GAME #3 in the books. Post Thoughts --> Here.

[Fade]

-- I liked the energy & intensity the team played with in this game. It hearkened back to the Carroll heyday years.

-- Ifedi wasn't bad. Don't expect it to continue though.

-- Good blend of play calls from Schotty. He needs to ditch going empty on 3rd and short though.

-- Solari is doing a bang up job with the O-Line. They get better every week. Coming off the ball and hitting people is a much better method than flailing then diving on the ground, and being unorganized. Biggest upgrade to the team (Schotty & Solari.)

-- Ken Norton is the new weakest link. Pete must step in and be more more involved in the defensive play calls. 3rd down D needs to improve drastically if they want to be playoff contenders.

-- Alex McGough has the talent, but isn't ready yet. He needs a year on the practice squad, and time to develop.

*EDIT* Austin Davis is getting cut, he is a dumpster fire. I surmise the Seahawks will trade for a veteran backup to fill the backup role. I don't anticipate other teams valuing McGough and should be able to make it through to the practice squad.


-- No real turnovers forced yet by the defense. That was Norton's M.O. in Oakland.

-- The young defensive players continue to flash and show promise. Seattle has a collection of very good young D-Lineman
* Reed
* Clark
* Jefferson
* Ford
* Jones
* Green

Linebackers
* Jacob Martin
* Quem Griffin
* Austin Calitro

DBs
* Quill Griffin
* Tre Flowers
* Tedric Thompson

That is a lot of young talent on 1 defense.

- Don't forget the Punter. He is HOF caliber. If there is such a thing. The Seahawks are building a great young team, whether the pessimists want to believe it or not.

-- David Moore is a beast. He should be starting. Moore @ Z, Marshall @ X, Baldwin in the slot. With Jaron Brown mixing in. Chris Carson is a beast. Two 7th Rdrs from last year's draft. Not bad for PCJS who haven't apparently drafted anyone good since 2012.

-- I like where this team is heading. They just need to get better on 3rd down, on both offense and defense. (Especially Defense.)

 

[Northwest Seahawk]

I don't see enough separation between Alex and Davis to warrant keeping Davis over Alex. This is how I see it. Also i'm not the only one with this opinion many of the guys on ESPN Seattle and KJR radio share this opinion after this 3rd preseason game. If he outplays Davis again I think it's very likely Davis is released.

 

[Fade]

I don't see enough separation between Alex and Davis to warrant keeping Davis over Alex. This is how I see it. Also i'm not the only one with this opinion many of the guys on ESPN Seattle and KJR radio share this opinion after this 3rd preseason game. If he outplays Davis again I think it's very likely Davis is released.

Yeah I have already moved on from Austin Davis. I am assuming he will be cut, and the Seahawks will look to trade for a veteran backup. Thus allowing them to put McGough on the Practice Squad.

 

[Bigpumpkin]

The Offense showed flashes of brilliance.

The Defense is not playing consistent enough to take us to the top of the Division.

 

[Northwest Seahawk]

I don't see enough separation between Alex and Davis to warrant keeping Davis over Alex. This is how I see it. Also i'm not the only one with this opinion many of the guys on ESPN Seattle and KJR radio share this opinion after this 3rd preseason game. If he outplays Davis again I think it's very likely Davis is released.

Yeah I have already moved on from Austin Davis. I am assuming he will be cut, and the Seahawks will look to trade for a veteran backup. Thus allowing them to put McGough on the Practice Squad.

It might play out that way if it doesn't and Wilson gets hurt the Seahawks have no realistic chance weather it's Davis or McGough. The problem is Alex is putting enough good film out there he could easily get picked up by another team and he has talent.

 

[Fade]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/1033204701406416896[/tweet]

THE MVP

https://old.reddit.com/r/Seahawks/comments/9a3f3g/the_mvp/

 

[LudwigsDrummer]

It's looking like Alex over Austin for me.

 

[hawknation2018]

I think you’re jumping to conclusions about Ken Norton, Jr. We saw a much more aggressive defense today, with the blitzes, than we have seen from a Seahawks defense in a long time. The Oakland defense was a Jack Del Rio defense.

Lack of turnovers are a concern. Not having McDougald, Maxwell, and Thomas our there makes a difference. Shaquill Griffin needs to get his head around to look for the ball. That will make a difference too.

 

[Fade]

I think you’re jumping to conclusions about Ken Norton, Jr. We saw a much more aggressive defense today, with the blitzes, than we have seen from a Seahawks defense in a long time. The Oakland defense was a Jack Del Rio defense.

Lack of turnovers are a concern. Not having McDougald, Maxwell, and Thomas our there makes a difference. Shaquill Griffin needs to get his head around to look for the ball. That will make a difference too.

To a degree yes, you're right. Short sample size and all of that. I am the kind of person though that likes to get out in front of problems, and solve them.

Do you see anything the seahawks are doing scheme wise that is going to lead to turnovers? When they blitzed, zone defenders where out of position. The blitz had to get home, or they were dead in the water.

Teams that are good at blitzing do a much, much better job of anticipating the hots and taking those away. Forcing a tight window throw, and interceptions can happen. This is not happening.

 

[lukerguy]

Seahawks got their swagger back.

 

[zchurch74]

With Earl on the field that last play doesn’t happen. I understand it’s the fourth quarter and he wouldn’t of been out there anyway, I’m just hoping they pay the man and we can move forward. I wish and hope the coaching staff and front office can get a deal done. With all the new guys on D and earl llaying centerfield like he does, I really think this new D can be pretty damn good.

 

[hawknation2018]

I think you’re jumping to conclusions about Ken Norton, Jr. We saw a much more aggressive defense today, with the blitzes, than we have seen from a Seahawks defense in a long time. The Oakland defense was a Jack Del Rio defense.

Lack of turnovers are a concern. Not having McDougald, Maxwell, and Thomas our there makes a difference. Shaquill Griffin needs to get his head around to look for the ball. That will make a difference too.

To a degree yes, you're right. Short sample size and all of that. I am the kind of person though that likes to get out in front of problems, and solve them.

Do you see anything the seahawks are doing scheme wise that is going to lead to turnovers? When they blitzed, zone defenders where out of position. The blitz had to get home, or they were dead in the water.

Teams that are good at blitzing do a much, much better job of anticipating the hots and taking those away. Forcing a tight window throw, and interceptions can happen. This is not happening.

I think it’s mostly a personnel issue, especially with all the new faces in the secondary.

The trend lines are looking better for the defense after today. The defense was in downhill, attack mode.

Wagner/Wright/Clark were still somewhat lackadaisical, which is getting old. And they missed a few opportunities to get their hands on the football. But overall the defense seems to be coming together.

The DL was very active: Ford, Stephen, Jefferson, Green, Martin, etc. Dontae Johnson looked pretty good in place of Maxwell, which relieved of my depth concerns. Mingo missed a tackle, but he also generated pressure and made a couple nice plays with his length. Still not sold on Hill. McDougald, Thompson, Alexander, and Jerome would be my Top 4 safeties.

 

[lukerguy]

The Offense showed flashes of brilliance.

The Defense is not playing consistent enough to take us to the top of the Division.

They may not be as good as year's past, but they still have speed, a focus on trying to force turnovers, 12th man advantage at home. The offense definitely looks capable of sustaining long drives unlike year's past, which should give the defense more chance of turnover with leads and off the field more. Throw in some good field position, and you have a really nice recipe for winning.

 

[Russ Willstrong]

It's looking like Alex over Austin for me.

Same here.
He's green but steps up to the moment. His decision making is improving and he shows he has the arm to fit that ball into tight windows. As much as we fret about running QB, his wheels caused some problems for the fast vikings defense. He is a good comp talentwise to Wilson.

 

[TwilightError]

I was thinking the same thing with Fade about Carson and Moore. If both last years 7 round picks end up as difference makers, this semi-rebuild has already started well.

 

[Russ Willstrong]

I wish I could buy stock in guys like Moore, Keenan Reynolds and that Chad Beebe kid. Oh, Michael Dickson was great too! Amazing watching him punt live at the game. Crazy how he can aim that wobbly punt slo high and have it softly bounce sideways TWICE inside the 5 yard line. Never thought I'd root so much to see us punt...Sheesh.

 

[getnasty]

-OL looked great, haven't said that in a long time
-Chris Carson makes me wish we drafted someone else in the 1st round. I know he needs to stay healthy.
-I don't remember hearing Tre Flowers name to much which is a good thing.
-Brandon Marshalll was ballin. I was just thinking before the game that maybe we should cut him and take a flyer on Dez but this game made me feel better about Marshall.
-Pass Rush was real good
-Defense needs to find a way to get off the field
-Tight Ends were non existent
-Kicking game is light years ahead of last year
-I hope Earl comes back, I missed that dudes fire were gonna need him if we want to do anything this year.

 

[hawkfan68]

It was a better showing than the first two games. The defense actually looked better but still are having trouble with 3rd downs. Vikings were converting 3rd downs at will. Need to improve there.

Brandon Marshall had an big impact early. I believe he cemented his spot on the team. Same with David Moore.

As Hawknation2018 mentioned, Quil Griffin needs to learn to turn his head and look for the ball. He could have had an easy interception on Minny's first drive. Got to make the most of easy opportunities.

Branden Jackson played well.

Michael Dickson.....wow!

Seabass with a 55 yard FG.

 

[Hawkscanner]

I'm absolutely drooling over the potential of David Moore and what I'm seeing here. Coming out of the draft last year, Moore (you could say) was my adopt-a-rookie. I've always had a keen eye on him because there is so much there to love. He's big (6'1" 220 lbs) ... fast (runs a 4.42) ... has shown good hands ... runs decent routes ... and is strong and physical (has shown he can really out-muscle defenders -- and I believe will help out in the run game as well). Pete Carroll recently called Moore "special" and expects great things from him this year ...
https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2...david-moore-special-expects-big-jump-in-2018/

I most definitely agree. I think he's going to sneak up on some teams and turn some heads.

Poona Ford is also one that I'm loving what I'm seeing as well. No way he doesn't make this roster either.

Beyond that, I think I can reasonably say that this 2018 draft class (as a whole) ... looks to me to be shaping up to be this team's best since that 2012 class. The whole group has added a real shot in the arm to this team. You can see a lot of those guys becoming big time key contributors.

 

[cymatica]

I like that there were a number of run plays with man blocking and combo blocks, as opposed to 90% zone runs that result in penetration behind the LOS.