Monday, August 31, 2009

Game 3 Thoughts

Took a while to get rolling Saturday. The Chiefs have always been the team I dislike the least out of the old AFC West teams. I think they have a real good nucleus of young talent. I'm a huge Dwayne Bowe fan, Tyson Jackson is going to be pretty a damn good player. It pains me to see Glen Dorsey, a solid 4-3 defensive tackle, getting drafted by a 4-3 staff that got fired, now Dorsey is stuck in the 3-4, he could be an end, but did they really spend two top 10 picks on 3-4 line anchors? Will that get them to sleep at night?

I really want to see how the offense does when they cut it loose and use the whole passing game. Thats a very limited playbook right now, but they had a play last night that totally wet my appetite.

I believe it was in the first quarter, play action pass, branch ran a deep post to run off drag the corner with him on a Cover 3. Burleson ran a cross 15-20 yards downfield in front of the safeties and behind the linebackers. Hasslebeck dropped it in for a big gain.

This, my friends, is what Greg Knapp is all about. Play action an getting the ball downfield.

Brandon Mebane has been channelling his inner Cortez Kennedy and having at least one play a game where he utterly destroys the interior offensive line and ruthlessly disrupts the play. Its beautiful.

Max Unger is still getting used to playing guard. He did not have a very good game Saturday. When you pull, seal off the hole, don't push the guy into the hole! He still pulls like a Center, a little to circuitous for me.

Steve Vallos is really growing on me.

I think Patrick Kearney has given up on stopping the run and instead is choosing to just try and get up field and make a play, gap control be damned.

This is a real talented team, I say that every week. The line play was better, the running game was better, but still not great. They will get there. I'm feeling alright about this season.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Edge


There are two trails of thought on this whole Edgerrin James thing. One, is enthusiasm, a big name player from the U is gracing the Seahawks with his presence, hoping to bolster an anemic and punchless running game. The other, is wondering why the Seahawks have given up their best short yardage back to sign a guy who, aside from gold teeth and dreads, is a lot like Franco Harris in 1984.

I guess you could call me torn. I like the fact that James is still quick to the hole, shifty and all that jazz. But I don't like how we basically signed another Julius Jones(minus the fumbles) and gave up our best short yardage back. You talk about all-around players, and I suppose James fits that role better than the beastly Duckett. But Duckett gave the Seahawks attitude in a situation where they normally got pushed back and denied. Where Shaun Alexander would put on his skirt, twirl and fall, Duckett would power through the defense to get the first down.

And its not like they signed a game breaker, I'm not sure Edge could outrun an average high school player. Where's the pop going to come from in this run game?

On the flip side, when the o line opens holes, they will close quickly, so a guy quick to the hole is an advantage.

I hate Julius Jones, not just because he's a Notre Dame tool, that I'd trade both him and Edge for his brother, or that he absolutely ruined a Monday Night in December 2004 for me. I hate him because he fumbles. An runner who fumbles is an unreliable runner. There's a reason this guy has never had a full workload before, there's a reason the Hawks signed Edge in the first place. Nobody trusts Julius.

Nonetheless, when the first Julius Jones touchdown comes in a shellacking week 1 with the Rams, I'll be cheering like the rest of you.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Spence


I'm not going to start beating the "hear we go again" drum in regards to injuries. But I'm damn sick and tired of our o line getting banged up. I'm tired of all the shoulder injuries, I'm tired of the slow healing time of the Seahawks players, and I'm tired of Chris Spencer getting hurt. As for all the shoulder injuries the Seahawks have had over the past few years, playing on the line takes its toll on the body, especially the shoulders, I know, but I have to think that there has to be something in the weight program that is leading to all these injuries. I just remember the Huskies earlier this decade having a rash of shoulder injuries because of flaws in their weightlifting program.


I like Chris Spencer, I loved him in college and was massively stoked when the Seahawks signed him. He was strong, athletic and moved through traffic well to get to his blocks. He still does all these things, but he's not quick enough to be a real all pro center, despite his massive strength. People get in on his chest and control him. He's improving, but the injuries are really stunting his progress. I like Max Unger, but I don't like having a rookie playing center. The Seahawks offense was the most efficient when Hasslebeck didn't have to help Tobeck with the line calls. With everything Tobeck lacked athletically, he had a good build for a center and was exceptionally smart.


I think the Hawks receiving corps is going to be real solid, they just need time to get open.


I'm not freaking out about Locklear's dastardly performance, moving from right to left tackle is a complete change in technique and muscle memory, everything is flip flopped. I know he's been getting snaps at left tackle throughout training camp, but its hard to undo the years of right tackle he's played. The fiendish speed of the Broncos d line didn't help either.


Wednesday, August 19, 2009

How soon we forget


I know in our culture, we put a premium on what happens here and now. We like to label games the greatest ever, disregarding decades and decades of games previously. We like to label players the greatest ever when they have such otherworldly competition. Naturally, Tim Tebow has been labeled a god by the mass media despite the fact that he's playing with arguably the most talented players in the country, and two out of the last three years has had the best defense in the country.

Poor old Bobby Bowden is getting ostracized by the media for saying that Charlie Ward was better than Tim Tebow. The statement isn't shocking. The media's reaction is. Believe it or not, there have been better football players and better athletes to grace the college football world than Tim Tebow. The difference is, he is white, a christian, a quarterback and a missionary.

Maybe, if I wasn't such a sports enthusiast I wouldn't hard Charlie Ward in as high esteem as I do. However, he was my favorite player when I was younger, I would watch him during football season, and then watch him lead the Florida State basketball team. How many players in the history of college football have been a first day NFL prospect, MLB prospect and a first round NBA prospect?

As years went by, we forgot about Charlie Ward, just like we forget about many great college football players of the past. I'll even admit to falling victim to that. Then, a couple years ago, before the Florida State/Miami game, ESPN Classic decided to show some old Florida State games. And there was Charlie Ward and his uncanny accuracy, his amazing mobility, and his gliding running style.

People forget that in 1993, Tim Tebow was Charlie Ward. Charlie Ward was the guy who took Warrick Dunn in after the death of his mother, the student government rep, the avid Christian, the captain, and the great all around athlete.

Any disparaging remarks against Tebow, are treated by the media as heresy, they forget what an utterly outstanding player Charlie Ward was. Go put in a Florida State game tape, and realize that with all the great college players Bobby Bowden has coached, Deon Sanders, Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick, Walter Jones, Peter Boulware, Tamarick Vanover, Terrell Buckley, the list goes on and on and on, players that became Hall of Fame NFL players, and he considers Charlie Ward the best. That says something doesn't it?

Monday, August 17, 2009

Looking back on Game 1

You can't tell a whole lot from the preseason, but with new coaches, you do get to see the makings of the new scheme they are installing. And it appears that the scheme is actually going to use the players in ways that maximizes their ability. So, you no longer will see Patrick Kerney sprinting 20 yards downfield to cover the deep seam on a zone blitz. Instead, you'll see him cover the underneath on a shallow zone. You'll see Mebane put in a position to dominate, and the d line rotation will become more situational, rather than a systematic rotation.

I want to like Kelly Jennings, he has good technique, but is simply too small. Once Trufant comes back, you'll see him fade into the fourth corner spot. I like the top three of Trufant, Lucas and Wilson.

I think Craig Terrell's days are numbered.
Mike Teel is raw, has a huge arm, but accuracy will be an issue. Not bad for his first NFL game.

I watched the game with a large group of people, and the TiVo isn't working, so I wasn't able to watch as closley as I wanted.

Overall, this team is extremely talented, more talented than I thought. They are athletic, and I am really liking the defensive scheme so far. But, just one preseason game, doesn't mean a whole lot.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Nothing else to post today, thought I'd pass this along from Field Gulls.com

"Curry slapped around Forsett in pass rush drills. It exhilarated a very ugly part of the soul like a good medieval stoning. "

Monday, August 10, 2009

Training Camp Defense Preview


I think like a Coach, probably because I have coached, so when I think of the Seahawks, I think of their flaws far more than their strengths. But, I'll put on my optimistic hat on this review of the defense.


I've ripped apart this defense before and the teams propensity to make lateral moves rather than progressive moves, but how many teams have as many good players on a defense as the Seahawks.


Brandon Mebane is a damn good player.

Patrick Kerney is a damn good pass rusher.

Lofa Tatupu is a solid, and smart, middle linebacker.

Leroy Hill, when used right, is a monster.

Marcus Trufant is one of the best cornerbacks in the league(Watch how all teams avoided him last year).


Not many teams have one of the best cbs, two of the better linebackers, one of the best pass rushers and one of the best interior tackles and go 4-12.


The Seahawks defense was top heavy talentwise, and when injuries slowed down Tatupu and stopped Kerney, the rest of the defense couldn't pick up the slack.


You can point to the scheme, and I've pointed to it many times. But Tapp and Jackson couldn't get pressure, the d line couldn't keep blockers off the linebackers, Julian Peterson had a secretly awful year, Kelly Jennings and Josh Wilson got picked on a lot. Deion Grant combined age with a bad knee and Brian Russell, I really don't know what happened with him.


I know, I said I'd be an optimist. Here goes. Aside from Grant and Russell, every other player that struggled was young. They will continue to improve, and with a new coaching staff that looks to be very solid, that improvement should be significant. You also have more beef in the middle with Trent Cole, a versatile player like Cory Redding and a supposedly healthy Red Bryant. Aaron Curry is everything Julian Peterson wasn't, a gap disciplined player that can tackle. I'm still not sold on Kelly Jennings, not because he's short, but because he's small. I think Josh Wilson will turn out to be a good player, he's short, but stout and strong. We are running a Tampa 2, you need strong corners, not necessarily big ones. I'm still a bit concerned at safety, but if the front seven does its job, Grant and Russell won't be an issue.


This defense could be very good, or just good, but I think it will be the strength of the team this year.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Oh god...the Rookie Holdout

Haven't we seen this time and time again? Lamar King, Chris Spencer, Rick Mirer, Galloway doing exactly what a rookie shouldn't do. I know a lot of rookies are at the mercy of their agent, but for god sakes, how stupid do you have to be to miss practices your rookie year? The learning curve is steep, your already going to have to deal with the fact that your making more money than 90% of your teammates without having played a single down. Or is this Ruskell? Which wouldn't surprise me, he's shown to be too stiff a negotiator at times. Sign the damn contract.