Some observations off the cuff

[TwistedHusky]

Unless this game is an outlier, Kam's stock just rose massively. And the chance at us keeping him just dropped like a stone.

Kam will see he has leverage, the FO will refuse to budge and we will be forced to trade him. Kam will then have the option of holding out for the Raiders or something, and might get a better contract out of it. Or I guess he could try to hold a gun to the team that trades for him in holding out on them.

Given that threat, not sure we even get much in trade...maybe a 2nd rounder or something.

It will remove the distraction but likely be one brick in the wall falling that will have consequences far down the line. We now know it was not just the system, but the ability of the players that made it special. That causes problems when the replacements are far, far less special.

I was optimistic to this point but without our defense I think we will find the window closing very very fast. The secondary is now pretty ordinary and the offense isn't going to scare anyone. I was hoping we could bring Kam back after this game, but not as bad as the D looked - Kam just looks like the missing keystone based on the effect his absence is having.

One wonders how far the fall has to be before we can get rid of Bevell, because until that happens I am not sure we can recover from being a team that used to win with defense and now has neither defense or an offense.

 

[Tical21]

I just wanted to say I really appreciated this writeup. Most cogent thoughts I've read on the game so far.

I might try to write something more later. Might not since you covered it so well. But wanted to give you the shout out regardless. Thanks.

Thanks dude! I think....gotta look up cogent first. At first I was just replying to one of the Fire Bevell threads then got a little carried away.

 

[Tical21]

Tical, saying Lockett is not really fast is silly. Otherwise I agree with a lot of your post.

I was begging for a Wilson to Jimmy fade. Until I saw one. For as long as wilson holds the ball he gets rid of the fade too soon.

I know he's quick, I know he's pretty fast, but he never ran sub 4.4. You can tell just by watching him he isn't like a 4.28 guy or something like that. When I think of a deep threat, I ever think of a guy that is going to go up and get it, or a guy that is so fast that he can get behind the defense even when they cover it pretty well. I certainly could be wrong, but I just don't think that is the kind of speed we're talking about here. Not that he can't sneak up and run by some guys, and we should certainly try a couple times to see if he can do it, but I would be pretty surprised if he ends up excelling on the deep stuff.

Good analysis on the fade. Find out where Jimmy is going to post up and lob one in there to him.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Sorry, your post was WAY too long to read.

Here's a hopefully productive suggestion. Pretend that each paragraph is a different post.
I taught that to my nephew and it works for him.
Good luck with it.

That's actually some good advice. :th2thumbs:

Tical had some good points and some points that weren't right at all especially about Lockett but he isn't whining or being otherwise ridiculous with overreaction.

 

[Tical21]

The one thing that is a little alarming is that the Rams didn't have their two best backs, their best receiver, and their best corner missed the majority of the game.

 

[Hasselbeck]

The one thing that is a little alarming is that the Rams didn't have their two best backs, their best receiver, and their best corner missed the majority of the game.

There was a point in the game where the Rams were down 2 corners.

Bevell, naturally, dialed up two running plays.

They have 4 corners on the roster.

:34853_doh:

 

[CovingtonHawk]

Lynch had a mostly great game in short yardage situations, but he missed a good enough hole to the left on the final play. I thought for sure he was going to hit it and then he danced instead and took the TFL.

Marshawn seemed to have less pep in his step too. Less explosive, and less elusive. Every time he tried to cut back against a defender he'd just get tackled. I hope it's just a fluke.

Nowak needs to work on a lot of things, particularly his shotgun snaps.

Wilson never had time to throw all game but still completed 78% of his passes. I think he'll be just fine next week when he can mix in 5-6 deep bombs. He had 0 today... out of 41 attempts!

As mentioned Wilson really needs to work on his endzone fade.

Bad calls went both ways in this game, but an uncalled DPI on an endzone fade late in the game was really tough. IIRC, it was targeting Kearse, and the DB just shoved him out of bounds while the ball was in the air.

Luke Willson doesn't really add any value to the team anymore, neither does Helfet. One of those guys should be cut to bring in a blocking TE. We need one.

Fred Jackson looked really good as a receiver and solid as a runner.

Given the adversity Wilson faced today I'm impressed how he seemed to fit into a rhythm. It's too bad they were all dink and dunks.

Graham looks good. The Rams are one of the best teams in the NFL at defending TEs and Graham still managed a decent number of catches.

Britt still gets roasted on the edge rush... at guard.

Okung seemed to play well, the rest of the OL sucked. As could be expected in this nightmare week 1 matchup.

Lockett is good on screens and good on short sideline stuff. Scottemojo mentioned to me that the Rams started sending double teams Lockett's way by the 2nd half. He's really good.

Defense had a brutal game outside of Bennett, Mebane, maybe Avril, maybe Earl. Typical 10am stuff with regard to tackling as Tical mentions. Our linebackers haven't played a game that bad since 2013. I'm sure KJ and Wagner will be fine next week. Not worried about the LBs long term.

Bailey made it feel like Seattle was playing with 10 defenders. That final TD was such a disaster. You literally could not draw up a worse way to blow the game. It had every Hawk fan feeling like this on the inside:

The worst part of this game is how it impacts Kam. Kam was totally on the ropes before this game, you felt he'd be caving any moment. But this game couldn't have boosted his stock any more, so just when it looked like Kam might cave, now he'll be further emboldened. I don't think Seattle will give in, I think both sides will suffer, sadly.

Credit where credit is due, Nick Foles took advantage of our secondary issues and the Rams coaching staff drew up a good game plan defensively. The Rams defense executed that plan to perfection. Seattle couldn't throw deep on that defense. It seemed to be impossible. And they snuffed out the short stuff masterfully. Their tackling was very sound, and their corners played fairly tight coverage. YAC was hard to come by. The great defenses dictate how games are played, and that's what the Rams defense did today.

Up until the turf-monster got Bailey, I was really having fun watching this game. It was a wild one, and up until that moment, felt like a win.

Most of your analysis I agree,but regarding Okung.

He gave up 3 sacks, 2 to Qinn and 1 to Sims.

Not acceptable by a $7 miilion left tackle.

 

[Schadie001]

Great insight. This game reminded me of Dallas game last year. 3rd and 15 late in the game Rams are down, we are up by a TD. They get 22 just like Dallas last year, go on to get TD. We lose. Sickening.

 

[endzorn]

Lynch had a mostly great game in short yardage situations, but he missed a good enough hole to the left on the final play. I thought for sure he was going to hit it and then he danced instead and took the TFL.

Marshawn seemed to have less pep in his step too. Less explosive, and less elusive. Every time he tried to cut back against a defender he'd just get tackled. I hope it's just a fluke.

Luke Willson doesn't really add any value to the team anymore, neither does Helfet. One of those guys should be cut to bring in a blocking TE.

I love these observations. These are examples of unpopular points you've been unafraid to make in your old posts, but are valid and impossible to ignore. I agree, not only that Lynch missed the hole in the B gap between Britt and Okung, but that he looked slow today. I hope it's one day, but with 30 looming, we've seen how this could play out before.

On Willson, what a great point. He's an invisible player under our current configuration and it's a thought provoking observation. He doesn't have clutch hands and he's not a rock solid blocker, so where does he present value to a 53-man roster?

 

[Zebulon Dak]

Good stuff from Tical & kearly. Thanks for keeping your heads on, guys.

 

[Anthony!]

Lynch had a mostly great game in short yardage situations, but he missed a good enough hole to the left on the final play. I thought for sure he was going to hit it and then he danced instead and took the TFL.

Marshawn seemed to have less pep in his step too. Less explosive, and less elusive. Every time he tried to cut back against a defender he'd just get tackled. I hope it's just a fluke.

Luke Willson doesn't really add any value to the team anymore, neither does Helfet. One of those guys should be cut to bring in a blocking TE.

I love these observations. These are examples of unpopular points you've been unafraid to make in your old posts, but are valid and impossible to ignore. I agree, not only that Lynch missed the hole in the B gap between Britt and Okung, but that he looked slow today. I hope it's one day, but with 30 looming, we've seen how this could play out before.

On Willson, what a great point. He's an invisible player under our current configuration and it's a thought provoking observation. He doesn't have clutch hands and he's not a rock solid blocker, so where does he present value to a 53-man roster?

Not invisible he did drop a TD pass.

 

[rastahawk]

Great post and great analysis. I really appreciate it when fans take the time to provide opinions based on sound analysis. Always better reading material over national media drivel any day. Dare I say while we did lose the game and we definitely have issues to address, we looked okay. I know yeah it sucks we lost but this definitely didn't feel like downward spiral kind of a loss.

As far as my two cents go, I like the flashes we saw from Graham. Fred Taylor looks like he can still play and I also like his pass catching dimension. Rawls might become very solid with more touches. Agree with Kearly re Luke Willson its time we let him go. I had enough of him from last season and was hoping we cut him in offseason. Tyler Locket looks like he is going to be special. I am so excited to have that guy that can score from anywhere. Wondering the same thing re Kam as Tical mentioned, does he feel like he just gained even more of edge or does he feel like he needs to be out there helping his boys? Hope its the latter.

 

[Tical21]

Lynch had a mostly great game in short yardage situations, but he missed a good enough hole to the left on the final play. I thought for sure he was going to hit it and then he danced instead and took the TFL.

Marshawn seemed to have less pep in his step too. Less explosive, and less elusive. Every time he tried to cut back against a defender he'd just get tackled. I hope it's just a fluke.

Luke Willson doesn't really add any value to the team anymore, neither does Helfet. One of those guys should be cut to bring in a blocking TE.

I love these observations. These are examples of unpopular points you've been unafraid to make in your old posts, but are valid and impossible to ignore. I agree, not only that Lynch missed the hole in the B gap between Britt and Okung, but that he looked slow today. I hope it's one day, but with 30 looming, we've seen how this could play out before.

On Willson, what a great point. He's an invisible player under our current configuration and it's a thought provoking observation. He doesn't have clutch hands and he's not a rock solid blocker, so where does he present value to a 53-man roster?

Not invisible he did drop a TD pass.

We never got a good view of it but I think the defender got a hand in there. Still, I thought Russell could have walked into the end zone. I think we ended up scoring anyways so it doesn't really matter either way I suppose.

 

[Tical21]

Lynch had a mostly great game in short yardage situations, but he missed a good enough hole to the left on the final play. I thought for sure he was going to hit it and then he danced instead and took the TFL.

Marshawn seemed to have less pep in his step too. Less explosive, and less elusive. Every time he tried to cut back against a defender he'd just get tackled. I hope it's just a fluke.

Luke Willson doesn't really add any value to the team anymore, neither does Helfet. One of those guys should be cut to bring in a blocking TE.

I love these observations. These are examples of unpopular points you've been unafraid to make in your old posts, but are valid and impossible to ignore. I agree, not only that Lynch missed the hole in the B gap between Britt and Okung, but that he looked slow today. I hope it's one day, but with 30 looming, we've seen how this could play out before.

On Willson, what a great point. He's an invisible player under our current configuration and it's a thought provoking observation. He doesn't have clutch hands and he's not a rock solid blocker, so where does he present value to a 53-man roster?

Not invisible he did drop a TD pass.

We never got a good view of it but I think the defender got a hand in there. Still, I thought Russell could have walked into the end zone. I think we ended up scoring anyways so it doesn't really matter either way I suppose.

 

[chris98251]

In track & field, Lockett was one of the state's top sprinters. He captured a regional title in the 100-meter dash at the 2011 State 5A Regional, placing first with a time of 10.85 seconds.[10] He earned third-place finishes in both the 100-meter dash (10.95 s) and the 200-meter dash (21.90 s) at the 5A state finals.[11]


40-yd dash

4.40 s


Yeah you ain't nothing unless you run a under 4.28 in the NFL.

That statement about Lockett not being fast derailed most your whole post in my opinion.

 

[IndyHawk]

GJ Tical,keep it up.I too am up for the Packers.I think we will do better all around against them.

 

[scutterhawk]

Playing the Rams, a ridiculously talented pass-rushing team, with our suspect line and no real deep threats. Wouldn't every coordinator in the league put a lot of extra emphasis on the short passing game? Let Russell get rid of it?

To me, the single biggest problem in this game was that AGAIN, broken record, we are unable to punish a team for blitzing. We spread them out and put a lot of receivers in the route, which I'm fine with. But we didn't complete a single slant. Not one. I guarantee they were called. That has to be slants and quick outs all day long. I would guess that we called them. Would have to see the wide tape to see why it didn't work.

The one play I will absolutely torch both Bevell and Wilson for is the hitch to Lynch hat got picked. In order for a hitch to work, the threat of getting beat over the top has to exist. There isn't a DB in the league that is afraid of getting beat deep by Marshawn. Why a hitch to Marshawn is EVER called is ridiculous, unless it is simply keeping a corner up to sneak a corner route behind it. Didn't appear to be the case here. Russell Wilson cannot throw that pass. Cannot. Ever. How does he not realize the corner is going to drive on anything short when Marshawn is out there? It's really beyond comprehension.

I see no problem at all with bubble screens. They're perfectly safe throws that are almost guaranteed to get you a few yards, and sometimes can pop for more. They should be running more of them to Lockett however than anybody else.

Most of the playcalling I really didn't have much issue with. I wish we would have taken a shot or two, but if we had taken a bunch of deep drops, Bevell would be getting skewered for that and Russell would have gotten it worse.

In the passing game, considering the opponent, I didn't think the line was that bad. We passed 41 times and a got sacked six times, but half of those were on blitzes where we didn't have numbers to block, and we needed to get rid of the damn ball. I'm really anxious to listen to Millen tomorrow to break down the passing game against the blitz.

Defensively, we kind of looked like we looked for many years at 10AM. Just lackluster. Not wrapping up, not making the big play when we needed to, and giving up too many long 3rd downs. The underneath 3rd and 15 to Benny. My goodness, tackle!

Either Mike Bennett is still getting better or I have underestimated him a little bit. That dude lives in the backfield. We didn't get much pressure up the middle though, and Clark was basically a non-factor. Foles scrambles killed us too, and I wouldn't have predicted that. We were just constantly a half step slow.

Irvin failed miserably at setting the edge a few times. He's played too long to get washed inside. And he wants to get paid? I don't remember hearing KJ's name.

The most interesting thing on the defense was to see who won the nickel corner job. With Blackmon, Tye Smith, and Burley all competing and all playing pretty miserably, I was anxious to see what our plan was in the slot. I wondered if we would see Sherman slide inside a bit more, but never could have guessed that Shead playing his spot and moving Sherman inside would be our solution. It wasn't terrible, but I think we lose a bit of edge and part of our identity in the process.

This is a game that screams that it needs to be watched again and broken down, but I don't think I have the heart. I'm too anxious for Green Bay. How much of an edge does the defense get back if 31 walks into the building tomorrow?

What was he thinking when Bailey fell down, on of all things a go route? Was he thinking they're going to pay me? Or was he thinking I've got to go help my guys?

Jimmy Graham showed what he can do in the second half, but I don't know that I love the deal. Nowak spent a good portion of the day getting pushed around and we aren't a talented enough passing team to feature a weapon like Graham correctly. We made our weakness worsw and in return get a player that we don't know how to turn into a difference maker.

Wilson, for all his virtues, might throw the worst goal-line fade in the NFL. They're all uncatchable. Even for a 6'7" freak. Figure it out kid.

The call at the end. Eh. I was pretty sure that's what we would try. Usually works. Didn't work. I'd still love a run-pass option type play but almost all of ours consist of using naked action, and you don't want to go naked with the game on the line.

I'm not freaking out. I expected them to play us tough. We saw a lot of things that can be fixed and improved. However, we need to fix and improve them pretty darn quickly.

Pretty good assessment on this one. :th2thumbs:

 

[scutterhawk]

If it helps...
The Bears rushed for 189 yards against the Packers today!
Maybe Bevell will run the ball down their throats next week...
That'd be Great.

I like it...More ground pounding = less time for Rodgers to dice up our Defense.
I want to see some coverage sacks on his ass also.

 

[Tical21]

In track & field, Lockett was one of the state's top sprinters. He captured a regional title in the 100-meter dash at the 2011 State 5A Regional, placing first with a time of 10.85 seconds.[10] He earned third-place finishes in both the 100-meter dash (10.95 s) and the 200-meter dash (21.90 s) at the 5A state finals.[11]


40-yd dash

4.40 s


Yeah you ain't nothing unless you run a under 4.28 in the NFL.

That statement about Lockett not being fast derailed most your whole post in my opinion.

Burners don't run 4.40. They just don't. Isn't that what Golden and Christine Michael ran? Would you say they have big time top-end speed? That's real world fast, but that isn't running away from NFL corners fast. Pick a draft profile. I'll bet they question his top end speed. It doesn't really matter, he's quick and he's fast enough to be a very effective player, but he doesn't have the speed to consistently get behind people. He just doesn't. It's a fact. That isn't the kind of player that he is. I dunno where it's coming from that everybody thinks he has elite speed.

 

[SalishHawkFan]

Tical's right. He's quick, and he's elusive, but he's not burner fast. He had four catches for thirty four yds. His longest gain was 12 yds. That's not your burner, that's your slot receiver. Your possession guy. Which, coincidently is also Baldwin, but Doug had 7 catches for 35 yds, so he was getting even less ypc. Lockette is the closest thing to a burner we have. PRich might be when he gets back.