Illegal Contact + Defensive Holding and the Seahawks

So remember all the talk of the "Points of Emphasis" in the NFL this year? Well.. This year over last.. Illegal contact penalties have quadrupled and defensive holding calls have doubled. Probably because the refs have finally caught up to our cheating ways!
(http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... from-2013/)

Oh wait... Actually.. That's not the case at all. Seems as though after 5 weeks of the year, the Seahawks have only been flagged two times for defensive holding and zero for illegal contact. Odd. You'd think by now we'd have nearly 250 penalties called against us because of how much we cheat and stuff.

:sarcasm_on:

http://www.footballdb.com/stats/penalties.html?sort=ic

Not unlike the rule last season penalizing running backs for using their helmet as a battering ram. The rule was directed at Beast, but if I'm not mistaken, he wasn't flagged once for it.

Maybe I'm off base, but I think the new rules really affect the way we call our defense. Like more zones, less man and less press coverage. I really also think the new rules/emphasis are contributing the our pass d issues this year. We just can't play the same D as last year because the rules have changed. *shrugs shoulders*

We're also 22nd in Passing Yards given up per game. Maybe being more cautious has contributed to that.

We knew it was coming and made adjustments. Though, I never thought we were cheating. That's why they had to change the rules to stop it. Other teams could have done the same thing, and many tried. It's not like all the other teams were 'too honorable' to press a size advantage or be physical on defense.

I think our secondary is smart enough to turn it on in degrees. 1st and 2nd down, when a penalty wouldn't kill us, they are playing a bit tighter, though not nearly as much contact at the line of scrimmage at least to my eyes. Then on third down, they are easing up a bit too much and making it easier for teams to convert.

It would be interesting to see stats on completion percentage allowed by our defense on 1st and 2nd down vs 3rd down. I admit, this is just a theory with no evidence :thirishdrinkers:

They will have to learn where that balance is with the new rules so they can be better on 3rd down in order to get back to last year's level of dominance. Problem is, learning requires mistakes and we haven't really been able to afford those in our last 3 games.

All the fans of other teams said the Seahawks are cheaters who were just getting away with illegal contact and holding.

Turns out it was all their teams that were the ones getting away with it.

I think it has put to much of the outcome in the hands of the officials. At least they should make that call reviewable. Esp when the wr runs straight at the DB and initiates contact and they call PI on the def. the DB doesn't know if he's going to get blocked or not. They need to think about what they have started.

I'm with tmagopis this rule has had its intended effect of changing the way we play defense so that we haven't been as smothering, just really good. Can't remember the last time I saw our corners beat the snot out of a wideout with some good man press.

The new rules have hurt our pass defense. It seams we are no longer aggressive and if we don't get instant heat on the qb we just concede the completion.

Perhaps it's time to start pushing the envelope. If we aren't getting called for it now we can at least try to be more aggressive. Our pass defense has not been the same this year, and I think a big reason for that is our conservative play.

chevelle03":2hhxbgsn said:

Perhaps it's time to start pushing the envelope. If we aren't getting called for it now we can at least try to be more aggressive. Our pass defense has not been the same this year, and I think a big reason for that is our conservative play.

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Agree 100%. Push it some more in the 5 yard zone today guys!

Yxes1122":33emrqvk said:

We're also 22nd in Passing Yards given up per game. Maybe being more cautious has contributed to that.

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perhaps, or Manning/Rogers/Rivers have a bit to do with it.

I imagine it will even out.

Yxes1122":w10uc6nt said:

We're also 22nd in Passing Yards given up per game. Maybe being more cautious has contributed to that.

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Gross yards, yes. In YPA attempt we are top 10. When you are playing with the lead against QB's like Rodgers and Manning they will pile up yards while they throw down after down.

If our big worry is our Pass D we are just fine ...

Tech Worlds":syu23c6a said:

The new rules have hurt our pass defense. It seams we are no longer aggressive and if we don't get instant heat on the qb we just concede the completion.

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I think it's a little early to say. I think that we are playing Rodgers/Brees/Manning just like we did Manning last year in February.

Lots of cushion for lots of attempts, but ensure that those attempts result in short gains.

- bsd

Yxes1122":3uxm43oc said:

We're also 22nd in Passing Yards given up per game. Maybe being more cautious has contributed to that.

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This. Less penalties, sure, but we're giving up a ton more yardage and our 3rd down defense is near the bottom of the league as well.

I wouldn't mind seeing a few more penalties on the defense if it could tighten up our overall defensive efficiency, but with the rate that the offense is getting penalized, we'd have 20 penalties a game.

I just hope Pete has them on their best behavior; kind of like a rope a dope. As we get a reputation for not getting flagged a lot, we can get a bit more aggressive later in the year.