I’ll put some more considered thoughts down in the week. This was a long game and I need some sleep. Obviously the playoffs will be tough now. The Seahawks started poorly and failed to finish, with some typical Seahawks magic sandwiched in the middle.
Give the Cardinals credit for answering in the fourth quarter. Just as the game was drifting away, they straightened their tie and made a big statement. A drive to take the lead. A drive to ice it. Seattle’s defense — so responsible for making it a game — couldn’t find one more big play.
The Seahawks’ start on offense coming out of the bye week was staggering. Just a disjointed, jumbled mess that helped cough up a 19-0 deficit in the first half. The defense is strangely inconsistent. It flits between brilliance and big plays to coughing up long fourth quarter drives. Giving up 39 points in Seattle? Wow.
The Seahawks are a 4-5 team. It’s not a false position. They’re battling for a wild card and it’s a long way off. Right in the middle of their Championship window, they’re staring at a wasted season.
And for those wondering (anyone?) Seattle would have the #19 overall pick if the season ended today.
one horrible stat that we must be fearful of at this point. How many drives were stopped by penalty on offense before they got going? On the other side of the conversation, How many drives were extended when the Defense just needed to get off the field?
These two things are cause for huge concern.
I think there were 5 OL holding calls.. and each one nullified a big offensive play of some type.
I’ve talked about the offensive penalties before. To me it shows a lack of discipline and skill.
Not just the penalties, but how long was that defense on the field.. time of possession was a killer because our offense couldn’t stay on the field, and the defense couldn’t get off the field.
Not to say that the penalties were bad calls, but I thought they were rather ticky-tacky. I saw a number of hods by the Cards, and the refs failed to flag even one of them.
The inconsistency is the most frustrating part. One drive, we look unstoppable. The next, we can barely stop the offense from running whatever they want to run/keep from gifting the ball away.
Debacle
The penalties are killers man. On both sides.
The offense has to get going. The can’t have whole halves of being competely inept.
What’s with the drops Jimmy?
The D is missing plays, making mistakes, IDK if it’s from being gassed or what.
The season ain’t over. The division might be. We we’re down 3 games last year too at this point in the season. Of course last year, we we’re playing better on offense and were consistent on D.
Gotta fix this offense.
Agreed,
The offense didn’t establish the run in the first half. They have a great back in Lynch and a pretty solid backup in Rawls, they come out in the 3rd Q establish the run and then with all the momentum going, pass pass pass inside the 20 and a Haushka 31yd field goal.
SI sent out a tweet that said it best:
SI NFL @si_nfl 2h2 hours ago
There are a few formerly formidable teams who will want to re-think their offensive coaching structures in the offseason. Seattle is one.
The drums are starting to beat.
You could make a case to blame this one on the D. Williams is a weak link, losing Simon was a big loss and I think the better of the two players who would have been in the mix for playing time by now. Sherm got beat when he hesitated, but the D almost pulled em out of this one as well.
Of all the losses this was the toughest one to stomach….
Really? Establish the run?? Hawks faced 1st and 25 (after 1 converting third down), 1st and 20 (penalty on first play), 1st and 20 (penalty on first play), and 1st and 20 (penalty on first play) in their first four drives. How do you establish the run in that sequence??
The truth of the matter is: when this offense goes up tempo, they become a really good offense. That’s what happened at the end of the 2nd Q and in the 3rd Q.
If this offense can ever have richardson, lockett, baldwin and graham (with willson mixed in somewhere) play together for a few games, they will be really hard to stop. As a husky, it pains me to say that Kearse has been terrible.
I was having a think about this, this morning, is the bullying, aggressive nature of our division, mean that it’s hard to stay at the top?
San Fran rose to 13-3 in 2011, then the next year made the Super bowl.
2013 we wrestled division supremacy off them.
Tonight, it appears the Cardinals wrestled it from us.
Could be. It’s a lot like the SEC man.
Look, Seattle ain’t going nowhere the next few years. The majority of Arizona’s core is made up of guys like 33 or older.
If the cards make the playoffs, I hope they get to the big game (barring the Seahawks don’t make the playoffs). Palmer deserves it. Fitzgerald deserves it. Chris Johnson, coming back from being shot, deserves it. Anyone else agree?
It’s hard to hate the cards. Class team all the way. Nice players that are easy to root for. They deserved it tonight.
No way. I despise them. Bruce Arians is just as easy if not easier to hate than Harbaugh. Can’t hear to watch that guy win.
I agree. Love Fitz but dislike Arians. Ugh.
I like the Cards, their success depends on Palmer staying healthy. They are a well rounded team.
I know this is beating a dead horse, but when the offense started showing life…. via rushing attack… a new set of downs was led by pass, pass…. putting the team in a 3rd and long multiple times. Play calling was brilliant and terrible in this game.
The defense made a few minor mistakes, but considering they got to play 70+ snaps….. they held up about as good as you can expect.
Injuries to Lockett, Richardson and Irvin are all concerning.
It does seem to me that the defense is earning there money as far as playing time on the field
Four of the drives in the first half. 1st and 20, 1st and 20, 1st and 20, 1st and 25 some point in the drive. Time of Possession tonight 39 mins to 21 mins.
The offense is wholly to blame on this one. For the whole season it has been plagued with inconsistency. Yes, they have some good explosive plays here and there, but it’s too little and too sparingly. I’m sorry, but if you have leave the defense on the field for 38 minutes, then you can’t expect them to keep putting up big plays.
I agree. The defense kept them in this except for 2-3 drives. That ain’t good enough to hold leads and keep a defense that feeds off energy fresh.
The D gave up a TD on 3 and 14. I’m with you, the O and Bevell need to change and go, but the D is either way up, or way down. That doesn’t cut it, and I wouldn’t give them pass.
The offense can not puke all over itself with penalties like that, and get themselves in 2 and 20 against a defense built to take away the pass.
While I would put much, if not most of the blame on the offense, Carson Palmer threw for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Defense is simply not as special as it used to be. They are lacking at corner, and they do not have the depth on the D line that once made them special. The LB’s are balling out, but they rely almost entirely on their edge rushers, and don’t have enough players to pressure inside like they did in 2013, almost entirely relying on Mike B. If they want to compete with that Cardinal offense twice a year, they must address this in the off season.
What baffles me is that K Richard took the gas off the aggressive pedal on the Cards winning drive other than one play where seattle rushed 5 and Palmer hit a big pass down to the 10 or 15. The aggression and blitzing got us back into it after a very poor first half where they only rushed 4 and Palmer picked our zone apart from the pocket.
After blitzing and befuddling Palmer all third qtr and start of the 4th, on that last drive seattle went back to a 3 or 4 man rush and played the zone, and sure enough, down the field they went. I would like to hear Richard’s explanation for changing the defense on that last drive. The aggression was working.
Yeah, they can’t seem to bring in with a 4 man rush like they used to, unless they are playing San Fran. Now that Irvin is out, sh#t, might have to start bringing KPL in on blitzes like Holmgren’s D did with LeRoy Hill back in the day.
44% passing is not going to win many games. I’m not sure the o line is completely to blame. Wilson was off target all night. He only threw 1 interception but it easily could have been 3 or 4.
He ain’t a pocket passer. For whatever reason, could be a bad O-line, but that’s not what he is. His strength was never ‘a pocket passer that could scramble,’ but rather a ‘QB that can scramble and be a pocket passer.’
I get they need him to make throws from the pocket to develop some of those quick hitting, timing throws, but let him create plays on his own, and THEN hit those rhytm throws.
He did hit Graham in the hands a few times and had drops.
I’m tired of Wilson’s game. Yeah yeah yeah we have no other option other than our 21 million/year qb.\
He has regressed. His vacation with ciara, fine. I’m happy for you. Why do you have to take a TMZ photographer with you on your vacation? Just take your vacation like a normal human being and stop the bollywood crap.
God told you he made you throw an interception in the sb to test your reaction to the fans reaction. Wheeeee. I guess God loves Carson Palmer more.
And your press conferences. Just listened to it. How to say nothing in 500 words.
I wonder if the locker room is as tired as I am of his persona.
Improve as a football player, and I don’t care about the personal side, but he isn’t. Want championship football? Look no further than #3, because we live or die needing him to become better than he presently is.
Oh and let me add, RW stop creating your own pressure. Yes, he was getting rushed. But on too many pocket plays where no pressure is there, he fricken abandons that pocket or disrupts the timing on plays by jittering around.
I am a person who can’t stand Bevel from my viking days. But not even Bevel can design plays dependent on timing and execution when #3 is disrupting them with his indecisiveness.
well said jeff, something is just off about RW this year and until he or the coaches or Ciara, or god himself fixes it were not going anywhere.
Agree with you 100% Jeff the act is getting old quick. I don’t care about your personal life. He went from being an underdog small QB playing on a cheap deal that was so easy to root for to a guy who is almost impossible to root for.
I would much sooner have seen him in a pic learning how to read defenses and identify blitzes pre-snap. You have to believe his behavior and play would be much different had the Hawks allowed him to play out this year before negotiating.
My hope is this year will be a wake up call for him and he will get back to work this off season and get back on track. You can tell the players and most importantly Pete Carrol are growing frustrated with him as well.
One huge off season need is a back up QB to put a little pressure on him. Maybe if Kap gets cut or a guy like Carson Wentz from ND St in the mid rounds.
“a guy who is almost impossible to root for”
Really? Because he got paid and has a celebrity girlfriend?
Personally my ability to root for him hasn’t changed. I just hope he can play better.
Russell knows how social media works. He wants people to believe in him (if this were not true, why would he tweet during contract negotiations that he has to prove the nonbelievers wrong?). He’s put himself out there with statements that he no longer can get away with because now he’s paid. The investment in him as the future of the franchise is costly and potentially crippling.
Rhonda Rousey is currently getting it from all sides, but she put herself out there. She has to own it.
There’s only one way for Russell to silence the criticism from all sides, he needs to play like a franchise qb and take that next step. People can talk all they want about how he’s getting paid for what he’s previously done, but that’s not how NFL contracts work. You are paid for the expectation going forward.
If I were RW, I’d cool it with the personal Tebow/Jessica Simpson stuff and start figuring out how to overcome his limitations.
I tend to agree. I would log off Twitter and re-commit to finishing the season in brilliant fashion. But I don’t find it any harder to root for that happening, whatever he chooses to do on his week off.
Read Pat Riley’s The Winner Within. Pay attention to the chapter titled The Disease of Me. That’s what is wrong with Wilson and the Hawks.
You simply can’t give away entire halves of football and expect to beat many teams. It’s something we’ve done far too often this season.
Cards are a very good team. Hard to beat a very good team and a very incompetent officiating crew.
This game physically hurt me to watch. Over at field gulls is where we can go to cry and lament the Greek tragedy that this game was. But here we at Seahawks draft blog we need to talk business. And to me it’s the defense that needs the most fixing. Yes the offense was a mess, but the defensive identity that this team holds dear was shed away tonight. The two tds caused by the Palmer fumbles were erased by the cardinals two 4th quarter tds. Something here is very broken in our defensive game plan. I think we need another lock down corner, maybe a new linebacker. I can see the niners coming in here and upsetting us next week, and I seems that we don’t have a chance against Antonio brown and marts is Bryant. An elite linebacker such as kuechly might be what we want to go after, the linebacker unit is unfortunately inconsistent. As much as we need good oline men, I can’t help but feel we need these peices in the defense as well. Running back is a need, The cardinals killed us with their stable, Ellington was fresh for his last TD. It’s not time to give up on Wilson yet though, qb should not be a consideration.
I thought they ran the right play call.. at the rookie DE…. and he rushed a bit too far up field, causing the lane to open up off the left side of the offense…. Ellington made the right read and was more or less gone. I suspect AZ had schemed up that play, just for when Clark was in the game at LDE, knowing he might make a mistake. To be fair, I think Irvin had just went out with a knee injury a play or two before that play.
They didn’t kill us in the run game. The last drive? Yeah. But, RB Chris Johnson is one of the best in the league this year.
The defense can’t be left on the field that long. Ya gotta convert third downs. In the NFL, where games are won or lost on big plays, the offense can’t blow every other explosive or big play with a penalty. And no team in the NFL, can succeed by starting out on 1st and 20 or 1st and 25 every time to start a drive in the 1st half.
+1
When looking at the replays of the penalties it seemed that most of the calls against the Hawks were questionable. Even Collins mentioned once that he didn’t see a defensive hold on replay but it must have been seen on the other side. The Hawks DB’s could not touch the receivers without getting a call, while the Cardinal receivers were shown pushing off many times without getting called.
Also, Carolina, Arizona, San francisco, Pittsburg each will be playing Seattle after an extra bye week to prepare. Is it more than coincidence that Seattle plays 4 teams coming off a bye week? Seattle has the most games against teams coming off a bye. I
t was planned to make sure the opposing teams had an extra week to game plan and study film so they can be competitive on TV. This is only the second time Seattle hosted a game on prime time since 2013, because in 2013 they were blowing away opponents and the TV stations wanted competitive games. The year will show games in Seattle if the opposing team has an extra week to prepare.
Actually, Seattle plays a League Leading 5 games against opponents this year who are coming of a bye week and a Thursday night game (St Louis). All of these games are in Century Link Field. Coincidence? NFL is a billion dollar industry, and TV is a big part of it. They want competitive games at Century Link.
Here is the link that proves it
http://www.footballperspective.com/washington-seattle-carolina-tampa-bay-extra-rest-and-the-2015-nfl-schedule/
The defense got us points. The offense did zilch.
Think about it. We have basically the same core of defensive players we had the last two years,so what is different? His name is Kris Richard!!
The defense can’t do everything – yes, they are not playing well, but the offense gave them nothing the first half. Rawls and Marshawn were pushing the AZ line around in the 3rd q and we then went pass pass pass out – oh and a few more penalties thrown in.
I am sorry, but I wholeheartedly disagree with everything you said in this post.
First, Arizona had over 18 minutes of time of possession in the first half of the game until we finally scored, which came very late in the second quarter. Not only could the offense not gain one first down leading up to that scoring drive, they also kept getting penalized which backed them up further giving Arizona even better field position than they already had once we punted. The defense kept this game competitive and close in a game that we shouldn’t have been. They forced punts and kept drives to field goals – until late in the second half once they were gassed. How great do you expect this defense to be? Especially with a offense that seemingly cant do anything in the first half of games, not even pick up 1-3 first downs – which would at-least help the defense keep 3 points off the board. Offense are literally having to pick up less than 20 yards after punts to score.
Not only did Russell Wilson take sacks in this game that WERE HIS FAULT, not the O-lines, he continues to turn the ball over and/or throw up horrible passes. Russell and Bevell need to learn what a quick passing game is because what they are doing now, its not working and its putting this entire football team into a horrible position week after week. This game came down to Russell not stepping up in the pocket, missing open WR’s and flushing himself out of the pocket when its not needed.
How did you watch this game and came away with the opinion that we need new linebackers? Or that this loss was on this defense which had to defend over 50+ plays, over 30 minutes of time of possession of offense IN THE NFL AT HOME? How did you watch this game and think we need another lock down CB? I just really don’t understand it.
Agree completely the QB play has been a major issue all year combined with poor scheme and OL. Too many short drives and giving the opponent great field position.
The defense has never recovered either from the Kam holdout but of the two units at least they show flashes of being dominant.
IMO 10-6 is good enough for the playoffs in the NFC this year. There’s Minnesota or GB and Atlanta, who isn’t very good anyways.
Must win? Ehhh….kinda. There’s still a lot of football left to played gentleman. The biggest mistake Arizona could make is thinking this division is theirs.
Wake up call? I hope so. I think it will be. Should be.
10-6 is not good enough when… you are 0-1 vs several potential WC teams. If the Packers are a WC, SEA would get bumped imo. If Seattle loses to the Vikings, kiss the postseason goodbye. Hell, if Seattle loses another game from here on out, might be going to Hawaii early this off-season.
9-7 could realistically get it done. The competition isn’t great.
Gb is a wildcard team with 3 games on Seattle. Atlanta has a two game lead. We need a miracle.
To what end? This team isn’t good enough to win a super bowl.
3 and 14. TD
I told my wife before the play, “watch for the draw.” TD
The D is as much to blame as the O. The only reason they got in the game was poor play by their RT. 2 times untouched, 2 TO. 2 TD. If it wasn’t for that, the Hawks got blown out and outplayed in all aspects of the game.
Bevell/Cable thing needs to end
Get OC that knows how to use a weapon
Kam needs to go (was getting blocked all night by Fitz), not acceptable
Resign Irvin
Sherman and Thomas better find their fire
Restructure Avril/Bennett
Resign Rubin
Draft OL and DT
Kam was getting blown up by Fitz on every play?
Were we wastching the same Kam Chancellor?
Iupati disagrees with the Kam assessment. The only thing I thought Kam did “wrong” was not quite drop deep enough into his zone, when the throw went over the top to the TE in the endzone. Even then, about 12″ was all that separated ET from another pick or deflection on that play.
I keep thinking the safety play is off, but I see both of them make outstanding plays still. Only the lack of TOs is the only thing I can come up with off the top of my head.
I never said blown up. Rewatch the game. He got sealed a lot. He’s just not Kam. If they can get a high 2nd, low 1st, send him packing.
No one will give us that for Kam. He’s getting up there in age, he’s expensive, and his play is declining. He may be an injury risk.
Ed if we could get that for Kam in the off season I would jump at it. But his play this year has been average at best and I think his hold out really hurt this team.
At this point I would doubt we get anything more than a 5th for him.
I think a Safety like Sua Cravens out of USC would be an ideal pick for this team if he fell the 2nd round.
Again, as noted in an earlier reply, why would you do that? If you’re trading Kam for a second rounder and then needing to spend that second rounder on Su’a Cravens — what benefit are you getting? Do people seriously believe Su’a Cravens is a better player than Chancellor? Especially for a team in the middle of a Championship window?
All you’d be doing is trading Chancellor straight up for Cravens. Chancellor, hold out or not, is the heart beat of this roster. A genuine leader. And he’s the most intimidating strong safety in the league. Why would you trade him for Su’a Cravens and nothing else?
that leader of the team sat at home while we started out 0-2, I would have traded his ass then for a pack of smokes and i don’t smoke!
Irvin’s play has impressed me, Kams play has not. He’s made a few big plays but was responsible for a lot of blown coverages. His attitude earlier this year bothered me. We could trade him for a second to Jacksonville or something. But then who plays strong safety? Jayron Kearse out of Clemson? Sua Cravens? I don’t think it’s a great draft for safeties. Ditching him seems like a bad idea.
I totally agree with you, Ed, in terms of the draft. If they don’t walk away with 2 players on the OL and a DT that can push the pocket and be disruptive on the Defense, within the first 3 rounds next year, I will puke.
Yes Jayron Kearse! I’d be all for that if we could get a 2nd for Kam and use that pick on Kearse.
Please stop. Are people serious?? Trade Kam Chancellor, the best strong safety in the NFL and an unquestioned leader on this team, for a second round pick. And then waste an early pick having to replace him? Think about that. You acquire a second rounder, only to likely to need to spend one of your R1-3 picks on a guy like Kearse — who is nowhere near Chancellor’s level as a player or leader. It’d be a virtual one-for-one trade — Chancellor for Kearse. Why would anyone do that?
The answer to Seattle getting back to the top is not trading your best, core players. It’s building around them. Repairing the O-line for a start. And reconnecting with your offensive identity. Not trading away Bennett/Chancellor/Sherman or any other legit elite talent.
Rob I agree trading your core is not the answer particularly during this window over the next 2 -3 years but I disagree with Kam being the best SS in the league and great leader.
His play this year has been average at best and no great leader does what he did to his team this year. The communication in our secondary was always a strength of this team. They functioned perfectly as a unit. This year they are a disjointed mess. I think Kams holdout is the primary reason for this.
I said it during the holdout and I stick to it. If you can get a 2nd for him from Jacksonville or Washington and then use it on Sua Cravens to replace him I would do it. It would be basically a trade for a younger cheaper player with tremendous play making potential.
Agree the OL and getting Russ re-focused is a greater need. I for one hope they keep Okung and Sweezy if they can get them on team friendly deals and then draft Shon Coleman for RT and a veteran Center or Guard (Mack perfect scenario if not Wisnewski). Hard to be a tough running team with an awful OL.
It’s a strange take Trevor I have to say. I don’t know why people are so keen to start trading our best players away. In this thread alone people are talking about trading Kam and Sherman. How exactly does that make Seattle a better team? I’m shocked.
I would never trade Sherm and think he is a true leader who is asked to do more this year. Most of his mistakes have been from trying to do too much.
I certainly don’t want to blow up this core and want to keep as many players as possible but Kam’s holdout really hurt the team this year and he broke Pete Carrol’s primary rule. Add to that and I really don’t think he has played that well this year except for a couple of splash plays like the one against Det. He has been average against the run and a liability in the passing game.
The thinking behind my strange take is directly from Bill Belicheck that if you can replace an aging player who pulled the crap Kam this off season (still wants and new deal) did with a younger one in the NFL with very little drop off then you do it. This is what the Patriots have done for years and why they remain on top!
Think Logan Mankins, Wes Welker etc. the list goes on and on. Those guys never even held out they just wanted more money or would not restructure.
I’m not sure a 27-year-old Kam is quite at the position Makins and Welker were in their respective careers though. And Welker wasn’t traded. He hit free agency. There was a contract discussion. The Pats had Tom Brady adjust his contract so that they could keep Welker. Brady agreed. And then Denver poached him. So they wanted to keep him. Mankins is 34 in March.
Three players this team cannot afford on loose on the defense are Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, and Mike Bennett.
If they loose Mike B for the season, the dam bursts and the rest of the D is washed away in the flood. They have no one else on the roster that can do what he can. If you think Frank Clark is ready for that, he have never played 3 tech at any point of his college career, and I think the training camp experiments there have been tempered.
If they don’t have Sherman, your starting corners are Cary Williams, and your choice of Deshawn Shead, Marcus Burley, and Tye Smith.
If you loose Chancellor, you loose the identity of your D, your intimidator, your lion. He should retire a Seahawk.
I would add Cliff Avril to that list at the top. He has been fantastic.
Love me some Cliff Avril. This team still has some fantastic core players. You don’t trade or cut them to clear cap space. You build around them. JS needs to get back to the Green Bay model of building through the draft now more than ever.
As the dust is settling on this season, I am beginning to see that the trade for Graham may not have been so much for this season, but for future seasons. I think they made the decision to roll the dice on making a shaky offensive line shakier with unproven talent, and it hasn’t worked out, but let’s see at the season’s end. They should be in a great position to land a legit big ugly or 2 through the draft this year, maybe even a couple other impact players through the first 3 rounds.
There doesn’t seem to be panic in Coach Carroll’s tone. I think he’s increasingly more annoyed at how they aren’t clicking offensively, but he’s been pretty even keel. I think they could be more in the long game mode than the short game right now as a franchise, and that’s a good thing. After 2005 Tim Ruskell went increasingly more hormonal bringing in aging vets to plug gaps. They can not go down that road again. If we have to have an down season here and there, so be it.
I agree with you Rob. Kam may not be as dominant this year as in years past (but that can be said of our entire D) but there’s no way a rookie can come in and play (and make the defensive calls) as well as Kam right now. But if Kam again threatens a hold out in the offseason for more money then, I’m in favor of removing a distraction and trading him for what we can get.
You think he is not going to want more money this off season? Of course he is.
If they don’t plan for that contingency (another holdout) then they are fools.
People are just blowing off steam. I thought you would have been more exasperated with another round of Let’s Fire Bevell.
I think it’s time to draft a QB. Wilson just isn’t putting it together. Third down is a total crapshoot, and that’s not how elite quarterbacks play. I’m yelling “blitz, blitz!” at the TV before the snap and he doesn’t seem to recognize it. And yes, I know, the offensive line sucks. Sheesh. Penalty after penalty after penalty.
Yeah, Russ has been bad for half a year in his career. Time to go. Huh?
Couldn’t be that he’s having a bad year and still learning the position could it?
Russel is having a bad year, I feel like we are in QB purgatory, our quarterback is too good to get rid of but not good enough to make the plays to win these important games. The defensive regression is exposing a lot of Russ’s weaknesses. I’m glad his contract was relatively short term.
Wilson is what? 26 years old? He was much better the second half of his rookie season than he is now. Other teams have adjusted to what he does, so now he needs to become a better, more accurate pocket passer who makes faster decisions. I haven’t seen him take the next step. the qhestion is, can he make the next step? Certainly not with Bevell as his mentor.
This.
I’m not ready to draft another QB but Russell is playing poorly. He’s inaccurate and is making poor decisions. The play calling isn’t helping him. When he’s in the 2 minute drill he plays freer and better – so I think that shows something isn’t working with Bevell. Bevell needs to go! I also have lost faith in Cable as well. Maybe the always compete mantra should apply to the coaches as well – if you’re not doing your job, time to get someone else.
Always compete. And that includes Mr Wilson.
This.
If Andy Dalton and Russell WIlson swapped salaries, you probably have a pay scale more in line with their current level of play.
They SHOULD draft a qb somewhere. Matt Hasselbeck said if he was a GM, he’d draft one every year for competition.
I would love to see what Russ would do with the line Dalton has and the WRs Dalton throws to. I would love to see what Russ does with the Dallas line and WRs.
It shocks me how easily it is for people to jump off the RW3 bandwagon. It leads me to suspect that if he was 3 inches taller, more people would be blaming almost everything else but Russ.
Is Andrew Luck a bad quarterback now? No, he’s injured, and plays on an offense that doesn’t have great WRs and a crap OL.
Russ is a good quarterback. Didn’t have a good game tonight. Hasn’t been lights out this season as many hoped with the addition of Graham. He’s been sacked and harassed all season long, and he has played a part of the red zone whoas, but this is a guy with better football still a head of him, especially if they can fix that god awful offensive line.
You don’t get rid of good quarterbacks, and expect to get better with unproven talent. You keep good quarterbacks and build around them.
Half the oline problem is on russ, how many times have we seen him hold the ball to long? How many times has he tucked the ball and run straight into the defender? He literally ran right into okung tonight who was right in front of him like he didn’t see him. He’s turning the ball over at a high rate and most the time it’s all on him.
This
I’m not saying get rid of him. But always compete, and that includes qb. You are giving him a free pass when he needs more attention to his decision making and pocket presence.
It WOULD HELP for seattle to stop trusting Tom Cable’s frankenstein approach to the oline and start upgrading, whether in free agency or the draft, or both. It’s beyond obvious that this oline isn’t going to come together as the current unit. And those players should not be just run blockers, esp since RW is going to be the focus of the offense going forward.
I’m no where near giving RW3 a free pass. He does need to get much more decisive with the ball. I’m just saying a simple statement I would love to see what he can do with a line and WRs like they have in Dallas and Cincy. I suspect he would look a whole lot better at QB.
I think that Pete and the FO probably agree with all of our complaints about the OL on this blog and I’ll be shocked if the Hawks don’t invest high draft picks and/or FAs in the OL in the offseason.
The offense is predictable and Russell is playing poorly. Drops and penalties didn’t help tonight, but even if you just look at those 2 2 point conversions – they were not good plays. The offense is predictable and if they don’t hit one of the long throws each game, they struggle. We started running the ball in the second half with Rawls and Marshawn and then it was pass pass pass out out.
Offense isn’t playing well enough to beat many teams.
The defense had lapses, but basically scored 2 touchdowns – they were on the field twice as much – there is only so much you can ask of them. That being said – Richard seems to be in over his head.
We have the chance to pick up a couple more wins in the next few weeks, but it is going to be tough to get a WC spot. I’ll be hoping we can, but it is going to be tough. We are going to see what this team as well as the fans are made of. The bandwagon fans will be jumping ship after tonight.
LOL. Yup the cliff jumpers will be out in full force tonight.
:o)
Haha I will support this team as long as they play here in Seattle.
I feel like our running game is not being used consistently. I thought Lynch looked great tonight, as did Rawls, but he didn’t get enough carries to set the tone. It seemed like every time he got a carrie in the first a holding penalty negated the play.
The holding has to be partially on cable. He’s not teaching his guys how to legally run block.
So on the o line – do you think they are not capable lineman generally or just having lapses? For me, I’m questioning whether Cable really knows what he is doing. Sweezy is the only guy who consistently plays well but I would argue Cable got lucky with him vs the other guys he’s trying to convert. Why can’t we just pick guys who are solid college o line guys and coach them up rather than invent the wheel?
For me, the offense needs an overhaul – Bev and Cable out.
The first one was on russ! A jump ball to baldwin? How about Jimmy graham who was one on one and I believe Lynch was on the same side uncovered. Russ isn’t seeing anything or progressing through his reads this year.
very disappointing. what else can I say. go hawks
Go Hawks!
We have toface it, the Cardinals are the top dog now. They were on their way to winning the division last year until Palmer got hurt. Actually the Hawks were lucky that happened, that is what got them to the super bowl. The Cardinals are a very good team with a excellant hard nose coach.
This is their window. In three or four years, they could be where the niners are at.
So for Russell, is it because he’s got happy feet due to the line or is it something else? He spent all his time at the VMAC when he was married to his first wife, then divorced. I wonder if all the commercials, famous girlfriend, new contract has changed him – not sure it has, but something isn’t synched up.
What do you all think?
It’s a mix of bad line, bad drops, and poor timing…also forcing the ball too much…
He also abandons the pocket even when pressure isn’t there.
That’s one of the things that makes me wonder if the height thing is a legitimate issue. Does he not like throwing from the pocket because of his height?
If the receivers aren’t open and he doesn’t have any lanes, that’s why he could start to scramble to try and create something. He also had a lot of throwaways last night, much more than usual.
I think it’s a valid question, and one that I’ve wondered about as well. You forgot to mention Wilson’s handling of the recovery water thing, which IMHO was downright shameful for a variety of reasons.
I think defenses have caught up to how to play Wilson. He seems to have plateaued or is regressing in areas that he needs to be improving upon. Right now he looks like a mediocre QB who is able to make a handful of amazing plays each game. But those few great plays aren’t going to carry us to the playoffs. It’s the plays he leaves on the field by missing reads or making poor decisions that are killing us right now.
There is something clearly wrong with Russell. Fixing it may require not-insignificant coaching changes, a new offensive coordinator as well as a new QB coach. Not only has he regressed, he is not adapting. Opposing teams know how to rattle him.
Maybe a new voice in his head could do him some good – our offensive playcalling is predictable. I also wonder if the messaging is now falling on deaf ears. At USC Pete cycled through players every 3-4 years so the message was fresh to new players each year – then they graduate and a new group took over. Here you have guys who are now 4-5 years in – maybe keeping up at that high level for more than a few years. It might be why Bellichick lets guys go – rather than keep them.
I want this team to win, but maybe not making the playoffs will make them make some adjustments.
Ugh, what a mess…Wilson looked off, WRs and TEs had dropped balls, running game was meh. The secondary was all over the place (in a bad way), LBs were playing to close to the LOS, and really the only saving grace of this game was the DL performance. ST is still meh. Penalties played a huge role and probably cost a few stops and points. I think both sides are to blame. The Offense didn’t start looking alive until the end of the half, and the Defense gave up 4 TDs.
For me the season essentially boils down to either winning out or preplanning the draft and FA (or both). SF will be easy pickings, Pittsburgh is tough but brittle, Minnesota is a paper tiger, Baltimore is weak, same with Cleveland, Rams aren’t that great, and who knows, maybe the Cardinals faceplant next week and lose a bunch of games. Still not that intimidating of a schedule left.
This team is overflowing with talent, but the talent keeps tripping over itself. The offense has some great drives, but they execute poorly and have questionable play calling at times. The defense will play like a juggernaut for 2-3 quarters, and then disappears when the game’s on the line. ST was rebuilt this off-season with some great talent, but has heat to really make an impact…
Whether they make the playoffs or not, some changes need to be made. In FA they need to bring in one or two veteran OL guys, shuffle a few pieces on defense (maybe find some hungry guys), and plan for the worst with BeastMode, cause he doesn’t look like he’ll last past this season. Going into the draft they need solid football players…no flashy pieces…no diamonds in the rough…just solid, serviceable, healthy football players. It all starts with the OL. After that: Interior DL, RB, CB/S, and LB in that order. Hill and Ruben are good, but Mebane is over the hill. Lynch will probably be gone. Williams is serviceable, but not a long term solution (I could see Smith taking over at some point), and Kam made it clear that he would resume his endeavors next off-season, so planning ahead at Safety probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. Irvin will probably be gone, so find a good LEO.
I think the season is essentially done, I hope it isn’t, but really this was the biggest game of the year, and while they could still make the playoffs they aren’t winning the division without a miracle…so hope for the best, but expect the worst from here on out…
Losing Irvin will hurt. I know we can’t afford to keep him, but I think he’s played well the last 2 years and he has the outside speed and has been solid in pass coverage.
I agree, but sadly he’s probably the one on the trading block at this point…
No contract, so he will just leave, if they don’t resign.
Let Okung/Sweezy/Mebane walk.
Resign Irvin
Restructure Bennett/Avril
Trade Kam
Mebane is still playing great… he is still one of the best 1-tech in football.
Okung you cant let walk because you will not find a LT that is better. You either gamble on the draft (which never works and only leads to issues) or try and find a stop-gap in FA… there is none.
Sweezy is a team favorite…. they might let him walk.
Kam will not be traded… there is not a more unique and talented SS/OLB in football. The defense functions on his skill set.
Avril and Bennett is tough… something needs to happen because they are flat out getting it done.
Marshawn might be the odd man out which makes me not only cringe but very sad as well….
Actually, with the health issues Marshawn has had this year, I can easily see him retiring at the end of the season, especially if we don’t make the playoffs and it’s an ugly end to the season.
Marshawn isn’t going out on this note. No way. No way. Look at how he huddled the offense together last night. He doesn’t finish on this note.
I for one have never had more respect for Marshawn than I did tonight. He ran with passion and on the sidelines I thought he was one guy who showed true leadership. I had grown a little tired of his act but I thought he showed tonight why his team mates love him and that he still has something in the tank.
Rawls looks good too. I think our RB situation is ok for 2016 (if Alex Collins falls to the 3rd I would take him)and then focus on getting one early in the RB rich 2017 draft.
I saw him on the sidelines trying to fire the team up late in the game also and it was awesome!! Contrary to what others have thought, Lynch has not lost a step and I’m really hoping he comes back next year to lead our offense again!
Ed I agree 100 % with this. I was all for letting Irvin walk before this year but he and Avril appear to be 2 of the only hungry players we got left.
One of the plays were Avril got to Palmer on AZ’s 4th quarter go ahead drive, it looked like it was a fumble before his arm began going forward. It was close and whistle may have blown before someone had clear possession, not even sure the Seahawks picked the ball up thinking it was incomplete, but it may have warranted a challenge.
Had it not been for missed assignments by AZ RT, the Hawks get blown out at home. Too many problems to count, but 3 games behind Packers (they beat us) and 2 games behind Falcons.
Hawks: 49ers/Steelers/Vikings/Ravens/Browns/Rams/Cardinals
Packers: Vikings/Bears/Lions/Cowboys/Raiders/Cardinals/Vikings
Falcons: Colts/Vikings/Bucs/Panthers/Jags/Panthers/Saints
Hawks can really only afford to lose to Cardinals to end the season (6-1), which gets them to 10-6.
Packers need to go 3-4 (probably won’t happen)
Falcons need to go 4-3 (possible. Vikings/Panthers/Panthers probably loses, just one slip up).
I see at least 2 more probable losses on that schedule with the Vikings and Cardinals, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Rams sweep this team.
People are watching this game and STILL ARE BLAMING THE DEFENSE for this season and game. Are you serious? What game and season have you been watching. Are you not seeing the field position this defense is having to defend every single drive, against one of the best offense with IMO, the best WR group in the NFL.
The defense was fantastic in the first quarter…. got a interception – in which the offense did nothing (3 and out), came back on the field and got off the field by forcing a field goal. The offense comes back on the field… GETS another penalty that backs them up deep in which Russell fumbles the ball by not stepping up in the pocket. That interception should have been a momentum and game changer, but because the offense gave it right back it didn’t. People keep asking how/why this team continues to lose games when they win the turnover battle, and its simple, in order for turnovers to have the maximizing effect they should have – historically – the defense needs to score on their forced turnover every single time or put the offense into scoring potential themselves (both happened tonight.) The defense had to defend over 80+ plays of offense, matched with over 40 minutes of time of possession. The fact we only gave up 39 points to Arizona shows how great this defense is.
For a entire quarter the offense did absolutely nothing. Leaving the defense out to dry, making the defense have to force field goals, and also making them have to defend a short field. And because of this time possession, the defense – based on their time on the field – is dead tired and reeling. Its really starting to irk me how people don’t wanna place blame on Russell and Bevell. Russell is trying so hard to become a “pocket” QB he is hurting this team and what got him his contract. He needs to RUN THE FOOTBALL and STOP looking for so many deep shots… because when he does the offensive line gets exposed and are WR’s do as well.
blaming defense would have to be in the context that the D has carried the team the prior 3 years. They had allowed 25+ 7 times in those 3 prior years. They have allowed 25+ 5 times already in 9 games this year, all losses. All together, they are 0-12 in those 25+ allowed games.
The defense had its moments of brilliance, but the fact is, it is vastly inferior to the D of past seasons. Even when fresh, opposing teams can move effectively on them. There are vulnerabilities that were not there in the past.
It goes without saying that the offense was horrific, and forced the D to save the game, past the point of exhaustion.
The fact that the D has failed to stop teams in virtually every fourth quarter this season is proof that it is not as good as the D of previous seasons, which actually did stop teams when it mattered.
Honestly, I don’t understand why one side of the ball needs to be blame and the other doesn’t. IMO, the honest truth about this team is while the offense is clearly playing piss poor more often than not, clearly worse than it has since 2010-2011, the defense is not as special as it once was, and that is a mounting concern for the simple reason that is has been the crutch of the team for so long, even when the offense was marginally good. It’s still a good defense, good enough to get them to 9 wins because the schedule is now more favorable, but it’s not special. They are not as deep on the DL, and they aren’t as deep in the secondary. Until the offense can start playing with more consistency, the leaks in the dam are going to continue, especially with Irvin out.
While I want WAY better play out of the offense, I want that defense getting back to that special place where it once was.
Personally, I think part of the offensive whoas that exist, outside of the OL, between Russ/Bevel is that Bevel designs routes that are easy to defend with good man coverage. Russ doesn’t like throwing into tight coverage, relies on what has worked in the past, moving to extend, good defenses are better about containing him and making him throw in the pocket more. Russ needs to either get gutsier about throwing quicker into tighter windows, or Bevel needs to design route trees that make it harder to defend with in man. Probably a combination of both. Acquiring receiving talent that can better beat man coverage wouldn’t hurt either, but I guess that was why the traded for Graham.
Our offense has scored 2 touchdowns in the fourth quarter all year, and one of those was tonight when our defense gave them the ball on the opponent’s 3 yard line. This season is quickly turning into one of “what if”. So disappointing.
All that matters is that we make the playoffs and are playing our best ball at that time. But the offense has just looked downright anemic at times. It’s hard to take many positives away from this loss.
Rob, your short summary above captures it succinctly. That is what it is.
The moments of brilliance on defense do not mask the fact that it has been otherwise vulnerable. No longer that scary, unable to hold with the games on the line. The question is why it is no longer the suffocating brutal defense of past seasons, that used to throttle teams all game to the last whistle. Is it Kris Richard? The veterans including Sherman are making mistakes, getting beaten. Cary can always been relied upon to give up big plays, a TD per game not unlikely. The pass rush is hit or miss, but when it has mattered, QBs have had pockets to work.
The offense is a similarly mess, an even worse one. The line is a mess. Wilson has no pocket. Lynch has no blocking. Wilson makes mistakes worse by running backwards, even when he does not have to. They are strangely effective only when in hurry up mode. Jimmy Graham looks soft, has passes broken up too easily, doesn’t seem to fight hard enough.
This team might not even be good enough to get to a 7-9.
I almost want to say at this point, getting to 7-9 or worse may not be the worst thing for the team. They haven’t drafted in the first round since 2012, If you want to add impact players on rookie contracts that can honestly make an impact in their rookie year, easier to do the higher you draft. OL, DT, CB, WR, and or possibly RB.
It might inspire a little shake up on the offensive coaching staff as well, as I’m not sure how patient Mr Allen is going to continue being with the play calling on that side of the ball.
Plus a third place schedule might do this team some good.
That’s another perk.
I think they just need a reboot.
No need to panic and make wholesale changes. Get some top round talent on the OL. Build some depth back up in the LOB and DL. You got a QB that is perfect for play action and naked boot legs, quit running out of shotgun so much trying to fool a league that has scouted out all your smoke and mirrors. Man up, power up. Keep it in more in 3rd and short, and less in 2 and 20, and then 3 and 12.
I for one, would love to see what a coordinator like Scott Linehan would do for a head coach that loves to run the ball in this town. I think Bevel is cooked in this town. I’ve been holding onto the last threads of hope I’ve had that they would get back to the basics. This line experiment has been an epic disaster, and Rob Stanton said it best, it’s looking more like a wasted season than anything else.
I think they could actually use a full off season to rest. They have played more games than any team over the last few years with not as much time to rest in between.
I know Rob frowns on the idea of a reboot in the middle of your window, but this team DOES look tired and at times, uninterested, playing to the opponents strengths rather than forcing the opponent to adjust to them. The opponents are coming at us four straight quarters every game, and we look overwhelmed, at times.
An offseason watching the playoffs on tv might reignite that hunger.
In 1977 Mean Joe Greene saw a banner in Denver during the AFC championship between the Broncos and Faiders that said, “Joe must be Greene with envy” as the Stealers missed the playoffs that year after winning two of the previous three sb’s. He said he put his rings on his tv and vowed not to move them until he won another ring, which they did in ’78 and ’79.
All really good points by everyone here – rest up, get healthy, get another chip on their shoulders and come back stronger next year. Plays some puff teams and get a new offensive coordinator at the very least. Re-boot is a good word.
The only difference between this loss and our others this season is we’re 4-5. The fans who have been in denial all this time are acting as if this disappointment is a new thing.
Well it’s not. Russell in the press conference, didnt seem to care. Pete doesnt look like he has any changes forthcoming.
WHERE IS THIS TEAMS URGENCY???
Russell you need to step up your game. Of the separation was in the preparation, it isnt there now. Sherman buddy youre getting burned for TDs every week. Graham hotdogging routes (and robbed of a td). Bevel why does every snap begin with nobody open?
This team needs to stop acting like nothings wrong and address the problem.
And by the way, NEWS FLASH, the “new” offense this year isnt working and the solutions are blindingly obvious. Dont hand it off to the rb on every single read option, or it isnt a read option, its just a run. Bootleg russell he’ll be ok. Dont address any situation with the exact same play or approach over and over again or they will know its coming, which is bad. Run some quick breaking routes instead of sending every receiver deep. When all else fails use COMMON SENSE.
How about when you’re on the goal line and you’re going to pass it, instead of just lobbing it up for Kearse or trying to do an option pop pass, either A. Throw the jump ball to Jimmy Graham or B. throw the slant to Jimmy Graham. Both of those 2 point conversion play calls were horrendous!
The second 2pt attempt was a roll-out to target Jimmy Graham 1v1 — Arizona just read it well and pressured Wilson. I thought there was a non-called hold on Jermaine Kearse on the original two-pointer. Without the hold I think he makes that grab.
Yeah, there seem to be a lot of situations this year that could be solved with throwing the ball to Jimmy Graham and yet we cant figure out how ro do this.
Has anyone noticed Zack Miller reverting to his pre-bevel form in chicago? How about Benjamij Watson, having a bigger season than graham, who hasnt had a good game yet, by his standards. Darren Fells in Arizona. Bevel doesnt know how to use the TE.
It’s not the same Zach Miller. Different player. Seattle’s former Zach Miller is essentially retired.
Ahh.
Glad someone else noticed that, He dominated that game. I watched and asked myself “Why couldn’t WE do that with him?”
Read option or at least roll Wilson out
I think one thing that struck me was when Arians kept throwing the red flag on 3rd and short, and then Tukuafu’s run on 4th down. The guy wants to win every moment of the game, first thru fourth qtr. It isn’t just about finishing, it’s about winning every moment. This is also an approach by Belichek. They hate to lose every play.
When Pete belittles comments about starting better, “or get used to it” with the close games or 4th qtr comebacks, I don’t know man. That catches up with you. Win the whole game. Poster Steele, I believe once wrote he’s jealous of what the patriots have going. I totally get that, man.
I have been a big RW fan, but I really wanted him to take some responsibility last night – for him to say “I have to play better” not “we played better in the second half.” We also still have the same old problem with our passing game – our receivers either because of defense, scheme or lack of talent at times do not get separation and do not make plays. We’re so predictable.
Here are my observations/opinions from the disappointing loss tonight, many of which were captured in the comments above.
The offense was amazingly pathetic for having two weeks of prep. Our OL has improved since the first couple games of the season but the offense is not close to being good enough to overcome 1st and 20 and yet, there were 5 or 6 occasions when we’d get a holding call and of course, the drive stalls. Lynch ran really well tonight and again proved that he really hasn’t lost a step this season. Unfortunately, because of the holding calls that put is in long yardage, we didn’t run him as much as we should have. The announcers made a big deal out of the fact that Russell wasn’t sacked last week and for most of the game, he hadn’t been sacked by the Cardinals either but the announcers either forgot or chose to ignore Gilliam or Bailey being beaten easily and only Russell’s amazing scrambling ability prevented the sacks. Having said that, Russell still shows really poor pocket awareness, holds onto the ball too long, panics and at times spins into pressure. He was again really inaccurate (though there were a couple of bad drops by Graham) tonight and the interception was inexcusable. The WR was not open on that deep route and Russell just threw it up there for grabs anyways. With an offense that is barely competent, we can’t just give away possessions like that. Oh and another thing, with how terrible our red zone offense is, I’d rather we just kick the extra point rather than waste effort and giving up a point in useless attempts at the two point conversions. On both attempts tonight, I was pretty sure we’d fail, basically because unless we were giving it to Lynch, it’d be just a crap shoot, with Wilson throwing a low percentage pass to a receiver who wasn’t open. We’ve played 9 games so that this point, it’s pretty clear to me that we can’t consistently throw the quick short passes that move the chains. I don’t know whether it’s because Russell is too indecisive/can’t make the quick reads or whether it’s the OL crappy pass blocking that doesn’t even give him the couple seconds it takes to set and go through the first couple progressions and throw or whether it’s because our receivers can’t get open quick enough for these passes to be successful. I don’t think Bevel is a dumb guy so there must be a reason why we aren’t running these short quick passes to counter all the pass pressure. In any case, I’ve given up hope on this offense getting good enough to play consistently good offense for sustained drives so we’re stuck with periods of total ineffectualness, peppered with occasional periods of good/great offense…not a recipe for too many wins.
While I think the offense is mostly to blame for our lousy season this year, the defense has to bear some of the blame also. Granted, all the three & outs from the O leaves the defense out there for way too long and any defense, no matter how good, eventually breaks down. But the defense also makes dumb mental errors every game that keeps them out there on the field rather than making the other teams punt away. Tonight off the top of my head, I can remember the K J Wright unnecessary roughness penalty, Bobby’s illegal contact on a receiver that wasn’t even involved in the play, Sherman dropping off of Floyd (and giving up a TD) because he was peeking in on a shorter route, no safety help on Williams when he had good coverage on Floyd on that TD pass down the sidelines. Our DL is playing great and getting a lot of pressure on QBs but it seems like we usually only get sacks when we blitz. Williams is giving good effort but his coverage is definitely a drop off from what we got from Maxwell. The slot also doesn’t seem as solid as last year when we had Lane there. I’m not sure what to call the Legion of Boom but since we aren’t shutting down receivers or intimidating anyone, we need another name.
The good news is that despite the 4 – 5 record, we’re still alive for wild card spot. The bad news is that with how inconsistent we are on both offense & defense (more so offensively), even if we do make the playoffs, I don’t see us making a deep run.
Good point on the offense hanging the defense out to dry, but the defense hanging itself more with the penalties.The front 7 has stepped up and the secpndary has stepped back. I thought we were getting good pressure blitzing which we’ve never seen under bradley or quinn and that was a bright spot but Williams isnt maxwell or browner and all the other cb’s are hurt and sherman looks like the fire is gone.
I can see us making a deep run easy if the coaches can light a fire under these guys. Instead of acting like everythings fine and waiting for it to fix itself.
Speaking of blitzes, I guess I can’t understand why we didn’t come after one of the most immobile QBs in the league from snap 1. I get that it hasn’t been our M.O. but our refusal to manufacture pressure against a great pocket passer (and great WRs) just doesn’t make sense.
Sure enough, when we gave him time he picked us apart every single time. When we finally blitzed, he was rattled and either took a sack, fumbled the ball or threw over his receivers’ heads. On the last drive, we maybe blitzed once? And even when we did it seemed our DBs were still playing 7 yd off the receivers, allowing for the quick sideline escape throw, instead of pressing and being in position to jump the throw or knock the ball down
There seems to be a reluctance to tinkering with the formula. Ball control offense and zone coverage, 4man rush. But the blitz was so effective when ee turned it on, And then, we turned it off, im guessing to play it safe and not het burned. You know the kind of mentality that lines up in prevent when you have a lead.
Our first 5 rounds of the 2013 and 2014 drafts:
2 62[b] Christine Michael RB Texas A&M
3 87 Jordan Hill DT Penn State
4 123 Chris Harper WR Kansas State
5 137[b] Jesse Williams DT Alabama
138[c] Tharold Simon CB LSU
158 Luke Willson TE Rice
2 45 Paul Richardson WR Colorado Pick from DET[b]
2 64 Justin Britt OT Missouri
4 108 Cassius Marsh DE UCLA Pick from MIN[a]
4 123 Kevin Norwood WR Alabama Pick from CIN[d]
4 132 Kevin Pierre-Louis OLB Boston College
5 172 Jimmy Staten DT Middle Tennessee St
This is the year that it’s going to catch up to us.
Success breeds scarcity of talent in the draft pool. This year’s draft though, has a good talent available for their needs. Adding 4 players to your roster each yr is a decent draft. Adding 2 starters within those is a good draft.
If they fail to make the playoffs with a down yr, they potentially can add 4 to 5 starters of 9 to 10 new roster members. Unfortunately, the Hawks are too talented to miss the playoffs. In spite of still being playoff bound, I still see this as potentially a 3 starter 9 man roster addition from this yrs draft.
Man bitonio would have been such a solid pick. If they’d only listened to rob. OL would be in such better shape, and we wouldnt have had to reach on Britt. PRich i think wouldve still been there but they didnt want to risk losing him.
Have a look at that draft, and more specifically, how the hawks ended up with Norwood.
They had the 111th pick(acquired in the trade with detroit) traded back for a 6th rounder.
Martavias Bryant went off the board between the 111th and 123rd pick.
This is a completely broken team. It’s not strained/sprained. It is broken to the point, where major changes need to be made to coaching staff and players alike. Here are my rants/observations:
1) The OL is beyond pathetic. It’s honestly the worst unit I’ve seen in the NFL for a long time. If you physically suck, then you better mentally be strong. This team can’t block and has no discipline (see drive killing penalties). The dysfunction of the Offense stems from this unit. No other way around it.
2) RW has clearly been affected by the shambles at OL, but he’s downright bad now. Missing throws like never before, bailing when he doesn’t have to, no confidence. He’s a broken player. Even his cliches are hollow now. He was Peter Pan for the first 3 years in the NFL. Unfortunately, the pixie dust has run out and he has refused to become an adult (pocket QB).
3) There is no fire or energy. There was a spark of it after the defensive run later in the game, but I will say, it’s easy to be high flying after some good plays. They need to bring that on every down. It used to be so palpable. It jumped off the screen. Now they are just a team. They remind me of the Yankees; bunch of big names but a crappy “team.”
4) Where is trash talking Sherman? Where is “good” Sherman? Boy, talk about a guy who got his meal ticket and mailed it in. He hasn’t been bad, not by any stretch, but he’s not the same player. His selfishness killed us yesterday.
5) Kam and Earl continue to show that they care. I was hard on Kam but he plays so hard, as does Earl.
6) The defense is still great. I’ve come full circle on this. The offense is so bad that it can’t help but hurt the defense. We ask so much of them. Just look at ToP.
Awful game. Awful season. If this trend continues, I wouldn’t be shocked to see PC walk away and perhaps do 5 years at USC and hang them up. This really does feel like the end of his USC era. Still had great talent, but the magic was gone.
I don’t think it’s broken. San Francisco is a broken team. They have been gutted. The Seahawks need a refresh. They need to reconnect to their original offensive identity. They need to reconnect as a group, come together again. And they need to make personnel improvements — starting with the offensive line.
This is a team built to run the ball and play defense. It’s time to go back and dedicate resource to the trenches. Take major steps forward on the OL and this team will see significant improvements on offense in 2016. That in turn helps the defense.
I don’t understand the ire against Sherman. He has nothing to prove. He doesn’t have to be the panto villain. I thought he was unlucky yesterday and came very close to a possible game winning interception with a fantastic break on the ball. Brown took it away and kudos to him. Otherwise that could be the game. Small margins.
Yes the team is broken and the difficult thing is it doesn’t seem to be because of roster issues. It’s a mentality, teamwork cohesion thing on defense that hasn’t come together yet. I feel as if it’s because of the lasting disdain this defense has for Russel Wilson after the Malcolm butler interception, followed by the departure of Dan Quin. Richard is well liked but is no Quin. Kam Chancellor holding out and loosing Byron Maxwel doesn’t help either.
It’s a roster thing on offense, but it’s als more than that. We have 0 good linemen. That’s the bottom line. The amount of penalties they managed of accure blew my mind. Yet Russel Wilson should be playing better inspire of it. And when the passing game simply isn’t working, we need to lean on our rungame more. To me it’s all as simple as that, and Bevvel is refusing to make that change. Russel Wilsons problems seem to be with confidence and accuracy, and I’m concerned with the number of picks and the low number of touchdowns he’s throwing. Throwing 1 TD and 1 INT every week isn’t going to get us anywhere, he needs to do more.
In my opinion, the defense is still elite. Yes, they gave up some long plays but they also made plenty of plays to keep us in it.
This loss belongs mostly to the offense which seemed to pretty much mail it in for most of the first half. For 26+minutes, I believe that had a total of 21 yards. This is an offense that has no identity and no rhythm and hasn’t for a long time. The Seahawks have 3 elite playmakers in Lynch, Wilson and Graham and a very good one in Baldwin so why the prolonged struggles? Part of it is clearly the OL (and they weren’t that bad in this game) and the other part is the play calling. Why has the read option fallen out of favor? Why 4+ games to feature Graham in your play calling? If you’re a run first team, how does Lynch end up with 8 carries for the game? Yes, we were behind but you get more than 8 carries just on the way to getting behind.
At this point in the season, for the offense to still not be right and to play a game like this in what was a pivotal match up…this was truly a poorly coached game from an offensive standpoint. Bevell should be on the hot seat from this game forward.
This is still an incredibly talented team and if that can put it together offensively and find some overall consistency, they can still go a long ways. However, the window is rapidly closing and the margin for error almost non-existent.
Everyone wants to either blame the offense or blame the defense. The fact of the matter is the way this team has been designed and been successful with under Carrol is that all 3 units have to work in unison.
-Special Teams (solid and helps with field position)
-Offense (power run game to eat up clock, wear down defense and take over in 4th Q with some big splash plays down the field.)
-Defense (Simple scheme allowing players to play fast, No big plays and focus on great tackling and takeaways)
If one unit struggles it is hard to win with this formula. Our OL does not allow us to have a power run game and the Defense has been giving up big plays. The Hawks can’t win this way.
We are what our record says we are. No chance we make playoffs this year and I actually hope we play guys like Sokoli, Glowinski and Tre Smith to see what we have. Also let Clark and Marsh play a lot more snaps to see if they can be a true rotation next year. Avril and Bennett have been the teams 2 best players but play way to many snaps.
Unless Pete is willing to change his philosophy (no chance) and try to change game plans based on our opponent like the Patriots then we need a talent infusion in the trenches (OL/DL) on both sides of the ball and refocused secondary and QB.
It is a difficult task to go to the SB 3 yrs straight. They are just feeling the affects of success. They have logged the most playing time for any team going back to back. They will adjust. A down yr may be the best thing for them on the long run. A few more pieces from the draft and they will be right back on top.
-Offense vanilla
-Defense vanilla
The Hawks can’t beat you anymore with their philosophy. Time to adapt. On offense, know how a team plays and make a gameplan to beat it. On defense, take away what the team does best. Those things don’t happen and I think that’s what bugs me the most. The Hawks are easy to beat because they continue to play the same from week to week and continue to get beat on offense and defense the same way.
The Hawks need to go 6-1 and hope the Falcons go 3-4. That probably won’t happen. Get the young guys playing a little more (Marsh/Glow/Clark/Smith) until no chance to make playoffs, then play them even more.
The Saints just fired Ryan, time to fire Bevell. No ifs, ands or buts.
Let’s move to a man coverage. For some reason, the LOT (legend of toast) is getting abused by TE and deep outside.
Were any of these schemes a problem in 2013 or 2014? Blowing things up schematically because of one down year seems pretty knee jerk.
As for Bevell. Of the six possessions they failed to score yesterday they faced a 1st-and-20 or more during five of them. Holding penalties killed the offense. Bevell is only as much to blame as Cable, Carroll, Wilson and the O-line.
Don’t disagree. That’s the problem Rob. Nothing has been done to fix the problem. The teams that live in the past, don’t progress in the future. As much as I hate the Patriots, they not only change year to year, but they change game to game. They could pass 50 times one week, then run 50 times the next week. They could decide to throw deep for an entire half, then dink and dunk the next. They could blitz 50 times in one week, then blitz 1 time the next. It’s called strategy and the league has caught up to the speed and tenacity of the Hawks D and figured out how to defend the vanilla offense.
It’s time to evolve and I agree from the top down (no I don’t mean fire PC or JS). But the offensive line and receiver drafting philosophy needs to change.
I agree with you. What’s the old saying ” crazy is doing the same thing over and over and over expecting different results”? See the Seahawks coaching and roster. Until this year I’ve tried to stay away from blaming bevell and cable. But this far into the year and with the results showing SOMETHING has to change. Look how many different coordinators offense and defense the patriots have gone thru and they still make playoffs and win super bowls. I own and operate a very large custom hay business, I have to rely on other people to operate and run things my way but with their own drive. I’ve had to fire many people in the middle of hay season multiple times if they can’t cut it or are costing me time or money. Sure it sucks I have to find someone else new to work but it’s not difficult and works better every time. The guys I work for are my fans and if they tell me I’ve got to change something I listen, evaluate the situation and make changes. Been doing it for over 8 years. Not trying to say my situation is the same as pro football but the basics are the same
Where Seattle is positioned in the standings as of now they would be picking at #12 or 13. I believe that’s where they will end up when all is said and done. Don’t mean to be a ney-sayer. That’s where they are headed. I only see 3 more wins, maybe 4. The team’s sitting at 4 and 5 could easily win 3 more games. I have a bad feeling about the rest of the season.
Actually they currently own the #19 pick based on strength of schedule. It would’ve been #12-15 a year ago.
I don’t agree on the record. They get San Fran and Pittsburgh at home, the struggling Ravens who just lost at home to the Jags on the road and then Cleveland and the Rams at home. They could easily get to nine wins. Getting to 10-11 will mean pinching one in Minnesota or Arizona. We’ll see.
Agreed, but Hawks really could only lose 1 games the rest of the way. But that means Packers win only 3 more games (probably won’t happen) and Falcons win only 4 games (possible). Two losses and it’s over. Steelers can very much beat the Hawks (even at home), teams aren’t afraid like they used to.
If they get to 10-6 I think they get in as the 2nd Wild Card and then I actually like our odds against any team in the NFC in a playoff game with this teams experience.
The way they are playing right now I think that is a long shot however. I see the Pitt game being a tough one as that offense is exactly the type that gives us trouble. Also the Min and Arizona games look like 50/50 props at best.
I have always thought we were going to turn he ship and go on a run but I think it might just be too late and the margin for error is almost nil.
There’s a chance that Arizona will be resting their starters the next time we face them making it a much easier game.
I can’t see Arians doing that.
did I see thar correctly? Wilsons qbr was 13.8? Wow how low can you go?. All we can hope foor now is that Ciera dumps him this summer and moves on to someone else. That ay he can conc entrate on football next season and stop worrying about planning Batman and Caty woman costume birthday parties and such. He has played distracted all year.
Well Peyton Manning had a QBR of 0.0 yesterday. Not sure how comforting that is.
Agree completely at the very least he needs to get some PR lessons. I don’t think any athletes reputation has taken a bigger hit this year that has not committed a crime or been involved in domestic violence. We don’t want to see pics of a QB on a 4 /4 team vacationing on his bye week or dressed up like a clown.
I have been a Wilson fan but his play this year has definitely regressed and his inability to read defenses and adjust protection pre-snap is a definite concern.
You could tell during Petes conference call yesterday he was frustrated with Wilson’s play.
But Russell went to Mexico during the by week, I bet he enjoyed himself. This team is .500 coming off a horrible first half of the season and he decides to go to Mexico for a week? That is a issue. Does Tom Brady do that? Payton Manning? Or how about Arron Rodgers? The answer to those three questions is hell no.
The Seahawks should have waited to give him a contract after this year. It would have been a great business move. You get to show Wilson how great the defenses were the past three seasons. You get to show him he still lacks ELITE – because that is how he is being payed – ability to break down defense and step up in the pocket. You make him make plays and take his talent to the next level. I don’t care what the possibility was of him leaving. We gambled on Wilson, and it might not have worked. The only thing Wilson has proved to me this year is that he needs a HISTORIC defense to produce.
Agree completely!
How does Wilson’s production as a passer get impacted by the defense though? I think we’re trying too hard to find ways why things aren’t working.
I am not talking about just his production as a passer. I mean him overall as a QB who is being payed to be elite. The inability of Wilson to produce isn’t new, this has been a issue for a few years but his inability was kept quiet and glossed over by how dominate this defense was for years. Its easy to have a bad quarter when you have the 2012-2014 Seahawks defense. Russell relied on that defense and their ability to get timely stops… he never threw into dangerous converge and he was never put into very many situations were he needed to sustain drives throughout games because of field position or to simply keep the defense from giving up 3 points. He was nurtured and kept safe throughout games.
Now, turn to 2015 and its the complete opposite. Russell is needed to be a ELITE QB and he isn’t getting the job done because he doesn’t have a historic level defense with historic level production.
Went to MEXICO during the BYE WEEK?!!!??!!!!
Russell is not taking the approach that made him the starter when he got here. 2 days before the cowboys game he rents the batmobile, gets on twitter in batsuit with gf and presumably parties into the night. We win by a hair after our only td is shown on replay short of the endzone, and what does he do, HE GOES ON VACATION??????? And then we lose and he gives a fluff interview, full of himself and his newfound fame and glory and not remotely upset about the loss or his performance.
Its becoming more obvious by the week that Russell isnt taking this seripusly and theres no pressure on him to do better.
There’s a lot to talk about. A lot to look at, point to, wring hands and scratch heads over.
But one thing I keep coming back to is how woefully unprepared was the SEA offense to start this game. After a bye week, at home vs the division leaders, with the season essentially on the line, they were inept, confused, out of sync. That’s a symptom of failure of coaching and (player) leadership.
Penalties hurt badly, particularly because SEA is a run-first team. It’s hard to stick with that philosophy when you’re starting drives with 1st and 20 or 1st and 25. Here’s an eye popping metric: Lynch had 8 carries for the game; only 18 rushes total for the team.
On six drives without an offensive penalty, Seattle gained 251 yards and had three TDs, two FGs and an interception.
On six drives with an offensive penalty, Seattle gained 92 yards, had five punts and a safety.
“But one thing I keep coming back to is how woefully unprepared was the SEA offense to start this game”
Very, very true.
With looming loses to Pittsburg and Roethlesburger, and minnesota on the road, 9-7 would seem to be the best we could hope for this year. That won’t be good enough to make the play offs, and evenif it was this team is not going anywear. Wilson is playing distracted, the o line sucks, and the defense playes with out any fire and emotion under Richards. On to next year and hope for better.
Everyone who wants Bevell’s head needs to relax and ask yourself this. Do you think he calls games the way he does because he has the worst OL in the NFL and a QB who is very limited in what he can do in the pocket. I think the complexity of the offense has not evolved because they do not have the personnel to do it most likely.
It is clear Russel is not ready to be a pocket passer and you cannot have a $20 mil/yr running QB getting hit on the Zone read every play. So Bevel is kind of between a rock and a hard place really particularly when our OL can’t run block like it has in the past.
I am neither a Bevel or Cable fan and if they move on in the off season that is fine but I don’t think a firing now solves anything.
You don’t have to be an elite pocket passer to throw a slant, or a quick out to move the chains. We ran several 7 yd outs to Jimmy several weeks ago that were unstoppable, and haven’t run them since. Why? Quick passes mitigate a suspect O-line and keep a team from blitzing that same O-line
I dont agree with your assessment re. the reasons why Bevell play calling has been horrible. Last night even when the Seahawks weren’t backed up due to penalties Bevell play calling was suspect and lacked creativity. The O-line was not that bad last night, and by no means am I saying they were good. Bevell killed 3 or 4 pivotal drives late in that game because of his calls that made no sense to anyone. I thought the running game looked pretty good last night – when we did run – and several times Bevell got away from it on key drives to throw the football. This team doesn’t have the horses to due that… it has not been this teams identity and culture for three seasons.
Sure, is it easy to sit back and say when he called a pass it should have been a run and vice versa, because it comes with the territory of being a OC. But it wasn’t just this game, it has been a issue for 2 seasons now and it continues to be a issue that is losing us games. How much longer are we supposed to wait to call for his head? I beleive a lot of the disfunction on this team steams from Bevell from the super bowl and his tendency to play favorites when it comes to certain players that has continued to rub a lot of players the wrong way (Marshawn, Golden, Percy, etc.) He is a cancer to this team that needs to be dealt with because no players trust his calls – besides Russell. How much longer does this team wait to make a change?
So you think if they fire Bevell then this team turns this thing around and makes the playoffs? Really?
As I said if they decide to make a move this off season fine but trying to install a new offense mid season is not going to help now. People can point to one example where the Ravens did it and won and SB but there are dozens more when it does not.
Please give me one example where a team has gone to back to back Super Bowls then fired the OC mid season.
Once again let me be clear I am not a fan of Bevell or Cable and thought the play call in the SB made no sense but the time for a change is not mid season.
Impossible to say. How would I predict that. I know it has been brought up before – and people have probably already showed its weakness (other than what you pointed out) – but Baltimore fired their OC after the mid point of the season and they went on to win the super bowl. They didn’t change their offense, they went back to their roots and what the players COLLECTIVLY had confidence in.
The reason why I am on the fire Bevell now train is not because I think it will propel us into a playoff spot even win us double digit games this year. I hold this opinion because I think the only way to save this locker room – that I already think is divided and has been for awhile – is by getting rid of a mediocre play caller. The issues on this team are much more mental than they are from a talent or skill standpoint… it comes from a lack or trust and beleif in what we are doing.
Think of it from this perspective, you lose the super bowl because of your oc. Pete can take all the blame he wants for that call, I don’t believe him and think he was being a nice guy and trying to save his oc’s face. But then the players go thru all offseason and they get the same plain ass vanilla play caller again. How would that make you feel? Your stud running backs mom even calls for his head, they have to be hearing how almost the entire fan base recognizes how bad he is and wants him gone but he’s still here? I’d be pissed also!
As for a new offense, it’s Petes offense, bevell is just using his interpretation of Petes offense. So getting s new oc mid way is not something I’m scared with. I’d rather have a new oc now and get him half a season to get going with the personnel rather then waiting til the season is over and he has to start at the beginning of the offseason
I agree that Bevell has to go. The offense wasn’t prepared at the beginning of the season, they always regress back to square one during the off season. That simply can’t continue. After eight weeks they still don’t look prepared. Too many holding calls, etc. Not enough running game. I’ve had a gripe about the play routes for years – they are too dependent on the long bomb. Maybe Bevell/Cable isn’t at fault for the poor play execution, but training hasn’t been good either. At some point you have to make a few sacrificial cuts for the good of the team going forward.
I will say that in the second half, there were some points in which I was screaming run the ball at the TV, and RW completed at least two long passes in those instances. So he did make a few good passes in the midst of having another bad game.
Bottom line is that the defense carried them to the Superbowl the last two years. With the defense slipping the offense has got to step up – and they haven’t. It is very doubtful after this poor start that the Seahawks will be in the playoffs.
Not prepared is a outstanding way to put it. I would also add lack of creativity and inability to use the weapons he has in the right way. This game did’t come on a short week. Bevell and Wilson had more than enough time to put a solid game plan together – one that attacked Arizona’s weaknesses and one that maximized are strengths – and we showcased are worse offensive performance in 2 in a half seasons. I am sorry but that is unacceptable.
Maybe because Russ was on vacation.
I became a little worried when Arians had his team practicing 3 days during the bye week. He WANTED that game and did extra. That’s why at the end of the season when they have clinched the division, they won’t rest starters and instead will try to stick the foot on our throats and crush us emphatically.
RW is the opposite of Tony Romo. Remember when Romo dumped Jessica after she forced him to go to her bday as Ken in a Barbie and Ken themed party? Romo seems more down to earth and real. Russell? Taking a TMZ photographer so he can pose with Ciara on the beach?
Is the guy’s head into his job? He’s in his 20’s and has one of the most beautiful women in the world prancing around in a bathing suit in front of him. I just can’t believe he’s into the game.
But knowing you have a bad line, why not run some misdirection, something to make the opposing defense have different looks to account for? We have a guy with speed – Lockett and now the re-inured PRich – why not fake the fly sweep a few times then run it – doesn’t that open up the middle for Marshawn? Doesn’t it open up the read option for Russell to run or throw out of it? Making the defense hesitate for a second can make a huge difference. So yes, I do blame that on Bevell. But Russell isn’t doing him any favors by his holding the ball. During the DAL and SF games, Russell was getting the ball out quicker and it paid off – he holds the ball too much – he either can’t see or is trying to do too much. All it all it is a bad offense right now.
The Hawks’ atrocious inability to sustain drives is the #1 reason we have lost 5 games. At some point during every loss, the team just needed the offense to stay on the field, to run off some clock, to put some points on the board, to finish the game. We have failed, every time.
You can blame the offensive line. They have not executed well enough to hide away from any blame. A disgusting lack of discipline and an embarrassing lack of experience. This line was built on a wish and a hope that they would somehow gel and become a beautiful orchestra of athleticism. Aaannd more than halfway through the season, it looks like that didn’t and will not happen. Have PCJS and Mr. Cable officially overestimated their coaching and developmental abilities? Makes you wonder and play the what-if game about a certain trade, involving a certain center and a certain tight end/wide receiver/pilot/bust.
Speaking of Jimmy Graham, those two drops last night were bad. Period. The guy asks for the ball in big situations. He says, “Just throw it up!!!” He gets paid millions to make the big 3rd down catches, the touchdowns in the red zone. Last night, we saw the drops and an alligator arm moment, when the 6’7″ 250lber got scared across the middle. Only to see old man Fitz take a crushing shot across the middle to basically seal the game. Pathetic.
But maybe its the QB. Russell has not looked like the $20 million man that he is. It looks like he doesn’t trust his line. He appears gun shy. I’m not saying scared, it just looks like the flight instinct is kicking in a little early sometimes. And then when he has time, there is a hesitation to pull the trigger. I wonder if it has anything to do with slow developing routes.
And finally, my last point. I can’t put all blame on any one portion of the team. As much as I want to say it is Bevell’s shitty play calling that is doing us in, I can’t fairly say that. However, it is obvious that our offense is not working. I look at the pieces on the board and am utterly confused. Lynch, Wilson, Graham, Baldwin, Kearse, Lockett, Willson, Rawls, Jackson, Matthews, Richardson, Tukuafu…. It seems like you could do a lot with a diverse group like that. Maybe we need to shake things up a bit. Maybe just a fresh set of eyes on all these weapons will help them reach their potential. Maybe they could at least get a first down.
“Maybe they could at least get a first down.”
Haha man…how utterly true but pathetic is that reality? 23 yards on the opening Four drives, with over 60 yards of penalties. Inexcusable
bring Coach sark in for a different
view fresh eyes!
Pete seems to like the option of the read option. And with Russ at QB, I would too. Of course you don’t want your QB to be exposed to hits, but Russ is the best at the Houdini impersonations. This is a common conversation I have with my TV when Russ drops back:
“Ok, get rid of it…. throw it… GET RID OF IT! THROW IT! THROW THE FREAKING BALL! AHH!! EHH!! Ok, go ahead and run it for another first down without being touched.”
Like I said in my earlier post, we have the weapons. The read option is here to stay and there are a lot of creative college and pro coaches out there who would LOVE a shot at running our offense. Sark is an interesting option. He has a history with Pete. He is in need of a fresh start. What he did at USC deserved a firing, but in the grand scheme of things alcohol is a lot better than domestic violence or other things.
It has just been too long since we have been a consistent offense and I believe that it is time to see what someone else can do. Sorry Bevell.
Count me as lucky that I wasn’t able to watch the game last night.
Let’s take a breath and look at what has changed for the 2 time defending NFC Champions. We’ve lost our starting RT via FA, our starting LG via FA & traded our starting C. We lost Pro Bowl caliber blockers in TE Miller and FB Robinson. In each case I would say they have been replaced by a less “physical” player. Even when we had all of those guys the offense rarely ran smooth. Difference was we won the line of scrimmage much more often than we do this season. Seattle could punch you in the face all game long.
We’ve got most of our “core” guys signed for the long haul. Fix the meat & potatoes up front and I believe it positively effects every other aspect of the team. The Defense no longer folds late in games because they aren’t on the field for 5 quarters worth of plays. Also, consider Russell Wilson is getting hit at a Blaine Gabbert & Blake Bortles like level. You get shell shocked from that shit and it’s showing on the field.
The frustration for me comes from knowing that our OL was inadequate in the offseason and not addressing it more aggressively. If this team pulls it together though and gets to the playoffs the other NFC teams will be very leery. I still see us getting there.
So if you are on the ledge, “don’t jump”!
I’ll just add that Thomas and Chancellor seem a step away from defending the deep ball. Sherman has been living off his reputation for quite awhile – that was finally exposed yesterday with many a pass going his way, including one touchdown when he momentarily left his man.
Now I still believe in all three of these guys, but we need to realize that they are not supermen and they won’t have their super powers forever. They are still good, just slowly slipping down from being elite.
Too much faith in Cable. They went cheap and pinched pennies to avoid signing vet guys who visited because Cable’s miracle work can turn guys off the street into road grading linemen. Junk that idea.
Sign Alex Mack, and start drafting in a heavy oline draft. No more tradedowns to acquire 7th round picks. Stay in that first round slot, second round slot, third round slot, and get the horses to block for your qb.
Not only have the Seahawks gone cheap, they actively traded away Unger. Top two picks in the last three drafts (6 total) have given the Seahawks one offensive linemen, Britt. Meanwhile the two shiny toys of Harvin and Graham haven’t significantly improved the team.
It is no wonder the offense sucks.
Rotoworld’s Josh Norris OL rankings:
1 T Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
2 T Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss
3 T Jack Conklin, Michigan St
4 OL Jack Allen, Michigan St
5 T Le’Raven Clark, Texas Tech
6 T Jason Spriggs, Indiana
7 OL Pat Elflein, Ohio St
8 OL Max Tuerk, USC
9 T Kyle Murphy, Stanford
10 OL Evan Boehm, Missouri
No Coleman, no Decker, no Ifedi, no Martin, no Garnett.
The bright spot from last night: at least we’re getting closer to Coleman.
No Adam Bisnowaty either. My list would look very, very different.
Shoot, I mean to list Bisnowaty.
Rob et al just a note on Shon Coleman
I have been focused on Shon Coleman as my #1 hopeful Hawks draft target since he was highlighted on this blog. The more I watch him the more I like him. Last year it was Gurley the year before Bitonio and this year it is Coleman. I think he could be a pro bowl level Right Tackle for years.
On that note I have not been able to understand why he gets no press or mention anywhere else. It make no sense. I have a friend who went to Auburn and is a huge Tigers fan so I asked him about Coleman. He said that everyone expects him to come back as Senior despite the fact he is 24. He is loved by the team and fan base and is a great leader I guess.
Could that be why he gets little mention as a prospect for this years draft? Has he let it be known he will not declare? I really hope that is not the case but it could explain things because if not it makes no sense based on his play.
Lack of coverage on Coleman has to be a mix of the cancer history and the way auburn is struggling. How horrible would it be to see him fall to the middle of round one into the arms of the waiting Hawks and then see us pass him up?
That scenario would be crushing, even worse than passing on Bitonio.
Also on Coleman. I watched as much Auburn tape as I could find. All games this year. The more I watch the more I like Coleman.
I really hope we resign Okung to play LT and draft Coleman to play RT. He would be the perfect RT as he is a tremendous run blocker. Have to think Sweezy would be more effective as well with a guy like him at RT.
Resign Okung and Sweezy to team friendly deals, draft Coleman and pick up a veteran Center like Wisnewski (Mack in a dream world) and our OL would be a strength next year.
Rob do you see Coleman as a better LT or RT as a pro?
I agree Trevor, except for the veteran Center part. If they trade up to get Coleman, if available, and draft Jack Allen @ the 99 comp pick, Britt and Sweezy will both excel. The hold offense will take off.
Instead of paying for Wisnewski or Mack, use that to re-up Okung and Sweezy and their other FAs. It sends a message to others that they care for their own.
I see Coleman as a better LT after 1-3yrs @ RT. He’s a very talented OT @ both spots. Eventually, he’ll take over Okung’s spot when he moves on, if they are fortunate to pick him. Still 1)hoping he stays quiet and 2) if the Hawks do miss the playoffs. These are my picks if those two things occur:
OPT # 2 Hawk 18th Pick Trade up to 10th Pick
1t (10) Shon Coleman OT – Trade 18[900] & 50[400] for 10[1300]
2t (50) Trade 18[900] & 50[400] for 10[1300]
3 (82) Yannick Ngakoue DE (Option B Eric Striker LB) or Jalen Mills CB
3c (99) Jack Allen C
4 (117) Kenneth Dixon RB
5c(179) Brandon Facyson CB if Jalen is gone
6 (197) Joel Heath DT/DE
6c(220) Ugonna Awuruonye DE or Bronson Kaufusi DE (convert to) TE
7 (239) Evan McKelvey SS (Option B Hassan Ridgeway DT/ Josh Augusta DT)
7c(256) Marquez North WR
Just a random thought out of left field but how do the Clevland Browns not have a dominant run game with a OL that has a left side of (Joe Thomas, Bitonio and Mack) Add in Cam Erving who is now back and that is the second most talented group in the NFL behind maybe Dallas.
We all agree an OL is important but the comparing the Hawks Line of 2013-2014 that went to back to back Super Bowls to the Browns shows that it is certainly far from the most important position group on the field.
I guess I say this because it highlights the point that our OL just needs to get back to average for this team to be dominant again.
CLE’s first round pick Erving:
https://vine.co/v/iBII62YqXLz
Last note on this day of morning. I think we are a long shot for the playoff.
***This team has a young Super Bowl Caliber Core **** We need to all remember that on days like this.
Football is an incredibly emotional and physically draining sport and that is why no team has gone to 3 straight SBs since the Bills. It is also why that final play last year hurt so much.
To get to back to back SBs is incredibly draining physically and emotionally. Add to that the way we lost and the Chancellor hold out and injuries to entire secondary and it is clear that this off season was not a good one.
I think if we miss the playoffs the front office will have an incredible draft and off season picking higher than expected and with lots of prep time. These core players are young and are winner who want to be great. The taste of loosing will cause them to re focus and have a great off season.
No matte what happens the rest of the way this year. I will be shocked if the SeaHawks are not back on top of the NFC along with GB in 2016.
Keep the faith guys! The one lone bright side to missing the playoffs will be how many more prospects we can consider and talk about on this Blog.
Thanks again Rob for keeping things real on here Rob. On days like this when passion and emotion run high for fans who are so invested it is tough to remain logical.
Something about this team that just doesn’t feel right. They have the talent to be a wildcard team like the 2012 team but lack the drive that it had. The contract squabbles have taken there toll and completely disrupt the harmony of the locker room. In Seattle search for a play maker they have ignored the meat and potatoes of there identity by letting the OL line fall apart which has affected the running game. Rice and Miller worked out in FA because they knew the system and they provided a veteran leadership that was needed at the time. Harvin and Graham on the other hand have not worked out and has cost this team 4 draft picks, 1 all pro center, and 30 million dollars and don’t think that hasn’t affect this team. They brought in both these guys with no idea of where they would fit into our scheme and paid them a crap load of money. This team needs to go back to the basics. The defense will be fine they have to adjust a little after losing 2 defensive coordinators. That and not having to be on the field 3/4ths of the game would help. The offense needs to decide whether they are going to play the 1st half of a game or just the 2 minutes before the half ends and they are behind. For the future, they need to figure out what direction they are going in. Will it be a run, pass, or a balance offense. Then they need to make the effort that they put into the defense to draft talent ,coach them up, and build some consistency and time together.
Good post
Excellent post Mad. When you bring in an outside player, give away first round draft picks and pay them 10 million plus they better be worth it. So far neither Harvin or Graham has shown they are worth it in the Seahawks game schemes. I was never convinced they used Harvin right, he was never used as a deep threat. Graham is being used, but how much impact will he have on a team that rarely tops 800 yards passing to a player? He was hired to solve the red zone problems. If the running game consistently worked then that would solve the red zone problems.
This is just an add to my post that I heard on the Brock and Salk show today. Seattle this year is currently still paying Harvin 17.2 million dollars this year. How many OL would that money have purchase.
Last nights game was an offensive letdown, and it starts with the O-Line. They were pathetic. Even if the refs were calling a biased game against the Seahawks, which is possible, there is no excuse for playing so poorly. Arizona was on the field for just about 20 more minutes than Seattle (I think it was something like 39 min Arizona and 21 min Seattle). No wonder they lost the game. Sure the defense could have shut them down more than they did, but I’m not convinced the offense could have sustained anything even if given the opportunity. Some changes need to be made on both sides of the ball, but the offense is at the front of the list (O-line first). Russ could have done more, and should have made some of those passes, but when he is behind such a garbage o-line I struggle with placing blame entirely on him. Football is a team sport, and Russ’ o-line help is awful. However, there is still quite a bit of football left.
It seems realistic, despite how poorly they have been playing, that they could make into the Wildcard spot. They have a lot of work to do, and even though it might be painful to watch the rest of the season play out I will still be supporting them. They have the talent to be the best, but they need to get it together. Maybe this will be a lesson in humility for them. I’m not ready to focus on the draft just yet, because I still think they can make it happen. Time will tell. Go HAWKS!
p.s. I read that De’Runnya Wilson will be “OK”, so that is good news. That dude can ball.
In case anyone missed this…
Norm Chow was fired as the HC at Hawaii last week. While he may not be a head coach, he has been one of the better and more innovative OC’s in CFB, not to mention QB coach/mentor – Steve Young, Robbie Bosco and Steve Sarkisian at BYU; Phillip Rivers at NC ST; and of course Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart (and Matt Cassel) at USC with Pete Carroll.
Just saying.
This scenario would almost be too perfect. Damn you for letting me dream.
Even if only as an offensive consultant.
That is a really good idea. And if not Chow, get some younger – maybe someone like Doug Nussmeier? He’s a QB guru – I remember what he did with Keith Price – and let’s face it, Russell is a much better QB than Keith.
just do not understand the adversion to small ball, given the ineptnes of the o line. I like small ball. It got us to super bowl xl. Run the ball some, throw 5, 7 8 yard passses. Just move the chains baby. It wins time of possession andd keeps the def off the field. I have a flash back to Shaun Alexander getting a big pay day and never being the same runner. Big pay days seem to breed apathy.
That’s why I was so excited for Graham. I thought the trio of Russ, Lynch and Graham (sprinkle in some Baldwin, Lockett, et al) would produce an near-unstoppable chains-moving scenario, 7-10-12 yards at a time. As you said, just move the chains baby. This Offense could be so much more.
Several weeks ago we ran Graham on a 6-7 yard out to the sideline. LB had no chance. First down. I have not seen us run it since. WHY??
Defense: LOB is dead. All the good quarterbacks this team have played against this year have looked great against the LOB, with Palmer putting the cherry on the top. It’s possible that the defensive scheme is no longer novel and everyone has adjusted to counter it. They need to add more wrinkles or tweak the scheme. I would have thought they did that during the bye week but they didn’t.
Offseason action: Trade Chancellor (How many TE touchdowns have to be thrown over Kam’s head?), Cary Williams (I hated the signing at the time; it looks worse now. They could have gotten Sheard for that money). Give the money to Irvin, Rubin & Bennett.
Offense: Wilson is hitting a rough patch this year. It could be due to the offensive line but Wilson is not able to get quick passes out either. Actually, this whole dink and dunk offense is not meant to score 30-40 points regularly. Hence, when the defense does concede that many points, Seattle is bound to lose. There isn’t a real solution here since Wilson hasn’t shown a propensity for quick passing game in all these years and now that he is not running the read option as often, there is no magic genie. I think we can only wait to see if he takes the next step or struggles.
Offseason action: Sign Sweezy, Okung/Another vet, extend Baldwin if possible. Wild card but see if Detroit wants to trade Tate.
Conclusion: The defense drives me nuts. PC/JS have taken the unusual approach of paying the secondary over the defensive line ($40M LOB) and it has backfired this season. The problems are partly scheme related, partly players not showing enough fire but they have failed big time against good quarterbacks.
Also, the first three drafts when they took players without emphasis on SPARK have been awesome. The returns on the last three years when they went crazy on SPARK have been mediocre. I wish they saw this and adjusted to what worked for them.
Also, I have a feeling that Wilson is playing hurt which is why they are not letting him run the read option. Why else would you take away the primary weapon of a mobile quarterback? And if he is indeed hurt, that explains his rough patch. I don’t want to start conspiracy theories but there is no way to explain that something is off with Wilson.
Agree all points on defense.
Disagree all points but Baldwin on offense.
Draft:
1st T (Decker)
2nd CB (Russell)
3rd DT (Day)
3rd C (Allen)
FA:
Boone. If you make a play for Mack, draft another DT in 3rd. Move Shead to SS.
He’s still outrunning DLs & LBs to avoid sacks and his arm strength seems to be fine. I don’t think he’s hurt and his issues are more with inaccuracy, inability to read defenses quickly, and related to that, really poor decision making. Here’s hoping he spends time in the off season working on his mechanics and reading of defenses and comes back to play better next year.
I just watched Russell’s post interview… What the hell does staying on schedule mean? He must have said that 10 times or some
Does any else feel that Russel Wilson is in denial about the offensive struggles?
I feel the entire coaching staff and Russell Wilson are in denial about the offense. Being positive is one thing, trying to act like no one else besides you understand and know football is another.
The offense has started bad for a couple years now. They usually improve and peak for the playoffs. Unfortunately this year they just seem to be leveling at average.
I have to wonder about Wilson’s mindset. There is the whole Ciara thing, women love to get into your head and mess with it. Then the whole religious thing gives a player another mindset. And now he has got paid so he doesn’t have to prove himself. I don’t think the focus is there.
I’ve watched RW for years now, and there are certain throws he just doesn’t make. No quick slants. No red zone lob to the corner. Is he unable to deliver or just too inconsistent. If I were him I would be working on my throws during the off season. Every day working to make myself better.
Now he has his 21 million a year, so he doesn’t need to work any more. Just mail in a game. What is the difference between him and Romo or Cutler? He got lucky and had a defense and running attack that won him a superbowl. When he tried to pass his way to a second superbowl win he lost. Just the way god intended according to him.
Well that is one weird assortment of things for him to ponder over as he gets thumped behind what has turned out to be an inept offensive line. The good part for him is that in 3 years he can retire a rich man.
Yes. He was this way in the preseason, as well. I’d listen to post-game interviews where we’d manage just a FG and he’s talk about how great they played. He hasn’t been outrunning DL and LBs like he has in the past and he just seems totally reluctant to get rid of the ball on time.
Yes! And I’m getting annoyed – I want him to say he didn’t play well, he has to get better and to be accountable.
19 and with out even trying can make it to 15… that’s right i said it
Even if we made playoffs we would get blown out, we are mentally weak and can not beat a good team
We need a BIG peace of humble pie, sitting at home and watch playoffs might help
A big rest won’t hurt either.
Of course a great draft at the middle of the round instead of the end could help to if we don’t get cute.
Irvin is a must resign, i thought i would never say that, as i have always thought he was a stupid player.
Must extend Avril and Bennett but add DL depth and actually play them instead of having them guard the Gatorade cooler all game.
We could have had a good season if we would have signed a couple of the cheaper vets that came in for a visit, but again just like the draft got to cute. So this off season sign one and draft at least 1 in the first 2 rounds and 2 with in 4.
I think graham is a great talent however here it is wasted, might as well trade him or even release him if know coaching changes are made. Beavell is set in his way and can not adjust could not do it for Harvin, graham or anyone else. Although i would prefer we add Sark or Chow added to stay, really just replace Beaverll, i know Rob u hate to hear it.
Last but not least we we draft a couple of OL don’t let Tom any where near the process, let are GM and scouts pick a couple of guys.
One more thing tired of hearing about it now how you start it’s how u finish. How about a game is 60min, how about we treat all of them important. How about 16 games we try as hard for the first part of the season and the middle as we do the end! Isn’t that what great teams do, isnt that what NE does? Every body wants more money, everyone want to date the glamour girl and do commercials, how about wanting to play 60 F EN MINUTES OF FOOTBALL!