Yes, frustrating but am I as frustrated as the Dallas Cowboy fan that I recently posted? No, infact disappointed may be a better way to describe the feeling I had following the outcome of the Ram game.
It's not that I think the Rams are bad. My feelings of disappointment stem from the excitement, the momentum and the aspirations I have seen grow within my hopeful soul. I did not see the Rams as a team we could just walk into a nearly empty stadium and beat. They, no matter who the coach is, play the Seahawks very tough. Back in the days with Tory Holt, Isaac Bruce and Marc Bulger I understood the battles. Both teams were good, both teams could move down the field quickly and both teams were respected throughout the NFL.
But what about now? I have never understood that while the Rams were the armpit of the league the Seahawks still played them close. Granted it's not like the Seahawks were much better over the past few years. Nonetheless, what happened on Sunday? Why did this happen? And most importantly how do we keep this sort of offensive performance from peaking it's very ugly head out again...ever!
Of course I've heard opinions ranging from my cousin to people on the radio and even President Obama (okay, I lied there) that Matt Flynn should be plugged in immediately. All I have to say is this is crazy, irrational thinking. No offense to this sort of thinking but maybe I am equally as crazy for thinking that Russell Wilson needs to be our guy all year. We need to see what he can do through thick and thin for 16 games. When Pete Carroll decided to name Wilson the starter he decided to roll with the ups and downs of a rookie. I'm sticking with my original statement that Matt Flynn should be traded. Nothing against Flynn but what is the point of having him on the roster next year? Please feel free to defend him and his place on the team in the comments. I say get a younger and taller prospect in the draft and cut ties with Flynn prior to the draft.
Okay, I got off track with the source of our loss. Of course some of the blame falls on the shoulders of Wilson but does it stop there? No way! The offensive line is great in a rushing formation but what about pass protection? We need to see a more clean passing pocket and a whole lot less empty referee pockets! What is going on with the false starts and the late hits? These need to stop asap. I like a tough physical team as much as the next fan but modeling the FREAKING Raiders philosophy is the last thing I ever want to do. Let's clean this up asap.
As for our wrs... can we get some separation? I get it, these guys are not top tier players at their position but can't someone get past the safety or behind the linebackers? Can we find the soft spot in a zone? I know Baldwin has not been healthy but is he the biggest surprise so far on this team? Is this purely a chemistry problem between Wilson and Baldwin or is there something we are not aware of at the present moment. I'd like to see Sidney Rice be able to make a catch steaking down the sideline or on a post. I'd like to see Golden Tate be used like Percy Harvin. Get him the ball 10 times a game, he is a natural athlete that can move more fluidly than anyone on the team. No offense to Lynch or Turbin as they were spectacular against the Rams. Their game is more of the bulldozer variety and I don't want to change a thing about them.
Last, I cannot let the defense off the hook. While they have been as good as advertised and met all my expectations we just simply cannot continue to give up big 3rd down plays. How are we the beasts of the west on 1st and 2nd down but not on 3rd? Can we dial up some stronger pass rush schemes on 3rd down? Why are we rushing 3 players most of the time on 3rd down? I want to see some 4 or 5 man fronts that will keep a quarterback like Sam Bradford from completing 15-20 yard passes on 3rd down. LET''S DIAL THIS UP!
And last our special teams finally let us down. While they have been very strong and kept us in all of our games they down right were outdone by the Rams. Their rookie field goal kicker looks geared up to be the Josh Brown killer that the Seahawks once used against the Rams. Let's not provide short fields via an onside kick from now on. And the fake field goal turned touchdown? That left me in a Chris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson COME ON MAN moment!!! Take that away and give the Rams a field goal and the Seahawks win 13 to 12. That just hurts.
We could be sitting here talking about being 3-1 but instead we are 2-2. Can you say 3-1 once more because it sounds so nice. Alright Seahawks, let's show Cam Newton this weekend how the new NFC West feels on the East Coast. No East coast let down. Prediction: Panthers 10 Seahawks 17
Your cousin sounds like a wise man. Wheather it was going to be Flynn or Wilson, Carroll did them both a disservice by splitting the reps 3 ways before the season. Again, if the hawks were like the '89 Cowboys and went 1-15 last year, we could afford to throw Wilson into the fire a la Troy Aikman. With this defense, we can't afford to let a QB go through his growing pains. Carroll doesn't have the best track record with QBs, and I hope thing change. Miss ya.
ReplyDeleteNice, I was hoping you'd get a chance to take a look at this email. I thought I would give you some credit for presenting your Wilson thoughts earlier. I agree the splitting of reps in the preseason didn't help anyone but I don't know what else Carroll could do. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel that the Seahawks are in the same position as most NFL teams. The Ravens, 49ers, Patriots, Colts...had either a good offense or a good defense. That side of the ball has to carry the team until we become balanced. It hurts that it doesn't all fall into place but we have the pieces at o-line, rb, te, and maybe qb. We could use a big fast wr with great hands and then we need some time to jell. This isn't our year as much as I want it to be. Next year the expectations will be high enough that Carroll will be expected to get us into the playoffs.
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