Anemic First Halves..Am I The Only One Worried???

loafoftatupu

Active member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
6,398
Reaction score
11
Location
Lake Tapps, WA
As long as RW is the QB, I am not worried in the least. The kid rectifies everything he needs to. During the Skins game, while the entire household was freaking, I kept telling them to hang on, that RW would find a way. After Lynch scored the go-ahead touchdown in ATL, I was convinced that the Hawks will not be stopped on offense for an entire game, ever again.
 

DirtSkins

New member
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
It's not just first halves, the first half of the season wasn't as spectacular on offense. Just as a few other teams did throughout the year, with their new players, they're figuring it out as they go.

The Hawks know they have the defense to give the offense chances to work/learn, etc, and it worked. The Skins are the opposite, great at first, get ahead with the offense, and hope your so-so defense doesn't blow it. That 14-0 first quarter was very predictable.

The difference is, it's scary how Seattle's offense did seem to figure it out later in the year, and seem to adjust nicely in games. With, still, the great defense. And if it's any insight, Mike Shannahan is known to script the first 10-20 plays or so, with very little wiggle room; it takes a lot to adjust one of those plays. I don't know if this is something all coaches do, but those plays were usually successful resulting in great 1st quarters, great starts.

Whatever it is, it's a coaching thing, but again, there was improvement in pretty much everything despite this thing happening so recently. I'd say the only thing the Hawks have to worry about is playing more consistently on the road, no matter what qtr it is.
 

strohmin

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 2, 2011
Messages
1,864
Reaction score
1,011
not how you start but how you finish. Just enjoy the game. its more exciting when they score in the end.
 

hawksfansinceday1

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
24,629
Reaction score
3
Location
Vancouver, WA
RolandDeschain":69ejxs5r said:
*cough, boring & vanilla offensive play-calling in the first halves, then lively play-calling suited towards Wilson's strengths in the second halves, cough*

Sorry, that was quite a lengthy cough. I may have some bronchitis action going on.
Maybe you've got a bevell stuck in your throat?
 

olyfan63

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
5,662
Reaction score
1,696
McGruff":21tpkeen said:
kidhawk":21tpkeen said:
I wouldn't say I'm worried per se. I did wonder to myself, why it seemed during the Atlanta game that we didn't seem to use the read option much early. It was devastatingly successful when we did use it. It almost seemed as if they were trying to establish a more "pro style" offense against Atlanta, when all along, what we had been doing would work well.

I'm past it now, but it was definitely something that made me wonder what we were thinking sometimes.

Based on the fact that the Niners also didn't run much read option, I'm guessing it was something Atlanta did schematically to take away the QB option.

Remember that Atlanta has faced Cam Newton twice a year, for the last two years. If there's any D that's seen and prepared for a running QB, it's Atlanta. Colin Kaepernick IS Cam Newton. Physically, athletically & QB wise, I mean. Preparing for one is preparing for the other. It also helped Atlanta be ready for Russell Wilson and the Hawks read option.
Green Bay hadn't seen, in actual play, a QB like Newton or Kaepernick, and even though they had film and *thought* they were prepared, they got torched by Kaepernick's running. Theory vs. Practice at work there...
So I wonder if Baltimore will be able to defend Kaepernick's running in the SB.
 

hawk45

Active member
Joined
Sep 27, 2009
Messages
10,009
Reaction score
16
RolandDeschain":2t9w26we said:
*cough, boring & vanilla offensive play-calling in the first halves, then lively play-calling suited towards Wilson's strengths in the second halves, cough*

Sorry, that was quite a lengthy cough. I may have some bronchitis action going on.

This would be my favorite explanation by a large margin.

I don't accept that you need to run Lynch a million times in the first half when it's not working just to soften up the defensive line. If the opposing defense is stopping it, you have the QB to be more pass-oriented, so do that and sprinkle Lynch in and the ground game will start to open up.

I think the offensive playcalling at times has made it harder on RW rather than easier, which is particularly inept because they were trying to make it easier. But the end result is, we get in a hole or it's a much tighter game than it needs to be, putting it ALL on RW's shoulders at the end. Yeah, that's a much easier road for your rookie.

I think that's one thing San Francisco has done better than we have. When they roll Kapperdick out there, they take advantage of his skillset immediately, and all game long, for as long as it appears to work.
 

Axx

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Messages
2,091
Reaction score
0
hawk45":125parpp said:
RolandDeschain":125parpp said:
*cough, boring & vanilla offensive play-calling in the first halves, then lively play-calling suited towards Wilson's strengths in the second halves, cough*

Sorry, that was quite a lengthy cough. I may have some bronchitis action going on.

This would be my favorite explanation by a large margin.

I don't accept that you need to run Lynch a million times in the first half when it's not working just to soften up the defensive line. If the opposing defense is stopping it, you have the QB to be more pass-oriented, so do that and sprinkle Lynch in and the ground game will start to open up.

I think the offensive playcalling at times has made it harder on RW rather than easier, which is particularly inept because they were trying to make it easier. But the end result is, we get in a hole or it's a much tighter game than it needs to be, putting it ALL on RW's shoulders at the end. Yeah, that's a much easier road for your rookie.

I think that's one thing San Francisco has done better than we have. When they roll Kapperdick out there, they take advantage of his skillset immediately, and all game long, for as long as it appears to work.

Just look at The Patriots and Redskins, teams respect both of those offenses ability to pass that give both of their running backs huge yardages through out the course of the game. Defenses know that they are willing to pass the ball in the first half unlike Seattle where defenses know they will run the ball 20 times in the first half even if they are averaging 2 yards per play.
 
Top