THE TABS
Member
I'm counting my blessings after this one. For some strange reason, this actually feels like a loss to me. I didn't think there was any way possible that a team could score 8 points in less than a minute with no time outs and 80 yards of real estate to cover, but I saw it with my own eyes. After not surrendering a deep ball all game long, we gave up TWO in fifty seconds. It looked like blown coverages on both plays, which is unusual for this group. Thankfully, the offense clutched up after winning the coin toss, and we escaped with the win.
I do have to give Denver their due. In February, there was no doubt in my mind that we were the better team taking the field in New Jersey, and the Hawks exceeded my expectations that day. Seven months later, on this day, I'd have to say that Denver has not only closed the gap, they may have passed us. Every single move they made this past off season has worked out just the way they had hoped. Emmanuel Sanders is a significant upgrade over Eric Decker, and Aqib Talib and Demarcus Ware have provided exactly what they wanted. Both made huge plays to set up their 4th quarter comeback. Right now, I'd give them a slight edge over Cincinnati for AFC supremacy, with the QB being the big difference between the two.
Our offense frustrated me today. In regulation, they played exactly a half a quarter of good football. The rest of the time, they allowed the Broncos to dictate to them. To their credit, they had a good plan and worked it well...keep Russell Wilson contained in the pocket and crowd the box. I expected us to take some more shots down field, but it didn't happen. The one time we did resulted in a touchdown.
We seem to be running Percy Harvin exclusively on screens and crosses. I'm surprised we haven't used him vertically more often, but I feel that's eventually going to come, provided that he can stay on the field for the entire season. Marshawn ran hard, per usual. It may look ugly at times, but I love the fact that we never, ever quit on the run. As David Diehl, Fox color analyst so ELOQUENTLY put it last week (twice), Lynch was our "cowbell" today! :sarcasm_on:
The offensive line continues to struggle in pass protection. Poor Justin Britt had a very long day, attempting to block Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. We have to chip for him a lot more than we did, because he's struggling over there. The pass protection has been an ongoing issue for many years now, and we absolutely can't afford to lose Wilson.
Defensively, I can't complain. With the exception of the final drive, they imposed their will on Denver again. We forced two turnovers, which could have easily been four or five. I found it odd that Earl Thomas's name didn't get called a whole lot today, but then again, neither did the Thomas boys on the other side of the ball.
I have to say, looking at the schedule when it came out, when I saw we were facing three of the best quarterbacks in the league to start the season, I was secretly hoping we could win two out of three, and that's what we have done. Now we get a little break, and our defense should have a much easier time over the next month and a half. We get the bye week to fix some offensive issues, then go beat the hell out of Washington on Monday night. Works for me!
Hawks rule, cuz THE TABS and LES SAID SO!!!!
I do have to give Denver their due. In February, there was no doubt in my mind that we were the better team taking the field in New Jersey, and the Hawks exceeded my expectations that day. Seven months later, on this day, I'd have to say that Denver has not only closed the gap, they may have passed us. Every single move they made this past off season has worked out just the way they had hoped. Emmanuel Sanders is a significant upgrade over Eric Decker, and Aqib Talib and Demarcus Ware have provided exactly what they wanted. Both made huge plays to set up their 4th quarter comeback. Right now, I'd give them a slight edge over Cincinnati for AFC supremacy, with the QB being the big difference between the two.
Our offense frustrated me today. In regulation, they played exactly a half a quarter of good football. The rest of the time, they allowed the Broncos to dictate to them. To their credit, they had a good plan and worked it well...keep Russell Wilson contained in the pocket and crowd the box. I expected us to take some more shots down field, but it didn't happen. The one time we did resulted in a touchdown.
We seem to be running Percy Harvin exclusively on screens and crosses. I'm surprised we haven't used him vertically more often, but I feel that's eventually going to come, provided that he can stay on the field for the entire season. Marshawn ran hard, per usual. It may look ugly at times, but I love the fact that we never, ever quit on the run. As David Diehl, Fox color analyst so ELOQUENTLY put it last week (twice), Lynch was our "cowbell" today! :sarcasm_on:
The offensive line continues to struggle in pass protection. Poor Justin Britt had a very long day, attempting to block Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. We have to chip for him a lot more than we did, because he's struggling over there. The pass protection has been an ongoing issue for many years now, and we absolutely can't afford to lose Wilson.
Defensively, I can't complain. With the exception of the final drive, they imposed their will on Denver again. We forced two turnovers, which could have easily been four or five. I found it odd that Earl Thomas's name didn't get called a whole lot today, but then again, neither did the Thomas boys on the other side of the ball.
I have to say, looking at the schedule when it came out, when I saw we were facing three of the best quarterbacks in the league to start the season, I was secretly hoping we could win two out of three, and that's what we have done. Now we get a little break, and our defense should have a much easier time over the next month and a half. We get the bye week to fix some offensive issues, then go beat the hell out of Washington on Monday night. Works for me!
Hawks rule, cuz THE TABS and LES SAID SO!!!!