Random Thoughts on the Dallas game

[NFSeahawks]

You do realize "season average" is 8 per game, thats too many.

I also don't agree Sherm is having a bad year. He's played well, just maybe not on last year Sherm level.

Your main point I agree with 100%, bring the offense back to a meat and potatoes team, run the ball and set up play action. Why change what works, just expand on it. Instead Bevell and PC tried to completely reinvent the offense after the addition of Harvin.

 

[AVL]

No need to panic. About two years ago the OP threw Wilson under the bus to scout the 2013 draft for answers to our offensive woes.

Thank god we didn't resort to that.

I still love your insight, K

 

[kearly]

Uh.. what? Dez had two catches against Sherman.. one of them was an amazing grab.

It was three over the span of half a game. The third was a called DPI on Sherman (it was a legit DPI).

There were about as many Sherman targets that fell incomplete, to Sherm's credit.

I don't think Sherman is terrible, but in 2014 he's no longer the nigh-unbeatable force he was from 2011 to 2013. I'm not sure how you can watch Sherman this season and think he is not playing at a much lower level than before. Maybe that's not entirely his fault, but the bottom line is that our pass D isn't getting the job done and his pedestrian performances have been a big part of that. All week long you will hear about how Sherman isn't the same in 2014 from the national media. And they won't be wrong in saying so.

And no, the Cowboys are not the best team in the NFC.

They sure looked like it today. And quite honestly, they'd probably be 6-0 right now had they not given the game to SF on a platter in the first quarter of the opener. You look at the Cowboys part by part and they look a lot more like the 2012-2013 Seahawks than the 2014 Seahawks do. Yeah, it's surprising, but this is what can happen in the NFL year to year. It's a new season.

Dallas could falter some and finish 11-5. But that might end up being the best record in the NFC this year.

 

[Tech Worlds]

Okung continues to be a penalty machine.

That is inexcusable.

 

[Tinymac2]

What's your thoughts? Is our secondary really a liability all of a sudden or is that a by product of no pass rush? I've seen little to no pressure from our front four the last two games but I only caught parts of each game.

 

[AgentDib]

On offense I can't understand why we don't put Baldwin back in the slot. He is being blanketed all game on the outside and it's not like we are having Harvin run crossing routes out of the slot instead or anything. Were we hoping that would be Willson's contribution today?

The loss of Unger and Miller looked like a much bigger deal for the offense then many hoped it would be and like most I didn't like our offensive game plan. I agree that we are trying to be too cute with Harvin and none of the four pillars of our passing game (QB, line pass protection, receivers, play calling) were playing well today.

I am more willing to give the defense a pass than most here. Every squad would be hurt by losing three cornerbacks and their middle linebacker, and there is room for optimism if we can get healthier as the scheme and game plan are still pretty good. Most of the reaction to this game should be respect for the Cowboys offense; which arguably has the top RB and offensive line in the NFL along with a top 5 WR and a top 10 QB. Props to them and we really need to step things up to avoid playing in Dallas in January.

 

[dontbelikethat]

Uh.. what? Dez had two catches against Sherman.. one of them was an amazing grab.

I think it was 3 in basically a quarter and a half.

I would guess that at least 80% of the passes targeting Sherman were caught in this game. For a fairly gaudy average too. When Romo went to Bryant, it seemed to be caught every time, even when Sherman was on him.

I don't think Sherman is terrible, but in 2014 he's no longer the nigh-unbeatable force he was from 2011 to 2013.

I don't want to sound like a homer coming to defense, but from my memory Sherm wasn't targeted that much. Maybe a handful of times?

Dez on the other hand I vividly remember him not doing THAT well, still good though obviously. It's also reflected in his stats, 4 catch for 63 yards on what's reportedly 10 targets.

 

[kearly]

I am more willing to give the defense a pass than most here. Every squad would be hurt by losing three cornerbacks and their middle linebacker, and there is room for optimism if we can get healthier as the scheme and game plan are still pretty good. Most of the reaction to this game should be respect for the Cowboys offense; which arguably has the top RB and offensive line in the NFL along with a top 5 WR and a top 10 QB. Props to them and we really need to step things up to avoid playing in Dallas in January.

Dallas does deserve props.

But Seattle's pass D was ranked 22nd before this game. It's not just one bad game we're talking about here, and our secondary just took a big hit with the loss of Maxwell. For a team that is built on defense and in particular a defense built on the secondary, this is a major issue.

 

[Jville]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Curtis_Crabtree/status/521480283736911872[/tweet]

 

[papashango]

I didn't think Sherman got "exposed". I think Dez is one of the best receivers in this league. Not to mention.....Sherman had a few PI calls against him that don't show up in the stats. I won't say "exposed" but its clear there's not much depth there at corner behind Maxwell.

Absolutely.. and I think it's something a lot of Seahawk fans are overlooking right now because of the offensive struggles.

You're right. I think we took our lack of depth at some key positions for granted. One of them being corner. People applaud us on our "Great" finds in the draft...but our lack of success in the 1st and 2nd rounds where premium prospects are at? Its troublesome.

 

[LoneHawkFan]

There is no one solution here. We as fans like to look for a single solution, because it gives us a feeling of control, like we just need to address one issue. But a multitude of breakdowns in every unit is not what anyone wants to hear.

Well, that's what happened today. Seattle was not mistake-free, Kip. Pass rush evaporated for too long (absent for the first half, then Irvin whiffed twice on a sack at the end). Offensive line struggled in pass pro, and it when it didn't, Wilson either didn't find anyone open, didn't trust them, or watched them drop the ball (though credit Dallas DBs for forcing the drops). Route trees in this dojo are nonexistent. Lynch wasn't used (probably concerns about O-line personnel). Defense overpursued and missed tackles on Murray. We couldn't spring Harvin except once.

There were little mistakes all over the place, and they added up. Simple as that.

And even then, it took a patient and complete game from a fine QB and defense to beat us in our house. I'll take that.

What it took for us to not get annihilated was three big TOs by Dallas. I believe the last statement here is a bit off...we got blown out by these guys. It didn't take a patient and complete game by Romo...and a great defense to beat us here. That team beats the Seahawks at least 8 out of 10 times right now with that gameplan we had. We got dominated.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Curtis_Crabtree/status/521480283736911872[/tweet]

A team built on running the ball, didn't. Inexcusable.

 

[mistaowen]

Agree with almost all of this except for Richard Sherman. I thought once he went to press man coverage shadowing Dez he played fantastic. Romo threw his way a lot. I can only remember two passes being completed on him and one was a perfect jump ball pass to Dez. He had some big tackles later in the game too and was IMO the best game of his season. Losing Max is a big blow, but if it means he has to shadow #1 WR for a few weeks, that makes me excited.

Bevell's desire to not give Marshawn the ball still has me scratching my head. Couple that with not passing to Harvin beyond the LOS once and I don't know what the plan here was. Brian Walters was frequently in at the end of the game with Harvin on the sidelines. Pete needs to take a serious look at the play calling. I can remember three times where we ran empty set out of shotgun on 2nd and then 3rd down, allowing the defense to know we were passing. Our WR already have a hard time getting separation on their own, letting them know we are passing just makes it unfair. We were never losing by more than a touchdown, so it's not like we needed to air it out. Marshawn should have run the ball 30 times or more.

Our defense has legitimate problems. The long third down conversions are unacceptable, especially for how they got them. Like you said, I think our Cover 3 has been figured out. We made changes at half time which was good to see and we slowed their running game down until the last drive they scored on, which was not good to see. They just seem to be playing without the fire they had last year. It wasn't until a few big tackles in the 3rd quarter that guys were jumping around, pushing each other, and looking like the defense that smacked the Broncos around in the Superbowl. We might need to go back to how we played last year, accept a few more penalties, and get back to pushing teams around.

Special teams continues to be fantastic.

 

[2_0_6]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Curtis_Crabtree/status/521480283736911872[/tweet]

This tells it all. Run the M*********G ball.

 

[Jville]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Curtis_Crabtree/status/521480283736911872[/tweet]

A team built on running the ball, didn't. Inexcusable.

I'm hoping we see that annual Carroll ...... Cable ...... Bevell meeting sooner rather than later this season.

 

[Mick063]

In the past three years, I have only seen Seattle physically mauled like this once. Against Arizona last year.

When you are taken to the woodshed, even winning the turnover battle doesn't help. Like Arizona last year.

The jet sweep action and read option have been solved by the better defensive coordinators.

Seattle's offensive line is as bad as I can ever recall in the history of the franchise. The receivers do not get open, Russell is getting happy feet too soon, Russell is taking more big hits, the scramble drill is a distant memory, and deep throws are never used to back off the coverage. All due to the offensive line failing miserably. The passing windows will only get smaller and the interceptions will start happening more frequently.

 

[LoneHawkFan]

There is a lot f talk about personnel, injuries, mistakes here as there, the "bad game" sentiment...

Fellas, we don't have "it" this year, plain and simple. The part of this game that can't be quantified...is what we're missing the most.

Other than that mental aspect...our offensive "scheme" is horrible. It isn't the play calling...it's the design. We have the guys, the personnel...but we don't design the plays for them. The playbook just stinks!

Right now we are a bad team, major changes need to be made on the offensive side of the ball first and foremost. Keeping the defense off the field will be mandatory going forward...our offense needs a complete overhaul as far as scheme is concerned. Play calling is one thing...I'm not sure we even have plays in the playbook that get Percy the ball 10+ yds downfield? Our bootleg should be deadly with our speed at WR. Deadly.

 

[THE TABS]

We're on to St. Louis.

 

[Yxes1122]

Last year there was an air of manifest destiny to this team. In every tight game they seemed to win and in every big game they seemed to dominate. Simply put, that isn't there this year. Now that doesn't mean we aren't a playoff team or that we aren't a contender it just means this year FEELS different.

For me, it feels like Seattle is having something of an identity crisis. On the one hand, we are trying to be the dominating defensive team that we were last year, the physical, swarming, punch you in the mouth defense that took us to the SB. And on the other, we are a finesse, gimmicky offense based around short passes and YAC. And it just seems like neither of these two identities are meshing right now. And I think something is going to have to give.

This team can get it fixed but it's going to take a shift in identity. I agree with kearly on the shift back to a meat and potatoes offense. But I also think Seattle needs to mix up it's D. Seattle isn't the Alabama of the pros like alot of people thought they'd be this year, but I didn't expect it. We have weaknesses and unfortunately, our depth (especially in the secondary) is being tested. And I think it's time to start comparing this team to 2012 more than to 2013. Much like 2012, our D is being held back by a struggling and inconsistent offense and much like 2012 our D isn't equipped to win games when we need to. 2012 was saved by an offense that got rolling by seasons end. It'll be interesting to see how (and if) 2014 is saved.

I will also be watching the draft closely this year. Seattle needs to begin replenishing it's depth and it's not going to be with UDFA. We need another 2012 level draft and hopefully JS has one of those in his pocket.

 

[nanomoz]

Seattle was relatively mistake free. Penalties were basically around their season average, and they didn't turn the ball over for the first 59 minutes.

Am I out of line thinking the number of dead ball penalties the Seahawks have had this year are hard to rationlize? Okung has 5 in 2 weeks. And there's been several others. If it was just these sorts of errors (akin to last year), I'd get it. But these sorts of errors and an inability to stop teams on third down is really a formula for the kiss of death.

I'm not Techworlds or anything (Love ya, Tech), but this shit is really ugly. I see eye to eye with you on your appraisal of the roster's talent, and as such, there's too much talent on this team, and too much of a home field advantage, to watch crap like we watched today without beginning to question the leadership of this team.

There was neither urgency or an effort to control the ball using the team's strength (run game) in the first half, am I alone in thinking the Seahawk offense looked incredibly indulgent in the first half?