Notes vs Denver.

That move Von Miller put on Britt was pretty much identical to the one he put on Carpenter when Pete was experimenting with Carp at RT. Bull rush turned speed rush. Same result.

On a play to play basis, Irvin is bad more than good. gets caught in the trash, gets caught watching things unfold. Too much standing around for a player of his athleticism.

Bailey might be the best pass blocking prospect at LG we have. That ain't good. He got worked, with Okung actually blocking two guys, Bailey still whiffed.

Sweezy got worked over pretty good on a run Turbin took to the 3, got pissed and dove at a guy's legs, almost took out Okung's legs instead. Which was too bad, Jean-Pierre had the play blocked perfectly.

(one thing I will say in defense of the line, what looked like Bronco's running loose was usually one blown assignment, not all 5 guys sucking simultaneously)

The 3rd and goal sack absolutely was on Russ. He held the ball and didn't climb a pocket. Okung ends up looking terrible, but he blocked the play correctly.

Frank Clark plays with core strength that is rare even in the NFL. Pad level is a word used for Running backs all the time, but Frank uses pad level and strength, with quickness, to go where the O-line never planned on him being. I expect teams to seek out Irvin in the run game, going at Clark will be suicide. He has the awareness of what is happening around him in the trash that Irvin lacks.

Keavon Milton came in at LG and was immediately beaten. Poor TJ must have had flashbacks to the 2011 preseason. But TJ is not without fault, he too failed to climb a pocket that was clean in front of him on third and long and held the ball too long. Sack.

At this point of the game, the starters are all pretty much out, and the game gets a bit disjointed. Osweiler looks good, but vs who? A DT combo of Smith and McGill? A secondary I hope doesn't play much, if at all, this year?


Cody Latimer might be a good FF pickup this year.

I don't know if Chris Matthews fits the Hawks offense. He is amazing at snagging a ball while draped. But Russ, unlike TJ, doesn't have much track record of throwing a ball to a guy who looks covered, and Mathews simply doesn't get a lot of separation.

I see why they are high on Nowak. I think he may be the starting center soon.
C-mike...Aw, geez. But Gilliam whiffed a block on that play, so it isn't all just C-mike being a fumbler.

Hillman looks like another good FF get.

Clark, first series of the 2nd half, stops the run twice in a row, then chases down a screen from behind. 3 plays, 3 impacts.
Lockett rope a dopes the Denver punt team.

Watching Glowinski, Nowak, Gilliam, I can see the athleticism. They all have the nasty. Fundamentals, though...Just based on pad level I can see Aaron Donald stealing Nowak's lunch.

4th an 1. Naked boot. Gross, Bevel.

Sokoli gets Archer wrecked. He lunges at a defender in pass pro like he is rushing the passer. Ugly stuff. Next play he can't get his feet under him, looks bad again, this time run blocking an inside zone read.

Denver is learning. Clark gets a triple team. His stuff of the 4th down run attempt was pure awareness. I think I am in love.

In game coaching. Sokoli has been playing way too high, and getting worked as a result, but on the final series he looks slow off the snap, but stays over his feet and plays with good pad level. Night and day difference when the guard can get under the DT.


Over all, more highlights than I remembered last night. I don't know how good Rawls and Smith are at pass block, but first impressions are that both are fundamentally better football players than C-Mike, and both are better runners than Turbin.

I think the pass pro issues will improve a lot. It is simply a young group. When the grizzled old vet is still on his first contract, well...

Great stuff, Scotte.

Had I not fallen asleep midway through the first, I might have noticed some of these points on my own But, since I did, I really appreciate it.

Great stuff. Good to get some details on why the O-line sucked. To the causal fan, they just sucked but at least you added some color to it.

My Thoughts:

-We need to get Kam in camp in the next couple weeks, this game may have earned him a little leverage.
-Frank Clark's play might shut Bennett up about money (probably not)
-I think Sweezy and Britt might have suffered from some rust and will get better.
-Someone needs to emerge at LG and C (probably Bailey and Nowak
-Liked what I saw from Tye Smith, he'll make the 53
-Did Poole play, didn't see him or hear about him (injured?)
-Lockett is what we hoped he would be on special teams, would like to see more of him in the pass game

Scottemojo":3qafqhvc said:

I don't know if Chris Matthews fits the Hawks offense. He is amazing at snagging a ball while draped. But Russ, unlike TJ, doesn't have much track record of throwing a ball to a guy who looks covered, and Mathews simply doesn't get a lot of separation.

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I sort of think the opposite, i.e., this makes him a relatively good fit. For the last couple of years the passing game has functioned with receivers who, outside of maybe Baldwin, struggle to separate but tend to win at the catch point. I'm thinking of jump balls to Kearse, Tate, and even Matthews in the Super Bowl. I think Russ just needs to trust that you'll win your matchup.

Obviously it's nice to get separation once in a while, but if all Matthews becomes is a jump-ball specialist, I'd be pretty happy with the outcome.

Scottemojo":2cd7ux4f said:

I think the pass pro issues will improve a lot. It is simply a young group. When the grizzled old vet is still on his first contract, well...

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I think so too, but it worries me that the first game of the season is the worst possible matchup for a young O-line with growing pains.

Thank God that was a preseason game. If we look like that during the regular season we're in trouble!

I thought Tye Smith showed a lot for being a rookie. He got slightly out of position a few times, but recovered decently. I think he could be a starter at RCB in 2016 or 2017. I also thought Dion Bailey was in good position a lot of the time to come down and bring the hammer.

I mentioned when we drafted Lockett I thought his special teams alone might be worth 3 PPG in better field position. Last night he was worth 10. Not too shabby.

I have to wonder if the Denver would have slowed up the pass rush a bit if Lynch had been in the backfield. Maybe a few read options and they'd have to slow down a little to keep from running out of the play. It's preseason though so obviously nothing that sophisticated.

I had high hopes for Marsh. I was watching him a lot. He had a few pressures, but overall I was disappointed in him. He seemed to get blocked away from the play very easily.

I thought Mathews did great. He came down with 2 contested balls. I really hope his shoulder injury is minor, he could be a huge red zone threat I think. I also thought Kevin Smith looked great. Archer is far from an accurate QB but he managed to haul in 2 of the 3 looks, the 3rd being overthrown.

Most importantly, I hope they settle on the 1st string OL this week and allow them some time to develop some more chemistry. That Rams DL is going to murder Wilson week 1 if they don't.


Thanks for posting this Scotte

Nice write-up Scotte. Clark was exceptional and McGill looked good in spots. However, the run defense was flat most of the game and the Seahawks couldn't stop Osweiler. Osweiler is a little used backup QB. The fact he was dicing them is a concern. Lockett was great, OL was porous. How does a center get a false start penalty? Seriously Lemuel. Bevell was piss poor with the personnel and playcalling in the redzone again. Even after the shite call in SB49, Bevell hasn't learned. Why wasn't Graham in the redzone personnel package in Seahawks second offensive series of the game? They were at the 3 yard line and proceeded to move backwards. Settled for 3 pts. Should have scored 7 pts that drive.

Scottemojo":3uemeyoq said:

The 3rd and goal sack absolutely was on Russ. He held the ball and didn't climb a pocket. Okung ends up looking terrible, but he blocked the play correctly.

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Gee, where are all the OL haters running out to scream and stamp about how you're making excuses for Cable?

Oh...right...they probably realize that you know what you're talking about, so they're actually willing to reexamine their assumptions.

Funny how that works.

Good writeup, Scotte. I'd also agree with Alexander that Matthews' ability to win a contested ball might actually encourage Russ to throw more. He was certainly willing in the SB.

Disagree on Smith and Tye being better runners then Turbin. Smith had a nice series where he had the ball every play. And Rawls had some nice runs and a good screen for a TD, but they were also going against Denvers worst at that point. Let turbin run against the 3's and lets compare them then. Let smith and tye run against the 1's like turbin did, and then we'll see.

For the most part, turbin was able to still push for positive gains even when hit behind the line. I like that. Anytime a RB can get you 2-3 yards on a busted play, he's done good.

Cartire":17f3w8b1 said:

Disagree on Smith and Tye being better runners then Turbin. Smith had a nice series where he had the ball every play. And Rawls had some nice runs and a good screen for a TD, but they were also going against Denvers worst at that point. Let turbin run against the 3's and lets compare them then. Let smith and tye run against the 1's like turbin did, and then we'll see.

For the most part, turbin was able to still push for positive gains even when hit behind the line. I like that. Anytime a RB can get you 2-3 yards on a busted play, he's done good.

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More dangerous runners would be more accurate on my part.

MontanaHawk05":2030wb4o said:

Scottemojo":2030wb4o said:

The 3rd and goal sack absolutely was on Russ. He held the ball and didn't climb a pocket. Okung ends up looking terrible, but he blocked the play correctly.

Click to expand...

Gee, where are all the OL haters running out to scream and stamp about how you're making excuses for Cable?

Oh...right...they probably realize that you know what you're talking about, so they're actually willing to reexamine their assumptions.

Funny how that works.

Good writeup, Scotte. I'd also agree with Alexander that Matthews' ability to win a contested ball might actually encourage Russ to throw more. He was certainly willing in the SB.

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Be nice. We don't need to create any more tension than this board already carries.

Besides, the haters will be here eventually. They are just hung over right now.

Always love your write-ups Scotte.

MontanaHawk05":2xy95yc0 said:

Scottemojo":2xy95yc0 said:

The 3rd and goal sack absolutely was on Russ. He held the ball and didn't climb a pocket. Okung ends up looking terrible, but he blocked the play correctly.

Click to expand...

Gee, where are all the OL haters running out to scream and stamp about how you're making excuses for Cable?

Oh...right...they probably realize that you know what you're talking about, so they're actually willing to reexamine their assumptions.

Funny how that works.

Good writeup, Scotte. I'd also agree with Alexander that Matthews' ability to win a contested ball might actually encourage Russ to throw more. He was certainly willing in the SB.

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Your desire to blame Russel for poor offensive line play is really old and quite frankly ridiculous. Even Pete said the line had to improve and quickly. The Denver dline had free run on Russ from the get go. At least one man on our Oline let someone blow right by them nearly every pass play. Especially early on when our starters were out there.

hawkfan68":1pfivauc said:

Nice write-up Scotte. Clark was exceptional and McGill looked good in spots. However, the run defense was flat most of the game and the Seahawks couldn't stop Osweiler. Osweiler is a little used backup QB. The fact he was dicing them is a concern. Lockett was great, OL was porous. How does a center get a false start penalty? Seriously Lemuel. Bevell was piss poor with the personnel and playcalling in the redzone again. Even after the shite call in SB49, Bevell hasn't learned. Why wasn't Graham in the redzone personnel package in Seahawks second offensive series of the game? They were at the 3 yard line and proceeded to move backwards. Settled for 3 pts. Should have scored 7 pts that drive.

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Yes, Lem screwed up. But he also had some nice combo blocks.
No Bane, Sherm, Earl, or Kam. Denver ran a bunch of all go looks, with hitches and outs scattered into those all go looks. They called their offense to take advantage of inexperienced press corners. I saw it as Denver using the opportunity of our secondary being mostly absent to build the confidence of Osweiler.
Is the O-line bad? No. Hell, we don't know what the O-line is except for inexperienced. Seeing Sokoli go from horrid to improved in just a couple series shows why this preseason is vital for Cable to get through to these guys.

I would add that Denver was in full 3-4 attack, showing 6 or 7 possible rushers and then sending between 3 and 5 of them. I would have liked to see Bevell start sliding pockets a bit sooner than right after TJ got hurt, that is for sure, and there is no way the Franchise should have been out there risking his 88 million dollar ass on play action go routes with that group in front of him.

Clark is a new piece this defense didn't have before. I don't see him as being interchangeable with Bennett. Clark is going to be a splash play artist but maybe not a guy who racks up sacks or pressures.

The starting defense is going to be very, very good when 100% healthy.

I'm never quite sure how much Cable's word means, but he says this is the best group he's had to work with. I'm guessing he means that in a long term, big picture sense. The Rams game is going to be U.G.L.Y.

A few days ago, there was a topic about what to watch for in the preseason. I think now, the #1 item going forward has to be OL.

RE: the offensive line, I agree about the youth, and both the biggest reason for hope and the coincidentally the biggest concern is going to be that whoever our Center is will put the game together. Getting everyone on the same page was Unger's oft underappreciated gift, and we need our new centers to replace that ability as best they can. Without getting all those line calls correct, it won't matter how fundamentally sound the OL is.

Sarlacc83":2z8sozl4 said:

RE: the offensive line, I agree about the youth, and both the biggest reason for hope and the coincidentally the biggest concern is going to be that whoever our Center is will put the game together. Getting everyone on the same page was Unger's oft underappreciated gift, and we need our new centers to replace that ability as best they can. Without getting all those line calls correct, it won't matter how fundamentally sound the OL is.

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I will admit to underappreciating Unger's communication skills. And fearing their loss the second I heard about the trade.

Alexander":3fep7ark said:

Scottemojo":3fep7ark said:

I think the pass pro issues will improve a lot. It is simply a young group. When the grizzled old vet is still on his first contract, well...

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I think so too, but it worries me that the first game of the season is the worst possible matchup for a young O-line with growing pains.

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That's funny, because Broncos fans were thinking the exact same thing. Denver started 3 players on the left side of the line that have never played in an NFL game.

Your boy Clark looks like a steal.

Good luck this season guys. Hope to see you in the Super Bowl again.

FlyHawksFly":3gkpcvhi said:

Matthews doesn't get great separation, but Russell has shown the willingness to throw up a 50/50 ball in times of need, which is where Matthews can shine. He may not have the full spectrum of skills, but he does that well enough to have a spot on the team. If he can be even a poor man's Joe Jurevicius, it would be a huge boon to the offense.

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I agree. Pete Carroll talked about feeding the ball to Matthews a few days ago, and before the injury, it 'felt' like Matthews was on a 5 or 6 catch pace.

Being 'open' looks different for certain players in certain offenses. For example, A DB can be step for step with Jordy Nelson and yet Rodgers will zip the ball to a very specific spot and Nelson will know exactly where that ball is going and be at that spot in perfect synchronization. Many of the targets to Graham and Gronk were well covered, but the size of those players effectively made them 'open.' I think Pete realizes this, and is trying to expand Wilson's command of the game accordingly. I think that's why we saw an emphasis with the timing based passing game last year with Richardson, and now an emphasis with using Matthew's size.