Seahawks 23 - Bears 20
by John Morgan on Oct 17, 2010 1:54 PM PDT
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PrintI'm tempted to skate this, but here goes.
In the spirit of Field Gulls touchy feely new image, I have an apology to issue. I am stubborn person. Not, stubborn, bigoted, but stubborn, well, maybe overconfident.
Jon Ryan may not be the world's best punter. He still outkicks his coverage on occasion, and it's sort of fitting that he allowed a potentially devastating punt return after I decided I would write this. But Jon Ryan is a good punter, with a powerful leg, enough directional ability to pin teams inside their twenties, and all in all, a true asset at a position that's worth dozens of points of field position every season.
He's good. I was wrong. It was an interesting argument, for sure, and I'm happy to concede defeat.
While we're at it, statistics clearly do not properly measure the impact of a running back like Marshawn Lynch. His numbers today, well, they suck. Even accounting for the Bears run defense, there's no way Lynch doesn't look lousy to the box score skimmers and fantasy schmucks of the world. But Lynch was beastly, and his ability to moderate loss and pound forward and pound forward and pound forward, opened space over the middle for Matt Hasselbeck. It's crazy, Matt didn't look a whole lot better, but check his line and Hasselbeck completed 25 of 40 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown, in Soldier Field, against a legitimately good Bears pass defense.
Let's get to the game balls.
Julius Peppers neared the Okie Black Hole and was crushed to atoms. This wasn't a "hey anyone notice Tyler Polumbus hasn't sucked balls?" kind of left tackle performance. This was domination, contribution, a pull block that created a touchdown, a clean pocket and pristine blind side, this was Okung battling one of the best pass rushers in the NFL on the road, and winning snap after snap. I love this kid.
Jordan Babineaux, Roy Lewis .. and by that I mean, Gus Bradley.
Think it was 2007, Mike Holmgren called a pass to Maurice Morris up the left sideline and Morris caught it deep. Morris wasn't special, just good enough. The pass wasn't special, just good enough. Holmgren, the coach, as only seems possible in football, made the play. He targeted a weakness and attacked.
Seattle had 3.5 sacks by blitzing defensive backs, including a forced fumble and a safety. Blitzes were hugely disruptive. I don't know what got into Gus, but ever since San Diego, this defense has transformed. It looks, if I may invoke a hyperbolic but nevertheless reverential comparison, like Jim Johnson's zone blitz assault. It's exciting and effective, and, most of all, dominating without dominant talent.
Something new every week, and this week, a pass defense.
Lynch
Already said but worth repeating, this guy changed the Bears defense.
Back to doing what he does best and running strong.
Mare nullified an above average Bears kick return team. It's easy to forget how controversial this signing was.
Rookie corners are made to be burned, like oversized match heads covering a striking pad, but Thurmond wasn't too bad today pressed into emergency service, and against an offense built to target weak corners. I love this kid's potential. What he can contribute this season is gravy.
People won't remember this game, but Thomas was all over deep patterns. Jay Cutler looked more befuddled than normal, having his own personal pouty hoedown in the pocket, and it had a lot to do with nothing breaking free deep. Picks are awesome and all, and Thomas has many dozen more to grab in his Seahawks career, many Sundays to come that we will remember, but picks plus discipline is what separates Jairus Byrd from Ed Reed. Picks plus discipline is reason to be excited, and not a little.
Balmer showed up enough early on to convince the Bears to abandon the run, and whether his play would have held up or not, his fast start changed the game. Not a great game by Balmer by any stretch, but this kid is all tools and potential. I'll take a good game on the path towards something better.
And Matt
It didn't look pretty, and it wasn't, and for his contributions and his contributions alone, I wouldn't call this a particularly awesome game for Hasselbeck, but I'll take this kind of performance every damn Sunday.
We don't know how good the Bears truly are. I would wager, not very. Cutler is an absolute mess. Martz has possibly the worst playbook in the NFL. What can you say -- two guys ruined by early success. When I think of the Bears, I think, this a defense already battling injuries and age, this is an offense as likely to score for the opposition as themselves, and if a couple things break wrong, this is a team spiraling towards a miserable and franchise altering collapse. In other words, they are who we thought they were.
The Chicago Bears are a fringe contender and maybe less, but for the first time in a long time, Seattle didn't make a fringe contender look like the 92 Cowboys. The Seahawks traveled across the country and remembered to pack the whoop ass. Finished a game on the right side of panic.
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So would you contribute Mike Williams performance to Hasslebeck having a decent game? Or was that another good individual effort?
7 picks for 7 quarterbacks in Draft 2011! EFF IT!
by Seatown_Sport_Head321 on Oct 17, 2010 2:05 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I'd say that Hass is MUCH better when he's throwing the ball often to BMW
His makeup is the perfect life preserver for Hasselbeck’s floatgasm. I’d say Beamer is doing what Carlson hasn’t (so far): be a consistent short- to medium-yard pass-catcher.
I think Lynch's presence forced the safeties and linebackers out of coverage
even if for only an instant, and I think that led to more wide open looks for Matt.
Jesus, I sound like an old football hack. Run to set up the pass, and all that.
Well, this team can no longer afford to pass to set up the run
Whatever BEAST FORCE can do to open things up for Hass, the better. But in the long run (this season) our passing game will do better if Hass remembers to frequently look for #17.
In case
Carlson is more of a Holmgren-West-Coast-Offense TE than a Bates-Coast-Offense TE. Bates’ offense is gonna call for him to block more than pass catch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCK7njbgDO8
Prepare for scare
"It's always a bad play when the other team scores." - John Madden
by jubelthebear on Oct 17, 2010 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Unfortunately, he had a couple bad drops
He would have had a good gain if he decided to catch the ball. Screwed me in fantasy because of it
Williams + Bates was a big contribution
Mike Williams is apparently large. As I understand things, that makes him valuable running 15-25 yards down the sideline where he can outreach and out-body a corner without having to outrun him.
But just like a great fastball pitcher needs a change-up, a big-bodied receiver needs another move. If the corner plays back and to the outside, or if they put a bigger, slower corner on him, Williams should be able to exploit that with his change-up.
And that’s what I saw: Williams getting the ball on inside slants instead of Matt trying to force a jump ball down the sideline.
So, is Lawyer Milloy our Red Dragon?
He only gets more bad ass as he ages?
For the first time in awhile that was a really fun game to watch. I wasn’t panicking like the Chargers game, or pleasantly content like the Ninets game.
by DJ C-Raig on Oct 17, 2010 2:06 PM PDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
It's also very clear
That the team is buying in to Carroll. I think he’s changed the mentality of the team, and we won’t see them quit like they did on Mora last year.
by splintrdmind on Oct 17, 2010 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions
He's the kind of boss I'd sacrifice for
Just personally, and I wouldn’t last a day at Camp Singletary.
by John Morgan on Oct 17, 2010 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Neither would I
But Pete seems like he’d be a hell of a guy to work for.
by splintrdmind on Oct 17, 2010 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions
He's the kind of boss you want to succeed (as an employee)
So you won’t end up getting stuck with a hard-ass like Singletary.
I wouldn't
That rah-rah-rah never clicks with me
But if it works for the players, I’m all for it
by Thomas Beekers on Oct 17, 2010 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Pete's status as rah-rah is overrated
Due to the media. From a competition standpoint, he’s not at all soft. He’s pretty ruthless when it comes to giving guys spots and jobs.
by PerryCollective on Oct 17, 2010 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions
"Big Balls Pete" is not an accidental nickname.
The dude will play-call to embarrass late in games, too. Look at some of the shit he did at USC.
Nice write up
My fucking DVR crapped the bed, so I only got to watch the 4th quarter. Hope they play this on NFL network later this week.
Let me guess.
You have Comcast and a Motorola box? Worst pieces of shit ever made.
by It's Good To Be King on Oct 17, 2010 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions
I had a lot of trouble with the Motorla router that Qwest rented to my family
when we still had their Internet service. It seems that Motorola is only good at making phones.
This combination is
exactly the reason I left for Dish Network. God I hate those Motorola DVRs comcast has used for years…
It's good to know it's not just
that everyone I know has had an incredible run of bad luck. What I wouldn’t give to have my TiVO technology put in a Comcast box.
by It's Good To Be King on Oct 17, 2010 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions
I think an HTPC with Windows Media Center is the way to go
A build guide here. It’s not plug and play but I think the extra effort is definitely worth it.
That's what I've been rocking for 5 years now.
Ironically the only time it randomly skipped a recording was XL.
Since you missed it. allow me to tell you how the game went:
The Seahawks got fucked with their pants still on.
GOD DAMMIT.
Uncontrollable rage. Apparently, I got so shit-faced in the first half (this is my freshman year at Western, in Buchanan Towers, mind you), that I was crying and bleeding all over myself at the end of the game. Needless to say, I did not bang the chick that invited me ever again.
Same!
That’s hilarious because that is the exact same for me. It was my freshman year at Western also and I lived in BT at the time. We were the people yelling on the 3rd floor, where were you at?
I was on 7th, I think.
I transferred my ass to UW. Dude. The whole campus was absolutely, thoroughly and morosely hammered that evening. My roomie was a great friend from HS and he almost kicked my ass out of the room and onto the couch in the common area.
That chick was cute, too. Is it bad that I almost prefer my outrageously troubling reaction to XL to something, y’know, normal? Fuck you pussy fanboys, I literally put blood and tears into that game.
It was a win and more importantly
It was a win that no one can take away with from us with some excuse. You can’t say that they beat themselves. We beat them. We won on offense and defense.
I’m sure that the national guys will still just talk about Chicago and we will be the afterthought, but I know what the reality is.
We were the better team.
Always...ungh...compete...ungh
inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
by shams on Oct 17, 2010 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
He's also borderline
psychotic. I don’t think he ever stops thinking about football. I sat in front of him on a flight from LAX to Seattle. He did not stop talking about football the entire flight. He was scheming plays and talking about blitz’s, etc. I still wonder who was sitting next to him (this was right after he was announced as head coach).
I guess you can call that passionate or something – don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about Carroll. He still is one strange dude.
Matt's numbers would be more impressive if you factor in the drops
There were at least 4 I can think of off-hand that should have been catches. Plus he didn’t throw a pick. I know, amazing right?
Sure, especially since I can remember at least two certifiable drops.
Just reflecting on stats and football.
And I’m a math guy. Or, maybe, a reformed math guy.
I'm glad you acknowledge, though, the true difficulty of applying advanced mathematics to football.
It’s nice to switch up between here and Lookout Landing for that precise reason. Football is all dynamism; baseball is in the percentages.
It works both ways though. There were a few catches that saved Matt from having awful throws.
by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 17, 2010 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions
But thats not to discredit Matt either.
Because like John said – I would take this type of game from him every god damn sunday.
by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 17, 2010 2:31 PM PDT up reply actions
I was verry happy for Curry getting a sack
Offensively the skill position players we have right now are really making me optimistic. Now we need an above-average QB.
Michael Robinson leads the Seahawks in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, and QB rating.
What I loved about Curry's sack is that it was like a good sack that turned into a hustle sack
Curry is someone that two years from now, we might wonder who the hell is this unstoppable, ass kicking monster and where’d the sloppy kid that hustled his butt off but botched every other play go?
by John Morgan on Oct 17, 2010 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Curry is progressing
Sure we want to see a full blown monster the next game but if he continues to take small steps through out this season he’ll soon be busting heads every play without flags or anything…
Curry, BMFMW, Okung, ET and also in some respect Butler are growing every game.
Confuscius say- "Baseball wrong. Man with four balls cannot walk."
by Outside Contain on Oct 17, 2010 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions
I hope we see more of the same next week
The Cards’ o-line may be nearly as weak as the Bears’. And I have much less respect for Beanie Wells than Matt Forte.
Really?
Beanie ran pretty well against us last year.
Though they sink through the Sea, they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion...
He also had Kurt Warner then
I’m not so sure we’re going to respect Max Hall the same way.
I'm pretty sure
they’re gonna rub their balls all over his face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCK7njbgDO8
Prepare for scare
"It's always a bad play when the other team scores." - John Madden
by jubelthebear on Oct 17, 2010 9:02 PM PDT up reply actions
add beastforce, thurmond, and i guess tate..
do we have more “talent” than what the niners supposedly have?
I dunno about that
The Niners are hard to judge because they’re so horribly coached. Their talents are still legit.
by Thomas Beekers on Oct 17, 2010 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
If the Niners had
a good coach and a good QB, they’d be a dangerous team.
by splintrdmind on Oct 17, 2010 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions
HAHAHA
Their failure is so epically delightful.
Interesting to think
That if they get a better coach and QB, you could have 3 or 4 really good teams in this division over the next few years.
by splintrdmind on Oct 17, 2010 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, right now
It’s probably not one of the best divisions. But I’d say the Niners, Hawks, and Rams are all only a few pieces away from being really good. Not sure where Arizona’s at.
by splintrdmind on Oct 17, 2010 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Pundits are never wrong!
Even when they openly contradict something they said just a few weeks ago. It doesn’t matter what has happened, just as long as the facts can fit whatever narrative they make up.
Time for realignment when the NFC West finishes at 9-7
and hosts a 9-7 wild card team. FavreTebow hand job hand job.
it seemed like curry was out for a lot of the plays?
is he taken out during passing downs? they did pass a lot.
He definitely helped on the run.
Michael Robinson leads the Seahawks in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, and QB rating.
Herring is a really, really good coverage LB
Except for Curry’s sack and Lofa’s tip, didn’t notice much from the Seahawk LBs this week. That might be due to the Bears poor rushing attack and lack of short passing game.
I noticed some two crap whiffs by Herring
Why do they send him out to rush anyone?
Michael Robinson leads the Seahawks in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, and QB rating.
Who the fuck thought Babs would have two sacks and a safety?
Rushing Herring must mean the Seahawks are willing to rush anyone at any given time.
3rd Down Blues....
Wow, that was refreshing….to see our “D” off the field, that’s my game ball!
"A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on. A psychotic is a guy who's just found out what's going on."
You know what was really nice?
I only saw one three man rush. And if it happened again I assume it was at 23-13.
Michael Robinson leads the Seahawks in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, and QB rating.
The Giants game proved the Bears are extremely vulnerable to a decent pass rush
I think Carroll/Bradley noticed
The Bears seem to be vulnerable to defense.
I am willing to bet the Bears have allowed 30 sacks already.
Michael Robinson leads the Seahawks in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, and QB rating.
Did Chicago record a sack all game?
I think they caught Hass twice. Once on the should’ve been grounding play, and then the weird flip to Leon.
Okung was excellent.
Michael Robinson leads the Seahawks in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, and QB rating.
Yes, and they got good pressure on Matt a few times
I’m glad we survived an EPIC Hasseltoss that could have totally screwed us over. Overall, the o-line looked really good against a really good Bears D.
Actually, the answer is no.
They did not record a sack. Hits. Knockdowns. Pressures. But no sacks.
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
The pull block he laid on Urlacher during the Force TD
Was amazing.
by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 17, 2010 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Urlacher was brought in to the EZ by Okung.
That’s a good play for a rookie…
Confuscius say- "Baseball wrong. Man with four balls cannot walk."
by Outside Contain on Oct 17, 2010 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions
That block was vinatge Walter Jones.
OOOOOH!!!!! That was NASTY!!!!!!!!
by bmxnw on Oct 17, 2010 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
The pass was deflected by the end.
Terrible or not, that pass was deflected down by the chicago end after Hassletoss, and you can’t have grounding on a deflected pass.
I thought the same thing in regards to lynch's performance.
Good to have beast mode in a hawks uni.
by nickfru1 on Oct 17, 2010 2:26 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
This is something I've thought about but haven't had a place to write
How smart was it to sit Okung when he got sore two Sundays ago?
That, that is brilliant coaching.
by John Morgan on Oct 17, 2010 2:35 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Seriously.
I have so enjoyed this coaching staffs philosophy on smarts over “dirtbags” or “tough” play. Play to win dammit.
Pulling a player before he can severely hurt himself
Not going balls-out all the time in practice
This is smart, smart coaching.
Before the game it was mentioned that Okung would play some snaps
but not necessarily the whole game.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, probably not as smart as not even running him out there.
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
Okung didn't re-injure himself in St. Louis
He’s still rehabbing a soft tissue injury that cause him pain off-and-on for some time. The purpose of playing him at St. Louis was that he was one of the most healthy OTs and should have had some game time experience before having to face Julius Peppers in game 6. Had he not had a chance to get the rookie jitters out of his system against a more forgiving defense, he may have looked a lot worse today.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
I disagree with that.
Polumbus and Lock to start the game were every bit as healthy as Okung. With the bye looming, there was no reason to run him out there to simply lessen the jitters he might or might not have, facing Peppers.
I never suggested he re-injured himself. But I am saying that he was not as healthy as he would have been, had he not played. That is, your franchise LT says his ankle is still hurting and you pull him is not as smart as not playing him at all when it was rather unnecessary, all things considered.
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
Locklear sat out more practices that week than Okung did
we have no way of knowing who was more injured in that game, but Locklear definitely struggled after being put back in.
At some point, every football player is going to be banged up and no football player is at 100% on the field. There’s no evidence that Okung’s play in St. Louis negatively affected his recovery.
Playing him earlier, in a less unfriendly environment meant that he wouldn’t have to start his first game on the road in Soldier Field facing Julius Peppers. That sounds like a good idea to me.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Both games were on the road.
These are grown men you realize. Unfriendly? I believe the fans make more of that that the players.
In any case, of course they are all banged up a bit. But starting your franchise LT just to get his feet wet in spite of an injury that had sidelined him for weeks, when it seems clear he wasn’t healthy enough to play, makes little sense to me. Compounded by the fact you have the bye the very next week. HIs career is a bit more important than a mid October matchup against Peppers in his rookie season. I other words, I fail to believe playing less than 1 quarter on a gimpy ankle in St. Louis prepared him to play better today.
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
Your beliefs and my beliefs are built on conjecture and supposition
To be honest, neither of us have any idea how healthy or unhealthy Okung was or is. Neither of us have any idea how Okung would have held up if he’d had his first start against an elite pass-rusher in tough road stadium than against Chris Long and Co in a much quieter dome. Calling what happened a bad decision assumes we have access to a lot more information than we do.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I didn't call starting him a bad decision. That's what you want me to be saying.
To summarize; John asked “How smart was it to sit Okung when he got sore two Sundays ago?”. To which I responded “Well, probably not as smart as not even running him out there.” From there you seemed to suggest I implied he re-injured himself (I did not) and that I was “Calling what happened a bad decision”, which I’m not exactly either.
What I am saying is this (again); knowing he wasn’t healthy (which they did), starting him against the Rams was puzzling to me, when it was unnecessary. And in the context of pulling your franchise LT when not healthy as “smart” (It’s not. It’s common sense) then not playing him at all would have been that much wiser.
Do you see now?
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
You're suggesting there's some harm (or risk of harm) in playing him at all
when you say:
probably not as smart as not even running him out there.
or
he was not as healthy as he would have been, had he not played.
All of this is based on fact-free conjecture. At the very least google “sprained ankle” and cite something about sprained ankle recovery from WebMD.
Whether or not you think the decision to play Okung was necessary or not, you really don’t have access to any of the cogent facts on which to make a judgement call (whether that judgement call is based on any relevant training or experience).
There’s a whole lot of critical details about this situation that you don’t know at all, yet you’re pretty sure you’ve got the right idea about when to start Okung and Carroll doesn’t. You don’t really have one relevant fact to support your argument except saying that it is “common sense”.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 8:06 PM PDT up reply actions
It clear you are choosing not to read what I have said in context.
Fact; Okung missed more than a month with high ankle sprain.
Fact; According to Carroll, he did not re-injure it, but it provided enough pain (soreness) to remove him from the game after 26 snaps.
Conclusion; While pulling him from the game may have been smart and using that as a baseline, I am of the opinion not starting him at all would have been smarter as a precautionary measure with the bye the following week.
I am unsure how citing something from WebMD about ankle sprains is relevant here. To start, it was a high ankle sprain which is different from an ankle sprain. Ankle sprains are the stretching (or tearing) of ligaments that connect the bones of the foot and ankle. A high ankle sprain is the stretching (or tearing) of ligaments that connect the lower leg bones above the ankle. They are more severe and take longer to heal. In addition, we don’t know the severity so any timetable given on the web would be guesswork.
If to you, none of that is relevant, so be it. At this point I am done trying to explain my opinion. The conversation is laid out very plainly, if you start at the beginning rather than choosing piecemeal parts you take issue with.
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
Did they really know he wasn't healthy for the Rams game?
Maybe the ankle looked healthy enough to the trainers to clear him. And maybe it actually is smarter even if they did have to pull him or limit his snaps for that game to give him some reps.
by jacobstevens on Oct 18, 2010 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions
We can't say "franchise LT" yet, guys.
We are heavily invested in his success, so maybe your logic holds, but for a very different reason.
And how did the coaches know that Okung was sore?
Kudos to Okung, too, for being smart enough to inform the training staff instead of toughing it out.
by Jason_D on Oct 18, 2010 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Do we have word on if our punter is dead?
Worst hit on a redhead since Jay Leno on Conan.
JSWO - Josh Scobey World Order 4 Life!
by Christian on Oct 17, 2010 2:35 PM PDT reply actions 8 recs
I credit his mullet & 'stache combo for saving his life
A clean-shaven man would have died right on the spot. It’s science, people.
by J.L. White on Oct 17, 2010 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 8 recs
I think he just had the wind knocked out of him
Karma police, arrest this man.
by wyte_lightning on Oct 17, 2010 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions
This game felt good.
It’s nice to see some of your talent getting better each week.
(Oops.)
I missed the subject line on that last reply. Doh!
You are 0 for 3 so far but don't fret.
You are still kicking A Smiths arse.. ;)
Confuscius say- "Baseball wrong. Man with four balls cannot walk."
by Outside Contain on Oct 17, 2010 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions
You might wanna put a comma there.
by aerozeppelin on Oct 17, 2010 5:25 PM PDT up reply actions 7 recs
It was either the bruh or the sheep
There’s no easy way to pledge a frat.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 5:40 PM PDT up reply actions 6 recs
Not that there's anything wrong with that...
by aerozeppelin on Oct 17, 2010 5:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Peter Singer agrees with you.
I’m not sold, but I tend to side with Singer.
inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
As I said above...
I managed to get blacked-out, crying-bitch-status and bloody following XL, and WWU does NOT rpt NOT have frats.
Or maybe I’m an alcoholic.
I'm curious what caused the bleeding.
I am going to come into your house at night and rec up the place.
While I'm not much into "momentum" and "belief systems"
I do wonder if this win offers a psychological break for this team. Especially players like Matt who have been here forever and know all of the epic road woes over the years. All of the sudden any road game against a non-elite team becomes a potential victory. A 5-2 start seems deliciously possible. I’m loving the Schneider-Carrol regime.
Psychologically factors play into sports, just like they do every facet of life affected by... well, life.
It’s their measurability that’s difficult.
I'm not even sure you need the "non-elite" qualifier there
Sure, in hindsight Chicago looks terrible, but they were 4 – 1 and favored about as heavily as you can favor any team.
I am going to come into your house at night and rec up the place.
Oh, I thought it was -7
Also, I didn’t notice that both CLE and Detroit had way worse odds. So forgive the hyperbole.
I am going to come into your house at night and rec up the place.
This was the first game I felt comfortable watching in a long time.
The defense was playing so well that I believed the 10-point lead with 15 minutes to go would hold up. Only a special teams mistake kept Chicago in the game at the end.
We have a running back. Now we need a quarterback.
I thought today was best case scenario for Matt. He really is pretty decent if he's not tap dancing in the pocket.
Okung seems to have the potential to completely change our passing potential.
If that is the best we can expect from Hasselbeck, then imagine what a better QB could do.
I can live with games like this from Matt, but I will not settle as this being the standard expectation from our QB.
Oh I agree I want more from a Quarterback. But if Beast Mode can take the pressure off
than teams have made the playoffs with worse QB’s. But yeah, Matt will probably never be the primary reason for a victory again.
by TheBishop on Oct 17, 2010 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
Just thinking it’s much easier to pick your next QB when you are at maximum desperation. Merely moderate desperation (MMD) will allow cooler heads to prevail.
by PerryCollective on Oct 17, 2010 5:37 PM PDT up reply actions
No turnovers by either team
Correct me if I am wrong but I understand that that’s pretty unusual.
Im Suprised Hasselbeck didn't lose the ball...
I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul - Invictus
Does Marshawn dream of electric sheep?
by DJ C-Raig on Oct 17, 2010 3:05 PM PDT via mobile reply actions 3 recs
Good tweets out there Craig
You on them?
(also rec’d)
by Thomas Beekers on Oct 17, 2010 3:06 PM PDT up reply actions
I was reading them.
I’ll start that up now.
by DJ C-Raig on Oct 17, 2010 3:19 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Missed the entire game, (Texans season tix holder)
Someone sum this up for me in one sentence
Split Seahawks/Texans fan. Don't like it? Don't care.
He used to have it
But then it cleared up. Penicillin works wonders.
by Buster! on Oct 17, 2010 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
John - This is encouraging!
I feel like it’s been a while since you’ve been this positive towards our Hawks…Much deserved too.
I felt like I was witnessing the beginning of something special today. The coaching is the key, with the additional playmakers coming from the next couple of drafts. Marshawn’s stats don’t give his play today justice, and the run D might just be the best in the NFL.
I’m on such a high right now that someone needs to kick me in the nuts to neutralize me.
GO HAAAAAAAWKS!
Ka-Kaaa!
I was wrong
I am happy to admit that I was wrong. I felt this team had next to no shot at beating the Bears on the road, and I was wrong. Beast Mode has added a certain mean streak to an otherwise wussified offense, to say nothing of Okung and the amazing, no…DOMINATING job he did on Peppers.
Again, I was wrong. And I am so happy.
John Hancock
Man I was just happy for "Ride the Whip."
I had completely forgotten about that shit. Was he disciplined? Grand theft… injury cart?
I don't understand something.
He’s good. I was wrong. It was an interesting argument, for sure, and I happy to concede defeat.
Why were you wrong? He did suck when Seattle signed him from Green Bay. Low scuds through the end zone and high shanks were the norm. But he’s gotten better. Clearly and significantly. Yes, he is good now. But that doesn’t somehow devalue your initial assessment (and really every assessment up until the late stages of last season and through today).
It’s not either or, as I see it. Because he was once awful and you correctly said as much, does not mean that he can’t improve and you are forever held to his past despite current success.
If it makes you feel any better, you can criticize the horribly inept and potentially devastating decision to kick it to Hester late in the 4th.
I'm gonna go calm submissive on your ass.
He was supposed to kick it out of bounds
Just wasn’t accurate.
by Spin Forever on Oct 17, 2010 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Can we agree that
Thunder + Lightning > Lightning alone?
I didn’t have a shred of hope that we’d take this one but am glad to be wrong.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 3:53 PM PDT reply actions
I agree
BeastForce was awesome. Lynch definitely contributed even if the numbers army that great. Lynch smashed the D and Forsett got em when they were tired. I’m very impressed, I would like to see Leon “Seattle” Washington aka “Neon” Leon getting some carries to mix it up though. The run game is alive and well!
by PhoneHomeET29 on Oct 17, 2010 5:37 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
funny note from the Seattle Times
“Seattle’s victory was its first in a 10 a.m. Pacific start against an opponent with a winning record since it beat Minnesota 27-23 on Dec. 12, 2004. The Vikings were 7-5 entering that game.”
our long nightmare is over!
Holy smokes...
I was at that Minnesota game. It seems like such a long time ago. Puts things in perspective.
Ugh, I was a JR in high school.
UW, just give me my damn degree. Please. Fucking transfer req’s. Or should I be grateful because I was in the U-Dist during yesterday’s barnburner? I’m still holding out irrational, man-crush fueled hope that Locker somehow, anyhow stays home. He committed as a blue-chip to a crumbling program, ignored several million more from the Angels (and the bonus he may have to pay back upon being drafted into the NFL) to stay home.
Let us kneel in prayer, my children. Let O Locker ye Locker stay home. Pleeeease. I was raised in Boston, but never took to their teams, and moved here, and now look at me. I drink when we lose. GIVE ME MY MAN CRUSH OR I’LL START KILLIN’ BITCHES.
What's really crazy about that was winnning against the Vikings,
after giving up a 41 yard INT return to Brian Russell.
by Mind of no mind on Oct 17, 2010 11:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Don't forget to give lady luck her due!
Saving that fumble with a false start, and the holding call that nullified the Bears TD, were great saves for us today. Better make sure you get your burnt offerings onto the local altar tonight!
Yeah, but the fumble was because of the false start.
If nobody jumps the ball’s going to be snapped and not fumbled. The rule makes sense.
by B.B.Finnegan on Oct 17, 2010 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Don't forget to give the officials their due, then
Multiple uncalled obvious holdings in the first half on passing plays. A holding call on the 2 that easily could’ve gone against the bears in the endzone. An intentional grounding in the endzone on Cutler that wasn’t called for reasons that continue to baffle me. A pretty borderline 50 yd PI call.
I’m not sure if you actually watched the game, but the Hawks won today DESPITE the officials, not because of them.
Officials? Well, o-kay-
Even the Zebra Gods demand their sacrifices! Thank who ever you want, I’m thanking our lucky stars tonight!
A win on the road! How exciting.
What a game. Forsett looks much better when he’s not the lead back. Also, how many of those shotgun draws did we see? There was a lot. Someone’s been reading Field Gulls. Lynch is also fun as hell to watch, even when it’s a one yard gain.
And Okung! Wow. I know Peppers is getting old, but hell of a job for his first full game.
Next weeks game is a big one. Can’t wait.
Why do draws never, NEVER work in Madden?
I swear to God, I’m a master at that game and whenever I expect outside pressure, I call it, and even when the dice came up rosy it’s a tackle for a loss.
I agreed with your old assessment of Ryan.
He was awful for a while. He sure has been good the last year or so though.
Okay.... I'm in.
Big win today
I’m from Mass and I’m looking into flying out for a home game. What would be the best game to go to? The first one that jumps out at me is the Giants game just because of that overtime thriller the last (I think the last) time they came to Qwest. But the Chiefs, Falcons, or a division game are options too. Any suggestions?
None of the divisional games.
QWEST is great regardless, so you’ll have fun, but this division is so raggedly unpredictable from week-to-week that you may wanna go with something more… uh; predictable.
Actually the last time we played them was in 2006 the week after they complained about Qwest pumping in noise
We jumped out to a 42-0 lead.
Any of those 3 you mentioned will be good--the divisional games, as said below, seem to be unpredictable.
Weather wise, I think December games (Falcons?) might be better. I’ve had bad luck getting rained on in November, and there seems to be less rain (or more snow, which makes things incredibly fun) in December.
I am going to come into your house at night and rec up the place.
I cant wait to see....
John’s breakdown on how Beast-Mode’s presence helped our offense. I saw a ton of in-game commentary about possibly opening the middle up for Matt.
In a world hyper-focused on statistics being used as a measuring stick, I want…. no I NEED… to see John’s pragmatic analysis of how Lynch may be helping this team without having to put up gaudy stats.
If in fact, we are seeing what we think we are seeing….
…I may have fully turned the corner on Pete and John’s regime. Outcome is no longer an important variable in the immediate future…the process finally is looking right, and good process is typically rewarded with good results in the end.
What evidence do you have of good process?
And what evidence have we had that the process may have been bad?
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Don't be a dick.
We just beat a 4-1 team on the road. Bam. Evidence.
by somethingwitty on Oct 17, 2010 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh
Maybe misread your comment a bit. Sorry.
by somethingwitty on Oct 17, 2010 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions
No problem
I’d have the same response to someone crapping on this awesome victory.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 17, 2010 10:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Nah, I 've followed many of your posts over the last few months...
I didn’t take it the wrong way at all.
Absolutely none either way...
That’s what I’m searching for… probably what we are all looking for.
This isn’t about a pissing contest, so I dont want to link threads or name names, but many in this community have unilaterally declared the FO’s moves “bad process” in summary….
I would be happier than a puppy with two peters to have some sort of validation that my beloved Seahawks are heading in the right direction.
Thats the problem though
Even now, no one really knows what the process is. You have to fill in lots of blanks and guess at it. Everytime there is a move that people dislike they throw around the bad process comment, without fully understanding the process. When we do something good we say it must be good process. Without being in the meetings, we don’t know what the process is and we never will. All we can do is judge results. Big results and little results, but not the actual process.
As far as I know
the good process/bad process rubric comes from fans of baseball. In baseball, fans have access to types of statistics that can properly predict productivity for players. Fans with a solid understanding of stats can look at a trade and figure out pretty well how it will affect the team, not having to rely on baseball experience. They can tell if it was a good trade (good process) or bad trade (bad process) before the player ever takes the field.
For a number of reasons, it doesn’t work nearly as well in football: the stats are (mostly) horrible, the season is very short, the number of plays is smaller (making randomness or luck a bigger factor), the players’ performance is too interconnected, coaching strategy is more important and injuries are more common. The average football fan can’t look at a trade and determine whether it was a good trade or a bad trade with anywhere near the success that an average baseball fan can. There are just too many interconnected parts and too few effective analytical tools to be able to make a precise judgement.
The problem comes in when people improperly use this good process/bad process rubric using “gut feelings” or “common sense” instead of the powerful statistical tools it was based on. You get guys calling trades “bad process” because they like a player or didn’t like the return, not because there’s a strong statistical basis to do so.
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 18, 2010 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions
The other part of the story is process vs results
In baseball, the high sample size (many plays per game, many games per season) means that poor process (trading a better player for a worse one) will likely have poor results (if not in the short term, then over a longer term). In football, the sample size is much smaller and depend on confounding variables (play of teammates, strategy of the coach, unforseen injuries, “luck”, etc), so “bad process” (or good process) will less frequently have bad results (or good results).
by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Oct 18, 2010 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Exactly right.
I would say that the more often, and the more convincing the good results become, the more probable it becomes “good process”.
Good results mixed with horrible results over an extended period of time may mean something else.
I think my original point is that I am beginning to feel good about the direction we are going (even in defeat ie. Broncos). It feels like progress and therefore encourages me that we may be seeing “good process” at work.
by iverson2169 on Oct 20, 2010 12:12 AM PDT up reply actions
A quality win against a legitimate opponent.
For all the breakdowns, let us keep in mind that the Bears were kicking the crap out of better offenses than this one, especially on the ground, and their offense was not exactly chopped liver with Cutler, Forte and co.
And, for the “must have a franchise QB or else” fantasy-stat-for-brains contingent, allow me to submit a formula that has won many games, and Super Bowls:
Great Offensive line + respectable running game + ability to convert 3rd downs = wins, even if the janitor (Dilfer, E. Manning, Hasselbeck, rapistburger with a 20something rating in XL) is under center. Or we could be Detroit, with a legitimate franchise QB out because he had no line or run support.
by bleedshawkblue on Oct 17, 2010 11:35 PM PDT reply actions
Did we just see a brand new defensive set?
Bryant moved to the right side (after establishing some run stops on the left), extra safeties as blitzers, Clemons not used as much.
by Groundhog on Oct 18, 2010 4:55 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
The most glorious part of the afternoon for me
Was seeing BMW catch that ball, get knocked down at the one, and watching for #24 to lineup single back and knowing we were going to score. How great is it to have an RB that you believe in to get those yards?
I mean, really, to say nothing of the 3-4 times he turned what absolutely should have been runs stopped for a loss into getting at least back to the line of scrimmage. His final numbers weren’t impressive, but damn, he sure was.
It’s a good day to be a Hawks fan!
Absolutely agree -- Beast was Beastly and his stats don't show his impact on the game
Many times he was hit in the backfield and turned it into something positive. Pretty demoralizing for the Bear’s D. Love having him on our team.
Does that stat only count positive yardage?
As others have pointed out, he deserves credit for getting back to the LOS on several plays and the stats should reflect that.
inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Good question, I'm not entirely sure
Obviously his yards from scrimmage weren’t terribly impressive, which is why i thought yards-after-contact would more represent his value yesterday. But if they don’t account for contact in the backfield, it would be a rather useless measure in this case.
by SmartAssCoug on Oct 18, 2010 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions
It's a good stat in general though, I would think.
Here’s a Lynch stat I love: we got him for a fourth-round pick. And we probably don’t win yesterday without him.
inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
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