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2022 ended up being a great but weird season...where did we pick up those 5 "extra" games to "pad" our expected 4 win season? First off we can thank the LA Rams as we swept both games even though they tried their hardest to play "spoiler" in the final regular season game. Many of those predicting a 4 win season "tops" for us expected the sweep to be by the defending SB champs...not us. "Giving" RW to the Broncos was supposed to make Denver an early SB probable and doom our team to oblivion due to his loss...yet in an exciting but tough match-up our team was driven by a fan frenzy...causing the first "pause" in what was to be a "horrid" season.

So 3 games gained against the two teams who reaped the benefit of landing Bobby Wagner (Rams) and Russel Wilson (Broncos). Hmmm two more wins from unexpected sources...the vaunted re-armed(Free Agency splashes) AFC West provided an unexpected victory over (edit)Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers. Finally ...at best... our team was supposed to "eek out" a split with two games against the Cardinals...but we swept both games from the Cardinals and their annoying elusive QB Kyler Murray. Thankfully these 5 extra wins against expectation (and even a playoff entry as a wildcard)didn't "hurt" us in our 2023 draft hopes since Denver did the unexpected and suffered a season many had predicted would be our "fate". Strange season? Go Hawks

Bobby Hebert? You are showing your age. He hasn't played in something like 15 or 20 years if I recall correctly.

It shows the unexpected aspect of pro sports. Our strength of schedule wasn't anywhere as bad as it looked prior to the season when a lot of prominent teams floundered.
But we had our own follies with bad teams and gave away games, too.
And we had a good draft where we added some real good rookies which is a big surprise as most of the time 4 rookies don't start and 3 don't usually dominate or play like seasoned pro's.

It's a good start for the rebuild, but it's crucial that this draft continue to set the foundation for the future, hopefully with a QB to develop and Defense along with IOL being some of
the more pressing needs.

NorthHawk wrote:Bobby Hebert? You are showing your age.

Haha...Justin Herbert...but yes I am "old enough" to have watched quite a few coming and going NFL quarterbacks. As for our surprising 2022 draft it ended the season being one of the best NFL drafts in 2022. I think only the NYJ boasted a "better" draft impact...but their draft benefited from having Three 1rst rd picks (4th, 10th and 26th selections) and a high 2nd rd selection (36th selection overall). Our 2023 draft won't compare but we have two 1rst rd (5th and 20th) and two 2nd rd (38th and 53rd) so lets "roll the dice"! Go Hawks

tarlhawk wrote:2022 ended up being a great but weird season...where did we pick up those 5 "extra" games to "pad" our expected 4 win season? First off we can thank the LA Rams as we swept both games even though they tried their hardest to play "spoiler" in the final regular season game. Many of those predicting a 4 win season "tops" for us expected the sweep to be by the defending SB champs...not us. "Giving" RW to the Broncos was supposed to make Denver an early SB probable and doom our team to oblivion due to his loss...yet in an exciting but tough match-up our team was driven by a fan frenzy...causing the first "pause" in what was to be a "horrid" season.

So 3 games gained against the two teams who reaped the benefit of landing Bobby Wagner (Rams) and Russel Wilson (Broncos). Hmmm two more wins from unexpected sources...the vaunted re-armed(Free Agency splashes) AFC West provided an unexpected victory over Bobby Hebert and the LA Chargers. Finally ...at best... our team was supposed to "eek out" a split with two games against the Cardinals...but we swept both games from the Cardinals and their annoying elusive QB Kyler Murray. Thankfully these 5 extra wins against expectation (and even a playoff entry as a wildcard)didn't "hurt" us in our 2023 draft hopes since Denver did the unexpected and suffered a season many had predicted would be our "fate". Strange season? Go Hawks

I think the "extra" wins came because we had an easy schedule and Geno played above most of our expectations. Outside of that our defense was really bad except for a 6 game stretch in the middle of the season- which is what took us from a 6-7 win team to a 9 win team.

I gotta stick up for tarlhawk. I, too, often times mistake Justin Herbert for the former Saints QB Bobby Herbert, and not only that, I compound my mistake by mispronouncing Justin's last name by calling him "Aye bear", with a silent "H" and "t" as Bobby pronounced his last name. So don't worry, tarlhawk. You're in good company.

It was a strange season, and not just from our perspective as Hawk fans. No one had the Eagles running out to the league's best record and a SB appearance.

Yes, we were the major beneficiaries of the Rams' unexpected face plant. I had the Niners winning the division with the Rams 2nd followed by us and the Cards. The Cards crashed and burned at the end of the previous season and I expected that to continue into this one. Like most everyone else, I had us at a 5 or 6 win season. No way did I expect 9-8 and a playoff appearance.

I was in-between expectations and reality on the Broncos. I didn't expect them to contend for a division title in one of, if not the toughest division in the league, but again, no way did I expect a 5 win season for them. Nor did I expect Russell to struggle like he did.

But I will differ from the OP's characterization that it was a "great" season. Great seasons end up with a deep playoff run if not a SB appearance. At the end of the day, this was nothing more than a continuation of a trend that started 8 years ago, another so-so, mediocre .500ish team. Another participation badge to hang from the stadium rafters.

mykc14 wrote: I think the "extra" wins came because we had an easy schedule and Geno played above most of our expectations. Outside of that our defense was really bad except for a 6 game stretch in the middle of the season- which is what took us from a 6-7 win team to a 9 win team.

Our defense suffered/stumbled with a transition of schemes to more "3-4" fronts and a little more disguising of pre snap to post snap "looks". It wasn't exactly a "total" shift from what Ken Norton "experimented" with...in 2020 and 2021...but with some "new pieces" and a shift toward youth...the "new look" features both inside LB to be gap disciplined with speed to "drop/recognize" deeper crossing routes and both safeties to roam/shift into the box without an early reveal of which safety has deep coverage. This enabled Ryan Neal to thrive while Cody Barton had mixed results with and without his LB partner (Jordyn Brooks). Clint Hurtt and Sean Desai (if he doesn't get snagged away) will have another off season/training camp to "fix" the gap discipline (and perhaps add a few 2023 defensive draft selections into the mix).

You mentioned some good defensive effort in the middle of our schedule...but the final 3 games of the season were decent if you assume an NFL standard as allowing less than 300 yards of opposing offense. The 297 yds total Offense in the KC Chiefs game was the lowest total for the Chiefs NFL leading offense. That was followed by by a 279 yd effort by the NYJ and the 269 yd performance of the LA Rams in the final seasonal game.

In 2023 we'll need the Offense and the Defense to feed off the energy of each other since the schedule currently stands as the 12th hardest for next year based on 2022 performance...and we all know how free agency and draft impact can "shake up" expectations going forward. Go Hawks

RiverDog wrote: But I will differ from the OP's characterization that it was a "great" season. Great seasons end up with a deep playoff run if not a SB appearance. At the end of the day, this was nothing more than a continuation of a trend that started 8 years ago, another so-so, mediocre .500ish team. Another participation badge to hang from the stadium rafters.

My labeling of "great" was in the context of being relative to exceeding expectations while giving us a chance to win in all but a few games. We are a team in transition and not just staying "stagnant"...should be enough to keep most fans from feeling indifferent. Go Hawks

RiverDog wrote: But I will differ from the OP's characterization that it was a "great" season. Great seasons end up with a deep playoff run if not a SB appearance. At the end of the day, this was nothing more than a continuation of a trend that started 8 years ago, another so-so, mediocre .500ish team. Another participation badge to hang from the stadium rafters.

tarlhawk wrote:My labeling of "great" was in the context of being relative to exceeding expectations while giving us a chance to win in all but a few games. We are a team in transition and not just staying "stagnant"...should be enough to keep most fans from feeling indifferent. Go Hawks

We've been a team in transition for the past 8 years ever since the break-up of the LOB. The only thing different from past seasons is that it's the first since Russell was traded and that we finally had a decent crop of rookies. The results are basically the same.

RiverDog wrote:We've been a team in transition for the past 8 years ever since the break-up of the LOB. The only thing different from past seasons is that it's the first since Russell was traded and that we finally had a decent crop of rookies. The results are basically the same.

For various reasons (and opinions) we have failed to make the leap from good winning team to one that "controls" its destiny once entering the playoffs. We have a developing younger base of good talent...but that talent needs the team to keep its good assistant coaches in place but our "surprising season" has made Dave Canales and Sean Desai gain a perceived value for frustrated NFL teams trying to make their own transitions.

RiverDog wrote:We've been a team in transition for the past 8 years ever since the break-up of the LOB. The only thing different from past seasons is that it's the first since Russell was traded and that we finally had a decent crop of rookies. The results are basically the same.

tarlhawk wrote:For various reasons (and opinions) we have failed to make the leap from good winning team to one that "controls" its destiny once entering the playoffs. We have a developing younger base of good talent...but that talent needs the team to keep its good assistant coaches in place but our "surprising season" has made Dave Canales and Sean Desai gain a perceived value for frustrated NFL teams trying to make their own transitions.

Good point regarding the importance of maintaining consistency of our assistant coaches. That's an area overlooked by many.

But I think you're overestimating our "younger base of good talent". We have the 8th oldest roster in the league and not that many over 30 that would skew the average. Our median age is undoubtedly one of the highest in the league.

https://overthecap.com/2021-season-prev ... 0the%20NFL.

Which is why this draft should be considered a continuation of last years ‘building block’ draft and not the time to go
hunting for one player to get us over the top as we seemed to do for about 6 or 7 drafts.
Part of a long term view, not short term.

NorthHawk wrote:Which is why this draft should be considered a continuation of last years ‘building block’ draft and not the time to go
hunting for one player to get us over the top as we seemed to do for about 6 or 7 drafts.
Part of a long term view, not short term.

Not to mention the Adams trade.

Keep focusing on the line, both offensively and defensively.

It was indeed a weird year , one of the weirdest I can remember but also very enjoyable . I personally wasn’t surprised by the record , disappointing to me. But had you said our defense would be non existent much of the year , thst we would lose Adams and Penny and all running backs injured at one point and still do this I’d have been stunned . The garbage bin find QB leading the conference in TDs , only qb in the division to take every snap . Beating his royal highness to open the season . Carrying a lead into the half in the WC . It’s been a fun season overall but it could have been so much more . My guess Pete wants to load up for next year to make a run then maybe walk away . Look for a big year next year