Rashaad Penny to the rescue!

Good lord in Heaven. I love football. I do. I’m addicted to the dynamics, the explosive plays on offense, and the bone crushing plays on defense. I love the drama, and in that, the straight up weirdness that can come out of that drama. Against these Eagles, Seattle had one of the weirdest games I’ve seen in a while. When their usual stars struggled, and other stars not playing at all, unlikely heroes stepped up and emerged. For me, this is what makes football fun.. as long as my team wins.

Let’s get into it.

The Good

For back to back games, the defense stepped up, and has outplayed the offense. Prior to the game against the 49ers, it had been a season’s long worth of the opposite. Yes, I know it was against the struggling Eagles offense, but lesser teams have given this defense fits earlier in the season. Also, this Seattle defense was without it’s best pass rusher in Jadeveon Clowney. I was heading into this game thinking I could be in for a bit of an offensive shootout between Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson, but the reality couldn’t have been more opposite. The Seahawk defense harassed Wentz all day, forced fumbles, and interceptions, and came up with sacks without Clowney, and after the first quarter, without their other top defensive lineman, Jarran Reed.

Ziggy Ansah finally had a strong game, generating 1.5 sacks.

Rasheem Green had a fantastic game getting a strip sack, dependable additional pressure on Wentz and a really nice tackle for a loss holding containment on a outside stretch play. It’s really important for this team to see contributions like this from Green moving forward. They need young defenders to emerge, and on this day, Green did that.

Other defensive linemen played big. Reed brought pressure and collected half a sack before he got injured. Al Woods was a monster inside, and Poona Ford was active. Quinton Jefferson had a strong game, and Shaquem Griffin forced a fumble rushing off the edge. This unit played really well together.

Seattle’s starting trio at linebacker all played strong, and Mychal Kendricks might have had his best game yet.

Seattle’s secondary had an awesome game, creating three turnovers. The starting safety  tandem of Quandre Diggs and Bradley McDougald played fierce.

Russell Wilson did not have his best game, but had a beautiful flea flicker deep touchdown pass to Malik Turner, and Turner is starting to look like one of his more dependable receivers.

Michael Dickson had a superb game punting the ball, and Ugo Amadi pairing with him downing it twice at the Eagle’s one yard line. Big underlined story in this tough road win.

All things being equal, though, the real star of the game was second year running back Rashaad Penny. He’s been a bit of a target for fan scorn lately, and I’ve always thought that was a bit unfair. Today, he was the spark that pretty much saved the game for Seattle. His electricity as an open field runner is undeniable. I have a sneaking suspicion that we are about to see more of him down this final stretch for five games. We will get into the reasons a bit more.

The Bad

Seattle did not get an MVP level performance from Russell Wilson today. He wasn’t helped by bad drops from DK Metcalf, and bad pass protection from Joey Hunt and others, but when he missed a WIDE OPEN Jacob Hollister in the end zone, I started to get a sinking feeling. That’s a pass he has got to make. No excuses. I will however, kind of almost excuse the interception he threw because it was punched out of the hands of David Moore, and floated up in the air for an easy grab, but even with that, one could easily argue that perhaps he forced that ball into coverage that he shouldn’t have.

DK Metcalf, as mentioned, had a rough day dropping a couple deep passes he should have grabbed. He’s young and will get better, but those are grabs he should make if his ceiling as a player is a high one.

At various times, the offensive line could not get out of the way of itself. Multiple false starts was the main culprit. At one point, veteran Left Tackle Duane Brown went ballistic on the sidelines after a horrendous series that featured two false starts, a delay of game and a Russell Wilson INT. As bad as that all was, it was fun to see Brown take leadership, and chew tail. Go Hawks.

Chris Carson had an awful day running the ball.. again. It’s hard to criticize this guy because he offers so much as a tough guy fighting for yards and making circus catches, but folks, I think it is safe to say that he has a fumbling issue. After today, I think we can say this. In all my years of following football, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player fumble like that on back to back plays. It could have cost us this game. If I am Pete Carroll, I’m not taking the ball away from him, but I am going to the well with Penny more in these final five games. Is it possible that Carson is just too taxed out in all the ways he has been used?

The Ugly

Jarran Reed was having a great game, but got his ankle rolled on by Ziggy Ansah. My fingers are massively crossed that he is not seriously injured. His strong play at defensive tackle is a huge benefit to the defenders around him, and the defense noticeably started to struggle against the run when he was no longer on the field.

Moving Forward

Seattle is 9-2 with this win, and are still firmly in a dog fight for the division title with San Francisco. In the end, that is really what we can take away from this game, and honestly, it is fantastic news. Yes, this was an ugly and weird game that Seattle won 17-9, but it should also be noted that New England also had a rather ugly weird match against these Eagles last week which they barely won.

I actually think Seattle played the Eagles a bit better than the Pats. Had Russell connected with Hollister for that easy touchdown, and had DK Metcalf managed to haul in that long bomb from Russell, Seattle probably would have more easily handled this desperate Eagle team.

So, from this perspective, I actually see more signs of encouragement about Seattle as a playoff team moving forward. Today they needed to find ways to win when their best player was not at his best, and they did. Three games ago, against Tampa, this would probably not have been the case. Good teams find ways to win when their best players aren’t at their best.

Seattle is feeling more and more like a pretty darn good team. Are there still issues? Yes, but every team has it warts, and Seattle is no different.

I also think it is really cool that Seattle is now 6-0 on the road this year. This is a pretty important stat to keep in mind.

A win is a win is a win is a win.

A win is a win.

Go Hawks.

We are now a few days before Seattle travels on the road to Philadelphia, and I thought it would be a great time to reflect on this team and ponder what might lay ahead for them down the final stretch run. Here are a lot of the things I have been thinking about lately.

Are the Seahawks a Legitimate 2019 Super Bowl Contender?

Before the season began, I predicted that the Seahawks would be a playoff team with a likely 11-5 record. While the team is sitting fairly comfortably at 8-2, a big part of me wants to stick to that. During this final six game run, Seattle will be playing four teams that will be desperate in their play hopes with the Eagles, Vikings, Panthers, and Rams. They will only play one of those teams at home. They will also be playing a home rematch against the 49ers for potentially the division title, and they will play the Cardinals team that will likely want to play spoiler. From this perspective, that appears to be a potentially tough stretch, and should Seattle split, that would put them directly at a 11-5, and a likely wildcard playoff team. If all this happens, I will look much smarter than I actually am.

However, all that said, I can also easily see Seattle getting really hot down that stretch, especially if their defense continues to trend upwards, and in that, I can even see the potential for Seattle winning out. Outside of the 49ers and maybe the Vikings, none of the remaining teams left on the schedule feel like true contenders, and should Russell Wilson continue is MVP campaign, and if the defense starts to really come together, Seattle could morph into a very dangerous club.

If that happens, that December 29th home game against the 49ers will be gigantic. It could not only decide the division, it could decide home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and should Seattle come out on top, a Super Bowl appearance then becomes very possible.

Imagine that.

Will Russell Wilson win MVP?

Be prepared for this to become the topic being constantly talked about over these final six games, especially if Seattle stays hot. Right now it feels like a two way battle between Wilson and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.

I think it is fair to say that Jackson has the edge simply because his team has beaten Wilson’s and they have won more decisively in most of their matches. However, should Seattle catch fire coming out of their bye week, and start compiling more impressive wins, this could be the year Wilson finally wins it.

For me, I don’t greatly care whether Wilson wins MVP, or not. It would be exciting for the team if he did because that would means that they finished with a strong record, but I already know Wilson’s value. He is one of the very best quarterbacks in the league, and I am incredibly grateful he is quarterbacking my team. Every game is practically must see television largely because of his play, and it’s been an exiting year watching him elevate his level of play.

In my mind, he already is MVP. Whether the league votes him as that or not, won’t change that opinion.

Which players have the most to gain down this final stretch run?

This is a question that I’ve been asking myself a lot lately because I feel it has a carryover effect into 2020. So, I thought now would be a great time to start looking at this

We know what we have in such players as Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett, Duane Brown, Chris Carson, Jadeveon Clowney, Jarran Reed, Bobby Wagner, and Shaquill Griffin. These are impact players on both sides of the ball, and probably players that the team will continue building around (yes, I fully expect Seattle to re-sign both Clowney and Reed). What we really would like to see down this stretch is younger players and other veterans stepping up and making the kind of impact that might lay foundational pieces going into next season.

Right now, the player that jumps out the most is obviously wide receiver DK Metcalf. I feel like sometimes his play as a rookie gets down played just a bit. Personally, I think every fan should be looking at his potential and they should be getting pretty darn excited. Through ten games, he has shown the makings of a generational talent, in my opinion, but really, we need other youngsters to also step up.

I think the other two youngsters that are also standing out are tight end Jacob Hollister, and rookie free safety Marquise Blair. Barring injury, I suspect we are going to see both of these players trend upwards during these pivotal games, and that could be really exciting moving forward.

Blair seems like a classic Pete Carroll defensive back, instinctive and aggressive. I don’t expect him to necessarily start, but I do think he plays a lot in nickle packages, and I think with Quandre Diggs and Bradley McDougald playing with him, fans are going to feel a lot better about the secondary by the end of the season than they have at any point up to now.

With Hollister, I see a sneaky diamond in the rough type. I think he could end up being one of the most interesting story lines the 2019 Seattle Seahawk season. He’s a really athletic player with naturally soft hands, but what I find most interesting about him is his former quarterback background. I think it helps him feel the game the way Russell Wilson wants him to, and I think the combination of him on the field with Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Josh Gordon is really interesting stuff.  If his game continues to trend upwards, he could be a legit X factor in this offense heading into the post season. The more I peal things back, the more excited I am about this guy, and his future in Seattle.

I would also give honorable mentions to center Joey Hunt, and defensive tackles Poona Ford and Quinton Jefferson.

Poona is a youngster finally starting to emerge as after a low start to the season. He was heavily hyped heading into the season, but I think we are finally starting to see why. He has a really interesting knack for making plays in the backfield.

Hunt and Jefferson are different stories, however. Both players are in contract years, and both are being heavily relied on in ways that they haven’t experienced to this point. This team needs both of these guys to play great ball, if they want a title, and they are in great positions to make cases for themselves as to why Seattle should look to re-sign them.

Jefferson, especially, considering how well he looked at the beginning of the season before he got injured, and how he came back and played against the 49ers. If he continues his solid play, I can see the potential of a 2020 Seattle defensive line featuring Clowney, Reed, Poona, and Jefferson and I’d actually feel pretty good about that. I think Jefferson is a really underrated player.

Can the defense realistically catch up to the offense?

As of right now, the Seattle defense is 26th in total defense. They are 24th in points allowed (meh), 29th in sacks (which is pretty bad), but they are 5th in the league for creating turnovers (which is actually pretty darn good).

The realist in me says that this defense won’t suddenly become dominant, but the optimist in me says that they can get A LOT better during these final six game, and if that happens, this team probably is a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year.

The reason why I am optimistic is that, I suspect the coaches have finally figured out how to use Clowney while mixing in with Jefferson and Reed in the pass rush department. Chemistry takes time to build on a defensive line and Seattle was dealt with having to insert a lot of new pieces to it last minute this year. As that chemistry grows, it is also going to help the linebackers a lot.

I also think that they finally got the safety situation figured out adding Quandre Diggs in with Bradley McDougald, and frankly, that is huge. With Clowney, Reed, Jefferson, Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright, Mychal Kendricks and Diggs and McDougald all on the field together, Pete Carroll finally has quality veteran experience at all three levels of the defense to help down the stretch. I know they probably want to mix in the youngsters like Blair, and maybe a couple other rookies, but I think these are a players Carroll wants to lean into. These are the guys who can properly adjust as the game goes on, these are the guys who are going to really understand the opponent’s tendencies, and these are the guys who can help translate that all to the younger players.

I get the philosophy that it is good to get younger on defense, but you have to be smart about it. If Seattle’s defense trends upwards, it will because of the veterans finally gelling together more so than rookies taking charge.

Do I honestly think that the Seahawks could win the Super Bowl this year?

Honestly, I think they could, but I also think, for that to happen, A LOT of things have got to go right. They can’t lose too many key players because depth is an issue across the board. Young players are going to have to continue to step forward. Russell Wilson is going to have to continue playing at an MVP level. Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny are going to have to stop fumbling. The coaches are going to have to continue making the right adjustments.

Simply put, this team is capable of winning a title, but they are no way near as talented and deep as the team that won it playing the 2013 season. That roster was ridiculously deep and that team could afford making mistakes because they had the talent to overcome them. This team can’t really do that.

I will say this, though; if this team does win the whole damn thing this year, it will be more impressive than in 2013. The prime reason for that is because, in my eyes, they will have done it with less talent, and they will have done it by really coming together down the stretch. They might not be the more talented Seattle Super Bowl winning team, but they might be the better Seattle Super Bowl winning one, if that makes sense.

I think it does.

Go Hawks.

Dear Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos,

Please buy that NFL team in Washington,  but not this Washington. Please purchase that sad franchise in the District of Columbia.

The Seattle Seahawks are not for sale, and that is perfectly fine with me. Even though Paul Allen is no longer with us, his sister Jody Allen is, and word on the street is that she’s gather pumped to be steering that ship. So, as much as Jerry Jones might like you to be the team’s owner, I don’t think she’s going to sell, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t want her to, either. Not to you, or anyone else.

Here’s the deal. Paul Allen saved professional football in Seattle. He didn’t have to do that, and football wasn’t even his first sport love (see basketball and Portland Trailblazers), but he did. Paul did that because of his love of the area, and he wanted the fan base to experience championships.

In his near twenty years as the owner, the Seahawks made the Super Bowl three times, winning one, have won the division eight times, and have made the playoffs thirteen times. They have missed the playoffs only seven times in that span. Outside of the New England fans, no other fan base has enjoyed as much success.

Jody Allen has stated that she intends to keep with her brother’s vision, and so far, so good. The 2019 Seattle Seahawks are 8-2 right now, and I believe Jody has had a big hand in that. She pushed for extending head coach Pete Carroll, and she signed off on the long term extensions of MVP candidate Russell Wilson and All Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. She also allowed the team to use her personal jet to fly in Jadeveon Clowney when they traded for him at the start of the season. Like her brother, Jody just seems to get it, and I feel great about that.

However, I’m just not that sure about you. Maybe you would be a great NFL owner, I don’t know, it’s nothing personal, but I just trust Jody. You haven’t earned my trust yet, and to be honest, a lot of my more left leaning friends seem to believe that you’ve made Seattle a mess with the influx of Amazon employees that have come out here, and jacked up the cost of living.

Without getting into all that, if you were to hypothetically end up the owner of the Seahawks, not only would I have to dwell in the uncertainty of how you would act as team owner, but my Facebook feed would likely be filled with outrage from those who like to remind me that I am in love with a blood sport that is run by billionaire white dudes who won’t give Colin Kaepernick a job. Honestly, I don’t want to deal with that.

So, if you really want to get into the league, go buy that team in Washington DC, instead. I know that the owner has said that the team isn’t for sale, either, but as a lot of people say, money talks, and you have a lot of it. Plus, you already own the Washington Post, and word on the street is that you are moving to the area, as Amazon is setting up its second headquarter over there. So, why not just make it a DC trifecta?

Make Daniel Snyder an offer he can’t refuse, and get that team out of his hands. That poor pathetic franchise has sucked cow turds under his rule for decades now. He doesn’t  deserve to own it, and I’m confident that you couldn’t do any worse as the new owner.

One more thing, if and when you do purchase that team in DC, please change that awful name. I suspect that a big part of the reason that franchise struggles so much is that millions of Native American souls are willing that team to suck from beyond the veil each and every football season. I’m not joking about this. I know bad juju when I see it, and keeping that name intact is simply bad juju.

So, be a hero, and buy that team from Dan, and change its fricking gawd awful name. It would be the right thing to do, and maybe then, my ultra progressive friends will be more likely to say, “you know, that Bezos guy, he’s kinda almost alright. Now I don’t feel so conflicted about my Post and Prime subscriptions.”

Go Hawks, and sincerely yours,

Curtis Eastwood

Dear Coach Brian Schottenheimer

Thank you for everything you are doing for my Seattle Seahawks. Largely because of you, my favorite team on the planet is enjoying a 8-2 start to the 2019 NFL Season, and my favorite football player on the planet is firmly in MVP consideration. Some fans will likely mock me for thanking you, but smarter fans that play close attention to this team will know better. You are the man.

Before you came to Seattle, this team’s offense had become a broken mess. For an offense that had Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and Duane Brown, there was absolutely no excuse for it, but sadly they had finished the 2017 season 9-7 and they just missed the playoffs.

That worn out offense couldn’t effectively run, and my favorite football player on the planet had regressed as a passer. His mechanics had become way off, and he started to do horrendously silly things that you would typically see from an uncertain rookie (running around in circles, turning his back from receivers and pass rushers, throwing off the back of his foot under pressure, hanging onto the ball WAY too long).

In a painful game against the Cowboys, I watched him run around in circles taking a ridiculous thirty yard sack for a loss. I had always been the biggest defender of Russ, but even I couldn’t defend that play. It was utterly un-defendable, and for the first time, I had concerns about what direction he was heading towards as a passer.

Fortunately, the late great Seahawk owner Paul Allen shared my concerns and mandated that head coach Pete Carroll make swift coaching changes. That was a wonderful gift he gave Seattle fans before he sadly passed away, and I am so grateful Pete chose you to fix this offense, and more specifically, to fix Russell Wilson. You have done an awesome job.

I’m sure, in some regards, it hasn’t been an easy process for you. There were sexier names on the offensive coordinator market that Seahawk fans were clamoring for. One of those guys went from the Eagles to the Vikings, and yet found himself fired before the 2018 season even finished, but you kept doing your yeoman work in Seattle, and it helped this club reclaim their spot in the NFL playoffs.

Yet that playoff appearance was short lived, and you took a blasting on sports radio and Seahawks Twitter when you seemingly stubbornly called run plays on third and short when the Dallas D had all but stole away your playbook, and stuffed those plays out. Russell was moving the ball through the air, and yet it seemed you were taking the ball out of his hands and not giving him a chance to win it on the road. This is what sports journalists and Seahawks Twitter were saying.

But I sensed a deeper reality likely at play here.

This is just me, but I think Pete Carroll isn’t the easiest head coach to be an offensive coordinator for. Even during the Super Bowl seasons, he had this odd idea that the offensive coordinator should call pass plays and the offensive line coach should can run plays, and that always just seemed strange to me. Also, while he is fundamentally a defensive minded coach, I think he can’t help but getting involved in the offensive plays during the game, and when the matches appear close, I think he has a tendency to want to dumb down the play calls a bit because he doesn’t want to risk turnovers.

It’s understandable, because defensive minded coaches don’t want take risks on the offense in tight matches, and they tend to believe running the ball is less riskier than passing. That can be a tough pill to swallow as a caller, I am sure.

As a result, this can force you to look like a buffoon of a play caller in the eyes of a national audience. This was the case when you were in New York coordinating for defensive minded coach Rex Ryan. This was also the case when you were with the Rams under defensive minded coach Jeff Fisher, and this was certainly the case last year here under Carroll.

Yet, that was then, and this is now, and it appears to me now that you and Coach Carroll must have sat down over the off season and had a bit of a heart to heart because surprisingly Coach Carroll has allowed you to open up the playbook more for Russell. I’m so glad you and Coach Pete had this heart to heart, and good for Pete to come around on this. Go Hawks.

Through ten games on the year, your offense is top five overall in yards. It is also third overall in scoring, tenth in passing, and sixth in rushing, and it is fourth in DVOA. Simply put, this is the best offense I have seen in a Pete Carroll coached Seahawk team, and it isn’t close. It might be the best offense since the team Mike Holmgren coached to the Super Bowl, and it might be better than even that one.

More importantly, you have completely fixed Russell Wilson. He has never looked this good as a passer. In ten games, his stat line is ridiculous with 2,737 yards, 23 TDs, 2 INTs, a 68.5 completion percentage, and a stellar 114.3 passer rating. He is on pace to pass for about 4,000 yards, 40 TDs, and 3 INTs at this rate. Will, he do it? I don’t know, and I’m not sure I even care because the simple truth is that he finally looks like the complete quarterback he was always capable of being.

You have fixed his passing mechanics. Now when he scrambles, he is concise with his footwork, and he keeps his shoulders square to the field. Since he came into the league, old school fans have always drawn the Fran Tarkenton comparisons. It was easy to do because he is short like Tark, and he is a scrambler, but now when I see him move and manipulate in and out of the pocket, I see vintage Joe Namath, and I will fight anyone on this.

In my mind, Russ is the clear MVP of this season, thus far. This isn’t the homer Twelve in me saying this. This is just what I see, and now many national football minds are seeing it and saying it. This is largely on you for this.

Thank you for this, Brian. You fixed Russell. From the bottom of my Twelve heart, thank you.

One final thing that I want to say in all this is this. Please don’t leave for a head coaching gig after this season. Team owners love to hire the hot flavor of the month in the offensive coordinator realms, and if all these trends continue, I fear your name is going to be top on the list in 2020. Please, just stay in Seattle.

Stay here and keep your chemistry brewing with Russell. Pete Carroll isn’t going to coach here forever. While I hope he sticks it out for another five years or so, he might only keep it going for another three.

Wouldn’t it be cool if your first head coaching gig is eventually in Seattle?

You would have the quarterback in place, a devoted fan base behind you, and your hands wouldn’t be tied by an old school defensive coach. These are all things to consider. I hope you take this all to heart. I don’t want you to leave.

Sincerely,

Curtis Eastwood

Run Russell run. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

This was not a game Seattle was supposed to win. The well rested undefeated San Francisco 49ers were the dominant team not just in the division, but arguably in all of football. They had a defensive line loaded with former first round picks, and an extremely fast defense playing behind them. Offensively, San Francisco boasted a powerful run game and a young quarterback who could make you pay.

Seattle, on the other hand, had a struggling defense and special teams unit that were riding a hot quarterback. Before this game, many were considering this team fortunate to even be 7-2. If Seattle was going to win, it would likely have to lean into its quarterback, the defense would just have to do it’s best to hold down an explosive 49er offense, and even still, the game might come down to making a critical field goal kick.

It felt bleak for Seattle at the start, but all three of these things happened. This was a great game, and Seattle is now 8-2.

The Good

The defense found itself. Last week, I wrote a piece about what Seattle might do to fix its ailing defense. I noted that there were players not playing that they needed to get on the field. I also noted they could adjust their scheme a bit to try different looks. Both of these things happened in this one. Credit newly acquired safety Quandre Diggs for hauling in a key interception and return, and credit defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr for adjusting his scheme, mixing up coverages and pressures.

The pass rush came alive. I also wrote in the piece that current players could play better, and an effective pass rush often comes with chemistry, and chemistry takes time. In this match, the chemistry that Jadeveon Clowney was finally cooking with Jarran Reed was almost X rated. Clowney had been a pressure force all reason long, but this was Reed’s official welcome back as a pass rusher getting 1.5 sacks and the strip sack of Jimmy Garoppolo that Clowney turned into a touchdown. It feels like the best way for Seattle’s defense to get back to being closer towards the top is to lock up these two players together long term.

Defensive tackle Poona Ford also had a great game. Poona, Poona, Poona.

Defensive tackle Al Woods also had a great game. Go Big Al!

Seattle’s secondary also played huge. Shaquill Griffin’s diving pass defense late in the match was nothing short of sensational. He’s consistently been Seattle’s best defender.

Russell Wilson was poised and effective against a scary 49er defense that was getting theirs on him early and often. He rolled out of pressures and found receivers down field, and he got key yards on the ground when Seattle needed it most. His impromptu touchdown lob to Jacob Hollister was fun to watch. Yes, he tossed an interception in overtime that could have cost Seattle the game, but he led them back on the final scoring drive. Russ is still very much in the driver’s seat for league MVP.

Tight end Jacob Hollister followed a big game last week against the Bucs with an even bigger game against the 49ers. This is huge for Seattle moving forward, as it looks like they found the answer to not having Will Dissly. Hollister looks like the most athletic tight end that Seattle has had in a while and that includes the Jimmy Graham era.

Little known receiver Malik Turner had a couple huge catches when needed.

Widely known receiver Josh Gordon also had a couple huge grabs and one against former Seahawk Richard Sherman.

Here’s a cool fun fact; the 2019 Seattle Seahawks are a perfect 5-0 on the road this year now, thus far. Knowing how to win close games on the road can help in the playoffs.

Jason Meyers was the hero making critical field goals down the stretch, including the game winner.

The Bad

Turnovers by the offense were hard to watch in this match. Seattle arguably could have won this game more handily if Russell had not had a strip sack turned into a touchdown done dirty on him in the second half. His red zone INT in overtime also sucked. Rashaad Penny and DK Metcalf both fumbled the ball away to the 49ers that killed likely scoring drives. Chris Carson also fumbled but Seattle was fortunate to recover. Turning the ball away against the top defense in the league is not a great recipe to winning on the road.

KJ Wright and Bobby Wagner both had would be interceptions bounce out of their hands at critical drives down the stretch. Got to come away with those, boys.

Tyler Lockett got hurt towards the end of this match. Hopefully, he is okay. Fingers massively crossed here.

The refs sucked cow terds all game long.

The Ugly

A friend of texted me early into the first quarter that he was “not going to watch another game until Schotty gets fired. Period.”

This turned into an odd exchange between us, as I responded by pointing out that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had been play calling for the number three overall offense heading into this game. Apparently this did not settle his nerves, and eventually he started texting in ALL CAPS.

Finally, I started asking him if he was on drugs.

I realize this might be a dick move calling him out on this in this silly blog, but really, fire Schotty? Brian Schottenheimer is a big reason why Seattle is 8-2 and is a main reason why Russell is playing at an MVP level, in my humble opinion. For fans that doubt this, be prepared for a piece coming that will expand all of my thoughts on this.

Moving Forward

Seattle is heading into a much needed bye week, and at 8-2, they are very much in play for the division title. Under Pete Carroll, it is practically automatic that Seattle plays it’s best ball heading down the stretch.

This bye week comes at a great time to get players rested, but more importantly, it allows the team to self scout and make adjustments. I think this game against the 49ers gave us a glimmer of how the defense might adjust, and if it continues playing like it did in this match, the 2019 Seattle Seahawks could very well be in for a special season.

It’s going to be fun to watch.

Enjoy every breathing minute being a Seahawk fan today.

Go Hawks.

Bobby can’t do it all, ya’ll. Players and coaches need to step up. (Getty Images)

If you are anything like me as a Twelve, you’ve probably been pulling your hair out a bit the last month. While you’ve been amazed at how well your star quarterback and his merry band of receivers and runners have been in the offense, you’ve been probably equally appalled at the lack of pass rush, the missed tackles, and blown coverages on the defensive side (let’s not even get into special teams). Presently, this team feels incomplete. They have an offense led by a quarterback who is hot enough to take them to a championship, but they have paired that with a defense that doesn’t feel like they can stop anybody.

In two weeks, they couldn’t stop Matt Schaub, and Jameis Winston; two quarterbacks nobody thinks about then thinking about how to start a franchise, yet they both put up numbers that would make you go “yowza” when looking at them on paper. This is troubling for any Seattle Seahawk fan who has followed this team for about the last ten years. This does not feel like a Pete Carroll defense, not anything close, and it feels like this club is destined, at best, for a short lived playoff appearance because of it.

This doubly stings because that would be a waste of potentially a historic season from Russell Wilson and company. It’s a shame simply because if this defense could just get to middle of the pack, or something closer towards, that could be enough for Seattle to capture the division, and make a deep playoff run.

So, as we sit here through nine games, my question is “can this defense be fixed enough this season with seven games left to go?”

My short answer is one of pure optimism. It’s possible.  Here are my thoughts.

Possible Fix Number 1. Players on the Roster stepping in and stepping up.

As of right now, Seattle’s defense ranks 25th in total defense out of 32 teams. That’s bad, but I have to be honest, when I was looking into these rankings, I was expecting worse. A lot worse. So, for me, this is at least a bit of a positive.

They are 5th in the league in creating turnovers, and that’s pretty darn good. However, they are 25th in sacks, and that isn’t great at all. They’ve given up a bunch of yards through the air and have been somewhat middle of the pack in yards given up on the ground. They have actually been a fairly decent red zone defense. That all feels about right. They have been classically “bend don’t break” all season long, at best.

Here’s the thing that I think is the long and the short of it. There has only been one player that has consistently brought pressures on the quarterback and that is Jadeveon Clowney, and that’s been a big problem.

Prior to trading for him, this team was likely banking on Ziggy Ansah to help mitigate the loss of Frank Clark, and they were counting on the continual positive growth of defensive tackle Jarran Reed. The fact that neither has contributed much has been a massive problem. With Reed, we can kind of excuse it because he was dealt a six game suspension, and is now just working himself back into the rotation. However, with Ansah, when he has been playing (either because of injury or age, or both) has been a vast shadow of himself.

It’s also pretty fair to note that the much hyped defensive tackle Poona Ford hasn’t factored into the pass rush, rookie first round pick LJ Collier has come in injured and raw and thus ineffective, and second year player Rasheem Green as been spotty, at best.

Here is a bit of good news. Before being injured, defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson had actually been playing pretty good ball. If we can remember back a few games, he was the one guy that had been getting pretty good inside and outside pressures along with Clowney. If he wasn’t getting to the quarterback, he was hurrying them and he was swatting down passes. Through seven games, Q Jeff had acquired 17 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 passes defensed. Those are pretty encouraging numbers. Seattle needs him back, like desperately.

It’s also worth noting just how impactful chemistry is for the pass rush, and how hard it is to generate it with a bunch of new faces. The only legit carry overs from last year are Reed and Q Jeff, and they have yet to play much together, and I think it is safe to say that Clowney and Reed are still figuring each other out. It is entirely possible that their chemistry grows in the second half where we start seeing more pressures and sacks.

Further in the back of the defense, is the other area where Seattle has also not been playing with all their horses yet. The newly acquired safety Quandre Diggs has been resting a sore hamstring that he had been playing on in Detroit, and even though rookie free safety Marquise Blair playing well enough with Bradley McDougald, Diggs is a hard hitting play maker that I’m sure the coaches want to utilize.

There is a reasonable thought that with a healthy adding of Diggs, he perhaps takes over the nickel corner spot and they play with three quality safeties on the field in many match ups. Diggs came into the league as a corner from Texas. A healthy Quandre Diggs, who was a pro bowl alternate last season, just gives this defense more quality dimension. This leads to the next part.

Possible Fix 2. Adjust the Scheme

Right now the Seattle defense is playing pretty predictably, at practically a ridiculous level. The cornerbacks aren’t pressing receivers at the line of scrimmage, and that is allowing receivers to basically do whatever they want to underneath. They can run digs, curls, and slants, and whatever else because there is usually three linebackers in coverage, there are almost always zones available to them because of that.

I believe the main reason why they have simplified these coverages to this extreme is due to the overemphasis of the coaches not wanting defenders to get beat over the top. If we go back to the first game of the season against the Bengals, and recall how John Ross was able to easily slip past Tedric Thompson for a long touchdown bomb, and then recall just how often Thompson repeatedly allowed long pass completions throughout the season until he found himself on injured reverse (was this a Rodney Dangerfield Caddyshack thing?), it’s pretty understandable.

Pete Carroll had probably seen enough, and had mandated these soft zone coverages that would invite quarterbacks to make the easy completions, instead of testing the back end coverage. However, with three weeks of Marquise Blair now starting, maybe the coach will get comfortable enough to start making some adjustments because he feels like he has a player on the back end who will not so easily be beaten over the top.

Another reason for the soft coverage is because they are playing with three linebackers on the field most of the time. Because of this, they are almost always in zone, and even when they blitz, they send the same linebackers from the same spots. It’s way too predictable. Any competent quarterback can pick up on these tendencies and pick apart what Seattle is doing. I think the reason why they’ve accepted this fate is because they don’t feel good at all about their nickel corner situation, and they think linebacker Mychal Kendricks is a better option, but this ties their hands to play zone because they don’t want to force Kendricks to play man against the smaller quicker receiver.

Coming out of the bye week, Seattle could try pressing receivers more, and throwing off their timing. This could give the linebackers a better chance in coverage. They have the big physical outside corners to do this, and with a healthy Diggs, they could utilize more nickel defense, and this would allow for more man coverage. They don’t have to radically change what they have been doing, but they can certainly add more to it, and I think they will.

It is entirely probable that Seattle will have self scouted themselves during the bye week and with the extra week of practice, they will adjust many of these overly predictable  tendencies. Just how much remains to be seen, but I am sure adjustments are coming.

It also wouldn’t surprise me at all if they become even more a blitzing team, and look to blitz from a lot of different angles with different players at linebacker, corner and safety. They might look at this defensive line and determine that they simply do not have the horses to consistently rush with four.  I wouldn’t expect them to always be sending someone extra, but they can be more exotic when they do. They did this last year with Justin Coleman blitzing at nickel. If they feel Diggs can provide that juice, why wouldn’t they revisit that?

Possible Fix 3. Players Step Up and They Adjust Scheme.

It’s entirely possible that Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed develop better chemistry up front, and Quinton Jefferson comes back and makes up for the lack of production from others. Will that make them a decent rushing front four? Possibly not, but at this point, they just need to be better because they almost can’t be any worse.

It is also possible that Ziggy Ansah has still been feeling the effects of the twisted ankle he received in Cleveland and has been favoring it on the field, and through the bye week, he will have rested it to the point that he comes back with more pass rush twitch. It’s also possible that Rasheem Green and maybe LJ Collier will start to pick up their games a bit more. These are all possible.

What might be more probable is that Seattle will adjust the scheme more and will become less predictable. Pete Carroll always uses the bye week to self scout his roster and coaches. It would be shocking to me if they come out of the bye and have not made key adjustments. That is why I think the safe bet is that adjustments are coming.

Closing Thoughts

Even with players playing better and coaching adjustments coming in that will make this unit less predictable, this still is probably not going to be a very good defense. However, if they can just get closer to middle of the pack and by that, I would even take the 20th ranked defense over the 25th, that could be enough for Seattle to have a special season if the offense continues to do what they have been doing.

I think that is why the team went out and brought in wide receiver Josh Gordon. They likely know what they have with this defense, and they need to ride Russell Wilson and the offense. They might even consider bringing in Antonio Brown, even if Gordon works out just fine. At this point, why not?

Presently, Russell Wilson has been enjoying a career year, and Pete Carroll’s dream vision of a perfectly balanced offense has never looked this realized in Seattle with the way Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny have been running, along with how Wilson has been throwing to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Maybe this is the season to simply go all in on the offense. It’s interesting to note that last year the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl with the 20th ranked overall defense in the league.

As for next season, I think it’s probably the safest bet in all things Seattle Seahawks that we are going to see some sort of major defensive overhaul. We will surely get more into that later as Jadeveon Clowney, Jarran Reed, Quinton Jefferson, Ziggy Ansah, and Mychal Kendricks are all set to be free agents.

But this is now, and that will be then, and as for now, there is still a lot of football left to be played against some tough opponents, but Seattle is still very much in the driver’s seat for their playoff chances and even a division title. So let’s just fix what we got.

Doesn’t have to be great. Doesn’t even have to be very good. Just needs to bend and not break on a dependable level.

Do they have the horses for this? Can they make these adjustments?

Golly, I hope so. I think they can. We shall see soon enough.

Go Hawks.

Good Lord in Heaven. Where do I frigging begin with these notes? I’m gonna keep this really simple, y’all.

The Good

Russell Wilson is the best football player in the league right now, and his numbers today completely backed that up: 29/43 passes, 378 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 INTs. Russell Wilson willed this team that was down 13-21 at halftime to this win. Period.

Tyler Lockett was also unbelievable hauling in 13 grabs for 152 and 2 touchdown grabs. If he is not in the pro bowl this year, the NFL is a total joke.

Rookie phenom DK Metcalf had a massive break out game with 6 catches for a 123 yards and a touchdown, but the bigger story for me was backup tight end Jacob Hollister catching 4 passes for 37 yards and 2 touchdowns. This team has missed Will Dissly’s pass catching at tight end, and slowly, Hollister is looking like the guy who can adequately replace his production. This is a big plus for Seattle’s passing offense.

Chris Carson ran well against the top run stopping defense in the league, although he fumbled twice.

The Bad

The defense. I quit taking notes on this because, by halftime, I didn’t really understand what the point was anymore. That was the worst first half performance I have ever seen out of a Pete Carroll Seattle Seahawk coached team. I can credit them some for slowing Tampa’s offense down more in the second half, but there were still broken coverages, missed tackles, and a general overall lack of consistent pass rush.

This is getting really hard to watch week in and week out. I don’t know what the answers are for this season. I think it is just something fans might have to learn to live with. However, I think there might be some hard choices for Pete Carroll to make heading into the offseason, whether it is coaching or players, or both. My initial thought is that it’s players. Seattle needs a lot of help on that side of the ball right now.

The Ugly

Jason Meyers missed two field goals and an extra point. Both field goals were easy. If Seattle would have lost this game, that would have been the story. Why can’t Seattle get right at kicker?

Moving Forward

Seattle is 7-2 and they are riding an extremely hot quarterback. It’s going to be exciting how they add incoming big play receiver Josh Gordon into this mix.

Russell Wilson is the clearly a league MVP player right now. I think the Seahawks will most likely make the playoffs because of that, but if Gordon becomes a good fit in Seattle, they can still have a pretty special season by catching even more fire offensively. That’s exciting.

What’s troubling is that the defense has yet to get out of it’s own way. They haven’t fixed all the missed tackle issues, and today there were blown coverages galore. That’s troubling.

If Seattle can just be average on defense, then we can talk about maybe being a genuine contender. It’s certainly possible between now and the end of the regular season they do clean it all up, but presently they are clearly testing our patience.

Hang in there, Twelves.

Go Hawks.

The man they call Flash offers a no risk potentially high reward situation for the 2019 Seattle Seahawks. Go Hawks!

When the Seattle Seahawks claimed wide receiver Josh Gordon off of the waver wire on Friday November 1st, it was quite the surprise to the hoards of Twelves. Reactions on the local sports radio and on social media seemed pretty varied. Many were excited about his potential paired with Russell Wilson, while others took a more pessimistic view.

Personally, I don’t think there is any right or wrong way to look at this. If you are looking at his immense athletic profile on the field and are day dreaming about what that could mean mixing him with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, there is legitimate reason for your optimism. But if you are looking at his track record of off the field issues, and why maybe New England decided to let him go, and why it took twenty seven other teams to pass on him through the waver wire before he landed in Seattle, it’s totally valid for you to be pumping the breaks on this move.

From my perspective, I think it’s is a pretty exciting for Seattle. When they lost tight end Will Dissly to a season ending injury in week six, they lost Russell Wilson’s seemingly second favorite target. Yes, rookie receiver DK Metcalf had been an exciting addition to the team, but it just seemed like Wilson was favoring Dissly, and his ability to get open in the inside zones and seams.

It also just felt to me like, as we were approaching the trade deadline, Seattle was going to try to make a move to land another target, whether it was another tight end or receiver. I was actually pretty surprised when the trade deadline past and Seattle didn’t make this kind of move. My thought was that they had probably tried, but given the fact other teams saw them as tight end/receiver needy, those potential trading partners were likely jacking up the asking price to the point where Seattle elected to stay pat. Sometimes the best trades are the ones that you don’t make.

Three days later Seattle landed Josh Gordon, a huge receiver with immense athleticism, but one who also comes with truck loads of personal baggage. The great news is that it cost nothing in the way of draft picks or players for Seattle to acquire him. If he isn’t working out, for whatever reason, Seattle can cut him, and they are off the hook, but if he does come in focused and stays clean, well, Seattle, at the very least, has added a player that defenses have got to account for.

Seattle already has a pretty effective power trio of quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Chris Carson, and wide receiver Tyler Lockett. They also having what looks like a major talent in DK Metcalf. If Gordon fits into the mix, what is a defensive coordinator going to look at to take away? If you sell out on the run, how do you cover three dynamic pass catching weapons? If you play the pass, who are you doubling?

This move is a no brainer for Seattle to make. They needed a legit weapon for the pass game, and they got one, baggage and all, and if all he does is push other receivers on the roster to raise their game, that’s also a big win. As former Seattle corner and current 49er Richard Sherman used to love to say, “iron sharpens iron.”

This is also a very Pete Carroll thing to do. He loves to get unique physical talents on his roster, and seemingly especially ones that other teams have rejected. From Mike Williams, to Marshawn Lynch, to Dion Jordan, and now Josh Gordon, Pete loves a good reclamation project, and this is how I mostly see this move.

It’s going to be really interesting to see exactly how this one plays out.

Go Hawks.

News Flash. Russell Wilson is good. (Getty Images)

We are now through eight games of the 2019 NFL season, our beloved Seattle Seahawks sit 6-2, and we all know what this means; mid season grades. Yay!

I have sat down with my expert panel and we have poured over the tape, and.. well, no we haven’t. I’m a middle aged burn out running on selective memory, and my expert panel consists of my tabby cat, Earl, and my black kitty, Kam, and they don’t have the NFL Game Pass to watch any all-access footage. So, we just sort of sat together, haggled, rubbed bellies, bit wrists, and we came up with the following grades. Hope you enjoy.

Quarterback. A+

Curtis: Russell Wilson has never started a season stronger. This is the best I’ve ever seen him, and I’ve always thought of him as a top five level quarterback. He’s a legit MVP candidate.

Kam: This team is 6-2 because of Russell Wilson. If they had Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback, they might be 2-6, or worse. For this team to win games, they need to consistently have great quarterback play, and for the most part, that has been RW.

Earl: Chris Carson deserves to be mentioned as a factor as to why this team is 6-2, as does Tyler Lockett, but Russell Wilson has been amazing. If he was supported by even a halfway decent defense, this team could easily be 8-0 right now, just like the 49ers and Patriots. I should be happy about 6-2 but I just feel darkness in my soul when I think about this. Darkness, I say. Darkness.

Running Back. A-

Earl: Chris Carson is the man. I wanted them to trade Rashaad Penny to Tampa for tight end OJ Howard before Tuesday’s trade deadline. That’s how much I think of Penny. Nice player, I suppose, but Carson da’ man.

Curtis: I don’t want to get into this again. Tampa was not going to trade Howard for Penny straight across, and to be honest, even if Seattle were to deal him, Chris Carson has never played a full healthy season of football ever. Never ever. This team needs Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson together.

Kam: I like Carson and Penny just fine, but is it just me, or doesn’t it seem like CJ Prosise should also see more carries? I’d kinda like seeing him more involved. I don’t know why you two are looking at me like that. Do I have a poo stuck on my tail?

Receiver. B+

Earl: Tyler Lockett is a Jedi Knight, or something. I don’t know what water he’s been drinking but keep him guzzling it. DK Metcalf has looked a lot better than I thought he would as a rookie. David Moore has been a little disappointing, though. I thought Moore was supposed to be the breakout player here.

Kam: Lockett is playing like a top five receiver in the league, and DK seems like a star in the making. Everyone else behind them just sort of feels more like a guy. I want to see more out of Moore. Wouldn’t you know it? This feline is a poet.

Curtis: You can’t rhyme “more” with “Moore.” That’s just stupid. Kinda cute, whatever. Lockett is playing like the best player on the team not named Russell Wilson. DK has been the most pleasant surprise of the season for me, and I think we will see David Moore start to take off more as the season moves along.

Tight End. B-

Kam: This group would have been graded an A if Will Dissly wasn’t lost to the season, again. Sorry subject. I feel a hair ball coming up.

Curtis: Still feels like a punch to the gut that they lost Dissly again. I was hoping they would pull off a trade. I’m fine with Luke Willson and Jacob Hollister. Fingers crossed that Hollister comes along quickly.

Earl: Loosing Dissly was like that dude on Game of Thrones who was fighting that really big dude, and pretty much had him killed, but then he starts dancing around, and acting like a jackass, and then that really big dude grabs his head and squishes it like a grape. Just so shocking and wrong and horrible and.. why? Why did this have to happen?

Offensive Line. B-

Curtis: It’s tough grading this group because it’s been kind of banged up, but I feel there has generally been decent pass protection in most games, and they’ve opened up holes for the backs. Germaine Ifedi seems to have been playing a lot better lately.

Kam: The line has been okay to decent. I worry about the age on this line with Brown, and Iupati, and Fluker, and now depth is going to seriously be tested with the loss of Justin Britt.

Earl: This group hasn’t been as strong as I thought they would be, but they also haven’t been Tom Cable bad, either. I actually think Joey Hunt will be fine at center. We just can’t lose Brown and one of the older guards. Man, that just sent a cold chill down me spine.

Defensive Line. C-

Earl: This has been the biggest area of disappointment for me. Jadeveon Clowney has been practically doing it all by himself as a pass rusher, while Ziggy Ansah has felt like an expensive free agent bust. My only hope is that Jarran Reed starts rolling now that he is back. This is the area that they have got to attack aggressively next season to fix. Does first round pick LJ Collier look like a player to any of you? Honest question.

Curtis: I almost wanted to give this unit an incomplete. Ansah has been slow to come back from injuries, and they lost Reed for a six game suspension. I think they were hoping more from Poona Ford and Rasheem Green. So far, it feels like the younger players haven’t really stepped up much. Quinton Jefferson might be the best player on the DL outside Clowney. They need better play here. Reed gives me some hope.

Kam: Fellas, y’all gotta relax a bit. They are just getting Jarran Reed back. Al Woods has been pretty good against the run, Poona has flashed, Q Jeff has been playing well, Clowney has been playing well, and they are just starting to get Ansah back. No one was saying this was going to be the team’s strength. Chill-ax a bit here.

Linebacker. B-

Kam: Bobby hasn’t been playing as good as he was last year, but he is still pretty darn good. KJ will make the savvy play here and there, but just doesn’t seem like he has the same juice. Kendricks will make a splash play, but then also misses tackles. I say let’s start seeing more Cody Barton and BBK.

Earl: Bobby is still good, but has he been playing like the best linebacker in the league good? Not so far. KJ is toast. Kendricks is okay. We can talk about getting the rookies more involved but how about we just go back to running more nickel, and pull one of these guys off the field?

Curtis: Bobby needs to play better, and I think he will. I could stand to see more of Barton and BBK sprinkled in. Just get more speed out there.

Secondary C+

Curtis: Shaquill Griffin has been the real bright spot of this defense. Unfortunately, the safety play has been spotty, and Tre Flowers has had some ups and downs. That said, I’m really hopeful that by starting rookie Marquise Blair and adding newly acquired Quandre Diggs, this backfield is going to be a lot more explosive, and that will be the spark needed for this defense. Fingers crossed here.

Earl: Marquise Blair makes me warm and mushy inside. Pete Carroll must keep him on the field as much as possible.  My biggest concern is depth at corner. If they lose Griffin to injury, I just.. I can’t. I will poop on your pillow.

Kam: Griffin, Diggs, Blair, and Flowers. That’s the starting foursome that I want to see. That’s the backfield that will give you the most speed and pops. That makes me want to roll around on your feet until you pet me, and then I bite you.

Special Teams C+

Earl: Who the #$%* cares about special teams?

Curtis: I do. Michael Dickson has had a bit of a sophomore slump. Jason Myers hasn’t been bad but hasn’t been pro bowl good, either, and the coverage units have been spotty. They all played great against Atlanta, though, so maybe they turn things around.

Kam: Who the #$%* cares about special teams?

Coaching. B

Kam: Pete Carroll doesn’t always do the best clock management stuff, but he has a team with marginal talent at 6-2, largely due to the play of his quarterback, but still, I gotta credit the silver fox. He’s good.

Earl: Pete is Pete. He will always have his roster believing, and fighting. I actually think  Brian Schottenheimer has been doing pretty well calling plays for Russell. Ken Norton on the defense, however, not as wild about. I don’t even know the name of the special teams coach. Does anyone really seriously care about special teams?

Curtis: I think Carroll has done a solid job getting the most out of these players. The offense is way ahead of the defense, which is weird for a Pete Carroll coached team. It is what it is, but I think Pete will have them playing their best ball in December.

Closing Thoughts

Curtis: Tough part of the schedule lays ahead, but I think the team will find a way to go 5-3 in those games, finish with a 11-5 record, and make the playoffs. Go Hawks.

Kam: I think Russell Wilson will be jobbed out of the MVP for Aaron Rodgers, Seattle  squeezes into the playoffs, but beats Green Bay in Green Bay and that will be Russell’s revenge. Go Hawks.

Earl: The San Fransisco 49ers terrify me.. on every level. Holy #$%*. Seattle has got to play their best ball in the second half of the season, or it’s going to get ug-il-y, ya know? Go Hawks.

There are few things that I am a hundred percent certain on. For certain, I can say that water is wet, fire is hot, ice is cold, and Larry David’s SNL Bernie Sanders is one of the funniest things I’ve watched in a while. However, I can not say, with a hundred percent certainty, that Abe Lincoln was the greatest US president, John Lennon was the greatest Beatle, or whether I really like or dislike hummus.

This all said, I can pretty comfortably say that this Seahawk road win against the lowly Matt Ryan-less Atlanta Falcons probably didn’t pump tons of confidence into the chests of Twelves that this team is anything more than a potential wild card playoff team. With all the hope we were filled with in the first half, going up 24-0 and really feeling like we’d finally see a blow out of an inferior opponent, it was fairly quickly dashed when Atlanta came back in the second half and outscored Seattle 20-3 to make it a much more respectable final score for them.

This game was literally a tale of two halves, and I think what we can glean from it is that Seattle still has a lot of work to do, if they want to truly contend this year, and that is even if they make some sort of big trade or two before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

I also think there is some perspective needed about this game and how it went down. I will go into that in later thoughts below, but first, let’s roll out the goods, the bads, and the uglies.

The Good.

Rookie safety Marquise Blair followed a good game against the Ravens last week with a pretty darn fine awesome great game for a second career start against these Falcons. He notched up 11 tackles and a key forced fumble that stopped the Falcons from really coming back in this one. He made plays against the run, and plays in coverage. He made Earl Thomas plays and Kam Chancellor plays. I get why Seattle took this guy high in the second round last Spring. I will take more of it, thank you very much. Buy stock in Blair.

The defense was not dominant by any means, but there was some really nice continued play by Shaquill Griffin, I thought there was better play out of Bobby Wagner, and they got good pass rush and plays against the run out of Jadeveon Clowney.

Russell Wilson continued to be his ultra efficient play as a passer, completely 14-20 passes for 180 and 2 TDs and 0 INTs. He made plays when they needed him to, especially when he was pinned back towards his own end zone in the fourth quarter and they needed a long time consuming drive that lead to a score. Russ delivered in this one.

Chris Carson also delivered running the ball with toughness when needed, and Rashaad Penny showed again how talented he is when he get his chances with the ball.

I thought Tyler Lockett was the best player on offense, showing uncanny ability to make touch catches in tight coverage. For all the national love Russell Wilson is getting for a potential league MVP honor, I think more love should be directed on how special of a player Lockett is now becoming in Seattle. In my opinion, he is playing like a top five receiver in this league, and this is just not being talked about enough.

Finally, Seattle’s special teams unit had a great game. Michael Dickson was booming punts, and Jason Myers made all of his field goals. Punt coverage was hella solid.

The Bad

There is a lot of constant talk about how Seattle’s pass rush isn’t generating enough sacks and hits. I think a lot of that is well warranted, but for my money, I think the season long tendency to miss tackles is plaguing this team, and they definitely need to get better here. They just have to. They missed too many in this one, yet again. One of the biggest hallmarks of a Pete Carroll defense is quality tackling, and it just hasn’t be consistently there this season. They gave up an easy third quarter touchdown run to Brian Hill by whiffing on tackling. Marquise Blair should have stopped him near the line of scrimmage, and I believe Mychal Kendricks missed him further down field, and Tedric Thompson missed him further down field. Can’t have that. Can’t. So stop it. Fix it, and then worry about the pass rush.

For as good as pressure that Jadeveon Clowney got on Matt Schaub, he was doing a lot of Michael Bennett impersonations jumping off sides, and it was annoying.

It was painfully obvious that Akeem King, starting in place of Tre Flowers, is not a starting caliber corner. When Schaub finally decided to pick on him in the second half, he couldn’t really do much to stop the pass catching on his side. He also missed an easy interception that could have easily been a pick six. I’m praying Flowers comes back soon.

I thought Seattle’s offensive play calling was weirdly dialed back early in the second half. It was only when it seemed like Atlanta’s offense was going to continue rolling that Brian Schottenhiemer started dialing up the passing attack more. I don’t know if it was Schotty’s decision to dial it back, or it was Pete who mandated it, but I would have loved to have seem them continue the second half in attack mode.

The Ugly

It appears that starting center Justin Britt tore is ACL in his knee early in this game, and if so, is done for the season. It’s a shame. He was a big leader on the line. Joey Hunt did a serviceable job replacing him, and has done serviceable jobs in the past stepping in for him. Seattle might still be okay here, but depth on the offensive line is now officially really being tested and San Francisco has an electric defensive line.

The officials missed a bad face mask on Russell Wilson, and then an obvious Clowney roughing the passer on Matt Schaub. What did these two quarterbacks do to deserve that?

Final Thoughts

This was a game that proven a bit tougher than it needed to be, but this is not new for these Seattle Seahawks this season. They opened the season at home against a Bengals team that is still win-less, and that awful Bengals team gave them fits, yet Seattle still won. Is it playing down to the level of the opponent? Maybe, but maybe this is what the Seattle Seahawks are this year.

They can still win ten or eleven games and make the playoffs, but if they really want to push for the division title against San Francisco and LA, they must clean things up. The good news is that Pete Carroll coached teams tend to play their best ball in the second half of the season. My hunch is that they will.

I also wouldn’t overly fret about this very un-blow out performance against the Falcons. Seattle was playing without it’s starting right cornerback against a team that has probably the best receiver the league along with several good complimentary receivers and a pro bowl tight end. Even though Matt Schaub is no Matt Ryan, he is still a savvy veteran quarterback and he had weapons to throw at. I think also, you have to credit Dan Quinn and his staff for making good second half adjustments to the offense to take advantage of Seattle’s overly eager pass rush with screens and play action. Any dog can have his day and Schaub was kind of having his.

Still, Seattle did what it needed to do to win, and that was really captured by the long fourth quarter Wilson, Lockett and Carson led drive that got them three additional points and more importantly, chewed up a ton of clock. Credit needs to be given for that. By the time Myers made that field goal, the game was pretty much out of reach for Atlanta. The final score made it seem closer than it was, period.

As for Schaub’s crazy 460 yard passing day, ESPN 710’s Danny O’Neil offered a very interesting tweet after the game; the Seattle Seahawks are now 7-0 against quarterbacks who have passed for 400 yards against them in the Pete Carroll era. This why I think the passing geeks need to pipe down just a bit. For one thing, teams that fall quickly behind will pass more. The other more important thing is that Pete Carroll is fine giving up passing yards if it is just underneath stuff. His philosophy is stop the run and don’t give up explosive down field plays that lead to easy scores.  We can complain about the lack of sacks and all the missed tackles, but this is pretty much what Seattle’s defense did today. In a sense, that’s Pete Ball right there.

Trade Deadline Approaching.

Mark Tuesday October 29th in your calendar. There could be breaking news about another Seahawks trade.

What is really going to be interesting over the day or so is whether Seattle makes any bold moves heading towards the trade deadline to help chase the 49ers for the division, or if they stay more tempered. It was rumored by NFL insider Ian Rapoport Sunday morning that Seattle is potentially shopping Rashaad Penny. It’s odd to me that they would trade away their 2018 first round pick so soon (especially since he was as impactful as he was in this game), but maybe he would be a part of a package for a much bigger named player for the offense or defense. We shall see.

In my mind, I still can’t decide if they should make a splashy trade (or two), or be more measured. On one hand, it would be fun to see them add more to the offense and have Russell continue to chase the MVP, but on the other hand, I don’t want to see them mortgage too much of the future to win now. They have a young team around Wilson, and a lot of draft picks for next Spring. In my mind, it’s still best to build through the draft. I’m sure that’s the balancing act general manager John Schneider is weighing in his mind as I type all this out. It will be interesting to see what it does in just a short while.

If I have to only have one thing on a wish list it is this. Get a quality starting tight end. This team misses Will Dissly.

Go Hawks.