Tariq Woolen has regressed beyond recognition.

[MontanaHawk05]

I said in another post that Hurtt has more talent to work with than Norton did, but having watched the highlights I repent of that statement. Woolen is awful. His instincts are gone, his discipline is gone, his technique is gone, and his tackling is gone. He looks nothing like the guy from last year.

It happens to corners, though. From Shawn Springs to Kelly Jennings to Jeremy Lane, we've seen guys at this position go from larger than life to...well, this...in as little as a season. But yeah, Hurtt isn't going to get anywhere with this D until he sits or fixes Tariq. What happened to that vaunted CB depth we had earlier?

 

[rjdriver]

Yeah...

I'm no DB expert, but he looks lost.

 

[SeAhAwKeR4life]

Cut him.

 

[Fade]

Nah, he actually Lay'd a couple of licks in this game to my surprise.

Panicking, and getting the PI early in the game. And not coming off his man to make the tackle on a key 4th down, we're the only bad plays he had in this game.

Jamal Adams was much worse. And the coaching staff gets another F for another failed/ lack of a gameplan on defense.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Woolen had an issue with putting his hands on receivers last year. He repeatedly missed the jam, but caught up with speed.

I think Spoon is wearing off on him, and he is trying to be more physical. He would be fine if things were less ticky-tacky. But when the refs are calling that crap, you have to play the ball.

It sure looks like someone is coaching him to be physical. Not sure that his strength.

He had a bad game, and last year set expectations too high. Getting rid of him would be moronic. He not only has upside but has demonstrated it and can be solid. Frankly compared to the festering pile of garbage that comprise our safeties - he's one of our best in the secondary.

 

[hoxrox]

Has to work on his technique. Several costly drive extending penalties over multiple games now.

 

[Fade]

Has to work on his technique. Several costly drive extending penalties over multiple games now.

It's just one of those years for him. He got injured didn't participate in the off-season. The Coaching sucks. He's been up and down.

Get him healthy. Put him in man 2 man, and watch him thrive. I do believe 5 of his 6 picks came in man coverage his rookie year.

Witherspoon is also at his best in man coverage, though he is pretty great at everything. This defense could be special with the right coaching.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Weirdly, we have FANTASTIC corners at playing man, and we play that stupid zone.

IF you are going to effing PLAY ZONE...then you need to be certain YOU TACKLE IN SPACE.

Not sure what we are thinking, because we have our corners 7 yds off the receiver on 3rd and 4. Not just a zone, but a godawful soft zone.
MOST corners would suck in that scheme, because its a stupid scheme with these players. Maybe we feel we are stuck because our safeties cannot play any other way? But they can't play anyway, so why bother adjusting to the game to your weakest players?

 

[Seahawk_Dan]

Coaching.

How many times have we've seen free agents come in or young draft picks and show some promise, what I assume still working with what they've been coached from their previous staff be it NFL or College, then spend a season in Seattle and suddenly their whole technique changes and usually for the worst. Seattle has serious defensive coaching issue where players just look lost or horrible ill-prepared for the game.

 

[knownone]

He wasn't as bad as it seemed. He got burned by the officials a few times, though.

 

[HawkinNY]

I think having possibly the two worst safety’s in the league doesn’t help. Diggs and adams have to be released in the offseason. But I have a feeling this team doesn’t care if they win a Super Bowl. The D doesn’t show up when the O does. And then the O doesn’t show up when the D does. Team is done. Maybe they will get lucky in 2024 draft and get a real D coordinator and head coach.

 

[oldhawkfan]

I think having possibly the two worst safety’s in the league doesn’t help. Diggs and adams have to be released in the offseason. But I have a feeling this team doesn’t care if they win a Super Bowl. The D doesn’t show up when the O does. And then the O doesn’t show up when the D does. Team is done. Maybe they will get lucky in 2024 draft and get a real D coordinator and head coach.

So we are now looking at the draft for coaches?

 

[akscoundrel]

Hes a great talent, just needs better coaching and direction.

He got heat last week about tackling, and cleary worked and focused on that and improved this week

 

[hangumhi]

I said in another post that Hurtt has more talent to work with than Norton did, but having watched the highlights I repent of that statement. Woolen is awful. His instincts are gone, his discipline is gone, his technique is gone, and his tackling is gone. He looks nothing like the guy from last year.

It happens to corners, though. From Shawn Springs to Kelly Jennings to Jeremy Lane, we've seen guys at this position go from larger than life to...well, this...in as little as a season. But yeah, Hurtt isn't going to get anywhere with this D until he sits or fixes Tariq. What happened to that vaunted CB depth we had earlier?

My guess is that he got some money and lost focus. He doesn't look like a prepared player, physically or mentally.

 

[oldhawkfan]

My guess is that he got some money and lost focus. He doesn't look like a prepared player, physically or mentally.

How did he get more money than what he earned last year? He’s on the second year of a 5th round rookie deal. Not like he somehow got a multi million dollar extension since last year.

 

[hangumhi]

My guess is that he got some money and lost focus. He doesn't look like a prepared player, physically or mentally.

One question I have is, why don't the coaches see that a player isn't prepared or ready to play and replace them in the lineup? Jamal isn't ready physically and his technique is based upon guessing and he thinks he can rely on his natural athleticism, which he actually does not have. He's gotten by with aggressive play but with injuries, he's no longer consistently aggressive either. Darrell Taylor is a prime example...why can't the coaches see he doesn't know how to set the edge and contain? If he's not smart enough to play the end, he shouldn't play. I'd rather go with a disciplined player with less talent. I'd rather see a young guy who is mentally prepared. I think our coaching staff plays the player with the more prominent name and the player making more money. They're afraid of players like Jamal, to the point that they will not bench them.

 

[TwistedHusky]

My guess is more that they are 'coaching' him to play differently - and it does not suit his strengths/weaknesses. Remember all the effing hands to the face penalties? Now remember that LAST year, he was reluctant to put his hands on receivers at all...played more for position and did a lot of QB baiting. NONE of that is happening now. If anything, the psuedo-physical play is hampering his speed.

It also is telling that the Hawks have 2 of the best man-corner young prospects, and they are stubbornly sticking with that stupid zone. So given the choice to pick between the player is regressing or the coaching staff is trying to change their play to better fit a defense they rigidly adhere to regardless of the personnel they have? I'm picking the latter.

It is disappointing to see us squandering talent to shove what could be a field-tilting player (2 of them!) into an already existing, but barely effective system. Which is basically what the Hawks have done for almost 8 years now, so I shouldn't be surprised.

 

[cymatica]

Ever since he shortened his name, he's been half the man he used to be.

 

[akscoundrel]

Nah, hes still quick af, and cares to improve. Last week he was crucified for tackling, and he clearly put the effort and focus in this week to improve. Just needs to be taught to turn his head lol.

Edit:looks like i already replied to this thread, saying the same thing

 

[flv2]

He's a press corner in a system with little safety help. Every time the Seahawks dropped the CBs, (any of them against Lamb), they were picked on for 8+ yards. He got beat a few times. Show me a press CB that doesn't get beat by an elite WR. Plenty of other teams would trade for Woolen.