FlyingGreg
Active member
For anyone that cares:
- This has been such a . strange season. It has felt strange since the regular season started, and it's been hard for me to put my finger on it. Perhaps I thought we would be more dominate, that the full off-season with Wilson and the receivers working together would create the kind of offensive symmetry we need. I don't think we have played a really clean (or complete) game yet. And I don't think of any of us expected to be struggling so much at this point in the season. It seems like we have to fight for every first down. On one hand, I'm thrilled we are 7-1. On the other hand, I am stunned we are 7-1. Just being honest.
- BUT...the mark of a good team is finding ways to win, especially on the road. Despite all the injuries and lack of cohesion and forcing young players into roles, and also playing 5 of the first 8 on the road, we are 7-1. The one major thing I wanted to see from this time this season was the ability to close out games and find ways to win the ugly/close ones, and so far, so good. One thing is for sure, HFA is CRITICAL. I don't want to go on the road to New Orleans, Green Bay or San Francisco in the playoffs.
- Mr. Quick Fix Russell Wilson. after all the issues holding the ball last week against Arizona, he didn't fumble once last night even though he was a pin cushion. You have to love how he fixes issues. And he is one tough sucker. Think about what our record would probably be without him at the helm this season.
- By the way, it's perfectly o.k. to callout Pete and John for the state of this offensive line. As much praise as we have drown them in (rightfully so) over the course of the last few years, its fair game to hold their toes in the fire. Yes, we are working without our starting tackles - but even when Breno Giacomini is in there, we still have a lot of issues. But as it currently stands, we have: a back-up guard at LT; a former tackle we drafted in the 1st round playing LG; an All Pro C who has had some injuries and uneven play this season; a converted DT project at RG; and a rookie 7th round pick at RT. Frankly, our franchise QB deserves MUCH better. Without significant improvement in protection, we aren't going anywhere in the playoffs, folks. We could have drafted an OL with our first pick this season, and yet we drafted a running back that never plays. I understand the rationale with the Michael pick, but it was a questionable move and in hindsight it may really blow up in our face.
- EARL. FREAKING. THOMAS. 'Nuff said.
- Did we really have 135 total yards last night, more than half of that on ONE great play from Golden Tate?? Lol. It looked like the 1992 Seahawks offense last night, but that's probably an insult to the 1992 Seahawks offense.
- Did we really give up 200 yards rushing to the RAMS? Like, for real?
- Did the Rams really not win a game when they held the opponent to 135 total yards, had seven sacks and dominated time of possession.in their own stadium?
- The defense won us the game last night, BUT they also let a Kellen Clemens led offense march 96 yards down the field and a better play call would have won that game at the end (I would have run Zac Stacy right at us - we didn't stop him all night). Did the defense underestimate Clemens a little? I think so. And watching the Rams move down the field on that last drive reminded me of the Dolphins game last season when Ryan Tannehill did it, but at least this time the defense made a stop.
- Watching games these days in the NFL with all the flags flying is really not fun.
- Percy Harvin will help this offense immeasurably, but I don't think he's the only magic bean that is going to suddenly make everything better. As good as our coaching staff is at times, I am astounded at some of the decisions they continue to make week in and week out. Where was the tight end chip help on Robert Quinn last night? Where were the quick throws over the middle (another good way to keep a defense stacking the box honest)? Swing passes or dagger routes to the backs out of the backfield? Dump-offs to the FB?
- And Harvin aside, I still dream about having a big, athletic, glue-handed receiver on the outside who demands attention. Our WRs are marginalized far too easy in the passing game, Doug Baldwin's claims notwithstanding. And I think it's clear it's time we left Sidney Rice go, which sucks because he is one of my favorite Seahawks and I've always been a huge supporter. But he is not the game-breaking #1 WR we need. We need a guy that is physical, can get down the field and disrupt coverages so we have room to throw to the other guys.
If defenses are putting 8 in the box and you are still struggling to complete passes, it means your wide outs are not winning one-on-one match-ups, plain and simple. Yes, Wilson needs more than 1.2 seconds in the pocket to help that out as well - but it's more than just the crappy O line play. And that's the blueprint now, so we can expect to see that every week until we start making plays to make people pay for it. At least Bevell finally realized he can call some screen plays. Now hopefully he removes the Wilson QB keepers inside the 3-yard line on successive plays. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
- I'm not sure why so many people thought we were going to blowout the Rams. I think people listened to much to the hype this week about playing in an empty stadium, that the focus would be on the World Series, that they were screwed without Sam Bradford, etc. If you watched the Rams games against us the last few seasons, you know that defensive line is our Kryptonite. That D line is straight up nasty, and they feasted on our back-ups. Remember, we lost in St. Louis in 2010 and again last season - and we also really struggled to win at C Link last December as well (needing a Richard Sherman pick near the end zone to seal the deal). They have our number, PERIOD. We'll see what happens when they have to account for Harvin.
- Halfway through the season, and Marshawn Lynch "only" has 601 yds rushing.
- There's a very real possibility we head into the HUGE MNF game against Who Dat at 10-1. We will handle Tampa at home this week, I think we squeeze out a win in Atlanta and then we'll crush Minnehaha. Then we have a bye and a few weeks to prepare for the Saints offensive juggernaut, hopefully with a healthy Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini back in the fold.
- You know one way to realize we have "arrived" as a franchise? The piss and vinegar other fans expend towards us. I was getting bombarded by quite a few of my friends who happen to be 49ers fans last night, which made me realize they (a) worry about us and (b) they realize we are very good. Nobody said crap to me the years we were bad. Now, every week I have friends talking smack on Facebook, via text, Twitter, etc. I kept pointing out a win is a win, and then I reminded the Whiners fans they have lost 71-16 the last two times they have played us. They got real quiet.
- Maybe it's me, but I get more and more anxious watching Brandon Browner out there, especially against smaller, quicker WRs. If I'm the Rams OC last night, I put Tavon Austin against Browner last night in space.
- He didn't have much of an impact last night (probably a lot to expect for his first game back in action), but it felt more "normal" seeing #26 on the field.
- Bruce Irvin's potential as a linebacker is really tantalizing. Kudos to the coaching staff for making the move, because I think we all realized he was never going to be a traditional hands-in-the-dirt type DE. 9 tackles, a pass defensed, a strip sack and an interception. Aaron Curry is a blurry spot in my memory bank now.
- Did I mention we are 7-1, with the favorable part of our schedule ahead, only three more road games and multiple important pieces on offense coming back?
- This has been such a . strange season. It has felt strange since the regular season started, and it's been hard for me to put my finger on it. Perhaps I thought we would be more dominate, that the full off-season with Wilson and the receivers working together would create the kind of offensive symmetry we need. I don't think we have played a really clean (or complete) game yet. And I don't think of any of us expected to be struggling so much at this point in the season. It seems like we have to fight for every first down. On one hand, I'm thrilled we are 7-1. On the other hand, I am stunned we are 7-1. Just being honest.
- BUT...the mark of a good team is finding ways to win, especially on the road. Despite all the injuries and lack of cohesion and forcing young players into roles, and also playing 5 of the first 8 on the road, we are 7-1. The one major thing I wanted to see from this time this season was the ability to close out games and find ways to win the ugly/close ones, and so far, so good. One thing is for sure, HFA is CRITICAL. I don't want to go on the road to New Orleans, Green Bay or San Francisco in the playoffs.
- Mr. Quick Fix Russell Wilson. after all the issues holding the ball last week against Arizona, he didn't fumble once last night even though he was a pin cushion. You have to love how he fixes issues. And he is one tough sucker. Think about what our record would probably be without him at the helm this season.
- By the way, it's perfectly o.k. to callout Pete and John for the state of this offensive line. As much praise as we have drown them in (rightfully so) over the course of the last few years, its fair game to hold their toes in the fire. Yes, we are working without our starting tackles - but even when Breno Giacomini is in there, we still have a lot of issues. But as it currently stands, we have: a back-up guard at LT; a former tackle we drafted in the 1st round playing LG; an All Pro C who has had some injuries and uneven play this season; a converted DT project at RG; and a rookie 7th round pick at RT. Frankly, our franchise QB deserves MUCH better. Without significant improvement in protection, we aren't going anywhere in the playoffs, folks. We could have drafted an OL with our first pick this season, and yet we drafted a running back that never plays. I understand the rationale with the Michael pick, but it was a questionable move and in hindsight it may really blow up in our face.
- EARL. FREAKING. THOMAS. 'Nuff said.
- Did we really have 135 total yards last night, more than half of that on ONE great play from Golden Tate?? Lol. It looked like the 1992 Seahawks offense last night, but that's probably an insult to the 1992 Seahawks offense.
- Did we really give up 200 yards rushing to the RAMS? Like, for real?
- Did the Rams really not win a game when they held the opponent to 135 total yards, had seven sacks and dominated time of possession.in their own stadium?
- The defense won us the game last night, BUT they also let a Kellen Clemens led offense march 96 yards down the field and a better play call would have won that game at the end (I would have run Zac Stacy right at us - we didn't stop him all night). Did the defense underestimate Clemens a little? I think so. And watching the Rams move down the field on that last drive reminded me of the Dolphins game last season when Ryan Tannehill did it, but at least this time the defense made a stop.
- Watching games these days in the NFL with all the flags flying is really not fun.
- Percy Harvin will help this offense immeasurably, but I don't think he's the only magic bean that is going to suddenly make everything better. As good as our coaching staff is at times, I am astounded at some of the decisions they continue to make week in and week out. Where was the tight end chip help on Robert Quinn last night? Where were the quick throws over the middle (another good way to keep a defense stacking the box honest)? Swing passes or dagger routes to the backs out of the backfield? Dump-offs to the FB?
- And Harvin aside, I still dream about having a big, athletic, glue-handed receiver on the outside who demands attention. Our WRs are marginalized far too easy in the passing game, Doug Baldwin's claims notwithstanding. And I think it's clear it's time we left Sidney Rice go, which sucks because he is one of my favorite Seahawks and I've always been a huge supporter. But he is not the game-breaking #1 WR we need. We need a guy that is physical, can get down the field and disrupt coverages so we have room to throw to the other guys.
If defenses are putting 8 in the box and you are still struggling to complete passes, it means your wide outs are not winning one-on-one match-ups, plain and simple. Yes, Wilson needs more than 1.2 seconds in the pocket to help that out as well - but it's more than just the crappy O line play. And that's the blueprint now, so we can expect to see that every week until we start making plays to make people pay for it. At least Bevell finally realized he can call some screen plays. Now hopefully he removes the Wilson QB keepers inside the 3-yard line on successive plays. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
- I'm not sure why so many people thought we were going to blowout the Rams. I think people listened to much to the hype this week about playing in an empty stadium, that the focus would be on the World Series, that they were screwed without Sam Bradford, etc. If you watched the Rams games against us the last few seasons, you know that defensive line is our Kryptonite. That D line is straight up nasty, and they feasted on our back-ups. Remember, we lost in St. Louis in 2010 and again last season - and we also really struggled to win at C Link last December as well (needing a Richard Sherman pick near the end zone to seal the deal). They have our number, PERIOD. We'll see what happens when they have to account for Harvin.
- Halfway through the season, and Marshawn Lynch "only" has 601 yds rushing.
- There's a very real possibility we head into the HUGE MNF game against Who Dat at 10-1. We will handle Tampa at home this week, I think we squeeze out a win in Atlanta and then we'll crush Minnehaha. Then we have a bye and a few weeks to prepare for the Saints offensive juggernaut, hopefully with a healthy Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini back in the fold.
- You know one way to realize we have "arrived" as a franchise? The piss and vinegar other fans expend towards us. I was getting bombarded by quite a few of my friends who happen to be 49ers fans last night, which made me realize they (a) worry about us and (b) they realize we are very good. Nobody said crap to me the years we were bad. Now, every week I have friends talking smack on Facebook, via text, Twitter, etc. I kept pointing out a win is a win, and then I reminded the Whiners fans they have lost 71-16 the last two times they have played us. They got real quiet.
- Maybe it's me, but I get more and more anxious watching Brandon Browner out there, especially against smaller, quicker WRs. If I'm the Rams OC last night, I put Tavon Austin against Browner last night in space.
- He didn't have much of an impact last night (probably a lot to expect for his first game back in action), but it felt more "normal" seeing #26 on the field.
- Bruce Irvin's potential as a linebacker is really tantalizing. Kudos to the coaching staff for making the move, because I think we all realized he was never going to be a traditional hands-in-the-dirt type DE. 9 tackles, a pass defensed, a strip sack and an interception. Aaron Curry is a blurry spot in my memory bank now.
- Did I mention we are 7-1, with the favorable part of our schedule ahead, only three more road games and multiple important pieces on offense coming back?
