HawkShack.com

After having the opportunity to watch the replay and focus in on some specific players, here is what I noted:

Offensive Line which will be our weakness - especially in pass blocking - looks a lot better with Britt at tackle and Gilliam at Right end. Britt was very dominant in the run game and solid in pass protection. Gilliam shows excellent footwork and good brains on pass protection. I feel a lot better about the O Line than before - Still will be our weak link.

Defensive line might be our greatest strength this year:

After JJ Watt - Michael Bennett might be the best Defensive Lineman in the NFL - there is a reason why PFF ranked him the 21st best player in the NFL. Every play he is causing trouble for the Offense - A couple times there were 3 guys blocking him.

Mebane & Rubin are stout up the middle on all runs and Rubin was good also on collapsing the pocket up the middle on the pass palys making it diifcult for the QB to step up in the pocket.

There were only a couple plays when we had our "Money" pass rush on the field (Avril - Bennett - Clark - Irvin) but the pocket did not last long and Clark got a tip ball on one of those plays. This package will allow the defense to drop 7 players back in coverage all season long.

Tyler Lockett looks great on his pass routes and it will only be a matter of time before he passes Kearse on the Depth Chart. Kearse is the player most at risk of being a final cut salary cap casualty.

Jimmy Graham showed on all his catches what a remarkable set of hands he has and what a weapon he will be this year. Going to be special when he & Marshawn and Russell are all on the field at the same time this year.

I think Christine Michael will make the final cut as what he can do athletically no one else on the Roster at Running back can. His blocking has been fairly solid in both preseason games.

Dion Bailey makes the team as he has been a solid tackling machine these first two games (but I could not evaluate his pass coverage).

Wow good analysis. Great point Kearse. I disagree with you and the majority in here on our OL. I still saw a jail break up front and Wilson with no time to do anything, I hope I am wrong. Sure, Marshawn will help, but they need to improve in a hurry. The Center comp is over Nowy is way better IMHO.

You left very little room to add anything (though I can try) Savvy, I couldn't agree more with everything you just said. Good post.
Every time I see the guy, I am more and more impressed with our 5th round CB rookie, Tye Smith. The guy has definitely earned a spot on the roster, and looks like a player who by next year, will easily be able to step in and replace Williams.
I thought DeShawn Shead looked better at CB than he does at safety. He looked very natural out there.
Another guy who I thought was just everywhere and looked terrific was Ronald Martin.
TY McGill at DT has been STOUT in both games.
I think that once Nowak gets a good command of making the line calls, he's going to be a stud at center. Right now though, he seems a little hesitant, though it's pretty clear that he's a much more physically dominant player than Lem could ever hope to be. Lem's only edge right now is his comfort with the calls and his experience.

Obiken - Watch again if you can - I always DVR every Seahawk game so that I can re-watch if I choose to. Usually when I view the game a second time I am watching a majority of the plays in Slow Motion to be able to analyze the one on one match ups more effectively.

I watch most of the offensive plays in Slow motion in the first half - Gilliam was very good for his first time out. He was opposite Justin Houston most of the half and Houston had zero sacks and tackles. Houston kept on trying to bait Gilliam to overplay on the outside on his pass-rush to set him up for an inside move but Gilliam did not let him by with this move once - this is what I meant by Gilliam played very intelligently. Houston did beat Gilliam one time but Russell was able to evade the rush.

Overall the Pass blocking was much more effective this week - admittedly after the prior weeks performance the only direction was up.

Monkey I agree with everything you wrote and also confer on what a bonus Drew Nowak has been. Going into the Season it was thought that Patrick Lewis and Lemuel Jean-Piere would be in a battle for the starting position. Out of nowhere Drew Nowak has taken ownership of the starting role and has looked very effective (considering his background and experience in the position) -- this means one thing....... UPGRADE in the talent at the Center position over what was thought just a couple months ago.

I Also agree about TY McGil and he will make the team. I don't think they will be able to get him on to the practice squad. I think Rawals will end up on the practice squad as he has done his job by pushing Michael.

Yes, Martin was making an impact and plays like he belongs in the NFL. Speaking of belonging in the NFL, I am amazed at Watching Frank Clark just how physically imposing he looks and how fast he moves for a man his size and just how much he looks like he belongs in the game, on a NFL defensive line right now.

Im not expecting The Seahawks to come out blazing I would think its gonna take those young guy on the O line some time to gel and learn the positions.... I would think that the D is going to carry the O for a while maybe the whole year but The D is that good... I see the season being a lot like last year... Im waiting for the odds to go down a bit maybe until the Seahawks are 5-4 before they make there run at the superbowl Im thinkin 7 straight going into the play offs... LOL just my take...

LTH