Football Gameplan's 2014 NFL Team Preview - Seahawks

http://footballgameplan.com/fbgps-2014-nfl-team-preview-seattle-seahawks/

Good afternoon Hawks fans! Here's my season preview for you guys. Good luck this year!

Em

EmDiggy":lmscyxly said:

http://footballgameplan.com/fbgps-2014-nfl-team-preview-seattle-seahawks/

Good afternoon Hawks fans! Here's my season preview for you guys. Good luck this year!

Em

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Woot. Em Dog back in the house. Watching now.

Second in the division? I don't think so. Not gonna waste my time watching the whiner preview, but you're wrong thinking they're the best team in the division. They have disgruntled players and coaches along with age creeping in on most of their top players. Sure, they improved their WR corps, but only one can be Kaepernick's first read on any given play...leaving the others as just guys running routes.

Always know it's real when we start to see Em posting his take. You know I can't agree with your selection of number 2 in the division, but I must say that I think the quality of the video has improved over the off season. I always enjoyed them, but this one seems even better than those you've done in the best. Great work. Can't wait to surpass your prediction this season

FO has up an excellent article on the effect of the schedule on how well a team fares in the season. Obviously, tougher schedule means less wins, no matter how good the team is.

Looking at our schedule and SF's, it's pretty easy to see how the Hawks could end up 11-5 to SF's 12-4 based purely on schedule. Since the two teams have almost identical schedules, whether a team they face is actually much better or much worse this year than projected balances out for both teams. What separates them schedule wise is how we play some of our common opponents on the road that they play at home and vice versa as well as kinks in the schedule like playing at SF on a Thursday, etc.

It has nothing to do with SF being better than Seattle.

Personally, I think SF is going to start to decline noticably this season and it will be AZ that challenges us, but that we'll still win this division. I don't, however, think we'll win 13 games with that schedule and recognize that it's a reasonable prediction to say that the Hawks might finish second this year.

Even if they don't win the division, however, I think they repeat in the Super Bowl.

Thanks Em!

However, semi-important quibble: Eric Winston didn't come out of retirement.

Thanks Gang! My bad about WInston…I don't know why I thought he retired early in the offseason.

As for the prediction…I think with added receiving weapons around Kaepernick (who did what he could despite only having virtually 2 options) along with their OL & Defense, I'd give them the slight edge.

The crazy part is that I also believe that this division will have 4 teams with all winning records. VERY strong this year. Where I think you guys have some questions is up front (right side) and with losing some key parts on defense. Yes I know you've replaced them with extremely talented components, but how quickly can that chemistry develop?

I think SF has more questions in the secondary than Seattle does in the front four on defense (which is where we lost any key parts on defense).

Defensive line is more instinct and god given ability then chemistry, we added Avril and Bennett last year and we improved. I think the chemistry is the fun and success they have as a group.

RT yes that is a search, but with all the woes of the Offensive line last year you have to think with the starters on the rest of the line back and Carpenter Healthy and playing for a contract that one RT and one that has experience in Winston or Bailey or whomever is slotted there we will be better.

Hey Em wazzup?.....I actually think our D line will be improved and that is scary. On the O side, I really think our O-Line will be better off without the Giacomini penalty machine and the inconsistent play of MqQuistan.

We have a healthy Percy. Willson coming into his second year, and C. Michael is gonna get more carries.

Ima likin our club in spite of what APPEARS to be a tough schedule (last year was as well), and we won it all in convincing fashion.

SalishHawkFan":3gt0z0fc said:

FO has up an excellent article on the effect of the schedule on how well a team fares in the season. Obviously, tougher schedule means less wins, no matter how good the team is.

Looking at our schedule and SF's, it's pretty easy to see how the Hawks could end up 11-5 to SF's 12-4 based purely on schedule. Since the two teams have almost identical schedules, whether a team they face is actually much better or much worse this year than projected balances out for both teams. What separates them schedule wise is how we play some of our common opponents on the road that they play at home and vice versa as well as kinks in the schedule like playing at SF on a Thursday, etc.

It has nothing to do with SF being better than Seattle.

Personally, I think SF is going to start to decline noticably this season and it will be AZ that challenges us, but that we'll still win this division. I don't, however, think we'll win 13 games with that schedule and recognize that it's a reasonable prediction to say that the Hawks might finish second this year.

Even if they don't win the division, however, I think they repeat in the Super Bowl.

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The difference between our schedules is that those poor bastards have to play the Seahawks twice. We go 2-0 against the 9ers this year and they're not getting to 12-4.

enamel":3pzqkx0o said:

The difference between our schedules is that those poor bastards have to play the Seahawks twice. We go 2-0 against the 9ers this year and they're not getting to 12-4.

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I see the opposite being most likely true.

First game @ SF should be brutal. 3 days rest after playing Arizona at home. SF gets a creampuff Redskins home game by comparison.

It'll be a primetime game. Obviously it'll be jacked up late on Thanksgiving night.

They should be at or near full strength at LB (Smith and Bowman) with maybe even a week or two warmup in Bowman's case.

I would say a lot of outside factors conspire against us in that first matchup.


Follow that with our game up here two weeks later. SF get's virtually a bye week, playing Oakland. No travel. No problem. We have to travel all the way across the country and play the Eagles.

SF will know, that if they sweep us, they'll likely finish the season 6-0. In that scenario, we'd be lucky to go 3-3. The finish will determine the division and SF has a very easy stretch to end the year outside of us.

It will be difficult for us to match their intensity. Because we'll be hitting a tough stretch in the schedule. If they win their home game, which I believe is more likely than not -- they'll be coming here two weeks later knowing that they can win the division right then with two weeks to go left in the season.

If we do win the NFCW, we will most definitely have earned it in full. The scheduling really does favor SF big time regarding our head to head matchups.

Another quick note: many of us have the 'Hawks keeping six receivers on the active 53, not five.

I too disagree with a 2nd place finish prediction, although it's possible. I don't think the 49ers can sustain the success they've seen in the last few years, especially with the questions they have in the secondary. I also think folks are going to have more ability to shut down Kaepernick now that they have adequate film on him and can exploit some very key weaknesses.

I would say that it is possible we finish 2nd this year, but I don't think it is to the Niners.

I surmised the Cards might sneak up.

SF has issues with the OL in Boone holding out, and Iupati coming off of injury. The other thing is that our DL plays their OL really well anyways. Gore is another year older, and his backups right now are unproven. Say that again: unproven backups that get to play AZ, SEA and STL all twice if Gore goes down.

The biggest question mark for SF is at QB. Yes, they've gotten him the weapons, but Kap still hasn't proven he can do more than: Read 1, Read 2, GO ! in his progressions. Hell, RGIII still hasn't proven he can do more than that. It's an issue that running QBs have to overcome. Look at the games before Crabtree came back: you had either Boldin or Davis having big games, sometimes both. Crabs comes back, and Davis disappears. If Davis has big game, Boldin disappears. Kaepernick hasn't proven he can do anything with Stevie Johnson yet. If he can, yes they might win the division. If he can't....they're going to end up in 3rd place.

They also have noted quesion marks in their secondary, LB, and DL depth.

The other biggest factor is AZ. AZ is coming up hard, but they still need to beat SF, which they haven't done for over 3 years. IF AZ can beat SF, even once, it's going to hurt SF's chances for the division. Also, SF lost to STL once and tied them once two years ago, and this year's STL squad looks even better.

The winner of this division likely goes 4-2 in division and holds serve outside of it. 3-3 very well could win this division. If that's the case, I give the nod to the Hawks, as we're the most likely team to go 3-3 with our HFA. If any team gets swept by another team, it's likely over for them in division. It's going to be that tough.

San Francisco isn't sweeping us, we aren't going to be second in the division and the knowing if the schedule is hard or easy is a fool's errand until the week of the game because it's all based on health and other non statistical factors. End of story.