SB Nation - Deon Grant

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast

Gonzo — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:01:21 -0000

by Carlos Gonzalez - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice (18) fends of Seattle Seahawks Marcus Trufant to score on a 34-yard touchdown catch and run in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Star Tribune,Carlos Gonzalez)

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Once again, it's time to take a final look back at the Vikings' most recent conquest by reviewing their Red Zone performance. And, as always, the Vikings Red Zone Review is sponsored by the good folks at Comcast, who bring you the NFL Red Zone channel every Sunday afternoon. Whether you're killing time waiting for the Vikings to play a late afternoon game (like we will be this weekend) or unwinding after celebrating another Vikings' victory, the Red Zone Channel can take you around the league for all the best action around the National Football League. It's great for tracking your favorite fantasy players, too. For the best way to see all the action around the NFL every Sunday, there's nothing that beats the NFL Red Zone Channel.

So, how did the Vikings do in the Red Zone against the Seahawks? Well. . .you could say they did alright.

Vikings Red Zone trips - 3
Vikings Red Zone scores - 3 (3 TD)
Red Zone touchdown percentage - 100%

After a. . .yawn. . .terribly exciting first quarter that concluded with no scoring, the Vikings jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the second on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Percy Harvin. The Vikings finally made a visit to the red zone midway through the second quarter. Starting from their own 30, the Vikings put together a drive largely aided by Seattle penalties. The scoring drive was 70 yards, and 35 of it came courtesy of two personal foul penalties and a defensive offsides call. The second personal foul, a tripping penalty on Seattle safety Deon Grant after a 24-yard reception by Sidney Rice, set the Vikings up with first and goal at the Seattle 8-yard line. After one of Favre's three incompletions on the day, he found Visanthe Shiancoe, who had lined up wide left, on a slant into the end zone to put the Vikings up by two touchdowns. That Viking drive moved 70 yards in six plays, taking 2:32 in order to complete.

Minnesota found themselves back in the red zone again almost immediately, as Seattle return man Ben Obomanu fumbled the return on the ensuing kickoff, and after an 11-yard pass to Harvin on third and two, the Vikings were at the Seahawks 15-yard line. Adrian Peterson moved the Vikings down to the 5, and two plays later, Favre found Bernard Berrian for a three yard score, his third different touchdown pass of the day to his third different receiver. It put the Vikings up 21-0 and they were cruising. The drive moved 34 yards in six plays, and took 3:34 off of the clock.

After the teams came out of the locker room at halftime, the Vikings and Seahawks exchanged punts. With the Vikings starting out at their own 11-yard line, the Vikings made their way downfield. Everyone got involved in the act, as Favre found Harvin for a 25-yard strike on 3rd and 9, and that was immediately followed up by a 13-yard sprint to midfield by Adrian Peterson. A mix of the best running back in the NFL and a couple of short passes kept the drive moving, and Favre hit Shiancoe for a 13-yard reception to move the ball into the red zone again. Another pass to Shiancoe moved the ball down to the 7, and from there, Favre avoided the Seattle rush, scrambled to his right, and lofted one high for Sidney Rice, who outjumped all the Seahawk defensive backs and came down with Favre's fourth TD pass of the day, a 7-yarder to make the score 28-0. #4 was nearly perfect on the drive, completing 6-of-7 passes for 67 yards and the scoring pass to Rice. Overall, the drive covered 89 yards in 12 plays, taking 6:37 to accomplish.

That was the last Red Zone trip for the Vikings on the day, as their final touchdown came on a 34-yard pass from Tarvaris Jackson to Sidney Rice.

With their perfect Red Zone performance against the Seahawks, the Vikings have made an even 40 trips into the Red Zone this year. On 22 of those 40 trips, they've come away with touchdowns, a 55% pace. They still have 12 Ryan Longwell field goals (30%), and on six trips they've come away with no points (15%). Defensively, the Seahawks managed to reach the Red Zone twice, and came away with one touchdown and one field goal. That means the Vikings have allowed opposing teams into the Red Zone 25 times, and have allowed 11 touchdowns (44%), surrendered eight field goals (32%), and held their opponents scoreless six times (24%).

Here's hoping that the Red Zone success can continue this next week against the Chicago Bears.

An Angry Beanie Wells Progressed as the Game Continued

Andrew602 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:11 -0000

More photos » by Ross Franklin - AP

Arizona Cardinals' Beanie Wells (26) heads down the sideline for a long run.

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The start of the Cardinals/Seahawks game saw an offense sputter in the first quarter and trail heading into halftime. They were down 17-10, and just blew a potential touchdown because of a Mike Gandy penalty. Wells didn't see much action in the first half due to the Cardinals playing catch-up. After a successful opening drive to the third quarter however, the Cardinals marched into Seattle territory, where there was a key play that may have changed the game.

~ From azcardinals.com

"That was terrible," Beanie said after the game, the smile back on his face. "That’s was the first time I lost my composure like that playing football since I was about 8 years old."

A post-play skirmish between Beanie and Seahawks safety Deon Grantescalated into some swings from both sides, the last of which was Wells’ hand whacking Grant’s facemask right in front of the referee. At the time, it looked like it would cost the Cards, who were trailing, 17-10, and would have had a first down at the Seattle 4-yard line.

Beanie could have been the goat. But four plays later, it was Wells bouncing outside a tightly compacted line on fourth-and-1 for a 10-yard touchdown. He finished it with an angry spike of the ball.

1st	1st	Tot	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd	Tot	3rd	3rd	3rd	3rd	Tot	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	Tot
-4	4	0	0	9*	4	3	16	6	0	10	6*	22	7	13	29	2	3	0	54

* = Holding Penalty

If Beanie can continue to turn it on when he's on the field and play angry, he gives the Cardinals an added dimension they severely lacked last season. He's a workhorse, and only showing a small fraction of what he's capable of. In the first five games of the season, Wells averaged 24.8 rushing yards per game with 0 touchdowns. In the last four games, Wells is averaging 67.75 rushing yards, and has scored 3 touchdowns. The Cardinals do appear to be using Wells more, and as the chart shows, they're giving him more carries once the lead has been established. What are your thoughts on the Cardinals running back situation? Should Beanie Wells be the starting running back?

David Hawthorne is Playing Big But Can He Play Correct?

John Morgan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:42:00 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

At ends of the spectrum: D.D. Lewis is the elder linebacker that does his job and only that. David Hawthorne is the prospect flashing great potential, but struggling with fundamentals.

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David Hawthorne has three sacks, five tackles for a loss and three interceptions in three starts. It's a line that has a few thousand Lofa Tatupu backers questioning their allegiances. Few want to say Hawthorne is better than Tatupu, but fewer still know how to prove otherwise. Hawthorne is active, making plays, making tackles, forcing turnovers, and Tatupu is on IR, on IR in his get-healthy season. If Tatupu has been Tats of old in 2008, this discussion might be more muted, but Tats of old is starting to look like, well, a player that doesn't exist anymore.

If Hawthorne had accumulated his eye-popping stats over a season, it would have inspired heated Hawthorne versus Tatupu debate. Heater had to do it in four. So how are we going to do this? Should I make rules or just hand out handguns. Field Gulls is place as any to wage this war. Let's pick sides and tear each other apart.

Ok, but really: Hawthorne is a find, but he's miles away from Tatupu when it comes to fundamental linebacker play. I gave myself a short schedule and stumbled into the most boring tape dissection I've had since Seattle at Pittsburgh in 2007. It's hard to judge an offensive line when Matt Hasselbeck pitches a tent in the pocket. It's hard to evaluate the wide receivers when they are never targeted. It's hard to evaluate a defense that started strong and then sat back and awaited the next drive ending pick. One drive was instructive, and it spoke to this debate.

Nate Burleson had committed pass interference in the end zone and still managed to drop a gimme touchdown. Detroit was back on the field, hoping to stem the comeback or at least kill some clock. It did neither, but it was close to achieving both.

What matters is Hawthorne. Seattle's linebackers are synchronized and interdependent. When Leroy Hill gets a tackle, Tatupu might have jammed the fullback and Aaron Curry contained the cutback lane. The tackle is typically the easy byproduct of team execution. On the first snap, Hawthorne jumped back and out of position. He did exactly same on the next snap, perhaps anticipating pass. His linebackers in smash did their job, but Hawthorne was sealed out by bad anticipation and a poor angle to the ball carrier. He made both tackles, the first after seven, the second after eight.

Hawthorne took a bad angle on a toss right to Aaron Brown. He couldn't bluff his way back into the action this time and Jordan Babineaux cleaned up after 19. Hawthorne didn't stand out on the next play, but he was all to apparent on the interception. Seattle got excellent pressure from its front three, and thankfully for us, Patrick Kerney shielded Stafford's vision before Stafford chucked an interception to Deon Grant. Behind Kerney, wide open in the middle stood Casey Fitzsimmons, open, open where Hawthorne had failed to drop. As the camera panned to Grant running under the pick, it was obvious a better quarterback would have found Fitzsimmons for the first.

If you're the right age, you probably remember thinking Michael Boulware was a superstar safety in the waiting. He had that Babineaux knack to be where the action was. In two seasons he had nine interceptions, three forced fumbles, three sacks and a touchdown return. His play was noticeable, electric, and terrible. Boulware couldn't read a route or defend play action. He was around tips but not in throwing lanes, he was a good blitzer, but absent in deep cover. Seattle never mustered much of a pass defense with Boulware and when Ruskell deigned to remake the secondary, Boulware was shipped out, benched by the Texans and then run out of the league.

Hawthorne is auditioning for a starting role, be it at MLB in Seattle, OLB in Seattle or LB somewhere else. His highs are exciting and his lows too subtle for most fans. His weaknesses reading an offense are apparent, but he's young. He could improve his execution and awareness with experience, and soon combine what he already has, playmaker potential, with what he needs to start. But I beg, before we pit these two young linebackers in combat, let's be sure the apprentice is good and not just bumbling his way into big plays.

Patrick Kerney Subtly Swings into Irrelevance

John Morgan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:40:20 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Above we can see where the blitz broke down.

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That drive was another pin in the Seahawks hopes. Seattle barely budged the ball before Jon Ryan and Seattle's coverage unit combined to undo the Seahawks field position advantage. The resulting drive would sap what was left of Seattle's comeback chances.

Marion Barber scurried for six and Tony Romo converted the first on a pass to Martellus Bennett. Seattle, for its part, put a lick on Bennett: Aaron Curry standing him up and Jordan Babineaux delivering the blow.

Then, for a brief shining moment, Darryl Tapp nearly undid a half's worth of damage and put Seattle back in the lead. It was another moment where Seattle missed by inches. Tapp rushed around left end and forced back Flozell Adams enough to block out Romo's preferred throwing lane. Tapp jumped as Romo motioned and Romo tucked before taking another attempt. The ball sailed behind intended receiver Roy Williams, but where a good break nets a pick six, Josh Wilson skidded and the pass proved too errant. Ironically, an accurate pass results in a pick six.

Then the wheels came off. Seattle was attacking and Romo forced consecutive offside penalties to convert the first. Penalties would decide this drive.

Lawrence Jackson moved into right defensive tackle alongside Tapp, and stopped the next two plays near single-handedly. He tackled Barber after two and read and reacted to a draw and curled in to stop Barber for a loss of one. Jackson has looked every bit the end I wanted him to be: aware, active, athletic and everywhere.

From the official NFL rule book:

Actions that constitute defensive pass interference include but are not limited to:

. . .

(e) Cutting off the path of a receiver by making contact with him without playing the ball.

This play pissed off a lot of Seahawks, but the ruling was justifiable if not maybe right. Marcus Trufant was attempting to curl underneath Miles Austin's deep route. Jordan Babineaux was to play over top, though he clearly wasn't deep enough and would have been beat on a clean throw attempt. Trufant curled into Austin's route. The contact looked incidental, with Trufant clearly not attempting to cut off the path of Austin, but he did cut off the path of Austin and Dallas got the call. So it goes.

In the same play, but of less interest, Nick Reed dropped into cover and was literally stride-for-stride with Patrick Crayton. That a player - and damn Crayton is slow.

Seattle cued up a Marshall seven-man blitz and forced an incomplete.

Seattle sent Josh Wilson on its next blitz and Deon Grant hit Crayton to force an incomplete.

Third and 9: Miles Austin for 16. This was a failure of pass rush. The blitz design was..not so good. One could see it working, but there was one major flaw inherent in its design. Perhaps this graphic can illuminate what I mean. For sake of clarity, I'll only show the key players.

You'll have to excuse me if that's too subtle, for I am a humble caveman confused and frightened by your modern world. It's a perfectly cromulent blitz design and swinging Patrick Kerney across the line should give him a strong matchup against the left guard, but Kerney is far too slow to get into the action before Romo finds an open receiver. This will rile some feathers, but do not be surprised if Seattle drafts a defensive end in the first round of next year's draft.

Cory Redding and David Hawthorne combined to delay the inevitable. Redding created the pressure and Hawthorne hit the ball out of Jason Witten's hands. A play later Roy Williams palmed the ball into the end zone and the Seahawks fell behind by two scores to end the half.

Seattle got the ball back and ran a simple run to kill the clock. The fun was over. The third quarter awaited.

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.

What is Wrong with Seattle's Secondary?

John Morgan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:56:22 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Jim Mora cut his teeth coaching Seattle's secondary. Since his arrival, Seattle's secondary has been an awful mess.

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David Hawthorne shot the gap and tackled Felix Jones for a loss of three. It was the kind of quick turnaround Seattle needed to escape a potentially damning fumble. Then everything crumbled in front of Seattle's high priced secondary.

Roy Williams ran a ten yard curl and ran off Marcus Trufant. Tru was caught in his backpedal and Williams was wide open for the reception. Trufant managed to wrestle him down before the first, but Dallas was left with an easily convertible first and back in field goal range.

The Cowboys motioned Miles Austin into the backfield, using Marion Barber as the up back. They ran a toss sweep off of right end. Seattle's linebackers fought off and broke through Austin's lead blockers, but Austin exploited a crack to effort past the line. He was upright and exposed and stumbling through the marker when Jordan Babineaux sunk his helmet into his arms and popped the ball from his grasp. Seattle failed to recover. The play was called back on a Martellus Bennett hold.

Dallas was third and eleven and either about to pass or about to run and settle for the field goal. We know how this ends.

Seattle's persistent third down futility reminded me of something Brian Burke wrote in an email exchange.

My theory is that this may be why run defense appears so unimportant. Say teams are not operating at the game equilibrium, and passing is, on balance, a more lucrative strategy than running. In other words, there really is a considerable passing premium where the payoff for a pass is generally higher than a run, all things considered.

Having a good run defense would therefore be somewhat self-defeating. Take the 2007 Vikings defense that gave up only 3.1 yards per run (good) but 7.0 yards per pass (bad). Facing such a solid run defense, a good offensive coordinator is forced to pass more...which would be a far more effective thing to do in the first place, especially against a relatively weak pass defense. A team like the 2007 Vikings would essentially be forcing their opponent to unwittingly play a more efficient and effective strategy, all the while exploiting their own weakness.

Seattle's ability to force third and long by stifling the run game was undermining the overall defense. It's maddening. It's infuriating watching Patrick Crayton run past the marker and quick-curl without a man within three yards of him. Deon Grant was assigned over coverage and dropped deep. Josh Wilson was assigned under coverage and played the passing lane. Romo effortlessly split the two and found Crayton for 16 and the first.

The Cowboys reset with Austin in the backfield and Barber again the up back. This time Austin was a decoy. Leroy Hill chased him into the right flat, but Barber had the ball. Babineaux, David Hawthorne and Aaron Curry controlled the interior gaps and Babs shot up and tackled Barber after two.

Seattle blitzed five, dropping right defensive end Darryl Tapp into cover, and Curry closed on Jason Witten before he could receive. Witten twirled and juggled and dropped the ball.

It was again third and long. Seattle rushed seven, Trufant covered Austin, Austin initiated contact and Trufant was flagged for pass interference. A play later, Barber ran off right tackle for the touchdown. In seven plays, Seattle had forced two third and longs, it had forced a fumble it couldn't recover and a hold that negated the play, but it couldn't defend the pass. Why can't Seattle defend the pass?

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.

Virginia Tech at North Carolina - Game Thread: Scouting Kam Chancellor, Sergio Render, Cam Thomas, Etc

John Morgan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:29:05 -0000

It's Thursday and that means Field Gulls long football weekend begins. Tonight's North Carolina at Virginia Tech matchup lacks the preeminent talent that last week's Florida State game had, but both teams have talent that could contribute to the Seahawks future. Here's a brief rundown and then we'll turn this post into a game thread.

VT

Kam Chancellor: I was pondering Taylor Mays yesterday. Mays shows up poorly in game film. His tendency to bring the boom but forget the brain has earned comparisons to Roy Williams. Williams was a feared run defender in his time. He was a sideline to sideline force in the box that could break down on a rusher in space and bullet backs into the turf. Ideally, Mays could be that, but not around the line like Williams, but twenty yards deep, and not blowing up rushers, but breaking up passes by blowing up receivers.

The Taylor Mays-Eric Berry dilemma ignores an important fact: Tim Ruskell has always built his safeties through developing late round picks. It isn't set in stone, but has been consistent. Jordan Babineaux is the latest, but he looks temporary. Chancellor is a hulking free safety that could be Mays lite. He is 6'4", 230 and benched 355 as a freshman. Seattle seems intent on running a cover one and keeping Deon Grant in the box. A player that could sweep the deep middle and punish receivers who challenge him would be an asset. Chancellor must first improve his cover instincts and quickness to the ball carrier. If he shows something in the next few weeks, don't be surprised if Seattle drafts him and develops him on the roster for future employment.

Ed Wang and Sergio Render: Two tech linemen that could play guard for Seattle. Wang is a slight tackle that used to be a tight end. Render is a preseason All-ACC recipient that was once considered among the best guard prospects in college football.

Jason Worilds: He isn't likely part of this coming class, but the junior end fits the Ruskell mold and is worth watching. Worlids is short but powerful.

NC

Cam Thomas: Seattle has added Colin Cole and Red Bryant, but if it intends to get keep getting bigger in the middle, allowing its ends and linebacker to run free, it should upgrade Cole and ensure against Bryant never developing. Thomas is 6'3", 330 space eater that can create a little rush. That makes him like a younger Cole, but with better upside.

The Tar Heels are little younger than the Hokies and have fewer pro prospects, but make sure to check out their linebackers. One could replace Leroy Hill someday soon. Credit to NFL Draft Scout for much of the above information. It's a peerless resource.

Tackling Marion Barber

John Morgan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:36:03 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Heater has shown fleet feet and good instincts, but must win at the point against power back Marion Barber.

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Marion Barber has made a career out of a great first gear and the pop of a fullback. Barber excels at powering through the first tackler, resuming his run or at least falling forward. The length of a body can be enough to make a failed rush successful, a stuffed run a first down or a goal-line stop into a touchdown.

Barber discovered himself in 2006. He was the lesser used but greater half of a committee led by Julius Jones. Barber was the closer. In only 135 runs, Barber amassed the league's sixth most DYAR. He ranked first in value per rush and second in success.

Dallas attempted to turn that concentrated value into a feature back and Barber struggled in 2008. This season, Dallas is back to spreading touches and Barber is back to powering through tackles and punishing defenders. This time, Barber is the leader and his teammates Tashard Choice and Felix Jones the backs getting the money yards.

Barber averages a little over 14 rushes a game. His quickness allows him to turn the corner and before the quad injury that kept him out of week three, he had almost an even split of runs to the inside and the outside. Returning in week four, he began gunning at the middle again and his overall split represents an inside rusher: 47 rushes to the middle and 25 to the outside.

When healthy, he can be equally productive inside and outside. Inside, he exploits the short path to build momentum and attack linebackers in the hole. Outside, Barber makes defensive backs fullback for a snap, driving into and through them and using the tackle attempt to pick off tacklers and break free. He attempts to break the tackle or to break the tackle enough to fall forward. Barber is a contact rusher whose productivity hinges on yards after contact.

The key to beating him is winning the tackle enough at the point to turn his lust for contact into stuffs in the hole. Most teams lack the linebackers to do that, but Seattle doesn't. Seattle must not only stand Barber up and counter his momentum, but swarm to Barber and not allow him to spin off and gain yards after contact.

That presents a major challenge for David Hawthorne. Heater has proven he can cover the field, make tackles outside the hash marks and join in gang tackles. He hasn't proven that he can win the one-on-one matchup and power the back into the hole. Hawthorne must for Seattle's rush defense to stop or slow football's number one rated rushing attack.

If Hawthorne can withstand the initial pop, his linemen and fellow linebackers can swarm, strip or at least force Barber back. The faster he hits Barber in the hole, the better able his linemen will be to collapse around Barber and stop him where he stands. It's not about tackles in this case, it's about tackle assists, and winning first contact, and keeping Barber in the blocks, and preventing the squat power back from bruising, spinning and continuing his march towards the end zone. Hawthorne, Aaron Curry, Leroy Hill and Deon Grant will each get their turn, but Hawthorne owns the middle, and through him Dallas will win, or opposite him, Marion Barber will fall.

Game Preview Week 5: Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks

Jonathan Loesche — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:36:46 -0000

Seattle Seahawks (1-3)

Week #5

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)

VS.

Date:	October 11th, 2009	Location:	Seattle, WA
Time:	4:00 PM EST	Stadium:	Qwest Field
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Pick 'em
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	OFF
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Week 5 sees the Jaguars traveling to the West Coast to take on the Seattle Seahawks. The last time the Jaguars played in Seattle, Tony Boselli played in his final game as a Jaguar, the Seahawks were playing in Husky Stadium, and the United States had just begun the War in Afghanistan. Now, nearly a decade later we're still in Afghanistan (along with a little side trip to Iraq), Tony Boselli has now begun a broadcasting career, and the Seahawks play in beautiful Qwest Field.

The Jaguars will have several things to contend with on their trip to the great Northwest. The biggest is, of course, the time difference. The Jaguars will head out a day early to help get their bodies in tune for the game, a logical move. The biggest development of the week is that Seattle's star quarterback Matt Hasselbeck may play this week after practicing several times this week. It would certainly be a boost to an offense that has been woeful under Seneca Wallace.

Things to Watch For: Jacksonville Jaguars

1. Pass Defense: With the return of Matt Hasselbeck likely, the Jaguars pass defense needs to shore-up this week. While the unit ranks dead last statistically, it has been improving since the second-half against the Texans. With Derek Cox getting his footing, and Gerald Alexander providing solid play at safety, this would seem to be a possible break out game for a unit that has been the lone sore spot of the first half of the season.

2. Maurice Jones-Drew: The forgotten man in the bedazzlement of Tennessee, look for MJD to once again become a focal point of the offense against what is regarded as one of the loudest crowds in the NFL. In addition, Seattle has one of the worst defensive interiors in the NFL; so expect to see a lot of MJD Sunday.

3. Offensive Line: So who really were the best players at tackle? I'm not going to jump on the Thomas/Williams bandwagon just yet as I've liked the progression Monroe and Britton have showen so far. I'll ask another question, considering where we thought this season was going to start the year, should we have started Thomas and Williams to begin with?

4.Defensive Line: Will the D-line continue it's resurgence over the last few games? John Henderson has experienced a career revival as a 3-4 DE that I never expected and I'm pleasantly surprised. Terrance Knighton has proved all of his doubters wrong up to this point with his play and has been the key to the Jags being successful at a 3-4. Going up against a banged up Seahawk O-line the unit will be expected to be a force Sunday.

5.Mike Sims-Walker: The man almost single handidly responsible for the Jaguars having a legitimate passing threat needs another big game this week against the Seahawks. MSW needs another big game to prove he is a legit #1 wide receiver in the NFL.

What to Watch For: Seattle Seahawks

1. Starting Quarterback: Will it be three time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck or career backup Seneca Wallace? Hasselbeck has been practicing, and all signs point to a triumphant comeback against the Jaguars. Nothing energizes a team more than the return of their starting QB and that is just what a hopeless team needs.

2.Offensive Line: The 'Hawks are in the same position the Jaguars were in last year. They suffer from severe offensive line injuries that have held the team back at every level. Walter Jones, Seattle's All-World Left Tackle, will be missing time along with other starters along the offensive line.

3. Pass Defense: Seattle's pass defense is Jacksonville's neighbor near the bottom of the NFL standings and will be looking to improve this week just as Jacksonville is. We get to see ex-Jaguar Deon Grant at safety, who has been an enigma for the Seahawks this year.

4. The 12th (or 11.5th man): The Seahawks have enjoyed one of the best home field advantages in football since moving into Qwest Field. However, with tickets still available and many bandwagoner's getting off the wagon with the team's recent woes, it will be interesting to see if that will be the case this week.

Player On The Hot Seat

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville

In a tough, hostile enviornment like Seattle a dominant run game will take the crowd out of it and help break the energy Matt Hasselbeck's return will surely have. Look for MJD to get the ball alot to chew clock and keep the fans out of the game.

Prediction

Jacksonville Jaguars 28

Seattle Seahawks 17

-Jonathan Loesche