Okay so that is kind of a bait and switch lead in...Yes, I am stoked that we are 4-2 and like Mack Strong always told us, wins are hard to come by in the NFL and he is right about that.
HOWEVER!
Ahem.
What in the freaking fracklesteen is going on with Jimmy Graham!?? I am sure every 12 is thinking that thought. In the first half he looked like some scrub that stole his body and uniform who had zero football catching ability. In the second half he woke up and remembered how to catch the ball. If you judge one half of a game on his performance shame on you but the story of this season thus far shows an alarming trend. He just hasn't been himself. Why?
Rawls. Okay, gross alert but my nickname for Rawls in his rookie year was BIG BAWLS RAWLS!! He earned it. Punishing runs, looked every bit the answer to Lynch. Since then he has been one injury after another and when he does get healthy and back on the field he looks like he is trying too hard and lacks the patience the best running backs exhibit unconsciously. I haven't given up on Rawls just yet but he really needs to focus and produce like he is capable of.
Russell DANGERUSS Wilson. Without him we would be 0-6 right now. Maybe. Okay maybe not, but the record would be nowhere near as pretty as 4-2. We all know our OL is hot garbage but bless their hearts they do try. If Russ wasn't running for his life on nearly every drop back we wouldn't recognize him. Thankfully Russ is full of all kinds of magic and some of that magic was on display in this game but MY GOD Russell for every time you over throw an open receiver A KITTEN DIES SO KNOCK IT OFF!!!
Ahh. Deep breath. Now that that is out of my system...
I don't know what our stats are on defense. I really don't give a (bleep) right now about metrics. All I know is that our defense is still one of, if not THE best defense in the NFL. Now don't you dare counter my opinion with some emotionless metric that has no bearing on the blood, sweat and tears that is invested on every play of each game. Metrics don't measure heart and unity and fight. For if they did, this defense would be ranked number one each year in and year out.
Let's not apologize for beating up on a wounded animal as the 1-6 Giants are. Great teams see blood in the water and strike accordingly. Do you think the Patriots would be regarded in any less light had they won 24-7?
Make no mistake the 2017 Seahawks are going to challenge our collective blood pressures. Mainly offensively. Jimmy is in some zombie mode with concrete hands at times, yet pulls himself out of the coma to wake up in the second half of games, seemingly remembering who he is. A microcosm of the Seahawks offense in general. Completely anemic in the first half only to suddenly become a vibrant and productive - if not impressive - offense in the second half.
The OL will continue to keep Russell up at night with night sweats but bless their hearts the effort is clearly there. Doug Baldwin will continue to bail us out on third downs and the running game will do just enough to wonder what life could really be like on the plus side of 100 yards per game.
In the end, let's face facts. These are not your 2013 Seahawks. They do not have any semblance of a dominant running game, they have more warts then we have seen on offense in years. But what they DO have is the genesis, the mantra that never, ever ends under Pete's watch and that is ALWAYS COMPETE.
Say what you will about this team but one thing you can never argue is this team ALWAYS COMPETES. It never, ever, ever gives up regardless of circumstance or score. And if they are down coming into the second half?
Look out. It's when they are the most productive, and dangeRUSS team in the league.
Go Hawks!
HOWEVER!
Ahem.
What in the freaking fracklesteen is going on with Jimmy Graham!?? I am sure every 12 is thinking that thought. In the first half he looked like some scrub that stole his body and uniform who had zero football catching ability. In the second half he woke up and remembered how to catch the ball. If you judge one half of a game on his performance shame on you but the story of this season thus far shows an alarming trend. He just hasn't been himself. Why?
Rawls. Okay, gross alert but my nickname for Rawls in his rookie year was BIG BAWLS RAWLS!! He earned it. Punishing runs, looked every bit the answer to Lynch. Since then he has been one injury after another and when he does get healthy and back on the field he looks like he is trying too hard and lacks the patience the best running backs exhibit unconsciously. I haven't given up on Rawls just yet but he really needs to focus and produce like he is capable of.
Russell DANGERUSS Wilson. Without him we would be 0-6 right now. Maybe. Okay maybe not, but the record would be nowhere near as pretty as 4-2. We all know our OL is hot garbage but bless their hearts they do try. If Russ wasn't running for his life on nearly every drop back we wouldn't recognize him. Thankfully Russ is full of all kinds of magic and some of that magic was on display in this game but MY GOD Russell for every time you over throw an open receiver A KITTEN DIES SO KNOCK IT OFF!!!
Ahh. Deep breath. Now that that is out of my system...
I don't know what our stats are on defense. I really don't give a (bleep) right now about metrics. All I know is that our defense is still one of, if not THE best defense in the NFL. Now don't you dare counter my opinion with some emotionless metric that has no bearing on the blood, sweat and tears that is invested on every play of each game. Metrics don't measure heart and unity and fight. For if they did, this defense would be ranked number one each year in and year out.
Let's not apologize for beating up on a wounded animal as the 1-6 Giants are. Great teams see blood in the water and strike accordingly. Do you think the Patriots would be regarded in any less light had they won 24-7?
Make no mistake the 2017 Seahawks are going to challenge our collective blood pressures. Mainly offensively. Jimmy is in some zombie mode with concrete hands at times, yet pulls himself out of the coma to wake up in the second half of games, seemingly remembering who he is. A microcosm of the Seahawks offense in general. Completely anemic in the first half only to suddenly become a vibrant and productive - if not impressive - offense in the second half.
The OL will continue to keep Russell up at night with night sweats but bless their hearts the effort is clearly there. Doug Baldwin will continue to bail us out on third downs and the running game will do just enough to wonder what life could really be like on the plus side of 100 yards per game.
In the end, let's face facts. These are not your 2013 Seahawks. They do not have any semblance of a dominant running game, they have more warts then we have seen on offense in years. But what they DO have is the genesis, the mantra that never, ever ends under Pete's watch and that is ALWAYS COMPETE.
Say what you will about this team but one thing you can never argue is this team ALWAYS COMPETES. It never, ever, ever gives up regardless of circumstance or score. And if they are down coming into the second half?
Look out. It's when they are the most productive, and dangeRUSS team in the league.
Go Hawks!