This team is being undersold, greatness is coming!

[TheLegendOfBoom]

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

 

[ivotuk]

Our defense will be better this year. Why? Because when we had the #1 defense, we also owned time of possession. Our defense wasn't on the field fire 30 plus minutes, and that made their job easier.

Last year it was pretty good even though it played without Richard Sherman, without Kam Chancellor, without Cliff Avril, and with Michael Bennett having a foot injury. Now people are saying our defense is done because those guys who were injured are not playing? Ridiculous.

Our running game will be vastly improved tis year, and that will put Russell Wilson back in rarified air. Especially since he won't be running for his life and be required to be responsible for 95% of the touchdowns. He will be able to hand the ball off, as opposed to facing the teeth of a defense that knows he had to throw.

Frank Clark and Dion Jordan are going to be holy terrors coming off the edge, with Naz Jones and Jarran Reed clogging up the middle allowing Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright to stuff any offense that tries to come at them.

You add Earl Thomas, Bradley McDougald, 'Quille Griffin, and BMax, and I'm not worried about this defense at all.

I agree with the OP, great things are coming, and it pleases me to no end that the talking heads are back to repeating their same old song and dance about Pete's philosophy not working in the NFL. Except tis time they're adding the qualifier "once the players have heard the stories." Completely ignoring the fact that veteran NFL players are responsible for their game, not Pete. Finding an excuse to not be excited, or to be distracted in a meeting is extremely unprofessional, especially for someone who is making more money in one year, than many of us will see in our lifetimes.

But that's why they're gone, and young, hungry players have taken their spots. Those players started putting themselves first, over the team. And the team sent them packing.

And that is yet another reason why this team will be better this year. That, and our new Offensive coordinator. I'm already hearing people bad mouth "Shotty." Saying he hasn't been very good in pay stints as an OC. Oh, you mean those times when he had such greats under center such as Mark Sanchez? What about those guys he had in St Louis? Some guy, and uhh, some other guy. While coaching under Jeff Fisher. Shining examples of when NOT to judge an OCs abilities. He did win with those guys though.

But this will be Brian's first time as an O.C. with a legitimate Pro Bowl QB under center. I think he had Brett Favre one year that started out 8-3, but went in the crapper when Favre guy injured with a torn biceps tendon. But it's hard to tell much using that team as an example.

So let the "exspurts" belittle our team, our O.C. and our head coach, we've heard it all before. And like before, they will completely ignore their own history when they are once again proven wrong. And the sad thing is, if they would just spend a few minutes actually evaluating the Seahawks, they wouldn't have to show their ass and their ignorance.

 

[hawk45]

My point was that for new players and coaches, young players, and players who have been buried on the depth chart we as fans tend to always see arrows pointing up, but that’s practically never how things play out in reality.

This all tends to fall in a normal distribution, and I think a good exercise in setting expectations is to take all those assumptions and assign them to that distribution (e.g. if you want to assign a major jump to a player you have to balance that out with a guy who looked much better than he was in limited snaps last year and assign him a major regression from your expectations. Example: if you wanna assign Tyler Lockett the major jump you’ve always known he’s had in him, maybe that means Dion Jordan just had a nice couple games last year but will revert back to being the bust that he always has been — if everyone is just fulfilling fan expectations all the time you’re setting yourself up for disappointment, because that never happens.)

^^^This is good analysis.

Re: arrows pointing up, that's precisely how Marvin approached the off-season the 9ers lost a ton of core players and he was ridiculed in here for it. As we've said, we don't expect Seattle to fall quite as far due to coaching continuity and retention of some of the anchors (not many, especially on defense!!!) but any outlook that sees the ceiling as Superbowl contender - as it's been the last few years - is hopelessly optimistic in the projection.

Sherman, Kam, Bennett, Avril on defense, gone. We have Griffin and Maxwell at corner, with Griffin potentially swapping sides, is it inconceivable he might take a step back learning a new side? Maxwell does well in our D at RCB in particular but he's getting up there in age. And on the D line it's Clark and the pips for pass rush. Hoping for Mingo or a youngster to hit is not the same as having Bennett and Avril lining up there year after year.

Graham and Richardson red zone weapons gone on offense on a team that historically has struggled in the red zone. Look I hope Solari can get the line going to where we replace that red zone production with rushing attack, but to expect it in year one is too rich for my tastes. Britt took a step back last year, or at least to the side, what way will he go? Will age and injury catch up to Brown? Will Ifedi...do anything? I feel good about RB depth, that's a positive change, but at TE and WR our weapons are either thin or unproven.

Personally I'm hoping we see positive signs due to coaching changes in the form of an actual rushing attack, and actually feel like a solid run game with questionable receiving weapons is the Seahawk offensive identity and can work out. A dogfight for a wild card with a first-round exit would make me ecstatic, because "in the hunt for playoffs" is where the expectations for ceiling should be.

I don't think that's underselling at all. Underselling would be 4 wins or less based on the Rams success last year and the 9er late success. Because in football, progression isn't usually geometric although fans tend to assume so. I expect the Rams to come to earth, and I expect the 9ers to grapple with QB sophomore issues - not that Jimmy GQ can't surmount them, just that he won't win every game for the rest of his career as defenses get wise and begin flooding the short zones and forcing him to get better at stretching the field.

Although the Rams are going to kick the ever living crap out of our OL and Russ unless Solari really is the magic bean at OL. Even if the Rams offense settles down I see us losing 10-3 games to STL.

 

[adeltaY]

Our defense will be better this year. Why? Because when we had the #1 defense, we also owned time of possession. Our defense wasn't on the field fire 30 plus minutes, and that made their job easier.

Last year it was pretty good even though it played without Richard Sherman, without Kam Chancellor, without Cliff Avril, and with Michael Bennett having a foot injury. Now people are saying our defense is done because those guys who were injured are not playing? Ridiculous.

Our running game will be vastly improved tis year, and that will put Russell Wilson back in rarified air. Especially since he won't be running for his life and be required to be responsible for 95% of the touchdowns. He will be able to hand the ball off, as opposed to facing the teeth of a defense that knows he had to throw.

Frank Clark and Dion Jordan are going to be holy terrors coming off the edge, with Naz Jones and Jarran Reed clogging up the middle allowing Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright to stuff any offense that tries to come at them.

You add Earl Thomas, Bradley McDougald, 'Quille Griffin, and BMax, and I'm not worried about this defense at all.

I agree with the OP, great things are coming, and it pleases me to no end that the talking heads are back to repeating their same old song and dance about Pete's philosophy not working in the NFL. Except tis time they're adding the qualifier "once the players have heard the stories." Completely ignoring the fact that veteran NFL players are responsible for their game, not Pete. Finding an excuse to not be excited, or to be distracted in a meeting is extremely unprofessional, especially for someone who is making more money in one year, than many of us will see in our lifetimes.

But that's why they're gone, and young, hungry players have taken their spots. Those players started putting themselves first, over the team. And the team sent them packing.

And that is yet another reason why this team will be better this year. That, and our new Offensive coordinator. I'm already hearing people bad mouth "Shotty." Saying he hasn't been very good in pay stints as an OC. Oh, you mean those times when he had such greats under center such as Mark Sanchez? What about those guys he had in St Louis? Some guy, and uhh, some other guy. While coaching under Jeff Fisher. Shining examples of when NOT to judge an OCs abilities. He did win with those guys though.

But this will be Brian's first time as an O.C. with a legitimate Pro Bowl QB under center. I think he had Brett Favre one year that started out 8-3, but went in the crapper when Favre guy injured with a torn biceps tendon. But it's hard to tell much using that team as an example.

So let the "exspurts" belittle our team, our O.C. and our head coach, we've heard it all before. And like before, they will completely ignore their own history when they are once again proven wrong. And the sad thing is, if they would just spend a few minutes actually evaluating the Seahawks, they wouldn't have to show their ass and their ignorance.

I'm with pops and hawk45. Lots of overpositivity here, but we are fans so it makes sense.

Ivo, our defense gave up 25th most ppg after we lost Kam and Sherm. They had good games against Dallas (with a major assist from Dez) and Philly, so we saw flashes of what could be, but we still had Mike B and Sheldon who were creating pressures and important on Run D. I'm with you on Frank and think he will be a beast, but I'm not sure Dion will be a holy terror. He had trouble staying healthy so that's my #1 worry with him.

We were #5 in ToP in 2012 and #7 in 2014, but #17 in 2013, our best year. I don't think ToP matters as much as playing efficient offense and making the most of every drive tbh.

I really like what I'm hearing about Schotty the coach, it's his playcalling and gameplanning that worry me. I was hoping for more Andy Reid/Pederson style, but I highly doubt we will be getting much of that. More than willing to cheer him on and give him a fair shot.

 

[Sox-n-Hawks]

A LOT of things are looking up for the Hawks, that's for sure.

One of the things that's going unnoticed is the competition at Fullback.

Seattle has 4 fullbacks on the roster. One of which was developed by the same coach that flipped Richard Sherman from WR to CB and . Khalid Hill will be a force to be reckoned with at FB.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...acks-including-rookie-free-agent-khalid-hill/

 

[CamanoIslandJQ]

""With Carson ready to go and Penny for 'depth'.""

I am amazed at how many people here think Carson is better than sliced bread and will actually start ahead of our 1-st round pick, Rashaad Penney. Look at their stats, Carson is an injury waiting to happen and shouldn't be anything more than a backup, which he can probably handle & limited carries may keep him on the field for more than just a few games.

I'm also amazed that when kick returns are mentioned, only Lockett gets a mention? Rashaad Penney is absolutely a super kick returner and holds all-time NCAA records in average yards & TD's. This factor alone is well worth at least a full round in the draft. Therefore, Penney wasn't a reach in the draft, he's just not respected for all of his accomplishments.

AFTER the 1-st preseason game, I predict that opinions here on Penney will suddenly change significantly once people see what he is capable of doing on the football field. The Seahawks will use him to his strengths as both a very capable RB, but also as being back (with likely Lockett, et. al.) on kickoff returns, considering the new rules, I expect Penney will return "several" kickoff returns for TD's this year (to go along with his 1500+ yards rushing, 300+ yards receiving & 700-yards returns. That totals 2500 yards of total production AND, he may actually out perform those numbers.

Penney, IMO, is the best draft pick of the Seahawks in many years & I'm waiting for him to show the NFL world that they all missed the boat by under respecting his abilities. My glass is not just half full, it's brimming over.
:smilingalien:

 

[Sox-n-Hawks]

""With Carson ready to go and Penny for 'depth'.""

I am amazed at how many people here think Carson is better than sliced bread and will actually start ahead of our 1-st round pick, Rashaad Penney. Look at their stats, Carson is an injury waiting to happen and shouldn't be anything more than a backup, which he can probably handle & limited carries may keep him on the field for more than just a few games.

I'm also amazed that when kick returns are mentioned, only Lockett gets a mention? Rashaad Penney is absolutely a super kick returner and holds all-time NCAA records in average yards & TD's. This factor alone is well worth at least a full round in the draft. Therefore, Penney wasn't a reach in the draft, he's just not respected for all of his accomplishments.

AFTER the 1-st preseason game, I predict that opinions here on Penney will suddenly change significantly once people see what he is capable of doing on the football field. The Seahawks will use him to his strengths as both a very capable RB, but also as being back (with likely Lockett, et. al.) on kickoff returns, considering the new rules, I expect Penney will return "several" kickoff returns for TD's this year (to go along with his 1500+ yards rushing, 300+ yards receiving & 700-yards returns. That totals 2500 yards of total production AND, he may actually out perform those numbers.

Penney, IMO, is the best draft pick of the Seahawks in many years & I'm waiting for him to show the NFL world that they all missed the boat by under respecting his abilities. My glass is not just half full, it's brimming over.
:smilingalien:

And he wasn't beat to death by being the #1 RB for 4yrs in College.

 

[chris98251]

""With Carson ready to go and Penny for 'depth'.""

I am amazed at how many people here think Carson is better than sliced bread and will actually start ahead of our 1-st round pick, Rashaad Penney. Look at their stats, Carson is an injury waiting to happen and shouldn't be anything more than a backup, which he can probably handle & limited carries may keep him on the field for more than just a few games.

I'm also amazed that when kick returns are mentioned, only Lockett gets a mention? Rashaad Penney is absolutely a super kick returner and holds all-time NCAA records in average yards & TD's. This factor alone is well worth at least a full round in the draft. Therefore, Penney wasn't a reach in the draft, he's just not respected for all of his accomplishments.

AFTER the 1-st preseason game, I predict that opinions here on Penney will suddenly change significantly once people see what he is capable of doing on the football field. The Seahawks will use him to his strengths as both a very capable RB, but also as being back (with likely Lockett, et. al.) on kickoff returns, considering the new rules, I expect Penney will return "several" kickoff returns for TD's this year (to go along with his 1500+ yards rushing, 300+ yards receiving & 700-yards returns. That totals 2500 yards of total production AND, he may actually out perform those numbers.

Penney, IMO, is the best draft pick of the Seahawks in many years & I'm waiting for him to show the NFL world that they all missed the boat by under respecting his abilities. My glass is not just half full, it's brimming over.
:smilingalien:

It depends on how the Kick return game develops, I remember Terry Metcalf who played both while he was a smaller back i think about 175 or so which was fine in his era it took a toll of more hits and he began to slow down becasue of it.

The Kick return I think is going to be changed dramitically to what we are used to seeing, no wedges, no contact within 15 yards of the ball if I read that right and it will force you to have basically a hands team on the field or one heavy with LB'S and DB's on the defense side. More pooch, squib, line drive, or if the kicker has leg just through the end zone kicks. Nobody wants to have a guy on any team with great speed and evasion have a running start with a open field to utilize.

The teams that kick to players are going to give up shorter fields to drive on I think, more teams starting at the 40 or less to score. Although the lateral may also come into play now also with a reverse mid way thru return since everyone is going to be busting tail to cut off pursuit angles on the returner.

 

[seahawkfreak]

A LOT of things are looking up for the Hawks, that's for sure.

One of the things that's going unnoticed is the competition at Fullback.

Seattle has 4 fullbacks on the roster. One of which was developed by the same coach that flipped Richard Sherman from WR to CB and . Khalid Hill will be a force to be reckoned with at FB.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...acks-including-rookie-free-agent-khalid-hill/

Yeah I am really liking this too. I honestly believe that John L. Williams could have fit in this NFL timeline. He is a prototypical west coast offense RB. Let's go get our next one. Strong was great too.

Never really understood why the league went anti FB, especially with DE pass rushing always increasing. Rob was a critical piece to our puzzle as well. I could see an argument made 10 years from now on how Seattle's success went through the "run" which went through the FB.

 

[original poster]

A LOT of things are looking up for the Hawks, that's for sure.

One of the things that's going unnoticed is the competition at Fullback.

Seattle has 4 fullbacks on the roster. One of which was developed by the same coach that flipped Richard Sherman from WR to CB and . Khalid Hill will be a force to be reckoned with at FB.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...acks-including-rookie-free-agent-khalid-hill/

Never really understood why the league went anti FB, especially with DE pass rushing always increasing. Rob was a critical piece to our puzzle as well. I could see an argument made 10 years from now on how Seattle's success went through the "run" which went through the FB.

I'm with you buddy, I'm surprised the FB position is soon to be nearly extinct.

Having a fullback on the field can really help with play misdirection and sets up play action perfectly as well as the added benefit of having a good blocker to pick up any stray defenders in the backfield.

About 6 months ago I saw a chart that proved how the fullback position is dying a death, snap counts reduced year on year every year except either 2016 or 2017 (can't remember which) which rose slightly.

I'm sure Seattle will help keep the position alive in 2018!