Everyone (it seemed) didn't care whether Geno or Drew was our starter...we were going to fall under an avalanche of interceptions thrown...and lose many games. Geno understood Pete was quite firm in expecting his QB to take the sack rather than force the hurried pass into good coverage. Geno likes Pete so he knows he has the freedom to throw into tight windows...just show some restraint when the opponents defense has you under extreme duress while waiting for designated target to uncover. I found an older post I made from another site...back when Mike Solari was our O-Line Coach and Russell expressed being upset with his O-Lines Pass Pro...it uses an article from Tim Riske an "analyst" who tries to explain why our O-Line was being placed in a "bad light". Its lengthy but very insightful...
(analysis provided by a Tim Riske tweet)
First, however, let’s look at the data that shows that the Hawks line is indeed below average in the first 2.75 or so seconds after the snap and above average once that 2.75 second threshold is reached. The following is a tweet sent by the aforementioned Tim Riske which looks at offensive line success for every team in terms of a survival curve against time passed after the snap.
Specifically, this involves getting into technique. The eyes of most fans will glaze over when discussions turn to the specifics of offensive line play and technique, so this will stay extremely high level and I’ll keep it the Reader’s Digest version. So, before I jump into the explanation of why this survival curve makes sense given the technique Seattle offensive linemen use, let me explain very basic differences between a couple of different pass blocking techniques.
There are, of course, various techniques that can be used when pass blocking, but I’m only going to focus on two. The first is Indepdendent Hands, and the second is Two Hand Punch. The names imply basically what the differences are, but here are some visuals just to help with the understanding.
First, Independent Hands is, as the name implies, a technique wherein an offensive linemen engages the defender with his outside hand first, then uses the inside hand. The outside hand first lands a less forceful punch and the lineman then maintains contact. This hand on the defender helps maintain range as a second, more forceful, punch is then delivered with the inside hand.
The reason it’s a mirror image is that as the technique calls for the use of the outside hand first, then inside hand, when flipping sides linemen must flip the order in which they punch the defenders.
Now, the second technique I’ll talk about, as noted, is the Two Hand Punch. This entails, exactly as it sounds, using both hands at the same time on the defensive player. This is what the Seahawks do, so here are three clips that show this. In particular, Mike Iupati in the third clip is a fantastic visual example of both hands being used at the same time to jolt and control the defender.
So, with the difference between the two techniques laid out, let’s get to why the survival chart for the Seahawks makes sense.
For starters, it’s obviously easier for an offensive lineman to put his hands on a defender if he’s only using one hand because it’s possible to stretch further with just one arm than with both. That translates to a greater reach and range for linemen using independent hands, and then once that first hand is in place it allows for greater accuracy with the second punch. Obviously, however, two quick one-handed punches will not be as powerful as one punch with two hands.
And that’s the advantage of the Two Hand Punch technique. There’s no question that if a 330 or 340 pound lineman like Iupati, D.J. Fluker or Germain Ifedi lands a hand on you, you’re going to feel it. However, one of those were to land both hands simultaneously, it’s game over. This is exactly what we see with the Seattle offensive line.
we all remember Jamarco Jones holding off Aaron Donald with one arm while looking for someone else to block after the Seahawks win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5. Well, it becomes a different story when we watch from the end zone angle of the coaches film and see that Donald hops right around Jones, but is met with a two hand punch from 6’6” 315 pound center Justin Britt.
And that’s the thing, when the two hand punch lands, that’s it. Game over. That’s all she wrote. Period, the end. Even against an All Pro pass rusher like Aaron Donald, when a two-handed punch lands squarely, that pass blocking battle is typically over. Very few front seven defensive players are going to be able to do much of anything if a two handed punch lands squarely from an offensive lineman the size of Fluker or Ifedi. However, because the range when trying to initiate contact with both hands simultaneously is, of course, shorter, it’s more difficult than landing one hand first and then the other.
Therein lies the trade off. The Seahawks use the two handed technique, presumably for a couple of reasons. First of all, it fits with their identity and mindset. They want to out hit and out physical the opponent, and two hands simultaneously are more powerful and more physical than one hand at a time. Effectively, it’s the body blow methodology of pass blocking.
Beyond that, when two hand punches land squarely, that’s what gives offensive linemen the best ability to take control of a rushing defender and to buy as much time as possible for the quarterback. Basically, if you’re looking to create a pocket quickly and then maintain that pocket as long as possible, the Two Hand Punch technique is likely the choice.
The downside of using the technique, however, is that because it requires the use of both hands at the same time, it’s going to have a higher failure rate than Independent Hands. That is what leads to the whiffs, the high amount of instant pressure and metrics such as PBWR coming in poorly for the Hawks, in spite of the fact that it is readily visible that the Hawks were above average for much of the period of time past 2.7-2.8 seconds.
What it comes down to is that the Seahawks use a high-risk, high-reward style of pass blocking. When it works, it’s glorious and can control defenders and protect Russ for several seconds. When the two handed punch fails to land, however, is when things quickly get ugly. Pressure often comes quickly because the block attempt becomes a whiff rather than a block.
Getting back to why the coaching staff chooses to use this technique, it’s likely because Wilson tends to hold the ball for a very long time. While other quarterbacks who held the ball for as long or longer than Wilson in previous seasons, such as Josh Allen and Deshaun Watson, have adjusted their game to get the ball out quicker, Wilson remained far closer to the slowest quarterbacks in 2019 than the fastest. At this point that appears to be a trait of the way Wilson plays quarterback, and it seems likely that as long as Wilson continues to hold the ball, the Seahawks will continue to employ a pass blocking technique designed to give him a clean pocket for as long as possible.
Basically, the trade off Solari and the rest of the coaching staff is making is whether to have an increase in instant pressure in exchange for the peace of mind of knowing that if a pocket forms, it’s more likely to stay formed. The technique, in effect, shifts pressure from later in the down to earlier in the down by pushing the fail point to earlier in the down after the snap.
Thus, we can talk about Solari coaching a line that has allowed Wilson to become the second most sacked quarterback in the NFL over the past two seasons, but no discussion about Solari and the job he’s doing would be complete without discussing the way and the why about how he’s doing it. (analysis provided by a Tim Riske tweet)
Nicely put explanation IMO.
