What, Me Worry?

[MontanaHawk05]

Vannett is crap ..He's had years to show something,we have replacements for him.

We do? Must have missed that.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Vannett is not crap. He obviously isn't Graham but he blocks too.

He is an average TE with maybe slightly below average hands and slightly above average blocking.

We don't even normally have great TEs so I am not sure what people have high expectations of him for.


He was not tremendously great in college either, so it is weird people would think he would suddenly just vault up and start producing in all facets at a better level against higher caliber competition.

I was hoping Swoopes would work out as a TE conversion because he has the size and seemed to have the hands but he doesn't seem to be cracking the depth chart. That part is disappointing because he looks like he could be good (at least we can use him as the backup QB because he would still be better than Davis)

 

[AROS]

Wow, I don't quite see it as Armageddon as some do. It's a preseason game after all. No need to get too high, nor too low. Yes we can see tendencies forming, we have a rough sketch of the way they might look come the regular season but maybe it's just my shiny optimistic sunglasses but I think this team is going to seriously compete this year. The division might be out of reach thanks to a Rams team that is peaking, but I still fully believe we have a legit shot for the wildcard this season and nothing I have seen (save Ifedi) has changed my feelings on that.

This is a 6-10 team without Russell at the moment. With Russell? 9-7, 10-6 or better.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I’m worried about the defense. Our linebacking crew outside of Quem last week has looked bad, and that includes Bobby and KJ. I think the offense is going to have to carry this team this year.

This is what I said a month ago.

I'm not worried about the offense, with Solari we're already seeing a marked improvement in the run game, which should open up some good play action for Russell to move the ball.

But the defense? All three levels are potential problems, super thin and holes in each. Good QB's like Rivers are going to pick us apart if we can't solidify some problem areas.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

I'll believe the Niners have leapfrogged us when I see it. Typical pre-season hype.
One thing is clear with the Hawks though though, the backups are not nearly as good as in the past. But, learning curve for a lot of young guys who will contribute. But, I still suspect an up and down season, and that's ok. It's to be expected. That being said, I expect no worse than 9-7, homer or not, that's just my own feeling on this team.

 

[Cyrus12]

This team has one chance: A High Octane Offense.

The best players on this team play on offense. You can argue Wagner as second best player on the team, I can counter with Baldwin. Regardless #1, #2 and likely #4 are all players on offense.

We have been very spoiled by a defense that allows an offense to score less than 10 pts in the half to still stay in games. Those days are over. We need 14 at the half, probably as a minimum just to stay in games.

If they do that, they can still be competitive. If not, they are going to lose more games than we would like.

Either way, getting to the playoffs (beyond the wild card) is probably a tall order for this team - and likely not a reasonable expectation. This will still be a good team but the days of being great are probably a few years in the past minimum.

What the preseason (with the starters in) tells me is the defense is now a weakness, not a strength. But the offense looks better. It looks very 7-9ish in quality to me but some of the systems are being adjusted to, the defense will tighten a little (though we have a DC that still wasn't that great even featuring Mack and Irvin) and hopefully, the offense will get on rails a bit.

We all knew it was a down year now. The 49ers have likely leapfrogged us and the Rams look like the class of the division just on roster strength alone. The Cards are supposed to be the worst team in our division and should keep that title.

We won't be terrible. Just more likely a 7 win team than a 9 but 9 is certainly in the cards if we go all in on offense. The Packers have shown over the past few years that a great QB can power a team to wins in spite of a less effective defense. The signs all point to this being the case.

This is a very good assessment of where we are at. If you thought with all or losses on defense that in a short few months the bosses could all of a sudden put together a championship defense you needed to give your head a shake. Ultimately some poor drafting, trading and decisions have lead us to what the defense is currently at. The offense needs to lead this team now. RW is getting some real big bucks as well as many other players. They are going to have to win the games now and not the other way around in which we have been accustom to watching in the past. I am as big of a pessimist on this site as the next guy but some of the comments I have seen on this site after a week 2 pre season loss are comedic relief. The defence is going to have a lot of growing pains this year no doubt. We have guys on this roster who are 1 year fill ins until we can finally start drafting guys that aren't smashing their heads off rocks and are not longshot draft busts. I just want to see them compete hard every game and we will see who is left standing for next year as guys that are going to be around for a while. As for KJ and Wagner looking off in pre season...GOOD.. I don't care if they tackle anyone. If they get hurt in these meaningless games we are screwed. These guys are not competing for jobs so I don't care what they do as long as they don't end up on IR before the season starts. The defense is in full rebuild and it is going to cost us games. I agree we need to be like GB and the offence has to overcome a weak D. I see it like this after 2 games:

Offence:

1. Wilson is still Wilson...he can win us games that we have no business being in. However, he is going to have to play a FULL game...no more bs in the first half. I am hoping it was coaching decisions from the man who's name I will no longer state here. As for the back up job it looks bleek. Mcgeough will likely go to the PS. I think a better QB will be around after the final cuts and we can get one in better than Davis.

2. Our RB core imo looks good if they stay healthy. Remember we had the fat bastard at this time last year...it can't get any worse than that. Carson has had injury concerns even in college and high school. If he plays a full year I think we are okay. Penny is only going to get better and compete hard every game to get more snaps. Mckissic is gimmick guy and ST. He makes it on that. IMO Davis better beat out Prosise for the job. We keep basing Prosise's talent on one game 2 years ago. He hasn't done shit otherwise but be hurt. Davis at least can fill the void if Carson or Penny goes down. No way you can say that about Mr Glass. He did not look good at all vs the scrubs in the last game. I never even saw flashes that he could be good. Time to move on.

3. Our WR core will be fine and again I think its better than last year. Baldwin is still angry, Lockett will be healthier, Brown I think will be that safety net for Wilson and imo after that anything can happen. I do not think Marshall makes the team. He looked slow and old. I would personally rather go with Moore or Stringfellow. One question...where the hell is Darboh?

4. TE- Not sure whats going to happen here. I think Vannett will be the starter but still needs to work on his hands. I am hoping its nerves. I want him to be the next Zach...not the Chicago Zach...the other one...but I don't think he is. Dickson is a wild card with his injuries so who knows. After that Dissly is not ready.

5. OL- I'm sorry but Ifedi is trash and I would like to see him cut or traded by the end of pre season. He is obviously not coachable. He is going to get Wilson killed. Time to admit we drafted yet another bust. I thought otherwise the line looked better but we gotta see what happens when the real season starts. They need to be better this year no doubt.

Defense

1. DL- Clark is the key to the pass rush. If he can't get it done we are in some trouble. I have no faith that Jordan will ever be healthy enough to have an impact here. I think Green will step up but he is a rookie so don't expect a pro bowl appearance. With Smith being cut Green will have to be the guy on the other side. At DT we will be fine with Jones and Reed...more than fine I think.

2. LB- Wagner and Wright...nuff said...just gotta stay healthy. I'm not sold on Mingo and I suspect that is why Walden is here. Think its gonna be a patch job all year at that side. Something they need to address in the draft next year.

3. DB- This is where we are likely to get slaughtered at times. We have a very unproven backfield and its going to hurt us vs good offenses. I just want to see a strong sense of competitiveness and hopefully see signs of them getting better as the season goes on. Thomas will never play here again so lets pop that bubble right now.

ST-

Dickson is awesome. Weird how he can bomb it downfield without a full leg extension. Jon will get a job elsewhere which he deserves. Not sure on the kicker yet. Tough call. Remember we had garbage last year so any one of these guys is a big improvement. Not sure on Mckissic but I am sure Lockett will still have a role back there.

I see us at a 9 win team tops and out of the playoffs and on the low end 6 wins. But anything can happen with injuries in this league. A couple good QB's go down and it opens it up for anything to happen. I don't see the NFC being a 1 horse race at all this year.

There could still be some surprising cuts yet so this team may look different come week 1.

 

[adeltaY]

I'm here for the high octane offense 8)

 

[AROS]

I'm here for the high octane offense 8)

 

[FlyingGreg]

Good posts in here! :2thumbs:

For me, you have to start with expectations (as a fan): what are YOU expecting this season? I think we all hope our team will be competitive. But, does anyone really see a Super Bowl contender? I sure don't. I don't think I see a playoff contender, either, without a lot of things falling into place.

We need to embrace the reality. I think we may see a significant change in momentum where the offense becomes the strength and the defense becomes more of a liability, especially if #29 isn't patrolling the field. I see some elements of Schotty's offense I like - the curl routes and easy hitters that are always open if the defense gives it to us. That was something that drove me bat sh*t crazy about Bevell. It's 3rd and 5, run that stop route or crosser and move the chains, live to fight another four downs.

It is what it is and it is where we are at right now. That's not doom and gloom, it's stark reality. I also don't think we will "suck" and go 4-12 or anything crazy like that. Russell Wilson alone makes us competitive every week. He gives us a chance, every Sunday.

I just see too many flaws, for now.

I think Vannett will be pretty good. I am done with Ifedi, he is never going to get it. Agree with the down opinion of Hill. We are once again reminded of the strange and over-thought drafts since 2013 that have left the cupboards bare. I am bullish on the 2018 draft class, and I see more potential in that group than the last few drafts combined.

But, we are paying the price for some really poor drafting and trade decisions that cascaded for a few years. It is going to take some time to home-grow the next generation.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

This draft class is going to prove to be the best one in a long time. Green, Penny, Griffin, Dickson, Dissly and Flowers will all be contributors in the near future. Like most rookies, they will take their lumps, but learn from it and get stronger. 2019, this team is back in the Playoffs.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Look at the offensive roster:

QB - Wilson

WR - Marshall
WR - Baldwin
WR - Lockett
WR - Brown

WR Moore
WR Stringfellow (PS)

RB Carson
RB Penny
RB McKissic

FB - ?

TE - ?

OL -

Okay so the OL is iffy but Wilson has been working without a good line most of his career.

That is a loaded offense though. TE is weak and FB is apparently some guy we found on Football Tinder but the rest is tremendously dangerous.

There is no way that even with an iffy defense (and iffy is likely) that we should be looking at 4 wins or even close. This is going to be a very good offense with the capacity to be great. We just are not going to be the best team every week or have the best roster anymore. There are going to be some teams we will be outclassed by and have little chance beating. But for the most part, this team will be in a position to win more than half its games.

As Greg pointed out, expectations make sense here. We will win enough games to be worth watching. We probably won't be a playoff threat. We had our run and it will take some changes to open the door again. But the Saints did it and so did the Packers. You can be out of it for a year or two, get a few pieces, get a great draft and suddenly be back to one of the better teams.

The bigger challenge is we will get thinner after Wilson gets his contract. It will probably be a few years after that before the ship gets righted. We just have to be patient.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

That is a loaded offense though. TE is weak and FB is apparently some guy we found on Football Tinder but the rest is tremendously dangerous.
.

I think we're going to be pleasantly surprised with Vannett and Dissly, two HUGE blocking bodies that can catch the ball.

Ed Dickson? Meh, I don't even think he makes the team.

 

[AROS]

Good stuff Greg. As far as expectations? I expect to win no less than 8 games this year. I *think* we will win 9 or 10 games with a shot for the wildcard. But right now our defense is going to give up a lot of points this year so our offense better put up 30 average to win week in and week out.

 

[Hawks46]

I'm encouraged by how our offense looks. At times we've seen them struggle really badly in the preseason, and it was a precursor for bad things in the regular season. This game, we moved the ball almost at will, but mistakes held us back. Also keep in mind that the Chargers were the #1 team in the red zone last year, allowing TD's only 36% of red zone possessions.

RT has me a bit worried. On one hand, Ingram is one of the best pass rushers in the league and he makes a lot of people look bad. On the other, Ifedi has had time to acclimate to the NFL. Granted, he has had almost all of his tenure under Cable, who is either unwilling or incapable of coaching up an average NFL pass protection squad. My one hope is that once Solari gets some time with him, he can improve, because he just looked bad last game...competition withstanding.

Our secondary looks a bit soft, but I expected that. With as many young guys as we have, it's going to start out bad and hopefully improve. Hopefully coaching can make something of this because outside of a couple of guys, we literally have no one that can coach up young players on the field.

Our DL looks like it could really be something. Usually DL takes a year to really pick up. We've seen this guys look borderline dominant in pass rush, even though it's just preseason. Plus we haven't seen a lot of Clark yet, which should improve the squad. We not only look talented, but deep. Might be the most talented position group on the team.

OL is looking better overall. If Pocic can improve, we have a solid left side of the line. RG isn't great. I'd like to see Roos get more reps this preseason to see what's going on with him. Sweezy could likely come in and play at a league average level. RT looks to be a mystery right now. But with continuity and better coaching, we could have a league average squad, which is a HUGE improvement.

I think Wilson is going to have a stellar year. We have a good mix of large WRs that can make 50/50 catches, and fast guys that can stretch the field. Then we have guys like Baldwin that can get open at will. Then we have large guys that can stretch the field. Wilson is going to have some good young talent to throw to, and if he gets an improved running game and better protection he's going to light it up. He's going to need to because....

We're going to have to outscore people the first half of the season. I think it's imperative for us to get our run game solidified because the defense is going to need some time to rest and make adjustments.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Good points on the offense. I like the tempo and the aggressive nature. Hopefully that continues, and hopefully we see a lot of screen passes to the RB's. Let them do their thing in open space.

 

[Northwest Seahawk]

I rewatched the game it really wasn't as bad as I thought. The offense moved the ball well , Carson looked great with one exception. The defense only gave up 14 points. Were used to our backup QB's playing well and Austin has flat out sucked so far this preseason. Alex has outplayed him . All of that said Denver is a tough game 1 for any team. Seattle is going to have to win the turnover battle if were going to have a chance to win there. Carson is legit I don't think they will be able to shut him down so we'll have a chance.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

And only 7 points given up by the Defense in the first half. The other 7 was on that punt return.

 

[Northwest Seahawk]

I forgot to mention Brown and Moore there both upgrades over what we had last year. Baldwin Brown Moore locket is the best starting WR rotation Seattle's had since the super bowl. I still haven't seen Marshall do much yet hopefully he will.

 

[hawk45]

The offense will improve and not me quite so helpless, we will no longer be a joke on the ground and will get some big plays, but high offensive production isn't in Pete's DNA is my worry (maybe just me). He wants to possess the ball and limit opponents with defense. He's going to go into games with that mentality until opposing offenses whip our D and force him out of it. Then we will scramble to dig out of a hole.

I could be way off. It's been so long since I've seen solid offense from this team. Maybe we will get the running game and PA working and be able to do whatever we want.

It'll be really interesting to see how or if Pete adjusts to having what we think could be his first poor defense here.

 

[chris98251]

The offense will improve and not me quite so helpless, we will no longer be a joke on the ground and will get some big plays, but high offensive production isn't in Pete's DNA is my worry (maybe just me). He wants to possess the ball and limit opponents with defense. He's going to go into games with that mentality until opposing offenses whip our D and force him out of it. Then we will scramble to dig out of a hole.

I could be way off. It's been so long since I've seen solid offense from this team. Maybe we will get the running game and PA working and be able to do whatever we want.

It'll be really interesting to see how or if Pete adjusts to having what we think could be his first poor defense here.

If Pete keeps his hands off of it.