Around the League in Week 2

[RiverDog]

I really like watching the Redzone. I watched it exclusively in the early games. It's so busy that it's hard to even get up and go to the bathroom. No commercials. If there's no action, they'll go to a replay of a game in progress. In the afternoon time slot, I had the Redzone on my TV while I was streaming the Hawks game live on my tablet. It required some multi tasking, but I was able to keep an eye on both without missing a play in the Hawks game, which is always my first love.

Without getting into too much detail, there are only four 2-0 teams in the league: The Dolphins and Chiefs in the AFC, the Giants and Bucs in the NFC. Three 1-0 teams, the Bills, Vikings, and Eagles, all play tonight, so there will be either 5 or 6 2-0 teams by the end of Week 2. Everyone else has at least one loss. The two biggest surprises are the Dolphins and Giants. The Fins scored 4 TD's in the fourth quarter yesterday to come from 21 points down. The '72 Dolphins might be having their annual party before the end of the month.

The biggest disappointment has to be the Super Bowl hangover that the Cincinnati Bengals seem to be enduring as they're 0-2 to start the season. Joe Burrow has thrown for just 3 TD's and 4 INT's while having been sacked 13 times.

In addition to the Bengals, there are 3 other teams that are 0-2: The Panthers, Raiders, and Falcons. Last season, no team that started out 0-2 made the playoffs. The 0-1 Titans play tonight. The Colts and Texans are both 0-1-1.

In our division, it was a flip flop of last week's results, as every team won except us, so our sole possession of first place lasted less than 6 days. Everyone is 1-1.

I'm expecting two good games on a rare MNF double header tonight. The games overlap, as the 2nd half of the Bills-Titans will be happening as the first half of the Vikings-Eagles is being played. More multi tasking.

[c_hawkbob]

That's how I do it, Redzone on the TV and Seahawks on my laptop. Love Redzone as well, best 7 hours of TV all week.

[Aseahawkfan]

The Bengals were never for real. They had a one off Cinderella season they couldn't finish. They'll never see the Super Bowl again.

Stafford is going to make it extra hard for the Rams to repeat. He's back to throwing his picks. The Rams pass rush absent Von Miller let's teams focus on stopping Donald. He's definitely feeling the loss of Von Miller.

Frisco is better with Jimmie. We'll see if they can keep him healthy.

Arizona looks to be improving.

We're likely to end up last place in the West as most of us expected. Geno is what I expected and will be all season. Up and down. If we don't get the run game going, we're in for a real long season. Hopefully they get the run blocking kinks worked out by game six or so. This kind of anemic run game with Geno at QB isn't going to work at all.

[RiverDog]

The Bengals were never for real. They had a one off Cindarella season they couldn't finish. They'll never see the Super Bowl again.

Agreed. I don't care how bad his protection is, Joe Burrow takes way too many sacks. It's almost like he's worried about his completion percentage. Pressure comes and he folks like a cheap lawn chair.

Stafford is going to make it extra hard for the Rams to repeat. He's back to throwing his picks. The Rams pass rush absent Von Miller let's teams focus on stopping Donald. He's definitely feeling the loss of Von Miller.

Frisco is better with Jimmie. We'll see if they can keep him healthy.

Arizona looks to be improving.

We should get a little clearer idea of how the division is going to shape up next week after the Rams and Cards play. I, too, think that the Niners are the class of the division, that their loss to the Bears was an anomaly. I'm not sure of they're better or worse w/o Lance, but they sure won't be missing as much as another team, like the Cowboys, if they were to lose their starting QB. IMO the Niners are the best team in the division.

Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Green Bay look to be the strongest teams in the NFC. Tonight's game between the Vikings and Eagles could change that thinking.

In the AFC, the Bills, Chiefs, and Chargers look to be the top teams. IMO the Dolphins are playing with smoke and mirrors.

We're likely to end up last place in the West as most of us expected. Geno is what I expected and will be all season. Up and down. If we don't get the run game going, we're in for a real long season. Hopefully they get the run blocking kinks worked out by game six or so. This kind of anemic run game with Geno at QB isn't going to work at all.

Geno's completion percentage is inflated by taking all those high percentage short throws, reminds me a lot of Matt Leinart. Like you said, he needs a running game to be effective, and he simply hasn't gotten it so far. The Falcons' and Lions' defenses, our next two opponents, aren't nearly as stout as the Niners or the Broncos, so we should see some improvement in the next two weeks.

I haven't seen anything out of our first two games that would cause me to think that we're anything more than a 6 or 7 win team. We were lucky to win last week, got our butts kicked this week.

[RiverDog]

That's how I do it, Redzone on the TV and Seahawks on my laptop. Love Redzone as well, best 7 hours of TV all week.

Yeah, I got Redzone last September when we had family over and the group wanted to watch football on Sunday morning. I'm glad I did it. The wife isn't that thrilled with it, though, as I pretty much isolate myself in my man cave on Sundays then b**** when she runs the vacuum cleaner.

[Hawktawk]

The Bengals were never for real. They had a one off Cindarella season they couldn't finish. They'll never see the Super Bowl again.

Stafford is going to make it extra hard for the Rams to repeat. He's back to throwing his picks. The Rams pass rush absent Von Miller let's teams focus on stopping Donald. He's definitely feeling the loss of Von Miller.

Frisco is better with Jimmie. We'll see if they can keep him healthy.

Arizona looks to be improving.

We're likely to end up last place in the West as most of us expected. Geno is what I expected and will be all season. Up and down. If we don't get the run game going, we're in for a real long season. Hopefully they get the run blocking kinks worked out by game six or so. This kind of anemic run game with Geno at QB isn't going to work at all.

I agree much of this . Geno remained mostly accurate but absent any threat of a run game he’s not good enough to carry the team . That game surprised me . I thought we would be able to run some . And if someone can explain the decision to go back to back wildcat , I’ll quit calling it the McVeigh offense . What a joke . If you don’t have enough confidence in the qb you put it in a running backs hands 2 plays in a row might as well put in lock and cover your eyes and cross your fingers . That second call is among the most ridiculous I’ve seen called by my team . Dk id gonna be covered no matter who has the ball .
As for around the league Arod got his mushroom dose right , destroyed the team that destroyed the team that destroyed Seattle . Its how this league goes if you’re not ready .

It’s not been mentioned so I’ll gladly be the first . Russell completed 3 of his first 12 passes and heard boos in his home stadium before halftime . They trailed the Texans several times before eking out a 16-9 win . Averaging 16 ppg. Of course we’re averaging 12 .

but putting it in context Seattle made the best of a bad qb situation and got younger and better everywhere else IMO. After yesterday I can see it might be a long season . Right now I see 1-1, a couple teams coming up that don’t have top defenses so let’s see .,I’m certainly tempering my expectation . One more like that I’m not sure it’s a 5.5 win team. Bad bad bad .

[RiverDog]

The Bengals were never for real. They had a one off Cindarella season they couldn't finish. They'll never see the Super Bowl again.

Stafford is going to make it extra hard for the Rams to repeat. He's back to throwing his picks. The Rams pass rush absent Von Miller let's teams focus on stopping Donald. He's definitely feeling the loss of Von Miller.

Frisco is better with Jimmie. We'll see if they can keep him healthy.

Arizona looks to be improving.

We're likely to end up last place in the West as most of us expected. Geno is what I expected and will be all season. Up and down. If we don't get the run game going, we're in for a real long season. Hopefully they get the run blocking kinks worked out by game six or so. This kind of anemic run game with Geno at QB isn't going to work at all.

I agree much of this . Geno remained mostly accurate but absent any threat of a run game he’s not good enough to carry the team . That game surprised me . I thought we would be able to run some . And if someone can explain the decision to go back to back wildcat , I’ll quit calling it the McVeigh offense . What a joke . If you don’t have enough confidence in the qb you put it in a running backs hands 2 plays in a row might as well put in lock and cover your eyes and cross your fingers . That second call is among the most ridiculous I’ve seen called by my team . Dk id gonna be covered no matter who has the ball .
As for around the league Arod got his mushroom dose right , destroyed the team that destroyed the team that destroyed Seattle . Its how this league goes if you’re not ready .

Metcalf was open on that play. Dallas saw something he didn't like and tried to stop his throw in the middle of his motion, which is what caused the pass to look so ugly. It's one of those types of plays where if it works, you look like a genius, and if it doesn't, everyone is going WFT.

It’s not been mentioned so I’ll gladly be the first . Russell completed 3 of his first 12 passes and heard boos in his home stadium before halftime . They trailed the Texans several times before eking out a 16-9 win . Averaging 16 ppg. Of course we’re averaging 12 .

It didn't get mentioned because you lectured the forum about getting over Russell, which you clearly haven't. I thought perhaps that after the Denver game, that you'd move on to something else, but apparently not. You're still feeding your obsession.

but putting it in context Seattle made the best of a bad qb situation and got younger and better everywhere else IMO. After yesterday I can see it might be a long season . Right now I see 1-1, a couple teams coming up that don’t have top defenses so let’s see .,I’m certainly tempering my expectation . One more like that I’m not sure it’s a 5.5 win team. Bad bad bad .

Well, it didn't take very long for you to tamp down your enthusiasm. Sad in a way, but welcome back to the Planet Earth.

[Hawktawk]

It’s an around the league thread . Is Denver in the league ? I’ll beat my chest every time he gets booed in Denver . Makes you all look pretty silly with your hand wringing about Seattle fans booing . I’m not letting you all off the hook that easy .

[c_hawkbob]

No, it makes you look pretty petty and shallow.

[RiverDog]

It’s an around the league thread . Is Denver in the league ? I’ll beat my chest every time he gets booed in Denver . Makes you all look pretty silly with your hand wringing about Seattle fans booing . I’m not letting you all off the hook that easy .

I didn't suggest that it was an unrelated topic. You said that no one else had mentioned Russell, and I told you why....because you lectured us about being obsessed with him.

Back to the OP. Trevor Lawrence and Tua, two young guns, both had fantastic games.

The Bears, despite losing by 3 scores and scoring just 10 points, only passed the ball 11 times, or just 27% of the time. They scored a TD on their first drive then just 3 points the rest of the game. I'm not sure if I've ever seen or heard of an NFL game like that for decades. On the other side of the ledger, the Packers looked great, both offensively and defensively. The NFC North might be the strongest division in the NFC.

[NorthHawk]

I'm interested in seeing how the Vikings do with a new HC.
They were in a similar position as us with a defensive minded HC and a somewhat restricted Offense.
They have now gone to a much more updated Offense and maintained a strong Defense from what I've seen so far.
Maybe this game will be different and they will fall flat, but last week looked like they were doing very well on Offense.

[obiken]

To steal from the Herd, Part of the problem is that its hard enough to get one good corner, no one has 3 and everyone has 2 good WR's some more. You cannot cover good WR's with average or sub par Db's, so no lead is safe anymore. Look at the Jets, they have some good weapons and the browns could not cover them all against Flacco, who is still a pro. This is why I question whether we can beat the Jets even at home, and even I had that as a win.

[Hawktawk]

]

It’s an around the league thread . Is Denver in the league ? I’ll beat my chest every time he gets booed in Denver . Makes you all look pretty silly with your hand wringing about Seattle fans booing . I’m not letting you all off the hook that easy .

I didn't suggest that it was an unrelated topic. You said that no one else had mentioned Russell, and I told you why....because you lectured us about being obsessed with him.

Lol I’m waiting for the first time any of my “ lectures “ changed anyones opinion or behavior on the forum . I’d say being called a scumbag is more of a lecture than any I’ve delivered .

The truth is had Russ gone off for 400 and 4 TDs it would have been all over this post along with taunts directed at me for daring question Jesus Christ superstar . Just pointing out I predicted boos and no honeymoon in Denver . Just didn’t expect it this soon . I hope it’s weekly .

When the team we get a first round pick from looks weak it’s good . Even better when the qb that threw shade at my team on the way out is looking like a complete hack . Many former teammates of Russ are being a lot more ruthless than the 12s too . I guess they are shallow and petty too .
Grow a pair .

[Aseahawkfan]

To steal from the Herd, Part of the problem is that its hard enough to get one good corner, no one has 3 and everyone has 2 good WR's some more. You cannot cover good WR's with average or sub par Db's, so no lead is safe anymore. Look at the Jets, they have some good weapons and the browns could not cover them all against Flacco, who is still a pro. This is why I question whether we can beat the Jets even at home, and even I had that as a win.

Fortunately for teams playing us we have the panacea for their pass defense limitations: a QB that can't elevate their game to win from behind.

[Hawktawk]

As a rookie Geno led the NFL with 3 game winning drives . Even yesterday he had us in FG range in the 2 minute until Homer lost track of the clock . So far as a Seahawk Geno hasn’t had a game winnnng drive but I’m not buying he can’t . We didn’t have one last year either . I see 1-1.
GO HAWKS!

[NorthHawk]

What an accomplishment!
In the last 2 minutes, behind by 20 point he led us down the field to get into FG range!
The fact is he can't do it on a regular basis when it counts and with this Offense in particular which demands conservative play.
He will have some good plays, for sure and make some real good throws, but the consistency is what's lacking in his game. It always has been.

[Hawktawk]

What an accomplishment!
In the last 2 minutes, behind by 20 point he led us down the field to get into FG range!
The fact is he can't do it on a regular basis when it counts and with this Offense in particular which demands conservative play.
He will have some good plays, for sure and make some real good throws, but the consistency is what's lacking in his game. It always has been.

The 2 minute was at the half . We were squarely in the game until the dreadful sequence of pick by Dee Jay then muff the punt then botch the 2 minute .

Kj practiced against Geno for 2 years and one of the things he mentioned when endorsing Geno was his 2 minute drill . He had one last year vs Pittsburgh . He had one in the preseason vs Pittsburgh . He got us in position to kick a field goal this half and Homer didn’t get out of bounds . To put it into perspective Russ was 0-3 in 2 minute situations last year after being one of the best his entire career . Maybe scheme under Waldron is a factor . I don’t know .

I’m not convinced Geno isn’t capable of elevating his game . I heard Pete say they are going to open up the playbook more since we aren’t running the ball well enough to support a controlled passing game . We were completely overmatched Sunday in every phase and Geno was probably one of the better players on offense which wasn’t saying a damn thing . I was not happy . But it’s over .

I’m giving it at least another week , another opponent that isn’t a defensive power and maybe get it rolling . I see 1-1 . Nothing more or less. As Pete said after yesterday everyone couldn’t wait to get back to work . 15 left .1-16 is mathematically possible as is 16-1 .

[Aseahawkfan]

What an accomplishment!
In the last 2 minutes, behind by 20 point he led us down the field to get into FG range!
The fact is he can't do it on a regular basis when it counts and with this Offense in particular which demands conservative play.
He will have some good plays, for sure and make some real good throws, but the consistency is what's lacking in his game. It always has been.

No one is buying the Geno hype. I don't even believe Pete or John believe it other than making it through this season until they can find an upgrade. Dude is a backup starting for us until we find his replacement. All I see when I look at Geno is a big cardboard cutout that says, "QB Placeholder."

I don't feel bad for Geno at all. Geno has made millions being a reasonably competent backup. If he can keep playing at a backup level, then he'll have made millions playing backup level ball. 99.99999% of America would love to be a good enough athlete to play backup QB in the NFL as even that position is a guaranteed millionaire life you can retire from early if you manage your money well.

Geno can get us through this season with some wins here and there. Then see if can draft the next guy next year and then spend a few years developing him for the 74 or 75 year old head coach that I don't even know will be around to enjoy it.

Look at Bill B and Mac Jones. Even Bill B is taking a while to possibly develop Mac Jones with no guarantee of success. Life is easier with an elite level QB and harder when you're trying to win in the NFL with a backup QB like Geno Smith going against a bonafide elite franchise QB like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. Not sure where Russ is at right now on that list, but Denver better step it up quick given what they gave us for Russ and what they paid to extend him.

[Hawktawk]

Not quite buying your characterization of Geno . We still don’t know . Let’s see him vs an average defense . Last game is the only appearance he has had without at least one TD pass, he has 7 with 1 pick in 5 starts . I’d think if my qb was completing 80% I could figure out how to score points . I didn’t see many opportunities vs the 9ers and they hand it to the back twice when then did and nobody credits Geno for getting it there .

But of course the run game is non existent , with the possible exception of 2017 it’s gotta be the worst of the PC era . Week one we threatened and hit big runs that were called back and Geno threw 2 TDs and had the league 3rd highest qbr . Week 2 STUFFED. Whatever you thought of our backup starter he was all the offense and completed 80 % . Unlike 2017 he isn’t rushing for 40 yards a game and a couple first downs though and he’s mobile enough they need to do more of it.

I think most would say Geno is starter quality . I want winner quality. If he isn’t GTFO just like everyone else that doesn’t help my team .

[trents]

Getting back with "around the league", The Bills absolutely dominated the Titans last night. And Josh Allen didn't have to even use his legs, which is good for his longevity. The Bill's defense stuffed Derik Henry and every other thing the Titans tried to do. Buffalo's defense might be the most impressive aspect of their team this year.

The Eagles dominated the Vikes for the first half. Jalen Hurts has improved as a passer it looks like.

[Hawktawk]

And Asea Pete has a bad year he’s gone . I think it was real close last off-season. He’s convinced himself and her he can win this year . He’s convinced me that is his intention and I have faith in Pete that if any coach is capable of landing the plane it’s him . But it’s got to start Sunday . Atlanta was worse then us , tossed their franchise Qb, brought in readily available cheap Mariota . He’s put up something like 50 in 2 games but lost on an end zone pick to the world champs . If they come in here at 0-2 and smoke us like a cheap joint I think it’s time to start thinking about the draft . I really hope Geno goes off for 4 TDs and 400 yards and a 158.3. He’s had a perfect qbr , as a rookie in a 3 TD , 374 yard performance . And hr coujd throw 5 and 500 some would say he’s a backup still . No love for Geno

[Hawktawk]

And for Trent’s it’s 2 weeks but Buffalo looks like a perfect record and the eagles and hurts look excellent

[NorthHawk]

Getting back with "around the league", The Bills absolutely dominated the Titans last night. And Josh Allen didn't have to even use his legs, which is good for his longevity. The Bill's defense stuffed Derik Henry and every other thing the Titans tried to do. Buffalo's defense might be the most impressive aspect of their team this year.

The Eagles dominated the Vikes for the first half. Jalen Hurts has improved as a passer it looks like.

The Bills were expected to be good this year, and they are but the Eagles look real tough, too.
If you look at the Eagles roster they have accumulated a lot of talent. They did this by great drafting and very good trades.
They are also setting themselves up for the future with a good mix of veterans and young players. For example they have one of the best Centers in Jason Kelce but he's 34 so they drafted Cam Jurgens who was thought
of as being the best C in the draft (side note, Kelce was in on selecting him and thought he would be a great fit). They have Brandon Graham at DE who's 35 and Josh Sweat who's 25 and at DT they have Fletcher Cox at 31
and Jordan Davis at 21. The rest of their team is around their prime. And this year they have 2 first round picks although they don't have a 5th or 6th. They look to be pretty good for a number of years.

[Hawktawk]

I believe Hurts was around 80% completion and obviously very productive . He’s one of my surprises . Hard to believe Nick Saban gave up on him . Looks like barring injury Minshew will stay on the pine .

[trents]

When he was at Alabama, Hurts struggled in the passing game and most of his production was done with his feet. The good teams took that away. He struggled in the same way his first few years in the NFL but now seems to have developed into a competent passer. I think it's hard for guys who have been able to make hay with their wheels all their football lives and then hit college and the pro ranks where being one dimensional isn't going to cut it.

[RiverDog]

I didn't get a chance to watch all of the MNF double header as the data I was using to stream both games simultaneously ran out and I couldn't get into my account to buy a data boost. Lesson learned.

Buffalo has emerged from the first two weeks as the odds on favorite. They were in everybody's preseason top 3 and have done nothing to diminish that expectation. Josh Allen is a stud, and the early favorite for MVP. The Chiefs are a solid #2 in my AFC power ranking, followed by the Chargers.

After they beat the Packers, I expected the Vikings to handle the Eagles with relative ease, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. I had been a Jalen Hurts doubter, but from what little I saw him Monday night, he looks as if he's arrived. I'll put them in 2nd behind Tampa Bay in the NFC, followed by the Niners and Packers.

My opinion of the Hawks hasn't changed since the end of last season. It didn't change after the Broncos game, and it hasn't changed since our drubbing at the hands of the Niners. I still think that we're in the bottom 1/4 of the league, a 5–7-win team. This week will be a good test for us. The Falcons have lost two games by a total of 5 points. IMO they're not as strong as the Niners but not as weak as the Broncos.

[NorthHawk]

We're in the midst of a rebuild regardless of what Pete calls it and the last draft was what some called a foundational draft.
Those young players will have to learn how to play 17 games at the highest level, not to mention learning the fine details of their position.
We still have some major upgrades to fill the holes on Defense and maybe another IoL position to replace Jackson and/or become the next
starter at Center. LB seems to need some work although I believe it's the learning curve for former DE's now having a different set of responsibilities that's causing some problems.
So us being in the bottom 1/4th isn't an unreasonable position to take. However, weird things happen in sports so, who knows?