Takeaways: Seahawks Suffer Crushing Loss to Colts

By Jackson Safon

A 38-24 loss on the road to a playoff team is not a bad loss. I repeat, it is not a bad loss. The immediate reaction from many Seattle sports fans is panic, but this should not be the case. The Colts were a playoff team last year and are even better this year. Plus, to have been 4-0 going into the game is probably better than expected, so as I saw it put multiple times on Twitter, the Hawks were “playing with house money.” Having a record of 4-1 through five games would have been considered a success before the season, so the Hawks didn’t have much to lose. However, they eventually lost the game and lost their position as the top team in the NFC. This being the first loss of the year, the takeaways are more important than ever.

 

1. The Legion of Boom is mortal

The defensive backfield got torched. It may have been only 229 yards and two touchdowns, which is not nearly the most they will allow this season, but they got torched nonetheless. Whether it be the 73 yard touchdown to T.Y. Hilton or the consistent third down conversions to Reggie Wayne, Andrew Luck and the Colts sliced through the Seahawks pass defense like a hot knife through butter. It is important to remember that the defense cannot play perfect every game and they will learn from this. Obviously letting up consistent big plays like they did today can’t be tolerated the rest of the season, but the good news is that the Legion of Boom is not only talented, but smart as well. They will study the tape like no other and learn from this. I do not expect mistakes of this magnitude for the rest of the season.

2. The boys are back
Bruce Irvin and Chris Clemons are back and better than ever. This was Irvin’s first game of the season after a four game suspension and although it was Clemons’ third game back, he has still been working to get back to full strength from his ACL injury. Irvin made an impact from the get go with a tackle for loss on the second play and a sack later in the game. Clemons made an impact later in the game as well with a huge sack-fumble on Andrew Luck. With Clemons getting back into the swing of things and Irvin returning from injury, the defensive front is now fully healthy. This group will only continue to improve as they continue to work together, and a unit lead by Clemons, Irvin, Avril, and Michael Bennett is going to be a fantastic one.

Bruce Irvin played well coming off a four game suspension.

ESPN.com

3. The offensive line play is improving
With the Hawks still missing their starting center and both starting tackles, the offensive line is still depleted, but the group played considerably better than last week. Granted, last week they played a stout Texans defensive line, but as a whole the Hawks offensive line played better. Wilson had much more time to work which allowed the passing game to flourish much more than last week. Wilson had a career high in rushing yards, mostly on scrambles, which would imply that the offensive line wasn’t giving him much time, but I wouldn’t necessarily agree. There were simply lots of openings for Wilson to run and I am extremely encouraged by the offensive line play going forward.

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Takeaways: Gritty Win for the Seahawks in the Opener

By Jackson Safon

A tough first game for the Hawks, but they found a way to grind it out and get a victory. Neither team seemed to be in control throughout the game and there were far more punts than there were successful drives. The good news is that in a game where the Seahawk’s offense wasn’t close to what we are hoping it will be this year, they still found a way to get a win. Not just that, they found a way to get a win on the road. While down at halftime. With a 10:00 A.M. start that has been troubling for the Hawks in the past, this was a very good win to start the 2013 season for the Seahawks. This is the third overall but first this season of my weekly “takeaways” column every Monday (or Tuesday depending) after the Seahawks game where I break down the overreactions, under reactions, and important things to take from the weekend’s game.

Frank Alexander of the Panthers was ejected for punching Seahawks OT Breno Giacomini.

Fansided

1. The Defense is Legit
The Seahawks defense was missing three key members: Bruce Irvin to suspension and Cliff Avril, Brandon Browner and Chris Clemons to injuries, yet they still held the Panthers to a mere seven points. O’Brien Schofield came up with a sack and rookie Benson Mayowa showed flashes of strong pass-rushing ability as well. The “Legion of Boom” was flying around the field as always, as Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor were the leading tacklers for the Hawks this week. But early in the game, there was a missed opportunity by All-Pro Richard Sherman. He undercut a route and had both hands on a potential interception that could have even gone to the house, but instead it clanked off his hands and left Sherman with his head in his hands. Yet even with some missed opportunities and allowing the Panthers to move the ball at a decent clip, the Hawks defense stiffened up when needed and only allowed the one touchdown to Steve Smith. Takeaway: This defense is fierce now, and when fully healthy will be the most dominant unit in the NFL.

The Seahawks defense held Cam Newton to a career low in passing yards in a game.

Tacoma News Tribune

2. Russell Wilson is Human
“In Russ we Trust” has been one of the big mantra’s this offseason and I bought in as well, getting Wilson in two of my fantasy football leagues. But we have to temper our expectations and remember that he is human. He started slowly in this game, going 1/5 to begin the game, and looking rather shaky in the pocket. If/When this happens in the future, fans have to remember to take a breath and let him settle in, because when he does, the results are magical. After starting 1/5 Wilson finished the rest of the game going 24 for his next 28 passes and looked fantastic while doing it. Wilson was excellent on third down and surgical when throwing on the run. He finished with 320 yards passing and capped it off with a 43 yard touchdown to the new and improved Jermaine Kearse. The play before, Wilson threw an almost identical ball to Stephen Williams, but Williams dropped it. Then Wilson came right back and delivered a strike to Kearse, who after offseason Lasik eye surgery, is becoming a serious playmaker. Takeaway: Russell Wilson is our savior, but he is still human. Be patient with the second year quarterback and let him do his thing, he won’t let the team down.

Russell Wilson took a while to get started passing-wise yesterday against the Panthers.

Oregon Live

3. Where Is the Running Game?
Marshawn Lynch was held to only 43 yards on 17 carries in yesterday’s game against the Panthers. Numbers like those have killed the Hawks in the past as Seattle was 1-4 in the last two years when Lynch had fewer than 50 yards rushing on the road (noted by fantastic Hawks blogger Brian Nemhauser). This could be attributed to a couple of things. First of all, the Panthers defense is actually quite good. Luke Kuechly is one of the best young linebackers in the game, and Jon Beason is no slouch either. Optimists like me would say that it was just a rough first game against a tough defense. Another angle however is that the loss of Michael Robinson proved important, as put bluntly, Derrick Coleman is not as good of a fullback as Mike Rob. There were a few occasions when I thought Coleman could have made some better blocks, and holes could have been opened for the running backs, but it is difficult to truly say whether that was Coleman or the strong play by the Panther front seven. Either way, it was disconcerting to see such a poor rushing performance. The running game will have to be better if the ‘Hawks are to be an elite team. Takeaway: Something serious was off with the running game, and while I don’t expect it to last with a running attack like ours, it needs to be fixed sooner rather than later with the 49ers coming into town next weekend.

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Review of the Shocker- Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers

Well that will get everybody's attention.

On one of the best Mondays of my life entire life, the Seahawks shocked the Green Bay Packers. Even though this is a week late and the Rams lost has dampened my hopes, the vibe of this win is still reverberating around me. I mean we beat the Super Bowl champs, one year removed. That's a big step for a team that just went 7-9 in the previous season.However, the win did not come without its controversy, of course this happens to a Seattle sports team, and in case you missed any of the game, here is our recap and views of what went down at CenturyLink field:

1^ST HALF

·         Sacks, huge in this game

·         Coming out game for Irvin, Clemons was on point as well

·         Refs missed constant holding calls on Clemons

·         Good pass protection the entire game, Clay got no sacks, protected Russell

·         Run setup the deep pass to golden Tate, well ran route, been waiting on that forever

·         Rodgers was cocky to begin the game with, guns after first play, pushing camera man at end of the game, made win that much sweeter

·         Great first half, still need to make adjustments for second half that Carroll didn't do, needed to anticipate Green Bay changes

2^ND HALF

·         Hawks weren’t ready for run, that’s how it all got started for the Packers

·         Driver dropped a touchdown in the end zone, should have been a better throw and catch

·         ON GB TOUCHDOWN DRIVE, KAM CHANCELLOR CALLED FOR PI ON 3^RD AND 2 WHEN IT WAS CLEARLY NOT PI, PACKERS SHOULD HAVE HAD TO PUNT

·         Roughing the passer penalty with 8 minutes left in 4^th or PI call on ball intended for Rice had no impact on final outcome of game

·         Golden Tate swatted a ball in the endzone intended for Sidney Rice, definitely was catchable

·         Overall terrible play calling throughout this drive, and really whole game

·         Great stand for the hawks, kept the Packers pinned against their own endzone, almost got ball when Packers fumbled

·         FINAL DRIVE

o   Great catch by Sidney Rice on Russell Wilson rocket throw

o   Tate dropped pass that could have set the Seahawks up pretty, might have not had time to spike it though

o   FINAL PLAY

§  Good roll out and buying time for receivers by Russ Wilson

§  Blatant push by Tate, but ref can’t call that kind of penalty on final play of the game

§  Green Bay defender Jennings should have just swatted the ball down, would be no controversy at all then

§  In the end, Tate got at least one hand in there and tie of possession goes to the receiver, could have gone either way and the refs saw it that way as they didn’t confirm it with each other before deciding the outcome

·         Really thought this is why home field advantage played huge part in game as play was eventually called touchdown

o   Sort of forced into the call by fans

§  Both sides would have gone into mayhem if play was reversed, refs could have been killed

·         Overall, refs made terrible calls for both sides, both effected the game equally: Kam Chancellor PI call and Golden Tate touchdown call

o   Teams have to play through that in the end

·         What goes around comes around, Super Bowl ’05, ref even admits he robbed us of the game and gave it to the Steelers

·         Russell Wilson lost 3 games last year just like this one, on Hail Mary attempt or referee mistake

·         Overall great game to watch if you’re a Seahawks fan and not enough can be said about the strength of our defense

·         Offense needs work, but huge statement game, can’t wait for exciting rest of the NFL season

Golden Tate is pulled from the end zone scrum by wide receiver Sidney Rice after scoring the winning touchdown.

Stephen Brashear / Associated Press

Even though the Rams loss was tough for me this week, I still have high hopes for the Hawks. I can't be disappointed in them after they have already beat two top-tier teams this year. That's a big accomplishment for the 'Hawks and even though they have lots to work on, the season looks promising. By the way, I still believe that Russell Wilson should be the starter. He has already proved his skill in two big wins this year and even though the team has lost two games they really should have one, Russell is still learning the ins and outs of the offense. Once he figures it out, there will be no looking back. I expect to make the playoffs this year and that will only happen if Russell keeps developing throughout the season, which I believe he will.

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup. Keep checking back for updates!

Marshall

Sea-Fence: The Key to the Seahawk's Season

Offense brings fans, but defense wins championships. The saying every athlete knows of that plays a team sport. This saying has to be the motto for the Seahawks this year as the defense should challenge to be the best in the league. With the offense coming along, especially with a new quarterback, the defense should carry the team this year and it will be crucial that they do. If the defense under-performs, the season is not going to be pretty. They have huge expectations put on them and rightfully so. I mean, they were the first defense taken in four out of my five fantasy football drafts. Here's what we'll see from the Sea-Fence this year.

Picture by The Seattle Times

DEFENSIVE LINE- The big boys up front should prove to be one of the strongest parts of the Seahawk's defense. This year I expect them to allow the least rushing yards in the league as they have two huge 300 pounders in Red Bryant and Alan Branch. Red Bryant has proven to be a steal thus far in his career as he was a late round draft pick out of Texas A&M. He signed a new 5 year $35-million deal this offseason and should be around for a long time. Bryant takes up a ton of space and lets no running back by him, especially with Alan Branch and Jason Jones next to him. Speaking of Branch and Jones, they were both great signings. Both were signed off of mediocre seasons for a low amount of money and both have proven thus far in their Seahawks career that they were solid signings. The anchor of the defensive tackles is Brandon Mebane. The third year player out of Cal signed a new contract last year and he will display why he got that contract with his continuing solid play this year. The defensive tackles are huge, but quick as well. That's why they're so good. Next we move to the ends, as well as the Leo spot. Chris Clemons has been the best trade acquisition in the John Schneider era, besides the Lynch trade, and has been the best and most consistent Seahawks player on the defensive side of the ball since he was acquired. He is a sack monster and gets to the quarterback quickly and often. He will provide that much needed pass rush, as well as the 15th pick in the NFL Draft. Bruce Irvin was drafted to sack opposing quarterbacks. Irvin was second in the nation in sacks in 2010 at West Virginia and mostly went unnoticed because of his off the field issues. In the Leo spot, Irvin has looked a little shaky this preseason, but turned it on this past week in the fourth game. He had multiple sacks and caused numerous fumbles. Given, these were against second and third stringers, but he still showed he could perform. Our defensive line will be a huge part of our defense this year, and one the best parts of our defense. The group: Bryant, Branch, Mebane, Jones, Clemons, and Irvin.

LINEBACKERS- The linebacking core this year is weaker than the usual Seahawk's core. In past years the 'Hawks have had excellent linebackers such as Lofa Tatupu and David Hawthorne, but they are long gone. This year a rookie will be the play caller of the defense. That would be Bobby Wagner out of Utah State. He is a playmaker in his spot and tackles everything he sees. I think he will pan out to be one of the best MLB's in the NFL once he receives more coaching. Around Wagner are OLB's Leroy Hill and K.J. Wright. Leroy Hill is a proven veteran and has proven every year that he is a solid starter, despite his off the field issues. He should have a solid season. K.J. Wright, in his second year, has moved to OLB because of the drafting of Wagner and his ability to play the OLB position. I think he will surprise many this year, kind of like Hawthorne did last year with his play. The linebacking core is the weakest part of our defense, but it's still a strong position with lots of talent. Just shows how good our defense is. The group: Hill, Wagner and Wright. 

DEFENSIVE BACKS- The strongest part of the Sea-Fence, is easily the defensive backs. With two pro bowlers from the 2011 season and an emergence of two late round draft picks, this group is the best in the NFL. Earl Thomas leads this group and was the 14th overall pick in the 2010 Draft. The pro-bowler has been a playmaker ever since his debut, and will look to improve his already impressive track record. Once again, another steal by Pete Carroll and John Schneider, Brandon Browner will continue his resurgence and will go to another pro bowl. He was he biggest surprise of the Seahawks last year and I think with his improved confidence he will perform even better than last year. Earl Thomas' partner in the secondary, Kam Chancellor, has lived up to his nickname. Kam-Bam has been destroying all receivers and backs that have come his way since he was drafted along with Thomas in 2010. Chancellor has been a pleasant surprise along with cornerback, Richard Sherman. Sherman was drafted out of Stanford in the 7th round last year and nobody thought much of him except for the Seahawks. Mid-Season he took over the starting job and that's the only reason he didn't make the pro-bowl: he didn't get to display his talent for an entire season. Sherman will display that talent this season and will make the pro-bowl, as well as the rest of the Seahawks secondary. I expect a banner year from the secondary and for all four to come out as pro-bowlers after the season. The Group: Sherman, Chancellor, Thomas and Browner.

The constant theme around the Seahawks' defensive personnel is surprise. Many players have been lowly thought of coming out of free agency or the NFL Draft, but all of them have surprised people with their true talent. That's what makes this defensive group so special. They have an underdog type of mentality that motors them and fuels them to play harder, faster and stronger. The Sea-Fence will be crucial to all of the Seahawks success this year. If the Sea-Fence holds strong and keps the underdog mentality, look for a banner year from the Seattle Seahawks.

Thanks for reading and follow us on twitter @seasportssoup. Keep checking for updates!

Marshall