Field Gulls: FanPosts

Post Your Hawk: Week 9

2009-11-06T16:06:00Z

Well, shit. The new and improved "optimist" version of me didn't work out. So fuck it. I'm back to being my old pessimist self. Even though I'm a pessimist, I'm thinking this is the game the Seahawks finally somewhat get back on track. Locklear might be back, Trufant has had another week to get ready...Matty is doing better.

But cat mittens!

This week I have John Carlson. 4 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD. Seahawks win 13-9 in a game that's WAAAAAY closer than it should be.

WHO YA GOT?

Wild speculation

2009-11-06T23:21:05Z

So earlier this week, in Danny O'Neil's weekly chat, a couple of folks raised the question of whether we might move to a 3-4 defense. In the past, I would have laughed this off because we flat-out didn't have the personnel necessary to field a 3-4 team. Danny didn't shoot down this idea, though, and suggested that we might have the personnel necessary (or be a couple of pieces away) from fielding a 3-4.

While I don't believe a 3-4 would magically solve all of our problems on defense, I think it could help in highlighting some of our strength in the LB corps and put more playmakers on the field. There are obvious drawbacks to changing the scheme (growing number of 3-4 teams competing for talent, difficult transitions, etc) which could hurt the team in the short-run, which make me a hesitant to advocate for it, but it seems like interesting idea to bat around while we wait for the next kickoff.

So here's my new position chart based on available personnel:

MLB - Lofa, Heater, Leroy (?), Curry (?)

OLB - Tapp, Reed , Curry (?), Leroy (?), Kerney (probably cut)

NT - Mebane (?), Cole (backup NT in GB), Red (?),

DE- Mebane (?), Red (?), Jackson (DE/DT in a 4-3), Redding (DE/DT in a 4-3, might not be here), Terrill (hopefully cut)

While the LBs may be a little small for a 3-4, I think we'd get a nice mix of pass-rush and pass-coverage out of them (if Tapp and Reed could adapt to playing upright).

I think the biggest question-marks are the guys on the DL. I think one could make a case for Cole (6'1", 330lbs), Red (6'4", 318lbs) or Mebane (6'1", 300lbs) playing NT, while we'd probably want to stick LoJack (6'4", 271lbs), Red/Mebane or Redding (6'4", 292lbs) (if he sticks around) in at DE. The NT is a critical part of the 3-4 defense and very difficult to staff well, but there seems to be pretty good depth at DL in the next draft.

Moving to a 3-4 is a very serious enterprise, which can take years and can result in significant decreases in production from players in the LB and DL corps. This piece shouldn't be read as an advocacy piece, but rather a jumping-off point for wild speculation about whether we could actually field a 3-4 team (give or take a few pieces picked up in the offseason).

Video Preview - Detroit Lions vs Seattle Seahawks

2009-11-06T07:19:06Z

Instead of video previewing the lions and wasting everyones time - I found a bunch of videos that reminded me of certain Seahawks players....

Seneca Wallace

Patrick Kerney

Owen Schmitt

Deion Branch (NSFW and warning if you're squeamish)

Craig Terrill

Mike Hass

*Bonus Matt Millen

Chris Spencer is the Betancourt of the Seahawks

2009-11-04T11:25:28Z

People have asked me personally why I dislike or distrust Chris Spencer so much and it is simply he has become the talent that everyone sees potential in, but realistically never realizes how much he and he alone bares responsibility for the line never gelling. I know people will site injures and for all the injuries folks will point to, I simply need to point to two plays on sunday to illustrate my point. Spencer has always failed to pick up A gap blitzes. He can look brilliant on a ton of plays, but it is this repeat performance that has me questioning if he's just a guy who spends most of his time coasting on talent and less time leading and using his brain to help his teammates. Fault needn't be shifted from Spencer to either guard, it's his Job to make that call and make sure those pressures are addressed. Why those plays, because they have been a plague of his since he entered his career. His technique is sloppy and he tips pitches to d-lineman by how he gets down in his stances so they can pretty much guess what's coming and be right.

Yuniesky Betancourt was the same type. A tremendous talent with range and ability, but none of the mental dedication to the game and as he went down hill instead of up, the infield as a whole played worse. Everyone would see a great play from him maybe even playing an entire game with 3 or 4 plays of note where scouts are wowed, then come back the next game and lay a total stinker.

Spencer is a tease and a waste the same way, an athlete at a brains position with none of the mental kind of dedication. A truly good center is one who leads the line and makes sure at all times people are on the same page. How many more sack at the snap plays will this team have to deal with before Max Unger becomes the future center in Seattle? Or will the occasional mauling block on a DT be enough to satisfy coaches and GMs into believing this guy is turning some kind of lightbulb corner? I don't see it as a fan and I'd kill if somehow we could trick the Ravens into giving us Matt Birk. Hutch might be gone, but were he next to Spencer, it'd be a huge waste.

SBN Layout Upgrade

2009-11-03T19:19:40Z

As you no doubt have noticed, SBN underwent a layout change overnight.

This update contains little or no actual function changes, but rather is mostly about the visual presentation. Please use this fanpost to courteously post your feedback regarding the changes. From what I understand the SBN devs are hopping from blog to blog to see what people think.

A few thoughts of my own:

The new layout seems too bright and it would be nice to get our old color scheme back in place
I would prefer if article titles could go back to being center-aligned instead of left-aligned
Load times do seem to be much improved

The good folks at SBN Headquarters have worked hard on this format and do care what all of us have to say, so in the comments feel free to give them some feedback.

The necessity of shutting Detroit out on Sunday

2009-11-02T19:11:41Z

Following the Seahawks this year has been frustrating, for example once Dallas scored their first TD, our chances of winning went to zero.

Why do I say the above? Well look at the stats, the Seahawks are 0-5 when the opposing team scores any points. It's either a shutout or a loss.

So when the 12th man walks into Qwest this Sunday we (Yes I'm going) know we have a job to do, we have to disrupt the Lions so much that they are shutout, or else we will be 2-6 and have lost to the Lions.

SEA!

Seahawks Fall Hard - Bitch Thread

2009-11-01T22:28:24Z

Looks like we've experienced a bit of a chilling effect. That sucks. I will have to see who was banned.

I am going to speak to the pessimists out there or the self-titled realists others might think are pessimistic: Seattle is not a good team. It took the field today a 2-4 team, playing on the road against an NFC East contender. Some things broke Seattle's way, but most things did not. The Seahawks are looking at their second losing season in two years and, depending on how things break, another top ten pick.

When I was researching Walter Jones, I read a lot about Seattle's 1997 draft class. I reflected on how bad Seattle had been to get Walter Jones, Joey Galloway and Shawn Springs. I have defended Tim Ruskell, but not exclusively. I agree with many of the decisions he makes and yet Seattle is still bad. That isn't paradoxical. Seattle has very little talent from the pre-Ruskell era, and most of the talent Ruskell purged is out of the NFL or benched.

I may not always be the best at enforcing or tolerating it, but I do like dissent. I do not however like reflexive anger and head hunting. Criticism should be directed, specific and provide meaningful alternatives. If you think dissent is not tolerated, I challenge you to think through your criticism. The mods who run the threads are purely volunteer. If you are frustrated, angry and want somewhere to point fingers or yell "fuck you" in a crowded room, Field Gulls is not the place. A volunteer job should not be hard, should not ruin watching football, and that's why I stand behind my mods. If you have a complaint about how Field Gulls is run, I invite you to email me.

If you are invested in this team, miserable seeing them get blown out again, and want to offer meaningful criticism, this is a bitch thread. If you can't tolerate your football team losing two seasons in a row and want to pick fights, throw bombs or find scapegoats, Field Gulls is not the place for you. That's not what we do.

In defense of Tim Ruskell

2009-10-31T06:33:27Z

In an attempt to figure out why, exactly, 90% of Hawk Nation wants this guy's head, I decided to look back over his now 5 year reign in Seattle as the GM, from 2005-2009 (I believe he was present in 2004 but not yet GM.) I really don't understand why he takes so much heat from Seattle fans, but figuring that every anti-Ruskell Hawk fan couldn't just be insane, I wanted to piece together a real argument. So...here it is.

I guess the first barometer of a GM's overall success is the team's overall success, so...

05: 13-3 Regular Season, 2-1 Postseason

06: 9-7 Regular Season, 1-1 Postseason

07: 10-6 Regular Season, 1-1 Postseason

08: 4-12 Regular Season

09: 2-4 Regular Season

Overall: 38-32 Regular Season, 4-3 Postseason

Now obviously, things are dropping off so I understand, somewhat, the frustration with Ruskell's moves making us worse over time, but it's very difficult for any team to sustain success over many years, with the nature of the NFL, and we had a streak of 5 straight postseason appearances and 4 straight division titles.

I also see the argument that Holmgren or Bob Ferguson built the super bowl team, which hung over into division winning teams for two years, and has finally fallen apart. Yet I can't help but look over the drafts since 2005...

2005: Chris Spencer, Lofa Tatupu, David Greene, Leroy Hill, Ray Willis, Jeb Huckeba, Tony Jackson, Cornelius Wortham, Doug Nienhaus

Two studs, a capable starter, and someone who might be something in Willis

2006: Kelly Jennings, Darryl Tapp, Rob Sims, David Kirtman, Ryan Plackemeier, Ben Obomanu

Kirtman was a terrible pick from the getgo, and Plack didn't work out, but the first three guys are all contributors, and Obomanu has gone above and beyond what I expect from a 7th round pick.

2007: Josh Wilson, Brandon Mebane, Baraka Atkins, Mansfield Wrotto, Will Herring, Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent, Steve Vallos

Alright, I fell out of my chair at the Wilson pick...but his corner play has been pretty good for the most part and his return skills are top notch. Mebane is a monster. Atkins...who knows, I like Wrotto, Herring has done good things when he's gotten on the field, Taylor and Kent are admittedly just preseason warriors but it's not totally their fault we've stocked up on WRs recently, and Vallos isn't my favorite guy but he's started games for us.

2008: Lawrence Jackson, John Carlson, Red Bryant, Owen Schmitt, Tyler Schmitt, Justin Forsett, Brandon Coutu

Jackson is a solid starter, Carlson is a beast, Bryant and Schmitt are two guys who really haven't done much yet but I still like them, Tyler I don't know what's going on with him, Forsett was a great steal for us, and Coutu did nothing but good things for us and we were just afraid to pick the youngster over the veteran.

It's folly to judge the 09 draft class at this point in time, but Curry has been playing fairly well, we'll know a lot about Unger this year if the line keeps getting injured, Butler looks like a great #3 or #4 wideout, and Nick Reed is Nick Reed.

That's 4 studs and 14 reasonable picks in 4 drafts, with no egregious busts other than Kirtman who was a 2nd day pick anyway. Were there better players at most of those picks? Sure, but by that logic there are a lot of GMs out there who need to get fired. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd rather have Elvis Dumervil than Darryl Tapp when it comes to undersized pass rushing DEs that went in the 06 draft. Maybe we could have gotten a similar talent to Chris Spencer in a later round and used the 05 first rounder on Roddy White. But on the whole, are these drafts that bad?

If we don't go offensively heavy in the next draft(s), I'll agree Ruskell's mind isn't right, and right about now we sure could use a blue chip offensive linemen. Yet, I can't help but look at the projects at OL we've drafted recently (Unger, Willis, Sims, Wrotto, Vallos), and feel that Tim was at least considering the issue and simply spending lower picks on multiple players to try and hit on a couple of them, so I think the notion that he ignored the position entirely is untrue.

Then you look at the free agent signings, and players Ruskell brought in through methods that were not the draft. Julian Peterson, Nate Burleson, T.J. Houshmanzadeh (too early to judge but I like what I see so far), Colin Cole (same), Bryce Fisher, Cory Redding (same), Deon Grant, Olindo Mare, Jon Ryan...it's a pretty solid group of pickups. Now, I'm not the biggest Julius Jones fan, but I don't think he's the reason we lose games, so I'm not going to say he was a screwup. I will say giving Shaun Alexander that big contract was the wrong call, if ultimately pretty harmless, and the Hutchinson thing was a total fiasco, and Brian Russell apparently had a shelf-life of one season before turning into a complete turd...but I see more positive than negative all around here.

But here's the major reason why I'm not ready to abandon Ruskell: His emphasis on character. I firmly believe what got us to the super bowl in 2005, a year after a 9-7, one-and-done year, was a refocusing on work ethic and character. Ruskell allowed this to happen by cutting players like Anthony Simmons, Koren Robinson, and Chike Okefor, who may have been good players but seemed to underachieve for us and may have been of questionable character. This, to me, changed everything about this team, and Ruskell was the man behind it. Fast forward to 2007, Stevens is coming off an excellent postseason, but he did one stupid thing in the offseason and we realized this guy just doesn't get it. So getting busted with drugs or whatever it was did what dropping 3-4 passes in a super bowl couldn't, and he was gone.

So, could any Ruskell hater explain to me why we shouldn't give him the opportunity to attack a 2010 draft that will have options at quarterback and offensive tackle for us and see what he does?

What's Bugging Me

2009-10-30T21:11:52Z

Several things keep bugging me, so this is a bit of a venting exercise, but I'd love to know if I'm alone or if the same things are bugging you.

First, hearing people say that you have to build through the draft and not free-agency. Frequently, those same people point to the Steelers as an example franchise. In my mind it's like a bicycle wheel. Once you have it spinning fast, it doesn't take as much effort to keep it spinning. Once you have a successful NFL team stocked with talent, it's easy to keep re-stocking through the draft, filling free-ageny losses with depth you already had on the roster and backfilling depth through the draft. And when you re-load with extra 2nd and 3rd round picks every year, like the Patriots seem to be able to do, it helps. Very little reliance on rookies in a starting role. For all the other teams who have so many holes that they can't fill them in one or two drafts, playing the free-agent market seems not only logical, but necessary. And you have to pay. Free agents have choices (mostly). It's about the money, but not just the money. Where to raise your family. Which team gets TV time and improves the opportunity for pro-bowl and MVP bonuses, etc... Seattle is at a disadvantage. Therefore, if we want a specific FA, we'll have to pay them and woo them away from what may be more favorable situations. Like we did Burleson, Kearney and Housh. We overpaid, because if we hadn't we wouldn't have been successful. Once we start winning more, we'll get more National coverage and that will make recruiting easier. We have to find a way to get over the hump and then keep the wheel spinning.

Cut blocking. I keep hearing about Greg Knapps zone blocking system and reliance on small quick guys who cut block. As an ex-lineman, I can tell you it's no different than the pass/run ratio. If you don't keep it balanced the defenses stack against your tendencies. If an O-lineman is predictable, cut blocking too often, it makes it easier for the D-lineman to beat you. It's only effective when they don't know it's coming. If you are so small that you can't overpower or hold the point of attack about half the time, and they know you must rely on cut-blocking, they'll beat you more than they should. There are no short-cuts. We need a big, nasty O-line if we want to run the ball with authority. Zone blocking is just a system for determining who will be assigned to who. In theory it makes the O-line job less complicated. Cut blocking is just a technique. If your RB can and will hit the hole quickly, it can be effective in freezing the D-line long enough for the RB to get to the second level. If the RB hesitates or dances too much it's not effective. Relying on it too much makes as much sense as running the option or passing 90% of the time. When I hear that we want small, nimble lineman who will cut-block in our zone blocking system, it makes me think we've already given up on the idea that we will have a dominant running game. Being able to get push on the 1 yard line is not something I'd willingly sacrifice.

So, what do you think? Is it just me? Am I not understanding something? Does it seem that we're trying to use a gimmick to make up for lack of talent?

Post Your Hawk: Week 8

2009-10-30T14:43:35Z

I've been handed the reigns of the Post Your Hawk series, so say hello to your new overlord.

This game pretty much scares the shit out of me. I have a bad feeling about the Cowboys' offense against our defense. But whatever. That's not the point of these FanPosts. I'm going to shed my previous pessimist exoskeleton, and become the new and improved optimist.*

My week 7 Hawk is T.J. Houshmandzadeh. 8 rec, 120 yards, 2 TD. Seahawks squeak by the Cowboys, 31-28.

WHO YA GOT?

Video Preview: Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys

2009-10-30T05:41:16Z

Hey at least we aren't Cleveland!

We get Dallas this week but you already knew that - What you didn't know is this cow can talk.

We just need to come out and surprise the cowboys!

And hypnotize them with our Lime Green Unis!!!

Wait we aren't wearing lime green? Doesn't matter Dallas is just full of these types of people anyway.

And also these people.

Hahaha Keyboard Cat.... Hey but watch out Dallas is also full of Badasses like Robert Lee. So the Hawks need to watch out.

Regardless it should be fun.

Back to Football: Decoding Garrett

2009-10-29T18:20:31Z

Season feels lost, dunnit? Well it probably is. We're more likely to get blown out -- much more likely -- than we are to pull an upset, in Dallas.

Still, I can conceive of the Cowboys playing down to our level, Romo being slightly sloppy, our run defense not letting their #1 DVOA running game assert Dallas' superiority right away, and their poor pass defense allowing us to move the ball when we put a TE AND a chipping back on either side of Big Mac against Ware all day. I'm not even being optimistic, I doubt it will come to this at all, but if it does, those are the elements that will conduct all hope of an upset.

So what else is there for us? Whence the last refuge of a scoundrel? While macro factors often dictate most of life and football, sometimes the devil is in the details, so let's just make a quick study of our next opponent.

Found via Football Outsiders, the weekly Football 301 series breaking down the Cowboys' previous game. They lit up the Falcons. Also allowed a lot of points. They harrassed Matt Ryan and that was probably what decided the game.

But this was an interesting read. Great breakdowns, but very light on conclusions. From the outside with little exposure, it looks like one of the leading guidelines of Jason Garrett is to use formations in situations to really strongly suggest a run or pass, a sweep or stretch when a run, and then either do the opposite or exactly as the formation is built for, attempting surprise defenses and then utilize the formation's advantage when they anticipate surprises. Not that that's very novel in today's NFL, but I'm not sure offenses are so heavily built around as what this suggests. Maybe it was just the matchup with Atlanta that made him lean like that.

Nevertheless, I'm not so sure there is much devil in these details. The plays highlighted ultimately look to stem from execution. The Austin TD must have been some kind of mistake in the secondary, but most of these plays don't look like the Falcons were tricked or even played poorly, but simply got beat at the point by speed or power.

So what does that mean for us? I don't think that's attacking our weaknesses. That's presuming their gameplan for us won't be substantially different. I think we've got speed on the edges. Especially the second level. We've got some power defense to work with.

I can see some frustration from Cole routinely losing his matchups on runs, though. I can see our pass rush not being good enough, though I do feel our secondary will be otherwise up to the task. Dunno why. And I can see Witten having a big day. I feel Austin will be contained.

I could see blitzes being effective, though. I feel their focus is and will be a lot more on what they're going to do offensively than what we will do. I would be surprised to learn that Wade Phillips had his team scout Leroy Hill's usage in prior years. They know we use Curry in pressure from the strong side and as a down lineman, and they know the same about Tapp, I'm positive.

Beyond that, they have a stout line, a run game that must always be respected, and they'll feel prepared. Without Lofa we lost some blitz effectiveness, but with gap discipline the way they appear to attack you I don't see a lot of fruit in playing mental chess against Garrett anyway. Hawthorne and Curry staying disciplined will go a long way in enabling the rest of the team to try to be competitive. If they use so many backs and multiple TEs, surely the hot routes will prevail more often than not against extra pressure, but sometimes you only need a few to work out, to turn into gamechanging plays. They've won more than once despite Bad Romo showing up, but compromising some TE production for the chances of blowing a few plays up seems to be to be the best approach to this matchup.

Louis Rankin activated

2009-10-29T10:27:05Z

With Big Walt being placed on IR, it's interesting to see Rankin activated as opposed to securing more O-line depth. In the short-term Mora has said that Rankin could help out as a kick returner, but is there any chance he could end up offering a new dimension to a lacklustre running game? I'm not saying he can turn it all around, but at 6'1 with good speed it's hard not to be a little optimistic. The Edge experiment has been far from succesful, so as the line gets healthier with Lock and Sims returning, surely it couldn't hurt to give Rankin a few carries and see what we have with him?

Matt, Meet DeMarcus. DeMarcus, Matt

2009-10-28T18:33:51Z

Per the intrepid O'Neill, Walter Jones has finally been placed on injured reserve, where he probably should have been since training camp. Locklear, on the other hand, might start practicing this week, but he won't be ready to play this week. That means the Seattle Seahawks go to Dallas with a starting LT named Damien McIntosh. Joy.

Well, I for one am just pumped for this Sunday. I'm sure that our running attack will be amazing, and Hasselbeck will enjoy a tremendous amount of protection against a sometimes fearsome Dallas pass rush.

I'd also like a pony.

What the Losers Are Saying: Week 7

2009-10-28T01:55:51Z

From my blog, Stupid Sideline Reporters.

It’s NFL season so look out for this every Tuesday/Wednesday. We won’t go everywhere for every fan’s reaction (usually 5-6 teams are picked) but the deemed "best losers" of the day make the cut. WTLAS takes a trip to Washington (as usual), Carolina, Cleveland, Miami, and Chicago this week.

Cleveland

I’ve changed the television I watch the games on, the remote I change the channel with, the clothes I wear during the games, absolutely everything. I’ve tried it all as a Cleveland Browns fan and I’m finally starting to see that my superstitions have no say in how effective the team is on the field. Peer into the bottom third of practically any major stat category and you’ll notice a trend, the Cleveland Browns. You’ll find them toward the bottom of rush defense, pass offense, and scoring (offense and defense). The numbers don’t lie. This is something neither we as fans nor they as an organization are proud of. The problem is, I’m making more changes as a fan in hope to win a game than they are as an organization. We don’t have enough fingers to point in blame of our failure, but it’s got to start somewhere.
One change the Browns have made is putting Derek Anderson at quarterback and actually sticking to him. The result thus far, 40.6. Let me spell that out, fourty-point-six. That quarterback rating ranks 35th in the NFL this year. I’m finding a problem with this because there are only 32 teams in the NFL meaning three backup quarterbacks have performed better than "DA" himself. So, why not make it four? The question all year has been, "Quinn or Anderson?" If it hasn’t become obvious, neither of them is capable of getting the job done. None of our options are going to save our season, but why not let [Brett] Ratliff get some snaps and see what he does? If I was a betting man, I’d bet he could at LEAST put up a 40.7 quarterback rating. - Dusty Prall from Browns Gab demanding Brady Quinn re-gain his starting job.

Are the Browns even trying? It's like they think scoring touchdowns will give them swine flu. No offense, lousy defense, lousy coach. Did they really think Eric Mangini would change things? Actually he has. He made it worse. Derek Anderson is bad and Brady Quinn is slightly above bad. Who would you start? I hope Mangini isn't riding off DA's 2007 season because that is pretty much akin to their 2003 playoff run with journeyman QB Kelly Holcomb.

Chicago

Bengals Crow (via beardownsports526)

Beardownsports526 eats some crow after the Bears embarrassed themselves against the Bengals.

This is why I said the Bears wouldn't make the playoffs. Defense is garbage, particularly in the secondary, and especially after Ron Turner left as defensive coordinator. The offense isn't going anywhere without guys interested in blocking and THEY HAVE NO DEPTH AT WIDE RECEIVER!!! Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, and Greg Olsen isn't exactly an ideal receiving corp. Of course they can't catch the ball when Jay Cutler is either on his backside or throwing to the other team (something he's done 10 times). I see 7-9 and Lovie Smith GONE.

Carolina

The Buffalo Bills came into Charlotte and left with a gift-wrapped victory courtesy of Panthers QB Jake Delhomme. I still can't come up with much to say about this game that doesn't lead back to Delhomme. All three of his INT's were the result of poor passes, in all cases the passes were overthrown, his signature error. If Delhomme is more careful with the ball the Bills put 6 points on the board today. Still enough for this impotent offense but that is not all Jake's fault. He is joined by OC Jeff Davidson who called a terrible game for the offense. Sure they did put up plenty of yards but I'm referring to some of the poor calls in key situations. The 4th down run up the middle that got stuffed comes to mind. - Cat Scratch Reader's Jaxon is not too happy with Jake Delhomme giving the Bills a win they hardly deserved.

Why am I not surprised? Delhomme is done like dinner so the Panthers should explore getting a QB with their first round pick...oh wait they don't HAVE one. They traded their first round pick in 2010 for Everette Brown. Time to see what Matt Moore can do because AJ Feeley is useless. And is this really how the Bills are going to be? No way should they be 3-4 because Mark Sanchez and Jake Delhomme handed them a whopping 8 INTs combined in 2 weeks.

Miami

There are a number of places you can lay some blame for this loss. But the defense certainly has to get a lot of blame. They played so well in the first half only to allow 23 points and 317 yards on just 38 plays. Worse yet, the Dolphins surrendered 285 yards of offense and 9.83 yards per play over the final 20 minutes of the game. So while a lot of you will point the finger at others - who do deserve some blame as well - don't let an outstanding defensive first half taint your view of how this defense performed. The final quarter and a half was just disgusting. What exactly was the problem? Some of it was probably execution and players not being where they were supposed to. That could explain why Saint receivers were running wide open down the field for much of the second half.
Missed tackles were also a problem - such as Gibril Wilson's whiff on Reggie Bush on a key 3rd down. There was a lack of pressure on Drew Brees in the fourth quarter as well, which is not good. We saw in the first half how much consistent pressure on Brees makes him uncomfortable. But the biggest issue might be what we don't know and likely will never know: did the Dolphins coaching staff go into halftime anticipating the adjustment New Orleans would make in the second half?
During our live game thread, somebody said at halftime how it would be important to see how the Dolphins react to the halftime adjustments the Saints make on offense. That's hitting the nail right on the head. We won't ever know for sure - especially without being able to see the film. But there were clearly issues in the second half. We didn't see nearly the amount of receivers running wide open - especially over the middle - in the first half as we saw in the second. - Matty from The Phinsider writes a brief recap after the Dolphins choked.

I take the good with the bad here. On one hand I had Miami as my upset pick and they almost pulled it off. However, thanks to Ted Ginns' butterhands and some bad decisions by Chad Henne, they gave me a ton of fantasy points because I started the Saints defense (of course I lost because the Giants sucked on Sunday and I had Braddshaw, Manningham, and Smith in the lineup). In all seriousness the Dolphins are fun to watch but they aren't going anywhere. I was wrong. The Wildcat is still effective. But you can't play Wildcat defense can you? Offensively, Ted Ginn is a bust. He cannot be fixed. Might as well start Brian Hartline instead of Ginn, who once again failed to catch on-target passes on a consistent basis. One play gave the Saints a TD when Ginn had an easy pass go off his hands, off the shoulder of a Saints defender, and into the hands of Darren Sharper for a pick 6. Not good.

Washington

Skinsfan1 laments ANOTHER Redskins loss. This time a horribly played 27-17 defeat to the Iggles.

Redskins lose to the Eagles (via skinsman1)

I don't need to add anything else.

Another edition down as we reach the halfway point of the NFL season. Tune in next week when I write about the Skins' 16-3 defeat to the bye week and the Dallas Cowboys losing 144-3 to the Seattle Seahawks.

Because its never too early- Rang's first 2010 mock

2009-10-27T08:00:26Z

Here it is. Check out that second 1st round pick! Boo ya.

Rang normally has the pulse on Tim Ruskell's drafts. He was probably the only person on earth the called the Tatupu pick. He nailed the Lawrence Jackson pick in 2008. He called the Curry pick two weeks before it happened. He's probably correctly called other Ruskell picks as well. Why do I bring this up? Because its required that this post have 75 words! There we go.

So You're Telling Me There's a Chance

2009-10-25T23:13:09Z

Dead as they look and feel after last week's debacle, the Seahawks are still alive in our boring, mediocre little corner of the league, the NFC West. Yay realignment!

San Francisco has now lost two in a row to fall to 3-3. Sando is optimistic, but a QB carousel and upcoming road game at Indy don't bode well for their future prospects. ~~Arizona will likely be 3-3 as well when they visit NYG this evening.~~ Whoopsadoodle! St. Louis was out of the race in August.

So, how hard will it be to catch AZ and SF? The remaining schedule:

Arizona seems to have the clearest road to the division title. But anything can happen in the National. Football. League. San Diego was dead and buried at 4-8 last year, then the Broncos imploded and the Chargers reached the 2nd round of the playoffs.

If we were to game out what might happen, it could look something like this:

Update: the hypothetical scenario above was just cornholed by Arizona's win at the Giants. Add another loss to their column to get the Cardinals to 9-7. Yeah, we're fucked.

In this scenario Seattle would tie head-to-head with the Cards, then win the division-record tiebreaker 4-2 to Arizona's 3-3. If you project SF going 9-7 for a three-way tie, then the Niners would probably win the head-to-head record tiebreaker by virtue of their Week 1 win at Arizona. None of this is a prediction, mind you, and the current Hawks don't look like they will make it "likely" by going 7-3 the rest of the way. It is entirely possible, however. Doable. Attainable.

A loss at Dallas next week would suck, but it would be predictable, and it would not be the end of the season. This team needs to get healthy, beat the teams it should beat, and most importantly, win within the division. If they can't find a way to win both remaining games versus the Cardinals and 49ers they lose the tiebreaker. Then the season really will be over.

Until then, I really am telling you there's a chance. There has to be a chance. September 2010 is a terrible thing to wait for.

Looking for a decent Tatupu highlight vid...

2009-10-25T21:26:12Z

Can anyone help? I've been scouring the youtubes with little success.

Specifically I want a clip of the hit against Carolina in the playoffs when he knocked the Carolina RB out of the game. I'm trying to explain to my housemate-- a Cardinal fan-- how incredible that hit was, and words just aren't doing me justice.

Can anyone help with this, post a link or some such? Thanks all!

Another great hit I'd love to have is on the old school NFL Crunch course Video-- it had Pete Gross announcing and I think it was against KC, Freddy Young came out of nowhere on a kickoff and just absolutely leveled the return man.

Anyone know of a secret stash of unbelievable and or classic Hawks highlights from over the years???

Gif related questions... any answers?

2009-10-25T05:57:27Z

Hey guys, a couple things-

First, what kind of gif making software do you guys use? I use Adobe Photoshop (Image Ready). Its "ok", but it has a major problem. Any time I export a gif from it, using efficient settings (for web, etc), it still has a file size of about 10kb per frame. (so a ~2 second, 45 frame gif would be 450 KB). That's just too large for most sites and I'm sure the bigger the filesize, the more it would bog down the gamethreads. Ideally, I'd like something that can do 3-5 KB per frame and look essentially lossless. The smallest gif I've gotten out of Image Ready is 5kb/p, but it looks like garbage. Any suggestions?

Second, are there any golden rules for posting gifs in the threads here? I know you guys prefer stuff small, how big is the biggest tolerable size (resolution size or KB size)?

Any help, especially about gif programs would be very appreciated. I remember I saw a comment in a Fieldgulls thread back in August I think, in which some highly recommended gif making programs were tossed around. I'm kicking myself for not writing them down. : (

Does Anyone Else Dislike Mike Sando's Coverage?

2009-10-23T03:09:45Z

I don't know what it is, I used to like his work a lot, but within the past few months I've just gotten to the point where I can't stand the majority of what he writes or says. His comments used to strike me as pertinent and insightful, now they seem catty and snide. This, coupled with the generally annoying people who comment on his posts, has spoiled my opinion of his material.

I would like to hear other people's take on his products, to see if I'm off base or there are others seeing the same thing.