Breakdown of Jimmy Graham Blocking

[Fade]

There is an easy solution to all this that people have been talking about for months: put Graham out wide at Split End, making him our go-to WR and allowing him to dominate smaller defensive backs, rather than wasting his time trying to block and/or maneuver around defensive linemen.

But why hasn't Seattle done that? He clearly can be the best receiving TE in the game when his strengths are accentuated. Or are you suggesting to just make him a pure WR and not ask him to do what a typical TE would do? I guess that would make the most sense.

But sometimes and I have no idea if this is true, but even when running routes sometimes I feel he is just standing their instead of trying to break loose like Baldwin or Kearse does when a play breaks down. That would be a lot easier to correct then teaching him blocking

I think his route running has been solid, but it's an adjustment to learn how to play with his hand down 50% of the time and then break on routes after crashing into defensive linemen. It's certainly not his strength.

As to why they have not done this, Carroll is a defensive-coach first, Bevell is an in-the-box thinker, and somehow they have convinced themselves that such a move would be a bad thing for whatever reason. It might also be an ego thing with Tom Cable, who thinks he can teach anyone to block. Maybe it also relates to the fact that Carroll's son has been working with the TEs, and moving Graham to WR might impact his responsibilities. Maybe it is even an ego thing with Graham, who has said time and time again that he can be a blocking TE.

It would be the most natural fit in this scheme though. Jimmy Graham is one of the best big receivers in league history. He should be treated as such, rather than continually trying to force that square peg (big receiver with elite jump ball abilities) into a round hole (in-line against defensive linemen or even in the slot a majority of the time, crashing into defensive linemen).

Dear Pete Carroll something something

 

[kearly]

One of the things I like about Pete is that when stuff isn't working, he won't wait until the offseason to try and fix it. He'll shuffle players around. He'll adjust roles. When stuff doesn't work he isn't afraid of throwing stuff against a wall and seeing what sticks.

I'm not saying that I know for a fact that Graham is best suited to take more snaps at WR. But I think there is something to gain by trying it for a few games and seeing how the offense reacts to it. If nothing else, putting him at WR removes the 'tell' that Seattle is going to pass, since the overwhelming majority of Graham's snaps at TE have resulted in pass plays, and teams are starting to figure this out. Putting him at WR would eliminate this tell and also reduce the downside of his poor blocking.

Granted, in the Lions game he was already featured off the line on 60% of his snaps. So in a way he's already being used like a receiver on a majority of his snaps. How much will an increase from 60% to 90% help him? It might not help much, but I'd like to see them try it just to see what happens.

I also think there is something to gain from creating some competition on the OL. Last year Lewis and LJP alternated starts, each starting 3 games in a 6 game stretch at the end of the regular season. I think now is the time to get Lewis involved in a center competition again, and I think Britt should be flat out benched. At this point he should be viewed as a practice squad type player.

We've seen Pete Carroll fix or mitigate problems in the past before with this kind of approach. If the struggles continue then competition and role adjustments are inevitable. I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.

 

[400WattHPSHawk]

Dear God in heaven :34853_doh:

Watch that 2nd to last gif and you can see just how absolutely pathetic our offensive line really is.

Okung gets a break because he cant see that Russell is now 10 yds further behind him after his initial contact with the DE thanks to the whiff by Britt that Russ had to avoid.

JG takes out Gilliams' man so Gilliam takes the rest of the play off and lets the DT go around him unimpeded.

Nowak does get a descent push on Sweezy :34853_doh: Then they both just stand there like those statues on Easter island, backs to the D line letting the Lb'er come up and put the finishing touches on RW after he releases the ball.

Who is coaching these clowns? << rhetorical of course.

 

[ringless]

I understand where you are coming from. But I think you can't disregard the injuries he played through last year. The fact he couldn't even go to the locker room during one game. The complete pain he was in throughout the season. The fact he is another year older, with another 300+ touches on his body. That he runs a very punishing style, that history has shown backs at his age have a steep and quick decline.

The fact that he is a human being, and when humans suffer repeated inflammation over and over the body reaches a breaking point where it is no longer able to repair like it did before. Where the tendons, fibers etc become less elastic. Recovery puts a huge demand on the body. A tremendous demand especially when its asked to do it after every hit the man has taken. Coming into this year his injuries carried over. Back issues, wrist issues, hamstring and calf issues. He is getting older each day, being pounded by 300lb wrecking balls. His body has reached it's limit. REPEATED INFLAMATION on the body just takes a huge toll. I think his body has hit the point where it can't do what it use too. All of the injuries/injuries he's played through and the start of this season I think are showing exactly what science has proven time and time again. And the fact father time is undefeated. Just look at Kobe, Jordan, Emmitt Smith, etc.

At this point, this is all wishful thinking by a Cardinals fan. We just don't know yet, because he hasn't received nearly enough touches so far this season. We will have a better idea if he plays on Sunday.

It isn't wishful thinking. I like Lynch a lot. In fact I really like the Seahawks. I guess time will tell, that is my beliefs at this time and leading into the season and so far it's been the case. There is still a lot of season left to be played.

It's absolutely wishful thinking on your part. There just isn't enough data to reach that conclusion in any reliable way, and there was no evidence of it before the season. If Marshawn returns and has a big game, this thinking will look pretty silly.

So it is still wishful thinking or is reality starting to set in? I think we were getting a clear picture last year with injuries surfacing. And what history has shown at the RB position with his age. History shows a steep decline after 1800 carries, Lynch is at 2200. He missed 1 game in 6 years and now has missed back to back games. And didn't do anything spectacular in the first three.

Look I like Lynch, I enjoy watching him run. I respect his play style. But I can also look at this objectively and kind of see what adds up and what doesnt. Could I have been wrong on my pre-season assumptions. Absolutely because he has always out-performed. However father time always gets his due and the writing was on the wall last year that there would be issues this year and yet here they are.

Almost all of my family are Seahawks fan, even my best friend in Australia is a Seahawks fan. I follow you guys closely. If I wasn't a Cardinals fan I'd be a Seahawks fan. I kind of am a fan. They'd be my second team but only if AZ did not stand a chance at all for a playoff run. So again, it's not wishful thinking.

Nobody is immune to it. Not a single person in the world

 

[netskier]

Ringless, Does History also show a sharp decline in Tight End receiving performance after blocking a certain number of plays?

I wonder how much brain damage is sustained from each head slap received.

I think that each time Graham blocks in an actual game, he wears out his body a significant amount, risks serious injury as a student blocker playing already trained NFL players, endangers Russell with poor blocks, etc.

 

[scutterhawk]

http://www.fieldgulls.com/football-breakdowns/2015/10/6/9467265/seahawks-jimmy-grahams-receiver-tight-end-blocking

Figured some of you could chime in on this.
If you are Pete, why not do something drastic with Graham and say if you don't put in the effort to do what your asked you're not playing and sit him a game?

On the third and 22 in this sequence he really does act like a spectator avoiding all contact.

Because here as in almost ALL Fan Forums?, If you're not trained in NFL Coaching, (sorry to be so harsh), BUT, you don't know your ass from a hole in the ground.
The Offense is faltering on a regular basis, so you think that Graham is going to fix the O-Line mess early on?????
This is a TEAM GIG, and it requires EVERYONE to contribute to the teams success....NO PREMADONNAS.
We've had enough of that with Percy Harvin. eh?

 

[massari]

Why not put Gary Gilliam in as the inline TE? Wouldn't this help the blocking out a ton?

 

[scutterhawk]

There is an easy solution to all this that people have been talking about for months: put Graham out wide at Split End, making him our go-to WR and allowing him to dominate smaller defensive backs, rather than wasting his time trying to block and/or maneuver around defensive linemen.

Yes. Stop wasting his talents. Just put him at WR.

BULLSHIT!!, he has the talent to be more than just a run of the mill Receiver.
Gonzalas?, Gronkowski? and we want him to be Tight End Light?????, SCREW THAT!!
Wilson needs for him to grow a pair, and fill in where Marshawn Lynch has left off. PERIOD!!!!!!

 

[Siouxhawk]

Why not put Gary Gilliam in as the inline TE? Wouldn't this help the blocking out a ton?

With Britt back at RT and Bailey in at LG? Maybe we need 6 on the LOS to provide adequate protection.

 

[massari]

Why not put Gary Gilliam in as the inline TE? Wouldn't this help the blocking out a ton?

With Britt back at RT and Bailey in at LG? Maybe we need 6 on the LOS to provide adequate protection.

Yeah, with Britt back at RT.

So Okung, Bailey, Nowak, Sweezy, Britt and Gilliam can all be blocking at once.

 

[Siouxhawk]

Why not put Gary Gilliam in as the inline TE? Wouldn't this help the blocking out a ton?

With Britt back at RT and Bailey in at LG? Maybe we need 6 on the LOS to provide adequate protection.

Yeah, with Britt back at RT.

So Okung, Bailey, Nowak, Sweezy, Britt and Gilliam can all be blocking at once.

I think that has a lot of merit if that's what it takes to keep Russ in one piece. The real benefit would be to prevent the blitz around the outside getting to Russ, which has been a problem, and more double-teaming concepts. But guys still would need to win the one-on-one battles most of the time or it's still a breakdown