Great Chalk Talk this week

I always like seeing Brock's insights and he had some great ones this week in Chalk Talk.

He does a great job explaining why a lot of the plays that frustrated us on Sunday were really the correct call by Bevell. We are quick to blame Bevell, but when you look at the tape he made the calls you are supposed to make in these situations. It wasn't so much Bevell's fault as it was a lack of execution by our players.

Dallas just did a good job of beating us.

[youtube]v4b9ktKgyJQ[/youtube]

http://mynorthwest.com/292/2624152/Huards-Chalk-Talk-Offenses-issues-were-more-than-a-lack-of-Lynch

Fantastic. This is why I really like Brock Huard and Warren Moon. Both of them break down the technical aspects of the game in a way that is understandable and makes sense.

Frankly, what Brock says is true. Everyone at the game saw it. We just got outplayed. It happens.

That's a real bummer. The outlined play easily goes for 10 with one block.

The encouraging news is that it's a) fixable and b) not a gimmick

Oh No! A well designed and called play, messed up by 1 missed block. FIRE BEVEL! :sarcasm_off:

The bottom line: nobody was complaining about the bubble screen emphasis when it was working.

And many of the same numbers opportunities that favored the Harvin screens in September were still present against Dallas. Incredibly, the Cowboys were still scheming for Marshawn even though he wasn't used, and showing all the holes that such a team normally would. The difference was that Seattle didn't execute. They didn't take advantage of those holes.

Seattle doesn't just run Harvin screens because it's Harvin, they run them because other teams invite them to. But they require a lot of man-on-man execution on the edge, and on Sunday, the Seahawks just decided not to get it right for whatever reason.

It's also not true that Seattle didn't go deep in their passing game. Deep throws have a way of being forgotten by fans when they're not caught, but Wilson had several very accurate throws that got dropped. Fieldgulls has a good article on this right now - any one of those drops could have changed the game. Seattle dropped juuuuust enough to lose, and that's really the only way they've been losing since the Legion of Boom arrived.

Cool. Thanks for posting this. It's the point I'm trying to hammer in the Bevell thread, but Brock is obviously saying it way better. The answer isn't to simply scrap the Harvin plays or rush Lynch into a loaded box. Dallas gave us one-on-one all day. Seattle has to be able to win some of those battles; otherwise, this offense goes nowhere.

That could come down to someone springing Percy on a bubble screen or Wilson getting the ball out quick to one of his outside receivers (along with those receivers completing the play). You gotta make those plays to stay on the field and put the defense on its heels. Once that happens, you get creases for Lynch and now Seattle is dictating the game. I'll maintain that the gameplan wasn't as faulty as people are claiming. They sold out to stop Lynch and gave Seattle the opp to beat them with one-on-ones on deep throws and, yes, on gadget plays. We simply didn't win those battles.

Regardless, for me it wasn't about the execution, it was about the set-up.

Bubble screens are typically boom or bust, and with a player like Harvin it get can get big gains.

But to me that's not the problem.

Its about possession, ball-control, playing to your strengths and allowing the game to open up naturally.

But Bevell just seems so adamant on using the horizontal passing/rushing game to set up the vertical passing game as well as open up the middle for Lynch.

He has a good game plan but for me the steps of attacking are just wrong.

We should be running Lynch down their throats until they get loose and into a rhythm, we should be giving Wilson 3rd and shorts not 3rd and Long situations. We should be utilizing the RBs and TEs in the short-yardage game to convert said 3rd and shorts.

Then when defenses actually start sinking in and cheating up into the box, that's when you start to play-action and throw the ball horizontally and vertically.

They good plays for when the offense is in a rhythm and has the defense on its heels but it shouldn't be the focal point of an offense that has one of the best running games in the NFL.

This offense should be punching defenses in the mouth and controlling possession, not designing low percentage jail-break splash plays that's putting pressure on a struggle defense.

What SD and Dal did to the Seahawks Defense.... controlling TOP to 38-42 minutes... the Seahawks should be that team... they are very capable but they are just going about it in the wrong way because Bevell is trying to use the horizontal attack to set up everything else.

That's where its starting to piss me off and the reason why the Seahawks are struggling... sure proper execution has a lot to do with it but I just don't like trading the physical overwhelming effect Lynch has on defenses for explosive plays. Seahawks have always been a better team controlling T.O.P., establishing their physicality, and then utilizing explosive splash plays to bury their opponents.

But now its like they just want to build up to a big lead trying to spark home-run hitters and just use the running game to run out the clock down rather it being the identity of this offense.

I'm not going to lie, I thought it would work both way, because I thought the talent we have is just better than the other team. But it doesn't work like that in the real world. Gotta play to your strengths and just let the other things naturally play out instead of trying to force feed a result as well as quickly adjust. The biggest problem Bevell has in my opinion, adjusting.

So basically... Luke Willson isn't very good at blocking or catching balls in traffic, and we missed Miller. Kearse wins his jump balls sometimes, but we lack the more physical receiver that can win those jump balls most of the time. And RW just had an overall bad game and needed to be a little more accurate.

Ok, but that still doesn't explain some of the Walters plays on crucial downs, or the straight up runs with Percy, or at least the threat of the run with Marshawn, the lack of play action, bootlegs, the extensive use of shotgun, or empty sets that always get blown up, no I formation to mix it up, no shallow crosses or dig routes, screen game, etc.

The misdirection, bubble stuff, works on finesse defenses like Green Bay or Washington, but not 4-5 weeks in a row... teams like Dallas watch film and adapt.

I think that's where most would fault the game plan. Whether it's run or pass, mix it up... anticipate your opponents weaknesses, exploit them, and lean on what you do best.

We didn't do any of that on Sunday.

MontanaHawk05":3id7hitu said:

The bottom line: nobody was complaining about the bubble screen emphasis when it was working.

And many of the same numbers opportunities that favored the Harvin screens in September were still present against Dallas. Incredibly, the Cowboys were still scheming for Marshawn even though he wasn't used, and showing all the holes that such a team normally would. The difference was that Seattle didn't execute. They didn't take advantage of those holes.

Seattle doesn't just run Harvin screens because it's Harvin, they run them because other teams invite them to. But they require a lot of man-on-man execution on the edge, and on Sunday, the Seahawks just decided not to get it right for whatever reason.

It's also not true that Seattle didn't go deep in their passing game. Deep throws have a way of being forgotten by fans when they're not caught, but Wilson had several very accurate throws that got dropped. Fieldgulls has a good article on this right now - any one of those drops could have changed the game. Seattle dropped juuuuust enough to lose, and that's really the only way they've been losing since the Legion of Boom arrived.

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Excellent well written article. Thanks for posting ....... although I think this really deserves it's own thread.

If the play is not well blocked it is still partially on Bevell. He has to be the quality control in practice when players are blocking.

The offensive coordinator doesn't just come up with the scheme and call the plays.

MontanaHawk05":134ed510 said:

The bottom line: nobody was complaining about the bubble screen emphasis when it was working.

Click to expand...

Well then you haven't been paying attention. I hate bubble screens, I have been watching WSU run them for years. I don't have a problem with one every once in a while to catch a team off guard. However, you shouldn't run an empty backfield on 3 and 1 and throw a bubble screen when you have lynch on your roster. You can't tell me our bubble screen hasn't become predictable when we run them every other play.

hoxrox":2libduhn said:

So basically... Luke Willson isn't very good at blocking or catching balls in traffic, and we missed Miller. Kearse wins his jump balls sometimes, but we lack the more physical receiver that can win those jump balls most of the time. And RW just had an overall bad game and needed to be a little more accurate.

Ok, but that still doesn't explain some of the Walters plays on crucial downs, or the straight up runs with Percy, or at least the threat of the run with Marshawn, the lack of play action, bootlegs, the extensive use of shotgun, or empty sets that always get blown up, no I formation to mix it up, no shallow crosses or dig routes, screen game, etc.

The misdirection, bubble stuff, works on finesse defenses like Green Bay or Washington, but not 4-5 weeks in a row... teams like Dallas watch film and adapt.

I think that's where most would fault the game plan. Whether it's run or pass, mix it up... anticipate your opponents weaknesses, exploit them, and lean on what you do best.

We didn't do any of that on Sunday.

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We need Norwood and less drops 8+ in 2 games

Huard also said on the radio that there were few times any Wr was open

Using Harvin as a WR would get our other Receivers some separation, they will double team Harvin, that opens up Lynch and others. It worked before, even if we were to use Harvin as a decoy, why did we stop using him that way all of a sudden. I can understand to keep Beast Mode and Harvin healthy for the year, but that's like taking out your best playmakers and hoping you win games.

hoxrox":3g4sva86 said:

So basically... Luke Willson isn't very good at blocking or catching balls in traffic, and we missed Miller. .

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I think this is a big part. We miss Miller. Our O NEEDS a very good blocking/catching TE.

Then when defenses actually start sinking in and cheating up into the box, that's when you start to play-action and throw the ball horizontally and vertically.

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Brock's argument is that Dallas was doing that from the onset, which created opportunities in the horizontal game that we didn't execute.

Can we bring Sidney back just to block? This is where we miss him and Tate the most.

MontanaHawk05":o6h0oj0f said:

The bottom line: nobody was complaining about the bubble screen emphasis when it was working.

And many of the same numbers opportunities that favored the Harvin screens in September were still present against Dallas. Incredibly, the Cowboys were still scheming for Marshawn even though he wasn't used, and showing all the holes that such a team normally would. The difference was that Seattle didn't execute. They didn't take advantage of those holes.

Seattle doesn't just run Harvin screens because it's Harvin, they run them because other teams invite them to. But they require a lot of man-on-man execution on the edge, and on Sunday, the Seahawks just decided not to get it right for whatever reason.

It's also not true that Seattle didn't go deep in their passing game. Deep throws have a way of being forgotten by fans when they're not caught, but Wilson had several very accurate throws that got dropped. Fieldgulls has a good article on this right now - any one of those drops could have changed the game. Seattle dropped juuuuust enough to lose, and that's really the only way they've been losing since the Legion of Boom arrived.

Click to expand...

Just very pedestrian wideouts. Little seperation and when Wilson does drop it in there nobody seems to make the play. occasionally Kearse will, but few and far between.

Seems like we have had a lack of focus and execution on the team the past couple of games, Brock articulates it well like he always seems to do. Those dropped passes have been killing us as well, after the Washington game I said I couldn't remember the last time we had that many dropped passes. I think the players need to be introspective this week and realise why they're not in the right mindset.

Quite obviously if your defense is not stopping the other team, you need to match them on offense.

With a built to run first and foremost calling a bubble screen isn't the wisest choice. How good of blockers are Kearse, Baldwin and the rest? Expecting them to constantly beat their man is a lot to ask for an entire game.

Brock even said, we did not get Lynch involved enough. Teams always stack the box, so when that happens that is where we need to have a couple of plays that can get the much needed first down, and the bubble screen isn't one of them, especially if you are asking players that are marginal blockers to make that block.