Come on in!

Contributing to a knowledgeable and (sometimes over-)enthusiastic community opens up the possibility for criticism and being wary of that only makes us human. I can say, however, that while I began contributing with the anxiety of criticism on my shoulder, I’ve honestly had my Seahawks acumen sharpened by the Field Gulls populace and I’m eager to see more of that happen.

One harsh remark can outweigh a litany of kind ones in our minds, and I’ve had to remind myself of that at times when I read responses to my posts and comments, but the vast majority of our readership seems eager to hear new ideas and to respond openly and honestly.

It took me a while to warm up to the idea of posting here, mostly because I felt out of my leauge. Once you break the ice, it’s not so bad. Just don’t get ANYTHING wrong, they’ll humiliate you. So loosen up and speak out. Welcome!

I understand how it works and who plays and the like, but I couldn’t begin to grasp the depth that some of the others here do. So I talk about how I feel, what i think the team should be, and why I don’t like actually like Pete Carroll. The point is, there’s no reason to be intimidated as long as you present yourself as yourself. Come in, learn a few things and ask questions or make opinions known. Everyone who respects the community gets treated well here.

Flat, unfounded assertions are the stuff of ESPN boards. For a long time I felt, the more I know about football, the less I feel like I know. I don’t feel that way any more, it’s become a bit demystified for me, which maybe makes this sound like I’ve figured it all out, but I definitely haven’t. But I just wanted to say, the folks who know their knowledge is limited, usually add the most value in a discussion.

Agree to disagree.

At the end of the day, we’re arguing about football. We’re passionate about it, sure, but still, it’s football. Don’t take arguments personally and be prepared to concede your point if you turn out to be wrong. I have learned to do this because it happens more often than I’d like. Also, sometimes no one is right. Or everyone. Hey, where am i?

The biggest part of the Seahawks defense the way they’re currently constructed in Earl Thomas. He allows them to run a lot of the cover 1 looks that they like, he just sits over the top of the defense and plays centerfield. Conceptually, the special parts of the defense are the Leo, the 3 tech and the Will linebacker. The Leo and the 3 tech are supposed to be the best players on defense, playing the run and being a terror against the pass. Seattle has the Leo but they’re lacking the 3-tech, and that’s probably a big part of their pass rush issues. The Will is important because it’s where all the traffic is directed. He doesn’t really have to be the best player on the team, but he’s going to rack up a lot of tackles the way the defense is designed.

I refer back to this article a lot because I have a tough time keeping all the details straight in my head. Couple quotes to back up what I said above:

The open side Defensive End has to be one of your best football players. Size does not matter as much. We want an athletic player who can move around.

The other defensive tackle the 3 technique player should be your premier interior pass rusher. He is going to get a lot of one on one blocks as it is hard to double team him because of where he lines up.

The Free Safety is another player who makes a lot of tackles for us. He has to have good instincts. He is what we call a natural player. You don’t have to coach this player too much. He has to have a feel for the everything and understand the big picture.

And because I’m a stickler for the rules, please use proper capitalization in your comments. Thanks.

Welcome aboard, RMR.

A gap is the space between offensive linemen. A defensive tackle that is one gapping is only responsible for the space to one side of an offensive lineman or the other. So they might only be responsible for filling the space between the right guard and the right tackle (which, if you look at the picture, is called the B gap). A defensive tackle that is two gapping is responsible for the space on either side of an offensive lineman, like how a nose tackle might be responsible for the spaces between the center and the two guards next to him (both A gaps).

A defensive lineman with two gap responsibilites has to be able to hold ground and flow with the play before disengaging to either side of the offensive linemen to make a tackle, whereas someone with one gap responsibility is generally allowed to penetrate and get into the backfield through the gap they’re responsible for. Here’s a comment from a previous post that explains it better than I can.

And please remember to use proper spelling and capitalization.