To steal a line from a rapper I never really liked..."now some of y'all know me, and some of yall, don't. So let me clear my throat."I know, I know, I have been nothing short of a ghost of late, but that's life. For some reason, I don't think I've quite kicked the XL hangover from last season, and this year has has some feeling of unreality to it for me. On top of that, my "This One's on Check' award has been all but abondoned as I've had a personal paradigm shift which I believe is leading me away from the unrelentinly disgusting metaphores to something cleaner, albeit possibly more cynical and/or venemous, I don't know yet.
That being said... Observations from check on the season so far:
~ According to the commentators, Tyler Braytons knee to Jeremy Stevens crown jewels was a cheap and vulgar atrocity to a fellow football player. At least, it was how they saw it. How check saw it:
"And there's a scuffle on the field...OH! And a Seahawk is knee'd in his manhood by a Raider? WTF!?! Oh, wait... Jeremy Stevens was knee'd? Well, he had it coming."
Now that may seem rude, but I don't think so. Rude is wishing that Stevens wasn't wearing a cup. Rude is wishing Brayton wasn't wearing a knee-pad. Rude is wondering if Stevens is usually expecting the knee to be coming from girl he has cornered at a party...
Seriously, what does he bring to the team? Bad attitude, bad history, and a propensity to choke. The 'Hawks have no use for him.
~ Floyd Womack is much better than we thought he was, especially after having to
suffer through weak performances by not yet ready Chris Spencer and Rob Simms. Yes, Womack got beat by Warren Sapp a couple of times, but jeez, Sapp has been a beast his entire career, and I reckon Pork Chop is still a bit rusty. I still chalk the improvement in the run game against Oak-Town to Womacks return. The 'Hawks overall rushed the ball very well, even in light of....~ ... MoMo's inability to follow his freaking lead blocker! Re-watch the game film from Oakland. How many 4 yard runs would have been 15 yard runs if MoMo followed Strong, rather than shifting his gap by one lineman? That's the big difference (albeit, not the only one) in this offense between Alexander and MoMo. Alexander is better at following the Mack Truck.
~ Deion Branch was a fantastic addition, and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about him. I like the way he plays, I like his attitude, his spirit, and his contributions. With Jackson and Branch at wide out, and the apparent emergence of DJ Hackett, I can almost forget about that new punt returner we have.
~ Someday (though not this year. And probably not next) Ryan Plackenmeier will be one of the best punters in the league. I haven't seen a leg that big since before Anna Nicole Smith went on that binge diet.~ Seneca Wallace can be my back-up quarterback anyday. The only thing keeping him from being a starter in this league is about 4 inches of height, and I think someday, he will get a legit chance, rather than just backfill until the real starter returns.
~ The 'Hawks are fighing everything right now. Nothing is coming easy. They are hurt. The O-line has been atrocious in the run game. The defense has underacheived. But the team is 5-3, despite being outscored on the season. We should be happy to be where we are. There is hope for the end of the season. 11-5 is still likely, and the NFC West will probably be ours, regardless of the outcome of this weekends game. All we can do right now, is hold on, get healthy, and plan on getting hot around week 13. That's what I'm hanging my hat on.
That's where I'm at on the season so far. Lots of dissapointment, but then again, wasn't HOPE the last item in Pandora's Box?
(to comment, click the green number to the right of the title above)
Great to have you back Check, and I can't wait to see what your new award turns out to be.
ReplyDeleteI was going to make a lewd "Pandora's box" comment, but I just couldn't with that graphic of ANS's fat ass staring me in the face!
I agree that in a year or two, Seneca will be allowed that Trent Dilfer golden parachute option, but unfortunately, similar to Trent, it'll be a starting job on a horrible team with more problems than just a serviceable QB.
Don't get too down on Burleson, I think we got something there too, but he's not 100% healthy.
Nice to see you again, Check...
ReplyDeleteIm still under the 'Who do we replace him with?' impression on Stevens. (aka, the 2004-2005 Mike Holmgren Syndrome).
On Seneca, again...hes just as good---if not, better than Michael Vick. Height of the man always looks up to the heart. : ).
Its a good night...Meerkat Manor will be back for Season 3. Spongebob all day. Monk has a special next week. Sonics won a very legit game that the refs finally stuck their noses out of. Got a Shaun Alexander jersey and a Seahawks jacket...Hass and Shaun both participated in practice... its been great. God is good. Go Seahawks!
Re Stevens...
ReplyDeleteAs much as I've been known to slam the guy in the past (and deservedly so, I might add,) he did, in fact, bring a nice dynamic to the team last year, pre-Super Bowl. He is a good blocker, and when he runs routes he takes at least one LB out of run-stopping duties, sometimes a safety as well. That frees up room for SA, Morris, Jackson on the quick slants, Hackett on the 10-yard in routes, et al. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Hawks had their best rushing game of the year--versus a good rushing D, no less--when Stevens finally got in there for a majority of the offensive plays? Having a TE out there who can catch (sometimes) AND block is a huge asset to the offense. I dislike the guy, but I have to call it as I see it, and the Hawks' offense is vastly better with him in there. Once SA and Hasselbeck come back, watch out! Someone referenced a Pittsburgh-like 2006 for Seattle; I could not agree more. If (when) the line gels, they're that much better than last year with the additions of Branch (what did Jurevicius do in the playoffs?) and a revitalized Hackett. I'm excited!
Stevens sucks. Why because he's soft. He is good when he actually decides to do his job but half the time he isn't so he sucks and he's super soft. How do you get hit in the numbers and not catch the ball, he wasn't even looking to run down field he's just soft. Stevens sucks. But there kinda is no one better, wish we would have drafted one.
ReplyDeleteOh and it Jackson who pulls the safety and opens it up deep for Stevens.
Senneca god i wish he was 3-4 inches taller. He's a good BACK UP QB. I don't thunk he can be a full time starter but one helluva insurance policy.
Sto with the stretch play for Morris. He isn't Alexander he can't do it. I think Morris does best when the line zone blocks and he goes straigh up.
I think Burleson will come around.
Porkchope seemed great on some plays and like what the hell was he doin on others, guess it might be rust like Check said but my verdict is out on that.
You're close, Meez. Stevens and Jackson work in tandem in the defensive backfield, opening it up for each other. Neither is as good without the other. That's why its' called a "team." Jackson's looked great this season, but with a healthy Stevens I bet he'd lead the league in receiving numbers.
ReplyDeleteI've been known to hammer Stevens for his past and present foibles, but "Stevens sucks"?! Not so. He does have inopportune lapses in concentration and intellingence (such as in the Super Bowl,) but his mere presence can change a defensive game plan. I will never root for him, but I can see that he means a lot to the Hawks' offense.
ReplyDeleteJulian Peterson has recently been quoted as saying Stevens is "annoying," someone who can take a linebacker off his game. That's what's known as an "intangible," a skill that some players have that can make a real difference for their team. Mili's not a "gnat," nor is Heller. Stevens is the only Seattle TE who can bother and intimidate opposing players enough to turn their attention from other threats enough to open things up for the offense. Stevens could rightly be considered "soft," but I prefer to think of him as Halloween candy with a hole in the wrapper. He may or may not be hazardous, but merely the threat of danger keeps you on edge, on your guard. Your attention is focused on him, allowing the strichnyne-laced Sweetarts to do their damage while you're preoccupied with the more obvious, yet innocuous Snickers.
Stevens has underperformed his whole career. He had a good season (for him) last year, but is an average tight end at best. He is not a great blocker, only average. Hannam was the big blocker last year. Yes, he has the ability to stretch the D, but based on recent performances, I don't know how long that will last. A first round draft choice who spends more time in court than in the endzone. I have no use for him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cit K.
ReplyDeleteUnless there is a visibly better TE available, I see no need to let Stevens go. I also agree 100% that the annoyance thing is an intangible, and its useful...as long as he can control it. (Which he has the last couple years until this game). Yes, he went over the line. But his past problems are making people magnify this more than it should be. Gosh, even the SB comments were stupid. This was just one little scuffle. Tobeck got into a scuffle too...should we release him?
I would lock Stevens up for a few more years to be honest. Unless you want the Seahawks using their 2nd rounder on Joe Newton, Clark Harris, Matt Spaeth, Scott Chandler, Martrez Milner, or Matt Herian, should they be available.
As for Seneca...like I said in the other thread, and this one. Michael Vick and him are similar. Both have very strong arms. Bth are average in the accuracy department. Both have speed and athletism. The difference is, Seneca is smarter...he throws more and runs when he has to. Vick takes one glance at his receivers and takes off running. I just think Seneca has more leadership intagibles than Vick has displayed. Now, you might say that we have a way better group of receivers...but they're been droppings passes left and right lately...so thats offset. Noone can tell me that Vick having a few more inches on Seneca in height makes him the better player alone. Now is Seneca great? Nope. I like Vick, but hes overrated...and Seneca keeps proving that by each game. Both are good QBs, and they can start in this league, but not over Hass...who gets less attention than Vick. I also think Holmgren plays a role in my comparisons between the two. Hes one of the best QB coaches in the history of football.
CHECK!!! WELCOME BACK!!!
ReplyDeleteHey check I couldn't agree more on Stevens, if you watch the whole thing, he had it coming, in fact he tried to knee the Gayder first, the way I saw it. Personally I wish someone woud knock him upside his head after watching the way he played. Stevens is ticking me off big time, I find myself rooting against him he's such a turd.
ReplyDeleteI'm with CitK and Adp on this one. And I'd add that his "bad attitude" is not a team issue, it's more of an image issue. I've never seen anything that would indicate his teammates don't like him, just opposing teams. That's ok with me. Stevens is a top 5 athelete as far as TEs go, I'd rather have that and some baggage than a less talented "team" player at the impact positions.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the choking, I think he chokes because of his smack taling act. He has to push because he called someone out. That is a coaching issue. They need to tell him to tone it down and pay attention to the game, which they obviously do, hopefully it will stick.
JoSCh's last paragraph:
ReplyDeleteSame deal with Hamlin.