Pierre Louis, Brock Coyle, Eric Pinkins
Cb: Richard Sherman, Tharold Simon, Tye Smith, Mohammed Seisey, Jeremy Lane, Marcus Burley
S: Earl Thomas, Deshawn Shead, Kelcie Mccray, Steven Terrell
I am with you on add some substantial veteran’s to the OL.
Would love to see this team make a play to bring Jaye Howard back if he is available on the market.
Love any draft that would include Coleman, Striker, Bulter, and Killebrew.
This is just my hunch, but I am starting to suspect more and more that they are going to bring back Bruce Irving.
I don’t think they are going to cut Chancellor. I understand the frustration fans have with him, and the anger they hold onto over his holdout, but I think if Chancellor is going to go down the path of being unhappy over his contract again, I think it is more likely they trade him, and I kind of suspect Chancellor isn’t going to go down that path this year, he doesn’t have the case he once did.
RD1
– LB Jaylon Smith
– OT Shon Coleman
RD2
– WR Will Fuller
– OT Germain Ifedi
RD3
– DT Vernon Butler
– CB Rashard Robinson
RD3
– LB Eric Striker
– OT Adam Bisnowaty
RD4
– LB Jarrad Davis
– WR Braxton Miller
RD5
– DT Luther Maddy
– $LB Miles Killebrew
RD6
– DE Alex McCalister
– OT Jordan Swindle
RD7
– WR Mike Thomas
– DT Quinton Jefferson
RD7
– RB Tyler Ervin
– DE Greg Townsend Jr
UDFA
– QB Trevone Boykin
– DT Darius Latham
– RB Kenneth Farrow
– LB Great Ibe
– LB Cassanova McKinzy
I am all for keeping Irvin. C-Mike, TJax, not so important. Kearse should go, but is too important to RW to cut. Cut Kam, Lynch. Yes, release Okung, Mebane, Sweezy, FJax.
C Mike earned the right to stay on the 53 man roster. He ran hard and played decently when he had too. Team him up with Rawls, the RB position should be fine with a quality UDRFA/draft pick RB.
I see the team going to a committee format from 2016 onward…. unless they can find Lynch 2.0 in the draft.
I am assuming that Lynch is traded to Oakland or retires. I think it is about 1% he is back and playing for Seattle in 2016.
I like this plan a lot particularly the draft!
Hopefully you can trade for Kam for something but I am with you on the rest of your plan. Would love to see one more pass rusher added to the mix and maybe that will be Striker on the Edge and Howard at DT.
Hey Rob, any way we can get a Shrine Game thread going? Practices and weigh-ins started today.
@bcondotta: Locker clean out day today at the VMAC. A few quick tidbit. …. Bruce Irvin said he’d be open to taking a little less to stay in Seattle…
@scohenPI: Just back from Seahawks locker room in VMAC. Biggest takeaway: Bruce Irvin wants to be back, said he would take less to stay.
Thanks for the update my man.
Keep Bruce, Kearse, Rubin, and Lane.
I think Seattle is going to let quite a few guys go, get the comp picks for them in 2017, that year we can trade comp picks, and 2017 IMO is a draft for the ages. It’s gonna be one of the best in quite some time.
According to Dave Softy Mahler, Bruce Irvin is willing to give the Hawks a discount, in the $3m range. Pete asked Irvin is he is willing to take a discount.
Make it happen!
No way he takes a 3M a year deal…… no way in hell. He will get 5M+ on the open market. Perhaps he might be wanting a lot of money guaranteed….. 4 years / 20M on a 28M deal or something.
From Sheil Kapadia on ESPN: “Seahawks LB/DE Brice Irvin was asked today whether he’d take less money to stay with the Seahawks. ‘I was asked that. Pete [Carroll] and John [Schneider] asked me that when I met with them today,’ Irvin said. ‘If it came to that, I would definitely come back. Three, four million? Three, four, five million? I would definitely come back to Seattle.’ Irvin is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.”
Interesting. Doubtful, assuredly, but still interesting.
There was further clarification on this. Irvin was referring to the total discount amount he would be willing to give on the total of the deal. So if someone offered him a 30m deal, he would perhaps be willing to take maybe 25m to stay in Seattle.
I hope they get a deal done. He is a unique player. And I don’t think a replacement would be an upgrade. I hope the off season priorities center around restoring their waning physicality that has been in decline. Irvin wasn’t a part of that problem. I’d really like to see them get stringer and more physical up the middle on both sides of the ball. We never used to worry about this team getting out hit and beaten at the line of scrimmage. Or just beaten physically. That more than anything else was the central problem in most of our losers this year. Especially on offense. But yesterday also exposed our just average d line interior as well.
I think it’s a 3 mil discount, and not per year, over the life of the contract.
It’s easy to say that, but Irvin is 29. If we offer 2 years $6M and someone else offers 4 years $20M, Or even 3 years $14M, that’s a huge difference.
Someone can offer whatever they want. It’s up to him whether he stays or go. IMO he’s staying.
Every time you listen to him talk, he repeatedly points out how grateful he is to this organization and that PC/JS saved his life.
Could care less if he’s 29. Pass rushers don’t decline with age.
Haven’t read every post so apologies if this has been mentioned. I was thinking about this last might then heard the same idea on KJR’s Mitch in the Morning:
How about we just completely blow up the entire OL and start from scratch?
All five guys.
Gone.
Sign free agents. Spend significant draft capital. Give guys like Glow and Sokoli a good long look. (Well, maybe not Sokoli so much because, DL convert.) Has anyone on that OL proven they are a solid NFL player worthy of long-term commitment, or in Okung’s case, proven he is worth a top pay grade?
I think there is a very plausible scenario in which all five jobs are up for grabs next year with the possibility of all new players. It’s not like this year established any great continuity that would be disrupted. Do a complete reboot with better players, then build continuity for the future.
Thoughts…
I would like to see the same thing but honestly I don’t believe they will.
Don’t think it’s plausible, but you can certainly see it if you look at each guy individually. I like Okung, but at his likely price tag and injury history, you could see them moving on. Britt? Ugh. How can a guy who is so athletic get beat so badly so often? Lewis you could see as a guy who could stay, but could be replaced just as easily. Sweezy’s a harder one. I know they love his tenacity in the run game, but he flat-out whiffs too much. Gilliam is like Lewis, to me.
But then you step back and ask if they’d swap out the entire line and think, no way.
I wonder how long a conversation Pete, John and Tom could have about the direction of the OL, though. If Pete is willing to make the philosophical shift away from the Lynch-centric running offense to the Wilson-centric quick passing offense, like we saw in the Panthers game on Sunday, would they be more open to replacing guys like Sweezy and Britt who seem more effective run blocking than pass blocking? Would they then move Gilliam to LT, figuring we can lose the run blocking over there is we get good pass pro?
You want pass protectots over run blockers at LT anyways.
This is still a team that’s gonna run the ball a lot. It’s just gonna be more 50-50.
I’d like to hear some commentary from coaches regarding a disturbing playoff trend:
Wash, Atl, SF, GB, NE, Minn, Car
Hawks had to overcome a moderate to severe first half deficit in each game. Will it sometimes happen? Sure, we’re facing other good teams. Will an outside anomaly cause a problem? Sure, occasionally something like horrible weather (that both teams have to play in) will surface. Is this a concern for anyone else?
Is it an over-Reliance on sticking to your game and not adjusting to your opponent? Is it a tendency to become conservative (avoiding turnovers) on the big stage? Is it a belief in ‘outlasting’ your opponent instead of attacking them? Is it coaching? Is it players not being ready from the get-go?
For whatever reason we constantly walk that razor’s edge. Sometimes we overcome, other times we escape by a miracle, and sometimes we fall off the wrong side. To some extent I get it; it is said football is separated by that 2% of plays, but it also feels like this team has developed a serious and dangerous penchant for allowing itself to operate from a sometimes lethal disadvantage
I’d love to see what percentage of games, when lynch is playing, our first play on offense of the game, is a hand off to lynch.
Maybe my mind’s playing tricks, but I’d bet it’s high.
Ya’ll want an interior pass rusher?
Please check out South Carolina St DT Javon Hargrave. Impressive.
BTW, my guy Vic Ochi from Stony Brook is dominating according to Tony Pauline.
I agree on Javon Hargrave, very good interior rusher.
Seattle has such a ridiculous eye for talent.
2 teams they’ve been scouting, Cincinnati and Illinois, since the summer or training camps, and 2 of the most impressive guys in these practicres have been Illinois RB Josh Ferguson and Cincinnati OL Parker Ehringer.
IMO, RB Josh Ferguson is the best pass catching back/3rd down back in this class.
Rob, first want to compliment you on and thank you for your site. Always a ton of great content and interesting reads.
I was curious if you were planning on also doing a sort of capsule on all of the outside free agents of note and who you think the Hawks should/can target based on ability, fit, team needs etc. Mack (if he opts out) and Vernon seem like immediate standouts to me given the skill level of those two players and the potential impact they would have on what I think are two areas of need for the Hawks – interior OL/C and pass rush (not that pass rush is bad but to get back to depth of 2013 w Bennett, Avril, Clemons). Would be great to hear your take on those guys and others who you think the Hawks might or should be looking at.
Sure — we’ll go deep on the FA options.
awesome thanks
PC said today that the most important thing this off-season is improving continuity upfront. Obviously the O-line. I think they draft an O-lineman with their 1st overall selection.
Was Jordan Hill even active Sunday, I do not recall seeing him even once?
Yeah- he played. Is a rotation piece in our ‘Nascar Package.’
Thanks didn’t see him, he usually stands out to me when Healthy.
Agreed. Unfortunately, I don’t believe he ever was healthy since returning from his injury.
@scohenPI: Carroll says he really excited about Kristjan Sokoli. Still want to try him at C, but didn’t want to rush him this year.
I think Britt, Lewis, and Glo would be good depth. Add in Sokoli if he doesn’t win a job on the line somewhere.
Draft a T and G, maybe re-sign Sweezy.
I have a sinking feeling that JS will trade out of the first.
If he stays at 26 I would love either Shon Coleman or Cody Whitehair. I would also like to see them go after Bobbie Massie in free agency. I think he can bring a little Giacomini the line and AZ drafted his replacement in the 2015 draft.
Move Gilliam to LT, Whitehair LG, C – TBD, RG – Glo (my preference) Sweezy, RT – Massie
in a perfect world you sign a stopgap until Sokoli is ready. Ryan Wendell, Stefan Wisniewski, Ben Jones, Bernadeaux
Anyone see mayocks mock draft? He miles jack, jayden Smith and Elliott in the top 10
Sorry it was Daniel Jeremiah’s mock and auto correct kept changing the spelling of names
This LB class is insanely deep. And that’s without Jarrad Davis, Tim Williams, and Jalen Maybin-Reeves.
Not a great class of edge rushers though.