Game #14 – Man-ziel on the Run
by fellow 12 @ClintonBon
3 In, 3 Out is a concise, yet somewhat satisfying recap of 3 things that went well for the Seahawks and 3 things that ummmm… didn’t. The coverage will go deeper than the average bear – for instance this will be the only mention of Pete Prisco's Pedestrian Predictions for one Russell Carrington Wilson – Do Better! and listen here if you don't get it.
Ho-Ho-Hum… another December blowout. You'd think this gets old, buuuuuuuuuut … it truly doesn't. It's rather enjoyable. Let's start where you all know we need to.
IN – It Takes Guts
Before the Steelers game we talked about the need to get ‘up the gut' pressure on Big Ben… this Sunday, we saw a relentless pursuit of Johnny Cakes from all angles, but what made it near impossible for the money man to cash in more often was the pure guttural pressure delivered from our D-Line and Linebackers!
The entire second half it felt like Man-ziel on the Run, and it was lovely to witness. Two specific highlights that made this “In” so grin worthy were:
- Bobby on the chase!!!
When Wagner Chases: Tuesdays at Noon #GoHawks #SEAvsCLE pic.twitter.com/vwDiIfkWL2
— Clinton Bonner (@clintonbon) December 20, 2015
2. MeBelly
The best part of the #Seahawks‘ win over the #Browns…Mebane's belly roll. https://t.co/g7FLdLM2GB #SEAvsCLE pic.twitter.com/E7qJDMAEoQ
— Bettina Hansen (@bettinahansen) December 21, 2015
There were many other plays from the likes of Frank the Tank, @MosesBread72, Rubin and others that just had us 12's smiling. He had it right when he said:
“That pass rush is relentless… Everyone gets stronger as the game goes on.” – Johnny Cakes
OUT – 3rd and Long —>>> 3rd and Short
There were at least 3 occasions where we once again either lined up in the neutral zone OR jumped offsides on what was a 3rd and long situation. Que lastima! Granted, one time I believe they falsely flagged Avril who simply looked to get a tremendous jump off the edge, but the other instances were moving violations of the worst kind.
Hey, the Browns dropped a good amount of passes. Passes that a Larry Fitz or Cobb or even Ted Ginn Jr. would've hauled in. Down the stretch and heading into the playoffs we can't release teams from 3rd and longs and deliver to them much more convertible opportunities. Pretty simple.
In – BoomShakaLockett
He's heating up… he's on fire!!! If you listened to the previous pod, Brandan and Adam share a wee bit of history with us. Tyler Lockett is only the 2nd player in NFL history to have 5 TDs receiving + a TD on a KO and PR in their rookie season. The other is ‘the Kansas Comet', Bears HOF Gale Sayers.
Now, Tyler has 6 receiving TDs on the year, and this one might have been the prettiest pitch n' catch to date. Read this fantastic breakdown from the boys over at Field Gulls as they nicely dissect the goodness.
Beyond just catching TDs, Lockett is opening up the field for the entire offense. It's no coincidence that this team truly took off offensively as his average targets went from 3 a game through the first 9 tilts all the way to 5.8 over the last five. I did the math, and that's nearly double the amount of targets folks.
He's stretching the field and along with increasing his own production, the re-emergence of Chop Chop sitting down in open zones is having a huge impact as well. Then there's Baldwin's torrid TD pace and voila… we're on fire!!! So to you Tyler Lockett we say:
OUT – Again… Jon Ryan is Not Quite Himself this Year
If you're an avid #3i3o reader – and who isn't these days? – you might be wondering if I've got nothing more to add than to nit-pick our punter to death. This is now the 3rd time in only 7 installments of 3 In, 3 Out, where Ryan has pooched himself onto our version of the naughty list.
But what can I say? Against the Browns, Ravens, and 49ers, a PEP (poorly executed punt) might not matter. In the 3rd quarter of the NFC Championship game v. the Camthers, well…
In this game, Seattle's opportunity to put the game out of reach on the first drive of the second half fell short as a drive stalled and we were forced to punt. Granted, Jon Ryan CRUSHED the punt, 64 yards… into the opposing end zone. Touchback.
This isn't good enough. We need to pin teams deep consistently and we're simply not.
Maybe he's also suffering from CQBS aka Celebrity QB Syndrome – we just don't know.
IN – Lane on Me
We mentioned some of the Browns dropsies issues. In the first half, the Browns moved the ball fairly well and frankly if I were a Browns fan *thanks God he is not* I would be pissed we squandered an entire year without seeing what Johnny Cakes can actually do. IMO, he's actually pretty good.
But a Pete Carroll team makes adjustments. DeShawn Shead was getting a bit exposed and Pete pivoted by sliding Jeremy Lane over to corner, solidifying the spot. During this week's presser, Pete basically said that the second starting corner slot is once again an open competition.
Shead's done well in replacing Cary, but he may just be an Edward James Almost to our Morgan Freeman. In other words, Stand and Deliver is a decent flick, but it ain't no Lane on Me.
OUT – Tackle Me Elmo
It's our 5th in a row. We've won 7 out of the last 8. But we saw some pretty sloppy ‘tackling' in this game. It was just odd and quite uncharacteristic. And it wasn't just a safety whiffing on a RB breaking through the second level… it was more like Bruce Irvin awkwardly throwing a shoulder into a hole to no avail. Tough to describe, but it just wasn't classic Seahawks tackling that we've all gotten used to.
Just like to tiiiiiiighten this up a bit. But in fairness, we won by 17 and it was over by halftime.
Honorary “IN” – like to thank @Ross_wil (an avid 12 and fun follow on Twitter) for the suggestion of a Patch-work Adams inclusion of Christine and Bryce's work at RB this week. I'm sure the boys on the pod will be canvassing this topic in detail this week, we can't wait to listen in!
1, 2, 3… What’s Next!?
Rams. I smell a blow out.
Though this team has tended to keep things close or outright beat us, I just get the sense that we continue to Roll Blue Thunder and put the Rams in their rightful, 3rd place, in our division.
Till next time ye faithful 12’s… Go ‘Hawks!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Have an “In” or an “Out” you want discussed? Drop us a comment or send Brandan and Adam a tweet @SeaHawkersPod.
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