This Week's Enemy Fan Forums: The Green Bay Packers

[Josea16]

This game depends entirely on Green Bay's offensive line. If the starting five are in there (assuming Bulaga is healthy) I don't see any defense putting a ton of pressure on Rodgers. However if even ONE GB Olinemen gets hurt, then Seattle defense will feast. Green Bay's backups failed to become serviceable this off season. Barring Oline injury Green Bay will not be beat in Lambeau with a healthy squad.

I understand your confidence and before the trade I would be also about Green Bay winning easily but now I agree with Las Vegas, this is basically a coin flip game as to who wins. Sheldon is a bad man who has bought in and who's going to be used correctly in his correct position for the first time since 2014. And he's in a contract year and he's been showing it in preseason.

 

[Foghawk]

This game depends entirely on Green Bay's offensive line. If the starting five are in there (assuming Bulaga is healthy) I don't see any defense putting a ton of pressure on Rodgers. However if even ONE GB Olinemen gets hurt, then Seattle defense will feast. Green Bay's backups failed to become serviceable this off season. Barring Oline injury Green Bay will not be beat in Lambeau with a healthy squad.

Good to see you make your way back to .net. :irishdrinkers:

Always tough to play in Lambeau, let's hope for a great game with no injures. :2thumbs:

 

[ptisme]

This game depends entirely on Green Bay's offensive line. If the starting five are in there (assuming Bulaga is healthy) I don't see any defense putting a ton of pressure on Rodgers. However if even ONE GB Olinemen gets hurt, then Seattle defense will feast. Green Bay's backups failed to become serviceable this off season. Barring Oline injury Green Bay will not be beat in Lambeau with a healthy squad.

I understand your confidence and before the trade I would be also about Green Bay winning easily but now I agree with Las Vegas, this is basically a coin flip game as to who wins. Sheldon is a bad man who has bought in and who's going to be used correctly in his correct position for the first time since 2014. And he's in a contract year and he's been showing it in preseason.

I never thought this game would be easy. I think it generally leans Packers at Lambeau and goes the other way in Seattle. Rodgers shredded that defense last year (was the one game I attended) but Richardson is definitely a game changer. Should be fun to watch.

 

[ptisme]

This game depends entirely on Green Bay's offensive line. If the starting five are in there (assuming Bulaga is healthy) I don't see any defense putting a ton of pressure on Rodgers. However if even ONE GB Olinemen gets hurt, then Seattle defense will feast. Green Bay's backups failed to become serviceable this off season. Barring Oline injury Green Bay will not be beat in Lambeau with a healthy squad.

Good to see you make your way back to .net. :irishdrinkers:

Always tough to play in Lambeau, let's hope for a great game with no injures. :2thumbs:

Same to you. Good luck

 

[adeltaY]

Agree that the GB OL is the key to this game. Bulaga and Bakhtiari will absolutely shut down our edge rushers 99% of the time. They are phenomenal. Their guards, however, could be vulnerable. Depends how much Jahri Evans has in the tank and how much Lane Taylor has improved. Corey Linsley is pretty dang good, though. Also, Rodgers mitigates pressure with his pocket-ninja moves. If Richardson and Bennett can dial up some interior, pressure, it's going to be tough for him.

Also, our OL needs to not be garbage and Russ needs to not throw 4 or 5 picks. I'm guessing Dom Capers sacrificed his defense against Kaep so they could be good against Russ or partook in some other devilry...

 

[Josea16]

This game depends entirely on Green Bay's offensive line. If the starting five are in there (assuming Bulaga is healthy) I don't see any defense putting a ton of pressure on Rodgers. However if even ONE GB Olinemen gets hurt, then Seattle defense will feast. Green Bay's backups failed to become serviceable this off season. Barring Oline injury Green Bay will not be beat in Lambeau with a healthy squad.

I understand your confidence and before the trade I would be also about Green Bay winning easily but now I agree with Las Vegas, this is basically a coin flip game as to who wins. Sheldon is a bad man who has bought in and who's going to be used correctly in his correct position for the first time since 2014. And he's in a contract year and he's been showing it in preseason.

I never thought this game would be easy. I think it generally leans Packers at Lambeau and goes the other way in Seattle. Rodgers shredded that defense last year (was the one game I attended) but Richardson is definitely a game changer. Should be fun to watch.

Fair enough sir. The game better be the national game at this point.

 

[ptisme]

Agree that the GB OL is the key to this game. Bulaga and Bakhtiari will absolutely shut down our edge rushers 99% of the time. They are phenomenal. Their guards, however, could be vulnerable. Depends how much Jahri Evans has in the tank and how much Lane Taylor has improved. Corey Linsley is pretty dang good, though. Also, Rodgers mitigates pressure with his pocket-ninja moves. If Richardson and Bennett can dial up some interior, pressure, it's going to be tough for him.

Also, our OL needs to not be garbage and Russ needs to not throw 4 or 5 picks. I'm guessing Dom Capers sacrificed his defense against Kaep so they could be good against Russ or partook in some other devilry...

This is all good insight. lane taylor is awesome. The question is Evans and how much he has left, as you said. I'm guessing they'll try to quickly get rid of the ball. On defense the packers drafted some cornerbacks with speed and skill the last two years. Unfortunately inexperience in the first game against guys like wilson and Baldwin could spell disaster.

BTW you mentioned Kaepernick and I have an observation about that. He had a lot of success against the Packers a few years ago when we had a traditional ILB in heavy footed AJ Hawk. In response you had defenses get the fast MLB (Bobby Wagner) or bring the big safety to play there in nickle Deone Buchanon, Su'a Cravens, Barron for the LAR etc... Sure enough Green Bay has put Morgan Burnett there and drafted a very talented 220 LB safety with speed to play inside.
So I think defenses have responded and taken the run portion of Kaepernicks game away from him. That leaves him as a pocket passer who needs to progress through his reads. This was something he was never really good at.

 

[Followthelegion]

Agree that the GB OL is the key to this game. Bulaga and Bakhtiari will absolutely shut down our edge rushers 99% of the time. They are phenomenal. Their guards, however, could be vulnerable. Depends how much Jahri Evans has in the tank and how much Lane Taylor has improved. Corey Linsley is pretty dang good, though. Also, Rodgers mitigates pressure with his pocket-ninja moves. If Richardson and Bennett can dial up some interior, pressure, it's going to be tough for him.

Also, our OL needs to not be garbage and Russ needs to not throw 4 or 5 picks. I'm guessing Dom Capers sacrificed his defense against Kaep so they could be good against Russ or partook in some other devilry...

This is all good insight. lane taylor is awesome. The question is Evans and how much he has left, as you said. I'm guessing they'll try to quickly get rid of the ball. On defense the packers drafted some cornerbacks with speed and skill the last two years. Unfortunately inexperience in the first game against guys like wilson and Baldwin could spell disaster.

Anyone know Bulaga's understudy?

From early reports it looks like he is still not practicing and is a big concern for Sunday. With the DL that Seattle boosts, this could make a big difference to the packages that the Packers O utilise.

 

[ptisme]

Agree that the GB OL is the key to this game. Bulaga and Bakhtiari will absolutely shut down our edge rushers 99% of the time. They are phenomenal. Their guards, however, could be vulnerable. Depends how much Jahri Evans has in the tank and how much Lane Taylor has improved. Corey Linsley is pretty dang good, though. Also, Rodgers mitigates pressure with his pocket-ninja moves. If Richardson and Bennett can dial up some interior, pressure, it's going to be tough for him.

Also, our OL needs to not be garbage and Russ needs to not throw 4 or 5 picks. I'm guessing Dom Capers sacrificed his defense against Kaep so they could be good against Russ or partook in some other devilry...

This is all good insight. lane taylor is awesome. The question is Evans and how much he has left, as you said. I'm guessing they'll try to quickly get rid of the ball. On defense the packers drafted some cornerbacks with speed and skill the last two years. Unfortunately inexperience in the first game against guys like wilson and Baldwin could spell disaster.

Anyone know Bulaga's understudy?

From early reports it looks like he is still not practicing and is a big concern for Sunday. With the DL that Seattle boosts, this could make a big difference to the packages that the Packers O utilise.

We traded up last year to draft Jason Spriggs. He's been a disaster and is not someone who should even sniff the field against that defense on Sunday. Kyle Murphy (sixth rounder last year) would be a much better option but.... He's not Bulaga. They'd need to help him with the TE, which would really limit what we do on offense. If any of our starters are out it would limit what we could do and I don't believe our offense could keep up with the Seahawks offense at that point.

 

[Followthelegion]

Thanks for the info, I hadn't seen Spriggs so admittedly was just making the assumption there would be drop off from Bulaga, didn't know he probably was behind Murphy on depth chart.

The point on the TE staying into block was what I was alluding to above, massive influence on this defense whose main struggle is TE going up the seam for 10-15 yards a pop.

 

[ptisme]

Green Bay has shifted its attention this year to the TE. They went out and got Martellius Bennett and Lance Kendricks. Two TE's that are really fast up the middle of the field. I watched the final practice up there last Tuesday and Rodgers was absolutely locked in on Bennett every time he dropped back to pass. I expect him and Devante Adams (on the outside) to have big years.

 

[PackerNation]

Good luck this weekend Hawk fans. Haven't been here, or anywhere due to a busy schedule but here are my quick hits on this game:

1. GB OL vs. SEA DL: I like your DL, especially with your new addition, Sheldon Richardson . They will be an excellent run stuffing and pass rushing line. Rodgers will be on his horse all day long. Our running game will be lucky to get 75 yards. Most of that coming on 3rd down draw plays. Sheldon Richardson..... Worth mentioning him again. Ugh, like you really needed that monster on your line. Bad news for the rest of the NFL.

2. Eddie Lacy: Lacy will be running hard between the tackles and through the A gaps with good success. Green Bay switched to a new defense called "The Nitro" which essentially puts our Safety into a LB position. What it really means is that our defense plays light. Eddie will be looking to make a statement and the play action, Wilson roll out/run will be on full display as well.

SEA Defense vs. Green Bay defense overall: Honestly, I like the 4-3 Under that Seattle runs and I wish Green Bay switched over to it. IMO, no other defense comes close to being so dominate as that defense. We do too much "read and react" instead of shooting the gaps and taking the fight to the other team. Our CB's are light as well and Randall and Rollins have not panned out as we had hoped. Overall, Seattle should have an excellent defense (again!) this year.

Seattle WR's: Lockett is a wild card but overall, Seattle could use a better corp of WR's. Even our mediocre CB's should be able to cover them without too much trouble.

Seattle OL: The best part of the Seattle OL is that Wilson can throw on the run. That and he can run. Our defense is fast though and covers sideline to sideline very well. The best I have seen it in that last 7-8 years.

3. Aaron Rodgers: Go ahead and hate, but Rodgers is about as good as you can get and he has some serious weapons on offense this year. Bennett, Nelson, Cobb, Adams are the stars on an offense that will score at will against lesser teams and still put up 21-24 against top flight defenses like Seattle.

Rodgers has looked fantastic in his limited play in preseason. I expect him to light it up on Sunday and all year, getting another MVP title.

Prediction:

Green Bay: 23
Seattle: 20

I have to go with the home team and I expect Lacy to fumble the ball once or twice at critical times. Eddie can be a great RB but he has mental lapses and I suspect the Seattle coaches haven't been pounding into his head "ball security" quite yet. They will, though.

As always, everything goes out the window once the shooting starts so good luck on Sunday and I hope we meet again in the playoffs. Both of our teams look to be top tier and I expect Seattle to play well all year. If Green Bay had a top 10 defense (maybe they do, who knows) I would pick us to win it all, I love the offense that much.

 

[PackerNation]

Green Bay has shifted its attention this year to the TE. They went out and got Martellius Bennett and Lance Kendricks. Two TE's that are really fast up the middle of the field. I watched the final practice up there last Tuesday and Rodgers was absolutely locked in on Bennett every time he dropped back to pass. I expect him and Devante Adams (on the outside) to have big years.

Also, both of those guys can actually block, which is something we not had since.... Bubba Franks? Nice to see Ted actually getting a great blocking TE that can also catch passes and be a threat both down the field and in the short passing game.

Rodgers will have a lot of success this year throwing passes. Watched him in camp a lot and he looks great! MVP? I think so. Might be the best offense we have had in years.

 

[kidhawk]

Seattle WR's: Lockett is a wild card but overall, Seattle could use a better corp of WR's. Even our mediocre CB's should be able to cover them without too much trouble.

Overall, I felt you had a fair assessment, but the mere fact that you brought up our WR without mentioning Baldwin and Graham (technically a TE) is exactly why they are so often overlooked. These two guys alone can be defense killers if they aren't double teamed, and if they are, someone else can get open. The biggest issue with our passing game is having a healthy Wilson and the OLine.

Obviously I disagree with the outcome, but it's week 1. The week where surprises are plentiful (both good and bad)

 

[PackerNation]

Seattle WR's: Lockett is a wild card but overall, Seattle could use a better corp of WR's. Even our mediocre CB's should be able to cover them without too much trouble.

Overall, I felt you had a fair assessment, but the mere fact that you brought up our WR without mentioning Baldwin and Graham (technically a TE) is exactly why they are so often overlooked. These two guys alone can be defense killers if they aren't double teamed, and if they are, someone else can get open. The biggest issue with our passing game is having a healthy Wilson and the OLine.

Obviously I disagree with the outcome, but it's week 1. The week where surprises are plentiful (both good and bad)

To be fair, I didn't really overlook Graham or Baldwin, we just cover TE's pretty well and Baldwin has never really impressed me. I get the feeling his head is sometimes just not in the game. Lockett, I guess, I should have mentioned his ability to take kick returns to the house. He is a ST's threat that should have been mentioned. Unless, he no longer returns kicks? I though he did though.

We have a new punter that gets some serious hang time and is pretty good. Our punt and kick off coverage though... hmmm, iffy at best. Lockett could be a serious game changer. He could also be a serious threat on the Jet sweep which he is ideal to run.

Week 1 could be fun.

 

[kidhawk]

Seattle WR's: Lockett is a wild card but overall, Seattle could use a better corp of WR's. Even our mediocre CB's should be able to cover them without too much trouble.

Overall, I felt you had a fair assessment, but the mere fact that you brought up our WR without mentioning Baldwin and Graham (technically a TE) is exactly why they are so often overlooked. These two guys alone can be defense killers if they aren't double teamed, and if they are, someone else can get open. The biggest issue with our passing game is having a healthy Wilson and the OLine.

Obviously I disagree with the outcome, but it's week 1. The week where surprises are plentiful (both good and bad)

To be fair, I didn't really overlook Graham or Baldwin, we just cover TE's pretty well and Baldwin has never really impressed me. I get the feeling his head is sometimes just not in the game. Lockett, I guess, I should have mentioned his ability to take kick returns to the house. He is a ST's threat that should have been mentioned. Unless, he no longer returns kicks? I though he did though.

We have a new punter that gets some serious hang time and is pretty good. Our punt and kick off coverage though... hmmm, iffy at best. Lockett could be a serious game changer. He could also be a serious threat on the Jet sweep which he is ideal to run.

Week 1 could be fun.

Week 1 WILL be fun, of that I have no doubt. I don't know how anyone can still overlook a guy like Baldwin, but I'm probably guilty of overlooking a few guys around the league myself. One thing I am sure of, is defenses rarely overlook him, but he still seems to make catch after catch after catch.

 

[ptisme]

I took Baldwin in both my PPR leagues in the second round. I have Wilson in both as well because I think they will have great years.

 

[Hawkscanner]

I never thought this game would be easy. I think it generally leans Packers at Lambeau and goes the other way in Seattle. Rodgers shredded that defense last year (was the one game I attended) but Richardson is definitely a game changer. Should be fun to watch.

Hey, good to see you once again. It must be that time of year. Thanks for the insights regarding the Packers, the changes they made, and current status updates. I’ll do the same for you.

I remember that game quite well and in all honesty (and I think a lot of guys on this board will agree) in a lot of ways, this team was feeling the after-affects of that Super Bowl loss still. What I mean by that is that A LOT of guys actually came into the regular season still pretty banged up physically. Earl Thomas separated his shoulder in the SB and was a bit banged up. Richard Sherman dealt with a knee issue that ended up slowing him down all year long. Jeremy Lane also went down in the Super Bowl as well (that’s what really turned the tide). He was banged up much of last season I'd say.
Michael Bennett was never himself all last year I would argue. Other guys on that defense also were a bit banged up as well.

When Earl Thomas went down and was lost for the Season in the Panthers game in Week 13 last year -- right before the Hawks faced the Packers -- that’s when the flood gates really opened, as long shots down the field which hadn’t been open in years … were suddenly WIDE open. Since Earl has been there, we’ve always played single high safety … and with his recognition skills, speed, and make-up ability, we’ve always been able to do that (and to be amazingly successful), as he just plays deep Center Field and is able to take away so much. All of a sudden, that was gone. We had no one who could really fill in and do what he does. Steven Terrell (who’s now with the Chiefs) played FS in that game. That was a HUGE part of the reason why Aaron Rodgers was able to absolutely shred that defense.

THAT and the fact that the Seahawks struggled to get consistent pressure up the middle all season long. When this team went to and won the Super Bowl in 2013, a HUGE factor was that Seattle was able to get pressure right up the gut. Rookie Jarran Reed was drafted to replace Brandon Mebane (who was their 3 Tech who was able to do that) … and he didn’t have nearly the impact that many hoped he would. Quinton Jefferson (drafted in the 5th Round) was lost before the season and put on IR. So, getting pressure up the middle and being able to shut down running lanes up the gut was a big problem all year long.

Another big factor IMO was that last year Kam Chancellor was just not himself. I believe he was also still feeling the after-affects from the Super Bowl. He just wasn't Bam Bam Kam most of last season. Seattle’s defense ended up missing that real physical nasty presence for much of the year.

Schneider, recognizing all of those deficits, went out and has addressed those issues. Seattle went out and drafted Tedric Thompson out of the Colorado in order to back up Earl. While he’s not had quite the Preseason that we’ve all hoped for (and I hope he doesn’t see the field) this is a young man who showed he has very good FS skills in college.

Safety Bradley McDougald, who was a starter in Tampa Bay, has been brought in. He’s a very physical, instinctive, and hard hitting safety who has had a VERY good camp. The Hawks intend to use him on the field quite a bit and I personally believe that we’ll see some 4-2-5 from this Defense this year. There has been a lot of talk about a new “Cheetah” Package that the Seahawks are looking to employ, which (by its name) implies that it’s designed to have the speedier Seahawk Defenders on the field in order to chase guys down. We have yet to really see it rolled out.

The Hawks also looked to improve their overall speed in the secondary as well. They went out and drafted CB Shaq Griffin out of UCF to start opposite Richard Sherman. He had a great training camp and Preseason and won the starting job. He’s faster than Sherm and potentially I think could be better than him down the road. Rodgers could pick on him in this game, but this young guy is very talented.

The biggest addition of all though … came just this past week when the Hawks traded for Sheldon Richardson. They’d hoped that 2nd round choice Malik McDowell would be that guy, but he had to go be a young knucklehead and get himself injured on an ATV. I’d be shocked if we see him this season.

Anyway, Richardson is a BAD, BAD MAN. He’s one of those true game changing players out there who can honestly alter a game. This was just posted recently on Twitter, so I’ll share this here as well.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Coleman3SD/status/904727480157831169[/tweet]
[Click on TOP of that Twitter Link above. Coleman has an extensive breakdown of LOTS of game footage and how Sheldon Richardson impacted Brady and that the Patriots Offense.]

As I said, the biggest piece that the Seahawks have been missing since 2013 … is that real big dog player who can flush QB’s to those fast ends like Bennett, Avril, and Clark who can crash down and take them down. They've been missing an impact 3 Tech who can really shut things down right up the middle. The Hawks would appear to have found that final missing puzzle piece in Sheldon Richardson.

In general, what’s stood out to me this Preseason is that guys appear to be healthy once again. Earl Thomas looks like he’s finally back to his old self. Players like KJ Wright are flying to the football … and they’ve improved their overall depth.

Russell Wilson has his speed and mobility back (he was banged up most of last season as well) … and the running game appears to be markedly improved.

Before the Richardson trade, I would have agreed with you in saying that Green Bay was a 3 point favorite there at Lambeau Field. NOW … I don’t honestly know -- I’d call it more of a Pick ‘Em at this point. Should be fun and I agree … let’s pray no one gets seriously hurt in this game.

 

[hawkfan68]

I never thought this game would be easy. I think it generally leans Packers at Lambeau and goes the other way in Seattle. Rodgers shredded that defense last year (was the one game I attended) but Richardson is definitely a game changer. Should be fun to watch.

Hey, good to see you once again. It must be that time of year. Thanks for the insights regarding the Packers, the changes they made, and current status updates. I’ll do the same for you.

I remember that game quite well and in all honesty (and I think a lot of guys on this board will agree) in a lot of ways, this team was feeling the after-affects of that Super Bowl loss still. What I mean by that is that A LOT of guys actually came into the regular season still pretty banged up physically. Earl Thomas separated his shoulder in the SB and was a bit banged up. Richard Sherman dealt with a knee issue that ended up slowing him down all year long. Jeremy Lane also went down in the Super Bowl as well (that’s what really turned the tide). He was banged up much of last season I'd say.
Michael Bennett was never himself all last year I would argue. Other guys on that defense also were a bit banged up as well.

When Earl Thomas went down and was lost for the Season in the Panthers game in Week 13 last year -- right before the Hawks faced the Packers -- that’s when the flood gates really opened, as long shots down the field which hadn’t been open in years … were suddenly WIDE open. Since Earl has been there, we’ve always played single high safety … and with his recognition skills, speed, and make-up ability, we’ve always been able to do that (and to be amazingly successful), as he just plays deep Center Field and is able to take away so much. All of a sudden, that was gone. We had no one who could really fill in and do what he does. Steven Terrell (who’s now with the Chiefs) played FS in that game. That was a HUGE part of the reason why Aaron Rodgers was able to absolutely shred that defense.

THAT and the fact that the Seahawks struggled to get consistent pressure up the middle all season long. When this team went to and won the Super Bowl in 2013, a HUGE factor was that Seattle was able to get pressure right up the gut. Rookie Jarran Reed was drafted to replace Brandon Mebane (who was their 3 Tech who was able to do that) … and he didn’t have nearly the impact that many hoped he would. Quinton Jefferson (drafted in the 5th Round) was lost before the season and put on IR. So, getting pressure up the middle and being able to shut down running lanes up the gut was a big problem all year long.

Also, last year was also the year that Kam Chancellor held out … and when he came back, it took him quite a bit to get back up to speed. Seattle’s defense ended up missing that real physical nasty presence for much of the year.

Schneider, recognizing all of those deficits, went out and has addressed those issues. Seattle went out and drafted Tedric Thompson out of the Colorado in order to back up Earl. While he’s not had quite the Preseason that we’ve all hoped for (and I hope he doesn’t see the field) this is a young man who showed he has very good FS skills in college.

Safety Bradley McDougald, who was a starter in Tampa Bay, has been brought in. He’s a very physical, instinctive, and hard hitting safety who has had a VERY good camp. The Hawks intend to use him on the field quite a bit and I personally believe that we’ll see some 4-2-5 from this Defense this year. There has been a lot of talk about a new “Cheetah” Package that the Seahawks are looking to employ, which (by its name) implies that it’s designed to have the speedier Seahawk Defenders on the field in order to chase guys down. We have yet to really see it rolled out.

The Hawks also looked to improve their overall speed in the secondary as well. They went out and drafted CB Shaq Griffin out of UCF to start opposite Richard Sherman. He had a great training camp and Preseason and won the starting job. He’s faster than Sherm and potentially I think could be better than him down the road. Rodgers could pick on him in this game, but this young guy is very talented.

The biggest addition of all though … came just this past week when the Hawks traded for Sheldon Richardson. They’d hoped that 2nd round choice Malik McDowell would be that guy, but he had to go be a young knucklehead and get himself injured on an ATV. I’d be shocked if we see him this season.

Anyway, Richardson is a BAD, BAD MAN. He’s one of those true game changing players out there who can honestly alter a game. This was just posted recently on Twitter, so I’ll share this here as well.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Coleman3SD/status/904727480157831169[/tweet]
[Click on TOP of that Twitter Link above. Coleman has an extensive breakdown of LOTS of game footage and how Sheldon Richardson impacted Brady and that the Patriots Offense.]

As I said, the biggest piece that the Seahawks have been missing since 2013 … is that real big dog player who can flush QB’s to those fast ends like Bennett, Avril, and Clark who can crash down and take them down. They've been missing an impact 3 Tech who can really shut things down right up the middle. The Hawks would appear to have found that final missing puzzle piece in Sheldon Richardson.

In general, what’s stood out to me this Preseason is that guys appear to be healthy once again. Earl Thomas looks like he’s finally back to his old self. Players like KJ Wright are flying to the football … and they’ve improved their overall depth.

Russell Wilson has his speed and mobility back (he was banged up most of last season as well) … and the running game appears to be markedly improved.

Before the Richardson trade, I would have agreed with you in saying that Green Bay was a 3 point favorite there at Lambeau Field. NOW … I don’t honestly know -- I’d call it more of a Pick ‘Em at this point. Should be fun and I agree … let’s pray no one gets seriously hurt in this game.

Good post. However, Chancellor held out in 2015 not last season. He was injured early last season and missed some time due to that.

 

[Hawkscanner]

I never thought this game would be easy. I think it generally leans Packers at Lambeau and goes the other way in Seattle. Rodgers shredded that defense last year (was the one game I attended) but Richardson is definitely a game changer. Should be fun to watch.

Hey, good to see you once again. It must be that time of year. Thanks for the insights regarding the Packers, the changes they made, and current status updates. I’ll do the same for you.

I remember that game quite well and in all honesty (and I think a lot of guys on this board will agree) in a lot of ways, this team was feeling the after-affects of that Super Bowl loss still. What I mean by that is that A LOT of guys actually came into the regular season still pretty banged up physically. Earl Thomas separated his shoulder in the SB and was a bit banged up. Richard Sherman dealt with a knee issue that ended up slowing him down all year long. Jeremy Lane also went down in the Super Bowl as well (that’s what really turned the tide). He was banged up much of last season I'd say.
Michael Bennett was never himself all last year I would argue. Other guys on that defense also were a bit banged up as well.

When Earl Thomas went down and was lost for the Season in the Panthers game in Week 13 last year -- right before the Hawks faced the Packers -- that’s when the flood gates really opened, as long shots down the field which hadn’t been open in years … were suddenly WIDE open. Since Earl has been there, we’ve always played single high safety … and with his recognition skills, speed, and make-up ability, we’ve always been able to do that (and to be amazingly successful), as he just plays deep Center Field and is able to take away so much. All of a sudden, that was gone. We had no one who could really fill in and do what he does. Steven Terrell (who’s now with the Chiefs) played FS in that game. That was a HUGE part of the reason why Aaron Rodgers was able to absolutely shred that defense.

THAT and the fact that the Seahawks struggled to get consistent pressure up the middle all season long. When this team went to and won the Super Bowl in 2013, a HUGE factor was that Seattle was able to get pressure right up the gut. Rookie Jarran Reed was drafted to replace Brandon Mebane (who was their 3 Tech who was able to do that) … and he didn’t have nearly the impact that many hoped he would. Quinton Jefferson (drafted in the 5th Round) was lost before the season and put on IR. So, getting pressure up the middle and being able to shut down running lanes up the gut was a big problem all year long.

Also, last year was also the year that Kam Chancellor held out … and when he came back, it took him quite a bit to get back up to speed. Seattle’s defense ended up missing that real physical nasty presence for much of the year.

Schneider, recognizing all of those deficits, went out and has addressed those issues. Seattle went out and drafted Tedric Thompson out of the Colorado in order to back up Earl. While he’s not had quite the Preseason that we’ve all hoped for (and I hope he doesn’t see the field) this is a young man who showed he has very good FS skills in college.

Safety Bradley McDougald, who was a starter in Tampa Bay, has been brought in. He’s a very physical, instinctive, and hard hitting safety who has had a VERY good camp. The Hawks intend to use him on the field quite a bit and I personally believe that we’ll see some 4-2-5 from this Defense this year. There has been a lot of talk about a new “Cheetah” Package that the Seahawks are looking to employ, which (by its name) implies that it’s designed to have the speedier Seahawk Defenders on the field in order to chase guys down. We have yet to really see it rolled out.

The Hawks also looked to improve their overall speed in the secondary as well. They went out and drafted CB Shaq Griffin out of UCF to start opposite Richard Sherman. He had a great training camp and Preseason and won the starting job. He’s faster than Sherm and potentially I think could be better than him down the road. Rodgers could pick on him in this game, but this young guy is very talented.

The biggest addition of all though … came just this past week when the Hawks traded for Sheldon Richardson. They’d hoped that 2nd round choice Malik McDowell would be that guy, but he had to go be a young knucklehead and get himself injured on an ATV. I’d be shocked if we see him this season.

Anyway, Richardson is a BAD, BAD MAN. He’s one of those true game changing players out there who can honestly alter a game. This was just posted recently on Twitter, so I’ll share this here as well.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Coleman3SD/status/904727480157831169[/tweet]
[Click on TOP of that Twitter Link above. Coleman has an extensive breakdown of LOTS of game footage and how Sheldon Richardson impacted Brady and that the Patriots Offense.]

As I said, the biggest piece that the Seahawks have been missing since 2013 … is that real big dog player who can flush QB’s to those fast ends like Bennett, Avril, and Clark who can crash down and take them down. They've been missing an impact 3 Tech who can really shut things down right up the middle. The Hawks would appear to have found that final missing puzzle piece in Sheldon Richardson.

In general, what’s stood out to me this Preseason is that guys appear to be healthy once again. Earl Thomas looks like he’s finally back to his old self. Players like KJ Wright are flying to the football … and they’ve improved their overall depth.

Russell Wilson has his speed and mobility back (he was banged up most of last season as well) … and the running game appears to be markedly improved.

Before the Richardson trade, I would have agreed with you in saying that Green Bay was a 3 point favorite there at Lambeau Field. NOW … I don’t honestly know -- I’d call it more of a Pick ‘Em at this point. Should be fun and I agree … let’s pray no one gets seriously hurt in this game.

Good post. However, Chancellor held out in 2015 not last season. He was injured early last season and missed some time due to that.

Ahhh ... you're right. I'm getting my years mixed up. I believe (like a lot of guys) that he was still a bit banged up from the Super Bowl though. It seemed like it took him a while to get back to being Bam Bam Kam. I'll amend that. Thanks.