| 16 August 2009
Hey gang. I got home from my gig last night and watched the game on my ReplayTV. I wanted to give you some of my impressions of the team in general rather than detail the game again which Chris did an amazing job of last night as the game progressed. Here's the things I saw last night that made an impression on me good or bad.
The first thing that came to mind as I watched the first few plays on defense and then offense was wow! Pinch me, I'm dreaming. Are these really MY Seahawks out there getting a three and out from the defense and then Jones breaking a 13 yard run on the first ZBS running play from scrimmage. It just hit me that I had really expected them to be more tentative and ease into the new season with their new schemes but like Mora taught them to do, they burst onto the scene and aggressively took it to San Diego like Mora did the Seahawks in the OTA's and training camp. It really is happening that the team is taking their cue from their head coach and staff. Sometimes things do work as designed.
Sure there were mistakes but outside of a couple of players whom I'll mention later (I'm sure you all know who I mean already), I didn't see anything that wasn't correctable with more time and coaching. The game must have made Mora ecstatic. First of all, I think we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief. Mora's new schemes work and will work even better when perfected. We got a glimpse of his suffocating defense in action and even without much blitzing, they managed to keep pressure on the Chargers all night long with the front four. Redding, Cole, and Mebane all made statements and Kerney is looking recovered and ready to take up where he left off two years ago when he was leading the league in sacks most of the season. The 3 - 3 defense is going to be amazing with our linebackers versitility and appeared to confuse the Chargers. Three down linemen were putting good pressure on the quarterback and the Charger receivers were smothered. To continue reading this article, press Read more... at the bottom.
Even though the starters just played enough to get their feet wet, I thought they looked better than San Diego's starters in the short time they were on the field. Better yet, after we put in our second and third string, they outplayed the Chargers backups the rest of the night. Here's where you start to see how the experience our younger players got at the end of last season is going to pay off. Our depth looks to be quality and ready to step up when needed. In fact, I see the possibility of rotations at many positions to keep players fresh and throw a variety of different styles and strengths at the opposition.
I just became a big fan of the ZBS last night. I absolutely love the one cut and go style of running I witnessed. I can't remember seeing even one play where they lost a yard on a run. Even when there was nothing there, the runner appeared to make at least a yard or two. First of all, it was pleasant to see our offensive line blowing Sand Diego off the line and then having a back right there with no hesitation hitting the hole hard. No dancing around, no sliding along the line, no pulling back out and looking for another hole (while running back 5 to 10 yards and losing those yards after being tackled), and best of all, no avoiding contact. Our backs seemed to be able to get something even when it appeared there was nothing there which if I recall correctly was some of the biggest criticisms of our running game under Holmgren. The idea of making a commitment and decision to hit a specific hole and then following through with all you've got to give is a great improvement here in Seattle and I can see why Knapp's offenses consistently produced top 10 running games.
The offensive line played surprisingly well without Walter Jones. I only saw a couple of times where our quarterback got chased. It appeared that our biggest weakness was in the defensive backfield. Babs showed why he's in competition for one of the safety positions. Jennings and Hobbs showed why they're not in contention for anything unless it's the Ass Clown awards. Lets keep our fingers crossed that Trufant will be back by season's start.
I thought Hasselbeck looked very good and was moving like the old Hass. The receivers looked good for the most part and except for some miscommunication here and there, showed why it's going to be the toughest position in camp to judge and then make cuts from. I'm getting a real mancrush on Houshmandzadeh. I loved the interview on the sideline where he said he wanted to go back in the game and start a fight with the guy who pasted Butler whom Housh says he's taken under his wing. Housh, who is one of those leaders who leads by example, could end up paying dividends way out of proportion with his expected contributions when you factor in his leadership value and locker room presence. I think the other receivers will follow his example enthusiastically and if you saw that sideline interview as well as others during the past two weeks, you saw a guy who wants to win and has competitiveness oozing out of him. Oh yeah, did I mention he's got the talent to back it up too?
The defense with the noted exception of the corners looked like it's going to be able to live up to it's hype. The defensive line showed great promise and was getting good pressure on the quarterback without much help from the back seven. In fact, that's what saved us in my opinion. We were able to play our linebackers in coverage and bring in extra defensive backfield help which covered our weakness at the corners and allowed us to keep the receivers well covered for the most part all night. Jennings, even when in position, seems to get overpowered and doesn't look strong enough to hold his own against bigger receivers and they're almost all bigger than he is. Hobbs looks lost out there and even worse for a corner, can't stay with his man on a down field route. It was just dumb luck a couple of times that the San Diego quarterback over threw his wide open receiver. That needs to be fixed and getting Trufant back will pretty much do that. From what I saw, Trufant, Lucas, and Wilson have spots on the roster and we're going to be looking desperately for a fourth who can play if needed. That could end up being Travis Fisher. All of a sudden, safety looks like it has quality competition and will be well manned. Assuming that Russell makes the team (I think that's a given), Babs, Wallace, Greene, and Adams will fight it out for the last two spots behind Grant and Russell.
The quarterbacks all looked good. Teel has a good arm and all the mechanics necessary to become a good quarterback from what I saw. He also looks like he's got the competative drive to lead a team and will be one of those quarterbacks whom if knocked down gets right back up and in your face with the next play. He had to carry his team on his back during his last season in college and took them to a bowl game. He ending up being honored as the Big East Player of the Year. It looked as if his decision making is what needs working on the most and that's a coaching thing that can be developed over time. Interestingly enough, that's what was keeping Hasselbeck back at first. His decision making and unwillingness to listen to what Mike Holmgren told him to do and follow directions. Once he started listening and executing the plan as drawn up, he started to become more and more successful.
I'd love to see Teel show enough promise that we can start to develop him and not have to spend a high first rounder on a quarterback next draft who will be expensive and a gamble to become a franchise quality player anyway. If we can get a couple more good years out of Hass and keep developing someone like Teel, we could end up with the same result (like we did with Hasselbeck). Wallace looked ready and I think Mora will have some plays for him to come in and change the pace or run a series of routes as a receiver. Knapp noted that they didn't want to waste Seneca's talents and I think you're going to see him in a variety of formations and roles as the season progresses.
Overall, I was pleased with the team's performance and after all, it was the San Diego Chargers that we played yesterday not some bottom dweller. We played a very respectable game for a team with new schemes on both sides of the ball and showed that with a normal progression of learning, this team could have some great moments in store for us this season. I give the team a B+ for it's initial outing and can't wait for the home opener next weekend.
Well, I'm going to get going as I have two different rehearsals to attend today. I hope you Addicts enjoyed reading my impressions of how the game struck me yesterday in a general way. I'll be making this sort of analysis and commentary throughout the season following the games. I invite your comments and observations. I'd love to hear what your first impressions were of the team and where it's headed. Don't be afraid to disagree or agree with what's been said by me or other commenter's but remember this is the clean one not Sullivan's XXX rated soiree.
Hasta,
BillT
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
