Win loss prediction poll

[c_hawkbob]

If RW goes down we're a 5 win team.

[idhawkman]

If RW goes down we're a 5 win team.

Yeah, I don't think it would be a good season if he goes down. I was a bit encouraged after reading the comments about the oline from Saturday's team scrimmage though.

[NorthHawk]

Except for Ifedi.
Carroll pulled him after 2 penalties (false start and holding).
It looks like he might be having more problems than I thought he would with a simpler system.
Avril said a while ago that Ifedi has a sense of entitlement. I take that to mean he expects to be handed the job and not have to work hard or maybe not being very coachable.
I hope he snaps out of the fog quickly or he will be either sitting on the bench or cut.

[idhawkman]

Except for Ifedi.
Carroll pulled him after 2 penalties (false start and holding).
It looks like he might be having more problems than I thought he would with a simpler system.
Avril said a while ago that Ifedi has a sense of entitlement. I take that to mean he expects to be handed the job and not have to work hard or maybe not being very coachable.
I hope he snaps out of the fog quickly or he will be either sitting on the bench or cut.

Who else plays RT? E.g. who did Carroll put in when he pulled Ifedi?

[NorthHawk]

Battle. A guy who's bumped around for a few years but has never played in a game. We got him from the Chiefs in a conditional trade, but he didn't meet the criteria for compensation because he didn't play.

Edit:
Here are some links:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/nf ... 33580.html
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... main-ifedi

[RiverDog]

Except for Ifedi.
Carroll pulled him after 2 penalties (false start and holding).
It looks like he might be having more problems than I thought he would with a simpler system.
Avril said a while ago that Ifedi has a sense of entitlement. I take that to mean he expects to be handed the job and not have to work hard or maybe not being very coachable.
I hope he snaps out of the fog quickly or he will be either sitting on the bench or cut.

Not very encouraging. I'm glad Pete is sitting his butt, issuing some discipline. Penalties are a controllable variable, no reason on this Earth why we have to always be leading the league in them. It's a real pet peeve with me.

Wasn't Fant supposed to be competing for the RT spot?

[c_hawkbob]

Fant has just gotten back into full pads in practice, and from what I've read Pete wanted to bring him back up to speed at the position he's familiar with backing up Brown, but if Ifedi can't pull his head out soon I think we'll see Fant there sooner than planned.

[idhawkman]

Fant has just gotten back into full pads in practice, and from what I've read Pete wanted to bring him back up to speed at the position he's familiar with backing up Brown, but if Ifedi can't pull his head out soon I think we'll see Fant there sooner than planned.

Bob, you know more about the line than I do so help me understand the Fant situation a little better.

If I remember correctly, Fant wasn't a football player and was more of a basketball player. That said, his athleticism got him the starting the role at LT. So here's my multipart question. How hard is it for Fant to play the right side versus the left? Is it a quick transition or does it take time. Will the few years he's played football help in that transition (e.g. not many engrained bad habits or habits in general?)

I'm curious if Fant can be an effective player at RT in a short amount of time or if it would be better to go with someone who has been there longer and knows the position from years of playing it.

[c_hawkbob]

RT's typically are more maulers while LT's are necessarily more athletic ... the LT usually plays against the other team's best pass rusher and usually does so W/O help while the RT usually has a TE lined up next to him available to help with a chip block if needs be.

Fant, physically, is a LT all the way, but with Ifedi continuing to struggle he may well be pressed into service on the right as Solari has been virtually been chanting all training camp "the best five will start, the best five".

As far as his relative inexperience as a football player you're right that it'll work to his advantage in that he's not got LT thoroughly ingrained in his mind and his muscle memory, but it could work to his disadvantage as it really is a lot of information to keep in sorted in your head. ... how much so will just depend on how bright a player he is.

In the long run, I think it'll help him to spend a couple years on the right side until he's ready to push Brown for the start on the left.

[idhawkman]

RT's typically are more maulers while LT's are necessarily more athletic ... the LT usually plays against the other team's best pass rusher and usually does so W/O help while the RT usually has a TE lined up next to him available to help with a chip block if needs be.

Fant, physically, is a LT all the way, but with Ifedi continuing to struggle he may well be pressed into service on the right as Solari has been virtually been chanting all training camp "the best five will start, the best five".

As far as his relative inexperience as a football player you're right that it'll work to his advantage in that he's not got LT thoroughly ingrained in his mind and his muscle memory, but it could work to his disadvantage as it really is a lot of information to keep in sorted in your head. ... how much so will just depend on how bright a player he is.

In the long run, I think it'll help him to spend a couple years on the right side until he's ready to push Brown for the start on the left.

Thanks Bob, good stuff. Can't wait to see who starts on Thursday. I bet Fant gets a real good long look at RT if he's being considered for that spot and not just go a series or two like the rest of the starters. I'm really interested in who they have on the Oline after those first couple of series to see who is pushing and who is not.

[RiverDog]

RT's typically are more maulers while LT's are necessarily more athletic ... the LT usually plays against the other team's best pass rusher and usually does so W/O help while the RT usually has a TE lined up next to him available to help with a chip block if needs be.

Fant, physically, is a LT all the way, but with Ifedi continuing to struggle he may well be pressed into service on the right as Solari has been virtually been chanting all training camp "the best five will start, the best five".

As far as his relative inexperience as a football player you're right that it'll work to his advantage in that he's not got LT thoroughly ingrained in his mind and his muscle memory, but it could work to his disadvantage as it really is a lot of information to keep in sorted in your head. ... how much so will just depend on how bright a player he is.

In the long run, I think it'll help him to spend a couple years on the right side until he's ready to push Brown for the start on the left.

Nice post, Cbob!

[jshawaii22]

At least we know they are looking for a new RT. They just don't have one right now except Mr Penalty.
From Seahawks.com


3. Jamarco Jones is proving to be a quick study.
Jamarco Jones, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, spent almost all of camp at left tackle with the No. 2 and No. 3 lines prior to this week, but on Monday he briefly saw time on the right side of the line, followed by a series at right tackle with the starting offense on Tuesday.

“We’ve been starting to work him—we’re looking for guys who can flip and play both sides, just to see what that shows us,” Carroll said. “Sometimes guys get inhibited when they go to the other side. We’re just trying to see how natural he is. He has been a left side guy a lot.

“He has shown a real good savvy about the game, and he’s precocious in his awareness and stuff. So we think maybe there’s a chance it’ll come easy to play on the right side as well. We’ll find out… Jamarco has been a real surprise that he has picked up stuff so soon, (offensive line coach Mike Solari) has been really impressed with him.”

[idhawkman]

At least we know they are looking for a new RT. They just don't have one right now except Mr Penalty.
From Seahawks.com


3. Jamarco Jones is proving to be a quick study.
Jamarco Jones, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, spent almost all of camp at left tackle with the No. 2 and No. 3 lines prior to this week, but on Monday he briefly saw time on the right side of the line, followed by a series at right tackle with the starting offense on Tuesday.

“We’ve been starting to work him—we’re looking for guys who can flip and play both sides, just to see what that shows us,” Carroll said. “Sometimes guys get inhibited when they go to the other side. We’re just trying to see how natural he is. He has been a left side guy a lot.

“He has shown a real good savvy about the game, and he’s precocious in his awareness and stuff. So we think maybe there’s a chance it’ll come easy to play on the right side as well. We’ll find out… Jamarco has been a real surprise that he has picked up stuff so soon, (offensive line coach Mike Solari) has been really impressed with him.”

I see this as a shot over the bow of Ifedi to try and wake him up. Hope he takes it.

[RiverDog]

I see this as a shot over the bow of Ifedi to try and wake him up. Hope he takes it.

Yea, I'm really starting to develop a strong bias against Ifedi. One of my pet peeves (along with dropped passes and turnovers) is penalties, and you top it off by hearing of former players saying he has an entitlement attitude, another of my pet peeves, and the bias just keeps getting stronger. I'm going to have to really force myself to believe in this guy again or else my TV will have a brick thrown through it on his first false start.

[Oly]

Better this year:
-I think the OL will improve (which isn't saying much...I still think they will be below average, and especially in pass pro)
-The RB situation, by quite a bit
-The DL, especially the pass rush (Clark makes another leap, Jordan will keep flashing, and I think Green will surprise people...and they'll be more effective than Bennett was last year)
-Special teams, especially the punting game. I seriously think Dickson is going to be worth a win over what they had at P last year. The field position battle is such an underrated part of the game.
-Coaching (the optimist in me)

Worse this year:
-Pass defense, by a lot. The loss of Sherm would be enough for this to be true, but with Earl's situation, I think we're going to be very frustrated. I think this turns Seahawk games into higher scoring affairs, and that's not what Pete's offense is going to do well this year. The ground-and-pound strategy works when you can defend the pass and keep games low-scoring.
-The receiving corps. I'm not convinced Lockett will provide what Richardson did, and I'm just not sure where the red zone passing TDs are going to come from. Yeah, Brown is taller, but not exactly built to win a ton of contested 50-50 passes, and I don't know if Marshall has enough left in the tank to even make the roster, let alone an impact in the season.

-------

Overall, until I see some games to see how much the OL and pass rush have improved or the pass D has declined, this seems like a wash. I picked 9-7, but I wouldn't be surprised at 6-10 or 11-5. There are just so many more unknowns this season than the past couple that it is really hard to have confidence in any prediction.

[RiverDog]

Better this year:

The DL, especially the pass rush (Clark makes another leap, Jordan will keep flashing, and I think Green will surprise people...and they'll be more effective than Bennett was last year)

I'm not at all confident in Dion Jordan's ability to stay on the field. It soulds like he's going to miss most if not all of training camp. IMO he's as big of a question mark as our secondary.

[idhawkman]

Yea, I'm really starting to develop a strong bias against Ifedi. One of my pet peeves (along with dropped passes and turnovers) is penalties, and you top it off by hearing of former players saying he has an entitlement attitude, another of my pet peeves, and the bias just keeps getting stronger. I'm going to have to really force myself to believe in this guy again or else my TV will have a brick thrown through it on his first false start.

Open letter to Mrs. RiverDog,

Please keep all flying objects away from RiverDog for 30 minutes before, during and after the game....

Love,

HawkShack fan(s)

[idhawkman]

I'm not at all confident in Dion Jordan's ability to stay on the field. It soulds like he's going to miss most if not all of training camp. IMO he's as big of a question mark as our secondary.

Dion has definitely had an issue with staying healthy. This excerpt from an article on the .com site gives me some hope for the DL.

1. Shamar Stephen could be a difference-maker for this defense.
Free-agent addition Shamar Stephen has been described by coaches as a big, run-stuffing defensive tackle. Those players are vitally important to a defense, but that’s not always the flashiest role due to the sometimes infrequent number of opportunities to make big plays behind the line of scrimmage.

But what has been evident a few times in camp, and again on Tuesday, is that Stephen will not just be someone who can win at the line of scrimmage by taking on blocks and holding his ground; he also finds himself in the backfield quite a bit, particularly on running plays. During Saturday’s mock game, Stephen recorded one of the defense’s two sacks, and on Tuesday during a brief 7-on-9 running-game period, Stephen shot into the backfield twice to tackle running backs behind the line of scrimmage.

“Shamar is big, thick, studly, big hands, getting off blocks, filling up the line of scrimmage, and he’s a good pursuit guy,” Carroll said. “He has already demonstrated a real good sense for where the ball is going.”

Hope PC isn't just pumping him up on those quotes.

[NorthHawk]

On the negative side it could mean a big deficiency on the interior of the OL, too.

[idhawkman]

On the negative side it could mean a big deficiency on the interior of the OL, too.

LOL, North, you need a smaller glass so the water that is in the one you are looking at can fill up the smaller one and give us a full glass....

[NorthHawk]

I know, but I've seen and heard enough positive comments from coaches over the years that weren't based in reality that I'm permanently jaded, I guess.

[idhawkman]

I know, but I've seen and heard enough positive comments from coaches over the years that weren't based in reality that I'm permanently jaded, I guess.

I hear ya and don't blame you for being jaded. I'm the eternal homer though and have "HIGH" hopes for the break in the pattern... But remember, I'm predicting 19-0 again this year....

[politicalfootball]

I Think if Ifedi stays on the team he will be a backup for a long time. I Hope Fant stays at RT I think he is going to be the better football player. Those big uglies better get it together this year. This is the first year with the Seahawks new RB Penny who is going to be the start of the team soon.

[NorthHawk]

It seems to me we are churning through players more this year than the last few.
If you look at the last few days we see the following:
CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie worked out
QB Josh Johnson did as well
Signed RB Gerald Holmes
Signed G JR Sweezy

It's a bit like a few years ago before the SB appearances.

[RiverDog]

I know, but I've seen and heard enough positive comments from coaches over the years that weren't based in reality that I'm permanently jaded, I guess.

Especially Pete Carroll. That man is full of more chit than a Christmas turkey when it comes to the use of superlatives to describe his players. I'll never forget when during a post game presser he said "We're going to build around Tavaris (Jackson)!" Gawd, just think where we would have been had he followed through on that remark.

[Aseahawkfan]

Especially Pete Carroll. That man is full of more chit than a Christmas turkey when it comes to the use of superlatives to describe his players. I'll never forget when during a post game presser he said "We're going to build around Tavaris (Jackson)!" Gawd, just think where we would have been had he followed through on that remark.

That comment frightened about everyone.

[RiverDog]

That comment frightened about everyone.

LOL! Yes, indeed, it did.

He said it on Thursday Night Football in his 2nd season (2011), right after the Hawks playeed great, a big win against the Eagles, with the home crowd jacked, and Pete was like a little kid on a sugar high. He was so excited that even the commentators that were doing the interview were laughing. I literally fell out of my chair.

I have a good friend that I mentored at my former place of employment that once had a tryout with the Hawks and had an opportunity to meet Pete Carroll. He says that Pete in person is exactly the same Pete we see on TV..energetic, hyped up, butt slapping. I don't want to post my friend's name here, but would be willing to PM you if you're interested.

[Aseahawkfan]

LOL! Yes, indeed, it did.

He said it on Thursday Night Football in his 2nd season (2011), right after the Hawks playeed great, a big win against the Eagles, with the home crowd jacked, and Pete was like a little kid on a sugar high. He was so excited that even the commentators that were doing the interview were laughing. I literally fell out of my chair.

I have a good friend that I mentored at my former place of employment that once had a tryout with the Hawks and had an opportunity to meet Pete Carroll. He says that Pete in person is exactly the same Pete we see on TV..energetic, hyped up, butt slapping. I don't want to post my friend's name here, but would be willing to PM you if you're interested.

I don't need your friend's name. I never thought was any different than he presents himself to be. I don't think it means he's undisciplined or unfocused, but he's definitely a super optimist. He's always looking at the positive outcome rather than the realistic or pessimistic outcome.

[ptthor109]

The 10-6 prediction had the most votes. Knew the Rams games were going to be tough but some teams they faced emerged or fell off surprisingly (Bears, Chiefs, Chargers - Vikings, Panthers, Packers). The win over the Chiefs was huge.