TwistedHusky
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That was the question that my girlfriend asked me this morning, but it bears exploring.
The answer, of course, is no. The Seahawks were simply a great team that is now a good team. And it is a team that is not really sure what it wants to be. To explore the future with this team, we have to look at where we are coming from.
The team 2 years ago, was almost transcendent as far as great teams go. They were undefeated at home, dominated teams with a secondary in a league where all the rules are slanted in favor of the QB/passing game, and were intensely physical. The entire secondary was a match for anyone in the hall of fame at their respective positions. They were faster, mostly bigger and absolutely more productive than any secondary in years. (I believe the #s were at least 1 out of 5 opponent drives ended in a turnover, which is a staggering statistic.)
The entire team was built to complement each piece (This is important for later). We had a fast, slightly undersized defensive line that was kept off the field by a bruising running game, led by a HOF quality back. Opponent defenses would tire just from the repeated hits of the RB but then the scrambling QB would also tire opponent defenses, and make them reluctant to commit everyone to the rush. By the 4th quarter their team was gassed.
The old strategy was to pound the ball, take some shots, and let the defense hold the other team down. Some of those shots would hit their mark and we would force the opposing team into passing more, allowing our secondary to clamp down on them while the pass rush bit hard.
So what about now?
The future of the Seahawks can be seen by looking at a team a lot of us hate, the Steelers.
The Steelers also had a great defense and a young but talented (although too rapey for my taste) QB. At some point, they realized they had to put the keys in the QB hands, and started to shift the team from a team that won with defense, to a team that won with offense. Along the way, they lost a lot of guys that made their defense great. And it took YEARS for the Steelers to really change their identity from a defense first to offense first team. (It is also important to note that they have not sniffed a SB ring after this transition).
Our team had to make that investment in our QB, and we are going to have to make that transition. There is no choice, you cannot expect to win even with a great defense without a good QB - and good QBs eventually cost money which over time will cost defensive players.
The problem the Seahawks face now is that the team is half one piece and half another. Like a boat with wheels. We have a lot of money tied up in the defense, but we have no choice but to turn into a team that wins with offense given the $$$ we are putting into the QB position. Yet the QB is not ready to be the focal point (though he might be capable) or our substandard OC is holding that QB back right now.
We have an overly conservative offense, that is not consistent enough to sustain drives and because it relies on moving up the field in 5-6 yd chunks*, one drop or missed completion means the loss of the drive. This also shows near the goal line because our lack of offensive complexity makes us easy to defend.
(Also the poor offense makes the loss of our DC hurt more. I think there was a theory that our defense was all Carroll and so missing Quinn was not an issue, but given what Quinn is doing in Atlanta and what we are NOT doing...I would say a lot of that success was Quinn).
We are still a team playing like it can keep the game close with a defense and expect to wear out the other team in the end. But we don't have that defense, so all keeping the game close does is assure that when our offense stalls, the defense tires. Then the opponent races past us - as keeps happening.
(* Can we have someone break down the stats in the passing game? It would be interesting to see those #s. We look like we are doing a lot of low reward type of stuff in the pass game with one or two moonshots thrown in there. )
The answer, of course, is no. The Seahawks were simply a great team that is now a good team. And it is a team that is not really sure what it wants to be. To explore the future with this team, we have to look at where we are coming from.
The team 2 years ago, was almost transcendent as far as great teams go. They were undefeated at home, dominated teams with a secondary in a league where all the rules are slanted in favor of the QB/passing game, and were intensely physical. The entire secondary was a match for anyone in the hall of fame at their respective positions. They were faster, mostly bigger and absolutely more productive than any secondary in years. (I believe the #s were at least 1 out of 5 opponent drives ended in a turnover, which is a staggering statistic.)
The entire team was built to complement each piece (This is important for later). We had a fast, slightly undersized defensive line that was kept off the field by a bruising running game, led by a HOF quality back. Opponent defenses would tire just from the repeated hits of the RB but then the scrambling QB would also tire opponent defenses, and make them reluctant to commit everyone to the rush. By the 4th quarter their team was gassed.
The old strategy was to pound the ball, take some shots, and let the defense hold the other team down. Some of those shots would hit their mark and we would force the opposing team into passing more, allowing our secondary to clamp down on them while the pass rush bit hard.
So what about now?
The future of the Seahawks can be seen by looking at a team a lot of us hate, the Steelers.
The Steelers also had a great defense and a young but talented (although too rapey for my taste) QB. At some point, they realized they had to put the keys in the QB hands, and started to shift the team from a team that won with defense, to a team that won with offense. Along the way, they lost a lot of guys that made their defense great. And it took YEARS for the Steelers to really change their identity from a defense first to offense first team. (It is also important to note that they have not sniffed a SB ring after this transition).
Our team had to make that investment in our QB, and we are going to have to make that transition. There is no choice, you cannot expect to win even with a great defense without a good QB - and good QBs eventually cost money which over time will cost defensive players.
The problem the Seahawks face now is that the team is half one piece and half another. Like a boat with wheels. We have a lot of money tied up in the defense, but we have no choice but to turn into a team that wins with offense given the $$$ we are putting into the QB position. Yet the QB is not ready to be the focal point (though he might be capable) or our substandard OC is holding that QB back right now.
We have an overly conservative offense, that is not consistent enough to sustain drives and because it relies on moving up the field in 5-6 yd chunks*, one drop or missed completion means the loss of the drive. This also shows near the goal line because our lack of offensive complexity makes us easy to defend.
(Also the poor offense makes the loss of our DC hurt more. I think there was a theory that our defense was all Carroll and so missing Quinn was not an issue, but given what Quinn is doing in Atlanta and what we are NOT doing...I would say a lot of that success was Quinn).
We are still a team playing like it can keep the game close with a defense and expect to wear out the other team in the end. But we don't have that defense, so all keeping the game close does is assure that when our offense stalls, the defense tires. Then the opponent races past us - as keeps happening.
(* Can we have someone break down the stats in the passing game? It would be interesting to see those #s. We look like we are doing a lot of low reward type of stuff in the pass game with one or two moonshots thrown in there. )
