The defense

[Natethegreat]

No team is going to win even 8 games giving up 27 points a game. I don't expect the 2013 defense but saying that the D was acceptable and we should just expect that kind of performance is absurd.

Really?????, not even the 2015 Seahawks when they faced AND BEAT the Steelers in a shootout????????
If I recall, we had the LOB giving up MORE THAN 27 points in that game :141847_bnono:
AND, to Oldhawkfan saying that the Seahawks Defense was "Gifted" those interceptions today?, B.S.!

So because they won one shootout they should win them all? I don't get your point really. The defense was pretty poor and to say we should expect that and take it for granted is absurd. To say that the offense needs to score 30 points every game is crazy. No team does that.
The offense could have been better (as well as Russ) and the game should have been tied if not for 2 botched field goals. But to say that this game is on the offense because we just expect our defense to suck is ridiculous.

 

[DJrmb]

We all knew the defense is young, inexperienced and not really deep in talent. That showed today.

But even with that known factor, they had some good moments and got three turnovers which should have been sufficient to win this game.

The issue is the offense which has not taken a major move forward to make up for the overall changes on this new team. You put that squarely on RW.

I just finished watching Rogers on one leg come back and score 24 points in the second half to bring the Packers from behind for a win. How did RW look today with two good legs and now 7 years in the league?

It is only one game so way too early for making any real assumptions. But I hope PC starts to get serious about this team and start demanding accountability on every players part..... including RW.

I think what you're saying about the defense is right on. This is not the 2013 defense that won a superb... Almost all those guys are gone and it's going to take a few games for these young guys to come together and learn each other. However, I was encouraged by what I saw. They will be better as they play more together on defense.

As for offense I would caution the criticism. I was mad during the game at RW for some of his boneheaded play but after the game I realized this is his first year with a brand new OC in the NFL. It's really unfair to act like this is the same offense he's been running for 7 years. The offense is going to have to be better, but this is a new offense they're learning and already I see things that I like. They actually set things up like that TD pass to Lockett. They set that up in the 1st quarter running a screen with that same look. That's something Bevell never did. The offense will be ok I think. This year it's just going to be a race to see if they can learn all the new stuff and get it down in time to make the playoffs. The tallent is there.

 

[seahawkfreak]

3 and outs did not help things either.

 

[DJrmb]

3 and outs did not help things either.

And turnovers.

 

[hawkfan68]

I was quite surprised to see that Poona and Naz were both inactives today. I can see one of them being inactive but both was an odd decision. Considering that they were playing in thin air, it would have been better to have a bigger rotation up front. The Seahawks were gashed by Lindsay in the run game. Having one of those guys in there may have helped. Both are very stout against the run.

 

[LickMyNuts]

Haven’t had to feel like one of the other fan bases watching their defense play in a long time. We got very used to elite consistent defensive play every week. Giving up 20 points was unheard of. Lots of new faces, have to trust the coaching staff can build the unit again. Mcdougald was great today, earl should be up to speed soon. LB’s have to play better.

By my count we gave up 20 or more points 28 times over the last 3 seasons. I don’t see how today’s score was that strange.

 

[DJrmb]

Haven’t had to feel like one of the other fan bases watching their defense play in a long time. We got very used to elite consistent defensive play every week. Giving up 20 points was unheard of. Lots of new faces, have to trust the coaching staff can build the unit again. Mcdougald was great today, earl should be up to speed soon. LB’s have to play better.

By my count we gave up 20 or more points 28 times over the last 3 seasons. I don’t see how today’s score was that strange.

But fans overreacting? Unfortunately that's pretty typical...

 

[KamChancellor]

If Keenum didn't giftwrap us some picks, they would've put up 35+. Did Quem get pulled at some point? I saw Calitro in there with Bobby a fair few snaps. We are hurting for talent right now on defense. Pass rush was invisible too.

yeah I think they did, rightly so Imo as he wasn't playing well at all

 

[themunn]

I thought they played pretty well in the 2nd half, one drive apart. The Broncos had the ball 7 times in the second half, punting 5, fg on one (where they moved 0 yard, after receiving short field after interception, and a TD which we can argue til the sun comes up whether it should or shouldn't have been given.

If they can do that for 4 quarters instead of 2 then we might have something decent on our hands. Opening game of the season in a tough road environment I'm willing to keep an open mind over how they will perform over the remainder of the season.

 

[strohmin]

I dont think most realize how great of a defense we had and how terrible of an offense we had. The defense is fine for how young they are and how hard it is to play defense in this era. The offensive core has been there for a while and it is still pretty trash which is unacceptable.

 

[oldhawkfan]

I dont think most realize how great of a defense we had and how terrible of an offense we had. The defense is fine for how young they are and how hard it is to play defense in this era. The offensive core has been there for a while and it is still pretty trash which is unacceptable.

The offensive core has been together for awhile? Outside of Wilson, Baldwin, and Britt, most every other position has less than one year of starting experience with this team. The offense is as inexperienced together as the defense, just maybe not as young.

 

[Sgt Largent]

The defense forced 3 turnovers.

The problem was the offense.

This defense is going to give up 24 points + a game, it is a reality given the roster. We can choose to score 30 or we can decide to lose. That is the call.

BTW the defense stopped the Broncos near the end of the game. The offense immediately screwed it up.

The defense produced given what it had to work with. The offense? Not so much.

Well that's truly disheartening. Scoring 24 points a game for the season would put you just outside the top 10 in scoring offense in the last 10 years.

On the other hand, 27 a game given up would put you in the bottom 5 for points against in the last decade.

If we need to score 28 a game, gonna need a minimum top 5 scoring offense, with most years in the last decade requiring a top 3 offense.

Buckle in kids, long season incoming....

 

[SoulfishHawk]

And the 1st down D, just getting run over. Letting the Donkeys be in 2nd and short so often was a killer.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

Of course the defense is bad, any team that loses as many pro bowlers as we did is going to take a major step back. We are starting two below average LB’s. We are basically starting who would have been our 3rd string corner. Other than Clark we don’t have any pass rushers. It wouldn’t surprise me if we rank in the bottom 5 in defense this season.

 

[hawk45]

I saw a defense who received gifts from Keenum or who would have given up 40.

It wasn't fun to watch, but I'm not outraged by it, nor do I expect it to get much better. I never expected Pete to be able to scheme around losing all the talent at DL and DB, and I never projected the replacements for our all-pros to be anything special just because they were young and hungry.

If KJ comes back at least maybe that unit should play up to its billing. The LB group sucking was something I was ticked about.

Our young and less-talented secondary just has zero help from a pass rush so it's a communal failure. I don't see where the pass rush comes from and never did understand how anyone could think we'd be okay in that department this year.

Given those expectations, when we stopped the run most of the game and got some lucky breaks I was pretty happy.

So I agree with OP about everything except expecting the unit to functional (if functional means average of better) by year's end. We're one injury away at any of the three levels from a disaster, and I don't expect us to escape injuries on D.

 

[scutterhawk]

No team is going to win even 8 games giving up 27 points a game. I don't expect the 2013 defense but saying that the D was acceptable and we should just expect that kind of performance is absurd.

Really?????, not even the 2015 Seahawks when they faced AND BEAT the Steelers in a shootout????????
If I recall, we had the LOB giving up MORE THAN 27 points in that game :141847_bnono:
AND, to Oldhawkfan saying that the Seahawks Defense was "Gifted" those interceptions today?, B.S.!

So because they won one shootout they should win them all? I don't get your point really. The defense was pretty poor and to say we should expect that and take it for granted is absurd. To say that the offense needs to score 30 points every game is crazy. No team does that.
The offense could have been better (as well as Russ) and the game should have been tied if not for 2 botched field goals. But to say that this game is on the offense because we just expect our defense to suck is ridiculous.

No, it's not about the W, or the L, it was about our super duper Defense, with the majority of the LOB, giving up MORE than >>27<< points to an opponent.
The so-so OFFENSE was the difference in winning the shootout, in 2015 against the Stealers, and a lackluster play by our supposed "Better" Offensive line & Run Game, and that Russell Wilson was in a head scratching funk yesterday.

 

[scutterhawk]

Haven’t had to feel like one of the other fan bases watching their defense play in a long time. We got very used to elite consistent defensive play every week. Giving up 20 points was unheard of. Lots of new faces, have to trust the coaching staff can build the unit again. Mcdougald was great today, earl should be up to speed soon. LB’s have to play better.

By my count we gave up 20 or more points 28 times over the last 3 seasons. I don’t see how today’s score was that strange.

You're exactly right, giving up 20 AND MORE points 28 times IS pretty much the Norm, even when we had some All-Pro Defenders, we were still doing that, oh and, those three takeaways weren't "gifted" as some here are insinuating, they were the results of two players speed-reading the plays correctly, and moving in to position to capitalize on them.

Thomas' pick and the two by Mcdougald showed heads up play, and I guarantee that Pete Carroll & his Defensive Coaches didn't take them for granted.

 

[chris98251]

On the road, in Denver, 88 degrees, high altitude, first game of the season, new OC, new O Line coach, new system on offense in place, New DC, new players at multiple positions on defense and offense that have yet to play together in real time, replacement players for some that were injured, rookies starting, new Punter and New Kicker and Holder, can't leave them off the list, yeah we should have been able to blow them out 48-8 no problem.

 

[Jville]

I'm surprised Bradley McDougald wan't more celebrated for his work in the Denver game. Excellent game with two interceptions and five tackles.

 

[truehawksfan]

This rush to judgement, falling skies, overreaction is painful to read, but expected.

Johnson and Stephen were a part of a very good Vikes defense last year. Clark, Reed, Jones, Jefferson, Jordan all showed up last year too.

I said this after the Indy game, we have a lot new players. They need to build chemistry. Bobby and ET said this after the DEN game too. They need to play together a lot to get to know how they will react in games and it’ll take time.

PC commented on the breakdowns during his presser and they are fixable. You have so many new players each rotating in a lot, etc., breakdowns will occur if the guy next to you is new.

I believe PC because he’s always been a great defensive minded coach and one game doesn’t spell disaster for the entire year.

But...We’ll see.