When's the last time our offense picked on a mismatch

I'm trying to think of a time when our offensive gameplan went after a guy on or unit on defense with gusto. I ask because I genuinely can't recall a time Bevell has done that. Is this because it's not obvious enough, not done, we don't have the talent to really do that ala Brown and Ben on the Steelers? Do you think our offense would benefit from some of these meta game tactics or are we already doing it and I'm not aware of it?

I guess that begs a question. When do you recall our offense having a mismatch that we could exploit?

Since the offense has been based around the run, I'd say we've exploited a team's run defense when a rb has gone over 100 yards.

Basis4day":22akfkvj said:

I guess that begs a question. When do you recall our offense having a mismatch that we could exploit?

Since the offense has been based around the run, I'd say we've exploited a team's run defense when a rb has gone over 100 yards.

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Ha, good point. In that context how I guess you'd have to look for tendencies specific to each game and where and how they're running the ball.

Week 17 last season going at Justin Bethel with whoever he was attempting to cover. That comes to mind as the most recent, though I am sure there have been others.

Bevell would probably ask "what's a mismatch?"

Pete would probably respond with "well, that's just unsportsmanlike".

Seriously, Pete ran the score up at USC all the time, but in the NFL, we get up by 10 and it's run, run, run, punt. For a quarter and a half. Hell, 14 points isn't safe in the NFL anymore.

I will say in all honestly that we picked on that rookie CB from Miami last weekend. For like the first series or so, then ol' softy Pete felt sorry for the kid. (i'm kidding and I do like Pete. I think he's going to be the best coach we've ever had).

Seriously though, it begs another question: why do we always find something that works, then promptly go away from it ?

We start out with the quick passing game, then just quit. I know it wasn't super effective, but it did move the chains. We have the personnel to go power run game one play, then spread them out the next. Change identities play to play and game to game.You know, like the Patriots do.

We're shutting Miami down with bringing pressure. So we promptly go to a 3 man pass rush, and drop JARRAN REED into coverage. This is seriously like saying "look, we're going to give you 6 seconds or so to throw. and trot a guy off the field for good measure". Then we get this 30 yard catch and run, so gee, we go back to what works.

I'm with the OP. Why don't we ever seem to game plan for weaknesses? It works for the Pats. They will go spread against a team with a weak secondary (like Minny 5 years ago with the Williams Wall and no CBs) and then go power run against a team like the Colts that can't stop the run. And they're just not scared to beat people. They don't care if they beat you by 30.

I'm pretty sure we've targeted the weaker personnel groupings in an opponent multiple times in the past. But we also have a strong Seahawks bravado where we imply this is what we're going to do, I dare you to stop us.

mrt144":1i9fjq0p said:

I'm trying to think of a time when our offensive gameplan went after a guy on or unit on defense with gusto. I ask because I genuinely can't recall a time Bevell has done that. Is this because it's not obvious enough, not done, we don't have the talent to really do that ala Brown and Ben on the Steelers? Do you think our offense would benefit from some of these meta game tactics or are we already doing it and I'm not aware of it?

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It's certainly a fair question and I'm sure it happens, but I honestly can't say how much. Someone mentioned wk-17 against Ariz and I recall some of that. Look for us to do the same against them this year because now they have a converted RB rookie playing the corner opposite PP and he's not good.

I go back and forth on Bevell and in fairness, I am sure he's always looking for a mismatch. Typically he's getting his reads from the booth and making his calls based upon what the defense is giving him, e.g., are they in man? - loading the box? - soft zone? It's like a battlefield where you are constantly probing, looking for a soft spot in the line to break through. My biggest problem w/Bevell is what I feel is his intransigence, he has a game plan and he's going to stick to it, no matter what or at least till halftime.

This team is known for doing it's homework. Isn't that why they watch so much film...they're looking for tendencies of players and teams to exploit? Be it offense or defense.

Wasn't that pass to Williams right before halftime in the SB exploiting Williams' height advantage? Don't we use Graham the same way? Or Kearse's size and toughness against smaller DBs? #16's & 10's quickness?

There's probably more, but hopefully this answers part of the question.

This type of topic makes me laugh. Some "fans" want to diss the home team so bad they try to find any nit they can.

Oh I don't know. Go back and look at any of the wins we've had since RW took over. If im not mistaken we've won the most or second most games in the time frame. Im sure you can find plenty of times we picked on certain weaknesses.

But yes Big Ben and A Brown are very good.............

Hawks46":3pbneese said:

Seriously, Pete ran the score up at USC all the time, but in the NFL, we get up by 10 and it's run, run, run, punt. For a quarter and a half. Hell, 14 points isn't safe in the NFL anymore.

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This is the NFL, it's very hard to run up the score on even the worst teams...............especially for a team like the Hawks that are predicated on playing lights out defense and running the ball trying to wear teams down in the 4th quarter.

Sure once in a while the Patriots or Steelers will hang 50 on a bad team, but even those teams only do that a couple times a year.

btw, the Rams D is not as "mismatch" for our offense. Quite the contrary, as the past 2-3 years has shown. We STRUGGLE against their front.

Hawks46":1igqb0bw said:

Bevell would probably ask "what's a mismatch?"

Pete would probably respond with "well, that's just unsportsmanlike".

Seriously, Pete ran the score up at USC all the time, but in the NFL, we get up by 10 and it's run, run, run, punt. For a quarter and a half. Hell, 14 points isn't safe in the NFL anymore.

I will say in all honestly that we picked on that rookie CB from Miami last weekend. For like the first series or so, then ol' softy Pete felt sorry for the kid. (i'm kidding and I do like Pete. I think he's going to be the best coach we've ever had).

Seriously though, it begs another question: why do we always find something that works, then promptly go away from it ?

We start out with the quick passing game, then just quit. I know it wasn't super effective, but it did move the chains. We have the personnel to go power run game one play, then spread them out the next. Change identities play to play and game to game.You know, like the Patriots do.

We're shutting Miami down with bringing pressure. So we promptly go to a 3 man pass rush, and drop JARRAN REED into coverage. This is seriously like saying "look, we're going to give you 6 seconds or so to throw. and trot a guy off the field for good measure". Then we get this 30 yard catch and run, so gee, we go back to what works.

I'm with the OP. Why don't we ever seem to game plan for weaknesses? It works for the Pats. They will go spread against a team with a weak secondary (like Minny 5 years ago with the Williams Wall and no CBs) and then go power run against a team like the Colts that can't stop the run. And they're just not scared to beat people. They don't care if they beat you by 30.

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To be frank here, I see the team scheming for the hardest game they can have. If the team we are playing has a fantastic run defense, we RUN THE DAMM BALL. If the team has a strong pass defense, WE PASS ALL DAY LONG. We dont scheme to win, we scheme to be better than they are in all facets. They challenge the other team to beat them in their own game. I think I call it a Bevellation.

Ah look, another Bevell bashing thread.

Let's forget about the read option, run/pass option, record setting QB stats, record setting total yardage for the franchise in a single game, consistent running game... because we can't recall that time that CB got picked on.

They probably have exploited mismatches. When RW was throwing it all over the park last season, there's no doubt they would've done. It probably just wasn't that obvious to us as fans.

In the Phins game with those 'stunts' especially by Clark, didn't they going hard at their C and LG? Honest question.

edit: oops! the Q was about Offense

Hawks46":gmlap675 said:

Bevell would probably ask "what's a mismatch?"

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A bubble screen against a prevent defense.

theENGLISHseahawk":ucroczct said:

Ah look, another Bevell bashing thread.

Let's forget about the read option, run/pass option, record setting QB stats, record setting total yardage for the franchise in a single game, consistent running game... because we can't recall that time that CB got picked on.

They probably have exploited mismatches. When RW was throwing it all over the park last season, there's no doubt they would've done. It probably just wasn't that obvious to us as fans.

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Well that's what I'm curious about - how do we as fans identify it in real time? or is it something we only become aware of after the fact looking at stat breakdowns and tape?

I didn't intend to make this a Bevell bashing thread even though I am highly dubious on DB at times. I am way more curious on identifying the signs of it and finding good examples of us doing it and comparing it relative to other teams in the NFL. Even though I doubt we'll get there, it's a way more open ended question than it comes across.

LeftHandSmoke":1h3dl8m5 said:

In the Phins game with those 'stunts' especially by Clark, didn't they going hard at their C and LG? Honest question.

edit: oops! the Q was about Offense

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This actually provides some insight - We identify the stunts because A. They're successful B. They're not something the D does all the time. There is a enough signal to noise for us to say "hey, the defense identified this thing with the other team, they're working it now"

mrt144":2nb15rkp said:

LeftHandSmoke":2nb15rkp said:

In the Phins game with those 'stunts' especially by Clark, didn't they going hard at their C and LG? Honest question.

edit: oops! the Q was about Offense

Click to expand...

This actually provides some insight - We identify the stunts because A. They're successful B. They're not something the D does all the time. There is a enough signal to noise for us to say "hey, the defense identified this thing with the other team, they're working it now"

Click to expand...

There was also enough 'signal to noise' ahead of the game to imagine that they recognized that Miami's ProBowl starting Center Pouncey would not play, replaced by a first-NFL-start guy Steen. Also, their LG may have been a (high pick, but) rookie. Miami newspapers made a big deal of it during the week's leadup.

So, that injury-report may suggest how the success was a result also of game-planning by the Hawks.

LeftHandSmoke":22erlgti said:

mrt144":22erlgti said:

LeftHandSmoke":22erlgti said:

In the Phins game with those 'stunts' especially by Clark, didn't they going hard at their C and LG? Honest question.

edit: oops! the Q was about Offense

Click to expand...

This actually provides some insight - We identify the stunts because A. They're successful B. They're not something the D does all the time. There is a enough signal to noise for us to say "hey, the defense identified this thing with the other team, they're working it now"

Click to expand...

There was also enough 'signal to noise' ahead of the game to imagine that they recognized that Miami's ProBowl starting Center Pouncey would not play, replaced by a first-NFL-start guy Steen. Also, their LG may have been a (high pick, but) rookie. Miami newspapers made a big deal of it during the week's leadup.

So, that injury-report may suggest how the success was a result also of game-planning by the Hawks.

Click to expand...

So there would be a significant task in going back over injury reports prior to the game then cross referencing those reports with play direction and play call tendencies relative to the average Seahawks play calling. Then doing the same with all other 31 nfl teams to see where we sit relative to other teams.

mrt144":3c8hwg8n said:

So there would be a significant task in going back over injury reports prior to the game then cross referencing those reports with play direction and play call tendencies relative to the average Seahawks play calling.

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Sure. There is always lots of subjective speculation about the coming matchups, be they injury-, individual-, scheme-, or whateverall-based. Fun to look back and see if any of them came to fruition but yes, could be hard to quantify in any 'significant' way.

I like to think the Hawks offense (and us speculators..) will also take a close look at what the 9'ers were able to take advantage of against the Rams, and then at least try to inflict some of the same punishment.

Wasn't Baldwin abusing Maxwell on the last drive in the Phins game?