Was that black enough for you? Game recap

[endzorn]

This was the first game all season that I honestly felt Sherman was soundly beaten. I don't quite understand the narrative that Sherman now somehow is a bad corner. Is interception total the measurable to decide performance? He's been solid as a rock until this game and I still thought he tackled and contained far better than an average corner in runs and short yardage passing.

 

[HawkHack]

I was going to do separate threads for "The Good", "The Bad" and "The Ugly", but maybe that's overkill. I'm happy with a single thread.

Good: Winning the game. Unlike previous games this season, on our final drive, I felt like we were going to punch it in, and not just for a FG. I guess Russell felt that way too. Winning is good, and erases all sorts of other ... stuff.

Good: The D stepped up, starting in about the second quarter. I was expecting a halftime score of 17-0, and the fact that it wasn't that bad was a testament to our defense. Granted, the Panthers didn't do themselves any favors, but it was looking bad for a while there. At some point in the second half, I knew they weren't going to score big on us, so it was just on the offense.

Good: RW in the 4th quarter, again. You could just sense the determination there, and he came through, again. I do sometimes wish that he would play that way earlier in games, but I'll take it.

Good: The officiating. I could nitpick some calls, and I believe Carolina wasn't penalized until the third quarter, but they more or less seemed to let the teams just play towards the end of the game. That's good.

Bad: Injuries, again. I'm surprised we didn't have to play Mike Morgan at LB with all the injuries there. Although most of the players returned to play in the game, having to -- at times, at least -- go with our fourth string players sure is depressing. Despite injuries on the O-line and at receiver last season, we were never THIS banged up.

Bad: The inability to convert turnovers. Newton was asking to be intercepted a number of times and we just weren't able to seal the deal like we did so well last year. I'm hoping last year's TO advantage wasn't a fluke.

Ugly: The game. I think these two teams are similar, and both are injured and not "clicking" quite right yet, so I guess you can pin it on that. But man, this sure looked like an NFL Junior Varsity game with all the mistakes. The silver lining here is that RW, while perhaps less athletic than Newton, makes WAY fewer mistakes, and I think that's the difference in the game.

 

[Barthawk]

Best thing about this win is that it wiped out what would have been the most devastating regular season loss of the PC era. That alone has me on cloud nine.

The key play of this game that no one remembers is the Benjamin drop in the back of the end zone. His feet were in, and Sherman was late trying to swat it. If he holds on to that catch it might not be a Seahawks win.

Sherman could do nothing to stop him. Benjamin is a good receiver, and Sherman was average, not awful today. But still, watching this game my #1 takeaway was that last year's Sherman would have walked out of this game with three picks.

Wow are you being Harsh on Sherman this year. I have a feeling you we're touched by a can of Campbell's Chunky Soup, and you're taking it out on poor Sherm.

Any time there's a reception, or even near reception (germane to your Benjamin example), it requires a very high, and low percentage throw coupled with a low-percentage catch, requiring a phenomenal catch.

Well being a 3-way starter provides much more acumen than a simpleton who only starts either on O or D.

 

[Barthawk]

Benjamin's 6'5', 240 pounds, 4.6 speed, 33 inch vert and an 83 inch wingspan. I'm going to come out and say right now he's the next Megatron.

BMW / Alshon is the comp I'd use. I drafted him in fantasy and have been starting him all year. Good player.

i wish i had this FF insight prior to my measly draft.. because you know, we all give a shit about other's fantasy draft

 

[djb28]

http://blackamericaweb.com/2014/10/26/how-black-do-you-have-to-be-to-be-black-enough/

 

[Rocket]

Shouldn't I be though? He missed some chances for picks he would have had last year. Benjamin had over 20 yards per catch, dropped a TD catch with Sherman covering and had another long TD catch blown by a poor Newton throw.

Could it be his seeming goal of tackling like Earl and Kam? Tightening muscles due to impact, losing a bit of flex?

 

[Dismas]

Best thing about this win is that it wiped out what would have been the most devastating regular season loss of the PC era. That alone has me on cloud nine.

The key play of this game that no one remembers is the Benjamin drop in the back of the end zone. His feet were in, and Sherman was late trying to swat it. If he holds on to that catch it might not be a Seahawks win. There was also a play later in the game where Benjamin had Sherman beat for a long TD but Newton overthrew him.

Sherman could do very little to stop #13.

Watching this game my #1 takeaway was that last year's Sherman would have walked out of this game with three picks, but this year's Sherman is very lucky he didn't get cooked for 150 and 2 TD's. For the first time this year, a QB actually had the gumption to serve up fade route after fade route to Sherman. None of them were intercepted, and at least one of them was completed for a big gain.

At this point I'm not even sure if Sherman can blame the new rules emphasis. He is clearly in a funk mentally. The edge just isn't there right now.

I am hoping a little that actually tgetting some work in will help Sherm now . . for most of the season he hasn't been called on much, and it is difficult to keep the edge on when you don't use it.
Noticed today that they had him following Benjamin, which means to me they don't trust Simon to lock down his side yet.

More following the threat will mean more work for Dick, which hopefuly means he steps it back up and sarts making the QB pay

 

[aawolf]

In this Panthers/Seahawk matchup, I have a unique perspective. I get to see my hometown team (the Panthers) match up with my favorite team (the Seahawks). My ticket deal didn't pan out this time, so I watched it from my couch. I'm very familiar with both teams and, while I was pulling for the Seahawks, I wanted to see a good showing from the Panthers. Here is what I saw:

The Panthers:

It has been and will be a long season for the Panthers. With their best line of scrimmage player- Hardy- out for the season, they haven't been much of a threat to rush the passer or stop the run at the line of scrimmage. Today, though, they got pressure and did a decent job stopping the run due to the poor offensive line play of the Seahawks. Seriously, the Panther's defense actually looked strong in the first half, and they are not that good. It shows that our offense is not very good when the Panthers have success like that. There is really NO EXCUSE for not being able to move the ball against the Panthers. Those first couple of three-and-outs told me that the Seahawks didn't come to play. It was depressing. The Panthers showed complete domination in the first half, but luckily, they are the Panthers and stupid mistakes prevented them from capitalizing on their success.

The reason for the stupid mistakes: Cam Newton is not like Russell Wilson. He has no ability to elevate his game when it matters. He looks all-world when there is nothing to lose, but when he gets in the red-zone or when his team is behind and he needs to make a play, he folds. He just doesn't have that killer instinct, that win-at-all-costs mentality. When the pressure rises, he makes dumb mistakes, i.e. that shovel pass interception and that fumble on the exchange. All opposing teams should realize that when they play the Panthers, the best formula for winning is to get up early. A frustrated Cam Newton plays badly all the time. This isn't unique to this game; its a theme throughout his career.

 

[themunn]

Wow are you being Harsh on Sherman this year. I have a feeling you we're touched by a can of Campbell's Chunky Soup, and you're taking it out on poor Sherm.

Any time there's a reception, or even near reception (germane to your Benjamin example), it requires a very high, and low percentage throw coupled with a low-percentage catch, requiring a phenomenal catch.

Shouldn't I be though? He missed some chances for picks he would have had last year. Benjamin had over 20 yards per catch, dropped a TD catch with Sherman covering and had another long TD catch blown by a poor Newton throw.

IMO Sherman was in perfect coverage for all of those, but when it comes to a 6'5 240lb receiver having the ball put up where only he can reach it, if the throw is perfect there's nothing any DB can do about it.

 

[LawlessHawk]

That missed sack for a safety was another forehead banger... when are these guys going to realize/learn that you can't go high on these giant QB's?? They're just too strong. Seen it several times this year. Bennett had him dead if he would have put his shoulder into his sternum and wrapped up instead of trying to take Newton's head off.

 

[Our Man in Chicago]

[youtube]UaaY3slVuus[/youtube]

 

[kearly]

i wish i had this FF insight prior to my measly draft.. because you know, we all give a shit about other's fantasy draft

Easy there sparky. It's only natural that you wouldn't give a shit about my fantasy team. I'm just illustrating a point: I've respected Benjamin's fit and talent for Carolina sooner than most, hence the preseason / FF reference. Far be it from me to diminish how good a player he is, I've been on his bandwagon since he was drafted.

At the same time, a #1 DB never makes excuses, especially in a game where there really weren't any excuses to make. Size and catch radius might explain one of Benjamin's victories, but it doesn't explain the other three, or the two TDs he should have had when he got a step on Sherm.

This isn't directed at you, but I just it funny how .net is so slow to credit the opponent, unless that opponent is making Sherman look ordinary.

 

[kearly]

IMO Sherman was in perfect coverage for all of those, but when it comes to a 6'5 240lb receiver having the ball put up where only he can reach it, if the throw is perfect there's nothing any DB can do about it.

There was only one catch that fit that description. But there were a few times that Sherman let Benjamin get a step on him, and that has nothing to do with being 6'5" 240lbs.

The best play Sherman made in this game was also his biggest mistake. He baited Newton into a desperate 3rd and long heave down the field into double coverage, and Sherm had Benjamin blanketed this time. But Sherman just flat out missed the ball, and it went down as a huge completion for Carolina. That play probably would have cost Seattle the game if not for Wilson's heroics on the next drive.

The sad thing is, had Sherman just knocked the ball down the Panthers would have been punting the very next play, and Sherman would have been catching that punt around the very same spot.

I think with NFL stars, sometimes the line between elite, good, average, and struggling is so tiny. It doesn't take much to swing from below average to great and vice-versa. Just look at Bret Boone before and after the roids. When you are in that competitive of an arena, even the greatest players are only that great because they are at their absolute best. Sherman is still a great player, but I do think he's being hurt by the new rules just like 99% of the corners in the league, and I also think he's in a mental funk.

He's going through a tough time right now, but he'll be back. Many parts of his game are as good as ever, but he is having a really hard time tracking the ball and receiver at the same time this year.