Possible OL Solution - Re-sign Jeanpierre...

[hawknation2015]

"The overreactions on this board over the last day have been hysterical."

Last I checked, they gave up 18 sacks in 4 games.

Basically 4.5 sacks per game, even more glaring considering our QB had to do some escape artist stuff to avoid another 3+ sacks in each game.

So at what point do we not consider the utter lack of dependable OL not to be an issue of concern.

Or does giving up near 5 sacks a game to two of the worst defenses and worst pass rushes in the game AT HOME not warrant any major changes?

Let's take a look at the six sacks from the last game, shall we?

Sack one:

Weird play. 4/5 offensive linemen hit their assignments. Russell Okung is beaten by a swim move; he was totally out of sorts in that first half, but actually played really solid in the 2nd half. But the end he misses on is picked up nicely by Thomas Rawls. What I am trying to figure out is, why is Derrick Coleman lined up so far to the right when his blocking assignment to the left? Coleman is forced to maneuver inside around Russell Wilson, who is dropping back from under center, and has no chance to reach that blitzer. Like I said, weird play. The line didn't get Wilson sacked here. Technically, I guess you would put the blame on the fullback, but why is he lined up in an impossible position. Bevell, can we pretty please go I-Formation next time?

Sack two:

Once again, the offensive line did not get Wilson sacked here. You can blame Wilson for not throwing the ball away, Jimmy Graham for not holding that block longer, or Bevell for calling one of the stupidest plays I have ever seen in the red zone. Take your pick.

Sack three:

Russell had four solid seconds to get rid of the ball. Gilliam and Okung are each overpowered a little bit, and the pocket eventually collapses, but seriously Russell needs to get rid of that ball. If nothing is there, just throw it away. Live to fight another day.

Sack four:

Again, can't pin this on the OL. This is Russell at his worst. Nice play call by Bevell with the play action. The line blocks this really well. Luke Willson is eventually overpowered a little bit, but c'mon . . . how much time does Russell need to see that Doug Baldwin is WIDE OPEN???

Sack five:

First one where the line deserves the lion's share of the blame. And it wasn't even a protection issue. This was one of about four snaps that were off target by Nowak. Russell handles it nicely, but he takes his eye off the free blitzer and is late with the play action. You don't want to hurt Nowak's confidence, because on the whole he played well in this game, but they have got to clean up the snaps going into a tough road game.

Sack six:

Can you say UGLY? The right side of the line is beaten badly. Gilliam is confused, as the end drops in coverage and he totally misses the blitzer. Sweezy is not confused, just soundly beaten. This was the one sack that truly resulted from a protection breakdown by the line. Unfortunately, it is one of those plays that everyone will remember from this game.

 

[gonzhawk]

Well done-thanks!

 

[RussB]

Nowak is a 67 overall on madden .........not good.

 

[hawknation2015]

Nowak is a 67 overall on madden .........not good.

LOL, no one knew anything about the guy going into training camp. Everyone assumed last year's backups (Lewis and Jeanpierre) were competing for the position. Nowak was just a dark horse who eventually blew the coaches away, took hold of the starting job in that second preseason game, and never let up.

I will repeat that, on the whole, Nowak played well in this game. The bad snaps and false start penalty were concerning, however. But once again, he did not allow a single pressure and continues to make good strides as a run blocker. His snapping does need to return to form.

 

[HawkFan72]

I don't know why Lewis hasn't been given a shot. He was better than this mess last year when he had to start.

Nowak needs more time to learn away from games. His snaps are bad and his blocking is bad. Why is he out there on gamedays?

Lewis has game experience and he held his own at least.

 

[hawknation2015]

I don't know why Lewis hasn't been given a shot. He was better than this mess last year when he had to start.

Nowak needs more time to learn away from games. His snaps are bad and his blocking is bad. Why is he out there on gamedays?

Lewis has game experience and he held his own at least.

A couple things. One, Lewis was given an opportunity during training camp and the preseason. He did beat out Jeanpierre, but was not better than Nowak. Pass protection is a concern with Lewis, because he has some of the slowest feet on the team.

And two, Nowak's blocking has been solid for the most part. His pass pro has been nearly flawless, allowing fewer pressures than any of the starters. His run blocking has also been solid and continues to improve. The snapping in this game was problematic, after being very good in the previous two games. He is still new to the position, so I think there is a good chance he will become more consistent at that over time. Unger, on the other hand, was always pretty off on his snaps, despite tons of experience playing center.

If people are concerned about the pass protection, I am not totally sure why they have their pitchforks out to replace our most consistent lineman in pass pro with one of the weaker pass blockers on the roster. I think it goes back to the fact that people know the least about Nowak, and they are quick to blame the unknown when they have not made a diligent effort to understand what is actually happening during the protection breakdowns.

 

[MysterMatt]

Here's the thing that bugs me: we cut Bailey after one terrible game, yet Nowak has had four and he's still a starter. I'm not suggesting we cut the worthless POS, but he should be riding the pine.

 

[hawknation2015]

Here's the thing that bugs me: we cut Bailey after one terrible game, yet Nowak has had four and he's still a starter. I'm not suggesting we cut the worthless POS, but he should be riding the pine.

LOL

ukeface:

 

[Fade]

These .gifs expose Bevell hard.

Sack one:

Technically, I guess you would put the blame on the fullback, but why is he lined up in an impossible position. Bevell, can we pretty please go I-Formation next time?

This was one I recognized immediately watching the game live. My guess is having Coleman lined weak and away from jimmy graham would fool the defense "more" into thinking it was a run. It didn't work, bad design.

Sack two:

Once again, the offensive line did not get Wilson sacked here. You can blame Wilson for not throwing the ball away, Jimmy Graham for not holding that block longer, or Bevell for calling one of the stupidest plays I have ever seen in the red zone. Take your pick.

How Jimmy is being utulized improperly is personified on this play. The red zone is Bevell's biggest weakness it will continue. In the redzone it is about isolating and attacking w/your best players, Bevell thinks it is about smoke & mirrors.

Sack four:

Bad Design
Watch Russ' eyes he is looking for something deep to the right. When he turns to his second read, Baldwin instead of continuing his slant pattern (if he keeps running it he is open) inexplicably turns up field with his back to the QB (go) into the safety taking himself out of the play. No where to go with the ball --> sack.

 

[Seafan]

I'd be shocked if they gave up on their rebuild. The braintrust is in this for the long haul.