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Welcome again to actual soccer, buddies. And welcome again to the Cigar Ideas articles. The Seahawks stepped into a brand new period immediately, and I want I might say they did so boldly. As an alternative, we have been handled to an absolute comedy of errors for the primary hour and a half earlier than this workforce received their shit collectively and performed huge stack poker towards an inferior opponent.
I feel loads of us have been fairly optimistic heading into this recreation however that hope was severely examined in the course of the first half. The Seahawks protection was every thing even probably the most pollyanna fan might have hoped for however the offense seemed like 11 toddlers making an attempt to tie their footwear throughout an earthquake till the third quarter.
The Seahawks discovered themselves inexplicably down 13-9 at halftime however discovered their footing after intermission. The offense received on schedule, the protection continued to dictate phrases, and Seattle leaned on Denver till the outclassed guests lastly folded. Regardless that issues began out ugly on offense, this felt like Mike Macdonald’s workforce from begin to end.
The self-discipline that has been lacking from this workforce was evident all day on protection and all through the second half on offense. I caught myself questioning if I used to be within the twilight zone as Seattle’s new head coach used his timeouts judiciously, didn’t danger them with pointless challenges, and seemed in command of every thing on the sidelines from begin to end. And earlier than you interpret this as a sneak-diss in direction of Pete Carroll (I might by no means), I’m purely speaking about how impressed I’m with a 36-year-old whose fingers have been on all of the controls for the primary time.
It took some time however we noticed Geno Smith assert himself in a brand new offense, Ken Walker land punch after punch within the second half, and a Seahawks secondary that was virtually operating the Broncos routes for them. At halftime, regardless of Denver main 13-9, I turned to my buddies and mentioned “we received this”, as a result of regardless of the blunders, nothing concerning the opening half-hour advised me Seattle wasn’t the most effective workforce on the sphere.
It received a contact uncomfortable on the finish however when video games are on the road, good groups belief their strengths and that’s precisely what Seattle did to shut issues out with a terrific throw-and-catch between Smith and Tyler Lockett. 200 minutes after kickoff, the Seahawks downed out their first win of the season and head into Week 2 at 1-0.
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SMOKE RINGS
*The primary half was lined in errors like a child’s butt in an unchanged diaper, however the Seahawks didn’t lose composure. They got here out of the break with a flurry of strikes that saved the Broncos on their heels and Seattle pressed the problem till their opponent was on the ropes. From there, it was only a matter of delivering physique blows till the chin opened up and the ‘Hawks have been prepared with a knockout punch.
Then, after a Julian Love interception on the 1, Anthony Bradford received referred to as for holding within the endzone for a security. The protection did their job however Dee Williams muffed a punt inside his personal 20 after which muffed the try to select it again up. Later within the second quarter, Laken Tomlinson received whooped on an inside stunt and Zach Charbonnet was swallowed up within the endzone for the second security of the primary half.
Ultimately, Seattle received away with it as a result of they have been enjoying a reasonably unhealthy workforce however that shit completely won’t fly towards the nice ones. Hopefully this was only a collection of opening day jitters, and kudos to them for getting proper in a second half that noticed them outscore their opponents 17-7.
*Mike Macdonald’s protection lived as much as the hype. These guys have been flying round in a means we haven’t seen in Seattle in a really very long time. Even contemplating the plain caveats that it was at residence towards a rookie QB, this was a really spectacular efficiency. I’m fairly certain you may depend the variety of yards after the catch Broncos receivers had on two fingers.
However the largest factor? The tackling. And my god did this workforce sort out. Not solely have been they disciplined of their assault, they have been ferocious. And there was virtually at all times a second defender current to scrub up ought to the ballcarrier make a uncommon escape.
A lot of contemporary NFL discourse revolves round scheme and for good cause, because the league continues to evolve at an insane fee. However scheme doesn’t matter a complete lot if you don’t block and sort out. And the Seahawks, effectively, they haven’t blocked or tackled effectively for a very long time. The blocking stays a piece in progress however the tackling was downright elite. On high of that, there have been no breakdowns from an project standpoint.
Lord keen, we gained’t see one other recreation this season the place the protection faces such a horrible common subject place and but, they by no means folded. They allowed one TD and even that took 58 minutes. Earlier than that, they withstood a number of possessions that began deep in their very own territory, zooming round like they’d been on this system for 5 years. If that’s not teaching, I don’t know what’s.
*In the present day additionally marked the NFL for brand new OC Ryan Grubb and the early returns garnered considerably much less enthusiasm. It’s robust to know the way a lot blame to put on the toes of a play-caller when not less than on offensive lineman is getting beat on each play however the offense didn’t discover their footing for a very long time. After they did, although, we lastly received a glimpse into the promise that Grubb supplied in coming from the #1 offense in faculty soccer final 12 months. The second half of the Seahawks offense was spritzed with UW cologne, utilizing layered routes and decisive run ideas to put the groundwork for a dominant second half.
With each Abe Lucas and now George Fant damage, it could be robust to construct momentum however the method we noticed within the second half was drenched in NFL sustainability. It’s just one recreation, however what a distinction seeing an offense get higher as the sport goes on versus beginning scorching after which being fully discovered midway by means of the second quarter. Additionally— and it’s too early to inform whether or not it was his name of Macdonald’s however Seattle plopped some grapefruit-sized nuts on the desk on the finish of the sport, passing on third & 6 as an alternative of burning Denver’s final timeout after which punting with a run play.
*Geno Smith is equal elements hero and sufferer of his circumstances. His early-career struggles caught him with the tough-to-shake bust label and there are many people on the market— lots of whom are studying this text— which can be reticent to maneuver off of that opinion. And look, I used to be one among them… initially.
However one high quality that I pursue above virtually all else is a willingness to regulate my opinions when offered with new info and Geno Smith is Exhibit A in that regard. When he was battling with Drew Lock to be the beginning QB two years in the past, I went on our podcast and mentioned it didn’t matter which one among them gained the job as a result of neither could be the starter the next 12 months. then Geno went out and performed like a high 10 quarterback, main the Seahawks to probably the most stunning playoff look of 2022. he regressed statistically in final 12 months, though I consider that may be chalked up virtually fully to dealing with the second-highest stress fee within the NFL.
Even so, he led the NFL in anticipated sack avoidance and completion proportion when pressured. He took gutter scrapings off the restaurant flooring and cooked up satisfactory meals. I hoped he’d have a clearer path to takeoff this season however that was not the case immediately. And make no kistake— he struggled. His first two dropbacks resulted in horrible outcomes and he didn’t get proper for a very long time.
However midway by means of the second quarter he discovered his stride and delivered strikes to DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett with conviction. Then, he streated all of us to a brand new side of his recreation when he escaped a damaged pocket for a career-long 34-yard TD scramble that noticed him freeze the protection with a dead-leg hesi transfer on the 25 that will’ve made Allen Iverson proud.
His closing numbers— 18/25 for 171 yards, a TD and an INT— gained’t give anybody a boner however the best way he dealt with each dropback after the primary two was precisely what the workforce wanted in a grind-it-out contest. he threw the ball with conviction and by no means appeared caught in between the choice to both throw the ball or bail out of constantly collapsing pockets. He wasn’t the most effective model of himself however nobody is each single week. What he was was sufficient to win a recreation when issues weren’t easy and that’s rattling close to as priceless as excelling when issues are.
*That is Ken Walker’s backfield. I like Zach Charbonnet so much and was blissful to see him convert on a phenomenal wheel route for what proved to be the game-winning rating, however Walker was extra decisive than we’re used to seeing and he didn’t let atrocious O-line play preserve him from racking up 109 whole yards whereas dealing with two-thirds of the backfield touches.
If there’s been one knock on Walker throughout his younger profession, it’s his proclivity to attempt to flip each carry into a giant play, typically taking misplaced yardage as an alternative of settling for the 2-3 yards which can be blocked for him. That was not the case this afternoon, as he narrowed his eyes, pinned his ears again, and attacked each alternative with an aggression that I feel we’ve all been clamoring for.
However that’s to not say that his distinctive dynamism wasn’t on show. His landing run displayed his singular means to mix elusiveness with explosion, as he minimize by means of a cascade of defenders, stiff-armed a person on the second degree, and out-sprinted the remainder of the protection earlier than embarking on a preposterous launch into the endzone from the five-yard-line regardless of his momentum carrying him in direction of the sideline. Nick Chubb might be the most effective pure ballcarrier within the NFL however Ken Walker is on the high of the tier under him.
*From a pure expertise perspective, the Seahawks have arguably probably the most gifted receiver room within the NFL. However when there are solely 171 yards to go round, it makes it robust for anybody to actually stand out. Even so, we noticed flashes from every of the expert gamers in Seattle’s corps, with Noah Fant transferring the chains on the primary two catches of the day, to Tyler Lockett placing the win within the vault late. In between, DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba sprinkled in momentous catches to assist a struggling offense get on monitor.
I’m a really public Lockett-respecter however I’ve additionally predicted that by the point Seattle comes out of their bye, JSN will surpass him on this offense. That will occur prior to even I anticipated, because it was Smith-Njigba on the sphere in two-WR units; that being mentioned, it was the NFL’s (previously) last-remaining virgin that Smith turned to with the sport on the road. Three of Lockett’s six catches got here in crunch time together with a scrumptious one-hander on the ultimate third down snap of the sport to ice it. On that play, he beat good protection with a one-handed snag, reaching his tiny paw out like a child raccoon to grab a perfectly-placed shiny object earlier than cradling it to his minuscule bosom to cement an enormous win. The day when Tyler Lockett is now not the the high-leverage go-to is coming, however immediately shouldn’t be that day
*The offensive line sucked immediately. It’s unhealthy a scenario made worse by an damage to George Fant, who was introduced in to bandage the wound left by a PUPped Abe Lucas. His alternative Stone Forythe was fully overwhelmed in reprieve responsibility, as have been guards Laken Tomlinson and Anthony Bradford. I assumed new middle Conner Williams and younger stalwart LT Charles Cross have been excellent however it doesn’t matter a complete lot if you’re getting spanked on 60% of your OL.
*This protection, my god. I imply, holy shit. I’ve mentioned so much about them as a unit already however I need to take a second to level out some exceptional particular person performances, beginning with Julian Love.
One of many issues that made the early Pete Carroll defenses so distinctive was their means to implement a gameplan from the again of the protection. Most groups prioritize the gamers closest to the ball and outdoors of the handful of really elite corners, I completely get it. However in a Macdonald protection, large stress is placed on the safeties and Love has clearly embraced that position. He made his presence felt all through this contest, racking up a game-high 12 tackles and selecting off a cross on the objective line. His Professional Bowl choice final 12 months wasn’t undeserved however it felt bizarre as part of a really unhealthy protection. However immediately, he remodeled from the final line line of protection on a foul unit to an absolute weapon for the foremost defensive thoughts on the planet.
Julian Love was the most effective participant on this recreation however Devon Witherspoon is the most effective participant on this protection. He was completely in all places, forcing the problem on each degree of the protection, together with the backfield. He’s a heat-seeking missile with the world’s most superior radr system. He caught his nostril in each play that ended up on his aspect of the sphere, splicing numerous spectacular open-field tackles with two near-interceptions. A real All Professional expertise.
How good was Boye Mafe immediately? He beat his blockers with the aggression and consistency of a Watt brother, notching a sack to associate with two tackles for losses. He gained on the snap with the kind of consistency that nice edge rushers on nice defenses do and if what we noticed from him immediately continues all season, you may go forward and lift this unit’s ceiling considerably.
There have been numerous different standouts on the protection immediately, together with Love’s safety-mate Rayshawn Jenkins who accounted for six tackles, new linebacker Tyrel Dodson who had 10 tackles and a broken-up cross, Jerome Baker who was wonderful in protection and chipped in 5 tackles, a TFL, and a fumble restoration, and Leonard Williams who was every thing Seattle traded / paid for, including a preposterous 5 QB hits to the ledger. Additionally, how freaking good was Riq Woolen immediately??
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I’m fairly open about how wins and losses usually are not at all times the true measure of a workforce however on the finish of all of it, they’re what decide who will get to maintain enjoying when the common season is over. The Seattle Seahawks are 1-0, and general, the vibes are fairly fuckin’ good. I’ve loads of confidence within the offense, so seeing the protection decide them up for 60 minutes is fairly rattling encouraging. The teaching felt strong, and the workforce did what was essential to win.
The arrow is pointed up, buddies. I’ll be again subsequent week to interrupt down the Seahawks’ efficiency towards the New England Patriots. Till then, onwards and upwards, my buddies.
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