That folks, is why a pre-season football win is like eating chinese food for dinner; you feel happy and full when it’s finished, but start feeling empty not long after. The Seahawks had a number of things that looked good, but the things that matter most were concerning.
SUMMARY
You can’t feel truly satisfied when the second team offense and defense thoroughly outplay the first team. It was a bonus to see those second team players beat up on the Broncos first teams, but the indicators of regular season success: offensive line, running game, rhythm, stout defense were all mediocre-to-bad. The running game was putrid. You would have to think the rumors of bringing in extra running backs will only gain steam after another game averaging ~3 yds/carry. Lots of this is related to the offensive line, and the lack of holes to run through, but TJ Duckett is so slow he almost appears to be running back in time. Justin Forsett was a clear upgrade over Duckett, but that’s a low bar. Hasselbeck did not seem to be comfortable with his progressions. There was a memorable second quarter drive when Hass missed a wide open Carlson on third down simply because he wasn’t comfortable holding onto the ball for an extra second. The first string defense looked a lot like what we saw last season. The Broncos moved on short, quick plays and screens. The second teams were great, and deserve some praise.
FAVORITE MOMENT – Jon Ryan
You have to love a punter who dives into the fumble pile. That’s exactly what Ryan did after CJ Wallace thwaped the punt returner to jar the ball loose. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a punter do that before.
BIGGEST SURPRISE – Defensive Ineptitude
I loved what I saw last week against the Chargers, and we were stout again against the run, but where were the adjustments to the Broncos quick hitting passes, and the screen? The unit that absolutely needs to lead this team looked confused and passive. It certainly would have been nice to see Curry out there. This was a game meant for special linebackers, and yet we saw few special linebacker plays.
BIGGEST IMPACT – Nick Reed
For the second straight week, this guy was everywhere. He easily outdid his phenomenal debut with 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a blocked punt. The guy playing in his media shadow, Michael Bennett, also had another terrific game. I want to see these guys get in against first-team offensive players next week.
BIGGEST RELIEF – Deon Butler
I honestly had not seen much to be excited about with this guy in training camp or the first game. It was great to see him make two tough catches in clutch situations with defenders close by. He’ll need to do that to have an impact this year. That first TD was a special catch, but we should notice the speedster did not run by the defender much.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT – Matt Hasselbeck
I love the guy, but he’s not playing free and easy. We need him to get comfortable soon.