Must Listen from the latest KJ Wright show

[Year of The Hawk]

I will be the contrarian to most and say that it was a better defensive play than bad offensive play. I do like Lynches the idea of giving it to Lynch but it was not a guarantee TD and a pass play made sense. They defense had stacked the box. Statistically the pass play was super safe option (only a 3.1% chance of an interception https://www.si.com/nfl/2015/02/04/russell-wilson-super-bowl-49-interception-statistical-analysis). And it does make sense that if ithe pass play failed (other than an interception) then they will still have 2 more plays to give it to Lynch. This is an interesting look at ML from the 1 yard line that year. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl...call-patriots-2014/14laf54x4evid101r0csjzxafs It was the worst possible outcome on that play. You can also chalk it up to execution as well. In the end all the blame and hand wringing will not change a thing. I think the only thing to put it behind us as fans (for the most part) will to be to win another one.

 

[FortWorthSeahawk]

Amazing. Hearing the alternative plays that could have been and what Bevell had in terms of situational calls...talk about pulling the curtain back.

 

[HawkRiderFan]

Yep, going back to the audible Bevill had ready to go in the NFC championship game. Also good stuff on why the Jimmy Graham thing didn't work out.

I would really like to know who the coach was who threw some shade at the D for 49 during the off-season.
When you hear if from 2 guys like that in the locker room, there's really no doubt as to how that just crushed what that team had going.

 

[hgwellz12]

That was a GREAT interview. I was literally hanging on every word! Also, it's one of those rare podcast interviews that is 1000% better if you watch it versus just listening to it, so much was said that wasn't said! ******* HELL so much pain!

 

[hgwellz12]

Also, it's kind of funny how all this time I thought I hated Andrew Schultz because of his voice/mannerisms. Luke proves to me that it is SOLELY because he is prick.

 

[HawkRiderFan]

THIS. I liked the whole story. Amazing.

I loved how he's talking about being a year 2 guy and KJ wants him to decline plays in the huddle. "Probably get slapped". "I'm not running that shit!" - too funny.

Totally brought me back around on Luke. I had me some hair-bun and excess greasyness fatigue from last season on TSN Canadians will get it.

I understand the reference, but I actually enjoy Luke on TSN. Maybe it's cause it's a refreshing break from the constant segments of Davis Sanchez giving gambling tips.

 

[Hockey Guy]

I understand the reference, but I actually enjoy Luke on TSN. Maybe it's cause it's a refreshing break from the constant segments of Davis Sanchez giving gambling tips.

Luke is awesome on TSN.

Everyone is talking about the SB failure but the most interesting part for me was the discussion about 2021 training camp. I'd like some follow up on how a team that won the division at 12-4 the year before could be that unfocused the Luke knew they were going to fail from 1 practice.

 

[FattyKnuckle]

I remember arguing profusely that Lynch needed to carry that ball. From a running formation. There were several here on .Net that was steadfast in their belief that the pass was the right call, but just executed poorly. They made excuse after excuse basically centered around clock management and allowing for an extra play (ie. more chances).

I don't remember who those folks were but.....they were wrong. Lynch needed to carry that damn ball.

A play action bootleg was just as good of a call as a power run, IMO, with Russ' wheels being at their height and it'd be easy to throw it out the back of the endzone if nothing was there. If they had a play they practiced all week for that exact scenario, though, they absolutely should've run that play over ANY pass. I do think that Belichick mind-****** them by not calling a timeout. Did that contribute to the play call? Probably never know but it's very easy to think that, especially given Pete's less than optimal clock management skills, were flustered by no timeout being called and he didn't want to waste ours. Multiple things went wrong there in the cursed Glendale stadium and the on field product has been heavily affected by it until now. You could argue that last season we were finally clear of it with the last two members of that team gone but I think not til the offseason when we drafted and otherwise acquired the pieces to ready rebuild the D can we finally shake off those reverbs and move forward.

 

[HawkRiderFan]

Luke is awesome on TSN.

Everyone is talking about the SB failure but the most interesting part for me was the discussion about 2021 training camp. I'd like some follow up on how a team that won the division at 12-4 the year before could be that unfocused the Luke knew they were going to fail from 1 practice.

I'm thinking the team's starting QB going on an off-season press tour hinting about wanting out and his protection may have had something to do with it.

 

[keasley45]

Luke is awesome on TSN.

Everyone is talking about the SB failure but the most interesting part for me was the discussion about 2021 training camp. I'd like some follow up on how a team that won the division at 12-4 the year before could be that unfocused the Luke knew they were going to fail from 1 practice.

That was the year following Russ's public criticism of the team and more specifically, PC for not developing a more explosive attack and giving him more say.

Pete, rather than pushing back, relented, brought in a new OC, fired the perfectly good Schotty, and left the offense to Russ and Shane (ie. Russ). It's why you saw the pretty obvious resentment at pressers like the one following the loss to the Titans in OT. Russ had checked out of the team and was doing what he wanted. And the standard that went along with what we'd built, was lost.

What Luke described sounded a lot like what you heard coming out of Broncos camp at times last year. A lot of show.

 

[morgulon1]

I'm thinking the team's starting QB going on an off-season press tour hinting about wanting out and his protection may have had something to do with it.

Certainly.

But Mr limited was juuust getting started. He knew he was there because of the legion and that he would never be able to shake it. Add the fact he threw a shitty pick but not just any shifty pick , one that cost a once in a generation team back-to-back superbowls. This was his one chance to earn his keep and he blew it.

Carroll and Schneider are deserving of praise for what they accomplished with a little shit like #3

 

[pittpnthrs]

Great podcast. Bevell being handcuffed was interesting. Not knowing where the play originally came from? Somebody knows and it'll come out at some point. The defense giving up 10 points but Earl saying if he and the rest of the secondary wasnt so beat up, that would have never have happened (people never take that into account when they bring it up).

One play destroyed the team. Just run the damn ball.

 

[KinesProf]

Excellent podcast. Hanging on every word.

Luke is a great storyteller and entertaining speaker. Sometimes "big personality" guys can come off as blowhards when they think they are the smartest guy in the room; whereas Luke pulls off a gregarious likability wrapped in a goofball jock image when he might legitimately be the smartest guy in most rooms (reports on his GPA from High School to Rice and then while at Rice are that of an incredibly strong student at a couple institutions where academics are taken seriously).

There are so many nuggets throughout that I highly suggest a full viewing of the 1.5 hours when you have the time.

Interesting talking points:

-Love for Bevell. His reputation amongst people who have played for him (Luke, Doug top of mind) is very strong.
-How he knew 2021 was a disaster waiting to happen.
-What makes Pete great.
-Detailed fallout from SB49
-Players immediately hated the Max/Jimmy move and what it symbolized.
-Details how he knew Geno was going to be excellent and how he called that shot prior to the 2022 season.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

I understand the reference, but I actually enjoy Luke on TSN. Maybe it's cause it's a refreshing break from the constant segments of Davis Sanchez giving gambling tips.

Yea the whole tsn crew is just ‘trying too hard’. And the one chick creeps my wife out. Calls her robot girl.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

This absolutely is a “must listen” (especially for you X and O guys) for all Hawk fans

100%. Watched the rest last night. Every fan should see this.

Interesting the way he talked about bev. Or was that gushing? Either way helps decode who the problem was. doesn’t sound like bevell to me. The way Luke talks about him sounds more like Waldron with a lot of handcuffs put on him a La Russ.

Me3 with a PC supporter/enabler was The problem.

very informative.

 

[rcaido]

Such a great listen. We are finding missing puzzle pieces. I love KJ & Luke has always been fan fav. What i got out of it is that Pete is an amazing motivator and can build a winning culture but terrible X & O guy and is too loyal to coordinators. Also the person who does the trades killed the team. Schneider or Pete. I never thought that Graham trade was such bad impact on the team culturally but now thinking back, that same year we got Cary Williams too. I recall some of the defense hated that and hated he got a big contract. I think Kam did that stupid holdout he did that same year.

100%. Watched the rest last night. Every fan should see this.

Interesting the way he talked about bev. Or was that gushing? Either way helps decode who the problem was. doesn’t sound like bevell to me. The way Luke talks about him sounds more like Waldron with a lot of handcuffs put on him a La Russ.

Me3 with a PC supporter/enabler was The problem.

very informative.

I think Luke was just being biasly friendly towards Bevell. Bevell/PC was just predictable. Luke even talked about how terrible Graham was as a blocker, so he mention when Graham was on the field, the opposing team knew they were not going to run the play towards Graham and it was going to be a 70 to 80% passing play.
Bevell went to Detroit, he was terrible there too. Never won more then 4 games. Same as the Jaguars. Now those two teams went 9-8, one made the playoff and the other should have.

Also, Bevell threw Lockette under the bus on that SB play. I wouldn't be surprise if he was the same coach who mention the 10 point lead the defense gave up.

 

[Mick063]

Luke Wilson was a tight end. Jimmy Graham was a tight end. Competing for the same job. Something to consider with respect to Luke commenting about Graham. Graham made big money. Wilson didn't. There is a lot of room for animosity here. Luke was part of the Super Bowl teams. Graham came after that. Something to consider when Luke's teammates talk about Graham as well. Graham could easily be perceived as a person brought in to appease Wilson, the guy that had just missed his Super Bowl MVP appointment.

Graham never did fulfill the expectations that merited his salary, but it wasn't entirely his fault. By the time he showed up, the locker room was basically poisoned from the bad call in the Super Bowl. No one in the world could have come in and made much of a difference. It was too late to save the locker room. It was too late to save the inevitable end of the offensive coordinator (although his Super Bowl credentials did buy some more time, his days were numbered). Jimmy came into a complete mess. He was very professional with how he handled the media under such circumstances. He was dealt a bad hand. Then he got seriously injured and it was the last straw. The cumulative effect finally broke him for good. He would never be a great player again.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

Amazing. Hearing the alternative plays that could have been and what Bevell had in terms of situational calls...talk about pulling the curtain back.

This.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

It starts about at 11:00...a question about the "Play" in Superbowl 49. I thought I had made peace with it, and then I hear Luke Willson's take. Even KJ was mad, because this was apparently news to him.

Unger comments surprised me -

 

[keasley45]

Luke Wilson was a tight end. Jimmy Graham was a tight end. Competing for the same job. Something to consider with respect to Luke commenting about Graham. Graham made big money. Wilson didn't. There is a lot of room for animosity here. Luke was part of the Super Bowl teams. Graham came after that. Something to consider when Luke's teammates talk about Graham as well. Graham could easily be perceived as a person brought in to appease Wilson, the guy that had just missed his Super Bowl MVP appointment.

Graham never did fulfill the expectations that merited his salary, but it wasn't entirely his fault. By the time he showed up, the locker room was basically poisoned from the bad call in the Super Bowl. No one in the world could have come in and made much of a difference. It was too late to save the locker room. It was too late to save the inevitable end of the offensive coordinator (although his Super Bowl credentials did buy some more time, his days were numbered). Jimmy came into a complete mess. He was very professional with how he handled the media under such circumstances. He was dealt a bad hand. Then he got seriously injured and it was the last straw. The cumulative effect finally broke him for good. He would never be a great player again.

I think the layer in there that Luke / KJ were careful to walk around was why Jimmy was there in the first place. I guarantee you it wasn't Petes first thought to trade away Unger for a TE, regardless of how good. Tearing out the heart of your road grading oline for a TE? Doesn't sound like him.
I'm sure the QB was lobbying for more weapons to prove his worth opposite the D (and push off criticism from them) and alongside Lynch, and the OC was having to fight off criticism himself for questionable calls from outspoken players on defensea and so, was all for it. And it wouldn't be the only time Russ made his desires for a better offensive player known. He'd just become more vocal in later years after all of his critics were invited to take their leave.

And Graham came in just after the SB loss. The team was obviously in the midst of a fracture. I think it's pretty clear given the resentment and vocal criticism of how things went down, that shifting power to RW and away from those who were honest about what went wrong was a HUGE part of why Jimmy was brought in. He was caught in the middle of a family feud.

I don't think Luke carried any bias at all. I think he called it accurately and by Luke's account, he and Jimmy are great friends - he mentioned they were getting together this week.

This all is just verification that that article in The Athletic following the 2020 season was spot on. The coddling of the Qb prior to the SB loss, the final call in that loss, and then the deliberate shift of power and influence away from players critical of #3, destroyed the team.

It's fascinating to hear first hand how it all went down, but heartbreaking as well. Makes me pull for this new incarnation even more now as they seem to be the re incarnation of the old guard, come to finish the job their predecessors started. So many lost years.