THE TABS
Member
Haven't done it in a very long time, but here goes..
...I was hoping to get at least a split of these two road games at Houston and Indy, but I got greedy. I thought we matched up very well with the Colts, and after thinking about it, I expected a win today. I didn't think the Colts could handle the physicality that we bring to the table, but to their credit, they responded well, especially after a pitiful first quarter. Andrew Luck is legit, yeah I know, big news flash there. When he was drafted, I felt that if there was any quarterback that earned a "can't miss" label, it's him. To say that Indy is lucky (no pun intended) to have him is like saying Walter White is good at cooking meth. At least he's in the AFC and we don't have to deal with him regularly; there's enough quality QBs in the NFC already.
I've drank the Kool-Aid on Russell Wilson; we hit the jackpot with him, and it's going to be fun watching him carve up defenses for the next fifteen years. As far as today was concerned, he did everything he could behind a patchwork offensive line, and a pedestrian wide receiver group. It's a good thing he can run, because he NEEDS TO.
My big gripe about Wilson, and kearly has touched on this many times as well, is that his accuracy while on the run is WAY OFF. I counted three times in the first half that he airmailed a receiver while on the move, one of which should have been a touchdown to Golden Tate at the end of the first half. Other than that, if you would have told me that the game would be in his hands in the final two minutes, I'd gladly take it.
Beast mode was Beast mode; I can't believe he only had seventeen carries! Sure seemed like a lot more. I know it's a number's game, activating the right 47 players for a game, but I sure would like to see Christine Michael get some touches. We could use his speed, and give Tate some relief with the return chores.
Pretty "ho hum" effort from our receivers as a group today, and by a group, I mean Sidney Rice. I'll be shocked if he's back next year, because physically, he's never held up and he's starting to become a liability. Tate, Jermaine Kearse, and Doug Baldwin were OK. I had high hopes for Luke Willson; I was hoping for Jimmy Graham, but he's John Carlson instead.
Even missing three starters, it was the same old same old from the line; great in the run and not-so-great in pass pro. I HATE seeing Wilson run as much as he is, but unfortunately, he doesn't have much of a choice.
Defensively, I liked what I saw from the D-line. While the Legion of Boom gets all the publicity, the line is starting to become the more consistently good unit. I honestly didn't expect much from Chris Clemons when he came back, but he's been solid two games in a row. I consider it a BIG bonus, along with Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. Bennett was a little quiet, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that he may have been the biggest free-agent steal this year. Tennessee is in for a long day next Sunday.
I LOVED what I saw from Bruce Irvin. On draft day 2012, I was SCREAMING for David DeCastro, and quite honestly, we could really, really, REALLY use him. I've bit my tongue on judging Irvin just because I wanted to see what he could do standing up rather than putting his hand down rushing the passer. If today was any indication, he may be the X-factor that opposing teams will have to account for on passing downs. Try blocking him AND Bennett together!
Earl Thomas made a couple of plays that were all-world today, including the screen play that was set-up and he DESTROYED. I consider Thomas the most valuable out of the LOB. Brandon Browner played pretty well, sans a couple of plays; more on that later. Ditto Sherm.
Now, I really don't like to be THAT GUY, that is constantly blaming officiating for this and that, but here's my gripe; the calls that went against us were so ticky-tack, that they could be called every single down! The Tate OPI was an atrocious call, and the second time in as many weeks that we've been burned on it, yet, Reggie Wayne commits an obvious OPI on the two-point conversion: NO CALL. The Browner PI on 3rd and 22 was bad; the ball was totally uncatchable. Same with Sherm's PI; same as the Tate call; you could call that on every play if you wanted, why call that now?
Also, the blocked punt that resulted in a safety, was a tough break. Honestly, if the ruling on the field was a touchdown, it probably would have held up as well.
Officiating blunders aside, the bottom line is that we were 2-12 on third downs, while Indy was 7-12. Can't blame the officials for that. The difference in the game was the blocked FG for a touchdown, again, can't blame the zebras for that either. I thought Pep Hamilton did an outstanding job in the second half, getting the Colts offense on track. They created a lot of manageable third downs for themselves, and that was the difference. We simply could not get off the field.
On the whole, we are 4-1, which was what I was hoping for at this point. We have a nice little stretch over the next four weeks playing some teams that we SHOULD beat. It's all about securing home-field advantage for the playoffs, and it appears that New Orleans may be our biggest competition for that. We can't let them get too far ahead of us. In addition, San Francisco isn't going anywhere, and they're going to be right on our heels. We just need to keep doing what we do; playing with a chip on our shoulder and playing with the physical, IN YOUR FACE style that has become our signature. Speaking of signatures, Hawks rule, cuz THE TABS said so!
...I was hoping to get at least a split of these two road games at Houston and Indy, but I got greedy. I thought we matched up very well with the Colts, and after thinking about it, I expected a win today. I didn't think the Colts could handle the physicality that we bring to the table, but to their credit, they responded well, especially after a pitiful first quarter. Andrew Luck is legit, yeah I know, big news flash there. When he was drafted, I felt that if there was any quarterback that earned a "can't miss" label, it's him. To say that Indy is lucky (no pun intended) to have him is like saying Walter White is good at cooking meth. At least he's in the AFC and we don't have to deal with him regularly; there's enough quality QBs in the NFC already.
I've drank the Kool-Aid on Russell Wilson; we hit the jackpot with him, and it's going to be fun watching him carve up defenses for the next fifteen years. As far as today was concerned, he did everything he could behind a patchwork offensive line, and a pedestrian wide receiver group. It's a good thing he can run, because he NEEDS TO.
My big gripe about Wilson, and kearly has touched on this many times as well, is that his accuracy while on the run is WAY OFF. I counted three times in the first half that he airmailed a receiver while on the move, one of which should have been a touchdown to Golden Tate at the end of the first half. Other than that, if you would have told me that the game would be in his hands in the final two minutes, I'd gladly take it.
Beast mode was Beast mode; I can't believe he only had seventeen carries! Sure seemed like a lot more. I know it's a number's game, activating the right 47 players for a game, but I sure would like to see Christine Michael get some touches. We could use his speed, and give Tate some relief with the return chores.
Pretty "ho hum" effort from our receivers as a group today, and by a group, I mean Sidney Rice. I'll be shocked if he's back next year, because physically, he's never held up and he's starting to become a liability. Tate, Jermaine Kearse, and Doug Baldwin were OK. I had high hopes for Luke Willson; I was hoping for Jimmy Graham, but he's John Carlson instead.
Even missing three starters, it was the same old same old from the line; great in the run and not-so-great in pass pro. I HATE seeing Wilson run as much as he is, but unfortunately, he doesn't have much of a choice.
Defensively, I liked what I saw from the D-line. While the Legion of Boom gets all the publicity, the line is starting to become the more consistently good unit. I honestly didn't expect much from Chris Clemons when he came back, but he's been solid two games in a row. I consider it a BIG bonus, along with Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. Bennett was a little quiet, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that he may have been the biggest free-agent steal this year. Tennessee is in for a long day next Sunday.
I LOVED what I saw from Bruce Irvin. On draft day 2012, I was SCREAMING for David DeCastro, and quite honestly, we could really, really, REALLY use him. I've bit my tongue on judging Irvin just because I wanted to see what he could do standing up rather than putting his hand down rushing the passer. If today was any indication, he may be the X-factor that opposing teams will have to account for on passing downs. Try blocking him AND Bennett together!
Earl Thomas made a couple of plays that were all-world today, including the screen play that was set-up and he DESTROYED. I consider Thomas the most valuable out of the LOB. Brandon Browner played pretty well, sans a couple of plays; more on that later. Ditto Sherm.
Now, I really don't like to be THAT GUY, that is constantly blaming officiating for this and that, but here's my gripe; the calls that went against us were so ticky-tack, that they could be called every single down! The Tate OPI was an atrocious call, and the second time in as many weeks that we've been burned on it, yet, Reggie Wayne commits an obvious OPI on the two-point conversion: NO CALL. The Browner PI on 3rd and 22 was bad; the ball was totally uncatchable. Same with Sherm's PI; same as the Tate call; you could call that on every play if you wanted, why call that now?
Also, the blocked punt that resulted in a safety, was a tough break. Honestly, if the ruling on the field was a touchdown, it probably would have held up as well.
Officiating blunders aside, the bottom line is that we were 2-12 on third downs, while Indy was 7-12. Can't blame the officials for that. The difference in the game was the blocked FG for a touchdown, again, can't blame the zebras for that either. I thought Pep Hamilton did an outstanding job in the second half, getting the Colts offense on track. They created a lot of manageable third downs for themselves, and that was the difference. We simply could not get off the field.
On the whole, we are 4-1, which was what I was hoping for at this point. We have a nice little stretch over the next four weeks playing some teams that we SHOULD beat. It's all about securing home-field advantage for the playoffs, and it appears that New Orleans may be our biggest competition for that. We can't let them get too far ahead of us. In addition, San Francisco isn't going anywhere, and they're going to be right on our heels. We just need to keep doing what we do; playing with a chip on our shoulder and playing with the physical, IN YOUR FACE style that has become our signature. Speaking of signatures, Hawks rule, cuz THE TABS said so!
