Random thoughts on the Denver preseason game

[HawkWow]

Aside from entertainment, I got very little from this game. Glorified scrimmage and very tough to make any real evaluations under such conditions. I suspect we will see an entirely different Hawk team next week.

Don't worry. Be happy.

 

[kearly]

Aside from entertainment, I got very little from this game. Glorified scrimmage and very tough to make any real evaluations under such conditions. I suspect we will see an entirely different Hawk team next week.

Don't worry. Be happy.

The preseason is a critically important time for roster evaluation. 37 players currently on our roster will only be evaluated based on what they do in August, and preseason games are a big chunk of that. Among the 53 guys who make it, the pecking order might be decided by how they perform in these games as well. Russell Wilson won the starting job based on preseason performances.

But I agree, this game was so sloppy with officiating that it made evaluation more difficult than we'd like it to be. Every Hawks preseason seems to have one or two ugly games that are hard to interpret. This one just happened to be a little extra ugly.

Then again, the penalties can only excuse so much. It might explain the struggles in the secondary, might explain the issues in the run game, might explain why Wilson trusted his protection very little. But I don't think it explains Cassius Marsh bouncing off of Brock Osweiler, or the total ineffectiveness of our young pass rushers across the board. There were definitely some areas of concern that will stick with me going into the next game, and even in previous ugly preseason games we have been accustomed to seeing more standout players than we saw tonight.

 

[kearly]

Yeah, if the receiver pulls in the pass, Pryor is definitely a hero, but I think I'd still prefer them to take one last shot on fourth down.

I am okay with him trying to avoid 4th down and here's why:

Advanced NFL stats lists a 42% success rate on 4th and goal from the 4.

In Pryor's situation, the only way the decision to throw is worse than throwing the ball away is if the pass is intercepted. Meaning that for the decision to be incorrect, you would have to expect a greater than 42% chance of an interception on the attempt.

It was a high degree of difficulty throw but a lot has to go right for a defense to get the pick. My guess would be that the odds of a pick are well below the 42% threshold. Really, the odds of getting an interception are probably lower than getting a DPI or defensive holding call, especially in a preseason game. And of course, it could also be caught for a TD.

Obviously, it's not a play you try on 1st and goal earlier in the game. We as fans are conditioned to want our QBs risk averse in the red zone. Which is usually a good feeling to have. But here, given the dire circumstances, a little risk is okay because the downside of facing 4th and goal from the four is pretty substantial.

This isn't your usual case of protecting the football. This was a case of attempting to avoid a down where another incomplete pass is as good as a pick. Which is why I say that if a guy is open just enough in this specific situation, I'm okay with the QB taking a shot and hoping not to get screwed by a bad bounce.

 

[brimsalabim]

Did Harvin play?

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

Did Harvin play?

Like maybe a down or two as I recall.

 

[Ozzy]

I thought Michael looked impressive. His movement is just on another level and he looks like the elite talent scouts have pegged him as. Turbin seems to fall at the point of contact.

It's hard for me to criticize the backups and run defense as we were so vanilla on defense and playing in a conservative zone early on. I don't think the staff cares as they were looking for certain things that we probably won't see. I'm not going to say our depth went from NFL best to pedestrian based on the preseason opener. Again I think it was more a function of how they set up the defense.

Looking forward to the next couple of games and I bet the opinion changes somewhat.

 

[the ditch]

The offensive line was so bad last night. Cringe worthy, I don't blame Russell one bit for breaking out early and being tentative. He got hit on the one play and thankfully the Bronco guy didn't unload on him that one could have been ugly.

I liked what I saw in Richardson, and thought Coyle played fairly well. Christine is better than Turbin in every aspect of being a running back outside of blocking, but I just don't see how he doesn't take that #2 spot from Turbin. I am not a Turbin fan at all.

 

[Evil_Shenanigans]

Guys I was impressed by- Michael, Richardson, Coyle, Morgan, Marsh and Pryor.
Guys I had higher expectations for- Scruggs, Mayowa, Avril, Bailey and dare I say Lane.
Guys I am still on the fence over- Britt, Turbin, Jeffcoat, Ware, Bates
Special award for dumbass of the game goes to Simon!

That being said I was particularly concerned about the DL depth in the second half. The way Denver was able to run at will was cause for concern. Our Starting OL was uninspiring but about what you would expect from the guys who were in there. The starting DL seemed to be OK but no one was able to get any significant edge rush, left me wanting a little more. This was likely a good game to assess the camp bodies and depth guys so I am not too concerned about the loss.

 

[King Dog]

My biggest disappointments were Scruggs and Mayowa. I've heard so much about them in the off-season regarding their weight gain, added muscle etc.... I built them up in my head more than I should have. Both look like depth at best to me after one preseason game.

 

[ImTheScientist]

We had 10 guys out, bronco's had 0. My impression is that had an effect on things. I really don't agree with much the OP said, but thats pretty standard. I do however appreciate the effort put into the post.

 

[TwilightError]

The most glaring realization that opened up for me in This game is that Turbin is not an NFL caliber RB. He can block and he can catch but he cant run the ball. Not when he always goes down on first contact. I find it sad cause I really like the guy. CMike is a very good runner but still cant block and ball security Was also an issue.

If they mated?

 

[Ruminator]

Quick thoughts of my own:

Mildly surprising to see how much they used FB Coleman (Robinson's retirement notwithstanding). I root for him, but I think he still has another year or two to learn/develop, bulk up, and become a more dominant blocker. I think he can get there, but for now, I think the main thing he has to offer, besides running/catching the ball on occasion, is just getting in the way of defenders.

Turbin may have had a few good plays last year, but I'm guessing that was mostly via the help of the now-departed Robinson. There continues to be an unacceptably large number of no-gain/loss plays from him, and I'm getting concerned enough to wonder whether he'll ever turn the corner. Is there a flashing green icon that hovers over his head whenever he gets the ball? The way defenders seem to zoom straight to him with ease, it seems that way.

I found myself wondering if having a healthy Norwood in the red zone would have made a difference considering his propensity to come down with the ball in a crowd.

While Pryor somewhat managed to move the chains, there seemed to be at least a couple of scrambling plays where he could have thrown the ball to an open receiver. Maybe I'm so used to RW doing this several times a game, and reliably so, that I forget many QBs are uncomfortable throwing on the run, and some simply can't. Regardless, I remain surprised/confused that the Seahawks traded for him, and am not sure Pryor can win most games if he were our starter. Too soon to judge, though.

This was the first time a game felt like it did 5 years ago where it felt like my team was the Washington Generals. I'm sure that will diminish next week at the Clink, however. And to echo what Kearly said about our backups being mostly outmatched by the other team's backups for once, it does seem that we lost a lot of talent compared to the previous two seasons when I recall many of our backups being no less a force to reckon with as our starters.

I hope we keep Lockette.

 

[kpak76]

That being said, I thought Pryor's decision to throw that ball on the subsequent play was terrible. Threw it inside to a sea of orange jerseys. Accuracy wasn't too bad on the throw, but you're just asking for trouble by throwing it there in the first place.

On 3rd and goal with the game being on the line I am okay with it, especially since it should have been caught for a TD. Any throw when up against the sideline is going to be a white knuckle throw. I think in that situation with 4th down looming, if you see a chance for a game winner you take it.

I agree, the drop on the previous play was even worse, even if the throw was slightly off. I thought it was a good illustration of nerves and pressure determining clutch play.

The last pass by TP was not an accurate throw. It was a little behind the reciever which gave the defender a chance to tip the pass. Then we all know what happened at the end. I personally think TP did enough stuff to warrant a roster spot and maybe we only go into the season with 5 WR's. TP added something that even RW cant add and thats game changing speed from the QB position. Like I mentioned on a previous thread, if for anything you can keep him for the scout team to simulate Kaep.

 

[Sarlacc83]

I thought Michael suffered quite a bit from the field conditions. Also, on the play where he went down on the 1 yard line, you can see a Bronco grab his feet around the 4 or 5 yard line, removing his balance for the tackle at the 1. I think he gets in otherwise.

 

[Basis4day]

The running game was as good as i'd expect from all backups. Sweezy was the only starter from last year and didn't stay in the game long.

 

[NoChops]

Kinda interested in seeing more of Bronson. Yeah, the drop sucked..bad. On the flip side, his running looked pretty crisp. He hit the hole a lot faster than Turb and C'mike and showed some great vision on his first cut. I get it, he is camp fodder but could he be a slash and dash to go with Beast Mode??

 

[Largent80]

If you are playing Steven Schilling, Cory Brandon and Wade Smith who has been here all of 3 days, you are going to see that type of blocking. Sweezy out after 1 series. I don't read to much into this hard to watch game.

Richardson looked smooth out there however.

 

[SalishHawkFan]

What I got out of this game: We still need to find Lynch's replacement. CMike still lacks in pass pro. Turbin still falls down. We lacked intensity from the starters, something they showed plenty of last preseason against Denver. That's odd coming from a Pete Carroll team and troubling because I wanted to see if they still had chips on their shoulders. Chips were seriously lacking.

Can't really tell just yet how the new penalty mania is going to affect them. They played such a vanilla, hands off scheme.

 

[Mick063]

I don't know who keeps hyping up Jeffcoat around here but seriously......watch the dude play.

Really. Go back to the DVR and watch number 43.

He gets manhandled and pursues like a turtle. Was really bad. A linebacker that can't keep his butt low doesn't cut it.

The good?

Even in bad field conditions with a rag tag offensive line, Michael jumps off the screen.

Watch it again. The bad, soggy field really hampered him and the tackles were pushed back into his face. Regardless, he showed flashes in adverse conditions.

 

[Hasselbeck]

I don't know who keeps hyping up Jeffcoat around here but seriously......watch the dude play.

Really. Go back to the DVR and watch number 43.

He gets manhandled and pursues like a turtle. Was really bad. A linebacker that can't keep his butt low doesn't cut it.

Yeah was really disappointed with how Jeffcoat played, especially considering all the guys that didn't play last night. He looked absolutely lost out there.

Would need quite the turnaround to even make the practice squad at this point.