Seafan":20eanes5 said:
For three years teams have been pressing hard to collapse the pocket regardless if it's with 4 men or more. That's nothing new, that is the biggest reason the offense had been in a funk. Russ wasn't getting any help from Bevell with regards to game planning, play calling and in-game adjustments even though everyone knew what was happening. The league figured how to play Russ and the Hawks didn't make any changes. Without Marshawn the team's offense was getting more anemic every week as teams simply tee'd off with no fear.
Russ has a chance to really excel this year thanks to Schott and Solari and thanks also to Pete's commitment to a strong running game. I think the best is yet to come.
Post of the week.
Nicely done.
Teams figured out how to play us and CaBevell failed to adjust, and Pete's blind loyalty kept him from making the needed changes. The SB49 pick by Malcom Butler just magnified everytthing, showing how big the dysfunction was, on the world's biggest stage, with incredibly high stakes. It was the same issue, Pete's blind loyalty to a failed pair of coordinators who sabotaged each other.
Bevell sucked at play-calling? Yes, but you'd suck too if you had to call plays that depended on THAT O-Line winning any battles. Cable's O-Line sucked? Well, maybe, but the real problem was Bevell's play calling and game planning not working to neutralize the opponent's strengths, hide the Seattle O's weaknesses, and play to Russell's strengths, and take advantage of favorable matchups. Except... wait a minute... When Seattle had a matchup advantage in SB49, Chris Matthews, and Bevell and Wilson rode that matchup until NE put Browner on Matthews. Honestly, IMO, CaBevell was a chicken and egg problem, and not one of Carroll's brighter moves to leave the awkward arrangement in place as long as he did. However, The Pick in SB49 was clearly on Bevell, not Cable, for Bevell's poor matchup awareness, Kearse having to move Browner, his failure to use Russell's strength (mobility) and trying to "surprise" the opponent with one of Russell's weaker areas, throwing a slant over the line into the middle of the field on timing. Can't pin that stuff on Cable.
In 2015-17, the rest of the league did figure out how to play Russell, and CaBevell failed to adjust, Cable failed to update his blocking schemes for rule changes, and Bevell failed to come up with alternatives to slow down the pass rush, with screens other than the dreaded bubble screen.
It feels like Schotty and Solari at least pay attention to how other teams are playing us and adjust game plans and matchups. That was on display in the Rams game. One bogus holding penalty away from taking a late 4th quarter lead.
