They won a squeaker in their debut this year in Carolina, Russell Wilson getting hammered by the Panthers front seven and needing a miracle forced fumble by Earl Thomas at the end of the game as the Seahawks led 12-7 with the Panthers driving down the field without much defensive resistance. However, the Legion of Boom came up big and took away the ball and managed enough offense to drain the clock and get away with a win. It was far too close for comfort. The Seahawks scored just enough against one of the most tenacious and aggressive defenses in the NFL and one of the most unappreciated teams of today. Middle linebacker, Luke Kuechly, leads a group of defenders that constantly harassed the quarterback and lure them in to making mistakes at key moments in games. Rookie defensive tackle, Star Lotulelei, creates an interior push that really stressed the Seahawks center, Max Unger, though Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch made plays when it mattered and second-year wide receiver, Jermaine Kearse, made a fantastic catch in the end zone that turned out to be the winning drive and giving the Seahawks a perfect 1-0 record to take back home where they would play the rival 49ers at CenturyLink Field.
The second game of the season showcased a very efficient Seahawks (offense and defense) as they throttled their division rival, the 49ers, giving them Mount Rainier sized beat down at CenturyLink, 29-3 and making it look easy, despite an electrical storm and a break and play while a fairly big storm passed through Western Washington. To be completely fair, the 49ers didn’t exactly bring their "A" game, but that didn't stop the national from falling hopelessly in love with the Seahawks, their toughness and ability to make one of the best teams in the NFL look incredibly average. Colin Kaepernick looked shaken once again at CenturyLink and the rest of the Niners seemed completely off their game. During the game, the Seahawks 12th man aimed to break and set the Guinness book of world records new standard for loudest crowd roar… And they succeeded. 136.6 decibels was the official technical achievement that was headed by former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Joe Tafoya. The stadium rocked and so did the Seahawks and the 49ers seemed completely incapable of overcoming the 12th man and the distraction that seems to confound every team and its quarterback as they enter the home of the the Seahawks and the Legion of Boom. The record was set, the Seahawks took the first of 2 meetings between these divisional rivals and left another bad taste in the mouths of Jim Harbaugh's 49ers who had a similar experience here in Seattle late in the 2012 season, losing 42-13. The 49ers are now one game behind Seattle in the NFC West standings, and very much looking forward to a rematch at Candlestick Park in week 14. This is the most highly anticipated game of the remaining season and should be a dynamite game to watch throughout the US, Canada and probably Europe. This is what the NFL is all about and these gladiators of the gridiron remind us what a tough, physical rivalry is all about. In a game where it seems the league is getting softer by creating rule changes that make the game supposedly safer, it's good to know that there are teams that would just rather pay the fine and risk suspension to keep real football in the NFL. Salute to the 49ers and Seahawks rivalry.
Then, the Seahawks hosted arguably the worst football team in the league at the time, the Jacksonville Jaguars. There wasn’t much to say while the game was progressing or after the carnage on the field, but Seattle decisively beat-up a team that they were supposed to beat and in grand fashion, while many of the starters spent the second half of the game on the bench as they watched the reserves continue to pound Gus Bradley’s Jaguars 45-17; with the bulk of Jacksonville’s points scored in the 4th quarter after the game was over for all intent and purposes. It was a difficult day for the Jaguars head coach, Gus Bradley, who left the Seahawks position as defensive coordinator, for a head-coaching opportunity in Jacksonville. Bradley was a very well-liked coach with the Seahawks players and dear friend of Pete Carroll and the rest of the Seahawks coaching staff and front office. The 12th man gave Bradley a standing ovation and a big round of applause welcoming him as he walked on to the field just prior to kickoff. Unfortunately for the former Seahawks defensive coordinator, that was the only honor he received at CenturyLink field. The 2nd half offered a rare chance for the Seahawks reserves to get valuable playing time experience, however. Though it was a lopsided blowout, the 12th man was again faithful, filling the stadium and staying on the entire contest, as they are accustomed to.
Next,, the Seahawks left Seattle for their second road game, playing a team that was expected to give the Seahawks some trouble and it took place at Houston's Reliant Stadium, against the talent rich Texans with one of the best pass rushing defenses in the National Football League and a prolific scoring offense that features superstar players such as; QB Matt Schaub, RB Arian Foster, WR Andre Johnson, TE Owen Daniels and rookie, first-round pick WR, DeAndre Hopkins. This is a football team capable of beating you up offensively and tearing you down defensively, with one of the most aggressively blitzing front 7 that the Seahawks would face all season. The Seahawks struggled mightily on offense as sack master JJ watt and second year standout defensive end, Whitney Mercilus, hammered Seattle’s depleted offensive line and put a thorough beating on Russell Wilson again. The Seahawks entered that game without two thirds of their offensive line including their starting tight end (Zach Miller) injured and out. All-Pro left tackle, Russell Okung, was out with a significant injury to his shoulder and remains out still today, while veteran right tackle, Breno Giacomini, has suffered a significant injury to his knee, and has been out of the lineup for several weeks after a surgical procedure to remove fragments and fluid. In addition to losing their two linchpins of the starting O line, they also were without their pro-Bowl center, Max Unger, for several consecutive games. So, 3 of 5 offensive line starters were out with various injuries and their pro-bowl tight end, Zach Miller, also missed significant playing time and hadn’t played a single snap in the regular-season, out with a hamstring pull and a Lisfranc injury to his foot. That put the Seahawks offense on a road to disaster against last year’s defensive MVP (JJ watt 22.5 sacks)) and several other excellent defensive role players. The Seahawks literally escaped from Houston with an unlikely victory, but at the time, Seattle was just happy to leave Texas with a win over a team that many analysts picked to be one of the few teams to beat the Seahawks this season.
Next, the Seahawks had to travel once again; this time to Indianapolis to play Andrew Luck and the Colts. Indy had already beaten the 49ers at Candlestick Park in the second week of the season (one week after the 49ers destroyed Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers." However, the next week, the Colts lost to the San Diego Chargers, and the game was in their own house in front of the Colts fans(at Lucas Oil Stadium). The Seahawks, still without their starting right and left tackles; Giacomini and Okung, and center Max Unger at about 75%, played a competitive game, but turned over the ball and made too many mental errors to win this road game. They also allowed Russell Wilson to get assaulted again and again by the Colts defensive front 7, including another sack machine, Robert Mathis. It was a close game, 34-28, but Andrew Luck proved to be too good at home, making plays when they needed to, while the Seahawks just plain didn’t. The Colts were a much better team than thought to be before the season began, but since beating San Francisco and Seattle, Andrew Luck and company also beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Indianapolis. The Colts are for real, but until they become more consistent, there will still be doubters. Also, Luck lost his favorite wide receiver, Reggie Wayne, after sustaining a season ending ACL injury in week 7 against the Broncos. The Colts turned out to be the only football team that would be the Seahawks in the first half of the season.
The next game was at home for the Seahawks as they hosted the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee was without starting quarterback, Jake locker, a hometown favorite playing his college career at the University of Washington and growing up in the nearby town of Bellingham. Locker was injured the prior week with what was diagnosed a minor hip injury. Ryan Fitzgerald, the Titans backup quarterback, would fill in and play the entire game against the Seahawks at CenturyLink. Though I never felt during the entire game, that Seattle was going to lose to the Titans, the score was way closer than it needed to be for the Seahawks and Pete Carroll. The 'Hawks were only able to manage 20 points in their home stadium against the Titans and their backup quarterback, and allowed a much inferior football team to stay within one touchdown with a team that is supposedly built for the playoffs and a bona fide contender to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in February. This kind of performance against a team that was handicapped by injury, just like the Seahawks, was just unacceptable and for whatever reason the Seahawks refused to change the way they played the game. The defense seemed confused at times and the offense failed to utilize a much more physical and talented starting lineup to take advantage of the Titans obvious weaknesses. OC Darryl Bevell made the Seahawks offensive play calling look like a playwright from the Keystone Cops or a silly skit by the bumbling Marx Brothers. Russell Wilson had to pull off unbelievable "escape artist" type moves to avoid several sack attempts and Seattle’s passing game was, again, completely ineffective and made the Seahawks look very average and barely relevant despite the fact that the Seahawks won the game. This was a game that easily could have resulted in a loss, and would have ended the Seahawks 10 game winning streak at the C’Link. Seattle amazingly won by a touchdown, 20-13, preserving the home field win record at 11 (going back to last year), but leaving many questions to be answered going forward, like; How are they going to generate more offense and how their depleted offensive line can improve and keep their diminutive franchise quarterback unbroken and out of the hospital. It is considered universal thinking that the Seahawks would lose many games without #3 under center each week. They must figure out a way to protect Wilson or things could get ugly for the 12th man in a real hurry.
The Seahawks, fresh off of a home win against the Titans, blocked forward to traveling to Arizona to play a very decent, divisional foe that came out on top of their first game against one another in 2012. Seattle had every chance to win that football game, but it was Russell Wilson's NFL debut and he was still learning the ABCs of pro-football. Playing in his first game, a road game, against a very formidable defensive squad, Wilson struggled at times while a relentless Cardinal pass rush continued to put pressure on him on almost every passing down. The rookie had his moments of getting used to the extreme speed of the NFL game, but still he gave the Seahawks' a couple of chances to win the football game in the final seconds. Seattle didn't lose because of their rookie quarterback, though. This season, the Cardinals are frustratingly trapped in a losing record, despite making significant off-season moves to improve the team. Starting with the firing of Ken Wisenhunt and the hiring of Bruce Arians, assistant coach with the Indianapolis Colts the year prior, and they took the opportunity to secure the services of gunslinging quarterback, Carson Palmer. Palmer had a somewhat disappointing experience with the Oakland Raiders prior to making the short move to Arizona. Despite putting up some very impressive passing stats in Oakland, the Raiders front office decided to dump Palmer and his relatively large contract, acquiring a fifth-round draft selection for the veteran quarterback to boot. Palmer never seems to be short on completing passes for tons of yardage, but his willingness to take huge risks at pivotal times in important games caused him to continue turning over the ball with interceptions more often than he throws touchdown passes to his own teammates. The game against Seattle, down in the desert of Glendale, was no exception as the Seahawks intercepted Palmer twice, watching him put up 45 attempted passes, completing 34, for 245 yards, one touchdown and the two interceptions; one to Brandon Browner and another to Earl Thomas. The Seahawks played fairly well on both sides of the ball against the Cardinals, despite three fumbles by the usually dependable QB Russell Wilson. After beating the Cardinals this season on the road, the Seahawks equaled their entire 2012 total of road wins at three all year, now only halfway through this year's schedule.
After putting up decent numbers and a total team effort necessary to beat the Cardinals the week prior, the Seahawks traveled to St. Louis for another divisional contest with the Rams. Las Vegas and ESPN odds-makers had the Seahawks 14 point and 13.5 point road favorites, respectively. St. Louis had lost their starting quarterback, Sam Bradford, to an ACL injury the week prior requiring them to look for a suitable backup or the remainder of their schedule. Apparently, head coach Jeff Fisher felt fairly desperate to replace Bradford. The NFL is woefully thin on viable backup quarterbacks; so desperate that ESPN reported that the Rams actually called retired veteran quarterback, Brett Favre, asking him if he would consider dusting off his helmet and coming out of retirement, AGAIN, theoretically to replace their ailing franchise quarterback for the remainder of the Rams dismal season. The Rams were 3-3 at the time with 5-1 Seahawks coming to town. St. Louis was a fairly bizarre time and city to play a football game in, as Rams fans had all but given up on the football team and have instead turned their attention to the St. Louis Cardinals major league baseball team. The Cards are currently a team that had earned the right to compete in the 2013 World Series. In fact, the Cardinals were in competition for their fan bases with the Rams, both playing their games simultaneously and right down the street from one another. It was reported that the Edward Jones Dome would be relatively empty for the football game, and that more fans would be at home watching their baseball Cardinals play the Boston Red Sox, unless they were lucky enough to have tickets to see the game in person, of course. Nonetheless, the Seahawks were ready for just about anything, (a full stadium blowing the roof off Edward Jones), or a lot of Rams fans disguised as empty seats, creating more of a "library environment" for the football game. As it turned out, there was a relatively good turnout, but nothing like the Seahawks were accustomed to in their home stadium.
Like the Las Vegas odds-makers, most Seahawks fans were cautiously optimistic that this would be a relatively easy game to get a win, and hopefully come home rested and victorious to play the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers back at CenturyLink Field after a short week from Monday night football, to play the following Sunday afternoon. Well, Seattle came away with a victory, but not even close to what most fans and analysts thought would be the story in this contest of division foes. The Seahawks have historically had a difficult time winning games at Edward Jones Dome… and this was no exception to that trend. Seattle’s number two ranked defense figured to have a heyday against the Rams offense, playing without QB Bradford ,and instead facing relatively unknown backup QB, Kellen Clemens, a man who hadn’t taken a regular-season snap in over (a year and a half.) As it turned out, Clemens had a relatively good start against the best defensive secondary in the NFL. He had his problems in the game, but considering his lack of experience of late, I’d say he has everything to feel proud about, and proved to be a worthy understudy to Bradford, giving Jeff Fisher some hope as he waits for his QB1 to return.
The ball Hawking Seahawks "Bruce Irvin" and Richard Sherman each intercepted the backup quarterback. As it turned out, those interceptions were the most pivotal moments that made this game winnable for the Seahawks. Toward the end of the game, Seattle led in the fourth quarter with just 1:10 left in the game and the LOB and the rest of Seattle's defense went into the old “prevent defense” in a zone scheme coverage that none of Seattle’s defensive backs like to use. This situation reminded me of the notoriously lame defensive breakdown that Seattle found themselves in while the last seconds of regulation play ticked away in Atlanta , while the Falcons quarterback, Matt (Matty Ice) Ryan, shredded them through the air, getting the Falcons in field-goal distance and stealing the game right out from underneath the Seahawks noses. Sherman, Chancellor, Browner and Thomas all prefer man-to-man, press coverage, but DC Dan Quinn called for zone formation, in Atlanta last year, and in St. Louis less than a week ago. However, fortunately for the Seahawks, the results were slightly different; the Seahawks won the game this time. After a couple of laser strikes from Kellen Clemens down the field, the Rams reached the 5 yard line. After a couple of unsuccessful rushing attempts to reach the end zone, the Seahawks committed an extremely untimely penalty, giving the Rams a fresh new set of downs at the 2 ½ yard line. The Rams attempted a couple of more rushes and the Seahawks defense rose to the occasion. Then, with just 4 seconds left on the clock, the Rams sent in the final play of the game, fourth-down and goal from the one-yard line. Kellen Clemens dropped back to pass and lofted a looping rainbow into the deep left corner of the end zone, with Brandon Browner defending, and the ball past over both receiver and defender and fell to the ground. No flags, the Seahawks won the game, but I think the Seahawks showed just how not to win a football game. Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks advanced to 7-1 for the first time in franchise history and eked out another unlikely victory at the halfway mark through their finest season.
Each and every game, one after the other, seems to expose the Seahawks weaknesses on offensive, as well as the defense, and the coaching staff seems unwilling to change their game plan and modus operandi sticking with the usual suspects on offense and refusing to play the players who are healthy on the roster and perhaps more suited to help the team right now while waiting for the injured starters to return to the field. The stubbornness of Pete Carroll, Daryl Bevell and Dan Quinn are making “Seahawks Sundays” frustrating and disappointing as the fans seem to be watching a team full of all kinds of athletic talent, but not living up to the press clippings that we heard throughout the off-season. Since the Seahawks lost to the Falcons in a conference playoff game last post-season in Atlanta, expectations have been sky-high. Since the off-season acquisitions of; defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel and superstar all-purpose offensive weapon, Percy Harvin, those expectations are even higher. Anything less than a Super Bowl trophy would be a disappointment to the 12th man.
The Seahawks have already faced the most difficult portion of their schedule this season, but that isn't to say that they don't have critical match-ups remaining down the stretch of this championship campaign. Seattle will face the 7-1 Saints at CenturyLink field in week 13 and they will travel to San Francisco to play the 6-2 49ers in week 14. Both of these teams are capable of putting up 30+ points and the 49ers are always tough defensively. What's surprising practically everyone, is how new defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, has resurrected a defense in New Orleans that ranked last in the NFL in almost every significant category in the league, just a year ago. After being punished for the infamous "Bounty-Gate" scandal in 2011, the Saints lost the services of key players and coaches who were "in the know" about alleged payment incentives offered to players who were encouraged to purposely injure opposing team personnel, including specific body parts to target to those who had pre-existing injuries. As part of the league sanctioned punishment, head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season and defensive coordinator, Greg Williams, whom was the central figure in the entire scandal, was suspended indefinitely by Roger Goodell and the league competition committee. As it turned out, Payton was reinstated prior to the 2013 season, as was Williams, surprisingly. Payton returned to the Saints, but after the scandal, but Williams was fired by the Saints and subsequently hired by the Tennessee Titans. Now, with the return of Saints head coach, patent, he has his team playing great football, on both sides of the line of scrimmage. In fact, last year's worst defense in the NFL, has been miraculously put through a re-formation and has dominated their opponents through the first half of the season. Rob Ryan has been awarded the lion's share of the credit, but whomever gets the glory, the Saints are playing great football and their 7-1 record surely indicates that. The Seahawks will face Drew Brees and the Saints at a time of the season when every game has extremely significant implications on the divisional race, as well as the tremendously valuable race to be awarded home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Because of Seattle's dominance in their home stadium, this could possibly be more important for the Seahawks than any other team in the NFL. The Seahawks currently enjoy and 11 game winning streak at CenturyLink Field, and second-year quarterback, Russell Wilson, has never lost in his home stadium.
Many believe CenturyLink Field to be the most hostile and disruptive stadium for any opponent to win on the road, particularly in the playoffs. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks will use that advantage to the fullest extent as the 12th man in Seattle is just getting warmed up for the playoffs. Just to quantify the level of fervor and excitement for Seahawk fans in their home stadium, the second game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers had all the electricity and energy of a divisional, conference championship title game… and both teams were just 1-0 on the season. The 12th man challenged themselves to break the Guinness Book of World Records for loudest Stadium roar, and did so during their shellacking of the 49ers. Imagine what kind of roar would come from a home playoff game in the Pacific Northwest? There is a lot on the line this season for every NFL team contending for divisional or conference titles, but none more than the burgeoning rivalry between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, both whose fans are intimately involved in the rivalry and have a reciprocal and symbiotic relationship to one another with loathing and a growing sense of urgency to win and fight for that, one, exclusive chance to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Seahawks are deeply stacked with talent while they wait for one of the most lethal weapons in the NFL to return from his rehab assignment after having hip surgery to repair a slight tear to his labrum. The Seahawks defense has been stifling, but Pete Carroll's offense hasn't yet begun to take form. After a season ending surgery to WR Sidney Rice last week, the Seahawks are even more anxious to get Percy Harvin on the field to show just how dangerous he can be with a quarterback like Russell Wilson and a running back like Marshawn Lynch. The 49ers are also waiting for a return of key personnel. Mario Manningham is set to return soon, and more importantly for the 49ers (and in particular QB Colin Kaepernick) the return of WR Michael Crabtree after he sustained a serious Achilles tendon tear in training camp before the season began.
The Seahawks and 49ers are more alike than they would probably want admit to. Both have dominant running games and athletic quarterbacks who can make plays from the pocket or on the run. However, for both teams, it all starts with their defenses. The 49ers have perhaps the best linebacking corps in the NFL and the Seahawks boast the best defensive secondary in football. Both teams have strong defensive lines, however the Seahawks are built for a long 16 game season and should go into the playoffs fresh and relatively uninjured. The 49ers have strong defensive line play as well, but the starters play 95% of the snaps and that could become a problem for Jim Harbaugh's defense if any of those players are injured during the season. Last year, Justin Smith sustained an injury to his pectoral muscle and, although he played in the playoffs, it was obvious that they aren't the same team when he's injured as when he is healthy. Right now, the Seahawks are suffering from the losses of tackles; veteran Breno Giacomini and All-Pro Russell Okung. Both are expected back on the field in a few weeks, but their replacements are struggling mightily and making life extremely difficult for second year quarterback, Russell Wilson. Colin Kaepernick has had a somewhat difficult sophomore season as a starter in Frisco. Last season he seemed unstoppable at times with his 6'4" frame and with his long legs, the ability to gallop down the field and into end zones. However, this season his play and production numbers have dipped significantly, though no one really expects it to last. He is a superb athlete and may be simply suffering from a loss of his number one deep receiver, Crabtree. One of the big disappointments for the Seahawks, is the receiving Corps. Even without Percy Harvin, one would expect that the collection of wide receivers on this team would be more productive than they have been thus far. Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, Sidney Rice and tight end, Zach Miller, were all expected to produce more than they have. Some point to the missing tackles to injury, while the backups have done a dismal job of protecting their quarterback, Wilson. However, at the beginning of the season when both Giacomini and Okung were available, the Seahawks still struggled to move the ball down the field through the air. It could have been simply a lack of chemistry between Wilson and the receivers at the beginning of the season. It's not uncommon for players to take time developing timing at the beginning of the season, even if they have played several seasons together. It will be fascinating to see how Percy Harvin fits into this run heavy offense of Pete Carroll and OC Daryl Bevell. Harvin is a capable runner out of the backfield, as well as catching the ball on screenplays in space and his unequaled ability to take a 6 yard pass and turn it into an 80 yard run. This is the kind of thing that Seattle expects Harvin to add to their offense that they don't currently have on the roster and haven't had perhaps in their franchise history. Harvin is a phenomenal athlete with rare speed, quickness and the ability to change direction without losing velocity. The Seahawks already have 3 slot type receivers on the roster with Tate, Baldwin and the awakening of Jermaine Kearse, a local favorite from the University of Washington. Harvin fits the same description, though his speed allows him to play every skill position on the offense except quarterback. If Seattle is to take this football team to the next level, they will need Harvin to produce on the offense. One caveat is that, Percy Harvin is such an unusual and dangerous player, he doesn't need to catch passes or even carry the ball to be effective in helping the Seahawks put up yardage statistics and touchdowns. Just having him on the field requires the Seahawks opponents to strategize their defense to stop him or at least attempt to contain him. If the defense is allocating a large percentage of their attention to Harvin, that immediately opens up the middle of the field to Marshawn Lynch, and the rest of the deep portion of the defense to Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, and speedster Ricardo Lockett, recently re-signed to the Seahawks practice squad and activated to the 53 man roster once Sidney Rice was placed on injured reserve. Lockett is a former track athlete with the sprinter type speed to threaten the deep part of the field, preventing defenses from playing press coverage and cover one zones because Marshawn Lynch is a threat at all times. Between Tate, Harvin and Lockett, teams can no longer put 8 players on the line of scrimmage to stop Marshawn Lynch as they did in the St. Louis Rams game just a week ago. The Rams knew that Seattle was thin at the tackle position, and that they didn't have any true speed receivers on the roster at the time. So, they stacked the box and dared Russell Wilson to throw the ball deep. The Seahawks, with a rookie tackle on the right and an inexperienced guard playing tackle on the left, attempted to establish the running game, but it was futile trying to block 8 players with 5 or 6 offensive lineman, resulting in few yards for Lynch. The Seahawks turned to a quick passing scheme, but because the Rams had no difficulty covering Seattle's receivers, they were still able to stay in base defenses without having to nickel or dime the defense to account for Seattle's journeyman wide receivers. In addition to the personnel problems, the Seahawks got flat "outcoached", particularly Daryl Bevell who had perhaps his worst day playcalling in his career in Seattle. Hopefully, Harvin and Lockett will create a feeling of fear in Seattle's remaining opponents, disallowing them from cheating at the line of scrimmage, which will open up opportunities for Daryl Bevell and the Seahawks offense to run and pass effectively. Breno Giacomini and Russell Okung couldn't return to fast for Pete Carroll and the Seahawks. That, is for certain…
No comments:
Post a Comment