Tag Archives: Max Unger
Rant: Seahawks 13, Lions 10
A win is a win, right? It is true but why do I feel so frustrated and disappointed? The Seahawks survived a late charge by the Detroit Lions offense and thanks to Kam Chancellor forcing a fumble and K.J. Wright batting the ball (illegally) out of the endzone, the Seahawks survived to win 13-10. The victory gets the Seahawks to 2-2 and one game behind the Arizona Cardinals for first place in the NFC West. The Lions fall to 0-4. There was one consistent negative in this game and it has my full attention in this week's postgame review. The Seahawks offense line has struggled throughout the season but tonight I feel the line hit rock bottom. Things must change so the Seahawks can maximize the full potential of the offense. Instead of a traditional review, here is a rant dedicated solely to the Seahawks woeful offensive line.
Wilson Feels the Heat and Rawls Struggles: Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times on Monday night and turned the ball over twice after fumbling. He was consistently flushed out of the pocket and the majority of his throws came on the run. Out of the shotgun there were multiple snaps that were low or to the side of him that he struggled to corral. The last straw came in the final minutes of the first half. After moving the ball inside the 10-yard line, Wilson was sacked twice which moved our goal-to-go opportunity back to the 33-yard line. Instead of a touchdown, we were forced to kick a long field goal. It is going to be incredibly difficult to keep Wilson healthy long-term if he continues to take the beating he has been subjected to so far this season. The saddest part is that there has been little or no improvement along the offensive line this season. I understand that in 3 of our first 4 games we have faced top-tier defensive lines but on a week to week basis there has been nothing to show me that we are going to get better any time soon. This line is a long way off from completely gelling. As far as the running game goes…
Photo Credit: The News Tribune
This picture sure says a lot doesn't it? After rushing for over 100 yards last week running back Thomas Rawls did not produce nearly as well against the Lions. Rawls averaged a meager 2.8 yards per carry and his longest run of the night was only 10 yards. Rawls struggled because our offensive line could not provide adequate running lanes. I have heard a lot of talk about how our offensive line scheme is a "system blocking" style, meaning it does not necessarily matter who our personnel is along the line, you can plug in players at will as long as each lineman does their individual assignment within the zone-blocking scheme. If you can put 5 successful blocks together in unison you will have either excellent pass protection or solid run blocking. At some point it must matter who we have along the line because I am sick of seeing Justin Britt and Drew Nowak specifically getting blown up or struggling to block. It may soon be for the Seahawks and offensive line coach Tom Cable to consider personnel changes up front. In short and in closing, I just wish we still had Max Unger.
Controversy in Relation to the Offensive Line: The Seahawks dodged a massive bullet late in the game when safety Kam Chancellor knocked the football out of Calvin Johnson's hands one yard short of the goal line. The ball bounced to the back of the endzone and linebacker K.J. Wright batted the ball out of the endzone for a touchback. The only problem is that Wright's clutch play is illegal but fortunately it was not called. If a penalty had been enforced on Wright, Detroit would have maintained possession at the one-yard line. I believe the Lions would have successfully scored a touchdown and the Seahawks would have faced a 17-13 deficit with less than two minutes left. The Seahawks would have had to go the length of the field and score a touchdown in order to win the game. The way we blocked for Russell Wilson up to that point I would have had no confidence in our ability to drive down the field to take the lead. That potential situation would have taken away our running dimension, which would have allowed the Lions defense to stack the box and put immense pressure on Wilson, pressure that our horrible offensive line would definitely had not been able to handle. If it wasn't for that non-call on the batted ball out of the endzone, there is no question in my mind the Seahawks would have lost and fallen to 1-3 on the season.
Random Thoughts: None.
What's Next: Look out for my preview of our week 5 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday morning.
Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Calvin Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Drew Nowak, Justin Britt, K.J. Wright, Kam Chancellor, Max Unger, Monday Night Football, NFC West, NFL, Russell Wilson, seattle seahawks, Thomas Rawls
Review: Packers 27, Seahawks 17
Photo Credit: Packers.com
As disappointing of a start this season has gotten off to, I can say it is not surprising. The Seahawks fell to 0-2 Sunday night after a 27-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. This is the first double digit loss in 66 games dating back to November 6th, 2011. I try to be as much of a realist as possible, so when I say I am not surprised we have started the season 0-2, it is disappointing to see headlines involving the words "panic mode" in the media considering how tough of a draw we got at the top of our schedule. While I sat in the bleachers at Lambeau Field, the guys around me and I came to the conclusion that the Seahawks have lost their identity. That certainly looked to be the case. This review will be mostly commentary, as I dive in to try to figure out how to re-shape an identity for the 2015 Seahawks.
Running Game: After going up against an extremely tough defense in St. Louis, this was a perfect opportunity for the Seahawks offensive line to prove they could get back to normal to allow Marshawn Lynch to establish the run game. Consider this opportunity squandered. Lynch has averaged only 57 yards per game to start the season and his ineffectiveness has stalled our entire offense. In order for us to put up points more consistently Lynch needs to get back to playing like himself and the offensive line needs to play better to help him. I believe the offensive line is still gelling and Lynch's production will only improve. It will be difficult to win games if our running game cannot get going. Things must change with two straight home games on deck.
Jimmy Graham: When we traded for tight end Jimmy Graham over the offseason it was to give Russell Wilson a star target in the passing game to balance our offense out. On Sunday Graham caught only one ball for 11 yards, making him a non-factor in our offense. There was one play in particular in the third quarter that really had me scratching my head. On 3rd and 3 Graham lined up wide to the right and had a one-on-one matchup. Instead of throwing his way, Wilson handed the ball off to Marshawn Lynch and he was stopped short of the line to gain, forcing 4th down. Why in the world do you have a weapon as talented as Graham when you won't throw him the ball in scenarios where he excels the most? Graham's role in the offense is infuriating to me and Graham himself. If you're only going to use him as a decoy like we did on Sunday night, I would rather have Max Unger back.
Shutdown Defense: The Seahawks took a 17-16 lead in the second half but to be honest I had no confidence that we would be able to hold it. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers used quick passes to pick our defense apart late and Green Bay's offensive strategy resulted in 11 unanswered points to end the game. It is no secret that our defense lacks "boom" without strong safety Kam Chancellor. In addition, the intimidation factor seems to be completely gone. Adding multiple mental mistakes along the defensive line (including three offsides by Michael Bennett on Sunday) does not make things any easier. One thing I've noticed is that we cannot make a big stop when we need it the most, whether it be forcing a turnover or a third down stop. The Seahawks will continue to drop games unless our defense can figure out how to get back to playing our style of defense, something that may be extremely difficult to do until Chancellor comes back.
Random Thoughts/What's Next: This will be a rather busy week on the blog. Look out for a commentary about my game day experience in Green Bay in the middle of the week. Also, my #10for10 countdown continues on Thursday when I publish the story of the 8th best home game I have attended over the past 10 years. Look for my preview of next week's home opener against the Chicago Bears on Saturday.
Tags: #10for10, Aaron Rodgers, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Jimmy Graham, Kam Chancellor, Lambeau Field, marshawn lynch, Max Unger, Michael Bennett, NFL, Russell Wilson, seattle seahawks
Broncos/Seahawks Preview
Matchup: Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks
Football is finally back. Seahawks fans never really had the opportunity to wash the bad taste of last season out of their mouth. Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the end of Super Bowl XLIX and football faded to the back of our minds, leaving us bitter for 6 long months. On Friday the Seahawks take the field for the first time since that disastrous February evening, opening up preseason play against the defending AFC West champion Denver Broncos. This will be the fifth consecutive year the Seahawks and Broncos face off in the preseason with Seattle winning the last three matchups. Since this is the first preseason game we will not see the starters play very much, perhaps a series or two in the first quarter. This first preseason game will distinguish which position battles we should be keeping an eye on. This is also an opportunity for bubble players to make a good first impression. I will not really be focusing on the opposition during the preseason; I will keep my focus on our team, from roster spot 1 all the way to roster spot 90. Here are a few things I will be keeping my eye on this week.
The top offensive position to watch this season is the wide receivers. It is widely believed that the Seahawks will only keep 6 wide receivers on the final roster. Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse may be the only two "locks" at the position. I believe Ricardo Lockette, Paul Richardson, and rookie Tyler Lockett are in good position to earn roster spots. Realistically the final one or two wide receiver roster spots will belong to Chris Matthews, Kevin Norwood, and even possibly local kid Kasen Williams. Of "bubble" players I believe the one with the most catches and/or receiving yards against Denver will earn a leg up on the rest of the competition for a roster spot. Look for Norwood and Williams to get a considerable amount of playing time this week.
Right off the bat I am interested to see who will start along the offensive line. With the departures of Max Unger and James Carpenter, the Seahawks did not make it a priority during free agency or the first part of the NFL Draft to add depth along the line. Alvin Bailey is projected to start at left guard while Lemuel Jeanpierre is listed as the starting center on the Seahawks first official depth chart of training camp. Keep an eye on the center battle. Jeanpierre might get the first crack at playing time but it was Patrick Lewis who started in Unger's place down the stretch last season.
On defense there is a lot of buzz around one of our linebackers. This week I am putting my X-Factor Player to Watch spotlight on outside linebacker Eric Pinkins. Pinkins was drafted as a cornerback who has converted to linebacker and the coaching staff is very excited about him. Coach Carroll has said during camp that Pinkins "Plays very fast, a 4.4 guy playing on the edge who seems to be the most improved guy." This leads me to believe that Pinkins may join the likes of Bruce Irvin, Cassius Marsh, and rookie Frank Clark in our pass rushing rotation. I expect Pinkins to see a lot of playing time this week.
On the first Broncos offensive possession, likely with backup quarterback Brock Osweiler at the helm, I would fully expect him to go after the "Legion of Whom." With Kam Chancellor holding out and Earl Thomas likely sitting out while rehabbing, our secondary will look completely different at the start of the game. DeShawn Shead will likely start at strong safety this week and I fully expect Osweiler to attempt to stretch the field to attempt to challenge our raw players and put early points on the board.
Random Thoughts: White on white for the Broncos and blue on blue for the Seahawks uniform wise this week… Curt Menefee and Brock Huard have the call for Q13 FOX this week. Got to love those local broadcasts (good thing I'll be at the game)… Walt Anderson is the referee for this week's game… This week I'm taking a friend and co-worker of mine. He's a San Diego native who says he's going to be "that guy" by wearing his Philip Rivers Chargers jersey. I don't think I've ever been to a Seahawks game with someone who is neutral to the matchup… Will most likely be at Elysian before the game… I'm excited to see what the new Toyota Fan Deck looks like. During the renewal process the Seahawks sent out the seating and pricing map for 2015 and it turns out it would have cost me $20 more total to move to the Toyota Fan Deck. Pay more for a worse view? No thanks, Seahawks… Always nice to be back at CenturyLink after a 7 month break. Here is a pro and con of the preseason: Pro, all the beautiful women wearing skin-tight jerseys. Con, many season ticket holders give their tickets away to friends and family aka "fair weather fans." During the preseason it would be wise for the Seahawks to pass out "Cheering for Dummies" books because the fans ALWAYS scream when we are on offense. To all those non STH's going to this week's game, offense = quiet; defense = loud. Thank you.
Prediction: A lot of rust will be knocked off this week. Neither starting offensive unit will score points in the first quarter. I expect Russell Wilson and Tarvaris Jackson to play in the first half and would not be surprised to see R.J. Archer play the second half. If Osweiler plays the majority of the game for Denver they may have the leg up this week. The Seahawks may lose, but there will be a lot to work on as we head back for another week of training camp.
Broncos 17, Seahawks 9
Check back early Saturday morning for my review of our first preseason game. Go Hawks!
Tags: AFC West, Alvin Bailey, Brock Huard, Brock Osweiler, Broncos Uniforms, Bruce Irvin, Cassius Marsh, CenturyLink Field, Chris Matthews, Curt Menefee, Denver Broncos, DeShawn Shead, doug baldwin, Earl Thomas, Elysian, Eric Pinkins, Frank Clark, james carpenter, Jermaine Kearse, Kam Chancellor, Kasen Williams, Kevin Norwood, Lemuel Jeanpierre, Malcolm Butler, Max Unger, NFL, NFL Preseason, Patrick Smith, Paul Richardson, Pete Carroll, Philip Rivers, Q13 FOX, R.J. Archer, Ricardo Lockette, Russell Wilson, San Diego Chargers, Seahawks Uniforms, seattle seahawks, Super Bowl XLIX, Tarvaris Jackson, Toyota Fan Deck, Tyler Lockett, Walt Anderson
2015 NFL Draft: Five Good Fits
Over the past 2 months I have scouted over 300 incoming rookies and analyzed hours upon hours of their game film dating back to the NFL Scouting Combine back in February. I have narrowed these players to a short list of about 35 players I would love to see the Seahawks draft this weekend. Of the players on my board, there is a shorter list of 5 players I believe would be perfect fits Darrell Bevell's offense or Kris Richard's defense. I would be over-the-moon ecstatic to see the Seahawks select any of the following players on either Friday or Saturday.
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated
Laken Tominson, Offensive Guard, Duke
There is no question that the Seahawks are desperate for offensive line depth, especially after the trade of center Max Unger to the New Orleans Saints and losing guard James Carpenter to the New York Jets in free agency. Laken Tomlinson from Duke would be a perfect fit in the middle of the line. Tomlinson is a fantastic run blocker and an excellent pass blocker, especially down field on screen passes. He is a tough player who bullies his opponents. Offensive linemen usually do not get mentioned on the television broadcast of their games but Tomlinson's name was brought up positively several times on each game of his I watched. I do not think he would come into camp as the definite starter at left guard, but I believe an open competition between him and Alvin Bailey could put Tomlinson in a fantastic position to win the job.
Projected Round: 3
Photo Credit: imgkid.com
Danielle Hunter, Defensive End, LSU
Explosive pass rushers can oftentimes be very hard to find after the first round. I believe that LSU's Danielle Hunter is the best "second day" pass rusher available and could very much still be on the board when the Seahawks pick at #63 overall. Hunter is extremely fast off the line of scrimmage and he does not have any problems getting past his initial blocker. He does a great job of collapsing the pocket even if he himself cannot get to the quarterback. He has a relentless motor that I believe will not keep John Schneider wary of his on-field effort. Hunter is arguably the best defensive lineman I watched film on and could be a steal for the Seahawks at the end of the second round.
Photo Credit: zimbio.com
Kenny Bell, Wide Receiver, Nebraska
In a talent-rich wide receiver class, Kenny Bell from Nebraska stood out to me. He is Nebraska's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards and was a team captain in 2014. He was widely regarded as Nebraska's most respected player during his time there which I believe would blend tremendously with the leadership the Seahawks possess, especially with Russell Wilson as his potential quarterback. On the field he possesses many traits that would put him right in the middle of the wide receiver rotation in 2015. Bell is 6'1 which would buck the trend of shorter receivers on our roster. Bell can line all over but could best be used on the outside as either a flanker or split end. Bell runs his routes with great timing and adjusts his routes extremely well to put himself in the best position to make the catch. He also has great hands and is nearly immune to dropping passes. That's not to say he doesn't drop a pass every once in a blue moon because he does. Bell's most impressive on-field trait perhaps is his breakaway speed on vertical routes, which would give Wilson a very dependable and trustworthy weapon when throwing deep.
Photo Credit: bluegoldsports.com
Ben Heeney, Middle Linebacker, Kansas
To me, Heeney is a poor man's Luke Kuechly. He carries many similar traits on the field to that of Kuechly but his projection as a day three pick goes to show there may be a bit of uncertainly. I like him and selecting him could provide a solid player to compete with Brock Coyle and Heath Farwell for the backup middle linebacker job. Heeney does a good job reading the quarterback's eyes but he can be a bit hesitant committing where to go when the quarterback drops back to pass. He is a solid fundamental tackler and always seems to go low to wrap up the ball carrier. His biggest weakness is that he is not a bully, and his tenacity comes into question. Nevertheless I believe he would be a solid player to take a flyer on in the later rounds of the draft.
Photo Credit: Rant Sports
Clayton Geathers, Safety, Central Florida
In a rather underwhelming class of safeties, I wound up getting really excited while watching tape of Central Florida's Clayton Geathers. I believe Geathers is the closest thing to Kam Chancellor this draft has to offer. Geathers is a punisher who is not afraid to lay a big hit on a receiver going over the middle. He plays tight coverage and does a great job in pass coverage but at times he can be overeager. One play really stood out to me, an interception he made last season against the University of Houston. Geathers jumping in front of the pass, picking it off, and running it back to the house for a touchdown was almost a spitting image of Chancellor's pick-six in the playoffs against Carolina. I believe he would fit extremely well in the Legion of Boom. He is absolutely my favorite defensive player available and would be an absolute steal in the last round of the draft. I project him as a 7th rounder but it honestly would not surprise me one bit to see him selected in round 5 or even as early as round 4 if a team is as in love with him as I am.
Tags: Alvin Bailey, Ben Heeney, Brock Coyle, Carolina Panthers, Clayton Geathers, Danielle Hunter, Darrell Bevell, Duke University, Heath Farwell, james carpenter, john schneider, Kam Chancellor, Kenny Bell, Kris Richard, Laken Tomlinson, Legion of Boom, LSU, Luke Kuechly, Max Unger, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Scouting Combine, Russell Wilson, seattle seahawks, University of Central Florida, University of Houston, University of Kansas, University of Nebraska
Thoughts on the Jimmy Graham Trade
The Seahawks acquired TE Jimmy Graham from the New Orleans Saints Tuesday (Photo Credit: Michael Hebert, neworleanssaints.com)
Today's sequence of events proves two things; that anything is possible, and that head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider will go to any great length to improve this roster. The Seahawks were not expected to swim around the possibility of adding a big name when the new league year and free agency began on Tuesday, but they certainly made a big splash. The Seahawks traded center Max Unger and their 2015 1st round draft pick (#31 overall) to the New Orleans Saints for tight end Jimmy Graham and the Saints 4th round draft pick (#109 overall). With this one move numerous points have come to the surface that I believe must be discussed. Here are my thoughts on today's trade.
Adding Graham: There is no question that Jimmy Graham instantly becomes the best receiver on the Seahawks roster. Graham is a three-time pro bowler and 2013 All-Pro who is a matchup nightmare for any opposing defense. For 5 years we have watched Graham and Saints quarterback Drew Brees connect for 54 total touchdowns. Only the tandem of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski had more touchdowns in this span.
What I am not so hot on is the Seahawks inheriting Graham's $9 million salary for 2015, making him the second highest paid offensive player on the roster. With Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Marshawn Lynch having already signed lucrative deals with Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner also due to cash in soon, I believe that this move may make sense only in the short term. After this upcoming season things could get very interesting. And complicated.
Graham will certainly see his fair share of targets and his presence in red zone will certainly improve the 20th ranked red zone offense last season. I believe the Seahawks need to add another weapon on the outside but adding Graham is certainly a good start to making our offense more explosive vertically.
Losing Unger: I am honestly more concerned about the ramifications that come with trading Max Unger. With Unger going to New Orleans the Seahawks are not only losing a pro bowl offensive lineman, but they are thinning out a position group that I believe could not afford to get any thinner. As of now Seattle's starting center is Patrick Lewis. Add in the departure of James Carpenter to the New York Jets and the Seahawks currently have Alvin Bailey plugged in as our starting left guard. In regards to trading Unger I believe this means one of three things. Either:
The Seahawks are comfortable going into 2015 with Patrick Lewis as our starting center (The Seahawks proved they could win without Unger at the end of last season, going 6-0 in the final 6 regular season games, all of which Unger was injured).
John Schneider has his eyes on a free agent center that he may look to bring in to replace Unger. (Jonathan Goodwin and Chris Myers are the best available veteran free agent centers according to ESPN).
Schneider has fallen in love with a center in the 2015 draft who he believes could still be on the board when the Seahawks make their first pick (#62 overall).
Time will tell but at this point I cannot simply say one team won this trade and the other lost. Both teams are giving up a significant player but are receiving a significant player in return. If the Seahawks use Graham just like he was used in New Orleans, it is going to be awfully difficult to stop our offense in 2015.
Tags: Alvin Bailey, Bobby Wagner, Chris Myers, Drew Brees, Earl Thomas, james carpenter, Jimmy Graham, john schneider, Jonathan Goodwin, Kam Chancellor, marshawn lynch, Max Unger, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, NFL Free Agency, Patrick Lewis, Pete Carroll, Richard Sherman, Rob Gronkowski, Russell Wilson, seattle seahawks, Tom Brady
Review: Seahawks 17, 49ers 7
The Seahawks could not be clicking at a better time. In a game that to me was too close for comfort for the majority of the afternoon, the Seahawks found a way to pull away from the San Francisco 49ers late, escaping with a 17-7 victory. The Seahawks improve to 10-4 and will play for the NFC West lead next week in Arizona. The 49ers fall to 7-7 and with this loss they have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The focus in Seattle is going to shift very quickly to next week's game against the Cardinals but let me break down what I saw out of the Seahawks in this game.
Offensive Line Struggles: The Seahawks offensive line may be the most inconsistent group on the team. After keeping quarterback Russell Wilson clean the past two weeks, the Seahawks offensive line and a very difficult time stopping the pass rush of the 49ers. Wilson was sacked 5 times on Sunday and was hurried or flushed out of the pocket on the majority of plays that San Francisco blitzed 5 or more defenders. Justin Britt in particular had a hard time adjusting to calls at the line of scrimmage and picking up his blocks. In all honesty, the Seahawks played better in the second half after starting left tackle Russell Okung exited the game at halftime with a chest bruise. One silver lining is that the Seahawks offense rushed for 152 yards in this game, 91 of which coming from running back Marshawn Lynch. Looking ahead however, it will be extremely difficult for our offense to score points next week if the Arizona defense plays the way it did last Thursday in St. Louis. As dominating as our defense has played the past few weeks, 17 points on offense is not going to win us every game. With Max Unger hopefully back in the lineup next Sunday, I believe our offensive line can bounce back in a big way.
Unsung Heroes: Paul Richardson caught his first career touchdown pass on Sunday, a 10-yard slant route which extended the Seattle lead to 17-7. Richardson gets the spotlight because of the touchdown but don't forget about the roles wide receivers Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse played on Sunday. Baldwin and Kearse caught two-thirds of Russell Wilson's completions and combined for 131 receiving yards, including a 47-yard reception by Kearse and a 35-yard catch by Baldwin. Both plays came on first half drives which should have ended in points. Instead the Seahawks came away empty handed. With the quality production from our top 3 receivers on Sunday it is possible that Russell Wilson is comfortable enough with his weapons to take more chances down the field.
Kaepernick, Hyde Fluster Defense: I was not the least bit concerned with 49ers running back Frank Gore coming into this game. Gore finished the day prematurely, leaving with a concussion after gaining 29 yards. Instead the quickness of Carlos Hyde and the willingness of quarterback Colin Kaepernick to run seemed to catch the Seahawks off guard. The Seattle defense gave up 140 rushing yards to the 49ers on Sunday, the most allowed at home since week 6 against Dallas. Hyde was on a roll until he too left the game with an injury, leaving fullback Bruce Miller and third string running back Alfonso Smith to carry the load late in the game. The Seahawks defense found an answer to stop Miller and Smith but that also begs the question of would this have been a closer game if Gore and Hyde did not get hurt. Many of San Francisco's runs went off-tackle and the Seahawks adjusted accordingly as the game progressed. Moving forward it may be beneficial if we spread out our personnel earlier in the game, especially next week against an Arizona rushing attack that averaged 4.3 yards per carry this week.
Sacks for Everyone: The Seahawks team up with Jack in the Box and award a free Jumbo Jack to all fans if the Seahawks defense can record three sacks. For the first time, we the fans had our free burgers by the end of the first quarter and that was only a small sample of the dominance the Seahawks front seven displayed this week. The Seahawks dialed up the pressure all game long and it resulted in 6 sacks of Colin Kaepernick. The interior pass rush had me very satisfied, as defensive tackle Jordan Hill recorded two sacks and defensive tackle Kevin Williams had a sack of his own. Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin also had sacks up the middle, which goes to show how bad of a game 49ers backup center Joe Looney played. In our last 4 games the Seahawks defense has allowed an average of just under 7 points per game, by far the best average in the league. To me however, the lack of offensive production overshadowed the performance of our defense. Upon reflection, when the Seahawks extended it to a two-score game it was definitely over. This defense needs to show up big next week. If the defense can stay on this path, it will be incredibly hard for Arizona's third string quarterback to beat us next week.
Thoughts on San Francisco: This 49ers team seemed to have played this game inspired but their prideful effort was too much for the talent the Seahawks threw at them. This was most likely Jim Harbaugh's last hurrah as the head coach of the 49ers and you have to wonder how this season would have played out if they could have stayed healthy throughout. The 49ers are capable of bouncing back in 2015 but just like how Harbaugh coached Mike Singletary's talent to the best of their abilities when he arrived in 2011, the same must go for whoever the 49ers next head coach is. The way the NFC West has been built in recent years however, it may take more than one year for San Francisco to get back to playoff contention.
Random Thoughts: It was an earlier arriving crowd at the bar before the game. All tables were full by 9:15am. It was a very festive atmosphere that almost felt like a playoff game… That festive environment before the game seemed to dissipate real quick once the game started. It almost felt as though the 12th Man was taking it easy on the 49ers for the first part of the game. The intensity was not what I was hoping it would be but it got better later on once we took our first lead and the noise did not stop until the end of the game… In my opinion the Ebola ribbons handed out as the pregame giveaway was a huge failure. I saw no one wearing them. Literally no one… Great weather on Sunday. I love late season games with nothing but sunshine… John Olerud raised the 12th Man flag before the game; a legitimate candidate that I approve of… The blue endzones are back because the Sounders season is over. Thank goodness. I love the blue endzones. It gives the field a classic look… One of the highlights from the day was when they put 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh on the video board complaining after the questionable roughing the passer call which favored the Seahawks. The entire stadium booed. It was one of the loudest moments of the day. It was awesome… If we win next week, holy moly. That's all I can say.
This upcoming week is by far the biggest of the season. Check back Saturday when I preview our week 16 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Thanks for reading and go Seahawks!
Tags: 12th Man, 12th Man Flag, Alfonso Smith, Arizona Cardinals, Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin, Bruce Miller, Carlos Hyde, Colin Kaepernick, Dallas Cowboys, doug baldwin, Ebola, Frank Gore, Jack in the Box, Jermaine Kearse, Jim Harbaugh, Joe Looney, John Olerud, Jordan Hill, Jumbo Jack, Justin Britt, Kevin Williams, marshawn lynch, Max Unger, Mike Singletary, NFC West, NFL, Paul Richardson, Russell Okung, Russell Wilson, San Francisco 49ers, seattle seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC, St. Louis Rams
Review: Seahawks 24, Eagles 14
For the second straight week I started the game as a nervous wreck and by the time it was over I had to question myself as to what I was so nervous about in the first place. The Seahawks added yet another defensive gem to their resume as Seattle went all the way across the country to Philadelphia and physically dominated the Eagles en route to a convincing 24-14 victory. The Seahawks and Eagles both now sit at 9-4. With the win Seattle has a firm grip on an NFC wild-card playoff berth while still sitting one game behind the Arizona Cardinals for the division lead. For Philadelphia, Sunday's loss ties them atop the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys but they remain the division leaders based on their tiebreaker over the Cowboys. This was the toughest game left on Seattle's schedule and with this win I believe the path has been cleared for the Seahawks to make some noise in the playoff standings for the rest of the regular season. For now here is what I took out of this week's game.
Wilson's Indecisiveness Costs Seahawks Points: Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson played a very good game overall, throwing for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as running for 48 yards and a touchdown. It seemed as if he got more comfortable with his timing and his throws as the game wore on. I did see Wilson make two mistakes in the first quarter, both possibly taking points off the board. The first came on the first drive of the game. With the Seahawks facing a 3rd and 5 at the Eagles 30-yard line Wilson scrambled to the right and instead of throwing the ball away he tried to find an open receiver and ran out of room, stepping out of bounds for a loss of 4 yards. With the wind swirling throughout the game, those 4 yards made the difference between the Seahawks attempting a field goal and punting. Instead of taking a 3-0 lead, the Seahawks punted. The second mistake occurred with just under 4 minutes left in the first half; virtually the same situation. With the Seahawks in field goal range on third down, Wilson was pressured and threw the ball away and did not get the pass back to the line of scrimmage. Intentional grounding was called on Wilson and the Seahawks were forced to punt once again after the 15-yard penalty. A field goal in that situation would have made it a 10-7 game and I believe those two opportunities could have given the Seahawks at least 16 points going into halftime.
Offensive Line Thoughts: The Seahawks surrendered only two sacks of Russell Wilson on Sunday. Just like how the entire offense played better as the game progressed, the same could be said for the Seahawks offensive line, specifically the right side of the line anchored by tackle Justin Britt. Britt had trouble blocking the wide array of weapons Philadelphia threw at him. It seemed like Britt had no answer for Connor Barwin, Fletcher Cox, and Bennie Logan for the entire first half. As the first half was coming to a close, I noticed that right guard J.R. Sweezy started to help Britt out and the Seahawks stuck to that strategy in the second half, resulting in significant improvement in the passing game. Lemuel Jeanpierre played a good game at center in place of Max Unger, proving that he can be a serviceable player until Unger returns from injury. If Unger can play next week this healing and improving offense will only continue to grow and put more points on the board.
Boom > Speed: The number one question coming into this game was how the Seahawks defense would handle the speed of the Philadelphia offense. Coming into this game the Eagles were averaging 412 yards of offense per game. On Sunday, the Seahawks and the Legion of Boom completely shut down Mark Sanchez and company, holding the Eagles to 139 yards. In my game preview I wrote about how to this point Sanchez has not been required to do a whole lot for the Eagles to win games. Today his weaknesses were exploited. The Seahawks were able to hold Eagles running back LeSean McCoy to 50 yards rushing on 17 carries, forcing Sanchez to throw for Philadelphia to move the ball. Sanchez finished the day 10/20 for 96 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception. Both touchdowns however came with the Eagles working with a short field (14 yard and 54 yard drives respectively). In our last three games the Seahawks have averaged less than 7 points per game. With the reeling 49ers coming to Seattle next week, this defense could be primed for another dominating performance.
Time of Possession: With all the talk about Philadelphia's lightning-fast pace on offense it is amazing to me that the Seahawks possessed the ball for 41 minutes and 56 seconds of the game (69%). That number sets a Seahawks franchise record for time of possession. Everything related to time of possession fell into place and you could see it on the field. The Seahawks gained 28 first downs, were able to run the ball to keep the clock running, and perhaps most importantly our defense was able to stay rested throughout the game. As far as clock management goes this was as perfect of a game I have ever seen the Seahawks play and it could not have come against a better opponent.
Procedure Penalties Still a Problem: Although total penalties improved from last week to this week (8 penalties for 67 yards), the Seahawks still need to clean up easily avoidable pre-snap fouls. Half of Seattle's penalties this week were procedure calls which included two false starts and two delay of game penalties. These fouls are continuing to give me a headache. These situations are fundamental in practice and there is no excuse for giving the opponent easy yards like we did again on Sunday.
Thoughts on Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Eagles are a good team but without Nick Foles this team could be headed towards another early round playoff exit. I believe they have the talent on defense to push this team to a division title. Even though they played the #1 defense this week this offense is not broken. I do question Mark Sanchez's ability to lead this team deep into January. I believe the Eagles are good enough to win a wild-card playoff game at home but with Sanchez at the helm, if the Eagles have to travel in the playoffs, particularly to Seattle, they will have a very difficult time winning.
Random Thoughts: The Seahawks went white/blue this week. This was the first time since beating the Redskins in week 5 that the Seahawks won in white jerseys… I am going to talk way more about the Eagles uniforms than I probably should. In my game preview I said the Eagles would wear their midnight green jerseys with white pants. I was wrong. They decided to go with their black alternate jerseys and black pants. I found this surprising considering the Eagles were forced to wear black for the first half of the season after a snafu with Nike in regards to having their green jerseys ready for the first part of the season. Considering that black is the Eagles "alternate" jersey, I would have thought that they could not wear that jersey anymore this season. Oh well… Ricardo Lockette what was that flop all about??!! Terrible… On Saturday night punter Jon Ryan spent his evening playing Nintendo 64 Mario Kart with kicker Steven Hauschka and long snapper Clint Gresham. Perhaps Ryan should spend a little more time practicing catching the ball. Two straight weeks now Ryan has fumbled a punt but this week he could not get off the kick and the Eagles took advantage of the short field we gave them. The Seahawks defense saved Ryan from being the goat of the game in my opinion… Richard Sherman almost had his 4th interception of the season early on in the game. I continue to be amazed that Sherman is rarely penalized with the style of play he sports… I've said it before and I'll say it again here. I believe we will win out and go 12-4. We need to take it one game and one week at a time but I believe we can run the table.
Thanks for reading everyone! Check back on Saturday as I preview our week 15 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Go Seahawks!
Tags: Bennie Logan, Clint Gresham, Connor Barwin, Dallas Cowboys, Eagles Uniforms, Fletcher Cox, J.R. Sweezy, Jon Ryan, Justin Britt, Legion of Boom, Lemuel Jeanpierre, LeSean McCoy, Mario Kart, Mark Sanchez, Max Unger, NFC East, NFC Playoffs, NFC West, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Nick Foles, Nike, Nintendo 64, Philadelphia Eagles, Ricardo Lockette, Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, San Francisco 49ers, Seahawks Uniforms, seattle seahawks, Steven Hauschka, Washington Redskins