Good morning, as we wake up to another dreary, drizzly day in the Pacific Northwest. With all the commotion last night involving Holmgren it’s easy to forget there’s a game today.
But there is, and this is one the Seahawks should take care of at home if they bring it from the opening whistle. Here’s a few things Seattle needs to happen in order to dispose of the Bucs at home today.
Protect Hasselbeck: They’ve been woefully inadequate at doing this for most of the season, so let’s see if the switch from Max Unger to Chris Spencer at center changes Seattle’s fortunes up front. I’m also interested to see how Mike Gibson plays at guard.
Pound the rock: Tampa Bay has one of the worst run defenses in the league, giving up an average of 161 yards a contest, so Seattle should be able to run the ball with Julius Jones and Justin Forsett. The key is not getting behind early.
Deion the playmaker? I know for some fans and members of the media Deion Branch has become a scapegoat because of the amount of money he’s making and his lack of production over the time he’s become a Seahawk. But with Nate Burleson out Seattle will need Branch to make some explosive plays in space to help move the chains, and against an unimposing Tampa Bay defense, Branch should oblige.
Redemption for defense: The Seahawks defense looked awful against Houston. As defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said, they got punched in the mouth down in Texas, so look for Seattle’s defense to come put playing hard and fast in order to make a statement at Qwest Field that last week was an aberration, not the norm.
My story today focuses on the team’s announcement that Mike Holmgren declined their offer to take a senior leadership position within the organization. This makes sense for both parties involved. With what Cleveland is offering, it doesn’t make sense for Holmgren to come back to Seattle.
At 61 years old this will be his last real opportunity to accomplish his ultimate goal, which is rebuilding an organization from the ground up and establishing a legacy as one of the great football people in the league. Coming back to Seattle would have been too much of a limiting situation for Holmgren, and all he could really do is tarnish an already impeccable image by failing to turn the Seahawks around
Meanwhile, I think Seattle needs fresh blood to objectively look at the warts of the organization and fix them, and it appears CEO Tod Leiweke is ready to go through that process and find the right guy.
Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman revisits Seattle. Freeman made a pre-draft visit to Seattle, as the Seahawks considered drafting a quarterback in the first round.
ESPN’s Mike Sanod weighs on on the Holmgren situation, and I mostly agree with him. Sando’s been covering the team a lot longer than I have, and therefore has a better background in terms of the history between Holmgren and the organization.
TNT columnist Dave Boling talks with former Seahawks center Robbie Tobek about the nastiness it takes to be an effective offensive lineman in the league.
Greg Johns of Seattlepi.com predicts a 28-13 win for Seattle.
Rod Mar of Seahawks.com has some pretty good photos from last week’s Houston game.
ESPN’s John Clayton talks to Sean Locklear about the issues on the offensive line in this audio link. The conversation is toward the end of the file.
Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune reports that receiver Michael Clayton (knee) and tight end John Gilmore (head) will not play today.
There’s a game today? Oh, right. Not just Branch, but I’d like to see Obo’s role expanded as he likely will play a greater role for this team, moving forward. I too look forward to seeing how Unger and Gibson work together over the next 3 games. Again, moving forward, Spencer doesn’t figure into their plans, so if Mora is serious about “seeing what we have there” we should get to see plenty of that combo. Let’s hope we like what we see. And for god’s sake, give Forsett the rock, enough is enough. It’s time for the Little Big Man to be the “starter”.
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FYI – Heading into commercial, the NFL Network plays clips from around the sidelines in the previous weeks games. They just showed Brian Cushing barking at his teammates; “Hey! 83. Wasn’t he Super Bowl MVP? Hey, you don’t duck if you’re Super Bowl MVP!” How many times, this season alone, have opposing players and coaches called out various Seahawk players for having no heart? Exactly, too many to count. It is absolutely shameful and is an embarrassment.
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Oh man that is a forehead slapping quote from Cushing, but I have to agree.
I’d like to see the other DB make some plays, and I want them to keep working Obo into the offense. Last week it seemed like only a few of the players were still laying it all on the line down the stretch of that game, Obo and Butler were two of them.
I just hope I don’t have to see anymore -1 yard and a cloud of dust runs from Julius… last week his stats were saved by one big run.
And can we please, please, pretty please not see Seneca scramble for minus (x) again today?
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Yes, keep Seneca on the bench. If I never see the “sene-cat” again it will be too soon. Knapp’s insistence on forcing that formation on the team should alone, cost him his job.
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You know things have gotten pretty bad when the thing you’re most excited about is watching the center snap the ball and how he fares in run blocking and pass protection. I’m looking more forward to that than actually winning the game. Sad.
I wonder how Micheal Bennett will do?
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Couldn’t agree more Bobby & Duke.
The “sene-cat” was implemented two years too late to be effective and this year it’s been used far more than it’s gimmick value anyway. Does anyone know off hand what our offense has gained (lost) from plays in that formation?
It seems crazy, but shouldn’t we be more focused on simplicity? You know master the execution of some basic plays and build from there? Adding an “exciting” wrinkle really only works if you have the confidence that you can make up for it if it goes wrong.
I thought Knapp’s offensive system was supposed to minimize negative plays? The idea was that we might not get a ton of yards per play, but we wouldn’t lose ground until we hit a crease for a big gain?
Where did that offense go?
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Bobby – Were you as shocked as I was last night at how bad Dallas made the Saints o-line look? Goodness, Brees was harassed all night.
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I hate the cowboys, but their D looked good. The front 4 put pressure on Brees all night. And if they didn’t sack him they hit him when he got rid of the ball. Can’t wait for the Hawks to get back to form and put some pressure on the opposing QB. And show some heart. That they really want it. Not just playing the game to get a paycheck….
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HawkS – Focus on simplicity. That takes me to what Hass said after the 1st Arizona game. In the post game presser he talked about finding out what they do well and make those things the foundation of the offense moving forward. They really seem as scattered now as they were then and that was 2 and a half months ago.
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I was surprised, but they have been playing with fire for quite awhile now in barely beating some questionable teams (like the Redskins).
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That’s the comment I was thinking of as well Duke… heck if Hass can figure it out, and you and I can figure it out… how is it that Knapp’s scheme just seems more convoluted as time goes by? It’s perplexing and doesn’t make much sense on the surface. I try to have more faith than that, because at points Knapp’s offense flashes the ability to sustain drives and put points on the board. And then Forsett sits down, TJ takes a nap and Carlson is left to block Mario Williams unassisted.
I get more frustrated with our defensive schemes to be honest. Seems like we keep trying the same thing and expecting a different result. Our secondary, for one reason or another, is pretty bad right now. Our front four cannot generate consistent pressure… So it seems logical that our scheme would focus on generating creative pressure to cover the weakness of the secondary and d line. And the games seem to justify it… we are most successful when blitzing LB’s or Safety’s.
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I share your frustration with the defensive scheme. Generally speaking, when they attack; bring an additional pass rusher (especially SS), play the LBs closer to the line at the snap and don’t allow the opposing receivers to run free underneath, they have had their most success. Yet, more often than not, we see just the opposite; deep safeties, corners and LBs far off the line, even 3 man fronts with Terrill at NT. I don’t get it either.
“we are most successful when blitzing LB’s or Safety’s.” exactly.
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Ugh I try to block Craig Terrill from my memory… undersized, underpowered, underperforming… at least he is inexpensive.
Playing close to the line and high pressure at the corners makes the most sense for the team that we have assembled, but it does come with a high risk of getting burned.
I guess I’d rather see that risk taking approach than the soft zone give them the inch and the mile defen-sieve approach we get most days. As with most things, the D gould be helped out by some consistency on offense.
Here’s hoping we get after the Bucs today, maybe another pick 6 for Wilson and some massive production from Forsett
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It’s funny to me that the fear of giving up the “big play” causes them to give up multiple medium length plays a game. All resulting, of course, in the same thing. Lol.
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Agreed… except it doesn’t make me want to laugh
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This D was horrible last year and is playing much better this year under Bradley.
He’s only had one offseason to try and fix holes and they did that mostly with stop gap FA’s. gotta give the man the time needed to get some players that better fit his system ala CT/kearney. guys learned his craft as an under study to Monte Kiffin and thats a sweet enough pedigree to be patient and let him build HIS D.
Rome was’nt built in a day, and niether were the Colt’s, Pat’s, Saint’s, or Vike’s!!
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GAH, that reads like i meant CT/Kearney are part of the solution and thats not what I meant at all.
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Soggybuc,
I pretty much concur with your assesment, my comment was directed at the scheme being implemented with the people currently on the roster. I think Bradley dserves another season for a complete evaluation. I was merely pointing out that his scheme so far has been frustratingly conservative in it’s approach. The plan might work, but it will need a lot more out of the Defensive Line and Secondary. I do not believe it is reasonable to expect that kind of performance with the personnel we currently have.
We have had success under Bradley, but a lot more of it has come when his defense is being aggressive. I’d like to see more of that, but understand it comes with a greater risk of iving up huge plays.
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I can see being wary of blitzing Warner and Favre, because of their recognition and ability to burn the blitz. However if they can’t do it against this Tampa Bay team and force the issue with good results, then I will agree that these players on Defense with the exception of a very few are unrepairable.
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You’ve got to pressure the QB. If that can be done with the base package, the front 4 in the ‘Hawks case, all the better. But if they cannot get it done, you have no choice to bring an extra rusher (or more) regardless if Warner, Farve or whomever knows it’s coming. The better the QB, the less you can afford to leave them with time. Ask Drew Brees about that this morning. This is another example of how the poor play by the Seattle safeties comes into play.
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The more time you give a QB the longer the receivers have to find the holes in the zone, out play the secondary and simultaneously you increase the likelihood that the QB will find the open receivers.
The ‘Hawks have consistently demonstrated their inability to provide the lockdown coverage necessary for the soft zone defense to succeed. Zone coverage is designed to prevent players from coming wide open immediately and to also allow your defenders to read the QB and react to the ball whereas man coverage requires the defenders to play stride for stride and primarily read the man they are covering.
Given enough time any zone scheme will be picked apart. That’s why getting the pressure is so crucial. The idea is to limit the amount of time available for the offense to find those openings.
A more aggressive approach would naturally yield more openings, but hopefully allow less time for the opposing offense to find them. Guys like Favre, Warner and P Manning are going to identify those openings a lot quicker than other QB’s, but that doesn’t mean that a team should simply sit in soft coverages and wait to be beaten.
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chuck_easton talked about this article on the previous blog entry.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2010551327_holmgren20.html
If true, Holmy wanted more money or more power or both. I know Cleveland is supposedly offering between $8-10 million per year. But that seems excessive. I don’t think a “czar” is worth that. At least not a czar with Koren Robinson and Lamar King on his resume. Still, if you know me and what I’ve stood for over the years, you know I love Holmgren as much as anyone. From my perspective, if this article is true, this brings closure to the situation. He was offered Ruskell’s job and turned it down. What more could Allen and Leiweke do? Aside from offering too much money or allowing a dictatorship to form? Good bye, Mr. Holmgren. I’ll always like and respect you, but now it’s on to a new chapter…
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How’s life in Leiweike land this fine Sunday morn? Y’all fired up for another loss?
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Well, that resume also includes Hasselbeck, Hutchinson and Alexander. I just think it came down to Holmgren not being given the authority and freedom he wanted. It’s hard to imagine that money was at issue, if they were serious about bringing him back, that is. Offered Ruskell’s job? In the end, who knows what guidelines his position held? There is so much we don’t know, it’s difficult to speculate. That said, it feels as though the Seahawks were just never really seriously considering Holmgren. In any case, there’s finally closure regarding Holmgren and we can begin looking forward.
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Oh, it’s very easy to speculate.
The Seahawks were being torched publicly, so they threw a pittance at the ball coach’s feet knowing what he really wanted, which was not to have to answer to non-football people, they refused, he declined, they sent out a Saturday press release as quick as they could type it up, hoping it would fool the majority of Seahawks fans who were calling for their heads.
They were right, if you scroll the blog comments on other sites, a lot of the 12th is actually buying it and giving Tod L a pass.
There’s nothing more to speculate, that’s exactly what happened.
But, the fact remains, whoever they bring in now is almost guaranteed to fail unless he delivers big time, and fast.
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For this game, I will be looking, first of all, to see if the team is ready to play in the first quarter. Too often, this team has seemed asleep at the beginning of the game.
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Tod Luftwaffe is the new Chuck Armstrong, we all need to be prepared to deal with a decade of futility as we patiently ride out the rise and fall of Snake Oil Tod’s ego.
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BobbyAyala – I agree if feels like that, but with due respect, none of us know for sure what went on behind the scenes.
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Duke – believe me. I love Holmgren and some of the guys he brought in. As much as I love the guy, we all have faults. It’s kind of like the Colts-Pats game earlier this year when NE went for it on 4th and 2. Technically, it was dumb not to go for it but I’m not going to complain too much if I’m a NE fan because we know Bill has earned the right to have a few goof-ups without getting torched for it.
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With all due respect, yes we do.
The move was all about fan relations through the media. If the Seahawks were serious about Mike Holmgren, they would’ve made it known through the media.
You’re not serious about a move and send out a Saturday press release.
This is what the White House does when it has unpopular news, it waits until the end of the day Friday and sends out a release. They bury it, which is exactly what the Hawks did with this.
They were dealing with a firestorm of criticism, so they made a calculated effort to subdue the unrest.
Holmgren came on his Softy Friday and said “There’s no one I trust more than Tod Leiwike.”
That was Holmgren’s subtle, back-handed touche to Tod’s “They’re going to have to join us line.”
Holmgren didn’t want to have to answer to Tod. Tod doesn’t want any decision, football or otherwise, not to cross his desk first.
That’s why Tod and Ruskell were great friends, and it’s why we are guaranteed to have a nobody running this franchise as soon as the “search” is over.
I guarantee you, to within an inch of my life, that we are going to get someone who has never had the job before and will have to answer to Tod every step of the way.
Everything is manipulated by Tod because the Seahawks feel he can put butts in the seats.
That’s why we’ve been given choir boys instead of football players for the past five years.
That’s why we will continue to lose football games for the next five.
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I really hope you’re wrong, because I don’t want to be terrible for another 5 years.
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BobbyAyala – I can’t disagree with that, at least the general sentiment. All except this, “…that we are going to get someone who has never had the job before…” Your White House analogy is spot on.
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All you need to know about the Seahawks is this: They hire a search firm to find pivotal front office management.
I ask you, if you’re front office is filled with people that live and breath the game of football, why would you ever put the franchise’s most important decision in the hands of outsiders?
If you know the game, and love the game and eat the game for breakfast, aren’t you knowledgeable enough, don’t you have enough connections around the league, that you can single out the ideal candidate to run your player acquisition yourself?
That’s all you need to know about the people who are running the Seattle Seahawks.
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I’d be all for bring big mike as a GM and part of the team but i definately wouldnt want ANYONE including Holmgren to have all the power and overarching decision making. thats a dangerous situation and you have to look no farther than Oakland to see why.
Mike wants a entire franchise to play and experiment with as if he was owner/president/GM/HC/OC and lead ball boy. thats not whats needed here in Seattle.
Frankly i see the Browns as the best option of any team in the league for that scenario and lerner should do it and see if it works out.
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TL is a hockey guy, who’s CEO of Trailblazers, Sounders and Seahawks. He’s a suit with a set of performance requirements for those under him. He doesn’t have the time let alone the inclination to have every Seahawks decision passed through his desk. He relied on the HC to do that. Meanwhile, TR only fed the coaches the players they asked for and got rid of the players they didn’t want. TL is gonna get RW, or someone just like him (glorified scout) to be the Hawks GM, leaving the HC to meet the performance requirements in whichever way most suits the coaching staff.
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