3 things need to go right for the passing game to work

[Logicallylethal]

1) Wide Receiver needs to get open/separation on their route
2) Offensive line needs to block long enough for the play to develop
3) Quarterback needs to see the receiver and hit the receiver on time (and accurately)

The most popular consensus in previous years have been our receivers simply don't get open and/or enough separation.

Then Golden Tate goes to Detroit and catches 99 balls for 1,331 yards

The consensus all year thus far has been our offensive line is terrible. And it is but...

Listening to Hugh Millen and Holmgren break down specific plays in the previous two games makes me really think that Russell Wilson has become as big of a problem as the offensive line is.

Now...don't get me wrong I love Russell as our quarterback but there's no denying that he misses opportunities to hit an open receiver simply because

a) he makes a premature decision to go to x receiver presnap and ends up not even looking at the actual receiver running wide open

b) breaks out of the pocket too early or tries to evade pressure when there isn't pressure and either misses the opportunity to hit a wide open receiver or gets sacked

c) simply cannot see the receiver and/or is not able to deliver the ball when the pocket collapses around him


Two plays that stand out to me are both Tyler Lockett plays that would have won our past two games

Play 1 (Cincy Game OT)
- In OT when Russell had Lockett running wide open and threw it to him late allowing the two defensive backs to rally and knock Lockett and the ball down. Holmgren said that Russell's instincts caused him to sense pressure when there wasn't and it caused him to miss the timing on the throw otherwise it would have been a walk off touchdown in OT

Play 2 (Bengals game 3 mins left)
- After the 20+ yard pass and run to Jimmy Graham, Seahawks were sitting comfortable on the 40 with about 3 mins left. They run a play action where Russell is supposed to take a 7 step drop. This is the play where Marshawn gets called for holding. Initially our thoughts are damn the pressure got there and it was unfortunate Marshawn had to hold. But when Hugh broke it down, he says that Russell actually dropped further than he should have. Marshawn was actually in great position to block the incoming rusher and had him walled off. Russell dropping too deep allowed the rusher room to maneuver around and as a result Marshawn had to slightly hold.

This play is important because one, it killed our drive pinning us back 1st and 20, and two, Hugh says that Tyler Lockett was running wide open without anyone within 20-25 yards of him. Had Russell just did the 7 step drop like he was supposed to he would have been able to set his foot and hit Locket for the game sealing touchdown.


So even with all the 4th quarter collapses we STILL could have the past two games. We could easily be sitting at 4-2 right now. And if you think about the Rams game, in OT we were driving to tie the game and loss on that 4th and 1. If we convert there's a good chance we get all the way in the end zone with the way our offense was moving the ball that game. We could be 5-1.


What is the biggest concern for you guys on the offensive side of the ball? At this point I no longer think it is wide receiver. Tyler Lockett seems to break open at least once or twice a game and Russell just doesn't hit him. Our offensive line is putrid so I place them #1 but Russell I think is a close #2 at this point.

 

[jakedog56]

As I have stated many times:

Wilson has been specifically instructed to play very conservatively. If the WR is not wide open he is supposed to throw it away and not force it. This is by design to let the passing game supliment the run game and let the D step it up and make stops to allow the conservative offense to be effective.

Everything that you are saying about Wilson may be true but until the staff takes the reigns off and allows him more leeway to pass I am not clear if it is a matter of his style of play or the coach's systems/gameplans.

 

[flyerhawk]

Every QB in the league misses targets every game.

I am certain that Russell can play better, just as everyone else can play better.

But the fundamental problem is the OL. Pointing to 2 or 3 missed chances by Wilson and ignoring the fact that he is, by far, the most pressured QB in the league is really ignoring the problem.

 

[flyerhawk]

As I have stated many times:

Wilson has been specifically instructed to play very conservatively. If the WR is not wide open he is supposed to throw it away and not force it. This is by design to let the passing game supliment the run game and let the D step it up and make stops to allow the conservative offense to be effective.

Everything that you are saying about Wilson may be true but until the staff takes the reigns off and allows him more leeway to pass I am not clear if it is a matter of his style of play or the coach's systems/gameplans.

Agreed. Given that the defense simply is not the same this year, PC needs to accept that we can't play as tight to the vest as we have in year's past.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

Every QB in the league misses targets every game.

I am certain that Russell can play better, just as everyone else can play better.

But the fundamental problem is the OL. Pointing to 2 or 3 missed chances by Wilson and ignoring the fact that he is, by far, the most pressured QB in the league is really ignoring the problem.

Agreed. Hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to look at film after a game and say this guy was open or that guy was open or if RW took one step more or one step less....etc. Why not do that with all the positions? How often can you look at a replay where a running back runs into a pile and you think, "aw man he if he'd have gone left instead of right there was a huge hole there"?

I've seen Wilson take some sacks that I thought weren't necessary, but he's not the problem in my opinion. I'm often dismayed with how fast our opponents can get through our O-line. When they can bust through that fast it 1.) doesn't matter what play was called because it goes out the window, and 2.) doesn't give the receiver's any time to get separation. We've all seen RW make clutch throws on the money. He can make those types of throws all day long if he had 1 or 2 more seconds per play. Fix the O-line and you'll fix 90% of not just the offense, but the defense too. The D is gassed is late in games because they keep getting put back on the field over and over again.

 

[SonnyCID]

Agreed. Hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to look at film after a game and say this guy was open or that guy was open or if RW took one step more or one step less....etc. Why not do that with all the positions? How often can you look at a replay where a running back runs into a pile and you think, "aw man he if he'd have gone left instead of right there was a huge hole there"?

I've seen Wilson take some sacks that I thought weren't necessary, but he's not the problem in my opinion. I'm often dismayed with how fast our opponents can get through our O-line. When they can bust through that fast it 1.) doesn't matter what play was called because it goes out the window, and 2.) doesn't give the receiver's any time to get separation. We've all seen RW make clutch throws on the money. He can make those types of throws all day long if he had 1 or 2 more seconds per play. Fix the O-line and you'll fix 90% of not just the offense, but the defense too. The D is gassed is late in games because they keep getting put back on the field over and over again.

The Hawks are currently 7th in the league in time of possession. I'm not buying that the defense is gassed from being on the field too much.

 

[JMR]

I suppose someone can come up with their own theories as to why Tate went to Detroit and caught 99 balls for 1300 yards, but he was playing in an offense there that chucks it up 600 times a year or whatever it is. I dont think his ypc was any different than it was here, without looking it up.

 

[JMR]

The Hawks are currently 7th in the league in time of possession. I'm not buying that the defense is gassed from being on the field too much.

Yeah, I think TOP is one of the most bogus "stats" there is. It doesn't really mean a whole lot. Holding the ball doesn't really give you much of an advantage until it's late in the game and you can take possession with a handful of minutes left and not give it back. Every team is going to have about the same # of possessions in a game. WHAT you do with it is a lot more important than how long it takes you to do it.

And if our O is going 3 and out, all the D has to do is make a stop and they'll come right back off the field.

 

[Banned 10x]

The Hawks are currently 7th in the league in time of possession. I'm not buying that the defense is gassed from being on the field too much.

Interesting, I didn't know they were 7th in the league as I was thinking that the defense is gassed late in the game because the offense goes conservative and consistently goes 3 and out late in the game, is there a stat on TOP by quarter? I'd be willing to bet the Hawks are towards the bottom in the 4th quarter TOP

 

[dkmightyhammer]

The Hawks are currently 7th in the league in time of possession. I'm not buying that the defense is gassed from being on the field too much.

I wonder what the time of possession changes late in games? In the the 4th quarter of the Cincy game our defense got the ball back to our offense 6 times (I think). To me that says the defense did it's job but the offense couldn't keep the ball.

 

[Uhsplit]

With all of this conjecture, we are close as a team to making a run. Just a few plays here and there...