2014 Seattle Seahawks: Bittersweet Symphony

[Super Nomario]

This only confirmed two things to me.

1) SEA is deep on both sides of the ball and their quality is still very impressive. Not sold Lynch or the O-Line are that good the rest of the year especially given Lynch's and mileage and the quality, or lack thereof, of GB's d-line.

2) GB is top heavy, like Dallas, and is still going to struggle on D. Like last year, they will have to rely on their offense which still attempts to punish with the run (no success last night).

Not that you're wrong, but how do you evaluate depth week 1? That seems like something that's going to play out over the rest of the year.
 
I think Seattle's secondary depth has taken a little bit of a hit. Maxwell was probably better than Browner and Thurmond at the end of last year, but they had all those guys in 2013 and just Maxwell now. And I have no idea who would step in if Thomas or Chancellor got hurt.

 

[Stitch01]

The scary thing is that the D just about pitched a shut-out against one of the best QBs and one of the more highly regarded offenses in football. Lesser QBs with lesser weapons against that D?  

Sherrod pretty much ruined the game.  Very hard to compete against that team in Seattle with bad tackles.
 
EDIT: Actually thought Green Bay's game plan in Seattle was interesting: play fast and run a fair bit to try and limit substitutions and wear down the Seattle linemen.  They couldn't really execute though and were way too undisciplined on defense to compete with Seattle. 
 
That offense is hard to stop with Harvin in there, would be really fun to watch if he could stay healthy for 16 games.  The Seattle fullback was very good last night as well.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

One thing came up in last nights game thats a pretty interesting strategy discussion:  Seattle would not switch Sherman from LCB when GB would just avoid him completely.
 
I was thinking last night of the positives and negatives about this:
 
 
Negatives:

• Sherman, their best player, wasnt involved in the game whatsoever
• GB eventually was putting their worst receiver on the field against Sherman which gave GB better matchups on the other side of the field

Positives:

• Sherman required no safety help and so I believe Settle could focus their safeties on the other side of the field
• I'm not familiar enough with their personnel but I'm assuming that part of the decision was based on allowing Sherman & Maxwell to play LCB and RCB respectively, where I'm assuming each is better at that position rather than flipping back and forth

 
Am I missing anything else?  Considering all of this I really couldnt tell if this was a smart decision or not.  Ultimately they held Rogers and the offense in check and got a pick as well so it looked like the gamble paid off.  But over the course of the season, I really think the big negative is that it allows the other team to get some really good matchups on the other side of the field and eventually I have to imagine that would come back to bite Seattle.
 
And does anyone know if they played this way all of last season?

 
This didn't just come up in last nights game. It was a much discussed strategy throughout the entire season and playoffs last year. Hell, our buddy LGBT had a nice twitter beef with Sherman last year after declaring Talib the best corner in the NFL because Sherman would only play on the left side of the field.
 
I'm really intrigued to see how Maxwell responds to a full season of QB's throwing his way this year. He didn't start getting starter snaps until week 13 last week. He responded well by notching 4 picks in 5 games. It is worth noting that three of those games came against the Giants, Cardinals, and Rams, none of whom are known for prolific QB play. In fact the Giants and Cardinals ranked last and 29th in INT last year. Just to eliminate some of the white noise surrounding interceptions, those two teams also ranked the same in interceptions per attempt.
 
I think Maxwell could easily hold up throughout the course of the season. Still, it's something I'm interested in keeping an eye on. I wouldn't say his interception last night was a great play - it was an overthrow by Rodgers that landed right in Maxwell's arms - and by the end of the night he had been targeted 11 times and given up 9 receptions. They were short yards, of course, so that formula could absolutely turn out to be a success. If your number 2 corner can keep plays in front of him, make the sure tackle, and capitalize on poor throws, that can be a successful player (especially with the rest of Seattle's defense). 

 

[amarshal2]

Not that you're wrong, but how do you evaluate depth week 1? That seems like something that's going to play out over the rest of the year.
 
I think Seattle's secondary depth has taken a little bit of a hit. Maxwell was probably better than Browner and Thurmond at the end of last year, but they had all those guys in 2013 and just Maxwell now. And I have no idea who would step in if Thomas or Chancellor got hurt.

I'll add that they're definitely not deep at WR.  Only one guy on the team has ever caught > 51 passes in a season.  With Harvin they look much more impressive than last year.  Lose him and they will look worse.  

 

[SMU_Sox]

SN, by depth I am referring to the overall distribution of high quality players, or at least above average, on each side of the ball vs. being top heavy (aka studs and duds). Edit: Depth is probably a poor choice there as it has other 53 man roster meanings. Breadth makes more sense.

 

[coremiller]

Yeah, as we've seen the past couple of seasons, the finesse teams like the Broncos, Saints, Packers, etc. get eaten alive by these guys. The Niners are probably the toughest matchup for them but they have all sorts of issues this year. Philly probably falls into the same problem as the other finesse teams.

 
Agree with this.  The way to beat Seattle is to match up well them on the lines, which Green Bay can't really do.  The Niners can, but look at the other teams last year that gave Seattle trouble last year -- Arizona, St Louis, Houston, Carolina, Tampa.  The one thing they all had in common was excellent defensive front sevens.  If your front can limit Seattle's running game, you put them in more obvious passing situations and take away a lot of the play action stuff, and then Seattle's O-line can have issues with protection.
 
Besides pass protection, to me the biggest issue for Seattle repeating will be defensive line depth, especially against the run, having lost Bryant, McDonald, and Clemons.  I think Bryant was a big loss for them in matchups with beefy lines that will run right at them (SF being the most obvious one).  And they may not have the same versatility in terms of their hybrid mix-and-match fronts they used so match last year.  Green Bay wasn't physical enough to expose it, plus they made too many mistakes and fell behind too quickly.  But that's something I'll be watching for.

 

[DanoooME]

One thing came up in last nights game thats a pretty interesting strategy discussion:  Seattle would not switch Sherman from LCB when GB would just avoid him completely.
 
I was thinking last night of the positives and negatives about this:
 
 
Negatives:

• Sherman, their best player, wasnt involved in the game whatsoever
• GB eventually was putting their worst receiver on the field against Sherman which gave GB better matchups on the other side of the field

Positives:

• Sherman required no safety help and so I believe Settle could focus their safeties on the other side of the field
• I'm not familiar enough with their personnel but I'm assuming that part of the decision was based on allowing Sherman & Maxwell to play LCB and RCB respectively, where I'm assuming each is better at that position rather than flipping back and forth

 
Am I missing anything else?  Considering all of this I really couldnt tell if this was a smart decision or not.  Ultimately they held Rogers and the offense in check and got a pick as well so it looked like the gamble paid off.  But over the course of the season, I really think the big negative is that it allows the other team to get some really good matchups on the other side of the field and eventually I have to imagine that would come back to bite Seattle.
 
And does anyone know if they played this way all of last season?

 
Since at least 2011, they've mostly played a Cover 3 where the outside corners play press coverage but have deep responsibilities with Earl Thomas playing CF in the middle. Chancellor and the LBs are playing zone underneath with the slot corner if his man doesn't go deep.  They will juggle things, but this is the base package Carroll, Quinn and previously Bradley worked with.
 

I think a lot of people thought getting Rodgers back was going to fix everything , but they were not a very good defensive team last year and not much has changed .

 
I mentioned this in the game thread last night, but their offense will improve with Rodgers back.  The offense wasn't nearly the problem the defense was (they gave up more points than they scored - 26.1 PPG scored vs. 26.8 PPG against).  With Rodgers healthy, they scored 30.6 PPG vs. the other QBs who scored 21.5 PPG.  They were 24th in scoring defense though and they only added Julius Peppers and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix.  The pass rush wasn't an issue for them last year (they were tied for 8th with Seattle with 44 sacks).  Their secondary is still mediocre at best and more likely below average.  Their LBs are a mixed bag.  Unless some guys start stepping up, Rodgers is going to have to outscore the other team for them to win.
 

Not that you're wrong, but how do you evaluate depth week 1? That seems like something that's going to play out over the rest of the year.
 
I think Seattle's secondary depth has taken a little bit of a hit. Maxwell was probably better than Browner and Thurmond at the end of last year, but they had all those guys in 2013 and just Maxwell now. And I have no idea who would step in if Thomas or Chancellor got hurt.

 
Jeremy Lane (who played decently last year after Browner was suspended and Thurmond was hurt) is generally the slot corner.  They traded a 6th round pick next year for Marcus Burley who replaced Lane last night after he was hurt.  The 3rd outside corner is Tharold Simon, a 5th round pick in 2013 that spent last year on IR and had to have minor surgery recently.  He should be back soon and got raves for his play in camp this season.  They also have DeShawn Shead, who is more of a safety but can fill in at CB if necessary.
 

 
Agree with this.  The way to beat Seattle is to match up well them on the lines, which Green Bay can't really do.  The Niners can, but look at the other teams last year that gave Seattle trouble last year -- Arizona, St Louis, Houston, Carolina, Tampa.  The one thing they all had in common was excellent defensive front sevens.  If your front can limit Seattle's running game, you put them in more obvious passing situations and take away a lot of the play action stuff, and then Seattle's O-line can have issues with protection.
 
Besides pass protection, to me the biggest issue for Seattle repeating will be defensive line depth, especially against the run, having lost Bryant, McDonald, and Clemons.  I think Bryant was a big loss for them in matchups with beefy lines that will run right at them (SF being the most obvious one).  And they may not have the same versatility in terms of their hybrid mix-and-match fronts they used so match last year.  Green Bay wasn't physical enough to expose it, plus they made too many mistakes and fell behind too quickly.  But that's something I'll be watching for.

 
I think the Seattle line is improved this year, although more in run blocking than pass blocking.  But I think with Harvin there full time, the offense is more dynamic and not as dependent on the traditional run game.
 
Losing Bryant was probably the biggest loss, but he was getting older and too expensive to keep.  They are hoping Kevin Williams will have the size to help plug that gap.  They have a few guys that are 300-310, but no one at Bryant's size (325).  Basically, they are relying on younger, cheaper guys to keep up the status quo inside, relying mostly on Bennett and Avril providing most of the pass rush.

 

[Super Nomario]

Jeremy Lane (who played decently last year after Browner was suspended and Thurmond was hurt) is generally the slot corner.  They traded a 6th round pick next year for Marcus Burley who replaced Lane last night after he was hurt.  The 3rd outside corner is Tharold Simon, a 5th round pick in 2013 that spent last year on IR and had to have minor surgery recently.  He should be back soon and got raves for his play in camp this season.  They also have DeShawn Shead, who is more of a safety but can fill in at CB if necessary.

That's my point though: Sherman, Maxwell, and Lane are fine (more than fine, obviously) as a top three but guys like Burley, Simon, and Shead are totally unproven. Maybe those guys are fine, but they're pretty big question marks, certainly compared to what the reserves looked like last year.
 

I think the Seattle line is improved this year, although more in run blocking than pass blocking.  But I think with Harvin there full time, the offense is more dynamic and not as dependent on the traditional run game.
 
Losing Bryant was probably the biggest loss, but he was getting older and too expensive to keep.  They are hoping Kevin Williams will have the size to help plug that gap.  They have a few guys that are 300-310, but no one at Bryant's size (325).  Basically, they are relying on younger, cheaper guys to keep up the status quo inside, relying mostly on Bennett and Avril providing most of the pass rush.

They also have Jordan Hill, last year's 3rd-round pick, who was basically a redshirt last year. Some of the draft Twitter nerds loved him coming out of Penn State. It looks like they moved Bruce Irvin back to DE as well; with Malcolm Smith's emergence, they don't need him at LB anymore. I think the front-seven depth looks good; if it's a tad less than last year, it's still excellent.

 

[DanoooME]

That's my point though: Sherman, Maxwell, and Lane are fine (more than fine, obviously) as a top three but guys like Burley, Simon, and Shead are totally unproven. Maybe those guys are fine, but they're pretty big question marks, certainly compared to what the reserves looked like last year.
 

 
Well, Maxwell and Lane were just as unproven at this time last year.  YMMV.

 

[Super Nomario]

 
Well, Maxwell and Lane were just as unproven at this time last year.  YMMV.

You can't assume that all unproven guys are going to work out that well just because they did last year. Obviously Carroll et al deserve some of the benefit of the doubt from getting productivity out of unheralded defensive backs before, but on any other team the lack of depth would be alarming. With the Seahawks, I'd still peg it as a question mark.
 
And for the record - Maxwell had played 152 defensive snaps career and Lane 171 going into 2013, while Simon and Burley both have 0 and Shead just 16 heading into this year. Heck, Lane only had 208 snaps last year, so he's pretty inexperienced for a #3 guy.

 

[coremiller]

I mentioned this in the game thread last night, but their offense will improve with Rodgers back.  The offense wasn't nearly the problem the defense was (they gave up more points than they scored - 26.1 PPG scored vs. 26.8 PPG against).  With Rodgers healthy, they scored 30.6 PPG vs. the other QBs who scored 21.5 PPG.  They were 24th in scoring defense though and they only added Julius Peppers and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix.  The pass rush wasn't an issue for them last year (they were tied for 8th with Seattle with 44 sacks).  Their secondary is still mediocre at best and more likely below average.  Their LBs are a mixed bag.  Unless some guys start stepping up, Rodgers is going to have to outscore the other team for them to win.

 
Even with an a 5th best Adjusted Sack Rate, GB was still 31st in defensive DVOA last year, 28th against the pass and 30th against the run.  Pass rush is the only thing they do well.  So while they looked very good, I wouldn't get too excited quite yet about the Seattle offense.  Remember everyone jumping on the Kaepernick-MVP bandwagon last season after he shredded Green Bay for 400 yards passing in Week 1?  Seattle's offense will be good, better than last year's probably, but it won't be quite that easy all season (even with Harvin, they won't average 5.6 yards per rush all year).

 

[PedroKsBambino]

Sherrod pretty much ruined the game.  Very hard to compete against that team in Seattle with bad tackles.

 
Agreed---I think we learned that if you have a horrible lineman, the Seahawks will kill you.  But that's neither a surprise, nor all that unique.   Before he went down things were a lot closer (though Seattle still looked better, and looked terrific).

 

[wibi]

One thing came up in last nights game thats a pretty interesting strategy discussion:  Seattle would not switch Sherman from LCB when GB would just avoid him completely.
 
I was thinking last night of the positives and negatives about this:
 
 
Negatives:

• Sherman, their best player, wasnt involved in the game whatsoever
• GB eventually was putting their worst receiver on the field against Sherman which gave GB better matchups on the other side of the field

Positives:

• Sherman required no safety help and so I believe Settle could focus their safeties on the other side of the field
• I'm not familiar enough with their personnel but I'm assuming that part of the decision was based on allowing Sherman & Maxwell to play LCB and RCB respectively, where I'm assuming each is better at that position rather than flipping back and forth

 
Am I missing anything else?  Considering all of this I really couldnt tell if this was a smart decision or not.  Ultimately they held Rogers and the offense in check and got a pick as well so it looked like the gamble paid off.  But over the course of the season, I really think the big negative is that it allows the other team to get some really good matchups on the other side of the field and eventually I have to imagine that would come back to bite Seattle.
 
And does anyone know if they played this way all of last season?

 
They played Sherman at LCB all last season no matter who got matched up over there.

 

[mpx42]

Except for Week 2, when he followed Boldin all over the field. That appears to have been a one-time thing though.

 

[Devizier]

I am not a Seattle fan but could not be more pleased by the contrast between the always professional Russell Wilson and the hypersensitive, always tweeting, Subway pitching RGIII.

 
Not really a fan of Aaron Rodgers myself, so it's fun to see his ass get kicked.

 

[DanoooME]

You can't assume that all unproven guys are going to work out that well just because they did last year. Obviously Carroll et al deserve some of the benefit of the doubt from getting productivity out of unheralded defensive backs before, but on any other team the lack of depth would be alarming. With the Seahawks, I'd still peg it as a question mark.
 
And for the record - Maxwell had played 152 defensive snaps career and Lane 171 going into 2013, while Simon and Burley both have 0 and Shead just 16 heading into this year. Heck, Lane only had 208 snaps last year, so he's pretty inexperienced for a #3 guy.

 
No, I agree with you.  I don't think you can reasonably expect guys to step up the way they have.  I think a lot of the credit goes to the coaching staff as well as the scouting staff for identifying guys that work in their system and they can coach up.  Their success rate has been quite stellar so far and quite remarkable, almost beyond belief.

 

[dcmissle]

You're fortunate. You got a matured, seasoned Carroll at the right time. And he's paired with an apparently brilliant front office people.

15 years ago, here, players walked all over him and the front office undermined him.

 

[Tony C]

Granted Carroll didn't work out in NE, but Kraft has a pretty damn good record of hiring coaches, right?

 

[tims4wins]

Any questions?

Can they win a road game?

 

[amarshal2]

Any questions?

Reminded me immediately of last year when one of my 49er fan buddies texted, "next stop, Super Bowl" after a dominant week 1 win over the Packers.

 

[Kliq]

Rivers and the Chargers sepcifically targeted Sherman today and went 5-5 for 60 yds throwing to recievers covered by Sherman. San Diego had some comments after the game:http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11529259/san-diego-chargers-wr-keenan-allen-richard-sherman-seattle-seahawks-not-really-shutdown-corner
 

"He's just a normal guy," Allen said of Sherman. "We can go at him. We took some shots at him. We are not going to shy away from him. He's not really a shutdown corner. We definitely wanted to come out and show we could go any way we wanted to and that we were in control of the game."
 

 
Sherman didn't talk to the media after the game, then sent out some wimpy BS tweet: https://twitter.com/RSherman_25/status/511320109541900289
 
I'm not really a big fan of the Richard Sherman show, so I liked seeing him get roughed up a bit. I think he is one of the top corners in the game, but if you want to come across as such a big man, step up to the podium and answer some damn questions. Everyone would have more respect for him if he just said "We didn't have it today."

 

[Stitch01]

Tough spot for them today, but yeah, they're fallible.

Think they kill Denver next week that offense isn't quite right yet

 

[Tony C]

Rivers and the Chargers sepcifically targeted Sherman today and went 5-5 for 60 yds throwing to recievers covered by Sherman. San Diego had some comments after the game:http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11529259/san-diego-chargers-wr-keenan-allen-richard-sherman-seattle-seahawks-not-really-shutdown-corner
 
 
Sherman didn't talk to the media after the game, then sent out some wimpy BS tweet: https://twitter.com/RSherman_25/status/511320109541900289
 
I'm not really a big fan of the Richard Sherman show, so I liked seeing him get roughed up a bit. I think he is one of the top corners in the game, but if you want to come across as such a big man, step up to the podium and answer some damn questions. Everyone would have more respect for him if he just said "We didn't have it today."

 
Yeah, I 'm actually kind of a Sherman fan, but pretty much feel the same. The trash talking is a shame given how good he is, and not surprising that a trash talker hides when things don't go his way.
 
That said, would love to see him against DT next week....

 

[DanoooME]

Can they win a road game?

 
They were 6-2 on the road last year.  Just sayin'
 

Rivers and the Chargers sepcifically targeted Sherman today and went 5-5 for 60 yds throwing to recievers covered by Sherman. San Diego had some comments after the game:http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11529259/san-diego-chargers-wr-keenan-allen-richard-sherman-seattle-seahawks-not-really-shutdown-corner
 
 
Sherman didn't talk to the media after the game, then sent out some wimpy BS tweet: https://twitter.com/RSherman_25/status/511320109541900289
 
I'm not really a big fan of the Richard Sherman show, so I liked seeing him get roughed up a bit. I think he is one of the top corners in the game, but if you want to come across as such a big man, step up to the podium and answer some damn questions. Everyone would have more respect for him if he just said "We didn't have it today."

 
Usually Sherman is pretty good about stepping up and telling everyone the team sucked today.  He did say on his Facebook page today that there are definitely some things that need to be fixed.
 
They weren't awful today, but it wasn't their best effort and San Diego played terrific.  You have to give a lot of credit to them.

 

[wibi]

Can they win a road game?

 
Really?  Troll much?
 
The Seahawks sucked today but as Danoo said they were 6-2 last year on the road in the regular season and that turned out okay in February

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

There were two huge killers:
 
1. The Harvin fumble. The defense had just been on the field for a long time, and then had to go right back out there. With field temps at 120 degrees, it obviously wore on them.
 
2. The Bruce Irvin personal foul. Defense finally gets a big stop and a stupid penalty extends a drive.
 
I also thought they should have gone for it on fourth-and-1 on their second to last drive.
 
Defense played pretty bad today, and they still had a chance to win against a pretty elite offense. Can't be too unhappy about that.

 

[Stitch01]

Really?  Troll much?
 
The Seahawks sucked today but as Danoo said they were 6-2 last year on the road in the regular season and that turned out okay in February

The loss isn't bad and they're still the team to beat, but hopefully this will cool some of the unbeatable juggernaut talk (not saying on here for the most part).

 

[tims4wins]

His post was obviously pretty light-hearted. Take it easy, Sherman.

Obviously it was somewhat tongue in cheek. But to paraphrase BB last year was last year. Seattle is winless on the road this year!

 

[Freddy Linn]

Wondering if someone can give me some guidance.  My FIL wants to treat me and my 10 year-old to a Hawks game.  Only condition is I have to acquire the seats, so I've been perusing the NFL Ticket Exchange.  Any tips on where to sit to get the best bang for my (his) buck?
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[johnmd20]

Wondering if someone can give me some guidance.  My FIL wants to treat me and my 10 year-old to a Hawks game.  Only condition is I have to acquire the seats, so I've been perusing the NFL Ticket Exchange.  Any tips on where to sit to get the best bang for my (his) buck?
 
Thanks in advance.

 
Check the market on Stubhub to see where prices are. Then go to the exchange and see if there is a better deal. If they aren't great, bite the bullet and go with Stubhub. I don't think there is any other way, unless you know a Seahawk fan who might have season tickets.

 

[DanoooME]

Well, that was fun for 3 quarters and then the 4th quarter reminded me of the Atlanta playoff game two years ago.  But the Hawks prevail 26-20 in OT behind the legs of Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch.  They go to 2-1, 1 game behind the Arizona Cardinals for the division lead and 1 game ahead of the hated 49ers and less hated Rams.
 
They have a bye this week and then return the following Monday night traveling to Washington to face the Snyders.  Because it's a night game, there should be less of an "East Coast" effect on them.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

As awesome as the first three quarters were, I thought the drive in overtime was as impressive of a display as I've seen from the Seahawks in a long time. Wilson had really struggled in the fourth quarter, and he got the ball and directed a killer drive.
 
The Broncos had no answer for him on that possession, and he did a good job of scrambling when need be and making quality passes. Wilson really is a special quarterback that I'm not sure gets the due he deserves because the defense and Lynch - deservedly - overshadow everything.
 
Anyway, 2-1 going into the bye is spectacular considering the meltdown that would be happening in Seattle if they had blown that game and had two weeks to sit around and talk about being 1-2.
 
Now they are still lined up for home field advantage and gain another game on the 49ers.

 

[Jungleland]

One thing I noticed yesterday that I found kind of confusing was the offensive personnel Carroll had on the field in the fourth quarter. With about 6 minutes left, Seattle had the ball essentially attempting to ice the game with a long drive. Turbin was in for Lynch, Harvin was on the sidelines, and I may be mistaken but I didn't see Baldwin either, while rookie Paul Richardson was definitely on the field. I understand the desire to rest the overworked Lynch and be careful with Harvin, but to my eye this almost cost them the game. It wasn't all that surprising when the starters were back out there in overtime and they moved the ball with ease. Taking the kid gloves off with Harvin seems to me pretty essential to having the offense take the next step.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Pete Carroll said today that Bruce Irvin will return this week, which is a nice boost for the defense.
 
On the other side of the ball, tight end Zach Miller had ankle surgery during the bye and will miss 4-6 weeks. That is tough, as he was an important blocker for a shaky offensive line.

 

[DanoooME]

Yeah, according to a report in Field Gulls, it looks like Cooper Helfet will get a shot to replace him.  And they may use Gary Gilliam from the offensive line group as a blocking TE as well, especially since he was a TE early in his career.
 
In unsettling news, Russell Wilson's Facebook feed had him taking pilot lessons in a seaplane yesterday.  Um, do the names Munson and Lidle mean anything to you, Russell?  Good thing he wasn't picked up by the Yankees in the Rule 5 last year.

 

[Valek123]

In unsettling news, Russell Wilson's Facebook feed had him taking pilot lessons in a seaplane yesterday.  Um, do the names Munson and Lidle mean anything to you, Russell?  Good thing he wasn't picked up by the Yankees in the Rule 5 last year.

 
Maybe that's why he's doing lessons in a seaplane, the other two involved crashes with a building and failed runway landing so perhaps he's trying to manage his risk by learning to fly over water? ;-)

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Yeah, according to a report in Field Gulls, it looks like Cooper Helfet will get a shot to replace him.  And they may use Gary Gilliam from the offensive line group as a blocking TE as well, especially since he was a TE early in his career.
 
In unsettling news, Russell Wilson's Facebook feed had him taking pilot lessons in a seaplane yesterday.  Um, do the names Munson and Lidle mean anything to you, Russell?  Good thing he wasn't picked up by the Yankees in the Rule 5 last year.

 
They also have Luke Willson, who played decent minutes last season.
 
Russell Wilson also announced he is a senior editor for Derek Jeter's new website, The Players' Tribune. Wilson wrote an article about how he was a bully growing up and changed. He also launched an initiative against domestic violence. More here.

 

[DanoooME]

It was an ugly win tonight over the Snyders, 27-17.  The defense played well at times, not so well at times.  They completely shut down Alfred Morris.  But the pass rush just wasn't getting to the QB quickly enough.
 
Have to give Kirk Cousins some credit.  He played a solid game with no turnovers.
 
The offense is struggling because the line is playing like dogshit.  The run blocking has been fine.  LG James Carpenter seems to be the only one playing well on pass blocking.  This part of the team needs some major work, so Tom Cable needs to start kicking some asses because this team can't repeat with the line playing the way it is.  
 
Next week they host the 4-1 Cowboys.  I bet they make it a personal mission to end DeMarco Murray's 100 yard game streak.

 

[Old Fart Tree]

Hat tip to Weebs, like holy shit, that RW can run. IMHO, he's not as explosive and ridiculous as the Vicks and Cunninghams of old, he's just smarter in terms of picking his spots when he runs.
 
The Hawks look essentially unbeatable if they're running on all cylinders. So did a lot of teams that didn't win the Bowl, but still. Holy shit, they're good.

 

[Reverend]

Hat tip to Weebs, like holy shit, that RW can run. IMHO, he's not as explosive and ridiculous as the Vicks and Cunninghams of old, he's just smarter in terms of picking his spots when he runs.
 
The Hawks look essentially unbeatable if they're running on all cylinders. So did a lot of teams that didn't win the Bowl, but still. Holy shit, they're good.

This is mad funny.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

It was an ugly win tonight over the Snyders, 27-17.  The defense played well at times, not so well at times.  They completely shut down Alfred Morris.  But the pass rush just wasn't getting to the QB quickly enough.
 
Have to give Kirk Cousins some credit.  He played a solid game with no turnovers.
 
The offense is struggling because the line is playing like dogshit.  The run blocking has been fine.  LG James Carpenter seems to be the only one playing well on pass blocking.  This part of the team needs some major work, so Tom Cable needs to start kicking some asses because this team can't repeat with the line playing the way it is.  
 
Next week they host the 4-1 Cowboys.  I bet they make it a personal mission to end DeMarco Murray's 100 yard game streak.

 
Yeah, the line was not good in any way tonight. At least it sounds like Max Unger's foot injury isn't too serious. For not clicking on all cylinders, they were still in control the entire night. That is comforting, considering they were coming off the bye and playing on the East coast.
 
A really dominating performance against a suddenly relevant Cowboys team would be refreshing, but I'm pretty terrified of this game being a bit of a trap game for the Seahawks. I could see the Cowboys offense lighting up the scoreboard.

 

[DanoooME]

 
Yeah, the line was not good in any way tonight. At least it sounds like Max Unger's foot injury isn't too serious. For not clicking on all cylinders, they were still in control the entire night. That is comforting, considering they were coming off the bye and playing on the East coast.
 
A really dominating performance against a suddenly relevant Cowboys team would be refreshing, but I'm pretty terrified of this game being a bit of a trap game for the Seahawks. I could see the Cowboys offense lighting up the scoreboard.

 
They have the classic trap game later in the year @ Philadelphia.  It's the one game between the home and home against the Niners, on the road (on the East Coast), with a 1 PM start.  I'm already anticipating losing that game, which will pain me because I'll be watching that game with my family full of Eagles fans.
 
I'm hoping the crowd can fluster the Cowboys a little bit.  I could see this game being a 41-38 barnburner.

 

[SMU_Sox]

Trap games... Eh... Not to get all Han Solo but that sounds like some superstitious mumbo jumbo.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Could the Seahawks be headed back to the AFC West? I hope not.
 
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2014/10/09/reports-seahawks-could-move-back-to-afc-west/#comments

 

[DanoooME]

 

[DanoooME]

I can accept a loss, but not a dogshit effort like that.  Nobody had any fire and it was like they were going through the motions.  There better be some ass kicking at practice this week.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

I can accept a loss, but not a dogshit effort like that.  Nobody had any fire and it was like they were going through the motions.  There better be some ass kicking at practice this week.

 
Yeah, that wasn't even competitive. Doug Baldwin was fired up after the game and I thought had some good comments.
 
We'll see if it does anything. They seem to think if they just show up, they will win.

 

[dcmissle]

The downside of being a players' coach when you have some guys who read the clippings and chirp. Carroll is fortunate to have a guy like Baldwin. Two and two over the last four with a zero point differential

It's a pretty old story in sports. What can happen when you ring the bully's doorbell then punch him in the mouth when he answers.

They have the answers. Far better in week 6 than week 18.

 

[Stitch01]

I now have some questions...

 

[LondonSox]

So, um, this team has some flaws and won't be blitzkrieging through the NFC. I especially like the "quick pass to Harvin and make him break 8 tackles for a positive gain" play that they run seemingly 5-6 times / game. Have to do a better job getting him real touches.

 
Or just give up on him so completely, as apparently they were going to cut him if they couldn't get a trade return.
 
The D has taken a step back right now it seems and Wilson has been superman to keep them in games. Those receivers are not going to scare anyone so load the box and spy wilson is surely what people will do until someone proves that they deserve a double as a WR.
 
Next two games are the ghost of Carolina defenses past and the raiders though, so that should help.
 
They aren't being helped by Arizona and the fact that the Packers, Lions, Cowboys and Eagles all look to be headed for good records. They need two of those to slow down, and to overtake the Niners too. A couple of decent teams are missing the playoffs in the NFC this year. (Note that this also excludes the Saints, largely because they aren't that good and also because they only need to overcome the sucky Panthers anyway).