Russell Wilson needs to do better?

[obiken]

Pete Carroll said that RW needs to do better. Ok, I haven't really flipped out in a long time, but this one just pisses me off. Lets blame the Franchise QB for a bad OL! What a great cover for any QB play. Lets put a QB behind a piece of Crap line and then blame him for the problem! Maybe if PC had expended some draft choices for some lineman, RW wouldn't have to run for his life back there. IF PC or any fans want to see how bad it get, keep demotivating RW, trade him, and see how that works out! When Russell goes down this year, and we have to go to the back up, just see how it goes for us!

[The POPE]

Russell deserves some of the blame. He doesn’t demonstrate the ability to throw with anticipation. Thus he holds on to the ball and takes sacks that elite QB’s don’t. The o-line sucks, but sometimes Russ needs to help them out. Every passing play can not be a Chinese fire drill (excuse the popes political incorrectness there). Russ does not throw receivers open that often. Lack of anticipation is his flaw. Thought it might have been Bevel who was responsible for some of Russell’s performance with game planning in the past, after week one the jury is still out. We will see what Schottenheimer comes up with, but if the short quick passing game never developes it may be because Russ can’t get it done. Time will tell in the end, but for now the Hawks are definitely better with him than without him. Russell needs to develop all of his game, not just the scramble drill. Waiting patiently to see How the season and Russell’s development unfolds this year.


The Pope

[burrrton]

Russell deserves some of the blame. He doesn’t demonstrate the ability to throw with anticipation.

Agree with the first sentence (and so does Russell), disagree a bit with the second.

He's demonstrated the ability to perform as well as (or better than) any QB in the league when the pocket holds up on a consistent basis.

[curmudgeon]

Interesting that last week SI’s article claimed Pete “coddled” Wilson. This week, after game one Pete states publicly that Russell must “do better”. Co-inky-dink?.........

[obiken]

Russell deserves some of the blame. He doesn’t demonstrate the ability to throw with anticipation. Thus he holds on to the ball and takes sacks that elite QB’s don’t. The o-line sucks, but sometimes Russ needs to help them out. Every passing play can not be a Chinese fire drill (excuse the popes political incorrectness there). Russ does not throw receivers open that often. Lack of anticipation is his flaw. Thought it might have been Bevel who was responsible for some of Russell’s performance with game planning in the past, after week one the jury is still out. We will see what Schottenheimer comes up with, but if the short quick passing game never developes it may be because Russ can’t get it done. Time will tell in the end, but for now the Hawks are definitely better with him than without him. Russell needs to develop all of his game, not just the scramble drill. Waiting patiently to see How the season and Russell’s development unfolds this year.


The Pope

Maybe your right Pope, but I have just seen too many times where the QB is blamed and its the team. QB's can become a convenient scapegoat for a bad team in a hurry. Jim Plunkett, till he was shipped to the Raiders, Young, till he was shipped to the 9ers, RW when he is traded for Jimmy Garoppolo.

[RiverDog]

Pete Carroll said that RW needs to do better. Ok, I haven't really flipped out in a long time, but this one just pisses me off. Lets blame the Franchise QB for a bad OL! What a great cover for any QB play. Lets put a QB behind a piece of Crap line and then blame him for the problem! Maybe if PC had expended some draft choices for some lineman, RW wouldn't have to run for his life back there. IF PC or any fans want to see how bad it get, keep demotivating RW, trade him, and see how that works out! When Russell goes down this year, and we have to go to the back up, just see how it goes for us!

Obi, I posted this link to a video in the Game Day thread, but perhaps you didn't see it. Please click on it and you will see what we are talking about. It's with 9 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, ball on our own 43, and 3rd and 3:

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1039259711705624577

As the play develops, notice the large gap between our RG Sweezy and our RT (Right Turnstile) Ifedi. Russell is in a shotgun, so he can see the pass rush on both sides develop, with Miller driving a hard outside rush against Ifedi and Chubb cutting across Brown's facemask. Russell's first option is apparently covered because he looks right then turns to his left, but instead of turning left, if he simply steps up into that gap between RG and RT, there's a very good chance that he can pick up 3 yards and a first down. It would be a foot race between Russell and the 'spy', the linebacker on Russell's left (the LB on Russell's right is looking at the receiver in the flat), and if he did tackle Russell, it would be from the side so Russell could gain a couple yards just by falling forward. Plus there's always a chance that a receiver would come open before he gets to the LOS.

Instead, Russell rolled to his left then as Chubb pushed the pile backwards, tried to spin his way out of it, and having lost track of Miller, ran right into him for a 13 yard loss that not only forced us to punt, but to give up a needless 10 yards in field position where all we needed was a FG to tie.

The problem is that Russell has been spoiled by his success outside the pocket, like the TD pass to Lockett, so when he's pressured, his first instinct is to break the pocket to the outside. In that situation, his mind set should have been to get 3 yards and move the sticks, but he apparently was looking for a bigger play.

Von Miller is one of if not the best pass rusher in the league. Ifedi and most RT's in the league aren't going to handle him one-on-one unless he gets some help from a tight end or back, and that play didn't call for a chip or double team, probably because Shott assumed that on a 3rd and 3, Russell would be getting rid of the ball quickly.

Like several of us have said, Russell was not the primary reason we lost this game, but the fact is that he had an opportunity in the 4th quarter and failed to come through. Pete is exactly right. Russell needs to get better.

[NorthHawk]

I think the OL play the last few years have negatively impacted his confidence and he expects a jail break every pass play.
He has to be able to throw the ball much quicker. Last night they were talking about Carr getting the ball off in 2.5 seconds.
That should be our goal as well to at least get some rhythm, then go deep if the situation allows.

[The POPE]

I’m not trying to blame all of this on Russell. Just pointing out his deficiencies in regards to handling the pass rush. All to often he is abandoning the pocket at 1st sign of trouble and rolling right or left. He is among the best at throwing from outside the pocket. In order to take the next step he has to become more proficient at stepping up/sliding in the pocket so he has the entire recieving core at his disposal. Every time he goes right or left he is cutting his options by 50%. Russell is a good QB, but not elite. In my book elite pay = elite talent. Hopefully he will get there. We at the Vatican have no problem paying for elite talent The o-line sucks, but Russell also needs to help them out a little, it is a little hard to block when you don’t know where the QB is. At least Russell after all the hits he has taken doesn’t get that Deer in the headlights look that Carr had last night in the 2nd half, but I do think he definitely hears footsteps that cause him to evacuate prematurely. I hate premature evacuation, can turn long lasting fun into a short lived sh*t show

The Pope

[burrrton]

At least Russell after all the hits he has taken doesn’t get that Deer in the headlights look that Carr had last night in the 2nd half, but I do think he definitely hears footsteps that cause him to evacuate prematurely.

No disagreement there- my point was just that I think his unwillingness to stay in the pocket is rooted in the complete collapse of the o-line's consistency, not an inherent deficiency in his ability.

[NorthHawk]

And that's maybe where quicker passes will get him out of that behavior and give him more confidence within the pocket.
He'll never be just a pocket passer, though, but it will help the Offense out a lot if he can stick it out in it.

[idhawkman]

Here's an example of RW getting sacked, taking us to the edge of FG range instead of throwing to one of the bottom two receivers in the route for a first down. He should have the ball gone before either receiver goes into their breaks. If he does that, Von Miller never sacks him, seabass doesn't miss, etc, etc.

https://www.screencast.com/t/Pu02jgdo9tAn

[idhawkman]

Agree with the first sentence (and so does Russell), disagree a bit with the second.

He's demonstrated the ability to perform as well as (or better than) any QB in the league when the pocket holds up on a consistent basis.

Ha! Its the NFL, that doesn't happen even for Brady. Read the defense and get rid of the ball before getting sacked...

[RiverDog]

No disagreement there- my point was just that I think his unwillingness to stay in the pocket is rooted in the complete collapse of the o-line's consistency, not an inherent deficiency in his ability.

Perhaps. It's also possilble that his tendoncy to break the pocket and get outside at the first hint of trouble is rooted in the success he's had in the past of eluding defenders in dramatic fashion and hitting wide open receivers while moving to the outside like he did Sunday with Lockett.

Only Russell himself knows for sure. But what ever it is, he needs to break himself of it if he's going to take his game to the next stage of his career. The problem is that as he gets older, Father Time is going to catch up with him and he'll be pulling fewer and fewer Houdini's while running into more and more sacks. He needs to start running smart instead of running fast.

[Aseahawkfan]

Given all the talk, you would have thought Russell didn't throw 3 TDs and pass for nearly 300 yards. I'm not sure what Russell is supposed to do. This is what we consider a bad game for Russel now? Damn.

I'm sorry our defense sucks now and we can't hold even a Case Keenum under 27 points. But if Russell has to do much more than what he did this game to win, then we're in for a bad time. His stats were very good and about on par with almost any QB in the league. Not sure how much more he can do than he's doing. Some of seem like you've come up with impossible standards for Russell and it's kind of ridiculous.

Before if we had a QB throw for 298 yards and 3 Tds, we'd be happy and consider that a great game. But now it's a problem game? Unreal.

[RiverDog]

Given all the talk, you would have thought Russell didn't throw 3 TDs and pass for nearly 300 yards. I'm not sure what Russell is supposed to do. This is what we consider a bad game for Russel now? Damn.

I'm sorry our defense sucks now and we can't hold even a Case Keenum under 27 points. But if Russell has to do much more than what he did this game to win, then we're in for a bad time. His stats were very good and about on par with almost any QB in the league. Not sure how much more he can do than he's doing. Some of seem like you've come up with impossible standards for Russell and it's kind of ridiculous.

Before if he had a QB throw for 298 yards and 3 Tds, we'd be happy and consider that a great game. But now it's a problem game? Unreal.

You left out some stats. 2 interceptions, 1 fumble, 6 sacks, 2-12 on 3rd down. Plus the biggest stat of all: 27-24.

We do not have the league's best defense anymore. Get used to it.

[burrrton]

Ha! Its the NFL, that doesn't happen even for Brady.

Dude, I have literally saved entire games on Tivo showing Brady not being pressured more than twice. Not sacked. Not hit. *Pressured*.

Over the years, you've been able to watch half a season of Brady without seeing him look like anything but a statue in the pocket. We can talk about play-calling if you want, wherin the receivers break open regardless of the defensive call, but that's reality.

Yes, pressure/sacks/etd are things QBs need to deal with, but when they spend an entire season literally not being able to take a 2-step drop without getting buried, I start shifting the blame.

Maybe that's just me.

[Aseahawkfan]

You left out some stats. 2 interceptions, 1 fumble, 6 sacks, 2-12 on 3rd down. Plus the biggest stat of all: 27-24.

We do not have the league's best defense anymore. Get used to it.

And one of those ints was a desperation garbage int.

You apparently need to get used to it. Because when you don't have a great defense, even good play by your QB isn't enough. A defense that gives up 27 points on an opponent's homefield is usually a loss, regardless of the QB.

In what world is Russell's stat line not usually good enough to win much less a great stat line? Years ago that would have been one of Hass or Krieg's best games on an opposing field for the year. Now to you and apparently far too many other Seattle fans think it's a bad game by Russ. That crap is ridiculous. It's like you want him to win the game alone regardless of what the defense or other players do and that's just not going to happen very often on opposing fields or at home.

I'm sorry. The fans bitching about Russ are flat out wrong and are setting ridiculous standards. We used to pray to have a Seattle QB that could throw 3 TDs and put up almost 300 yards missing his best receiver early with new starting TEs. Now you think it's some kind of bad game? Talk about a group of spoiled fans where Russ's stat line is somehow a bad game.

I wish you guys would stop targeting the one guy that gives us a chance to win every week and let this team develop.

[NorthHawk]

The difference today from the earlier years is we don't have a shut down Defense to rely on so Wilson has to be better.
Cleaning up the smaller things we have discussed will go a long way to getting there and give us a better chance to win.
He has to do that to consistently succeed as the Defenses and players know what he's going to do in most situations.

[idhawkman]

Given all the talk, you would have thought Russell didn't throw 3 TDs and pass for nearly 300 yards. I'm not sure what Russell is supposed to do. This is what we consider a bad game for Russel now? Damn.

I'm sorry our defense sucks now and we can't hold even a Case Keenum under 27 points. But if Russell has to do much more than what he did this game to win, then we're in for a bad time. His stats were very good and about on par with almost any QB in the league. Not sure how much more he can do than he's doing. Some of seem like you've come up with impossible standards for Russell and it's kind of ridiculous.

Before if he had a QB throw for 298 yards and 3 Tds, we'd be happy and consider that a great game. But now it's a problem game? Unreal.

You left out some stats. 2 interceptions, 1 fumble, 6 sacks, 2-12 on 3rd down. Plus the biggest stat of all: 27-24.

We do not have the league's best defense anymore. Get used to it.

Don't forget the TOP stat. That has a huge impact on the defense. I think two plays also skew the stats regarding passing yards. TD to Lockett and the 66 yard catch by Dissley that we couldn't convert into a td. I think the stats are a bit decieving for RW in this game. Rushing stats also make it so that the offense needed more yards by air to win the game.

[idhawkman]

Dude, I have literally saved entire games on Tivo showing Brady not being pressured more than twice. Not sacked. Not hit. *Pressured*.

Over the years, you've been able to watch half a season of Brady without seeing him look like anything but a statue in the pocket. We can talk about play-calling if you want, wherin the receivers break open regardless of the defensive call, but that's reality.

Yes, pressure/sacks/etd are things QBs need to deal with, but when they spend an entire season literally not being able to take a 2-step drop without getting buried, I start shifting the blame.

Maybe that's just me.

In those games you taped, how many passes come out of Brady's hands within 2 seconds? I'd bet more than 50% and most of them are in the first half until the defense gets tired.

[idhawkman]

And one of those ints was a desperation garbage int.

You apparently need to get used to it. Because when you don't have a great defense, even good play by your QB isn't enough. A defense that gives up 27 points on an opponent's homefield is usually a loss, regardless of the QB.

In what world is Russell's stat line not usually good enough to win much less a great stat line? Years ago that would have been one of Hass or Krieg's best games on an opposing field for the year. Now to you and apparently far too many other Seattle fans think it's a bad game by Russ. That crap is ridiculous. It's like you want him to win the game alone regardless of what the defense or other players do and that's just not going to happen very often on opposing fields or at home.

I'm sorry. The fans bitching about Russ are flat out wrong and are setting ridiculous standards. We used to pray to have a Seattle QB that could throw 3 TDs and put up almost 300 yards missing his best receiver early with new starting TEs. Now you think it's some kind of bad game? Talk about a group of spoiled fans where Russ's stat line is somehow a bad game.

I wish you guys would stop targeting the one guy that gives us a chance to win every week and let this team develop.

Asea, I know what you are saying but it is not just the fans. Its the coaches, too. Maybe they know more about what plays were called and the errors that were made.

[RiverDog]

Don't forget the TOP stat. That has a huge impact on the defense. I think two plays also skew the stats regarding passing yards. TD to Lockett and the 66 yard catch by Dissley that we couldn't convert into a td. I think the stats are a bit decieving for RW in this game. Rushing stats also make it so that the offense needed more yards by air to win the game.

I didn't forget TOP (24 min to 36 min). But that stat was just as much if not more a reflection on our failure to stop the run as it was the offense failing to convert on 3rd downs (2-12). Denver ran the ball 45% of the time, racking up 8 rushing first downs and close to 150 yards rushing. I didn't want to further open myself to this criticism that I'm being unfair to Russell.

[burrrton]

In those games you taped, how many passes come out of Brady's hands within 2 seconds?

Within two seconds? Not many (although I'll grant that NE's passing attack strikes me as quicker, only occasionally going for homeruns).

And QBs don't generally stand out as 'statues' in the pocket if they've already gotten rid of the ball.

[NorthHawk]

On MNF they were talking about the Raiders (Gruden I suppose) wanted Carr to get rid of the ball in about 2.5 seconds or less.
I think that our Offense could think about that as well considering the OL play isn't particularly good at pass protection.

[idhawkman]

In those games you taped, how many passes come out of Brady's hands within 2 seconds?

Within two seconds? Not many (although I'll grant that NE's passing attack strikes me as quicker, only occasionally going for homeruns).

And QBs don't generally stand out as 'statues' in the pocket if they've already gotten rid of the ball.

I got ya, but when he stands as a statue is very important. E.g. if he's doing it in the first quarter when the defensive line is fresh that speaks highly of his oline. If it is later in the game after the defensive line has spent their initial burst and are a bit tired (maybe even thinking it is futile since the ball is probably going to be gone before they get to him) that's a different thing.

[obiken]

IDH you have to remember Brady is 6-4! Our guy, 5-10 5/8. Vast difference for a pocket passer. One play I Like is a WC hike to a HB and a pitch to RW wide. Problem is it wouldn't work with good teams, as it takes too long to develop. Brady is much better at audiblizing out of blitzes than anyone of ALL time. Watt and Clowney didn't lay a hand on him.

[idhawkman]

IDH you have to remember Brady is 6-4! Our guy, 5-10 5/8. Vast difference for a pocket passer. One play I Like is a WC hike to a HB and a pitch to RW wide. Problem is it wouldn't work with good teams, as it takes too long to develop. Brady is much better at audiblizing out of blitzes than anyone of ALL time. Watt and Clowney didn't lay a hand on him.

I got ya Obi, but if we want RW to go to a quick passing and pocket presence then he has to find the passing lanes in the oline. Otherwise, he will never graduate to that level of QB. It can be done but the oline has to understand and work in conjunction with the QB.

[The POPE]

The question is: Is Russell capable of making reads quickly, getting the ball out quickly and checking out of plays in a consistent manner. I don’t remember him doing these things much in the past. Is it scheme (Bevel) or did the coaches only trust him to run what’s called. Russell should be able at this point to call audibles whenever needed to maximize matchups. Maybe Pete and Schottenheimer need to turn him loose. If the defense is going to give him the short passing games then he should be able to audible into a play that takes advantage of that. Nobody on this forum knows what the dynamics are and how much restraint is placed on Wilson. If he is a 40 milllion dollar man then there should be no question as to his ability to manipulate an offense ala Brady. So the question remains, is he not capable or is it a coaching philosophy that restrains him from being Brady-like. I say turn him loose and find out for sure, then the Hawks know for sure if they have a 40 mil/yr QB.as far as the o-line goes, I don’t think Brady has always had the personnel he would have liked, but the pats found a way to make it work by adjusting offense schemes to meet the talent level on a game by game basis. With the exception of gronk do they ever have a consistent performer games in and out. Try using Pats players in fantasy leagues, drives you crazy trying to figure out who the emphasis will be on. It changes almost every week based on matchups. This is where Pete lacks the offensive mentality to adjust the game plan. Just seems to be the same thing game after game. Run, throw deep, throw deep or sack and punt.

[RiverDog]

IDH you have to remember Brady is 6-4! Our guy, 5-10 5/8. Vast difference for a pocket passer. One play I Like is a WC hike to a HB and a pitch to RW wide. Problem is it wouldn't work with good teams, as it takes too long to develop. Brady is much better at audiblizing out of blitzes than anyone of ALL time. Watt and Clowney didn't lay a hand on him.

That doesn't go to my point, Obi. The issue is what he does when he gets pressured. Russell's first instinct is to spin counter clockwise (from a birdseye view) and retreat towards his goal line to buy time. That option is becomming less and less viable for two reasons: Teams have gotten wise to this move, so edge rushers will take deeper routes in anticipation of Russell's spinning retreats. This change in tactics has made it more difficult on our tackles as they now have to get out further with the DE, exposing them to an interior move. It spreads out the pocket and opens up gaps, which makes the entire OL's job more difficult. The other reason is that he's getting older and less agile. He's not going to be able to survive on a steady diet of that scrambling spin move as he has in the past.

Drew Brees is nearly the same height as Russell, and he survives in the pocket just fine. In his 13 year career, Brees has taken an average of 1.5 sacks per game. Russell takes 2.6 per game. And it doesn't seem to matter if we have a decent OL or a poor one. Russell's taken between 41 and 45 sacks every year since 2013, our Lombardi season. The only season he had less than 40 sacks was his rookie season, when he had less than 400 passing attempts. Now he's well over 500 attempts in the past two seasons. Russell used to say that he looked at the way Brees played and modeled his own game after him. It doesn't appear to me to be happening, or at least not happening enough.

It used to be that we could justify those kinds of sack rates as Russell has been so much of a threat to get out and run and make some really big plays out of those wild, jail break scrambles. Those days have past. He has to adjust his game.

[Aseahawkfan]

Don't forget the TOP stat. That has a huge impact on the defense. I think two plays also skew the stats regarding passing yards. TD to Lockett and the 66 yard catch by Dissley that we couldn't convert into a td. I think the stats are a bit decieving for RW in this game. Rushing stats also make it so that the offense needed more yards by air to win the game.

And ToP usually comes from the run game or a focus on the short-passing game. Neither of which we do on this team not due to Russell, but due to Pete. If we can't or don't run which Russell has no control over, then ToP will not be the best. On top of that, ToP is also controlled by how fast the defense gets off the field which usually gets worse the more you can't run.

The reason Pete wants to run is he knows its effect on ToP and resting the defense. This synergistic strategy is not currently working with this run game.

[Aseahawkfan]

Asea, I know what you are saying but it is not just the fans. Its the coaches, too. Maybe they know more about what plays were called and the errors that were made.

The coaches are saying he needs to get better? Pete, after an article where he gets questioned for not calling out his QB.

Sorry, Russ is the last guy I'm questioning on the team. Pete and John haven't given him an O-line. They change his receivers nearly yearly. The run game is not rebuilt. And the defense is a shadow of its former self. Coaches need to look in the mirror because the 3 point loss would have been much, much, much bigger without Russ due to what they've done with the team.

Did you read the article where we had the worst pass rush in the entire league on Sunday? And you're spending time criticizing the QB that three for 3 TDS, while overlooking all the other more important factors. If you were business owner, you'd be criticizing and talking about firing your best employee while the lazy, inexperienced, untalented workers were being ignored so you could grandstand for reasons I don't even comprehend.

Russell is literally last on my list of what needs to improve with this team to make us better. Russell will work to improve himself. I don't need to tell him.

[HumanCockroach]

I think people seem to be looking for some sort of singular issue.... Wilson does need to do better, they all do. Anyone claiming that he did great are apologist. Just like anyone not saying the defense had communication issues, and poor tackling are, or that despite improvement the line still needs to improve, or that had Seattle simply paid Thomas they win the game ( 14 points surrendered, direct result of Thomas not on the field, shocker) or if Carroll had actually stayed true to his professed always compete, earn your opportunities , we're going to run the ball mantra, instead of forcing their selection to get the same amount of touches instead of the vastly superior back who had success every time he touched the ball, but still only managed to receive 7 total carries, or it's the officials fault on the incompletion, completion TD... or Fatakowski missing not once, but twice in a 3 point game... or the lack of a fricken pass rush...

There's NUMEROUS reasons from top to bottom, not a singular reason.

Lack of pass rush + young inexperienced DBs = guys like Case Keenum shredding you... it should be expected, and some of us pointed it out coming INTO the season, young players need time, also pointed out, Wilson holds the ball to long, and runs in to about half his sacks, also pointed out ( for about 3 long years) , though that does NOT mean he isn't special, but his decision making NEEDS to improve, which is accurate.

All of that said, there were seriously positive things to take out of that game. Dissly... wow.. cut cook now, you don't need him, Carson STILL the best back on this team, hands down, I want to see him with 15 to 25 carries a game, Thomas is, exactly what many of us said he was, the best Safety of his generation, sign the man.... and IMHO the greatest thing to see, hands down. They didn't wait 3 quarters to play on offense... it was still sporadic, but, they were being aggressive, and attempting to be successful from play 1.... if nothing else, at least we don't have to watch pointless don't turn the ball over, we'll win in the 4th quarter garbage.

[idhawkman]

The coaches are saying he needs to get better? Pete, after an article where he gets questioned for not calling out his QB.

Sorry, Russ is the last guy I'm questioning on the team. Pete and John haven't given him an O-line. They change his receivers nearly yearly. The run game is not rebuilt. And the defense is a shadow of its former self. Coaches need to look in the mirror because the 3 point loss would have been much, much, much bigger without Russ due to what they've done with the team.

Did you read the article where we had the worst pass rush in the entire league on Sunday? And you're spending time criticizing the QB that three for 3 TDS, while overlooking all the other more important factors. If you were business owner, you'd be criticizing and talking about firing your best employee while the lazy, inexperienced, untalented workers were being ignored so you could grandstand for reasons I don't even comprehend.

Russell is literally last on my list of what needs to improve with this team to make us better. Russell will work to improve himself. I don't need to tell him.

Asea,

The topic of this thread is that RW has to do better. It is not what is "THE" problem with the Seahawks. I am acknowledging that RW has a problem. Maybe after the success he's had and new family life, he isn't preparing like he once did. If he did, he wouldn't have spun into Von Miller twice for huge sack losses. I'd like to hear him state "separation is in the preparation" again.

In another thread I pointed out that we really need KJ back. There were a number of runs and passes that Denver picked on our rookies (Griffen and Calitro) for drive sustaining plays. Denver also employed the quick passing game to beat our defense - which is the #1 way to beat the Seahawks, IMO. That all said, RW did have some things he needs to clean up. Maybe the new system or being the 1st game of the season has some impact on him and he will clean it up but ignoring the issue and pointing out other areas that needs improvement is not the point of this thread.

[HumanCockroach]

https://footballmaven.io/seahawks/news/ ... -7doByCYA/

A'yup

[jshawaii22]

Russell Wilson looked S - L - O - W... for Russell. Maybe family life is more the couch potato version than it should be.
Von Miller has 5+ years of film of RW to look at and a few personal experiences. He's a HOF DE and he just watched and learned Russell's tricks.

[Oly]

My frustration with Wilson--and don't get me wrong, I love that he's a Hawk--is that after about 2 seconds he seems almost intentionally avoid the mid-range timing pass. There are times, just before the pocket breaks down, that there are open receivers and he doesn't pass it. This fanpost at FieldGulls is an interesting breakdown of times this happened in the Broncos game: https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/9/10/17 ... -5-seconds.

One possibility for why he does this is that he can't see the receiver because of his height and the collapsing pocket. And that certainly is true sometimes. But there are other times when he seems to choose his backwards run/roll out instead of uncorking a pass, and that's my frustration.

One other possibility that hasn't been discussed is that he's actually trying to follow Carroll's instructions to avoid turnovers at all costs. I wonder if there are times he avoids a 90% throw out of fear of the 10% possibility of a pick or other bad outcome, and whether that hesitation ultimately comes from Carroll's coaching.

[obiken]

River I get you, the spin is getting old. Pope, If he cannot start making quick reads, we are going have to get some lineman. Jashii, I agree! He looked slower than I have ever seen him. Course Von Miller can make anyone look slow and weak! Next Mack! After that the whole Ram line! Suh, Donald, and Brockers. We are so screwed we are beyond screw Dome!

[RiverDog]

My frustration with Wilson--and don't get me wrong, I love that he's a Hawk--is that after about 2 seconds he seems almost intentionally avoid the mid-range timing pass. There are times, just before the pocket breaks down, that there are open receivers and he doesn't pass it. This fanpost at FieldGulls is an interesting breakdown of times this happened in the Broncos game: https://www.fieldgulls.com/2018/9/10/17 ... -5-seconds.

One possibility for why he does this is that he can't see the receiver because of his height and the collapsing pocket. And that certainly is true sometimes. But there are other times when he seems to choose his backwards run/roll out instead of uncorking a pass, and that's my frustration.

One other possibility that hasn't been discussed is that he's actually trying to follow Carroll's instructions to avoid turnovers at all costs. I wonder if there are times he avoids a 90% throw out of fear of the 10% possibility of a pick or other bad outcome, and whether that hesitation ultimately comes from Carroll's coaching.

Nice post, Oly, and thanks for the link, that had some good information.

Interesting that you mention Pete's penchant for risk aversion. I remember how frustrating it was to watch Tavaris Jackson hold onto the ball forever. I didn't follow Jackson when he was with Minnesota so I don't know if he exhibited that tendency or not when he played with the Vikings, so it's hard to tell if Pete was the root cause of his indecision.

Risk aversion, ie a low turnover offense, goes hand-in-hand with a strong defensive/strong running team. During our best years, that description, ie a strong defense and a ball control offense, defined the Hawks and led us to what was nearly two consecutive Lombardi's. But things have changed. We're not likely to have a top 5 defense, probably not even a top 10 D. If we are to win games, the team dynamics, particularly that of the offense...including the quarterback..has to adjust to the new reality if we are to be successful.

[Anthony]

In the 2nd half of 2015 we ran an offense that was amazing. Why we don't run that boggles me. As to the rest there are so many factors, Pete's risk aversion, bad oline, limited run game, new system, now 4 new WRs . We need to give it time to know what we really have. Fyi no QB not Brady or Rodgers do it by themselves. They have systems built for them, Brady had front and a way better oline. Rodgers has a better oline, and system built for him. Russ does not, this system is not built for him

[burrrton]

Russ does not, this system is not built for him

Don't really disagree, but I'm not sure of this yet. I just think (as I read in fieldgulls, I think) his internal clock is all wonked up. He hears phantom footsteps now, and either his first read is there or it's not and he bails. Predictably, it seems.

I just hope they get it worked out- would be a shame to waste a QB with this much potential because of a historically bad o-line.