ESPN says Don't Jump Yet

Some interesting comparisons to previous years.

Something upbeat if you dig enough at least.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...wks-slow-start-becoming-tradition-why-worried

The offensive staff: Coordinator Darrell Bevell, line coach Tom Cable and quarterbacks coach Carl Smith have all been with Seattle since 2011, the year before Wilson arrived. Seattle ranks among the NFL leaders since then on a per-game basis in rushing yards (first), fewest turnovers (third), offensive points (ninth) and explosive plays (11th), defined as 12-plus-yard rushes and 16-plus-yard passes.

Those are impressive numbers, but they tell half the story. Since 2011, Seattle is 28th in offensive points per game in the first halves of seasons and fourth -- behind only the Patriots, Saints and Packers -- in the second halves of seasons. The Seahawks' ranking for explosive plays jumps from 25th in Games 1-8 to third, behind the Eagles and Saints, in Games 9-16.

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Nice one Seymour.

And the typical fan responds, "But what have you done for me lately". :stirthepot:
Statistics have been known to lie.

It's the same crap every year. Start slow, people act like the world has come to an end. Then the team gets rolling in the 2nd half of the season and is back in the playoffs, yet again.

SoulfishHawk":3nrzs553 said:

It's the same crap every year. Start slow, people act like the world has come to an end. Then the team gets rolling in the 2nd half of the season and is back in the playoffs, yet again.

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It's true that there is overreaction to recent losses but tell me, do you think this team can win in the playoffs on the road?

SoulfishHawk":3f8ptqde said:

It's the same crap every year. Start slow, people act like the world has come to an end. Then the team gets rolling in the 2nd half of the season and is back in the playoffs, yet again.

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Yeah, and that's great until the playoffs when we run into a good game in their house. Usually ends up in our exit.

My complaint isn't just a kneejerk reaction. I don't see why if an issue is easily identified it can't also be easily addressed. We start slow and lose ground in playoff seeding, which in turn leads to our downfall. Was ready for a different script this year.

CodeWarrior":dvxjvg98 said:

We start slow and lose ground in playoff seeding, which in turn leads to our downfall. Was ready for a different script this year.

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:ditto:

We're lucky to have Sando on the ESPN Staff. With the resources he has now, he writes some good stuff, and I get excited when I see he's on 710.

Nice find Seymour. :2thumbs:

All a matter of opinion, and yes they can win on the road. Past games have zero to do with future games.
Just be the better team THAT DAY.

SoulfishHawk":3eo44gk3 said:

All a matter of opinion, and yes they can win on the road. Past games have zero to do with future games.
Just be the better team THAT DAY.

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Performance history suggests nothing about future performance then? Even when the core players of a team remain largely intact?

SoulfishHawk":2xl8xjej said:

All a matter of opinion, and yes they can win on the road. Past games have zero to do with future games.
Just be the better team THAT DAY.

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Yeah, that's a real head scratcher. If past games have zero to do with future games, why do we start slow and in a similar manner every year? Seems like you're making both sides of the argument.

CodeWarrior":3fbcgpyg said:

SoulfishHawk":3fbcgpyg said:

It's the same crap every year. Start slow, people act like the world has come to an end. Then the team gets rolling in the 2nd half of the season and is back in the playoffs, yet again.

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Yeah, and that's great until the playoffs when we run into a good game in their house. Usually ends up in our exit.

My complaint isn't just a kneejerk reaction. I don't see why if an issue is easily identified it can't also be easily addressed. We start slow and lose ground in playoff seeding, which in turn leads to our downfall. Was ready for a different script this year.

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Exactly. I think many of us were. Knowing the problem and watching us trade down in the draft was tough to watch also knowing the oline was going to dictate our success. This year does seem to be even worse in some things though. Dropping balls, missing open receivers numerous times, and the amount of costly mental errors all seem on the rise to me.

Fair enough, I believe they can do it. My own opinion, and I stick by it.
And clearly you're not getting what I'm saying, and that's fine.
Just because they lost road games in the past, it doesn't mean they will lose on the road this year if they end up playing a road playoff game. As in it's a new game, lace em up and go get it. Why bother playing, we lost in the past, so........
Just because I believe in the team, it doesn't mean I don't recognize the issues with the team. I choose to see the positive and not assume they will lose. I just don't see the fun in assuming the worst. We all look it our own way :irishdrinkers:
The being said, like most teams, home field is massively important for these guys.
I'm a homer, I get it, that's not gonna' change.

SoulfishHawk":1hjjxtoe said:

Fair enough, I believe they can do it. My own opinion, and I stick by it.

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I think it's possible as well.

The insinuation was that fans should treat home and road playoff games identically despite the fact that:

- Both recent Superbowl appearances arose from HFA throughout
- All 3 playoff bounces including the last 2 years came on the road

That history is just a tad too lopsided and recent to be so definitively dismissed as cause for concern.

Edit: I see your above post so I retract my whining above :irishdrinkers:

I hear ya. I mention to people often that this team has been the #1 seed 3 times, all 3 times - Super Bowl.
Shoot, just equate it to me putting my fingers in my ears and saying la la la la la.

We always start slow, and it always looks uglier than it really is. The last few years, not only were the areas of improvement pretty clear, it was fairly easy to see the potential for improvement. An example of this, from this year, is the drops. These are flukes. Not flukes we can afford to make with our small margin for error, but flukes nonetheless.

My concern is that, this year I don't see the basis for improvement in the offensive line that I saw in years past. I'm hoping there is something I am missing, or they will be able to bring in new players with the potential for improvement. The likelihood seems pretty low

Let's use stats from the last 2 years, or do each year separately, or how about our offense when we ran zone read primarily. Using stats from the first couple couple years to skew the current mess is disingenuous

hawk45":25zbxxhw said:

SoulfishHawk":25zbxxhw said:

It's the same crap every year. Start slow, people act like the world has come to an end. Then the team gets rolling in the 2nd half of the season and is back in the playoffs, yet again.

Click to expand...

It's true that there is overreaction to recent losses but tell me, do you think this team can win in the playoffs on the road?

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Not with how they are playing now - no.
Long season though.

Still gotta' lace em up. This team capable of beating anyone, at anytime.
I remember when many thought we had no chance at New England last year.

Yeah I read this too, and it was encouraging til the end:

"The Seahawks nearly pulled off a comeback Sunday at Tennessee, but with the loss, Seattle is 3-7-1 on the road since the start of last season, including the playoffs. The Seahawks were 8-3 in their 11 road games before that, with a 27-13 average final score for those games, even counting the defeats. They didn't just win on the road. They dominated. Now, they mostly lose away from home.

That drop-off reveals a championship team becoming a very good team that tends to play its best later in the season. Getting back to the Super Bowl will most likely require a healthy Wilson and an emerging young back in Carson elevating an offense with more question marks around it -- and specifically, up front -- than the Seahawks anticipated having"

Sounds like Sando thinks our window has closed rapidly, actually.