Seahawk Weekend Thoughts

It's never everyday that I am able to stay at home and watch a little Monday morning ESPN and NFL Network.  Should I thank Hurricane Sandy for this rare opportunity before it knocks out our power and I am left freezing, hungry and without access to a computer, TV or anything else relying on electricity for the next several days?

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to generate thoughts and words after a loss?  It's not that I can't write about a victory, it's just that I get so frustrated with a loss that I have to clear my mind with all the areas I found problems.  Honestly and shockingly I am not upset with the offense this week.  In fact, I will even go as far as saying I thought Golden Tate actually played well.  He made the exact catches that I stated last week he has to make consistently.  Zack Miller made an impressive catch in the end zone for what should have been a game winner.

Where do the problems live this week?
Dare I say coaching?  For two weeks in a row I have now been upset with our approach to play calling on 3rd and long when a 50 plus yard field goal is in our back pocket.  What is wrong with a dump off pass if all we are wanting is 5 more yards?  Clearly the delay run is not working.  It is darn near offensive to the viewer to see this sort of effort.

Easily my least favorite situation, which occurred a painful 10 times in the game were the 3rd down conversion by Detroit.  Okay, let's be more specific.  Detroit converted 12, 3rd downs out of 16 tries and 3 of the 3rd down conversions were touchdowns. This includes the game winning touchdown.  That is a ridiculous 75 percent!  These stats would be pointed out for a team with a bad defense.  However, the Seahawks are a great defense.  Dare I say they are not if this happens?  The 3rd down and long conversions are giving me convulsions!!!  This is absolutely impossible for me to watch.  If you have seen as much Seahawk football as I have you know what is happening.  Countless times this year it's been 3rd down and 10+.  Pick your qb...Tom Brady, Alex Smith or in the case of yesterday Matthew Stafford.

The little dump pass for 5 yards turns into a 10 yard gain and first down.  What is happening here?  Are we so committed to stopping the deep ball that we give up every 3rd down dump off pass for a first down?  What do we need to change because I want to change it immediately!  From my eye, Bobby Wagner can cover a ton of space, why is he not simply roaming the middle and shadowing the rb or the TE that slips past the offensive line?  Seattle will lose a lot of games if this is not reconciled.  We have Percy Harvin coming to town this next week and he will take these dump-offs and stretch them much farther than a first down.  (Granted this would be great for my fantasy team but when it comes to the Seahawks my fantasy team takes a very distant 2nd place! Please, someone chime in with your thought on how we can stop these 3rd down conversions and dump off passes? We can't keep losing games in this way.

I want to see more of my favorite celebration dance.  Let's get back to big stops and a great defense!