Pressure is on Russell Wilson

[Anthony!]

This isn't just preseason; this extends back to Green Bay, New England and Dallas. Those teams were able to shut us down. Give me a game where Wilson has shredded a team primarily from the pocket?

ahh first of all other than the Int WIlson played well against NE a qb rating of 110. 2nd wow out of 19 games you pick 3. I can find 3 bad games by every top QB in the league. Here let me remind you as well out of his last 10 games including playoffs he had a QB rating below 90 in only 3. AS to the form the pocket name me a game were he had a pocket on every single pass play? Good lord this is pathetic, now not only doe she have to play great, but he has to every game and only form the pocket now, while dealing with the worse oline in the league. Pathetic.

 

[SUhawk]

Right on Anthony, lots of conjecture indeed. I do think that russ contract is not as much price of success, as it will more so be increased responsibility and performance standard going forward.

 

[Anthony!]

Right on Anthony, lots of conjecture indeed. I do think that russ contract is not as much price of success, as it will more so be increased responsibility and performance standard going forward.

Perhaps we will see but I am not going to panic now given all the moving pieces

I mean Rodgers the supposed best QB in the league has not thrown a TD pass this preseason, Has only had 1 game with a QB rating over 79, and made or tied to make a few weird plays.

Tom Brady has had 3 games were is QB rating was under 60, and while he has a TD he also has 2 ints, and no one is worried. People need to chill

 

[HuskerHawk]

All I'm going to say, and this is just my personal belief, but there are two quarterbacks who I will never doubt their long term ability to lead their teams to victory. One is Tom Brady. The other is Russell Wilson. I feel their results in the past have consistently validated this belief.

 

[Tech Worlds]

This isn't just preseason; this extends back to Green Bay, New England and Dallas. Those teams were able to shut us down. Give me a game where Wilson has shredded a team primarily from the pocket?

Are you cereal?

So now he has to shred teams from the pocket in order to be the man here? Thats not the player he is. Get over it. He is not your prototypical pocket passer. He gets it done in other ways.

 

[Rob12]

In the 40+ years I've been a fan of the Seahawks, one thing never changes:

You can't put stock into what the team does - or does not do - in the preseason. I have yet to see the preseason be a true accurate gauge of what a team ends up doing in the regular season for 16 games.

I admit I can get worked up as much as anybody even in the preseason when aspects of the Seahawks look like garbage but I have to sit back and look at the bigger picture which again, preseason rarely ever translates to the regular season except for the bottom feeder teams in the league.

Base, vanilla schemes, teams trying not to show their hand while evaluating their young players. Yeah I admit you would prefer to see the offense have a nice authoritative 80+ yard TD drive just once in the preseason but I'll reserve getting too worked up about it unless it's halfway through the season and the offense ranks at the bottom in the league.

I just don't see that happening.

The Godfather, and voice of reason.

The first team offense has looked abysmal through three preseason games - so what? We're working with an offensive line that is young and inexperienced, and are trying to find the best pieces to the puzzle. That takes time and it takes a little bit of patience. Russ' accuracy has been off, but we have no reason to believe that he will not clean that up once the season begins.

The Seahawks aren't showing much of their playbook at this point. They are going through the motions and getting snaps in for the offensive line. I'm not a complete homer, but I do think the team is coasting a bit at this point and doing what they can to avoid any major injuries. We've seen two carries and one reception from Beast in one series (three plays) all preseason. He is the oil that gets the gears rolling smoothly on this offense. So, I think it's a bit silly to be nervous at this point.

We had a 2-2 preseason last year and are headed there again. It doesn't matter.

 

[12thbrah]

I believe Russell will continue to improve. Geez the guy is just starting his 4th year and its no coincidence his play since he was a rookie has brought historic success to this franchise. Drew Brees didnt even start tearing it up till his 6th year in New Orleans

 

[Recon_Hawk]

I've seen a bigger emphasize this preseason from Russ to stay in the pocket and going through his progressions. He's pushing himself to be a better pocket QB and that takes making some mistakes. His off target throws isn't typical Russell. He's so focused on what he wants to do right that he's not just slinging the ball. Like a golfer thinking too much about his swing.

He's probably working on a couple other things, too, so that's one of the reasons he's been off. He looked like normal Russ in the last drive in the first half against SD.

 

[JimmyG]

The O-Line has been better than Hawk fans credit it for being over these last few years. Something to take into consideration is that Wilson holds the ball longer than any QB in the NFL by a significant margin.

But that stat does not prove much. I mean it does give context, but look at this scenario. RW drops back, pocket breaks quickly he scrambles makes a pass for 10+ yards but holds it for 4+ sec. in the process. That seem like an odd RW scenario? That would add to his 'holding longer' and yet wouldn't be indicative of fault. He does hold too long at times, but that stat has it's faults. It doesn't really adjust well for QB's who can hold the ball to make a good thing happen. He also, was among the top in QB pressure under 2 seconds if I remember correctly. It's a combination of things certainly, but don't place too much weight on average time to pass here as a mechanism for showing the o-line is actually good at pass pro. I agree in general terms that is an area to improve I just don't love that stat as a way to prove much, it's helpful but needs other context.

At the same time, there are many times when Wilson scrambles instinctively or from sensing "phantom pressure", and yet fans are still quick to blame the offensive line. Good pass blocking on a given play and Wilson scrambling around are not mutually exclusive. It's not uncommon to see both on one play (which is fine, because running around is one of Wilson's strength -- sometimes it taints our evaluation of our pass blocking, though).

For example, here's a situation where he had superb pass blocking and ended up running himself into a sack:

There's one play in particular (unfortunately, I can't find a GIF of it) that really stands out to me as it pertains to this topic. There was a play against the Rams (in St. Louis) when he had great pass protection and ended up spinning around in a wide circle for no reason. It was a great example of what I'm talking about. Generally Wilson's instincts are great, but sometimes they fail him and the OL is scapegoated.

 

[Tical21]

After reading about the Hawaii trip and looking at his body of work for the last five games (NFC Championship and Super Bowl included), It is of my opinion he is going to be tested like he never has before. The book is out on him. Teams are going to put a spy at the Linebacker position and maintain gap integrity with him. It is obvious that Wilson can complete the bomb from the pocket and is deadly when you give him space outside the pocket but, imho, he has yet to prove he can be a reliable pocket passer.

Let me put this disclaimer that I am a Wilson fan. I admire what he does off and on the field. I respect what a man does, not what he says. He words can ring hollow but if he is a man of substance, that has value in my world. I hope he succeeds, but I think his height may come back to bite him. Watching the tape of the Super Bowl, there were intermediary routes that were open and Wilson didn't pull the trigger or couldn't find them (Your guess is as good as mine). He seems almost nonchalant about his struggles ("We will be just fine") in the preseason but there is a pattern going on here. There hasn't been room to run and he isn't accurate in the 10-20 yard range. Quick sideline outs he has had success but over the middle he has failed miserably.

Reading in between the lines the Hawaii trip was a outlet for the defense to vent. When the Hawks went up 24-14 and forced New England to two drive stalling punts, they expected the offense to step on their throats and put the game away.. The more I have watched the tape this preseason, two things have stood out to me.

The abysmal blocking of Jimmy Graham

and

The horrible accuracy of Russell Wilson....

This has been the biggest drive killing stalwarts.


I hope I am wrong but I must say I am a little nervous.

.... it does not matter if they are open right away of they are #3 in his progression, and are covered when he gets to them, it also doe snot matter if they are open after their place in his progressions, and of course it really does not matter if they are open on 3rd and 10 for 2 yards when we need 10. None of these things can be told form watching video.

They can't? Give me any ten plays you want right now and I'll bet you whatever amount you would like that on all ten I can name you his primary and can name you the second option at least 80% of the time he gets to it. I'd try to get to his third but his third is almost always "run." He usually looks up again, and tries to find guys coming open, but his first steps of his progression are almost always 1, 2, run or 1, run. This isn't totally his fault as he doesn't get a ton of time to sit back there and get to 3 or 4, but that is what is going to make a difference for him.

Also, if he makes his pre-snap read, he identifies his primary, and his primary wins his route, he has to throw the ball. Every time. And if the other team is sending 6, he has to get rid of the football. He can't outrun it. Give a guy a chance to make a play. I saw Kearse fail to recognize hot on one occasion last week and it led to a bad play from Russell, but that's kind of rare. If nothing else, if the defense sends six, find Jimmy Graham and go back shoulder. That dude is ALWAYS open, period. Not harping, just improvements that I really want to see on a consistent basis. I want Russ to be Russ, but also to make it easier on himself sometimes. Work smart, not hard. I do have a fear that he is so confident in his running ability and his ability to make plays that part of him believes he actually doesn't see as much of an emphasis on needing to improve in other areas. Does he have that much of an ego? I guess we'll find out.

 

[Rob12]

The O-Line has been better than Hawk fans credit it for being over these last few years. Something to take into consideration is that Wilson holds the ball longer than any QB in the NFL by a significant margin.

But that stat does not prove much. I mean it does give context, but look at this scenario. RW drops back, pocket breaks quickly he scrambles makes a pass for 10+ yards but holds it for 4+ sec. in the process. That seem like an odd RW scenario? That would add to his 'holding longer' and yet wouldn't be indicative of fault. He does hold too long at times, but that stat has it's faults. It doesn't really adjust well for QB's who can hold the ball to make a good thing happen. He also, was among the top in QB pressure under 2 seconds if I remember correctly. It's a combination of things certainly, but don't place too much weight on average time to pass here as a mechanism for showing the o-line is actually good at pass pro. I agree in general terms that is an area to improve I just don't love that stat as a way to prove much, it's helpful but needs other context.

At the same time, there are many times when Wilson scrambles instinctively or from sensing "phantom pressure", and yet fans are still quick to blame the offensive line. Good pass blocking on a given play and Wilson scrambling around are not mutually exclusive. It's not uncommon to see both on one play (which is fine, because running around is one of Wilson's strength -- sometimes it taints our evaluation of our pass blocking, though).

For example, here's a situation where he had superb pass blocking and ended up running himself into a sack:

There's one play in particular (unfortunately, I can't find a GIF of it) that really stands out to me as it pertains to this topic. There was a play against the Rams (in St. Louis) when he had great pass protection and ended up spinning around in a wide circle for no reason. It was a great example of what I'm talking about. Generally Wilson's instincts are great, but sometimes they fail him and the OL is scapegoated.

This a great insight and shows some flaws in RW's game... He has to take what's there instead of worrying about what could go wrong. Hoping he gets a bit more freedom this year.

 

[Phoenix]

Wilson is not built to be pocket passer. He don't need no stinkin' pocket.

 

[Mojambo]

This isn't just preseason; this extends back to Green Bay, New England and Dallas. Those teams were able to shut us down. Give me a game where Wilson has shredded a team primarily from the pocket?

Are you cereal?

So now he has to shred teams from the pocket in order to be the man here? Thats not the player he is. Get over it. He is not your prototypical pocket passer. He gets it done in other ways.

No kidding. Unless he's also willing to slam Peyton Manning for not shredding teams with the read option, this criticism is bogus. There's more than one way to be an awesome QB. People need to get hip with that fact.

 

[Sealake80]

Wilson aint perfect and he does and will have off games. People are right to enjoy looking for ways he can improve and even for worrying a little. It makes the game more fun for fans. Still the guy is a baller. He's going to win games for us in the 4th quarter just like always. Preseason time doesn't even equal a whole game for the starters does it? It hasn't been good but, eh.

It's a crazy formula to win Seahawks football. Our team seems pretty unique. I think Wilson is everything he needs to be.

I know they are working on specific things and Wilson looking stellar in the preseason isn't that important. Too bad he threw that one pick to end last season. It may happen again, but it is just as likely Wilson's gonna win it all for us. More likely I'd wager. I'll take that.

Pressure has always been on Wilson. So far he's doing just fine!

Hey it's my 100th post! Can I start selling other peoples crap on here now? jk.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

Seahawks.NET during the preseason every year:

(Sound mandatory)

[vine]eIXejbQ2utM[/vine]4

 

[hawker84]

The O-Line has been better than Hawk fans credit it for being over these last few years. Something to take into consideration is that Wilson holds the ball longer than any QB in the NFL by a significant margin.

But that stat does not prove much. I mean it does give context, but look at this scenario. RW drops back, pocket breaks quickly he scrambles makes a pass for 10+ yards but holds it for 4+ sec. in the process. That seem like an odd RW scenario? That would add to his 'holding longer' and yet wouldn't be indicative of fault. He does hold too long at times, but that stat has it's faults. It doesn't really adjust well for QB's who can hold the ball to make a good thing happen. He also, was among the top in QB pressure under 2 seconds if I remember correctly. It's a combination of things certainly, but don't place too much weight on average time to pass here as a mechanism for showing the o-line is actually good at pass pro. I agree in general terms that is an area to improve I just don't love that stat as a way to prove much, it's helpful but needs other context.

At the same time, there are many times when Wilson scrambles instinctively or from sensing "phantom pressure", and yet fans are still quick to blame the offensive line. Good pass blocking on a given play and Wilson scrambling around are not mutually exclusive. It's not uncommon to see both on one play (which is fine, because running around is one of Wilson's strength -- sometimes it taints our evaluation of our pass blocking, though).

For example, here's a situation where he had superb pass blocking and ended up running himself into a sack:

There's one play in particular (unfortunately, I can't find a GIF of it) that really stands out to me as it pertains to this topic. There was a play against the Rams (in St. Louis) when he had great pass protection and ended up spinning around in a wide circle for no reason. It was a great example of what I'm talking about. Generally Wilson's instincts are great, but sometimes they fail him and the OL is scapegoated.

For everyone of these plays where he runs himself into trouble, there's ten where he makes an amazing play during the scramble. give me a break.

 

[Barthawk]

Give me a game where Wilson has shredded a team primarily from the pocket?

Well, since you mentioned the last 5 games including playoffs, how about the playoff game against Carolina? He was superb.

More fun to cherry pick games to prove a point.

 

[themunn]

This isn't just preseason; this extends back to Green Bay, New England and Dallas. Those teams were able to shut us down. Give me a game where Wilson has shredded a team primarily from the pocket?

And Dallas? We've played 15 games since then. That's ancient history in the NFL. The Dolphins and Chiefs were able to absolutely shred the Patriots last season. How did that work out for the Patriots?

As for the other two games. Yes, Wilson had a bad game in the NFCCG, but so did Aaron Rodgers ("bestest QB ever"), much of the bad play came down to bad weather, poor receiving and general bad luck (2 interceptions off of Kearse drops).

Importantly, when the game was on the line, he was able to overcome this - something most QBs can't.

And while we started really slowly in the SB, Wilson didn't play badly at all.

 

[Willyeye]

Still comes down to whether Eli Manning, Matt Ryan and others have more weapons than Wilson.....the answer is Manning needs both a running game and at least 2 elite to very good WR's to succeed, otherwise he throws 20+ picks a year.

Ryan has spent every year of his career throwing to any combo of the following....Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez.

I think both programs are considered your prototype QB....I can add Rothlesberger with players like Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller.

We need to be fair to Wilson and understand that his touch on the deep ball is as good as anyone in the league and I'm excited for him having Matthews and now Graham as pieces of the offense. We are still forgetting that Matthews didn't play any snaps in any of the games prior to the Super Bowl in a meaningful fashion.....instead we were arguing last year about the merits of Phil Bates vs Ricardo Lockette.

The addition of Fred Jackson after week 2, along with Samson Satele, mixed with Graham, Tyler Lockette and Matthews, give us a real threat of playmaking. We miss Sidney Rice and his presence in helping Wilson develop as a rookie, along with some actual plays being made by Zach Miller and Anthony McCoy at TE.

The gaps in our offense are alarming if we are looking back at last year. This year is a new year and teams have to respect Graham and Jackson as safer throws that will move the chains. The 3 and outs had to be a point of contention in the Super Bowl, we got outplayed and survived on 2 big plays to Matthews.

The defense and article in Sports Illustrated was excellent in that Wilson knows he has to deliver, but his work ethic is 2nd to none. Do I think he's not looking to throw picks?? Absolutely...he missed Turbin on a pass inside that he scrambled out of trouble and tried a floater to Kearse in the endzone.

To recap, when players like Anthony McCoy, who when healthy is as athletic as Jimmy Graham, are missed on crossing routes, we down play it because it's McCoy.....when he misses Graham on a shallow cross, it will get magnified.

I honestly am more terrified about Tharold Simon and Cary Williams playing significant minutes at CB, more than anything associated with Russell Wilson. I am hoping Jeremy Lane gets back by November and that Tye Smith develops. I'd rather see Smith and Simon develop more than whatever jump in talent Wilson presents this year.

The Super Bowl is past us. The legend of Seattle looking or feeling like New England is established over a 7 to 8 years period not over a 2 or 3 year stretch. People pencil in the Packers for the playoffs and winning the North. Seattle is now at that level where we are going to make the playoffs every year for the near and distant future. We are not going to win the Super Bowl every single year, but will be in the conversation. That's all you can ask for, there is not a window closing on things here, the future for the next 5 to 7 years is very bright. Enjoy this timeframe folks, it is really a fun time, with some stress mixed in....beats finishing 8-8 every year.

Not sure why the playing time of Tharold Simon would terrify you. Prior to him suffering a shoulder dislocation in Week 16, Simon, in many stats, was one of the top-graded CB's in the NFL according to PFF. It wasn't his fault that the coaches decided to have him active in the playoffs and expect him to play through a separated shoulder/fully torn labrum injury. It's one thing to expect that from a veteran All-Pro like Earl, but not from a red-shirt rookie like Simon.Had the powers that be decided to activate Burley instead of Simon, there's a great chance that SB49 never would have come down to that last offensive (pun intended) play. Not using an injured Simon to replace the sick Maxwell would have made the Panthers game a lot easier on the defense also.

 

[Willyeye]

I don't care about preseason wins or losses. But generally speaking, Seattle was the NFL's best preseason team the last few years in terms of individual performances, and that HAS translated into regular season success.

The offense has struggled, and that is something to be concerned about. Thing is though, you have basically 3/5 of the OL either being brand new or playing a new position. Wilson is learning to trust that line, and also still figuring out chemistry with several new pass catchers. Our running backs are still learning how to run behind this new line. Bevell is still trying to figure out why calling an outside sweep on first and goal from the 2 isn't outsmarting anyone.

Other than Bevell being Bevell, I'm pretty confident that this stuff will sort itself out over the next month or so. And Seattle's Defense and Special teams are so amazing that they'll give Seattle a great chance to win even if the offense struggles.

Just wanted to point out, in the last preseason game in SD, Okung was out, so actually 4/5 of the O-Line was either brand new or playing a new position. In that game, it was really only Britt and Bailey that had a tough game, and hopefully with Okung back, Britt can thrive playing in between Okung and Nowak. I thought Nowak, Sweezy and Gilliam showed a LOT of promise.