SB Nation - Ken Lucas

Mike Holmgren's Greatest Managerial Achievement

John Morgan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:45:48 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Even in red, a Seahawk.

Mike Holmgren selected Steve Hutchinson 17^th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft, seven picks after selecting Koren Robinson and 23 picks before he selected Ken Lucas. If Robinson could have kept off the bottle, that would have been a hell of a start to a draft. He swapped first round picks with Green Bay for Matt Hasselbeck, drafted Heath Evans, Alex Bannister, and John David Booty's older brother, Josh.

Holmgren built the 2005 offense that weekend. He won the draft. In a draft that produced someday Hall of Fame candidates: Richard Seymour, Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson, Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton, Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne and Adrian Wilson, Holmgren won. The Panthers picked Dan Morgan, Kris Jenkins and Steve Smith with their first, second and third round selections, but still Holmgren's was better. He built the unit that would lead Seattle to its first and only Super Bowl.

Well, not quite.

The Bears cut Bobby Engram August 29 and Holmgren signed him August 31. Engram signed a two-year contract that paid him less than $500,000 annually. He was the 101^st highest paid receiver in 2001.

Engram received a 60k raise his second season and took on punt return duties to compensate. He averaged 10.7 yards per return and returned one to the house. That was the season Engram became the darling of Football Outsiders metrics. Targets to Engram ranked 26^th in total value and 13^th in value per target. He was ninth and second in 2003.

Holmgren struggled to fill out a roster and his teams were notoriously thin and talent poor defensively, but man did that man know early 21^st-century offense. He squeezed maximum value from slot receivers. Engram wasn't some schlub. He won the first ever Biletnikof trophy in 1994 and still holds most of Penn State's receiving records. Unlike Deon Butler, Engram wasn't a steady four-year starter with time to burn. Joe Paterno suspended him for the entire 1992 season after he was caught burglarizing an apartment and stealing a stereo with teammate Ricky Sayles. All charges were dropped against Engram after police determined Sayles convinced Engram the two were allowed to take the stereo.

The 1996 draft class included Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammad, Amani Toomer and Joe Horn. Engram was the eighth wide receiver selected, behind Johnson, Glenn, Kennison, Harrison, Moulds, Alex Van Dyke, Bryan Still and Muhammad. Engram never broke through with the Bears, struggling to receive for 38 year old Dave Krieg, Eric Kramer, Rick Mirer, Steve Stentstrom, Cade "AIDS" McNown and Shane Matthews, but he was good. Engram ended his career with Chicago with consecutive seasons of over 900 yards receiving before an ACL tear ended his 2000 season.

Holmgren didn't cash in a high pick or find a serviceable safety in the second, the kind of feats any GM can stumble into, he did that thing that separates the best general managers from the merely competent: found freely available talent and turned it into a long term asset.

Engram is a free agent after Kansas City cut him earlier this season. His time with the Chiefs was a tornado-obliterated double wide in a Rolls Royce career. Or maybe an efficient Elise is more Bobby's style. His short stop in the nation's dust mite might and probably will end Engram's fourteen-year career.

But maybe week 17, should the Tennessee Titans be out of it, Seattle can IR Patrick Kerney and sign Engram for one last perfectly-timed, Hasselbeck-to-Engram curl route for eight and the first.

David Hawthorne: Pretty Boy-seeking Missile

John Morgan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:14:04 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Jordan Babineaux showed great spacing by consistently hitting his man before the first down marker. Felix Jones was able to spin through for the first.

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Today I finish up with last weekend's game notes. I rewatched the second quarter last night and I had an absolute blast. Here are my notes and highlights.

We left off with Seattle pulling close on one of those Greg Knapp third-down deep passes that drive folks crazy. A block in the back penalty would pin Dallas at their eight to start the next drive. Things looked up. Seattle needed its defense to hold field position and get Matt Hasselbeck the ball back.

Miles Austin responded with a beautiful catch on the right sideline. He was double covered and reached out nearly out of bounds to grab the ball. It's worth noting that Austin looked every bit the real deal, exploding out of the blocks and running tight routes.

That got Dallas out of jail. On the next play, Dallas pulled out its left side and directed fullback Deon Anderson at right end Darryl Tapp. Tapp has to win this, but doesn't and that allows Felix Jones a clean release through the hole -- Flozell Adams and Kyle Kosier blocking into the second level. Adams destroyed Aaron Curry and Jones was picked his way towards the third level. Jordan Babineaux hit him before the marker but Jones twisted for the first. It could have been worse. It should have been worse.

Brandon Mebane pressured up the middle and Leroy Hill was in position and aware of the pass on a high floater that overshot Martellus Bennett.

Dallas again targeted the Seahawks right side and doubled to stampede through Colin Cole. Deon Grant was controlling the right end and made contact with Jones at the line, but Jones spun right through Grant's tackle and reminded me again why I've stumped so vehemently for him to be positioned at free safety. Ken Lucas made a saving tackle that forced third down after a gain of nine.

Marion Barber converted the first. He was the up back.

Seattle overloads the right and Curry comes free around right end forcing Tony Romo up into the pocket. Seattle struggled with getting edge rush but failing to establish interior pressure, but this time Red Bryant plows through the right guard and forces and incomplete pass. Babineaux can be seen covering Jason Witten streaking up the right hash mark. However Seattle did it, the Seahawks shut down Witten.

Well, mostly. Patrick Kerney was taken down and that tripped Bryant and eliminated much of Seattle's rush. Cory Redding got a parting shot, but the pass was accurate and Witten received for 18.

David Hawthorne is an excellent blitzer, a stand out blitzer from the mike position. Seattle dropped its right end and overloaded the offensive right, but it wasn't a team effort that felled Romo. The goal was to free Hawthorne. Curry and Redding attempted to engage and force the Cowboy interior offensive line left. That plan was for Hawthorne to rush unabated between right guard and right tackle. Instead, Marc Colombo was squatting in Hawthorne's rush lane and Heater had to power through the giant right tackle to sack Romo. He did. That is a big league sack and Heater a major addition to Seattle's pass rush.

Romo scrambled for ten to put Dallas back into a manageable third down. Nick Reed was pwned.

The drive concluded when Lawrence Jackson pressured Romo and forced an incomplete attempt to Patrick Crayton. The resulting missed field goal put Seattle in business at their 38. Grand opening. Grand closing.

Cowboys Tuesday Tape Review -- The Boxers Are Starting to Punch a Bit

Rafael Vela — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:31:28 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

The Seahawks made the ankle tackles Sunday, but Felix Jones has been this close to several explosive runs lately. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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Notes from the Seattle Win:

They Study This Stuff

Last month the Broncos hit the Cowboys with the best running play I've seen all year. Denver ran a weakside trap where they double-teamed the weakside DE with a guard and tackle and brought their H-back, who started the play on an overload next to the tight end, across the backfield to kick out Demarcus Ware. When blocked properly, it created a wide diagonal lane between the DE and OLB for Knowshon Moreno. It gained between eight and fourteen yards the four times Josh McDaniels called it.

The play worked in part because Ware was going upfield at the quarterback. The underneath drag by the tight end is a common pattern and Ware probably figured it Kyle Orton was setting him up for a bootleg.

The NFL is a copycat league. Sunday, Seattle tried it. This time, Ware closed down on the line and stuffed Julius Jones for no gain. That said, I would be very surprised if Jason Garrett, a copycat himself, doesn't try calling this play against the Packers, the next 3-4 team on Dallas' schedule. Dallas has the ideal tight end depth to make it work and big play backs.

The Felix Package Is Starting to Deliver

Slowly, but surely, Garrett is unwrapping that big box of Felix Jones toys the team asked the press to keep under wraps back at training camp. Against Atlanta, he used the power I pitch to Jones, where Marion Barber lined up as a fullback in a seeming pro-set, with Tashard Choice as the halfback. Jones started in the slot, then motioned to the I-back position and took a Tony Romo pitch. Later, Garrett called a rocket pitch to Jones in a 3rd and 2. This time, Barber was the fullback in a traditional I with Jones as the I-back. Romo faked a dive to Barber and pitched to Jones, who outraced the defense end to the sideline.

The inside action was designed to draw the DE and OLB inside and make the pitch a simple matter of speed for Jones, who gets no pulling linemen to lead interference.

Sunday, we saw one of the Jones pass plays unwrapped. At the Seattle 38, Dallas deployed in a two tight end, one back set, with Patrick Crayton lined up as the split end left and Miles Austin right, flanking Martellus Bennett and Jason Witten, who were parked outside RT Marc Colombo. Jones was the lone back behind Tony Romo.

Before the snap, Witten flexed to the flanker position wide right, with Austin moving to the right slot between him and Bennett. The shifting caused confusion in Seattle's secondary. Corner Marcus Truffant took Witten and the strong safety came up to cover Austin. The Seahawk linebackers all pointed to their left, towards, Austin and Witten, thinking they were going to run a combination pattern. At the snap, they the LBs all slid to the strong side.

Romo dropped to pass and Bennett stayed in to block, giving the impression that Dallas was going to run a three man deep pattern combo with maximum protection. Witten and Austin both ran hard up field, as did Crayton against Ken Lucas on Dallas' left side.

The primary, however, was always Jones, who released late and cut to the left sideline. He caught Romo's short pass in stride with only a linebacker in pursuit. Felix was yards clear and ran 20 yards upfield before Lucas peeled off of Crayton to challenge him. Jones ran over Lucas and his late stiff arm caused the corners helmet to hit the turf, knocking Lucas from the game.

The play was simple to execute and deadly in effect; clear out a side, put Felix in isolation against a linebacker in a flat and let his speed do the rest. I wonder what present Jason and Felix will unwrap this week?

Safety in a Zone

Last Thanksgiving Seattle rookie tight end John Carlson burned strong safety Keith Davis. The line: six catches for 105 yards. Sunday, Carlson, an emerging star, had modest production: three catches 36 yards. The difference was strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who shows us on a weekly basis what a coverage safety means to a secondary. Sensabaugh can find a ball and close on like a receiver. Were he not encumbered by a heavy wrap on his broken thumb, he would have several picks. He's tracked three passes into his hands in the last two games but dropped them all.

He'll face another big challenge this week in Eagles TE Brent Celek, who likes to get upfield. Dallas has bracketed Tony Gonzalez and Carlson the last two weeks, leaving the corners in man. With DeSean Jackson on the menu this week, Sensabaugh will have to cover a lot more alone. He seems to be up to the coverage part of the equation. The catching part?

Throwing Haymakers

The Cowboys offensive line has been a counterpunching group thus far this year, with lead draws and counters as their staple runs. Against the Seahawks they lined up and barreled straight ahead a lot more than normal, with third TE John Phillips as the lead blocker most of the time. Phillips is creating a niche or himself as a blocking F-back, freeing Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett to run patterns upfield.

Dallas ran several isolations in the fourth quarter, with Marion Barber and Felix Jones breaking a few for ten yard gains. Most of these calls were for Jones, who was a missed ankle tackle way from an explosive run on two of these plays. Watch this development going forward.

Sam Hurd Streaks for Six

John Morgan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:15:13 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Colin Cole has been as advertised: A still life in pads.

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The following covers from when I left off to when Sam Hurd put Dallas up by six.

Seattle started the drive with Cory Redding at left defensive tackle. Redding was blown back by a double team, but single-blocked Brandon Mebane sliced behind the blockers bulldozing Redding to wrap Marion Barber after three. Before Mebane's saving tackle, this play was eerily reminiscent of Seattle's struggles in San Francisco.

Seattle sent a safety blitz on the next play. Jordan Babineaux was game until he squared against Marion Barber. Babineaux pulled up and attempted to evade Barber and Barber did little more than stand to complete the block. Barber was nearly butt to thigh with Romo and Babs should have powered into Barber and jolted him back. If you can't be sure you can go around a blocker, power through him and hope. It could have worked. It should have worked with a running start.

Seattle blitzed again on third and two. It blitzed, but checked to five when Deon Grant dropped his rush and picked up man cover. Seattle was locked in man across the field and that made for any easy matchup for Miles Austin. He beat off Ken Lucas' press and put a shoulder into him to get inside. Romo hit him in stride and Seattle allowed another third down conversion.

Why Seattle blitzed on third and two is beyond me. It seemed like Marshall moment when it happened and it seems like a Marshall moment now.

Having failed by blitzing, Seattle attempted the opposite on the next play. It dropped eight into coverage. It dropped eight out of a 4-2, meaning the eighth man was none other than Brandon Mebane. As luck would have it, Mebane matched against Jason Witten. Witten worked a double move, maybe built in, maybe a savvy improvisation. Mebane didn't bite though. When Witten faked curl, Mebane didn't close, but broke back and positioned himself to tackle. That saved an otherwise sure defensive holding penalty. Witten shuffle-stepped and sprinted past the line but never did fully shake Mebane. Romo targeted him in quadruple coverage and Witten leapt high but dropped it. Perhaps the prospect of being sandwiched between a linebacker, two defensive backs and Brandon Mebane just wasn't worth the first.

Austin converted that. Seattle badly misread the end around and only persistent and alert play from Lucas saved them from worse damage. It was a classic case of broken contain. David Hawthorne owns the most responsibility. When Dallas motioned run right, Hawthorne was all over it, and when the action sped left, Hawthorne had no hope of recovery. A final detail worth noting: Seattle was in a 4-2 nickel. Reading the end around but knowing he had little chance to intercept, Josh Wilson didn't stop or ineffectually drift towards the play. No, Wilson saw Austin and bolted towards the end zone. He positioned himself to be a last line of defense should Austin break free. It's a wonder he wasn't needed.

Hawthorne broke contain again on the next play. He drifted left and got behind a lead blocker allowing Barber to cut right and towards the open field. Then Jordan Babineaux had his first safety moment. He sprinted across the first down marker and fought hard to stop Barber before he converted the first.

I could round out this review with another knock on Hawthorne, but Hawthorne breaking cover against Hurd was assumed after Hurd flattened a slow developing crossing pattern. I still don't know what Seattle is doing with its zones or its line, and both are beginning to frustrate me.

This plays fails for obvious reasons. Seattle is down one rushing the quarterback. Patrick Kerney is struggling to get there. Mebane is doing his part. Darryl Tapp is working his butt off on the blindside. Colin Cole is stuck in the blocks. He never moves more than a yard past the line of scrimmage. Center Andre Gurode is able to stifle him so easily that left guard Kyle Kosier can stand and watch Hurd receive.

Hawthorne is covering the middle zone and picks up Hurd as he crosses the field. Aaron Curry is covering Jason Witten on the left. If we're talking zones, Hurd becomes Curry's assignment after Hurd passes Hawthorne to the left, but should Curry drop cover on Witten? He is an unwinnable position. Curry follows Witten through his break but reacts to Romo's eyes and attempts to intercept Hurd before he receives.

Romo probably could have pump-faked and found Witten. Instead he targets the beaten man and hooks up with Hurd for the score. The zones break down, and maybe zones are losing their place in the modern NFL. But the zones break down because the pass rush breaks down. A crossing pattern is a deep route. It develops slowly and is often found by quarterbacks flushed from the pocket. Romo isn't flushed, he steps right up and throws it over Cole's outstretched arms.

The pass rush was swarming all around, but dead in the middle. Tapp, Kerney and Mebane smashed the pocket, but their pressure came from outside. Cole alone was trusted to collapse the middle, and if he could have, Romo would have had no pocket to step into. Instead Cole just stood there. Cole just stood there, watching the play the develop.

David Hawthorne Finishes Drive 1-2 for 14 Yards

John Morgan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:52:28 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Seattle started sloppy, but turned a David Hawthorne tackle for a loss and two mis-throws by Tony Romo into a punt.

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Seattle started the game strong. Olindo Mare kicked a touchback and then Seattle forced Dallas to punt after five plays for 24 yards. Justin Forsett unwisely signaled fair catch at the Seattle six, but the Seahawks drove down the field and Mare kicked a 43 yard field goal to give Seattle the early lead.

Seattle started the game sloppy. Josh Wilson covered Miles Austin on his 10 yard completion. Wilson backed off before the snap and Austin shook coverage with his cut. Austin curled back and Wilson bit deep, allowing Austin an easy reception in the right flat. On the next play, David Hawthorne read Marion Barber's rush and shot through the right ‘A' gap, but fell off the tackle and allowed Barber to break right and into the second level. Leroy Hill broke contain. Ken Lucas tackled him after 16, but Hawthorne had a chance to tackle Barber for a loss and Hawthorne's penetration gave Hill an easy cleanup tackle off right end. Hill chased the inside movement and was easily blocked out attempting to reset on the right.

Pressure forced two sloppy throws by Tony Romo and Dallas punted. First, Hawthorne atoned. Dallas attempted to set a screen on the right, but pulled their blockers too quickly and allowed Hawthorne to get underneath and clear to the ball carrier. He was again in position and again almost lost Barber on a broken tackle. Heater's mighty ankle tackle prevailed and Barber was dropped in the backfield.

The Seahawks followed with consecutive blitzes. They overloaded the offensive left. Cory Redding dropped into cover on the offensive right. The blitz was contained but the pressure nevertheless forced an inaccurate pass from Romo. Seattle challenged the ‘A' gaps on the next play. Hawthorne and Aaron Curry aligned between the defensive tackles of a wide-set four man rush. Curry blitzed and broke through with power. Hawthorne dropped left, Darryl Tapp dropped into the left flat and Jordan Babineaux struck from the right. Romo misfired.

Punt.

Marcus Trufant to be Activated from PUP list

John Morgan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:11:04 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

The Truth returns.

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Seattle's secondary approaches whole again.

Jim Mora announced that Seattle will activate Marcus Trufant from the physically unable to return list. It's been almost two years since Seahawks fans could appreciate Trufant. After a breakout 2007 season, a mix of perceived weakness at stopping the run and a very real weakness in its secondary put Trufant back on an island in 2008. Corners tend to look bad to television audiences when they play on an island. It's very difficult to play the ball. If you are on screen, it means the receiver you are covering is being targetted and that means there is a better than 50% he will receive the ball. Trufant reassumed his role of "overrated" lockdown corner. Overrated mostly because virtually no corner can lockdown a #1 receiver in single coverage.

A corner's job is to cover. That must be appreciated in more subtle ways. Trufant's return should assist the pass rush and allow Seattle to be more creative with its coverage schemes. While both Ken Lucas and Josh Wilson have proved to be able zone corners, Seattle has relied on Kelly Jennings when it wants to man-up someone. That creates all kinds of weaknesses. It also limits the aggressiveness and innovativeness of Seattle's zones. Whenever Jennings is manning up the opposing team's number one receiver, Seattle better put a safety over top the two.

What excites me most, assuming Trufant returns at or near 100%, is that Tru showed an exciting ability to play the ball in 2007. He could play the ball because Seattle finally had cover safeties worth a damn. Brian Russell, at his very worst, could still sit in a soft shell over top. Early leads and sound deep cover allowed Trufant to make some spellbinding interceptions. Rarely will you see a corner so expertly play the ball without dropping cover.

Tru returns to the best defense he's ever played on. Corners tend to reflect the larger trend of a defense. Do not be surprised if Marcus Trufant hits the field running, pick six in his gloves.

Patrick Kerney's Two Seconds to Factor

John Morgan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:03:51 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Peyton Manning has among the fastest reads in the history of the NFL. That keeps pass rushers away and him healthy. Seattle's secondary was weak enough that Manning could pass before defensive line pressure was possible.

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Before I lay out the bones of Patrick Kerney's second quarter, let us talk about Peyton Manning. Manning does two things exceptionally well.

He is able to make almost any pass with perfect accuracy. It's astounding. In the modern NFL, a receiver always has some separation. If his quarterback can consistently hit him in the hands, Pierre Garcon can burn Asante Samuel. That's the trick to Austin Collie blowing past Travis Fisher for a 21 yard touchdown. Fisher wasn't close, but Collie never broke his route. That play was practice-smooth. Collie ran his route and received a perfectly placed pass to his hands just as he finished it.

Manning is also able to consistently read a defense, find a target and pass in two to four seconds. If you watch Manning, you will nearly never see him stall like Ben Roethlisberger, Seneca Wallace and, truly, almost every other quarterback, bad, good and great, in football.

This is where Kerney comes in. He was in for 15 plays, rested for three when Nick Reed subbed in, and in those fifteen plays, whether he snapped off the line, beat his man, made a good move or not, he could not factor into the play. Seattle's defensive line had no time to create pass rush. That was in part the product of a complete secondary collapse. Seattle could have lined up Dwight Freeney - Brandon Mebane - Tommie Harris - Jared Allen and not sacked Manning. Seattle could not cover and that meant its line did not have enough time to create pressure.

Let's take this to the logical extreme. If Seattle had the above line, but no other players on defense, that line would never record a sack. Conversely, if Seattle bred four mutant Deion "Night Train" Lotts and populated their secondary with them, a line of four Colin Coles would eventually sack the quarterback.

That is the push and pull of pressure and coverage. Neither one can be understood without the other and either can make the other look better or worse than it is. Seattle's secondary is not terrible, but it's weak. Weak doesn't work against Peyton. Kelly Jennings has rebounded well and Ken Lucas has impressed me. Travis Fisher is a little in over his head. Maybe it's a hangover from an injury wracked start to his season, but Indianapolis was not his chance to get healthy. Jordan Babineaux is clearly still struggling. Deon Grant - I'm not exactly sure how to categorize Deon Grant.

Kerney only had one very good jump off the line. That was to begin the Colts touchdown scoring two minute drill. He even turned the corner and got close to pressuring Manning, but slipped. For much of the drive, Kerney looked, well, tired. He looked very tired. That was most pronounced on the fourth and fifth plays, after the Colts twice snapped "no huddle". On the fifth play, he ran a very slow stunt across the line. Manning was flushed from the pocket, but Kerney did not flush him and did not pressure him after he was flushed.

Kerney did not factor. That is the best way to put it. In eight of the fifteen plays, I have scribbled "DNF". His performance at the start of the second drive and his visible fatigue on the fourth and fifth plays are instructive. Kerney played worse when he was tired, but was not regularly substituted out. Later Kerney was injured.

Before the season, Seattle spoke of using Kerney in a more limited capacity to extend his life as a pass rusher. Looking at Brian McIntyre's snap counts, that doesn't look to be the case. Kerney played in 66.7% of Seattle's defensive snaps against the Rams, a game Seattle led by 21 midway through the third quarter. He played in 80% and 82.5% of Seattle's snaps against the 49ers and Bears, respectively. He played in 65.1% of the teams' snaps last Sunday and left the game because of injury.

Seattle has more defensive ends with talent than almost any team in the NFL. It needs to start using them, before it loses them as it lost Kerney. Until its secondary can cover more than two seconds, it won't matter.

Is 2008 Creeping Up on 2009?

John Morgan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:30:19 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Brandon Jacobs told Seahawks fans to turn off the light on 2008. Will Peyton Manning do likewise this Sunday?

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The human mind excels at recognizing coincidence. It doesn't always analyze it very well. I had a coworker once tell me a flu shot had prevented him from getting a cold. My wife, who works with the elderly, hears "they always come in threes" every few months. Deaths, that is. The amount of time in which those three deaths occur is conveniently elastic, of course. Obvious exceptions are ignored.

Seattle is 1-2 and preparing to travel cross country to face a perennial powerhouse. That powerhouse looks less imposing after losing a valuable starter, but only a fool would underestimate them. It has one convincing win against St. Louis, a close loss and a somewhat lopsided loss that turned on a few big plays. Matt Hasselbeck is injured, but how injured and when he will play again is not certain. Health has been a problem, but one unit is getting healthy while another is more wiped out every day. Is this 2008 all over again?

I would like to say no, but I can't say no with great confidence until after this Sunday. Seattle is a better team through three games than it was in 2008. The Seahawks have performed well at the most important indicators of success: pass offense and pass defense.

It is in the top ten in pass defense by net yards an attempt, 5.3, and only has one interception on the season. Interceptions fluctuate quite a bit. If Seattle had a team full of Kelly Jennings, I might say it would underperform in forcing interceptions all season, but it has good hands men in Deon Grant, Jordan Babineaux, Ken Lucas, Aaron Curry and Lofa Tatupu. One could throw Darryl Tapp in there, if they wanted to adjust relative to position. In 2008, Seattle started mediocre, 6.5 NY/A, and got bad.

In reality, it already was bad. Seattle had posted mediocre pass defense stats after facing Trent Edwards, J.T. O'Sullivan and the collective Rams offense. That offense was awful and Edwards and O'Sullivan..well. Seattle had eight sacks against the 49ers, but its secondary was a tortilla Mary. That is, holy.

Seattle's passing offense is a bit below average, but it has faced two tough opponents. The Bears rank sixth and the 49ers rank 11^th in pass defense as measured by NY/A. Seattle ranks 18^th on offense, and has split the season between its starter and its backup. Matt Hasselbeck was brutal in 2008. Through three games, he had 4.9 NY/A. That compares him to 2009 Jake Delhomme (5.3), but without Delhomme's maddening picks.

In those crucial aspects, Seattle is a better team than it was in 2008, but football teams can change their season in one game. Or so it feels. Seattle is traveling to Indianapolis, and the Colts have stormed out to huge lead in NY/A: 9.9. The Cowboys rank second: 8.3. It is also top five in pass defense: 4.7. If Seattle plays at Indy and is crushed, it will be hard to see this season as anything but 2008 repeating itself.

I don't think it is though. The parallels are everywhere, sure. The 49ers are 2-1, including an impressive win and a tough loss on the road against a presumed powerhouse. See: Arizona 2008. But the 49ers passing offense is stagnant, their running back injured and his replacement noted for the wrong reasons. Of course, the 2008 Cardinals were no world beaters. They were lords of a bad division. San Francisco can certainly be that. God knows, Seattle has worn that crown enough times.

The team isn't healthy and the injuries it is suffering do not seem abnormal or likely to reverse themselves. Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones are old and were injured last season. In fact, Jones is still recovering from last season. Josh Wilson, Sean Locklear and Chris Spencer have a history of being injured. Lofa Tatupu is continuing an alarming trend that started last season. Marcus Trufant is the only fluke injury. That happens.

The reason I don't see 2008, though, is that Seattle has shown the ability and has the talent to perform. It has been a very good pass defense and has created pressure without the blitz. The pass offense is talented, skyscrapers more talented than it was last season, and that talent is both at the skill positions and on a developing offensive line. Chris Spencer, Rob Sims and Ray Willis are bona fide assets, Unger is not, but being a rookie should develop, and Brandon Frye has been respectable as a fill in.

Maybe Seattle is going down that path and my optimism is ignoring the coming flood. A blowout loss coupled with a wave of injuries would put Seattle at 1-3 and without a good shot of crawling back. That team could easily finish 4-12. A win, of any kind, would put Seattle in the thick of the West and on path to get healthy and excel down the stretch. Teams with early injuries and new coaching staffs sometimes do that.

The most likely scenario, the most likely scenario before the season even started, is that Seattle is an average team in a bad division that someone will have to win. San Francisco could be this season's Cardinals and Seattle this season's 49ers. The Seahawks could squeeze out wins down the stretch, grasping towards respectability, but be eliminated early and never have a credible shot at the playoffs. San Francisco wins the West and does whatever in the playoffs. The Seahawks take their picks and continue to improve.

That's the real difference. Maybe Seattle tanks. Maybe it has a top ten and bottom twenty pick in 2010. But 2008 was definitely the last season of Mike Holmgren football, and the team tanked because Holmgren's talent had been cast off or grown old. 2009 is distinctly the work of Tim Ruskell and Jim Mora. Whatever Seattle's record, it feels like a team on the rise and not a team stumbling through an ending era. The best players are home grown and the injuries have disproportionately struck leftovers from before Ruskell. Of course, the other edge of a young team that loses is: The Seattle Seahawks could be bad. The young talent organized by Ruskell could be not at the end, but smack in the middle of a disappointing stretch of Seahawks football. We will know a lot more about this season and this team's future after this Sunday. I want a win. I need hard-fought, competitive football.

Seattle Seahawks First Quarter Notes: Secondary

John Morgan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:55:28 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Jordan Babineaux is still a long way from being a competent free safety, but he is inexperienced and deserves patience.

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Seattle's secondary was its weakest link on defense. Kelly Jennings was the class of the unit, disappearing and disappearing his man like he routinely did in 2007. Perhaps his brief display of ball skills in the preseason bought him a little respect from Jay Cutler. Or maybe the Bears lack that big receiver to box out and jump over and on Jennings. The Colts lack that receiver too.

Seattle didn't blitz once all first quarter.

Jordan Babineaux is still struggling at free safety. Criticism he received following the 49ers game was unjust and over the top, but in a general sense, his timing is off and his angles are loose. Give him time.

Babineaux and Ken Lucas each missed a tackle on this play.

2-10-CHI 21 (10:15) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 82-G.Olsen to CHI 35 for 14 yards (57-D.Hawthorne).

Then combined to blow coverage on this play.

3-3-CHI 42 (8:21) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 80-E.Bennett to SEA 39 for 19 yards (57-D.Hawthorne).

They blew cover in a similar way: both making a play for the ball and ignoring the man. That's bad chemistry. On a double team, good teams have one man play the ball and one man play the receiver. It's not predetermined, the players coordinate the action in real time. When his was with the Eagles, Brian Dawkins combined with a host of cornerbacks to execute the always-pretty interception/ass-whooping. One defensive back grabs the pick; the other viciously drops the receiver. All legal, and all hard-nosed, winners football.

David Hawthorne bolted down field to fix his teammate's mistakes.

Seattle used a lot of zones, but kept with the play much better than they did in 2008. It only allowed one hole in zone reception, but it was a costly error. Cory Redding pressured Cutler and Cutler scrambled right and found Earl Bennett wide open for 31. Hawthorne somehow got the tackle.

Seattle Seahawks Contain the Stretch Right

John Morgan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:10:36 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Seattle controlled its gap assignments to keep Matt Forte in check.

Browse more photos »

Possession	Bears
Game Clock	14:15
Field Position	Sea 38
Quarter	1
Down and Distance	2nd and 8

We take a new direction this week. It was important to create a blueprint of the Seattle Seahawks, especially its personnel strengths and weaknesses. We used the preseason and beginning of the regular season to accomplish that. After a blueprint has been established, further microanalysis becomes tedious and unnecessary. I don't need to describe every snap Darryl Tapp pressured the quarterback or Will Herring was lost in the pile, it's enough to know that Tapp is a good pass rusher that breaks contain and Herring a good pass defender that doesn't shed blocks.

The next step is to understand how Seattle can maximize its talent to beat its opponent. Instead of providing a spare account of every play, I will go quarter by quarter, describing in depth select plays and at the end of the day provide a notes piece. On Friday I will combine Seahawks analysis with analysis of their opponent to create a fan's game plan for winning.

The first play is a run stuff in the first drive of the first quarter.

Indianapolis led the NFL in single back sets. It ran 62%* of the time when it aligned with two tight ends and a single back, third in the NFL. The Colts run stretch plays and this play was a stretch right by the Bears.

Patrick Kerney is controlling the left "C" and "B" gaps. Colin Cole is at the one tech, controlling the left "A" gap. Brandon Mebane is over the right "B" gap and Cory Redding is controlling the right "C" and "D" gaps. Middle linebacker David Hawthorne is controlling the right "A" gap.

Chicago will move its offensive line right. It wants to create a run lane where Seattle is weakest. That is the right "A" gap, controlled by a linebacker, the outside right and the cutback lane, the left "D" gap. The center is able to pull into the second level.

Ken Lucas reads run and sprints down to contain the left "D" gap. Will Herring raps around right end and contains the right "D" gap. Hawthorne hits the center in the hole and stops his lead block. Forte picks the right "A" gap. Curry has a direct line to Forte and tackles him after three.

*Source: FOA 2009