Deon Butler Spears the Reception

Notes on Seattle's Third Offensive Drive

As much as I would like to break down every play in exhaustive detail, there is a time and place where notes are in order. I will attempt to capture the essence of drives in notes format and break down in full specific plays. I also have a plan for a diagrammed, annotated and scouted drive per game. Something like "The Defining Drive..." That should debut sometime in the coming two weeks.

When we left off, the Seahawks and Broncos had traded jabs and they had traded haymakers. Denver was ahead in the points. Seattle countered with a stalled drive.

4. T.J. Duckett ran for eight. He didn't have a hole, he hardly had a seam, and Dumervil was tackling him before he reached the line of scrimmage. Duckett fought him off, cut in and fought through traffic to earn eight on second and ten. Damn.

3. Justin Forsett gained three yards on the first honest to goodness successful zone blocking play of the game. Seattle's two tight ends were aligned right, and at the snap, both initially moved to seal the interior. John Carlson engaged and moved out Elvis Dumervil. Sean Locklear and Rob Sims pulled left and in front of Forsett. Locklear took over the block on Dumervil, showing good squaring and securing of a block in space, but Sims ran past his assignment, inside linebacker Andra Davis. Confusion. Davis could have been Locklear's assignment. Carlson could have been responsible to release Dumervil and engage Davis. Sims should have blocked Davis rather than passing him, but this is a chemistry problem. Everyone is still learning where everyone else will be and who everyone else will tackle.

2. The Broncos ended Seattle's drive with a well hidden set of stunts that wreaked havoc on the Seahawks interior line.

Sea: 2 WR (left), WR (right), TE (right), RB

Brc: 3-3 (6)

The Broncos have six members of their front six walked up to the line of scrimmage. Inside linebackers are pressuring from within the wide split between the nose tackle and left defensive end. The defensive line is shifted right. Normal inside linebacker Andra Davis is outside right, in the designated rush linebacker position. At the snap, both inside linebackers feign blitz and split into double hook zones. The left defensive end and nose tackle rush hard left and right, respectively. The right defensive end and Davis motion towards the line of scrimmage and then curl up and over their teammate and attack the middle. It's perfectly executed and Seattle's interior offensive line struggles to stop it. Matt Hasselbeck senses his tenuous pocket and fires at Carlson. It's called a miscommunication, but I think it's equally likely it was a throw away.

1. On third and eight, Deon Butler received for 13 and the first. He made a diving, rolling catch on a pass that nearly hit him in the helmet. Converting the first on third and eight is a successful play, but by diving into a pass that wasn't overthrown, Butler sacrificed good separation and a chance for excellent yards after the catch. Eyes on the ball Butler.