BillT's Take On The Game

Written by William P. Tomisser | 22 August 2009

This was one of those games where I started out by being elated, then went into depression as the Seahawks floundered a good part of the first half after a great opening drive and then went back to elation again as they make a successful goal line stand and even killed the chance of a field goal with an interception and then drove the length of the field to score and take the lead back from Denver's starters just before the half. From there on, it was all Seahawks as our second and third string proved themselves to be quite superior to Denver's scrubs as they did last week against San Diego. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that the team never gave up and kept playing hard until they got their break with the Lucas interception and then rammed it down their throats.

In the middle of the first half, I found myself unable to figure out if we were playing that badly or if Denver was playing much better than advertised. In the end I came to the conclusion it was probably a bit of both. Kyle Orton actually looked pretty good and may take Denver much further than the Seattle football community would like to see him take them due to owning their first pick in next year's draft and all. With Denver's great offensive line providing time to find his receivers and throw, Orton was able to move the ball much better than I thought he would be able to against our first string defense. Seattle's defense started slow and looked out of sync compared to last weekend. Maybe just an off night and the fact that Denver has a very good offensive line. Whatever it was, I hope they can get if fixed and get off to a better start next weekend against the Chiefs.

Hass looked good throughout the first half even though the running game couldn't get going and receivers dropped some passes or mis-communicated with him on their routes. It certainly looks as if Hass is back and in good health. That's the number one consideration for the season for this football team. Also, as noted,  the defense didn't look as good in the first half as they did last week but remember that Denver has one of the best offensive lines in the game and  was a good test for our starters. I think that the fact that Denver's defense hones their run defense against one of if not the best zone blocking offensive lines in the league on a daily basis might have had something to do with how well they shut down our running game in the first half. They would have the best experience at shutting down the "one cut and go" attack as well as avoiding the cut blocks on the backside. Our offensive line is just learning that system and Denver is the team that put the ZBS on the map. It would stand to reason that their defense would be pretty good at stopping it. To continue reading this article, press Read more... below.

Nick Reed has likely put Baraka Atkins out of a job. With 2 1/2 sacks and a blocked punt not to mention the run stopping ability he's been showing, he looks like an aberration in the NFL. That's a way undersized defensive end who can still play all three downs productively and not just be just a speciality player. I don't see Seattle risking trying to get him past the other 31 teams in the league clearing waivers to put on the practice squad like they did Forsett last year. He's shown more in two pre-season games than Atkins has since being drafted. You can be sure the other teams in the league know about him now. Bennett looked like he'll probably make the practice squad and the Seahawks might have as deep a defensive end squad as they've ever had. I'm looking at Kerney, Redding, Tapp, Jackson, and Reed on the active roster and Bennett in reserve on the practice squad at this point. I can see Reed getting significant playing time too if he can keep showing that he can consistently get to the quarterback. Remember, his first sack came against that excellent Denver offensive line.

Our second string defense played very well at first going against Denver's first string as the second half opened and the Bronco's kept their starters in. When Denver's second string came in, Seattle dominated them. I don't know why the second string defense played better against Denver's first string offense than the starters did but that's what I observed. I'm real impressed with Seattle's depth in the front four and feel that their defensive rotation will be able to put the suffocating kind of pressure on their opponents that Mora wants. They just need to get it going sooner and before they get behind in the game. I'm not at all worried about the defense yet except for Trufant's continued absence. I noticed that Travis Fisher was limping at the end of the game. I hope we're not going to be in a position where we have to count on Jennings to be our fourth cornerback by default. He did play better this week though and I'm ok if he earns the spot at least until Trufant returns to active duty. 

All of our tight ends have been playing very well in pre-season with Owens catching a touchdown pass last weekend and Newton catching one tonight. John Carlson while being interviewed on the sideline said that it didn't bother him that they were the ones catching the touchdowns as long as they kept throwing to the tight ends. Taylor made a nice grab too keeping the scoring drive before the half alive and making good use of his single opportunity to shine. Kent had an opportunity but would have had to make an outstanding catch as the ball wasn't thrown well and the pass was hotly contested by the defender. However, he's supposed to be able to go up and get those because of his height and it would have been good for his chances to have made that play. Butler made the best play of all the receivers with his catch for a score in the opening drive. I think Butler will be given a lot of chances to make plays during the regular season. He may very well battle his way into the third receiver's slot before the season is over. All in all, I stand by what I said when I stated that Hasselbeck has the best group of receivers he's ever had to throw to this season.

You gotta love Knapp's offense. He threw a lot tonight alleviating fears that he won't use our excellent receivers and Hasselbeck's arm to full advantage. He's never had this talented an air attack to balance against his running game before and I think it's going to be a thing of beauty once they've got all the bugs shaken out and everyone on the same page. Being able to attack a defense's weak spots whatever they may be will pay big dividends during the season. I loved the reverse to Branch and his option to throw it or run it. The receiver was wide open and if Branch didn't throw it in the dirt, it would have been a big play. Observers said that they've run that play in practice successfully lots of times. You also have to love the aggressive play calling like the 4th and goal and the team's ability to bear down and get the job done in that situation. The so called "scrotum tuck" offense of Holmgren's where he runs the ball three times and punts while trying to nurse a small lead through the end of the game is a thing of the past. I see an offense that will keep attacking until the final whistle. I didn't know what to expect with Knapp but after hearing him interviewed a few times and then watching his offense in action, I'm becoming a fan fast. If he had an offensive line like Denver's, he would have a top ten offense in my opinion. I think it'll come to pass.

Seneca was very good tonight and looks like he's got the green light to punish the opposition if they over run the play like he did with the long scramble in the third quarter. If Hasselbeck does get injured and Mora and Knapp design the offense to operate around Seneca, with the experience they have at using a mobile quarterback from Atlanta, we would probably still be able to maintain a potent offense. I would go so far to say that it would probably be better than the one they had with Vick simply because Seneca is also a dangerous passer with an arm that can get the ball down field. Vick's biggest limitation is that he's one dimensional and you can take that away from him without other consequences. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If an offensive coordinator designed an offensive attack to utilize Seneca's talents especially his ability to run on people who flush him or overrun him and pass on people who try to bottle him up, he could be an especially dangerous quarterback to contend with. In a way it's really too bad that he's so close in age to Hasselbeck. If he was as young as Teel, he would be an excellent prospect for development as Seattle's quarterback of the future.

Teel didn't look as good as he did last week. He really didn't have the chance he had last week either. He still looks to me like a quarterback who just needs experience and coaching to be able to raise the level of his game. He's got pocket presence but looks like he's not making good decisions sometimes. That's a coachable deficiency. He's got the arm and the physical measurables. We'll just have to see how he develops. I like his grit. He's not scared to mix it up.

Overall, from watching the first two games, I think the team plays with intensity and guys are flying around all over the field even when it's not working like in the first half tonight. It's coming down just like I imagined it should given the intensity of training camp and Mora's high energy practice philosophy. Some of the miscues are still due to the new schemes with players still thinking too much and not just playing loose. That will iron itself out with more playing time. Outside of the high profile injuries to Walt and Marcus, I don't see to much to be real concerned with except the offensive line and the issue of depth. Even if Locklear can barely hold his own at left tackle, there's no margin for another injury. With Pork Chop and Wahle gone, we don't have any starting experience beyond the starting players. A veteran offensive lineman would be a nice pickup before the season starts. Any other injury along the line and we could have a potential weak spot that might de-rail the offense to a significant degree. I hope we find some depth somewhere before the regular season starts both on the offensive line and at cornerback unless Trufant returns soon since the cornerbacks are another area of concern for the same reason. Jennings does have starting experience if he can only start playing better.

I'm sure Chris Sullivan will break down the game with his usual excellent detailed analysis. I like to take a more general approach rather than mirror that sort of detail. Please feel free to bring your observations and views on how the game went for the Seahawks and how well they played through your comments. With my usual positive outlook, I still see the team looking good and being a much more aggressive team overall than I've seen in a long time. I think that aggression coupled with the enthusiasm and energy Mora has infused into them will prevail over the season as he welds them into a tightly knit team with good chemistry who will watch each others backs and unselfishly put the good of the team before personal glory. It's in the genes. That's the way Tim Ruskell drafted them to be and that's the way they play on the field. In a way, they can't help themselves.

I think that Mora will continue to build on what Holmgren started here in Seattle and the time is coming when all the bad stuff that happened in the first 23 years of Seattle's existence will just be a dim memory for old timers and not even in the picture for younger fans coming up who will only remember Seattle as a hard fighting team who approaches the game as a unified force.

Hasta,

BillT

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