Seattle Seahawks 2013 Offensive Line "Highlights"

[Tokadub]

I thought it would be interesting to try to condense all of our Offensive line "Highlights" A.K.A. "Failures" Into one video per game. The first 2 games were pretty brutal.

THESE VIDEOS ARE NOT MEANT TO SAY OUR TEAM IS BAD... They are just meant to show that our offensive line was our "weakest link", and when you watch the highlights it makes it even more impressive that we won the Super Bowl and Russell Wilson put up such incredible stats given these circumstances.

It is borderline comical how bad and/or unproductive/hurtful our offensive line was in our games last year. I'm really hoping we can fix things up a bit next year but I'm not too optimistic.

Have only done the first 2 games so far, gonna wait to see if youtube assaults me with some ballistic censorship before I take the time for more games. I've already had to dispute copyright claims on the first 2 games so I'm not sure if these will be up for long...

And I am not gonna make any guarantees that you will find these videos entertaining, they are more an "educational" evaluation of our Offensive Line struggles not an all out highlight reel. Although I do include some nice plays here and there especially if they involve Russell Wilson's exceptional performance with Offensive Line catastrophes.

So that means there's barely any editing + the original audio, it's pretty much like watching the film of where our offensive line had problems.

EDIT: CAN'T EMBED ANY VIDEOS RELATED TO THE NFL APPARENTLY... HERE'S THE NORMAL URL LINKS

Week 1 VS Carolina Panthers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBEZvxpXqMg

Week 2 VS San Francisco 49ers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzUM5ndA7CE

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

Not sure I'd agree with this assessment necessarily. On many/most of the highlights, I'm timing the holding of the ball at well over 3.0 seconds. This is about the timing for a 5 step drop with a count to set and throw. That's generally accepted as about the longest you can expect protection to hold.

Many of the plays where he's not getting that time, he's also getting blitzed. Of course, in that instance, the response to the pressure lies with the QB. It's a play where Russell is expected to find the coverage weakness and get the ball out.

I guess I see these highlights and actually come away largely with the opposite opinion. That the protection seems to be working as well as should be expected. There will always be times where a one on one matchup is lost. That happens to even the best of lines.

Could it be better? Sure. But I see these two games and the strongest takeaway I see, is that we call for a LOT of slow developing pass plays. And that Russell needs to improve on handling the blitz pickup. Of course, we have to consider the fact that it was Russell's 19th and 20th starts in the NFL. He's still facing a steep learning curve even at that point in his career.

These two defenses are two of the top 5 defenses in the NFL. I'm not sure how damning these performances are. The Panthers and Niners make good offenses look like that. Just like our defense does.

 

[Scottemojo]

Not sure I'd agree with this assessment necessarily. On many/most of the highlights, I'm timing the holding of the ball at well over 3.0 seconds. This is about the timing for a 5 step drop with a count to set and throw. That's generally accepted as about the longest you can expect protection to hold.

Many of the plays where he's not getting that time, he's also getting blitzed. Of course, in that instance, the response to the pressure lies with the QB. It's a play where Russell is expected to find the coverage weakness and get the ball out.

I guess I see these highlights and actually come away largely with the opposite opinion. That the protection seems to be working as well as should be expected. There will always be times where a one on one matchup is lost. That happens to even the best of lines.

Could it be better? Sure. But I see these two games and the strongest takeaway I see, is that we call for a LOT of slow developing pass plays. And that Russell needs to improve on handling the blitz pickup. Of course, we have to consider the fact that it was Russell's 19th and 20th starts in the NFL. He's still facing a steep learning curve even at that point in his career.

These two defenses are two of the top 5 defenses in the NFL. I'm not sure how damning these performances are. The Panthers and Niners make good offenses look like that. Just like our defense does.

Well said.

 

[camdawg]

Not sure I'd agree with this assessment necessarily. On many/most of the highlights, I'm timing the holding of the ball at well over 3.0 seconds. This is about the timing for a 5 step drop with a count to set and throw. That's generally accepted as about the longest you can expect protection to hold.

Many of the plays where he's not getting that time, he's also getting blitzed. Of course, in that instance, the response to the pressure lies with the QB. It's a play where Russell is expected to find the coverage weakness and get the ball out.

I guess I see these highlights and actually come away largely with the opposite opinion. That the protection seems to be working as well as should be expected. There will always be times where a one on one matchup is lost. That happens to even the best of lines.

Could it be better? Sure. But I see these two games and the strongest takeaway I see, is that we call for a LOT of slow developing pass plays. And that Russell needs to improve on handling the blitz pickup. Of course, we have to consider the fact that it was Russell's 19th and 20th starts in the NFL. He's still facing a steep learning curve even at that point in his career.

These two defenses are two of the top 5 defenses in the NFL. I'm not sure how damning these performances are. The Panthers and Niners make good offenses look like that. Just like our defense does.

Have to agree. Toka, a lot of the examples you picked were not good ones, IMO. Are you really going to blame the blocked punt in the San Francisco game on the offensive line? You do remember just how wierd that play was, right? With the scumbag 49er fan in the stands blowing a referee's style whistle? (How on earth the officials on the field didn't call for a do-over on that punt I'll never know)

 

[ManBunts]

I get where you're going with this, but I'm not sure if you can pick two games. Especially these two, as it was said, against arguably the #2 and #3 defenses behind our own. AND in our first two games. Still shaking off the rust.

And to be frank, when you look at the injuries we had to deal with, the quick fixes we did with bench players and rookies, I'm impressed. Can we get better? Yes. Much better. But things could've gone SO much worse than they did. And it was great experience for these guys. I think if we fielded the same exact group this year, we'd see a vast improvement thanks to the confidence of having gotten the team to the big show, and won.

 

[Hawks46]

Have to agree with most of the folks posting.

Russ has to work on his hot routes and his 3rd and 4th progressions in a normal progression set, not hitting his 4th guy after running around behind the OL for 7 seconds (not that it's a bad thing as he's good at it, but our offense would be more efficient if he could).

Wilson has said himself that he has a lot of room to improve. That's one of the best things I've heard from the offseason. Now, for comparison's sake, look at Detroit. They have a QB that refuses to change because he feels he's elite, even when coaching staff is telling him his footwork needs to improve. It's why that offense is inconsistent.

Could our OL improve ? Yes, but I'd rather see them run block a bit better/more consistent. If they do that, they take some of the pressure off of Wilson. If Wilson can progress more, he'll handle some of his own protection. And yes, I think pass pro is the weakest part of our game, but a lot of the sacks and hits Wilson took were on Wilson.

And yes, at times our OL flat out sucked. I see us getting better there, even if just a little bit.

 

[Tokadub]

Hmm not sure how you can draw such positive conclusions from these videos. I am not "cherry picking" any plays here. I am straight up watching every offensive play for these games and if our offensive line appears to get "blown up, out played, or embarrassed", I include it in the video.

We were the most penalized team in the entire NFL last year correct? I'm pretty sure the majority of our penalties came from our offensive line. I am trying to just watch the game and I'm expecting a little bit better offensive play... But literally I'm having to pause and rewind the game and record the horrible offensive line play like every 2 minutes....

It almost seems like we are incapable of even getting one single first down without some kind of offensive line problem or penalty... Seriously I have no idea how you guys can support this kind of performance?

OUR OFFENSIVE LINE IS RANKED #32 in pass blocking according to some stats... yet you guys are saying we are doing a great job???!

On the few plays where Wilson had "acceptable time" to throw the ball, he was still on the run practically getting hit on every turn and NOBODY WAS OPEN. You can blame some of this on the play calling (Darrell Bevell), but I think most the blame is square on our Offensive Line.

They cannot block AT ALL, and they pick up INSANE AMOUNTS OF PENALTIES. The 49er's video was almost 15 minutes (1 quarter of regular play) of just our failures... how is this acceptable to you guys just curious?

 

[Tokadub]

Oh also I didn't "Cherry Pick" these games because they were against good defenses. My intent was to go in chronological order.

EVERY SINGLE GAME I'VE RE-WATCHED SO FAR OUR O-LINE HAS BEEN TERRIBLE!

If youtube does not ban these videos and suspend my account I'll do some more pretty soon most likely.

EDIT: ALSO YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE I GUESS EMBEDDING IS BROKEN ALREADY BECAUSE THE NFL IS HARDCORE WITH INTERWEBS...

 

[hawknation2014]

Thank you for this breakdown. Not every play was a failure, but there were several in that bunch. Giacomini stood out as being particularly porous. I think Michael Bowie is going to surprise some people with how good he can be this year.

 

[Smellyman]

i guess some weren't great clips, but so many were. often the friggin flood gates were opened and a deluge of dlineman set to crush Wilson. Wilson made them look good by not taking sacks other qb's would be dead.


btw am I blinded by hatred? because SF is a dirty f'n team and RW might be the least protected qb by the refs (OL too ) in the league.

 

[45Hawker]

Thanks for putting this together. It validates the poor rankings the O-line earned last season.

I don't understand the "It could have been worse" response by some. Yes, it certainly could have - Russell avoided many sacks and routinely made plays against extreme pressure. But having a QB with those skills doesn't make poor O-line play acceptable. Despite his scrambling abilities, the poor O-line increases the QB chance of injury, and makes the routine play much more difficult, IMO.

I'm certain that a healthy Unger and Okung will improve overall play - they are elite players. The rest of the line still seems like the team is hoping for improvement from un-proven players. But ultimately, I trust that JS/PC will put out the best line possible.

GO HAWKS!

 

[45Hawker]

BTW, I love the blue jersey with gray pants combo we wore against Carolina! I forgot that we wore that.

 

[LickMyNuts]

Oh also I didn't "Cherry Pick" these games because they were against good defenses. My intent was to go in chronological order.

EVERY SINGLE GAME I'VE RE-WATCHED SO FAR OUR O-LINE HAS BEEN TERRIBLE!

If youtube does not ban these videos and suspend my account I'll do some more pretty soon most likely.

EDIT: ALSO YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE I GUESS EMBEDDING IS BROKEN ALREADY BECAUSE THE NFL IS HARDCORE WITH INTERWEBS...

You don't win the division and the super bowl with terrible offensive line play.

 

[Smellyman]

Oh also I didn't "Cherry Pick" these games because they were against good defenses. My intent was to go in chronological order.

EVERY SINGLE GAME I'VE RE-WATCHED SO FAR OUR O-LINE HAS BEEN TERRIBLE!

If youtube does not ban these videos and suspend my account I'll do some more pretty soon most likely.

EDIT: ALSO YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE I GUESS EMBEDDING IS BROKEN ALREADY BECAUSE THE NFL IS HARDCORE WITH INTERWEBS...

You don't win the division and the super bowl with terrible offensive line play.

they weren't great, bottom half of league imo. If they didn't have the most elusive qb in the league and the hardest runner in the league, turning one yard gains into 4 yard gains, then their warts would have really been apparent.

 

[hawknation2014]

You don't win the division and the super bowl with terrible offensive line play.

With McQuistan at LT and Unger injured, they were a truly terrible offensive line.

With Okung back in the lineup, they were decent at times. Their run blocking was pretty strong in the Divisional and NFC Championship games, with Lynch averaging 5.0 yards per carry with three TDs. Okung's run blocking was particularly strong in those games. But they also allowed seven sacks in those two games. Then run blocking looked weak in the Super Bowl, but it was maybe their pass blocking game of the season.

Overall, the offensive line was dead last in converting first downs in short yardage situations and sacks allowed per pass. Fortunately, Wilson is a great scrambling QB and Lynch is the best tackle breaker in the league. The offensive line is the one unit of the team with the greatest room for improvement. I am hoping Bowie enters camp in the best shape of his life and nails down that RT position. Okung/Unger/Sweezy will all hopefully be healthy. Carpenter is already in better shape, so maybe he shows some improvement this year. If not, they have Bailey and Britt for depth, which is stronger than last season.

 

[Perfundle]

Oh also I didn't "Cherry Pick" these games because they were against good defenses. My intent was to go in chronological order.

EVERY SINGLE GAME I'VE RE-WATCHED SO FAR OUR O-LINE HAS BEEN TERRIBLE!

Well, from the sounds of it you're not the best judge of what acceptable OL play is. Just because Wilson pressured doesn't mean that the OL did poorly on that play, as others have told you. The longer a QB holds onto the ball the harder it is for the OL to block and the likelier it is for them to pick up a holding penalty, and Wilson held onto the ball longer than any other starting QB in the league.

And if you compare the OL's performance here to their performance in the first St. Louis and Tampa games, you'll see the difference; the latter two is what really bad OL play looks like.

 

[lenogden1]

Glad to see this thread.

I was re watching sb48 and on RW's scramble that went big yards, was called back by a hold on the LT. Hold was hardly the description, it was grab the de's jersey and pull him all around the field. Frustratingly it wasn't key to RW's protection, or block on his scramble..

So I started re watching just for LT play, and felt that either I don't understand how the position is played ( quite likely), or fewer holds were called than should have been, by far..

Here's hoping the off season rest and new faces improve the OL play.

Lo

 

[Hawks46]

I'm not defending the OL at all. They were pretty bad last year. I also agree with Smelly that if it weren't for Wilson's elusiveness and Lynch's Beastness, our OL would be dead last in damn near every category. It is without a doubt the weakest area of our team.

Now, we had some injuries. Okung has had problems staying on the field, but it seems like we've developed a back up plan for him moving on. Also, if I'm the Hawks, I shoot Okung a value contract unless he stays on the field the entire season this year.

I think the OL will be better this year. From what I've heard about Britt, I think he's going to be good for us. He's better in pass pro than Bowie was over there, and from seeing some college tape, he's a nasty run blocker. He's also athletic enough to excel in Cable's version of the ZBS.

Bowie and Bailey should improve. I hope Sweezy improves because I haven't been impressed with him at times, but he started at absolute zero so I'm trying to be patient. We have a good backup at Center. I hope one of the other younger guys progresses because I honestly believe Carpenter gets hurt again this year. He hasn't shown an ability to stay healthy and I personally won't count on him until he proves he can stay on the field, and stay consistent.

Our OL NEEDS to improve. If it can, I'm not worried about the progress of the rest of the division. With our added weapons outside, and if Harvin can stay healthy, it will match the progress/additions of the rest of the division. If our OL improves, then we outpace them again.

 

[had2bhawk]

I'm not defending the OL at all. They were pretty bad last year. I also agree with Smelly that if it weren't for Wilson's elusiveness and Lynch's Beastness, our OL would be dead last in damn near every category. It is without a doubt the weakest area of our team.

Now, we had some injuries. Okung has had problems staying on the field, but it seems like we've developed a back up plan for him moving on. Also, if I'm the Hawks, I shoot Okung a value contract unless he stays on the field the entire season this year.

I think the OL will be better this year. From what I've heard about Britt, I think he's going to be good for us. He's better in pass pro than Bowie was over there, and from seeing some college tape, he's a nasty run blocker. He's also athletic enough to excel in Cable's version of the ZBS.

Bowie and Bailey should improve. I hope Sweezy improves because I haven't been impressed with him at times, but he started at absolute zero so I'm trying to be patient. We have a good backup at Center. I hope one of the other younger guys progresses because I honestly believe Carpenter gets hurt again this year. He hasn't shown an ability to stay healthy and I personally won't count on him until he proves he can stay on the field, and stay consistent.

Our OL NEEDS to improve. If it can, I'm not worried about the progress of the rest of the division. With our added weapons outside, and if Harvin can stay healthy, it will match the progress/additions of the rest of the division. If our OL improves, then we outpace them again.

Sounds like your defending it and that's ok! I agree with everything but "I think the OL will be better this year". They will be better and that's going to make this schedule easier to handle. I think the HAWKS OL IS RIGHT WERE THEY SHOULD BE!

 

[scutterhawk]

I'm not defending the OL at all. They were pretty bad last year. I also agree with Smelly that if it weren't for Wilson's elusiveness and Lynch's Beastness, our OL would be dead last in damn near every category. It is without a doubt the weakest area of our team.

Now, we had some injuries. Okung has had problems staying on the field, but it seems like we've developed a back up plan for him moving on. Also, if I'm the Hawks, I shoot Okung a value contract unless he stays on the field the entire season this year.

I think the OL will be better this year. From what I've heard about Britt, I think he's going to be good for us. He's better in pass pro than Bowie was over there, and from seeing some college tape, he's a nasty run blocker. He's also athletic enough to excel in Cable's version of the ZBS.

Bowie and Bailey should improve. I hope Sweezy improves because I haven't been impressed with him at times, but he started at absolute zero so I'm trying to be patient. We have a good backup at Center. I hope one of the other younger guys progresses because I honestly believe Carpenter gets hurt again this year. He hasn't shown an ability to stay healthy and I personally won't count on him until he proves he can stay on the field, and stay consistent.

Our OL NEEDS to improve. If it can, I'm not worried about the progress of the rest of the division. With our added weapons outside, and if Harvin can stay healthy, it will match the progress/additions of the rest of the division. If our OL improves, then we outpace them again.

Sounds like your defending it and that's ok! I agree with everything but "I think the OL will be better this year". They will be better and that's going to make this schedule easier to handle. I think the HAWKS OL IS RIGHT WERE THEY SHOULD BE!

They are where they should be only when THEY CAN GET OUT OF 32ND PLACE!!