Im encouraged by the play of the defense.

[Natethegreat]

Many here wanted to see improvement and the D was massively better today. Once again really dumb penalties, and hugely impactful turnovers cost us this game. This isn't a scheme problem its a what in the world are you doing problem.
As in Geno you gotta make better decisions, and the snaps over the head too. That's on both the center and Geno. Catch that snap man!
Hall, I'd really appreciate it if you stopped giving the other team first downs on game changing drives.
These are not problems with scheme or coaching. These are execution of basic plays problem and bad decisions by our QB.

 

[Cyrus12]

I hate Woolen..done with him

 

[strohmin]

Im sorry but this defense shit the bed when it mattered and I dont trust them to play consistently great.

 

[mistaowen]

Everyone except Riq had a big time bounce back game. He was god awful and honestly might have accounted for 200+ yards and 2 TD’s. Plus that duck by Stafford in OT where he just stood flat footed and let the guy snatch an easy INT from him. Fitting end to the game that he gets caught looking into the backfield in cover 0 and torched over the top. A really, really bad game for him.

 

[HawkFreak]

Everyone except Riq had a big time bounce back game. He was god awful and honestly might have accounted for 200+ yards and 2 TD’s. Plus that duck by Stafford in OT where he just stood flat footed and let the guy snatch an easy INT from him. Fitting end to the game that he gets caught looking into the backfield in cover 0 and torched over the top. A really, really bad game for him.

Right not going and getting that INT was inexcusable. But it's definitely a reflection of who he really is as a player.

 

[Natethegreat]

They allowed 13 points in 4 quarters against a team that has torched us continually. It was a huge step up. Riq notwithstanding.

 

[Crizilla]

I hate Woolen..done with him

Came here to post this. Dude got juked so bad on an obvious deep route.

 

[PhxPhin]

Can't agree with the Woolen takes - at all.

He had a solid to solid plus game - including plays where he took out Rams receivers with no help in key moments.

I in wish he would have attacked the ball. The last play was a tough spot - Rams run tough concepts and they were killing Seattle with short dump plays, which was all they needed to shore up FG range and win the game - he peeked in and they went over the top and guy made a contested 1 hand grab..... It happens

Should never have gotten to that point though

 

[Natethegreat]

The run D was vastly improved as well. That was really encouraging to me. We were getting gashed on the ground lately.

 

[warden]

They will come around

 

[Natethegreat]

I think part of the reason our run D improved was our 2 additions. Ernest Jones seems like a Bobby Wagner level tackler.
I can't honestly give an opinion on our new D lineman but the difference in run D was very evident last night.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Riq was more concerned with his throat slash last week, right before getting owned 2 plays later. Maybe dude needs to play ball and stop showboating.

 

[Appyhawk]

NFL rules are designed to produce offensive success. Big plays sell tickets. But good defense wins championships and our defense yesterday was good enough to make us a contender. Our offense did not hold up their end of the bargain. Successful offense begins with having a successful O-line.

 

[hox]

Plus that duck by Stafford in OT where he just stood flat footed and let the guy snatch an easy INT from him. Fitting end to the game that he gets caught looking into the backfield in cover 0 and torched over the top.

Pete would have never let that play call happen. He would have played prevent, and kept everything in front of them. Limit explosives.

MM may not have called a cover 0 if they were up by 3 at that point. It's a different ball game in that case. The pressure is on the other team to score in a do-or-die situation. That's why going it on 4th, when your short yardage game sucks, and after the Rams took a timeout to see what you were doing, is a stupid decision.

 

[Ozzy]

Defense looked so much cleaner and in better positions. It could easily be something to build upon moving forward. I still think they lack some talent in key spots for what Mike wants to do but they looked good.

We got to see what Mike is so good at, third down defense. When you can stop the run and get into some normal third down stuff he is awesome and they did some cool stuff on third downs against a very savvy QB.

I do think Jones settling in helped and Kobe Bryant potentially being a starting safety could be big down the stretch too.

 

[SonicHawk]

Can't agree with the Woolen takes - at all.

He had a solid to solid plus game - including plays where he took out Rams receivers with no help in key moments.

I in wish he would have attacked the ball. The last play was a tough spot - Rams run tough concepts and they were killing Seattle with short dump plays, which was all they needed to shore up FG range and win the game - he peeked in and they went over the top and guy made a contested 1 hand grab..... It happens

Should never have gotten to that point though

Riq got beat bad on the rams first touchdown. He's got to step up and make that INT. Can't agree at all with this take.

 

[Ozzy]

He literally got out of the rams guys way. Not sure what he was going

 

[Natethegreat]

It was a bad play. Riq has a lot of streakyness to him. Overall though the D played very well. Huge improvement over what we had seen.

 

[keasley45]

Im sorry but this defense shit the bed when it mattered and I dont trust them to play consistently great.

They held the Rams multiple times when it mattered most and werent helped on the last play when Mac called a cover zero. Could Woolen have made a better play? Sure. But he was also caught in a tough spot looking inside to see if a run was coming. Had he had help over the top, that play never happens. But he was on an island and in my opinion, should not have been.

It was an unnecessarily aggressive playcall on the heels of an unnecessarily aggressive decision to go for it on 4th when we could have kicked the FG to lead in OT.

 

[Ozzy]

Woolen should’ve picked the ball two plays earlier and we’re not talking about the final play.