Lets be real here

[pittpnthrs]

. And it was 11 wins counting the playoffs.

Yeah. Got me wondering which playoff loss was worse 15' or 16'. Carolina threw 31 on us before we knew what was going on and we were actually in the Atlanta game for 5 minutes before they put their foot down. Hard to say.

 

[keasley45]

. And it was 11 wins counting the playoffs.

Yeah. Got me wondering which playoff loss was worse 15' or 16'. Carolina threw 31 on us before we knew what was going on and we were actually in the Atlanta game for 5 minutes before they put their foot down. Hard to say.

There is such a thing as a down year when cap realities and changing personnel weaken a team. What people dont seem to get is that we've retooled a team that got us to the Superbowl a few years ago without losing a ton of games and still managed to make it to the playoffs last year with a banged up qb and lost to the team that should have been the Superbowl champion. Again, I get the frustration, but the over the top gloom and doom is absurd in light of the potential the team has this year. They just need some time.

 

[getnasty]

I'm gonna be real here. So far we've been a horrible offensive team but the fact that we ended the last game with a little hope in the running game is exciting. This teams best years have always been defense and running the football, and winning TOP. I think we're every bit as good defensively as the Superbowl Teams if we can get the running game going we'll be fine. The 2014 team started 3-3 after losing to the Rams and trading Percy Harvin so remember it's a marathon not a sprint.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

2 dropped TD's in the 1st quarter or that game is sitting at 14-0, and likely isn't close.
They have started out slow many times, all in how you look at it.

They will be fine, that's my believe, and what I choose to think about the team.

 

[pittpnthrs]

People keep brining up the 2 dropped TD passes but fail to remember the 2 missed interceptions by the Niners. We are not fine here.

 

[HawkerD]

I respect the OP. He is able to look at this objectively based on 2 performances which is all we have. I respect all the faithful fans who want to believe and want to make excuses. But to the let's get real. I have to agree with the Op and the others who don't think this team is going any where. We will not win the division and we will not make the playoffs if the offense continues as is or even with marginal improvements the offense would need to take a compltely different tac for anything to change

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I respect the OP. He is able to look at this objectively based on 2 performances which is all we have. I respect all the faithful fans who want to believe and want to make excuses. But to the let's get real. I have to agree with the Op and the others who don't think this team is going any where. We will not win the division and we will not make the playoffs if the offense continues as is or even with marginal improvements the offense would need to take a compltely different tac for anything to change

Not win the division?

Besides us, this division's a dumpster fire. Rams just lost to a mediocre east coast team at home, the Cards barely beat the worst team in football and the Niners have an even worse offense than us with a journeyman QB.

You can say this team isn't going anywhere in the playoffs, I can listen to that logic. But not win the division? Get out with that crazy talk.

 

[Siouxhawk]

I respect the OP. He is able to look at this objectively based on 2 performances which is all we have. I respect all the faithful fans who want to believe and want to make excuses. But to the let's get real. I have to agree with the Op and the others who don't think this team is going any where. We will not win the division and we will not make the playoffs if the offense continues as is or even with marginal improvements the offense would need to take a compltely different tac for anything to change

But that's the thing you're missing. The offense typically gets out of the gate a little slow, finds its rhythm and finishes strong as the Hawks once again punch their playoff ticket. The body of work suggests the chance of this reoccurring more of a certainty than your long shot scenario of not making the playoffs or winning the division.

 

[NJlargent]

What's the benefit of starting out slow? And if it is to find rhythm, how come that isn't established in preseason? Additionally, why are we one of the few teams that always seem to need to find rhythm?

 

[Siouxhawk]

What's the benefit of starting out slow? And if it is to find rhythm, how come that isn't established in preseason? Additionally, why are we one of the few teams that always seem to need to find rhythm?

Good question. I think it would have to do with us being more on the conservative side in Pete's desire to win the turnover battle. Thus we operate in tighter confines. For example, we obviously want to be a run-first team. In Game 1, we had nothing to show for it. In Game 2, the line did crack some daylight for Carson, especially in the fourth quarter, and that helped us to win the time of possession battle and salt the game away at the end.

Little by little, we tend to get better and with the extra dimension of Russ running again this year, our offense will be doing what it needs to before long. Not worried about that at all.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

What's the benefit of starting out slow? And if it is to find rhythm, how come that isn't established in preseason? Additionally, why are we one of the few teams that always seem to need to find rhythm?

I don't think it's on purpose.

It's a product of this continued dysfunctional turnstyle of bad O-linemen and lack of an established bell cow RB.

Every year Pete and the players are all optimistic in camp that THIS will be the year we come out of the gate firing on all cylinders...........and then it's Groundhog Day all over again until we find a RB to take over and 4-5 weeks for the line to at least not stink.

 

[keasley45]

I respect the OP. He is able to look at this objectively based on 2 performances which is all we have. I respect all the faithful fans who want to believe and want to make excuses. But to the let's get real. I have to agree with the Op and the others who don't think this team is going any where. We will not win the division and we will not make the playoffs if the offense continues as is or even with marginal improvements the offense would need to take a compltely different tac for anything to change

Are people really arguing that if we don't play better we wont be successful this season? Of course we wont make the playoffs if we don't make adjustments. I dont think most folks are making excuses. Its more a matter of whether or not you look at the team and see the potential for what they can be with a phenomenal defense, healthy RW and a talent in Carson. To date, there's more evidence that, assuming we stay healthy, we maintain our winning ways and unlike last year when our top two players on offense and defense were either banged up or not able to play, we make a serious run into the playoffs, than there is that we'll fall flat and miss the post-season.

Its not spectacular, but it never was. We dont maximize the potential of our talent in every case. Our playcalling leaves a lot to be desired. But the team we had last year (and i'd venture to say this one is improved) made the playoffs WITH Bevel calling the plays, an immobile RW stuck behind a turnstile of an O-Line, and Graham being under-utilized. I see the floor for the 2017 version being much higher. They just need to adapt to the shortcomings of the o-line. And they will. I just think that over the first two games they've still been coping with the fact that o-line isnt there yet and they need to stop calling plays from the '2017 - man its great that we have protection and RW can sit back and pick a team apart' playbook, and pull some pages out of the '2013 - lets use RW to open up the run game with his arm and legs and use the run to free up the pass' version.

 

[keasley45]

What's the benefit of starting out slow? And if it is to find rhythm, how come that isn't established in preseason? Additionally, why are we one of the few teams that always seem to need to find rhythm?

I don't think it's on purpose.

It's a product of this continued dysfunctional turnstyle of bad O-linemen and lack of an established bell cow RB.

Every year Pete and the players are all optimistic in camp that THIS will be the year we come out of the gate firing on all cylinders...........and then it's Groundhog Day all over again until we find a RB to take over and 4-5 weeks for the line to at least not stink.

I think this is true. We start slow every year because we have junior college talent at 0-line and we're asking them to run a scheme that requires a 'Harvard' level of knowledge. There's a flaw there, grant you that. But its no surprise that in practice and pre-season, with the limitations imposed by the NFL re contact and drills, that the o-line could look like a million bucks when the blanks are loaded, and crap the bed when real bullets start flying by their ears. But i think they will get better, and it seems as though we may be able to get back to our running ways with the newfound talent at RB, and RW healthy again.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Like I said, Hawks fans have become ridiculously spoiled. Now we're to the point where we have to win a certain way. Like it really matters how it looks when get a W.

 

[cymatica]

There's a difference between starting slow and fielding an offensive line that looks like this consecutively. If our offense was just rusty and out of sync a little then fine. This line is atrocious.

Everyone is pissed because we all watched it disintegrate over the years to what it is now. Just ignore the stats, since obviously Wilson and Lynch masked it, and just watch the line play. Half the time it's like a planned demolition and the o-line falls at freefall speed. In the past when the unit gels a little they blow half the line up and switch everyone around. Maybe it is the new cba and practice time, maybe its college linemen, etc. Those are excuses. Other teams have figured it out better than Tom and Co with less, so obviously their approach is flawed.

On top of that mess Graham was asked to replace Miller's role and it has failed. Last years stats don't hold that much water if you watch the games. Remember 2015 when the offense changed and Graham was out? I think Trying to use Graham like we do hinders the offense. Graham would be spectacular on this offense split out wide or in the slot. You can design quick hitters on 3 step drops. You can mix up formations and personel to confuse the defense. When your oline sucks thats all you can do. Everyone knows this shit but over and over we watch these headscratching gameplans.

The 49er game was better though and i think Pete said thete will be a change on offense so I have hope.

 

[keasley45]

There's a difference between starting slow and fielding an offensive line that looks like this consecutively. If our offense was just rusty and out of sync a little then fine. This line is atrocious.

Everyone is pissed because we all watched it disintegrate over the years to what it is now. Just ignore the stats, since obviously Wilson and Lynch masked it, and just watch the line play. Half the time it's like a planned demolition and the o-line falls at freefall speed. In the past when the unit gels a little they blow half the line up and switch everyone around. Maybe it is the new cba and practice time, maybe its college linemen, etc. Those are excuses. Other teams have figured it out better than Tom and Co with less, so obviously their approach is flawed.

On top of that mess Graham was asked to replace Miller's role and it has failed. Last years stats don't hold that much water if you watch the games. Remember 2015 when the offense changed and Graham was out? I think Trying to use Graham like we do hinders the offense. Graham would be spectacular on this offense split out wide or in the slot. You can design quick hitters on 3 step drops. You can mix up formations and personel to confuse the defense. When your oline sucks thats all you can do. Everyone knows this shit but over and over we watch these headscratching gameplans.

The 49er game was better though and i think Pete said thete will be a change on offense so I have hope.

Cant find anything in what you wrote to disagree with and I get the frustration... I'm frustrated too. But i dont know that i would say things have disentigrated. At least not from a scheme perspective. They just have a way of doing things (that works) and haven't been able to find all the right pieces to make things click again. They also spent the last year + trying to transition the offense to a pass first philosophy. Last year was a disaster in that regard and we didnt have the backfield to help. This year... from here forward is about getting back to pre 2015 hawk ball. Inthink they're smart enough to see that they don't have enough ability on the line to make this an O built on rw's arm. Like 2013, We'll go as far as rw's arm and legs will take us. And ironically, in giving up on the o-line being able to hold, relying on Russel' s running ability, we just might give the line and the offense a chance to pull itself together.

 

[FormerEvil]

It's game 2 and people are already jumping ship.

I don't understand this mentality.

We have an elite defense.

You just saw what Chris Carson is capable of!

All this offense has to do is slowly improve on the O Line!

Doug Baldwin is one of the best!

"No E" is a dam good receiver and returner!

Jimmy Graham will get better when they STOP trying to force him in to being aTE

Our rookieWR will only get better, and I see him as Anquon Boldin light.

THis is a playoff contender, and has been every year!!

^^This 100%. Thank you for saying this for me.