MontanaHawk05
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- Joined
- May 1, 2009
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A second viewing doesn't just tweak your original impressions of the game, it flat-out reverses some of them.
1. Winston passed for "only" 335 yards. Huh. Felt like a lot more. Maybe that's because that was most of the offense; Jones kept getting stuffed after 2-yard gains and forced Winston to pass for more. (Not that it was good to give up 335 yards passing.)
2. Tampa leaves a TE or RB in to block an awful lot. The result was that our pass rush was simply losing the numbers game much of the time. I didn't spot this on first viewing. The most double-teamed guys? Reed, Clowney, and Woods - basically, our only guys of any serious threat.
3. When Tampa wasn't loading up with these heavier sets, Winston was often just getting the ball out quick. That's the NFL standard now. Three-step drop, 11-yard hitch route. Three-step drop, screen. Three-step drop, fade or quick out. When we play soft coverage, they'll take the short-intermediate stuff all day. It's been happening to the Seahawks all year, and most everyone else. The only teams that don't face this regularly are the ones Seattle plays (and even Seattle has been better about it this year, and especially against Tampa). It's still true - the playbook is a great pass protector when used right, and Byron Leftwich did a great job mixing it up as OC.
4. That said, Pete has failed at reloading the defensive line. That, not philosophy or scheme, is the biggest factor in our struggles this year in my opinion. The look of this team is completely different without this problem. Three heavy-snap guys - Ansah, Green, and Jackson - are out there doing absolutely nothing. Ansah looks slow and heavy and the other two are just playing patty-cake. Nothing remarkable whatsoever. Honestly, our best pass rushers at this point are Wagner and Kendricks. The Legion of Boom itself would have given up yardage behind this.
5. The alternative, non-douchy-armchair-GM explanation is that this is a line designed to stop the run, and it's showing against mobile QB's like - well, everyone, it seems. Wilson is turning everyone into clones of himself and statue pocket QB's are a thing of the past. Winston is a streaky QB, not a bad QB, and today he shined.
6. LJ Collier is barely even seeing the field. I was afraid he'd be quiet this year when he totally failed to make any waves in the offseason. Promising rookies make their way onto the field eventually. Metcalf and Blair did; Barton, BBK, Amadi, and even Shaquem are getting special-teams usage. Collier is averaging eight snaps a game right now (before today) and none on special teams. This is supremely frustrating. What the hell, Clint Hurtt?
7. Our corners were crisped. It'll happen against Mike Evans. They're still good corners and I still like this secondary. That is all.
8. I completely forgot Ndamukong Suh was playing for TB now. I'd have predicted an even bigger blowout by the Bucs if I'd remembered that. Mad props to our offensive line for allowing as little pressure as they did (until the third quarter). Mike Iupati had a rough game.
9. I expected our offense to collapse with Joey Hunt at center, like it did last time he relieved Britt (against the Bucs, no less). It was pleasantly otherwise.
10. Jamar Taylor swinging off hips like a hula hoop can go away a year ago.
11. Hollister getting looks means that Wilson trusts him. He's putting in the work and could be a nice little matchup problem against a 49ers defense missing Kwon Alexander next week. Here's hoping.
12. That second Flowers DPI was bullhockey.
13. David Moore and Jaron Brown should be banished from those end-zone celebrations until they actually become reliable fixtures in the offense. It's really awkward watching them join in. This receiver corps falls off a cliff when it gets to them, and that's why I'm hoping against hope that Josh Gordon can stay out of trouble until at least December.
14. The nice thing about Chris Carson is that even if you don't lead with him, he'll find a way to shine anyway. He's a threat to rip off a 7-yard run at any time. Especially once Wilson has come out firing and scared the defense into playing back.
15. Rashaad Penny had one tough first-down run today that made me and several guys in the Gameday forum think it was Carson. He'll need to show more of that.
16. Anyone else think our special-teams has dramatically improved (with the exception of Myers)? Dickson, especially, is officially out of his slump and our coverage is aggressive and sound for the most part.
17. Wilson for MVP.
1. Winston passed for "only" 335 yards. Huh. Felt like a lot more. Maybe that's because that was most of the offense; Jones kept getting stuffed after 2-yard gains and forced Winston to pass for more. (Not that it was good to give up 335 yards passing.)
2. Tampa leaves a TE or RB in to block an awful lot. The result was that our pass rush was simply losing the numbers game much of the time. I didn't spot this on first viewing. The most double-teamed guys? Reed, Clowney, and Woods - basically, our only guys of any serious threat.
3. When Tampa wasn't loading up with these heavier sets, Winston was often just getting the ball out quick. That's the NFL standard now. Three-step drop, 11-yard hitch route. Three-step drop, screen. Three-step drop, fade or quick out. When we play soft coverage, they'll take the short-intermediate stuff all day. It's been happening to the Seahawks all year, and most everyone else. The only teams that don't face this regularly are the ones Seattle plays (and even Seattle has been better about it this year, and especially against Tampa). It's still true - the playbook is a great pass protector when used right, and Byron Leftwich did a great job mixing it up as OC.
4. That said, Pete has failed at reloading the defensive line. That, not philosophy or scheme, is the biggest factor in our struggles this year in my opinion. The look of this team is completely different without this problem. Three heavy-snap guys - Ansah, Green, and Jackson - are out there doing absolutely nothing. Ansah looks slow and heavy and the other two are just playing patty-cake. Nothing remarkable whatsoever. Honestly, our best pass rushers at this point are Wagner and Kendricks. The Legion of Boom itself would have given up yardage behind this.
5. The alternative, non-douchy-armchair-GM explanation is that this is a line designed to stop the run, and it's showing against mobile QB's like - well, everyone, it seems. Wilson is turning everyone into clones of himself and statue pocket QB's are a thing of the past. Winston is a streaky QB, not a bad QB, and today he shined.
6. LJ Collier is barely even seeing the field. I was afraid he'd be quiet this year when he totally failed to make any waves in the offseason. Promising rookies make their way onto the field eventually. Metcalf and Blair did; Barton, BBK, Amadi, and even Shaquem are getting special-teams usage. Collier is averaging eight snaps a game right now (before today) and none on special teams. This is supremely frustrating. What the hell, Clint Hurtt?
7. Our corners were crisped. It'll happen against Mike Evans. They're still good corners and I still like this secondary. That is all.
8. I completely forgot Ndamukong Suh was playing for TB now. I'd have predicted an even bigger blowout by the Bucs if I'd remembered that. Mad props to our offensive line for allowing as little pressure as they did (until the third quarter). Mike Iupati had a rough game.
9. I expected our offense to collapse with Joey Hunt at center, like it did last time he relieved Britt (against the Bucs, no less). It was pleasantly otherwise.
10. Jamar Taylor swinging off hips like a hula hoop can go away a year ago.
11. Hollister getting looks means that Wilson trusts him. He's putting in the work and could be a nice little matchup problem against a 49ers defense missing Kwon Alexander next week. Here's hoping.
12. That second Flowers DPI was bullhockey.
13. David Moore and Jaron Brown should be banished from those end-zone celebrations until they actually become reliable fixtures in the offense. It's really awkward watching them join in. This receiver corps falls off a cliff when it gets to them, and that's why I'm hoping against hope that Josh Gordon can stay out of trouble until at least December.
14. The nice thing about Chris Carson is that even if you don't lead with him, he'll find a way to shine anyway. He's a threat to rip off a 7-yard run at any time. Especially once Wilson has come out firing and scared the defense into playing back.
15. Rashaad Penny had one tough first-down run today that made me and several guys in the Gameday forum think it was Carson. He'll need to show more of that.
16. Anyone else think our special-teams has dramatically improved (with the exception of Myers)? Dickson, especially, is officially out of his slump and our coverage is aggressive and sound for the most part.
17. Wilson for MVP.
