Russell Wilson threw his fourth interception of the day with five minutes to go. Seattle trailed by twelve. Morgan Burnett could’ve had a long return, but sank to the turf believing this was the deciding moment in the game.
Forget running it back or trying to score. This was over.
Except it wasn’t.
Never will we see a greater challenge to one of Pete Carroll’s favorite mantra’s.
“It’s not how you start it’s how you finish”.
For three long hours it appeared a nightmarish start would cost Seattle a return ticket to the Super Bowl. Wilson chucked three interceptions in the first half and Doug Baldwin fumbled on a kick return. The defense couldn’t get to Aaron Rodgers or stop Eddie Lacy. Field position, time of possession — all one-sided in favor of the Pack.
Green Bay’s defensive game plan worked from the opening kick. They matched up 1v1 in the secondary and went after Seattle’s two playmakers — Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. This was an all-out assault on the offensive line, leaving Wilson a lot of favorable looks. The Seahawks anticipated it and threw early — and were simply outplayed. Under pressure, Wilson couldn’t exploit the kind of coverage Peyton Manning used to eat for dinner.
You could argue — why not run the ball or go to the read-option? Imagine a goalkeeper preparing to face a penalty kick. He’s standing to the extreme right side of the goal. Where are you going to shoot? To the empty space surely? There’s still a chance you’ll miss, but the odds are good. Seattle did what they had to and failed. Two drives stalled because they couldn’t exploit the coverage and force Green Bay to adapt. Mix in the turnovers, and the offense couldn’t stay on the field.
If the Seahawks establish the passing game early and force a re-think, this could’ve been a comfortable victory. You saw the way a more conservative Packers defense performed late in the game. Seattle’s approach was understandable, they just didn’t get it done.
On defense it didn’t get much better. Aaron Rodgers had all the time in the world as he built a 16-0 advantage. Seattle panicked. Wilson threw into triple coverage for his second pick. His third was another forced throw into the end zone with Kearse failing to box off the defender, losing position and ending up playing defense.
The inevitable second half rally came — but even a John Ryan touchdown to Gary Gilliam couldn’t provide the ultimate spark. At 19-7 with minutes remaining, this felt over. Just ask Morgan Burnett.
And then it happened. A moment to eclipse even ‘the tip’. A set of events so perfectly embodying Pete Carroll’s Seahawks.
Mission #1 — get a stop
Green Bay, predictably, went conservative on offense and handed the ball off to Eddie Lacy. They were in clock-eating mode. Seattle were never really challenged — even with a first down effectively ending the game. They wisely used two timeouts and got the ball back with around three minutes to go.
Mission #2 — get a touchdown
Wilson, four interceptions in the bag and seemingly facing an off-season of doubters, rallied the troops. Marshawn Lynch got things going before a jinking Wilson scamper got it back to 19-14. Game on? Maybe so…
Mission #3 — recover an onside kick
Green Bay set it up perfectly. They put Jordy Nelson on the left side behind a wall of blockers. The idea was to create enough room for their best receiver to go and get the football. Brandon Bostick’s job was to block for Nelson. The rest of the unit executed perfectly — except Bostick. For some reason at the decisive moment, he went for glory. Instead of blocking his guy, he leaps for the ball — blocking Nelson’s route to the ball A titanic sized error. It hits him in the facemask and deflects straight to Chris Matthews.
Mission #4 — score again and get the two point conversion
Green Bay are on the ropes. The momentum’s with Seattle as Lynch romps into the end zone untouched. It’s 20-19. Seattle leads after the craziest two minutes of the season. But there’s Aaron Rodgers waiting on the sideline. League MVP to be. They need the two point conversion to stand any chance of winning. Wilson takes the snap, he’s struggling. He’s under pressure. With more than a hint of ‘Hail Mary’ he lofts one hopefully into the end zone. And ‘good’ Luke Willson goes up and makes a play as important as any in this game. 22-19.
With the three point cushion, Seattle could afford to play a conservative game knowing overtime was a worst case scenario. Mason Crosby’s pressure kick to make it 22-22 felt like a mere delaying tactic. This was going one way.
Seattle won the overtime toss. As soon as they took the field, it felt right for the first time. The Seahawks were going to win.
Wilson, knowing better than anyone this was the worst day of his pro-career, made amends. Four throws to Kearse had been intercepted. A fifth pass to the same target sent Seattle back to the Super Bowl. Wilson broke into tears. Kearse broke into tears. And Michael Bennett found a bicycle.
The media will focus on the choking Packers — not unfairly. Imagine losing a game in this fashion? Last night I was killing time on Youtube and watched back the Music City Miracle. I thought about the look on Wade Phillips’ face as his Buffalo team discovered their fate. Losers. This defeat is even more agonizing for Packers fans, players and coaches. It’s not just one freaky play or a blown assignment. It’s a series of avoidable events. Burnett pulling up after the fourth pick. The onside kick. The inability to stop Seattle on three scoring drives. It’s a wound that will never heal in the history of a fantastic franchise.
The Seahawks must get credit, however, for another performance rich in character. They were fighting for their lives. Not accepting defeat. Playing like winners. In some cases (Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas) playing with one arm. For all the opportunities afforded to the Seahawks, they still had to finish. They still had to have three scoring drives. They still had to score 21 points in a matter of minutes with the season on the line.
And there’s Carroll’s mantra again.
“It’s not how you start it’s how you finish”.
They did it the hard way, but the Seahawks are going back to the Super Bowl.
holy #%$* my heart hurts
Insane. Just amazing.
I feel for the Seahawk and Greenbay writers who have to completely revise their game story at the last minute. As a fan I am totally in shock. No way did I think we would come back and win the way we did. Outstanding!!
I don’t feel that bad for them.
Me either! ๐
Without a doubt the most exciting, demorilising, exhilirating, heartbreaking game I’ve ever watched. This team is allergic to being ordinary.
Perfect summary!
How serious is Shermans arm, what’s the injury? Terrible sideline reporting…
Looked like a hyper extended elbow.
I watched the play back 15-16 times. It looks like he took a shot with a helmet to the back of the elbow/tricep area. Very similar to a stinger. Lose sensation in the fingers and a lot of tingling. If it were that back, they would’ve gotten him bandaged
I just watched an interview on NFL network with him where he said he’d be out there for the SB.
Yeah, but he’d say that even if he lost the arm. Like the Black Knight from Monty Python. It’s just a flesh wound.
The only way he doesn’t play is if there was a serious muscle tear or a bone break.
Let’s face it, anything else there’s no way you don’t just have a doc shoot you up with toradol so you can handle the pain. You don’t miss the Super Bowl otherwise.
Pete says X-Rays negative. He’ll play.
Fantastic News. You can’t keep Richard Sherman from the game’s biggest stage.
With 5 minutes left I was asking myself how much money today’s game cost Kearse and Wilson, joke was on me. That 2 pointer to Willson was huge.
That was just one of a number of plays that will be talked about for years to come.
Hahaha That’s what I was blubbering about at the 5 minute mark right after the 4th interception. Shortly thereafter, all wonderful hell broke loose!
My feeling is Sherman doesn’t come back. Looked like hyperextended elbow and seemed like he was having some transient paresthesias. Probably not as bad as Jeron Johnson’s dislocated elbow, but he’ll be highly questionable for the big one.
Again, Pete says X-Rays negative. Sherm will play.
an X-Ray says nothing about ligament damage..
Amazing. I was 99% sure we were going to lose. That 1% was just because the seahawks are the seahawks. It just so happen that 1% came true.
Gobsmacked
wow. just wow. I was coming to terms with losing the game at home, and then it all went down. Wow. The opposite of the Atlanta game.
Tell me about it. That team has more resiliency than I do, I had given up and was processing through stage 4 already of the 5 stages of grief.
You could not make that up. Spielberg couldnt tell a story as good as this tonight.
Greatest Seahawks comeback, ever. Greatest NFL comeback, ever.
Once we punted that last time, I was 99.9% sure we would lose. There is always the possibility of doing what we did, but it just doesn’t happen, especially in the playoffs.
What does this tell and do for the team? Russell Wilson played his worst game as a pro, and we still managed to win. Psychologically that will play dividends down the road, I think.
Amazing how many big plays our subs had. Lockette was huge- that third down catch kept the drive rolling. Gilliam td catch, Matthews onside kick. Unbelievable ending
I’ve seen some crazy games in the Wison era, but that was pure insanity. I doubted them. At 16-0 and playing like crap, who wouldn’t. But they showed me and everyone else. So, so proud. Wilson is the most clutch player in the league. Beastmode was a force of nature. Bennett went into hyperdrive in those final defensive stands. Sherman gutted it out. ADB and Kearse showed up huge when needed. And Chris Matthews had the play of the game. Or maybe that was Jon Ryan/Gilliam? Unbelievable unbelievable night. WOW.
That’s what was so amazing too is that EVERYONE seemed to play a part down to the last practice squad “scrub” many of us figured Schneider picked up after last year’s Super Bowl as an afterthought … CHRIS MATTHEWS!!!!!!!!
And Gary Gilliam holy F*****G SHIT, talk about a receiving threat from a tight end masquerading as an offensive lineman.
He played tight end in college at some point, I believe, then was moved to OT…
Exactly. Which was why putting his latent tight end skills to work on that trick play was so masterful.
I think it’s pretty clear we need to draft a WR/TE that can catch a ball on a crossing route. Also need new KR/PR.
Also one that knows how to box out a defender preferably.
Rob,
I think it was very obvious how the absence of Paul Richardson affected the ability of the other receivers to get open in this game. On the second pick of the game, I believe it was, when they went deep for Kearse and Clinton-Dix picked it off, the turnover occurred because there was no other deep threat out there. Richardson’s speed stretches the field for the other receivers and doesn’t allow the safeties to cheat.
The longer I get to think about it, I’m liking the idea of picking Devin Smith more and more. Hopefully he’s still there at the bottom of the first.
All in all, I would classify this as the single greatest moment in Seattle sports history. When everything seemed to go wrong… it just feels so right.
Go Hawks!!
That Wilson pick was strange. He underthrew into triple coverage, pretty much gave Kearse no chance to make the play. Bad decision, bad throw. The type of play you either overthrow deliberately and take your chances or go somewhere else. So unlike Wilson.
Rob – agree entirely. There is no reason for Wilson to make that throw.
That throw was into the wind, iirc. My observation at the game was the wind would pick up suddenly. I suspect that it played a big part in that interception. It seemed like the ball just died on him.
I do think they look for more explosiveness on the edges. Kearse and Baldwin are nice complimentary parts, even though both have there merits. Baldwin can rant all he wants, but he’s not threatening any defenses and simply not a player opposing coaches have to game plan for. The big plays they make these days in the passing game are almost entirely Russell placing the ball perfectly once they have all made the right read. Our WRs rarely make a play on their own (rarely doesn’t equal never).
David, could not agree more. P-Rich was sorely missed yesterday. This kid’s a big part of the future.
He is if he comes back to 100% from this latest setback. Two ACL tears on the same knee is pretty rough.
Norwood demonstrated those skills in college! Bigger roll in 2 weeks?
I certainly hope so. I’ve been waiting to see him out there to get his chance. I like Kearse but I feel that Norwood has better hands. Hard to say if he has two go through his hands but he’s a guy that needs a chance. Solid receiver all around and I believe he can break out at any time….just like Kearse did two years ago.
Or Mathews, he did pretty well recovering the onside kick with a one handed grab.
Wow just wow. This was so great, such a tremendous effort from the whole team. Considering what they were up against it was amazing the defense kept this game within reach. Plus Sherm and Earl were both playing through injuries! And so many players who made mistakes redeemed themselves, Wilson, Doug, Kearse, Luke! It felt so right that after having passes tipped into packer hands that on the onside kick a packer tipped it to Mathews! I mean this like straight out of a movie!
This is why I watch sports.
This game was a microcosm for life itself. No matter how bad things get. No matter how bad you screw up. No matter how things go against you. You don’t give up. You try your hardest, trust in those closest to you and there’s a chance things can go your way.
I’m still stunned, elated and in shock.
Go Hawks indeed.
That’s why life=football. I’m a firm believer of that.
What a great lesson!! Well said Cysco GO HAWKS
Oh man….I think I just lost about 5 years. Truly awesome! I hope they have one more win in them. Go Hawks!!!!!?
One of the greatest, hard-fought battles I have ever seen.
I don’t know what was up with Russ today (I personally think Golden Tate and his BS antics), but he showed up and played like a GIANT in the last few minutes of the 4th and OT. The INTs were very uncharacteristic, but 2 of them weren’t his fault at all. The WRs didn’t help much today UNTIL the 4th/OT.
The defense hung in there like true warriors on the battlefield. They were constantly fighting and held ground in the 2nd half. With injuries to ET and Sherman, Rodgers could’ve/should’ve been able to pick the secondary apart.
After watching today’s game, our biggest need IMO is a BIG pass-catching option. Martellus Bennett was spotted at today’s game and with the Bears blowing up the team’s coaching, maybe they’d part with some players for schematic purposes. I’d offer a 4th rd pick for him in a heartbeat!
Seeing Russ on the sidelines, he looked flustered and ravished. After going through a very difficult 2014 (personally and professionally), I adopted a quote, “Beaten but not defeated”. I said it a few times during the game today and it proved worthy! GO HAWKS!!!
TE Martell us Bennett is my dream scenario for FA this year. He also plays basketball here in the Pacific Northwest with the Hawks during the off-season. I’d give up a 3rd for him in a heartbeat.
Really like your thoughts on that 12. He would be a great pickup and with the comp picks this year it shouldn’t hurt too much if we give up a 3rd or 4th for him.
Plus everyone could tell their children the legend of the Black Santas.
Would love to see the Bennett brothers together in Seattle.
I would love it too, but I don’t think we can afford him…not a PC/JS type of move unless he would restructure his contact.
He is due $10M over the next 2 seasons. $5M/year is HARDLY breaking the bank
Yeah it’s possible at those numbers.
if he’s anything like his brother the interviews would be golden!
What was Golden Tate’s BS antics? I haven’t heard anything on that. Please help me out. Would love to know!
Just getting my blood pressure back to normal. Is there such a thing as a heartbreaking win? There is now, just wow.
greatest comeback ive ever seen!! go hawks
Rob, I’d actually rather see you write UNcomposed. ๐
๐
Wow. What a game. Been ticket holder for 20 years. That was the best game of ALL TIME.
Will continue beating the drum. When Russ has time, he can make plays and so can our receivers. We do not need a Dez (it would be nice, but not necessary). I don’t care that Okung, Carpenter and Unger were all 1st and 2nd round picks. That is our weak link. Okung and Bailey could not keep the edge and our C and G got blown up a few times early. GB went conservative on D and it cost them. We need more talent on the Oline. It would help our QB, RB and WR.
Tell me about it. Did anyone really believe we’d watch a game that upstaged the last NFCCG?!?!?!
Most fans NEVER get to experience the spirtual experience we just went through coming out on top of a game so emotionally annihilating. It can’t really be explained.
This
thank you ed a better o-line helps everything.
I don’t know. There were a lot of plays early in the game where the blocking wasn’t bad, but no receivers could gain separation. I am not saying they didn’t recover admirably, but I think it is definitely a position group where you could reasonably upgrade, and at the very least, add some competition.
I thought so as well Beanhawk. There were several plays whee he had 4+ seconds and couldn’t throw. I think that Oline and WR should be top priority.
I think we need more receivers and offensive linemen. Not to pick on the right side but Bailey plays better on the left, and I watched Sweezy get knocked on his ass in pass protection.
Rob, you were more confident than I was, starting in overtime at our own 21, with the kind of game Russell and Kearse had been having. Holy crap. Two perfect dimes, one to Baldwin, one to Kearse, with the last one being a check Wilson called at the line…
I just kept thinking about the Denver game and that overtime drive. Wilson has ice in his veins.
Or the Chicago game… still in shock…
Needs:
#1 reciever. Someone who will make a defense think twice about selling out to stop the run.
Interior D lineman who can plug up the middle and push the pocket.
OL help. Competition at RT and LG.
Rotational pass rusher. Speed guy.
TE Depth.
I don’t think interior D is a need, we have a pretty good one on IR
Which is why it’s a need. Hill has a prior injury history and it’d be nice to have another legit guy in the rotation on the inside that can contain or even create his own pressure.
We are lacking the big bodied running down D lineman that will save our speed guys until true passing downs. Mebane filled that role but between his age and recovering from a injury there has become a need for that type of player. For this defende to perform the way Pete wants, there has to be a stable of D linemen.
Couldn’t agree more. It’s really the achilles heel of the defense right now, the lack of a DT to contain on the inside on the pass rush to be able to fill Jordan Hill/Clinton McDonald’s role.
Two, actually…
Nailed it for me.
#1 WR is not #1 need. Where does that get you if you don’t have time to throw. Where does that get you if you are always 3rd and long. We are made to scramble, yes. But thank goodness GB played not to lose in the 4th qtr and took the pressure off, which allowed Lynch to run and Wilson to have time. It’s not even close that our Oline is our biggest need.
#1 Oline
#2 TE
#3 Oline
#4 DL
Which position on the OL do you think is weakest?
Carpenter is gone. Okung has one year left and has not been himself the last two years. Unger is always hurt. Britt and Sweezy are good (not great) run blockers and average pass protectors. I would say replace Carpenter with Britt moving inside and get a new RT that can maybe eventually turn into your LT.
1st OT
2nd TE
4th WR
4th OG/C
We lose Maxwell and maybe Williams on D, so they are set. Get Miller replacement and some Oline help. WR is a luxury, not necessity
I’m not saying I agree with you, but if Carp is gone and La’el Collins or Ereck Flowers were available then maybe.
I like Britt at RT, but I can see him doing even better inside.
Regardless, SEA has viable options on the OL. At this point, I don’t think they really have viable options at WR.
Out of curiosity, does anyone think Collins has potential at RT in the pros?
I could see Collins at RT — but he’s got all-pro potential at guard.
Here’s the thing I think we need to remember on the OL vs WR debate. Even if you don’t rate the starting O-line, four out of five players are signed up for 2015 at least. You have a possible replacement for the one out of contract guy already on the roster in Alvin Bailey. At receiver, you have Baldwin, Kearse and Norwood right now. Lockette is a FA, who knows when P-Rich will be back. Even if you just play the numbers game, receiver is a much greater need. The O-line hasn’t lost guys of the caliber of Tate, Rice and Harvin in the last year.
I’m in the choir. After today’s game there’s no denying the greatest need is for a pass catcher, and I’m ready to concede it should be a WR. I really like Maxx Williams, but Miller will return and he doesn’t cost a ton, and Willson is available if not always “present”.
But it’s possible to address this need in FA.
It’d be my preference to address it in FA — via some kind of modest trade. I still think V-Jax would be ideal, whether it’s via trade or if he’s cut to save money. The draft doesn’t present much of an opportunity unless you’re also willing to consider a different type of receiver. Or if you’re willing to roll the dice on DGB — but if he’s there at #31 or #32, he must have serious issues.
My ideal would be Fitz, but I just don’t see ARI letting him to go, let alone to a division rival.
VJax would be a key addition though.
Part of the reason there’s no time to throw is the defense it teeing off on the O-line because they don’t think they’ll get burned.
You can afford to gamble, blitz and sell out to stop the run if you aren’t concerned about your DB’s getting beat 1v1. Seattle tried desperately to capitalize and couldn’t. They couldn’t make plays to force adjustment.
Needless to say, Green Bay didn’t appear to use these defensive looks against Dallas or New England. The Seahawks are crying out for more talent at WR.
This is absolutely what I’m thinking.
I’m curious how Dallas OL would rate if they didn’t have Dez Bryant at WR. I’d take a guess that it’d be much lower.
It’s all about balance. And right now, the obvious hole is a threatening weapon on the perimeter. It’s a black hole of talent out there.
GB plays man to man. They did against Dallas last week. Dez made some plays, didn’t make some (the catch that wasn’t a catch). It wasn’t any different how GB played us. It was not because of our WR or their inability to get deep. That’s how GB plays.
Will agree to disagree. WR would be a luxury, and we have shown time and again when Wilson has time, he finds his guys and they make plays. When he has 2 seconds because Britt misses his guy or Okung can’t get outside fast enough (or causes false starts to put us in long distances), it all ends bad
GB might usually play man to man. I’m not sure they play man to man that often while basically saying — have at it. Any spare guy not in coverage is coming after you. Man to man is different to playing a flat 1v1 in the secondary and selling out to stop the run and attack Wilson. They put their best guy on Dez so Dallas exploited Williams and Witten. I think if Seattle had mismatches to exploit like that, it’s a different approach entirely from GB.
The problem I have with this debate is it’s not clear cut. Seattle doesn’t have a brilliant offensive line and it can be improved. But they’ve already spent two first round picks, a second round pick and a third round pick on their offensive line since PCJS took over. Clearly endless high picks is not an obvious solution to this problem. You know what Seattle has never had since 2010? A big time receiver. And I’m not sure how receiver can be considered a luxury given the sheer numbers game of the situation. Right now Baldwin, Kearse and Norwood might your lot. They need to add to that group at some point.
I totally agree. I just think like ESPN and the national media, our WR don’t get any love. Kearse is a great deep ball receiver. Baldwin is a great find the soft spot receiver. Do we have a Dez or Megatron. No. But when Wilson has a little time, they get open. Do they get open right away, nope. I think we agree that both positions need to be upgraded, just the order if where we part.
I would be ok with BPA in 1 of 3 spots:
OL
TE
WR
On a side not. Why when Wilson has a bad playoff game, everyone says he is not elite. Luck throws 3 or more Int’s all the time (in playoff games) and the media just give him a pass.
I will take Wilson everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. Hands down
People say that he’s not elite when he plays bad because they’re haters. They don’t want him to be elite because they’re envious of not having him on their team, so it’s confirmation bias for them. Every bad game he has confirms their belief he’s not elite, while every outstanding game he has is just ignored and dismissed. The people that say that are obviously not playing with a full deck of cards.
Just reading through Pete Prisco’s twitter feed will give you an obvious sense of how deep the denial runs in the envy of some. He was challenged repeatedly after today’s game since he was dissing Wilson all game, and he refused to give an inch, instead saying Wilson only made one good throw. You can’t reason with people like that.
Prisco is a tool… massive East Coast bias for that fool. Don’t argue with a fool or soon people will not be able to tell which is the fool and which one is not.
Wiser words were never spoken.
Luck has an eye catching 12 picks in six post season appearances. It’s not all on him, but that’s some stat.
They are great but it still doesn’t mean WR isn’t a huge priority.
When I watched the game a second time, it just seemed like every bounce was going Green Bays way. The deflections off Kearse hands always bounced ended up in their hands. Green Bays fumble on the kick off (?) bounced their way. Fourth quarter turned more to Seahawks advantage.
All this talk about OL needs vs. WR needs is moot if Lynch is gone. If he doesn’t fit into the Seahawks’ future plans, or if he chooses to retire, this will be the off-season to find his “replacement” either on the roster or in the draft.
Seriously? After yesterdays game you think they will get rid of Lynch? We have a chance to be the first team to go to three straight Super Bowls.
Lynch should only be gone if he chooses to. He is the best rb in football right now, and could have played in any era and been a star in those eras. His team loves him, his ability takes pressure off his qb, and he brings it every single time he touches the ball.
Tremendous analysis here, Rob, with observations I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere yet. It had not occurred to me that the final Russell pick could have bee returned. The kneel down after the pick seemed odd at the time but I was too stressed to connect the dots.
A legendary win for the ages. I’m at a loss for more words.
How frustrating was it to watch 4 INTs on targets to Kearse? At one point I was thinking it must be some sort of gypsy curse; there’s just no way that happens 4 times in a game.
Still trying to wrap my head around that final drive in OT. Talk about redemption.
The defense still really needs that pure 3T. If you’re committed to a 4-man rush, there has to be some consistent push up the middle. SEA’s DEs had decent pressure up the sides, but too often Rodgers was able to step up and away from it.
No doubt a pass catcher is the #1 need on offense. I say that because SEA absolutely must get Lynch to return. There’s really no getting around that. I’m not sure if the need is greater at WR or TE, but Moeaki can’t block his shadow, and Willson frustrates the hell out of me with his inconsistency. At least he was clutch at the right time.
It’s hard to imagine SEA playing a more unfortunate game until the final few mins. And hard to imagine a more gutsy team effort to pull out the victory.
What a day to be a Seahawk fan!
Mebane, Hill and Marsh will be back next season so I don’t think we need to address DT.
You’re right on the three tech, it was glaring today. The edge rush wasn’t too bad and Avril had several good bull rushes. But there was nothing up the middle. The interior rush is the most impacting in any defensive play, You HAVE to get the QB off his spot. Hill has been a major loss.
I couldn’t agree more. I was scared we wouldn’t get pressure with Hill out and for most of the game Aaron sat in a nice pocket.
Exactly. And Brady will too unless they can somehow figure a way to get that rectify. But for that to happen someone that hasn’t been getting it done on the interior will have to step up their game, which seems a bit of a long shot at this point. I’m just really hoping Earl and Sherm don’t have any issues with their MRIs tomorrow.
So gutsy. Go hawks!
With regards to the draft:
Needs(no particular order): WR, DT, OL, TE, DB first 5 picks.
agree we need a big reciever with speed, but I am perplexed why the seem reluctant to let Lockett fill Richardson,s role . Lockette has speed and good hands.
After the 4th pick, I left the bar. I was done. The season over, our Super Bowl repeat hopes destroyed, we were finished. So I thought.
Get to the truck, girl texts me saying its now 19-14. Cool. Still not enough for our crappy offense to do much.
Another text. THEYVE RECOVERED THE ONSIDE KICK.
No way. I’m flying home at this point.
Phone explodes, the Seahawks have the lead. I get home in time to see Rodgers lead a game tying drive. The rest is history.
I will never, ever, EVER, stop watching a Seahawks game prematurely again. Never again.
What an unbelievable game.
I forgot to mention this… When T-Jack went out for the coin toss, I knew we’d get the ball. He is now 8-0 in Overtime coin tosses!!!
The ugliest, horriblest, awfulest, most beautiful game I have ever had a chance to watch! (Yes, I know not real words)! I sat screaming at the other fans in the bar that we were going to win – and yes, I was trying to convince myself! But just like their season – you can’t peak in the first half of the season, and you can’t win the game at halftime.
BOOM! Keep continuing to doubt – and please everyone who is not a 12 – pick the easy choice – pick NE to win the game. Because, you will, you will see the beat down of the Colts and you will crown them just like you did the Broncos! But guess what, this team doesn’t care – they will just prove you wrong!
I’m only 30 years old, and I would not bet a cent that I’ll ever see my ‘hawks do anything like that ever again. Absolutely unbelievable.
Just an aside for my own research Dawgma… Do you actually remember the last time the Whiners won a SB? I live in the heart of Whiner country so I’m trying to sharpen my insults ๐
Super Bowl 29 was the last Whiners win.
I’m probably not the best example for that. My dad grew up outside Sacramento so the 49ers were my NFC team back when I was a kid. One of my earliest sports memories is watching them utterly obliterate Denver after the 89 season. Even back then I’d been well trained to hate Elway (I think my grandmother spat on the ground whenever his name was mentioned) and that game sure felt good.
midway through the 4th, I swished a 20 ft shot on my buddies mini hoop (keep in mind, low ceilings are rough). Before I let fly, I said ‘Hawks win if I make it.’ You are all welcome ๐
All jokes aside, I never thought I would see 3 (let alone 1) Hawk superbowls in my lifetime. What a game; what a team. It’s impossible not to love and feel right along side these guys.
I like that analogy. When I played goalie throughout competitive soccer, I would always take a half step to one side on penalty kicks. It was a delicate balance. It had to be enough so that the kicker would realize I was “out of position” but not enough for him to realize I was doing it on purpose so I knew what side the ball was going to. I stopped around two-thirds of penalty kicks with this strategy, never saw anyone who was half as good at stopping them as I was.
Did BJ Daniels play at all? I thought I heard they were going to try him out at WR, he knows the routes. Probably as an emergency WR only.
I am still hoping to see Matthews playing WR more, the way he high pointed the on- sides kick should prove he can do it.
Pretty sure BJ was inactive, I think I saw him in street clothes on sideline. I say let him return kicks in Super Bowl, can’t be any worse than today.
BJ was inactive.
FIrst, wow what a game.
Major kudos to the defense for holding GB to 5 fg’s and 1 td considering they were put in perilous positions all day long by the offense. Earl and Sherman playing through injuries, I have even more respect for those guys gutting it out.
The offense is what they are. Julius Peppers straight abused Alvin Bailey and JR Sweezy in successive plays but the oline kept battling and getting after it. RW3 he seemed really off before the Clay Matthews hit and was worse after. I thought I saw some running lanes for him that he normally takes, but he didn’t this time around.
Doug and Kearse. I love how confident Baldwin is and I love the fight in the two, but they are 3rd and 4th options in a potent offense. This team needs to find an upgrade at WR. How much cap space is available after extensions to RW3 and Wagz no one knows, but hopefully they will have enough to sign another receiving option plus….
Marshawn, give this man his money!!! I don’t care what anyone says about Turbo and Michael, but there is no way they can ably fill Marshawn’s shoes. 25 carries 157 tough yards. If Marshawn decides he wants to play a couple of more years, regardless of the headaches he gives the coaches and the front office, this man plays his heart out every sunday and he plays hard for his teammates. There’s nothing better I can say about a football player except that he’s a baller and you don’t let those guys go.
Overall, wow…I still can’t believe they pulled it off and we’re going to the Super Bowl to re-pete. Go Hawks!!
I think I speak for everyone in saying Baldwin & Kearse are great for this team and we all appreciate their talents. But I think the whole “no respect” thing is getting a bit tiresome. They made some bad plays in this game and had to pull it out of the bag at the end. Baldwin’s fumble and then a drop. The four picks on targets to Kearse (the only other was incomplete). I’m delighted they came up strong at the end. But I can live without another mention of the words “pedestrian”.
I agree 100%. I am over the pedestrian and respect thing. They can’t dispute the tape. There’s a reason why they went undrafted, but I guess if this gives them a chip on their shoulders, I will begrudgingly accept it lol.
Yes… I love them because they’re ours but WR is the weak spot in this team. As long as they can keep making plays when needed and Wilson and Lynch can carry the workmanship load, we’re good.
It’s Bevells fault for throwing the ball in the rain. We shouldn’t be throwing the ball peroid, let alone in the rain. We need to run the ball with Lynch. When Lynch is tired we need to run the ball with Turbo. When he’s tired maybe Wilson can scramble for a few. Then C-Mike gets a carry or two. By that point Lynch will have caught his breath and then we run the ball with him a few more times. First downs don’t matter. If we punt we punt. It’s all about breaking the other teams will. That first half should be a fist fight, points be damned.
After about 20 strait run plays Bevell is allowed to throw the ball. Play action. WR screens. Little out routes by the TE’s. And a few deep shots down field.
But we are doomed if we go away from Lynch and the run game. I hope we learned our lesson yesterday.
It’s easy to say run the ball, but when a defense is showing a stacked box and single coverage across the field, sometimes with no safety help, you’d have to be crazy not to trust your QB in that situation.
Baldwin’s sensitive to the ‘pedestrian’ and ‘average’ talk because it;s 100% true. He’s a league average #2 WR on a good day, and would be a third guy on a top tier offense.
Bevell had an awesome game plan and Lynch’s stats back that up.
The players didn’t execute was the problem.
Wilson made several good throws… They were dropped. They were tipped. They killed drives. We sure as heck do need an upgrade at wr as well as some better blocking. Unger even needs to be replaced at some point. He’s always injured and he’s not as effective as he used to be. We could use that big receiver, of course, but also some more deep speed. If you can find that in one player, great. Tight end is also a need, despite the occasional big plays from Luke. Better protection, more reliable receiving, these would take this offense up a couple of notches. Seriously, what a win. I’m still spent the next morning. However, we need to be proactive to make sure that this franchise keeps rolling.
I’m starting to think the whole o line vs. WR debate is sort of stupid. It seems obvious to me that both halves of the equation are lacking but o line continuity can be maintained and even built stronger next season….while we really and truly need wr’s. Plural. I’m all about some deep speed boxing out chunk play specialist but I actually think that only slightly helps the line by having one less defender sneak up to the box…what id like to see for me is a true slot reciever. Watch Brady, for the last forever. I have no real idea if his line is good bad or indifferent because no one does. But in the AFC game so many passes are coming out at two beats…not two real seconds…but as fast as you can count “one, two. One, two.” I’d love to see Justin Hardy from Ecu in the third or fourth who has Seahawks brand grititude in spades be our true slot. And I love kearse and Baldwin but totally agree with rob…no one is doubting you guys if you aren’t bouncing passes off your fingers for three quarters. Wilson had son terrible passes but sure could have used a bit of help earlier.
I haven’t watched a replay yet, but on the OT touchdown, I thought I saw our FB motion out wide and the GB defense seemed confused — just like me. It looked like he (our FB) was uncovered, so the GB safety shifted over leaving Kearse 1 vs. 1 in the middle of the field with no safety for RW to worry about. If I’m right, kudos to Bevell for the play design and kudos to RW for checking to it.
I think Clay Mathews hit on RW was “legal”, but it was unnecessary. Next time we play GB, I hope someone cleans his clock.
I don’t think that GB was confused more like it was a bad coverage call. They played cover zero leaving no safety over top and having Tramon Williams one on one vs Kearse.
Listening to some of the interviews, it sounds like Seattle specifically game planned for that call leading to the TD. Initially it was a called run but with the cover zero look, it’s an automatic check to the pass play.
Sweeney got a bit of a revenge hit on Mathews. I think Clay watching the Super Bowl from the comfort of his own couch is good enough for me. I’ll cheers him at kick off.
Matthews is a dirty player.
It wasn’t the first play Tukuafu lined up wide. He’s got some versatility.
OoO maybe it will be like the largent revenge hit on Mike Harden..awesome! haha dont think Wilson has that in him though.
I remember Largent’s big hit …. I was lucky enough to be in the Kingdome for that game.
That is in my top three Seahawks plays of all time. I’m a sucker for payback hits.
For the first 50+ minutes of the game I witnessed a nightmare. DangeRuss was being exposed, every negative concern you heard about him from the haters was coming true. He was inaccurate, he was indecisive and he was making seriously bad decisions. We weren’t just losing, our QB was being stripped of his cloak of cool. It was much more than disappointing, it was almost as if Wilson was being shown to be the short, inconsequential, 3rd round pick he was accused of being. I said to my wife, “He’s not just being crushed, he’s making bad decisions, he’s being exposed, his mystique is being torn off him… it’s like they were right and we were wrong…he’s not what we thought he was.”
A tiny bit of that fear still remains. That we won the game is one for the ages and a gift from the gods. GB had at least 7 decisions, or plays, they made in the last 6(ish) minutes of the game, anyone of which could have won the game for them and they made the wrong choice (play) on each occasion. They did not deserve to lose they had to roll snake eyes 7 times in a row – they did, they lost. Period.
That DangeRuss came back and played like we know he can play was somewhat reassuring but make no mistake – we only won because Green Bay blew it. Most notably was on the short kick off, they had if set up perfectly, everyone was to block our attackers and Jordy Nelson was to catch the ball, Jordy was in the perfect position, his mates ALL did their job perfectly – except one guy, the guy who should have blocked Matthews, the guy the ball was coming at, decided he knew better than the coach, he knew better than the play design and he jumped up and with Jordy standing just behind him, hands already placed to catch the ball – he almost single handed ended Green bay’s season.
We have been given a chance at redemption, a chance to repeat, a chance to make history – BUT – a seriously good team stands in front of us. All the glory to us when we take this life we’ve been spared to live and crush them. Despite all my wringing of hands, my renting of clothes I still believe we can prove ourselves worthy of the magical spell we’ve been saved by.
Brady be prepared – a force of nature your way comes – and you know Tom – it’s a waste of time to try and oppose a force of nature….
DangeRuss is WondeRuss!!
Amen!
Good morning! Guess what? Seahawks are going back to the Super Bowl!
It is a beautiful day!
The Pats looked really good against the Colts – Seahawks have a lot of things to tighten up. But I will say, I think Bailey looked better at RT than Britt – and if that is truly the case – he needs to start in the SB. 5 sacks yesterday – but very few O line penalties. Marshawn was BeastMode again – 157 yards running – just wow!
I disagree on the bailey Britt comment, I thought we missed Britt in this game. That being said it was bailey’s first game at right tackle. I would still prefer Britt in that spot.
OL Britt was absolutely missed yesterday. I saw Bailey get pancaked 3 times that I remember off the top of my head.
Not sure which Bailey you watched. The one I saw was beat repeatedly by his defender on pass pro. Moreover, the running game suffered, as much because Bailey and Sweezy have zero chemistry together as because Bailey simply isn’t as good a run blocker.
This isn’t a knock on Bailey. He did as well as he could in a position he really doesn’t play.
Bailey didn’t look that great last night but he played really well at LT. I almost like him more than Okung, though I wouldn’t start him over Okung.
Bailey played well. He absolutely dominated in the run game. He’s got a lot of fire and knows how to use his weight. His pass defense (once he got warmed up) was right on par with Britt. He got pancaked by Peppers, an old dog with a few tricks, but he overcame.
I think there’s a good chance he gets the start.
I was excited for the change until I saw bailey getting knocked on his ass multiple times. get well soon britt
The pats looked great but the colts were in over their heads. If Manning were healthy I think Denver beats the colts 9 times out of 10. They capitalized on his injury and good on them, but they need a whole lot more to make the super bowl.
I have been the minority of wanting Oline over needing a true #1 WR.
What about the #1 WR (and some #2 that are like #1) that Chicago, Detroit, Denver, GB, Atlanta etc… A #1 WR doesn’t guarantee you more than a better Oline can guarantee you. I would take Wilson over all those guys, but the point is those offenses have great WR good/great QB and no sub Oline.
It improves your running game, it improves your down and distance, it improves your time in the pocket, it would necessitate defense to have to blitz to get to the QB and it improves your defense because you keep them off the field.
On another note. 1 more to go back to back. If KJ can take out Gronk (like he is known to do to TE) and we make Brady uncomfortable, it could be another smash. However, I think more like 21-17 Hawks.
Go Hawks
It doesn’t have to be a TRUE # 1. Seattle needs a couple weapons. It just gives RW more options and forces ghee defense to create for more dynamic playmakers then they have the personnel to account for.
How would a better offensive line have put more points on the board yesterday? This O-line played damn well to my eye. RT Bailey struggled, but eventually got his feet under him. Still need Britt, and maybe we need to replace LG Carp in the off-season, but it shouldn’t be a priority over a WR.
Got to agree here. Not sure how a better oline would have helped kearse get catches instead of drops that turn into two interceptions…hell even having prich I think could have changed the look of our offense. It doesn’t need to be calvin Johnson because no one in this draft is that but there needs to be an upgrade at that position
I disagree about the offensive line. Sometimes they were able to hold their own, but other times Sweezy and Bailey got knocked on their butts in pass protection. I expect that of Bailey since he plays better on the left side, but not of Sweezy. Also, if we really pick our linemen for their run blocking then we should be able to run the ball under any circumstances. Even when the line is stacked.
Overall, Green Bay got all the bounces and deflections the first three quarters, and our defense kept us in the game, long enough for the Seahawks offense to make a miracoulous comeback.
Don’t see how the run game would improve simply by drafting an OLer high when SEA led the League and set a team record for rushing yds per game this season with the current OL.
Also, I don’t have the benefit of watching games in person, which makes it difficult to watch the WRs run their routes. Regardless, I’ve seen enough in replays to know that there isn’t a single WR on the team who can consistently get open. I’ve watched countless plays where RW had ample but couldn’t find an open WR. I believe it happened at least twice yesterday.
With no disrespect Ed, you keep stressing that RW needs more time – if only he had more time he would (eventually?) find an open man. That’s just not a realistic perspective, particularly in the modern NFL. If anything, RW needs to get the ball out quicker, and in order to do that, he needs a WR who can give him an immediate target. Brady, Manning, Rodgers (when he doesn’t have all day) – each are experts at getting the ball out quickly. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an NFL coach wanting his QB to hold onto the ball longer.
Your examples of CHI, DET, DEN, GB, ATL aren’t comparable to SEA. Each is pass oriented, none have much of a rushing game (except maybe GB). None is among the top 10 in team rushing this season.
Another SDBer – peter I think – mentioned continuity as an important aspect to an OLine’s success.I think this is a highly underrated aspect – just look at the troubles Bailey had at RT – not because he’s a subpar tackle, but because he simply had NO continuity with the rest of the line at that position.
Agree to disagree. Leaving the Lynch issue aside, WR is this team’s biggest need on either side of the ball.
Look what happened on all our scoring drives in the game. Wilson had time because they stopped pressuring him. That’s when we scored our points. That’s when we drove down the field. They prevented themselves from winning by playing soft at the end of the game. Allowing Lynch running lanes. The wheel route to Lynch. The deep ball to Baldwin on 3rd and 6. The game winning TD to Kearse. All because Wilson had time in the pocket and maneuver to a better place to make the big play.
Don’t let the number fool you. We had the highest rushing percentage (pass to rush) and we had a QB rush for 900 yards. Some by design, a lot because Wilson is Wilson.
I’m not saying it wouldn’t be nice to have a Dez. But having a better oline will help our entire team and really fits with our team philosophy. Run the ball. Make plays when necessary. Don’t turn the ball over. Play stout D.
And why wasn’t he getting time initially Ed? Because Green Bay weren’t playing conservative defense. It’s impossible for any O-line to constantly provide 5-6 seconds for a QB when a defense is bringing the heat. It’s a sheer numbers game. The best way to combat this? Exploit 1v1 coverage and get the ball out quickly. Which is very hard to do when nobody can get open and you don’t have any mismatches to target.
Who cares that he wasn’t getting time. Why are we throwing the ball?
We need to invest in the O-line and decide 100% that we’re a smashmouth running team. None of this Wilson dropping back trying to find open guys bullshit. Invest in both of our lines and quit pretending to be something we’re not.
I’ve already replied to this earlier, but here goes. Stacked box plus single coverage across the field equals pass. Every OC in the league would call it. And even if Bevell called a run in that situation, Wilson would be daft not to audible to a pass.
He did an our WR (Kearse) was good enough to beat the 1v1 coverage.
What’s the better approach, throw the ball in the rain, or run against a stacked box? We can play conservative, field position football, and lean on our defense. That’s who we are.
We need to run the ball to get in a rhythm. You seaw our troubles yesterday. We we’re sputtering the entire for the first half. We didn’t know what we wanted to do. We had no rhythm, we came out flat. In the third quarter we picked up our pace, we went with an early count, we tried to find the rhythm that way. We certainly looked better, but we don’t need to poke and prode in the first half to find out what works. We know what works.
I’m not talking about running the ball against a stacked box. I’m talking about knowing what our “base” offense is, and building outwards. It seems like our coaches constantly get in their own way. Wilson legs are the key, not his arm.
I think last week was an ice cold bucket of water right on our heads. Between Wilson, Marshawn and the rest, we’ll run the ball 40+ times against new england. If we don’t we deserve to lose. And if new england puts a safety down in the box, we’ll take our shots. But we’re not gunna mess with an intermediate passing game that doesn’t exist. It’s runningbacks, Wilsons legs, our TE’s stretching the field wide, A shot or 5 down field, and lot’s of great defense. No need to throw the ball.
If you go three and out running against a stacked box when the coverage screams “test me”, you’re not going to get any upper hand in terms of field position.
No, but you’ll wear the defense down. Running the ball tires the defense out and makes it easier for an offense to be successful in the second half.A tired man doesn’t get off blocks and make tackles. Runningbacks run through arm tackles when a defense is worn out.
A 3 and out isn’t the worst option. Sometimes you just need to lean on your defense and special teams and wait for the other team to make the first mistake. It takes time for an offense to warm up. It’s like reving the engine of a car that isn’t warmed up. Engine damage can result. Same with an offense. Go out there and sling the ball around and you might take some sacks, interceptions, etc etc. That can kill a QB’s confidence, or the confidence of an offense in general. Thankfully our QB is head strong.
We’ll see. I think the coaches owe MarShawn. He should get around 30 touches next game.
You won’t wear down a defense if you can’t stay on the field because you keep going three and out.
There’s a reason this Super Bowl winning coaching staff don’t just keep running up the middle every play like fans occasionally demand. We need to understand why they make the decisions they do during a game and appreciate it. Running against a fully stacked box when you have single coverage everywhere else is just basic decision making for an OC and QB.
I have to agree with Kory on this one. We keep saying that this is a running team and that our offensive line are picked for run blocking ability. We should be able to run, even against a stacked box. If we could run against a stacked box we wouldn’t be having the red zone problems.
And their are worse things then three and out, with a punt that backs up the other team. Worse things like interceptions on our side of the field. We should be using Lynch more. Especially when our receivers aren’t getting separation and the refs are letting the defense play tight coverage.
No team can run consistently against a stacked box. Not unless they’re playing a thoroughly hopeless defense, Seattle was not in the Green Bay game.
I’m a little bit surprised we’re still discussing this. Any coach in their right mind in that situation does what Seattle did. This was a game of chess between the two. Could Seattle exploit the favorable looks in the passing game to force Green Bay to adjust and dedicate more into coverage, allowing the freedom to run? Or could Green Bay smother the O-line, shutting down Seattle’s two key playmakers (Lynch, Wilson) while gambling that Wilson couldn’t get the ball to his wide outs 1v1.
It’s a situation Seattle faces time and time again and will do while the personnel is what it is on offense.
Sorry Ed but I don’t think this is a good case for your argument at all. Chicago has spent a higher draft pick on Kyle Long, a guard, than they did on any of their receivers. Detroit have a first round left tackle and drafted Megatron which was a total no brainer. Green Bay has recently spent two first round picks on left tackles (Bulaga, Sherrod) and zero on receivers. Atlanta just last year spent the #6 overall pick on a tackle and have been fielding another first round tackle in Sam Baker for years. Denver went to the Super Bowl last year and have dominated the AFC West for three seasons because of Manning and his receivers. Most of these teams have gone after OL early just as much as they’ve been able to collect #1 receivers.
Seattle has made back to back Super Bowls with an offensive line lots of people complain about. Nothing “guarantees” a successful team. I still think a lot of people don’t realize how the two things go hand in hand. Can Seattle improve the O-line? Yes. Will greater talent at WR and TE take a ton of pressure off the front, forcing teams into coverage instead of an all-out assault on the line? Yes. It’s not black and white. And endlessly pumping high draft picks into an offensive line isn’t a recipe for guaranteed success.
Totally agree. The argument goes both ways. We have gone to back to back superbowls with “subpar” WR. We don’t need a true #1 because as you say we don’t throw often enough to really predicate that. Can we upgrade, absolutely. I just think we improve more things with better Oline play.
As I stated earlier, I would be ok with BPA in the 1st and 2nd in these areas:
Oline (a versatile guy to either go G/C or RT/LT)
WR (a fighter for the ball (not necessarily size) with explosiveness))
TE (double threat to help blocking and receiving (your guy M. Williams))
The big reason why I want an improvement in wr is if/when lynch is no longer a hawk the offensive identity will have to morph a bit because lynch is lynch and picking at 31….or later…will put us out of the running for a talent like his so I say we need to be proactive and start increasing the wr corp talent sooner then later
I wonder if maybe….(after the 2-nd super bowl victory), ……as a part of his new contract negotiations, RW was to insist on keeping “the band of brothers” together for a “3-Pete”. As a contract stipulation he could easily demand that regardless of the length or terms of HIS contract, that he wanted Lynch to be the highest paid player on the team as long as he is a member of the team. I think he would be the kind of guy to at least consider that. That would seem to be helpful with cap concerns as well.
That was one heck of a game, I don’t have any fingernails left. Our guys have grit, guts & confidence and their never give up attitude will take them far.
They need to improve the line and the weapons, simply put. I’m pretty sure we can agree that the team would be better with O line and WR improvement, and also some kind of pass rusher. I also think it’s a pretty easy scenario to see them picking all 3 positions early on in the draft.
I’d be mildly surprised they bring Carp back. I don’t think he’s worth what he’ll cost, and if they were interested in his ‘uniqueness” they probably would have gone for his option year. I think they sought to motivate him and while he did show up in shape (for the first time in his career) I suspect they’re reluctant to give him any kind of money/security deal. Maybe they’ll make a low ball offer and he’ll move along.
The talent available relative to the talent on the roster will determine where they go with their first pick, but when I read these debates about WR/OL/pass rusher, I pretty much just think “yes”.
(side note, Jalen Collins LSU DB…that kid….)
I do not believe a true number one reciever will be available in this draft. Our need is not a traditional number one but some diversity in our recover ranks. A big, strong, tall red zone threat is something we have lacked for a while now. Our o line needs to be addressed for depth and competition but I truly believe for RW to take the next step and be the “man”, which he will need to do once Lynch moves on, he will need weapons he can count on.
We’re back to the Super Bowl aka Superb Owl gentleman!
Do not take what we have for granted, this is a dynasty we’re watching. Still jacked as of this morning. I couldn’t have slept last night if you had payed me to. So excited, so proud of this team! What a game that will forever live on and be embedded in our minds.
After watching Yesterday’s game, if you don’t think we need 2 WRs, I don’t know what to tell you. What a glaring need. RW had all day to throw and no one could get open. They need guys who create SEPERATION.
This game described in whole what this Seahawks team is all about… ‘grit.’ They never quit, never atop fighting, and that in itself should be inspiration for anyone looking for some.
Green Bay and QB Aaron Rodgers can complain about the play calling, etc. all they want to, but Seattle kept Green Bay in this game by shooting themselves in the foot. RW had the worst game of his professional carrier, at least early on. He threw 4 picks and essentially gave Green Bay 10-13 points we couldn’t afford. WRs Kearse and Baldwin also struggled, but really re-deemed themselves. That’s why they say they get no respect, because just when you think their average or no good, they come through in the clutch when it really matters.
The defense played lights out yesterday. Kept Seattle in the game honestly. HB Lacy was decent, but wasn’t great. He couldn’t pick up the yards when it mattered, continuously pulls himself out of games, he is the type of player Seattle stays away from.
And speaking of HBs, how amazing was ‘Beastmode?’ We don’t win the game without Marshawn Lynch. Best closer in the game hands down. Please stay Marshawn.
How badly did Seattle miss rookies OL Justin Britt and WR Paul Richardson? I know this will be an offensive heavy draft, but Seattle still needs another DE-LEO, a hybrid DL, and a run-stuffing DT, and the yearly CB, everything else, go offense. I know we have Mebane, Marsh, and Hill coming back, I get that. But Dobbs, Cohen? Seriously? Easy upgrade. We’re missing that rotation. They don’t or shouldn’t be high picks, but at the same time they shouldn’t neglect them either. Look what happens when Marsh, Mebane, and Hill go down. Who steps up for them? And a 3rd pass rusher yesterday would have been HUGE.
One of the greatest games of my life that I’ve ever watched. Pete Carroll made numerous gutsy calls and re-captured the nickname ‘Big Balls Pete.’ He’s the engine that drives this team.
Last year’s season was summed up by Richard Sherman’s post game interview in the NFCCG and this year’s season was summed up by RW’s post-game interview.
Last year’s team motto heading into the SB was ‘Why Not Us?’ This year it’s ‘Leave No Doubt.’ Did I mention how naked I still am? Off to defend our crown boys! Who! GO HAWKS!
*By the way Rob, I LOVE, LOVE that pic of DL Michael Bennett on the bicycle. An iconic image and you captured it perfectly my man. Him on that bike really symbolizes what this team’s character is all about.
In regards to the DL, the Seahawks have drafted lots of D’linemen its just that they haven’t panned out for one reason or the other. The most impactful acquisitions have been via trade/free agency (Clemons, Avril, Bennett, Clinton McDonald, McDaniel, Kevin Williams).
2014 – Cassius Marsh (4th), Jimmy Staten (5th)
2013 – Jordan Hill (3rd), Jesse Williams (5th)
2012 – Jaye Howard (4th), Greg Scruggs (7th)
2011 – Pep Levingston (7th)
2010 – EJ Wilson (4th)
The game is won in the trenches. You have to replace K-Will possibly this off-season, Tony McD next year and maybe Mebane next year too. JS never goes into any given year with glaring holes. Seattle has no rotation whatsoever on the D-line this year. I’m hoping they take an edge rushers/LEO in say the 3rd round, a run stuffer in the 6th and a hybrid DL (maybe) in the 7th. That still leaves 7 picks for the offensive side of the ball. They need some young guys and bodies to groom/stash.
I just don’t see how Landon Cohen, Demarcus Dobbs, and D’Anthony Smith beat out anybody to stay on this team. They’re all ‘JAGS’. By no means is it a high priority, but they can fill out their depth that way.
I meant Mebane after this year possibly. 2016.
I agree the game is won in the trenches. Pete has committed the team to a run first strategy. That will not change with or without Lynch. Remember what we were like in 2005 with Walter Jones and Hutchinson. Everyone knew we were running left and still they could not stop it. That is the type of line we need. Even an average back can run behind a line with Jones and Hutch.
As for what the draft priority should be: I find this debate silly. We can get top tier talent out of the late rounds (Sherman) or the early rounds (Thomas). None of us knew either would be this good. Many wanted Eric Berry or Taylor Mays rather than ET in 2010. Look how that turned out. Why did Kam Chancellor last until the fifth round?
Rather than argue which position should be targeted in round one, we should be looking for the hidden gems throughout the draft. Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to uncover the next late round star? With eleven picks the Hawks will have plenty of chances to take players that can upgrade the roster. I am sure we will have new players at all of the mentioned positions of need. If they do not come via round one they still have a chance to help the team next year. We should not, however, give up on the current development guys. Many of our current stars had to pay their dues before they started.
Bingo
Nicely said.
* LOL. Should not say how naked I am, but instead should say ‘how *jacked I still am?’ LMAO.
Not sure I’m comfortable with you using both words in the same post ๐
Tried to leave the smiling emoticon, but it didn’t show up for some reason.
My dad this morning asked me if I believed in Divine Intervention. I read your article and all the comments last night and took time laying in bed thinking about what I would write. I’m sure the Seahawks know all about how the Green Bay team feels cause it happened to us in 2012 in Atlanta. This offense played the worst 55 minutes I’ve every seen from them as they help the Packer offense by giving them the ball with great field position. Thou the defense couldn’t get pressure on Rodgers, they did the bend but they never broke making it possible to come back and win. It wasn’t till the onside kick happened that I felt we would win this game and the funny thing was I knew Rodgers was going to tie it up and send us to overtime. I sat there in my chair thinking about the Denver game during the season. It was at the end of the game that I remembered a 7 year old girl who was interviewed and asked who she thought would win the game? She said, “Seahawks will win because this is not Mr. Rodgers house. This was RW worst game ever and I think a wake up call for them when they play in the Superbowl again.
Looking to the future as far as fixing weakness on this team with the draft. I have all kinds of questions about this interior of the DL. I’m sure Williams will retire, will Brandon Mebane come back to his 1st Superbowl year or will he decline from what we saw this year before his injury. I can’t say anything about Marsh or Scruggs because they haven’t played enough due to injuries for me to evaluate them. Jordan Hill looks good in pass but this is also his 2nd year of being out with an injury.
I also have all kinds of questions on the OL. Its because of all the injuries in the middle of the year that a Cameron Erving from Florida St would be an excellent pick because he could play anywhere. The bright spot to me is Alvin Bailey who seems to plug the holes.
My biggest concern thou is KR/PR. There is no way I do not draft or buy one in FA for next year. All year long I have yelled at the KR to just down it and let the offense start on the 20 instead of the 10 to 15 yard line. I would yell the PR to just fair catch it and prayed they didn’t muff it. This is a very big problem that we never really had to deal with until this year.
Then there’s the TE,RB, and WR we will have to look at again due to what might happen in the off season. Right now I’m leaning to OL and DL but we still have a ways to go.
Congradulation to Dan Quinn, it’s not official but Glazer says he will be the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
I laugh at all the talk out there about how lucky the seahawks were. Like the only reason the seahawks won was because of luck. Over the course of a game, both teams are going to get lucky breaks. Heck, Seattle gave GB 5 of them.
The difference in this game was that seattle was able to take advantage of their breaks and GB was not. You can say how lucky they were to get the onside kick, or you can say, “man, that was one hell of an executed kickoff”. You can say that it was complete luck that got seattle the 2-pt conversion or you can say “that’s hell of awareness to know that the TE is rollout.” or “Seattle’s TE played that situation better than the GB defender”
Did Seattle catch some breaks? Absolutely. But without the skill and discipline to execute, those breaks are meaningless. Just ask a GB fan ho they feel about the way their team took advantage of their opportunities.
I agree with you Cisco. There was too many things that had to be perfectly executed in this game, and that’s guts, will, grit, faith, determination, whatever you want to call it. But not luck. Luck would have been one maybe 2 plays. Not 6.
Amen!
Seattle played their worst game offensively (for 58 minutes) under PC but their defense kept them in it despite not playing at their best. It would be interesting to see the last time a team had 5 TOs with a -3 TO differential and still won.
Uncharacteristically sloppy Seahawks football but what an amazing game–it’s like the Seahawks flipped the switch and played 5 minutes of near perfect football exactly when they needed to.
The play that symbolized the game was when Wilson was nearly decapitated by Matthews but somehow still got up like a champion. And that’s exactly what the Seahawks did as a team–they took Green Bay’s best shot and somehow, someway found a way and a will to respond and win.
A game for the ages.
Truly was a ‘game for the ages.’
To add on to the Clay Matthews comment, I’ve always been a fan of PC, during his USC days, but even back when he was with the Pats. So therefore I rooted for a lot of his players, and always liked Clay Matthews. But yesterday was a flat out DIRTY hit. He went for his head, not his body.
Last year in the opening game of S.F. vs G.B. when Matthews clothes-lined Kaepernick I though ‘Maybe he deserves it.’ But after seeing what he did to RW, he’s a repeat offender in my book. And he has the audacity to call Ndamukong Suh a dirty player? Lol.