Why I think we will lose this game

iigakusei

New member
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
1,856
Reaction score
1
If we do get consistent pressure on Ryan we will win for sure. If we dont (which I dont think we will either) we still have a great chance to win this game. Red Zone stops will be key.
 
OP
OP
theENGLISHseahawk

theENGLISHseahawk

Active member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
9,977
Reaction score
0
scakfan":c3bondsi said:
What a bunch of negative posts. I gaurantee you that Wilson will be very motivated to amend for what I am sure he considers a meager performance last weeked. We are going to demorilize their D! I think their jaw will be dropped on the sidelines when we start pulling away from them on the scoreboard and their offence will then get desperate for big strikes and a turnover or 2 will rear its ugle head for the Falcons.
The game is the Hawks to lose not the the Falcons to win...


If you just want to read posts that talk about how amazing we are and how much the Falcons suck (they don't), then why open a thread with this title?

RolandDeschain":c3bondsi said:
Anybody else think this game is a prime opportunity to start blitzing a lot?

There's a reason PC and DB (and a lot of defensive coaches) don't blitz much against top QB's. It'll never be a prime opportunity to blitz Matt Ryan.
 

scakfan

New member
Joined
Jan 4, 2013
Messages
110
Reaction score
0
LawlessHawk":rctkyhaf said:
I really think it's going to come down to our defense keeping them out of the endzone and our offense being able to score some points.

(cliche intended ;) )


I agree. Need to just keep them in front of us and our red zone d will take over. Having watched the Hawks nearly every game I believe we have the best red zone team on both sides of the ball.
 

Falcan Moore

New member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
116
Reaction score
0
You simply have to get pressure on Ryan without the blitz. I don't have the stats on me, but I know this year he's had something like a 96.1 rating against the blitz. I'm actually curious as to how good he's been in years past, too.
 

m0ng0

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 18, 2011
Messages
4,376
Reaction score
868
Location
Vancouver, Wa
We just gotta play our game, pound them with the run and the bend but don't break D.

I think it was Mark Schlereth that said Seattle was one of the best teams at creating an organic pass rush. Which implies good play from our secondary and running more stunts, twists and forcing the oline to react to changing assignments. This article was pretty interesting on how teams like us without a JJ Watt create pressure without blitzing much.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2 ... week-14-2/
 

mistaowen

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
6,334
Reaction score
606
theENGLISHseahawk":3hm13fc6 said:
mistaowen":3hm13fc6 said:
We looked fantastic at the end of the game sending blitzes on Kirk Cousins even if he is a rookie. Now I doubt we send that type of heat every single down, but having Clemons out must make our coaches realize we need to get creative to get pressure, especially if we as fans can see it. Bruce and Scruggs really started coming hard in their base packages as well after Clem went down, directly at the QB not dancing outside, so maybe the light finally went on for Bruce?

If we don't get pressure I can see this game ending in 14+ point loss.... their passing game is full of allstars. But like you said, the Cards got pressure on Matty Ice and he isn't the same QB when that happens. He likes to force throws when his pocket is collapsing and that bodes very well for our ballhawking secondary if we can jump it. I imagine we will see Earl covering over the top on Browner's side for most of the game and hoping Sherm can do his thing 1 on 1.

I bet we are going to see a whole lot of Marshawn to help keep them off the field a la Giants versus Brady in both superbowls.


Here's the thing though - we as fans see a heavy blitz against a rookie backup who enters the game in the fourth quarter trailing by ten points. We then see the blitz having success. If we tried that tactic against Matt Ryan, you're essentially saying - get to the QB or we're going to get burned. No grey area there. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan - these guys WANT you to blitz. Kirk Cousins doesn't know what he wants as a rookie backup.

We as fans can say, 'well that worked'. But there's a reason why the coaches are sticking with the four man rush. We're not leaving ourselves open to the big play and if we do create pressure we have a lot of opportunistic players in position to capitalise. I have no doubt that we'll continue doing this against Atlanta, hoping that we get the occasional stop and keep them to three points on drives rather than seven. And we want to play our offensive scheme and score more points than them. That's how we'll look at it. That absolutely has to be the game plan. If they go this way and we lose I won't complain because I don't think the alternative of blitz, blitz, blitz will work any better. I think we'll be destroyed doing that.

Maybe they do get creative on some select plays? The thing is, who do you blitz? I think our LB's need to sit in coverage. Earl needs to stay deep and help out the corners. Kam needs to watch Gonzalez. I'm not sure they have many options here.

And one other thing I think may be our downfall - the corner/safety blitz from their defense. They use it a LOT. Washington had success with it last week. Could be an issue.

BlueTalons":3hm13fc6 said:
I say we bring the house on blitzes until the Falcons prove they can beat it. If it works keep doing it. If not bring out the Bandit!

It'll be a long day if we do this IMO.

I agree we most likely will see them sticking with base rushes but I wouldn't be shocked if we see more creative schemes. There will be a drop off in play at the Leo position purely from a lack of experience, so I think we should see more assisted pressure from Bruce's side of the field, maybe 5 man rushes. Blitzing constantly would ultimately lead to our loss 9 times out of 10, but we HAVE to get pressure on 3rd downs and if this means more blitzes I think I would be for that. You cannot ask a secondary to stick with Julio Jones/Roddy White/Tony Gonzalez for 6+ seconds the entire game.

The thing I am more excited about is the 'idea' of playing less zone coverage since Matt Ryan doesn't run out of the pocket very often. I am hoping we can line up in man coverage and jam the hell out of their WR's to compensate for the potential of a lesser pass rush. Watching us sit back in soft zones the past few games against mobile quarterbacks has been painful but I understand the need to do it. I am praying the lack of mobility Ryan has will allow our defense to stay away from zones, but who knows how Gus will call the game.

Our offense being able to sustain long drives will be huge on Sunday. If we have to get in a shootout I don't like our chances. Lots of Marshawn with the read option will make me happy.

Who knows, maybe Irvin will come out and play the best game of his career.
 

cdallan

Active member
Joined
Aug 21, 2010
Messages
1,378
Reaction score
0
Location
Scotland
I agree with English to a certain extent - all of the teams that have had success against the potent passing offenses, like the two Giants SB winners, have been able tp get pressure with rushing 4 and dropping the rest into coverage. Look what happened when we managed that against GB. We probably are able to cover for a second or two longer than the average secondary, but we still need to get to the QB eventually.

I don't think we change what has worked and got us this far though. I think both sides will move the ball, and whether we win or not will depend upon our red zone D. I think a short field suits our D more than most, and we can sell out for the pass whilst still being confident in our ability to stop the run. Tbat is ths key here - if the Falcons pose little threat on the ground, then I think we wi . Since our O hit stride and we started scoring points, I think we beat any team with a one-dimensional offense. I'd say this is pick 'em rather than make the Falcons favourites.
 

BlueTalons

New member
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
1,272
Reaction score
0
Location
Spanaway, WA
RolandDeschain":2k3rqbo0 said:
Anybody else think this game is a prime opportunity to start blitzing a lot?
Why we will win if we play Blitz...wait...
75339_325407024230476_793425281_n.jpg
 

Fox0r

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
2,030
Reaction score
130
Location
Lynnwood, WA
theENGLISHseahawk":3pddaw75 said:
RolandDeschain":3pddaw75 said:
I am not underestimating the importance of pressuring the passer, but we've won a lot of games this year with crap pressure put on the opposing QB. Just sayin'.

Sure. But then we haven't played the #1 seed on the road. The best quarterback we've beaten with this situation on the road is Jay Cutler.

Our offense also wasn't up to snuff prior to that. I think people are overrating the loss of Chris Clemons.
 

Zebulon Dak

Banned
Joined
Mar 4, 2007
Messages
24,551
Reaction score
1,417
Freddie looks like the Hamburglar. Blitz looks like Sam the Eagle Muppet.
 
OP
OP
theENGLISHseahawk

theENGLISHseahawk

Active member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
9,977
Reaction score
0
Fox0r":3pn1faq9 said:
Our offense also wasn't up to snuff prior to that. I think people are overrating the loss of Chris Clemons.

Can you explain why?

Because my argument for that being an issue is he's the only player in our base defense who can get to the passer and with +30 sacks in the last three seasons, he's clearly one of the best pass rushers in the league. I'm not sure how you overrate losing a guy like that for a big playoff game.
 

formido

New member
Joined
Nov 29, 2012
Messages
547
Reaction score
0
Location
Ventura, CA
No amount of bellyaching makes the fact that we're #1 in the NFL in scoring defense go away. That was despite having no pass rush. That was not some sort of magic or accident. The coaches know we aren't getting pressure. They don't do anything to "fix" it. The fix would be worse than the cure and we are the BEST IN THE NFL. If this is such a "valid concern" why are we #1 in the NFL in scoring defense?

We don't "find a way to win". That's a backhanded compliment, in fact an insult. Like we're just squeaking by with new tricks up our sleeves each week, always on our heels. You know who's on their heels? Our opponents. That's why we lead the NFL in scoring defense. That's why we're like 3rd in margin of victory. We play the same way every week. There's no tricks.

We play defense the same way every time and yet people still don't understand how it works. We don't give up big plays. We are great in the red zone. We make the other team have to string together lots of first downs and then we hold you to a field goal if you survive that gauntlet. We have great players that execute this scheme amazingly well. We do this every game and every game it works.

It's dumbfounding to me that suddenly Atlanta, a team that played the easiest schedule in the NFL and struggled with it, is world beaters. Someone said they're going to beat us by 14! You realize Atlanta has played lots of teams with no pass rush this year, right? Where are all the blow outs from this unstoppable force from Atlanta? Where is this anxiety coming from?

No one knows, it could be a shootout. But, as of now, you have no legitimate argument. It's far, FAR more likely that a team that feasted on poor defenses will then not reach its season average when playing the #1 scoring defense in the NFL.

#1

#1 scoring defense in the NFL. Never had a pass rush. Don't need one. Still #1. Not an illusion. Not a mystery. #1.

Of all the major North American sports, football has the largest element of chance. Atlanta could very well beat us. But it won't be because we don't have a pass rush. Seattle is the better football team and wins this game 65% of the time. Maybe next year we'll draft or trade for someone and get AZ style base pass rush. If that happens, we'll start giving up negative points per game.

But, don't forget, #1. In the entire NFL. Scoring defense.
 

formido

New member
Joined
Nov 29, 2012
Messages
547
Reaction score
0
Location
Ventura, CA
Clemons being out doesn't mean we're going to field 10 guys. Someone else will be on the field to take his place. Last week, we seemed to do just pretty darn dandy with Clemons out. Worst case scenario is a marginal reduction in some aspects of defensive efficiency. Best case, and not at all unlikely, fresh legs and fresh personnel groupings reveals exciting new unprepared for advantages.
 

Zebulon Dak

Banned
Joined
Mar 4, 2007
Messages
24,551
Reaction score
1,417
theENGLISHseahawk":1k4q9em9 said:
Fox0r":1k4q9em9 said:
Our offense also wasn't up to snuff prior to that. I think people are overrating the loss of Chris Clemons.

Can you explain why?

Because my argument for that being an issue is he's the only player in our base defense who can get to the passer and with +30 sacks in the last three seasons, he's clearly one of the best pass rushers in the league. I'm not sure how you overrate losing a guy like that for a big playoff game.

Part of me wants to believe we overvalue Clem and that Bruce can just slide over and do his job as good if not better. Mostly that's the part of me that's pissed off that he got injured.
 

SeaWolv

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
1,185
Reaction score
460
BullHawk33":1rsn3yie said:
I agree that we will lose this game if Matt Ryan isn't pressured and can pick and choose his targets at will. That said, we've still managed a way to keep close all year against some very good teams. If we solve this, we win.

I have a TON of faith in our defensive backfield though to make the passes that do get thrown as difficult as possible and the YAC attempts as painful as possible.

I dunno Ryan racked up 400+ yards on the Saints and the Falcons still lost. My boss is a huge Saints fan, grew up in Louisiana played at LSU, he said you guys get up on them early and run the ball down their throat no way you lose. If they perceive the wheels are coming off they will wilt.
 
OP
OP
theENGLISHseahawk

theENGLISHseahawk

Active member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
9,977
Reaction score
0
formido":195b1v5k said:
No amount of bellyaching makes the fact that we're #1 in the NFL in scoring defense go away.

"Bellyaching"

I love it when a valid argument gets the 'bellyaching' treatment.

What a terrific counter.
 

Fox0r

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 8, 2009
Messages
2,030
Reaction score
130
Location
Lynnwood, WA
theENGLISHseahawk":16i380cy said:
Fox0r":16i380cy said:
Our offense also wasn't up to snuff prior to that. I think people are overrating the loss of Chris Clemons.

Can you explain why?

Because my argument for that being an issue is he's the only player in our base defense who can get to the passer and with +30 sacks in the last three seasons, he's clearly one of the best pass rushers in the league. I'm not sure how you overrate losing a guy like that for a big playoff game.

Most of the time, Big Red is playing opposite of Clemons on 1st and 2nd down, if you take out Clem and put in Bruce, it is really a push in terms of rushing the passer -- maybe a slight difference, but negligible in my opinion. For all we know, Bruce could bring MORE consistent pressure given the additional looks and snaps played. Maybe a slight drop in our ability to defend the run, but I have faith in our linebackers' range and ability to close the gaps and make up the difference. Atlanta isn't really a rushing juggernaut, anyhow, and Michael Turner is slow as molasses. Can we really say with confidence that Irvin is a liability in run defense? He hasn't really needed to care about that assignment until now.

The main concern may be on passing downs where we're forced to fill the void left by Bruce moving to Clem's spot, but I feel confident in our team's ability to bring pressure with other looks. Realistically, Bruce wasn't consistently getting a lot of pressure on the QB during passing downs most of the time, anyhow. We haven't really had the world's most dominant pass rush even with Clem and Bruce in the games together at the same time. A huge majority of their sacks came in 3 or so games and we've been fine.

Just my two cents, and I'm not saying I'm right by any means.
 

Hasselbeck

New member
Joined
May 2, 2009
Messages
11,397
Reaction score
3
Their offensive line really isn't much to write home about..

Not having Clemons stings, but I have confidence Irvin is going to get some pressure back there.

All that said.. the games the Falcons lost, Matt Ryan had a sensational day and it wasn't enough. At the end of the day, it's on the Seahawks offense to control clock and score touchdowns instead of field goals in the red zone.
 

Latest posts

Top