Brian Nemhauser·
PodcastsVideos
··1 min read

Softy and Brian Preview Seahawks vs 49ers

Named Best Podcast in Western Washington by King5!

Softy and Brian talk about the titanic matchup between the 7-2 Seahawks and 8-0 49ers.

Anyone can become a HB Patron at http://patreon.com/hawkblogger

Audio Podcast:

large-itunes-subscribe-button-300x138

Tags
0 0 0
Brian Nemhauser
Founder, Editor & Lead Writer
Related
Previous Real Hawk Talk Episode 78: Previewing Seahawks vs 49ers
Next The Morning Before: Seattle in the Upside Down

7 Comments

  1. A lot of the previews that I’ve read leading up to this game are suggesting that the 49’ers will utilize an overwhelming rushing attack against the Seahawks.

    The thought occurred to me that this is the type of game that first round talent LJ Collier was selected for. I’ll post the talent evaluation on him at the end, and just remind others that Collier was hailed as a run stuffing defensive end, that posted 11 1/2 tackles for loss in his senior season at TCU. To date, he has appeared in six games for the Seahawks, has only recorded only two tackles on the season, but it’s only fair to point out that the Seahawks really haven’t played any other good quality “rushing” teams this season. Therefore, it’s my belief that this is an important game for #95 to have a sort of coming out party.

    While Clowney is the starter at the right defensive end spot, and Collier his back up on the depth chart, I’d rather see Collier lock down the 49’ers running game on the right side of the defense, and have Clowney move to the left defensive end spot for this game. Yes, that would mean demoting Ansah to a reserve roll, and it’s not likely to happen, but I’m one fan that would like to see it attempted.

    That said, I’d like to pose a question. How do you quantify what a good game for Collier would look like, and what would his post game stat sheet look like, if he did have a break out game?

    Collier’s NFL Draft Preview/Profile:
    https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/l-j-collier

    1. You’re correct about the previews, but that could also be attributed to lazy analysis. SF leads the league in run over pass ratio, as a result they have 3 snaps qualified rb’s, two of which average over 5 ypc, and the third just under 5. Thus, it’s easy and typical to assume they will dance with the one that brung ’em………….and well they might. But Shanahan is just as likely to deal some jokers and take advantage of the weaknesses of the Hawk pass rush and secondary after appearing to “establish the run”. Almost every team the Seahawks have played this season have chosen to increase over their average favoring pass vs run. That soft middle is very tempting, and the loose coverage down field is as well. Only the confines of the red zone have helped the defensive secondary tighten up their play. Sure, Kittle might be out, and only Sanders is their noted wr, but they still have tools even if we aren’t yet convinced Jimmie G, can capitalize. We may be surprised; Winston and Schaub lit us up…………

      I would love to see your wishes on Collier bear fruit, but this defensive coaching staff doesn’t show much faith in rookies. The hints are that the rooks aren’t picking up the plays/formations as quickly as hoped/should……….probably why T2 stayed on the field longer than many understood. Blair, though showing play making ability, is still being “criticized”, however mildly, for freelancing too much. Norton claims he can’t justify not having “the best players on the field together”, which to me is a fear based statement. In my opinion what that means is he can’t figure out how to design defenses to take advantage of innate skills so he falls back on “experience” as a crutch. Schotty has advanced himself and his group, Norton, while not having a cellar like floor, is bumping up hard against his own ceiling………..which ain’t all that high unfortunately.

      1. I’m pretty much in agreement with everything that you summarized in your post, but my question still remains. What would a good post-game stat sheet look like for LJ Collier?

    1. Ziggy’s lone sack this year came on a gift from the heavens, and it wasn’t in anyway created by his own talent.

      Ziggster did have four tackles in his first game against the Cardinals in week four (his first game of the season I believe), but his best game since then was a two tackle effort against the Browns in week six.

      Would a four tackle game, including perhaps one or two timely tackles for loss equate to a good game for Collier against these 49’ers?

      Just my own opinion, but if Collier can’t produce something close that kind of energy, then I’m ready to call his rookie season a first round disappointment.

      Am I missing something, or is that reasonably fair?

  3. Yeah, Doug, I think Collier should get a game-time look-see. Like Blair, Amadi and Ursua, Collier’s NFL growth is being retarded, or so it seems to me. Of course, the cheerleaders for the Powers That Be will point out that the coaches know best, and we’re just fans.

    But because of injuries, Blair is getting a chance to show, that despite rookie mistakes, he is an immediate upgrade over Tedric Thompson. As I would hope Collier would be over Ansah. For these, and other reasons/examples, I no longer believe “Always Compete” is always in play. There appears to be hypocrisy there. If true,blame it on human nature, I guess. But maybe I’m wrong. For instance, it could be argued the Carson over Penny = Always Compete.

    Only if Carson gets injured, will we see Penny more. Maybe enough to evaluate which RB makes Seahawks more effective. But as of now, Carson fits the scheme. And a change of scheme to fit a player’s strength is rarely seen in Seattle, or elsewhere—-all rhetoric to the contrary.

    Speaking of which, why not try Phil Haynes at LG and let undersized Joey Hunt continue to start at Center? Why not go with good results over scheme?

    1. Just to trade notes with you Rowdy,

      Joey Hunt has become my favorite offensive lineman on this team, and I fully expect him to win the position.

      Blair’s hard hitting style reminds me a little bit of Kenny Easley, as does Amadi’s ability to blitz, but of course we’ve only really seen either of those episodes in the pre-season games. Tedric Thompson, Jamar Taylor, and Lano Hill do nothing to excite me. Toss in Neiko Thorpe to that group as well, except he’s actually needed from time to time.

      Do you favor Penny over Carson? I like Penny’s game outside of the tackles, and would like to see some pitch outs to him, but I’ll take Carson tackle to tackle the rest of the time.

      Ursua could use some game time, but I don’t believe he’ll get it until next season when the team is forced to trim salary. I believe he’ll be a contributing factor.

      LG Phil Haynes sounds good to me, especially since RG will likely be handled by Jamarco Jones next year. That means that Iupati and Fluker have come to the twilight hours of their well storied careers. Too bad, I liked both of them in their day.

      I expect the bigger story will be what the Seahawks do at LT and RT next season. Duane Brown looks to be about finished to me, and I’m not sure that Ifedi won’t be lured away by some other team in free agency.

      We’ve seen a little bit of the young linebackers already, so that is good. Are they as much of an upgrade as the young defensive backs appear to be? Jury’s out on that.

Comments are closed.