Seahawks Tie With a Little Improvisation
by John Morgan on Aug 23, 2010 3:15 PM PDT
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Josh Wilson sprinted Seattle to the Green Bay 49. Matt Hasselbeck did the rest.
1-10-GB 49 (11:04) 20-J.Forsett right tackle to GB 48 for 1 yard (51-B.Poppinga, 55-D.Bishop).
John Carlson is forced back and shed by Brady Poppinga. That more or less ends the plays.
Of note: Mansfield Wrotto throws a decent but ineffective cut block. Very good push from the Seahawks interior offensive line.
2-9-GB 48 (10:31) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass deep right to 1-M.Williams pushed ob at GB 31 for 17 yards (42-M.Burnett).
Very interesting play, and very close to not working.
Seattle splits three wide and that forces Green Bay into its preferred nickel package: 2-4. The 2-4 is good because pass rush can be generated from about anywhere.
Mike Williams motions in. He gets wide open on a corner route with a little help from Deion Branch. Branch runs up and then shakes and bakes and shakes and bakes and shakes and shakes and that somehow freezes both nickel, Pat Lee, and corner, Brandon Underwood. Al Harris would have injured Branch and been done with it.
Rob Francois times the snap, blitzes from the interior and pops and staggers Spencer, but Spencer quickly recovers and holds ground. This makes the play. Desmond Bishop attempts to loop around and through the gap between Spencer and Max Unger. Justin Forsett mis-reads the blitz and runs into Spencer's back. He needs to be ready for Bishop but blows the block. Luckily, the space is negligible and Bishop trips attempting to navigate it.
Hasselbeck finds Williams free for 17.
1-10-GB 31 (10:07) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh to GB 17 for 14 yards (33-B.Underwood) [51-B.Poppinga].
Mansfield Wrotto blocks the right defensive end. Quinton Ganther gets the tough assignment but shades and contains blitzing linebacker Brandon Chillar. Sean Locklear is bullied back by Poppinga and Poppinga pushes through Locklear to hit Hasselbeck just after he throws. Matt completes a zippy, accurate pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh curling in front of Underwood.
1-10-GB 17 (9:25) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short left to 1-M.Williams to GB 11 for 6 yards (22-P.Lee, 36-N.Collins).
Williams runs under and opposite play action right. Hasselbeck runs towards the left flat and lobs it to Williams. Not a horse ton to see here.
2-4-GB 11 (8:43) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short left to 83-D.Branch for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN. WATCH HIGHLIGHT
Housh flashes wide open in the right flat. I still do not understand fully why Hasselbeck chooses not to target Houshmandzadeh, but he doesn't and instead improvises into something better.
Seattle is set: 2 WR (left), TE (right), WR (right), RB
Green Bay: 2-4 nickel
Carlson runs a curls just beyond the first down marker. Housh flashes free underneath and running into the right flat. Hasselbeck looks him off and begins analyzing a developing situation on the left.
Williams has motioned inside prior to the snap. He is just outside and behind Branch. Both run curls routes: Williams towards the hash marks and Branch towards the left flat. Justin Forsett also runs a curl shallow and into the left flat. Judging by the composition of this play, you assume it should be bang-bang with any hesitation leading to an incompletion.
And that, in fact, appears to be the way things are breaking a few seconds into the play. Housh is ignored. Carlson is covered. Williams is double covered. Branch is double covered by Tramon Williams and Nick Collins. Forsett is open, until:
Williams breaks off Branch and covers Forsett. Collins jumps underneath and loses Branch who then breaks towards the back left corner of the end zone. Hasselbeck finds him for the score. Once Branch is behind Collins, the play is sealed.
Perhaps less sexy, but crucial for this play working, is the time Hasselbeck gets. Wrotto engulfs Chilar and that allows Hasselbeck to wander left outside the tackle box. Spencer and Unger double B.J. Raji and Raji is also knocked out of the play. Ben Hamilton occupies Cullen Jenkins, but Jenkins separates and circles outside to pressure, almost hit and nearly sack Hasselbeck. Holding a single block for that length of time is good enough, and through time and coordination, Seattle breaks down the Packers secondary and ties the game.
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Was it just me or did Unger look a little better this game as well?
I watched him specifically a little bit and didn’t see him fail while doing so.
by Hopefulmsfan on Aug 23, 2010 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Might be the shift in assignments
Playing a 3-4 defense that regularly cycles into even less linemen must be different than trying to single-block out an undertackle an entire game.
by Thomas Beekers on Aug 23, 2010 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions
This series is the difference between Hass and CW
Hass is a good manager on this series with some zip that we haven’t seen in a while. CW isn’t ready to do what was needed to make this happen, especially the QB.
That and their surrounding talent is worlds apart
When Charlie played with starters (Okung, Forsett, Williams, etc) in game 1, he did quite well.
I won’t judge Charlie until I see him with the starting unit. Surrounding talent means a lot.
Especially when Joe Toledo is your RT. Holy cow is that guy bad.
"Pass rushers enter the world of Okung but never leave." - JM
by Nick Andron on Aug 23, 2010 4:26 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
What's the deal with the Hass/Housh dynamic?
Or lack there of, rather…
Last week Housh was wide open cutting across the middle and, iirc, Matt threw it to the feet of a double covered Jones. I just can’t believe that Hasselbeck didn’t see TJ either.
People hate on Housh for being upset when he’s not getting the ball, but aren’t we suppose to want that in a wideout, especially one who catches everything thrown his way? Further to that point, and the play in John’s post specifically, in that most recent interview TJ did say that he doesn’t care if he doesn’t get the ball as long as they still win; after this week’s TD Housh and Hasselbeck were among the first to highfive each other.
Yeah I'm curious about this too.
I can’t think there is a personal rift between the two because Housh still gets passes thrown to him and they seem fine. Was it just Carroll wants to highlight certain receivers at certain times or is Hass not comfortable throwing certain places?
by Hopefulmsfan on Aug 23, 2010 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm confused as well
If we are giving Matt props for his leadership and game management, then Housh is the target. I loved the play result, but its repeatability is negligible. I actually found this breakdown more concerning than encouraging. Go figure.
It is what it is...
Well, a Packer lineman jumped up into his throwing lane.
He still could have gotten a throw out before then, which demonstrates a hesitancy. Housh would have had to fight for the first down. He was very open but Hasselbeck’s zip still gives that defender a half step or more to catch up and had a lot of momentum.
Without the lineman jumping up, I might read a little more into it. There is a lack of chemistry maturation, still. Don’t know why. But with the lineman jumping up and Housh being behind the 1st down marker, too hard to make anything of it.
by jacobstevens on Aug 23, 2010 5:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Upon yet another viewing of this play
BJ Raji definitely precluded any passing to Housh. The window was there, probably Hasselbeck woulda taken it, but it closed by the time Raji was out of the way.
by jacobstevens on Aug 23, 2010 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Pure speculation here
but the TD pass was on a 2nd and 4. Housh was open for the 1st down, but maybe Hass wanted to go for the TD and if he failed he still had another down to get the 1st down. I remember seeing him directing traffic on the left side a second or two before he threw the TD.
Or maybe he just ignored Housh for some reason or misread it and thought he was covered. I don’t know.
Now with more lemon bars!
Being a guy who saw zip in Hasselbeck's throws this training camp
and not being convinced it’s gone, it’s wort mentioning that while he had some zip on some passes this game, this was not one of them. It took longer to get there than you want. Dangerously longer, except that he led Branch quite a bit and Branch has the wheels for it.
And thanks to Scruffy for pointing out to me that the difference between “some zip left” and noodle fr Hasselbeck is time to set his feet. He did, here, but it didn’t help.
Well, sometimes a bullet isn't necessary
Especially when you’re trying to lead your receiver and put the ball far enough away that if your receiver doesn’t get to it, no one else has a play on the ball either.
If he zips that in, then the ball arrives too early and the play gets broken up.
No, it's not aways necessary.
The strength and subsequent viability of Hasselbeck’s arm is something we’re all quite vested & interested in, so since it hadn’t been touched on I thought I’d mention it.
by jacobstevens on Aug 23, 2010 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions
It just seems odd that you'd mention it
on a pass that, if it would’ve been gunned in, means Hass either holds onto the ball for another 1/2 second to second, or gets broken up or falls incomplete because the ball arrives too early.
I guess I’m more debating the ’It took longer to get there than you want. Dangerously longer, except that he led Branch quite a bit and Branch has the wheels for it."
The reason it took longer is because he had to get rid of the ball, but still put it in a good spot. In this case, a laser would’ve been the wrong decision.
It was a perfect throw.
And one that Matt has done regularly over the last five or so years. I’ve noticed he’s quite adept at getting WR’s the ball when plays have broken down… too bad he’s lost most of his mobility.
I think you're probably right.
He didn’t have any real time left since Jenkins was approaching. So h had to get the throw off, and it’s possible and likely that from Branch’s improvisation and Hass’ direction, Branch’s separation was still getting made. So if that’s the case, then yeah.
Which would make it a bad example to evaluate his arm.
by jacobstevens on Aug 24, 2010 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions
My big question: is Wrotto a viable stopgap for LT?
I never would have thought so, but he seemed OK last week.
Probably not.
I’m very pleased by his performance, he had seemingly used up his “project” time to be pegged as a backup injury replacement at guard, at most. What he did was probably more than I could reasonably expect.
But against ones, with a gameplan, for 60 minutes, when they know and care ahead of time that your left tackle is Mansfield Wrotto, is pretty much a guarantee to show you some issues in his game.
by jacobstevens on Aug 23, 2010 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Also, watching the highlight, this is one of the better clips to watch pass coverage on.
Still don’t get to see Branch’s improvization out of his curl into the end zone. Just get to see Hasselbeck direct him to the corner. But watching the Packers double BMW, with Branch essentially doubled with the safety on top, then fluidly one guy from each drops up to double Forsett, was very interesting. You can see the internal timer the defenders have on how long they need to keep a guy covered. Another couple clicks, everything’s different, and they respond.
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