Day after thoughts and player grades

[Logicallylethal]

What an amazing thrilling finish to the game fellas. I still can't believe we're going to the Superbowl. There were so many different emotions flowing through me throughout the game. I nearly had a heart attack for 3 hours straight.

Starting the way we did with a turnover on the first play, the 3 and out on offense to follow then giving up all those runs on the td drive which was kept alive by a sketchy and unnecessary penalty. We literally did everything that we did not want to do to start the game. Those were our three major worries in the game. Protecting the ball (no turnovers), generating offense, and limiting penalties.

Right away it just felt like wow...maybe this just isn't our day and our year to win it. I know most of us thought how is this inept offense going to generate enough points to win it being down in this deficit. Then Baldwin hits that big play and just when we think we are about to get back into it...we have to settle for a field goal.

Then the second half Marshawn breaks off that beast mode run and that was the moment where we all felt the momentum would shift, the crowd would take over and the Seahawks were going to win it.

...and then the 49ers respond with a touchdown

It was such a roller coaster ride. We respond with a big play, they respond with a good drive, we come up with a huge turnover, they come up with a big stop.

I'm so relieved that we got it done. Everything was set up for us to fail and to come away disappointed once again but the team never budged, Russell despite looking shaky early on he never gave up, we stuck with it and made the plays when we needed to.

And fellas now we are going to the Superbowl! I'm not gonna take this for granted AT ALL. I know I did for 05 after we loss thinking yeah we'll be back in Miami next year. And it took us 8 years to get back to the big stage. Peyton is gonna be by far the toughest challenge we've ever faced but LOB doesn't back down from anyone and we've beaten the best of the best already

Aaron Rodgers...check
Tony Romo...check
Tom Brady...check
Drew Brees...check twice
Cam Newton...check twice
Colin Kaepernick...check three times

It's only fitting that we end our season going against possibly the greatest of all time


GO HAWKS

 

[Logicallylethal]

Oh and here are my player grades

The 12th Man (B- grade)
- I wasn't at the game so I can't accurately comment but from what I saw watching the game it didn't seem like the 12th man had its usual deafening impact

Doug Baldwin (A+++ grade)
- Talk about shutting critics up. All the talk has been about how average our guys were and Percy this Percy that...and then Doug Baldwin comes out and gets over 200 all purpose yards. Incredible game by Baldwin.

Russell Wilson (B-/B+ grade)
- Russell started out pretty shaky. Probably the first time I've ever seen him hesitant. The offensive line's inability to protect had a lot to do with it, but Russell just didn't seem like the smooth Russell that he usually is. And then like the magician he is...he pulls off that amazing throw to Baldwin after scrambling for like 9 seconds and covering like 40 yards of field. After that he was simply amazing. Geez does he have a strong underrated arm. I hope this means that Russell is starting to find his groove again and be the Russell that we all know and love in the Superbowl

Marshawn Lynch (A grade)
- Does this guy live up to his nickname of beast mode or what? That huge touchdown run revitalized the crowd and gave us life. Not only that but all the runs where it looked like he was stopped for a negative 3-4 yards and then he ends up gaining 4-5. Our offense is so predicated on getting positive yards and Marshawn I have to say may be the best running back to have ever put on a Seahawks uniform. I'm too young to have ever seen Curt Warner play, but I did get to see Shaun play for the entirety of his career. And Shaun always came up small on the big stages whereas Marshawn has always come up big in the playoffs when we needed him most

Offensive Line (D- grade)
- They had some nice blocking on some runs here and there and from time to time gave Russell just enough protection for him to get off some throws but for the most part they were down right horrendous. One of the worst jobs protecting the quarterback since the Rams game earlier in the year on MNF

Kam Chancellor (A grade)
- With the kind of year that Sherman and Earl are having a lot of people are overlooking how great of a year Kam has had. This guy was an enforcer yesterday. 11 tackles and the huge interception (funny how he catches this one and drops the easier pick vs New Orleans). Kam was everywhere on the field today, he was slamming guys, rocking once again Vernon Davis and oh yeah he was the guy that caught up to Kap on the big run.

Avril and Bennett (B+ grade)
- Best free agent signings of the year hands down. I know Bruce Irvin got all those sacks last year but it seemed like it would only come in spurts. With Avril and Bennett we can depend on them to rush the quarterback every game. Even if they don't always get to the quarterback, the rush and pressure forces qbs to make errant throws and hence why we lead the league in turnovers

Earl Thomas (C grade)
- Earl had a really quiet game. I thought he took some really bad angles being overly aggressive on some of the Kaepernick run and that td throw he was in position but football being a game of inches...Earl was just not able to get a finger tip on it.

KJ Wright (D+ grade)
- I thought he looked rusty and a bit slow out there. He didn't react as fast and he also took some really bad angles trying to tackle Kaepernick.

Richard Sherman (B+ grade)
- He didn't make a lot of plays but he didn't have to. They didn't throw his way. And in a sense that is him making plays. He literally shut down an entire part of the field just being on the field. And then that play at the end of the game really solidifies him as the best cb in the league.

 

[Wolverine830872]

Kam had a decent game

 

[dkmightyhammer]

Kam had a decent game

If I ever got hit that hard I'd be dead. That's what is called "laying the wood".

 

[Wolverine830872]

laying the BOOM

 

[dude82]

On the crowd noise: I got a sense of nervousness from the crowd in this game from the beginning, which is probably why it didn't have its usual feel to it. I believe that having the ball on offense first also kinda took some of the punch out of the crowd even before Wilson fumbled on the first play. The way the game started was really very nearly a best-case scenario for San Francisco and a worst-case scenario for the Seahawks.

First the crowd has to quiet down almost immediately because the Hawks have the ball on offense first, then Wilson fumbles and that takes the crowd out of it even more and finally, the Niners score points off of the turnover to get the early lead and keep the crowd muted for basically the entire first half. The only way it could have gone better for the Niners and worse for the Seahawks to start the game is if San Francisco had been able to punch it into the endzone after that fumble. Pretty much all of the narratives that were repeated over and over going into the game came to pass early on.

Anyway, I think those were the factors that led to the crowd not having its usual impact on the game.

 

[Logicallylethal]

On the crowd noise: I got a sense of nervousness from the crowd in this game from the beginning, which is probably why it didn't have its usual feel to it. I believe that having the ball on offense first also kinda took some of the punch out of the crowd even before Wilson fumbled on the first play. The way the game started was really very nearly a best-case scenario for San Francisco and a worst-case scenario for the Seahawks.

First the crowd has to quiet down almost immediately because the Hawks have the ball on offense first, then Wilson fumbles and that takes the crowd out of it even more and finally, the Niners score points off of the turnover to get the early lead and keep the crowd muted for basically the entire first half. The only way it could have gone better for the Niners and worse for the Seahawks to start the game is if San Francisco had been able to punch it into the endzone after that fumble. Pretty much all of the narratives that were repeated over and over going into the game came to pass early on.

Anyway, I think those were the factors that led to the crowd not having its usual impact on the game.

I also noticed a lot more red shirts/jerseys in the crowd than usual. I read on an article somewhere that a higher percentage of sales on stubhub and other ticket outlet sources came from california states this time around than in week 2

 

[dude82]

I also noticed a lot more red shirts/jerseys in the crowd than usual. I read on an article somewhere that a higher percentage of sales on stubhub and other ticket outlet sources came from california states this time around than in week 2

Yeah I'm sure that had something to do with it too. I failed to mention that.

 

[Podunkparte]

More on the crowd from someone who attended the game. The first half we were playing on our heels after the fumble and the 10- 0 lead. We did get 3 points but it just felt like a bandaid on a large wound.

I think Macklemore and Ryan Lewis actually energized the crowd again at halftime and the Beast run to tie the game really got us going again.

Believe me, it was loud and energetic, but the runs by Kaep kept our momentum down. By the 4th quarter that crowd was a big part of the game.

How could you not give the 12th Man an A? Just because a team doesn't jump 11 times like the Giants did doesn't mean we didn't do our part. We rallied for hours before the game and made that place shake again on the way to an NFC Championship. I give credit to Kaep and their offense for finally finding a way to deal with us a little bit more than I think the 12's were lacking in enthusiasm.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Kam gives even me nightmares. The fact he has not once but twice just LAID out Vernon Davis who is IMO a top 3 physical specimen at his position is just scary.

Imagine taking that hit from Kam as an average Joe? You'd probably be in the hospital for a decent amount of time. Like wtf. NFL is breeding some scary players these days.

 

[Logicallylethal]

More on the crowd from someone who attended the game. The first half we were playing on our heels after the fumble and the 10- 0 lead. We did get 3 points but it just felt like a bandaid on a large wound.

I think Macklemore and Ryan Lewis actually energized the crowd again at halftime and the Beast run to tie the game really got us going again.

Believe me, it was loud and energetic, but the runs by Kaep kept our momentum down. By the 4th quarter that crowd was a big part of the game.

How could you not give the 12th Man an A? Just because a team doesn't jump 11 times like the Giants did doesn't mean we didn't do our part. We rallied for hours before the game and made that place shake again on the way to an NFC Championship. I give credit to Kaep and their offense for finally finding a way to deal with us a little bit more than I think the 12's were lacking in enthusiasm.

Again I wasn't at the game so I can accurately say. But I definitely did not mean that the 12th man was lacking enthusiasm.

I'm sure everyone there who was attending the game was screaming their lungs out. But in my opinion from what I saw and from a friend who attended the game and also attended the nfc championship game against Carolina in 05...he felt like the noise level did not match that year's noise level or week 2 against San Fran.

It's not a criticism towards the 12th man. I think a lot of things factored into it.

1) There were much more 49er fans in attendance
2) 49ers took the momentum early on with the 10-0 lead
3) Kaepernick and the 49er offense overall handled the noise better
4) The crowd was probably more on edge, anxious and nervous this time

 

[Logicallylethal]

Kam gives even me nightmares. The fact he has not once but twice just LAID out Vernon Davis who is IMO a top 3 physical specimen at his position is just scary.

Imagine taking that hit from Kam as an average Joe? You'd probably be in the hospital for a decent amount of time. Like wtf. NFL is breeding some scary players these days.

Early on in the game Kam and Vernon were already going at it WWF style. I believe they were engaged and grappling with each other and Kam literally spun Vernon and slammed him.

It's so funny, because if you've ever seen Kam in an interview he's such a nice and down to earth guy. But on the field...he is a nightmare...lol or at least Vernon Davis's nightmare