MontanaHawk05
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So, I was one of the doubters who wanted to wait until after this game to crown the Seahawks. Just so we're all clear, this was THE toughest test for Seattle's regular season. I felt the Saints defense was underrated, that their pass rush matched up well against Russell "Hold the Ball" Wilson, and that our secondary (and our focus as a team) might take a hit from losing two starting-caliber CBs against Drew Brees. I anticipated a win at first, then Harvin was out and I let my overthinking get the best of me. I actually thought Seattle would (narrowly) lose this game.
Seahawks Monday Night Football is such a great cure for overthinking.
Here's what I learned last night.
1. I'm an idiot.
Well, that was obvious.
2. The Seahawks are the class of the NFC.
If there are any more doubters, it's because they're trying to be. Seattle has no competition in this title. Top to bottom, offense to defense, unit to unit, the starters on this team would start on any team in the league. There are none of the usual bystanders here, just standing around waiting to get signed next year to someone else's bench on their way out of the league. Even our limited or more one-dimensional players - Carpenter, Irvin, Turbin, Robinson, Coleman, Lane, Lockette...are absolutely brilliant at the skill sets they do have and just Find. Big. Plays. To. Make. Intensity and passion mark these guys on the field, win or lose. And most importantly, they're playing as part of a whole. Their talents have been brought into a collective, well-envisioned whole by the coaching staff. The team has learned what it's good at and loves to do it - truly bad news for the rest of the division.
The NFC has several good teams, but they've all got their kryptonite. New Orleans regresses on the road. Carolina still has questions on the offensive line and in the secondary (which is calling themselves...the Legion of Whom???!?!?!). Philadelphia needs a real test. Detroit and Dallas? LOL, no. And the 49ers, for all their hand-wringing over WR depletion, have a QB who can't handle more than one WR on a play anyway.
None of these doubts apply to the Seahawks any longer. They've got their pass protection back; their wide receivers know exactly what they can do, and do it with consistency impunity; quarterback and defense are, shall we say, well-settled; they've just lambasted the only other rival for "most complete NFC team" status; and that oft-feared "road monkey"? It fell off years ago. It's hanging off the Saints now. They can come back, hold a lead, keep any game in hand with their defense, and beat you either on the ground or through the air. Their game is resilient, multifaceted, and it TRAVELS.
Seattle has passed just about every test I could think of, and I could think of a lot. If they can beat the Saints, even at home, they can beat any team in the NFL. There are only two tests left: winning a Super Bowl, and then winning multiple Super Bowls.
3. One does not simply walk into CenturyLink Field and win on a national stage.
That combination is lethal. For visitors. Monday Night loves the Seahawks in general; we've got the highest MNF win % in the league and it would take the runner-up (Pittsburgh) 18 straight MNF wins to match it assuming the Seahawks stood still.
But boy, when the Seahawks step onto the national stage and all eyes fixate on them, they light up. Perhaps not so much on the road - the Rams gave us a tough time. But the 49ers and now the Saints can attest to how well Seattle defends its turf for a national audience. The 12th Man is just nuts, and the Seahawks take full advantage of the energy without losing themselves in it, even when they find themselves behind. I'm starting to wonder how long it will be until Russell Wilson loses at home.
(In case you were wondering, the record for consecutive home wins is currently 30, held by the 71-74 Dolphins. Wilson: "Challenge accepted.")
Speaking of which...
4. It's time to judge Russell Wilson as a quarterback, not a young quarterback.
If the NFL genetically engineered a quarterback in a top-secret lab somewhere from stem cells taken from Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Fran Tarkenton, in order to include obsessive work ethic, clutch gene, deep accuracy, and elusiveness respectively...the result would be Russell Wilson. Since the loss to Indy, Wilson has thrown for 14 TD and two INTs, 124/178 with 70% completion rate, 8.8 YPA (third behind Foles and Rodgers), and 108.5 QBR (second only to Horseface). And in the last six games, Wilson is first in YPA and QBR. And people still think he's junior varsity because it's only his second year?
Forgive me if I wander into Kearly-esque hyperbole, but since it's turned out NOT to be hyperbole, I'm gonna do it...will the NFL ever see a quarterback like Russell Wilson? How many decades will it be? The guy has it all. He has the legs to scramble like the best scramblers, the accuracy to throw like the best pocket passers, the clutchiness to win any game, the motivation to outstudy any team, and the intelligence to maximize every one of these traits. Holy cow. HOW did we get this guy???!?!?!!
The guy is headed to Canton. Calling it now. If anyone still thinks he's a game manager or a Vick clone, or delaying judgment because he's a "young quarterback", it's only because they want to. We fidgeted and hemmed and hawed while he struggled behind a tackle-less offensive line, but give him protection and he isn't just better. He is elite. His performance against the Saints even hinted that he does not need Marshawn Lynch. Peyton Manning is the only master of this NFL generation left for Wilson to outduel, and frankly, I ain't scairt.
5. Seattle's cornerback depth is no joke.
If holding Drew Brees to under 200 yards passing and 4.0 YPA isn't an endorsement of Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane, I don't know what is. Of course, Earl Thomas makes his defensive backs the same way Russell Wilson makes his receivers, but still. I wanted to wait until these guys went up against an elite QB to gauge their starter-worthiness, and, well, DAMN. They truly could start on any team. And is or is not Lane a special teams Beastmode? Yes, he is. Those corners went out and shredded their doubters.
6. Walter Thurmond, Brandon Browner, and Sidney Rice can't be happy.
Wanna know what else our corners shredded? The contract leverage of the guys ahead of them on the depth chart. If Seattle is looking under every nook and cranny to save some money next year, and our backup corners can brilliantly handle even Drew Brees, just how crucial are either Thurmond OR Browner? Talk about a terrible two weeks for their payday prospects. Okay, so they're not suddenly completely expendable. One of them will be back for sure. But Rice certainly doesn't look like a pricey figure anymore, as Seattle's short and depleted WR corps repeatedly keeps taking the field and NOT needing him. Again, Wilson and Thomas enhance everyone on their side of the ball so well that they free the team from the need to splurge anywhere else. In the long run, that's the only way to afford a perennial championship team.
7. I'm still an idiot.
8. Thank God for our tackles.
Some of us were worried that our tackles might not look good even once they returned, since they played uncertainly to start the year. Okung and Giacomini were outstanding yesterday and gave their quarterback Brady-esque time in the pocket. Wilson's always a cool customer, but he looked so relaxed in the pocket yesterday that it was almost like watching slow motion. In related news, Carpenter has been noticed for having an excellent game in limited snaps, Sweezy is getting looks at fullback, and Unger has gone back to quietly pwning. It's no wonder that Wilson was 9/9, 170 yards, and 18.9 YPA on third down last night. Have I mentioned that Wilson is kinda good?
Yup, our linebackers don't suck.
Irvin is becoming a revelation at linebacker, even if he had a few whiffs yesterday. But Wagner and Wright? They needed to step up and have their best day ever yesterday, both against the screen and in coverage. They did just that. I've never seen them that good. New Orleans could still have milked a lot of production out of the short and intermediate game; they've done it before. But Wright and Wagner made sure that Brees was shut down at EVERY level. Best game of their careers.
10. Do NOT forget the coaching staff. Do not.
A comprehensive win like that doesn't come without extensive, specific, exacting game planning on both sides of the ball. Darell Bevell, now that he has his tackles back and can actually do stuff, opened up the playbook so wide I thought it would swallow the Saints right there. The read option came roaring back, FB wheel routes, slants and double-outs and swings and screens, the "run one way then throw back the other way like Whitehurst in 2010" touchdown...he was actually calling plays for their own merit instead of just trying to set up the next deep bomb. That's how it struck me.
And did you notice that the defense shut down Brees at the schematic level? I mean, it's one thing to just capitalize on lucky turnovers and go "Yeah, you can't turn the ball over on the road", and to be sure Bennett's fumble-6 was pivotal. But Brees was just shunted into checkdown mode ALL GAME, his deep options entirely cancelled, and KJ Wright was a roving one-man bowling ball of rage and shattered dreams for their screen weapons. As far as Jimmy Graham, let's just say Dan Quinn didn't exactly share in our worry. He knew he had like fifteen different options to cover Graham, and I'm pretty sure he used all of them. Sherm, Kam, Maxwell, KJ, Irvin...shoot. What a coverage group. And what he's done with Michael Bennett and Clint McDonald? Quick, someone put a shock-collar on Quinn so he never leaves the VMAC.
11. Or special teams.
Seattle is allowing less than 2 yards of punt return yardage per game this year. Again, that's Jeremy Lane. Steven Hauschka has quietly climbed into Josh Brown/Olindo Mare company in the annals of Ultra-Reliable Seahawks Kickers. Jon Ryan has yet to find a facial hair configuration that keeps him out of Pro Bowl territory. Now, imagine when Harvin finally returns. Giggity.
That's all I've got for now. Basically, I see no reason to predict Seahawks losses in Aros' prediction threads any longer. The 49ers game will not be a gimme, but we're on a schematic/philosophical roll now and Colin Kaepernick is going to hate our defense.
What did YOU learn?
Seahawks Monday Night Football is such a great cure for overthinking.
Here's what I learned last night.
1. I'm an idiot.
Well, that was obvious.
2. The Seahawks are the class of the NFC.
If there are any more doubters, it's because they're trying to be. Seattle has no competition in this title. Top to bottom, offense to defense, unit to unit, the starters on this team would start on any team in the league. There are none of the usual bystanders here, just standing around waiting to get signed next year to someone else's bench on their way out of the league. Even our limited or more one-dimensional players - Carpenter, Irvin, Turbin, Robinson, Coleman, Lane, Lockette...are absolutely brilliant at the skill sets they do have and just Find. Big. Plays. To. Make. Intensity and passion mark these guys on the field, win or lose. And most importantly, they're playing as part of a whole. Their talents have been brought into a collective, well-envisioned whole by the coaching staff. The team has learned what it's good at and loves to do it - truly bad news for the rest of the division.
The NFC has several good teams, but they've all got their kryptonite. New Orleans regresses on the road. Carolina still has questions on the offensive line and in the secondary (which is calling themselves...the Legion of Whom???!?!?!). Philadelphia needs a real test. Detroit and Dallas? LOL, no. And the 49ers, for all their hand-wringing over WR depletion, have a QB who can't handle more than one WR on a play anyway.
None of these doubts apply to the Seahawks any longer. They've got their pass protection back; their wide receivers know exactly what they can do, and do it with consistency impunity; quarterback and defense are, shall we say, well-settled; they've just lambasted the only other rival for "most complete NFC team" status; and that oft-feared "road monkey"? It fell off years ago. It's hanging off the Saints now. They can come back, hold a lead, keep any game in hand with their defense, and beat you either on the ground or through the air. Their game is resilient, multifaceted, and it TRAVELS.
Seattle has passed just about every test I could think of, and I could think of a lot. If they can beat the Saints, even at home, they can beat any team in the NFL. There are only two tests left: winning a Super Bowl, and then winning multiple Super Bowls.
3. One does not simply walk into CenturyLink Field and win on a national stage.
That combination is lethal. For visitors. Monday Night loves the Seahawks in general; we've got the highest MNF win % in the league and it would take the runner-up (Pittsburgh) 18 straight MNF wins to match it assuming the Seahawks stood still.
But boy, when the Seahawks step onto the national stage and all eyes fixate on them, they light up. Perhaps not so much on the road - the Rams gave us a tough time. But the 49ers and now the Saints can attest to how well Seattle defends its turf for a national audience. The 12th Man is just nuts, and the Seahawks take full advantage of the energy without losing themselves in it, even when they find themselves behind. I'm starting to wonder how long it will be until Russell Wilson loses at home.
(In case you were wondering, the record for consecutive home wins is currently 30, held by the 71-74 Dolphins. Wilson: "Challenge accepted.")
Speaking of which...
4. It's time to judge Russell Wilson as a quarterback, not a young quarterback.
If the NFL genetically engineered a quarterback in a top-secret lab somewhere from stem cells taken from Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Fran Tarkenton, in order to include obsessive work ethic, clutch gene, deep accuracy, and elusiveness respectively...the result would be Russell Wilson. Since the loss to Indy, Wilson has thrown for 14 TD and two INTs, 124/178 with 70% completion rate, 8.8 YPA (third behind Foles and Rodgers), and 108.5 QBR (second only to Horseface). And in the last six games, Wilson is first in YPA and QBR. And people still think he's junior varsity because it's only his second year?
Forgive me if I wander into Kearly-esque hyperbole, but since it's turned out NOT to be hyperbole, I'm gonna do it...will the NFL ever see a quarterback like Russell Wilson? How many decades will it be? The guy has it all. He has the legs to scramble like the best scramblers, the accuracy to throw like the best pocket passers, the clutchiness to win any game, the motivation to outstudy any team, and the intelligence to maximize every one of these traits. Holy cow. HOW did we get this guy???!?!?!!
The guy is headed to Canton. Calling it now. If anyone still thinks he's a game manager or a Vick clone, or delaying judgment because he's a "young quarterback", it's only because they want to. We fidgeted and hemmed and hawed while he struggled behind a tackle-less offensive line, but give him protection and he isn't just better. He is elite. His performance against the Saints even hinted that he does not need Marshawn Lynch. Peyton Manning is the only master of this NFL generation left for Wilson to outduel, and frankly, I ain't scairt.
5. Seattle's cornerback depth is no joke.
If holding Drew Brees to under 200 yards passing and 4.0 YPA isn't an endorsement of Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane, I don't know what is. Of course, Earl Thomas makes his defensive backs the same way Russell Wilson makes his receivers, but still. I wanted to wait until these guys went up against an elite QB to gauge their starter-worthiness, and, well, DAMN. They truly could start on any team. And is or is not Lane a special teams Beastmode? Yes, he is. Those corners went out and shredded their doubters.
6. Walter Thurmond, Brandon Browner, and Sidney Rice can't be happy.
Wanna know what else our corners shredded? The contract leverage of the guys ahead of them on the depth chart. If Seattle is looking under every nook and cranny to save some money next year, and our backup corners can brilliantly handle even Drew Brees, just how crucial are either Thurmond OR Browner? Talk about a terrible two weeks for their payday prospects. Okay, so they're not suddenly completely expendable. One of them will be back for sure. But Rice certainly doesn't look like a pricey figure anymore, as Seattle's short and depleted WR corps repeatedly keeps taking the field and NOT needing him. Again, Wilson and Thomas enhance everyone on their side of the ball so well that they free the team from the need to splurge anywhere else. In the long run, that's the only way to afford a perennial championship team.
7. I'm still an idiot.
8. Thank God for our tackles.
Some of us were worried that our tackles might not look good even once they returned, since they played uncertainly to start the year. Okung and Giacomini were outstanding yesterday and gave their quarterback Brady-esque time in the pocket. Wilson's always a cool customer, but he looked so relaxed in the pocket yesterday that it was almost like watching slow motion. In related news, Carpenter has been noticed for having an excellent game in limited snaps, Sweezy is getting looks at fullback, and Unger has gone back to quietly pwning. It's no wonder that Wilson was 9/9, 170 yards, and 18.9 YPA on third down last night. Have I mentioned that Wilson is kinda good?
Yup, our linebackers don't suck.
Irvin is becoming a revelation at linebacker, even if he had a few whiffs yesterday. But Wagner and Wright? They needed to step up and have their best day ever yesterday, both against the screen and in coverage. They did just that. I've never seen them that good. New Orleans could still have milked a lot of production out of the short and intermediate game; they've done it before. But Wright and Wagner made sure that Brees was shut down at EVERY level. Best game of their careers.
10. Do NOT forget the coaching staff. Do not.
A comprehensive win like that doesn't come without extensive, specific, exacting game planning on both sides of the ball. Darell Bevell, now that he has his tackles back and can actually do stuff, opened up the playbook so wide I thought it would swallow the Saints right there. The read option came roaring back, FB wheel routes, slants and double-outs and swings and screens, the "run one way then throw back the other way like Whitehurst in 2010" touchdown...he was actually calling plays for their own merit instead of just trying to set up the next deep bomb. That's how it struck me.
And did you notice that the defense shut down Brees at the schematic level? I mean, it's one thing to just capitalize on lucky turnovers and go "Yeah, you can't turn the ball over on the road", and to be sure Bennett's fumble-6 was pivotal. But Brees was just shunted into checkdown mode ALL GAME, his deep options entirely cancelled, and KJ Wright was a roving one-man bowling ball of rage and shattered dreams for their screen weapons. As far as Jimmy Graham, let's just say Dan Quinn didn't exactly share in our worry. He knew he had like fifteen different options to cover Graham, and I'm pretty sure he used all of them. Sherm, Kam, Maxwell, KJ, Irvin...shoot. What a coverage group. And what he's done with Michael Bennett and Clint McDonald? Quick, someone put a shock-collar on Quinn so he never leaves the VMAC.
11. Or special teams.
Seattle is allowing less than 2 yards of punt return yardage per game this year. Again, that's Jeremy Lane. Steven Hauschka has quietly climbed into Josh Brown/Olindo Mare company in the annals of Ultra-Reliable Seahawks Kickers. Jon Ryan has yet to find a facial hair configuration that keeps him out of Pro Bowl territory. Now, imagine when Harvin finally returns. Giggity.
That's all I've got for now. Basically, I see no reason to predict Seahawks losses in Aros' prediction threads any longer. The 49ers game will not be a gimme, but we're on a schematic/philosophical roll now and Colin Kaepernick is going to hate our defense.
What did YOU learn?
