Tempered Optimism.....

[the_12th_man]

WELL SCREW THAT!!! Losses are tough. And bright spots from this game may be few and far between in MANY but not ALL eyes. But let us not forget the ultimate goal. Win the division!!! Get home field advantage for the playoffs!!!! We just played to probable playoff teams ON THE ROAD and gave them all they can handle while missing 3 out of 5 starting lineman and our ol'reliable in Zach Miller! I know many will point to the defense as a weak point but let's give Mr. Luck a little credit. He played lights out. I always thought of him as a bit of a goober and really who can blame me after hearing ANY interview that guy gives, but he was remarkable today. He avoided out pressure beautifully and the corners can only defend for so long. The calls this game seemed to really go against both teams. Really a little too ticky tacky for my taste but it happens. So many things could have and did go wrong for the Hawks but we held on and stayed in the game till the end. Their are positives to take away from this game and they shouldn't be understated...

My favorite thing about this team and new era Hawks is the little need of momentum. I remember the frustration of watching Matt Hasselbeck needing to have a couple of really good plays to get things going. That waiting for those moments was excruciating. This team though seems to make big plays REAGARDLESS of momentum. Russel is simply unshakable!!!!

Our D-line is just getting started. Lots of pressure today and I'll bet even more to come. I'm not the analyst of Kearly or a few other members on here but he looked good when I noticed him. This line might be the "talk of the town" by the end of the year. It should be at the very least fun to watch.

And finally we had a nice fast start on a road game and offense looked pretty decent with ALL the injuries it has endured. We WILL get healthier! And when that happens, wow, look out!!!! We're 4-1 through what I believe is the toughest part of our schedule!!!!!! The excitement isn't over, it has just BEGUN!!!!! GO HAWKS!!!!

 

[capncrunch]

These are some very good points. I really could not have stomached another slow start. I think we'll see some very good plays from Irvin and am liking our Dline depth with some pass rush guys now. Interesting point about the momentum. I remember John Madden commenting kind of negatively about Hasselbeck during a Monday night game a few seasons back. "This herky jerky offense, everything has to be just right for him (Matt) or he gets flustered. Often trying to find hi rhythm." Oh man is Russell a different kind of qb. I'd like to hear Madden comment on him.