JMR
Go Army!
"Helmet to Helmet" isn't a penalty.AGAIN HELMET TO HELMET .. WHERE THE F IS THE FLAG
"Helmet to Helmet" isn't a penalty.AGAIN HELMET TO HELMET .. WHERE THE F IS THE FLAG
The game went more or less expected with more positives than negatives, and a pretty comfortable win. I had it 27-13, so with under 3 min left in the game and 28-10, that seemed to be pretty close. My main takeaways:
All in all, good start. Certainly could have been better on O in the 3rd quarter, but I don't expect flawless play for an entire game. Next up is the Titans for the opener, and they got steamrolled yesterday by the Cards. Hopefully we confirm that Ten is just that bad instead of Arizona being that good.
- The offense was better early in the game than I expected after not giving key starters pre-season reps. Not sure if I am ready to attribute it to the new scheme because our O was also explosive in the first couple months of last season. But great to see them going up and down the field, save a very ho-hum 3rd qtr.
- RW was surgical -- just 1 more incompletion than TD passes on only 23 attempts? He was also a bit more fired up than normal after a couple of those scores. Usually he gets that way if they make a big play to take a late lead, but it was right from the first score yesterday. That massive bomb to TL was a thing of beauty.
- D was solid. Not great, but they did their part for sure. Up until nearly the 2 min warning in the 2nd half, they had only allowed 10 points and for most of the game kept Indy from being competitive. Wentz took a beating. CBs held up ok, secondary kept explosive plays to a minimum.
- Darrell Taylor showed some really quick moves and laid the smack down. Rasheem Green carried his strong pre-season into week 1 and was a problem for Indy's OL.
- Why are announcers and analysts still so enamored with TOP? They gushed over Indy's 9+ min FG drive to open the game (which should have ended in a 3 & out if not for Adams getting off a hair early), and then we come back and score a TD in 3 minutes. What you do with the ball when you have it means a lot more than how long it takes for you to do it. It's great to be able to hold the ball at the end and not give it back to run out the clock, but other than that I think time of possession is largely meaningless.
- What was Indy doing on that last possession? They had the ball down by 12 and 1 TOL with just under 2 minutes, and they didn't appear at all to be interested in getting a quick score. They did have a long field, but don't you at least have to try? It looked more like they gave up and just wanted to the game to be over. If our team ever did that, I would be super pissed. Embarrassing.
Other comments on Week 1:
- GB....wow. Not sure I recall the last time I saw them get humiliated and dominated like that in the Rodgers era. He looked disinterested out there. If they don't bounce back immediately from this, things could south there quickly.
- NFCN is 0-4. We play the whole division this year, which right now looks like a pretty good deal. Long season though, and things always change along the way.
- NFCW 4-0. Division games promise to be battles. Stafford looked pretty good in his Rams debut, though that game was closer than I thought it would be in the 4th qtr.
The only thing that holds Rodgers back a bit imo, is that he's a head case... Seems like he pouts a lot and doesn't come across as being a good leader in the locker room... Kinda like Cam Newton... I believe if both of them weren't such head cases, they may have been to more SB's...Good overall thoughts and on your GB comment... I have to imagine Rodgers and Adams are beyond done with the Packers and their FO. Rodgers can still play 4-5 more years reliably.... I have to imagine he wants so out of GB.... and Rodgers is proven, teams know he's beyond pissed so just not giving a crap or hamming it up on purpose is not going to affect his value. Adams seems done as well.
And yah, sucks everyone else in the NFCW won
I was going to mention that, but not only in speed and play choices you can run with him, but also worry about how durable he might be. Was knocked out after only a small number of plays.Also, did Eskridge remind anyone of Harvin today? If we add that extra layer of Harvin type plays this offense may be unstoppable.
Why are announcers and analysts still so enamored with TOP? They gushed over Indy's 9+ min FG drive to open the game (which should have ended in a 3 & out if not for Adams getting off a hair early), and then we come back and score a TD in 3 minutes. What you do with the ball when you have it means a lot more than how long it takes for you to do it. It's great to be able to hold the ball at the end and not give it back to run out the clock, but other than that I think time of possession is largely meaningless.
In their defense, if Seattle's D didn't start playing, that TOP would have become an issue. Indy's inability to continue to eat clock had a big impact on the overall game. If Indy had kept their game plan from the first drive, they may have had a much different offensive outcome. They ran the ball 8 times and threw 5 - the rest of the game it was run 22 times to 36 drop backs (i'm not distinguishing between QB scrambles becoming runs, so that would make it even more lopsided). After a run, run, pass 3 and out - Indy seemed to completely abandon balance going to an nearly 65% pass the rest of the way.
Honestly, Seattle's defense stuffing that second drive did more to establish the Seahawks first half dominance than anything. Had the Colts come back with that 4 1/2 minute TD drive immediately after Seattle's first TD, then Seattle's defense could've been in trouble. Since Seattle had the ball for 7:44 of the next 9:20 really helped the D not get gassed. The fact TOP was in Seattle's favor for the remainder of the game kept that first drive from being an issue.
Seriously, Indy passing on 2 field goal attempts in a series of desperate decisions in a 2 possession games had a much higher impact on their game than anything. Had they made those (one should've been 49 and other other 36), the game is likely 28-23 going into Seattle's final possession. If Indy duplicates their 3 and out right there, then they've got 1:40 in a 5 point game and not a 12 point game. Really, Indy's coaches gave up on the game way too early, almost as if they were intimidated by Seattle.
IMO Indy was afraid of Seattle's pass attack catch up ability and changed their gameplan. I think it's just inexperienced coaching and Indy panicking when they shouldn't be.... Down 7-3 is not the end of the World but it's obvious Indy changed their gameplan the minute Seattle jumped out. That was a mistake.
Seattle drafted another WR, signed offensive lineman, signed a receiving tight end, extended Lockett, and also signed another guard.... Seattle is ENTIRELY built for a spread offense go balls to the wall scoring fest... All supported with the most athletic receiver(s) in the league and the best deep ball QB in probably forever.
I think the Colts just flat out panicked after Wilson stormed down the field...
I believe he got a concussion after a helmet to helmet, which doesn’t really speak to his durability and was more just unlucky.I was going to mention that, but not only in speed and play choices you can run with him, but also worry about how durable he might be. Was knocked out after only a small number of plays.
I'd take Harvin production if we can skip Harvin levels of missing games.
Just realized this bit, the Seahawks only have 1 more AM start the rest of the year and it’s not till December.
Can we just move on from him now? It is a waste of a roster spot to keep him around at this point. Even when he is actually on the field instead of the IR he doesn't produce. All hype and zero production.Penny has a calf injury and is on Short-term IR
Penny has a calf injury and is on Short-term IR
That's good. Crazy stat is Seattle has won 12 of 13 1pm start times. Doesn't seem all that long ago they couldn't buy a win in the early start time.Just realized this bit, the Seahawks only have 1 more AM start the rest of the year and it’s not till December.
Penny went into the game with a little calf thing going on ( before the game ), it tightened up on him and Pete said they removed him just for precaution and the fact that RB is deep on this team. I heard nothing of him going on the IR. This must be some new news I missed.
Well dang, think his time with the Seahawks is coming to a end very soon.Reportedly injured again, might this be it for Rashaad Penny?
The Seattle Seahawks won in Week 1 but saw a few players go down with injuries. One maligned running back may be out for several week, reported by Ian Rapoport. #Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny...www.fieldgulls.com