December 8, 2025 • 32 mins
In the first hour, Dick Fain and Hugh Millen react and recap the Seahawks blowout win over the Falcons yesterday including Rasheed Shaheed’s kickoff return touchdown, the big game for rookie Nick Emmanwori, Sam Darnold, and first half concerns with offense.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
A strange game yesterday, you know, honestly, Hugh, and welcome in.
Thanks for joining us to this softies out today and tomorrow.
He'll be back on Wednesday. To be honest, I thought
that this was going to be a game where we
had forty five to fifty five minutes of angst. I
just felt like, you know, I thought the Seahawks would win,
of course, but going into the game, I like the
(00:21):
I liked the Falcons plus the points.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I was like, this just kind of.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Seems to me like a lower scoring game where the
defense shows up but maybe the offense doesn't because that
Atlanta team is pretty good on that side of the ball.
And at halftime I was like, damn, this looks like
the game I thought. But then sometimes one play can
just completely change a game because my level of concern
(00:47):
at halftime versus my level of concern ten seconds after
halftime when our new guy Shaheed took it all the
way for the touchdown. At that point, I was like,
I don't even know if the Hawks need to score
any more points to win this game. I thought thirteen
might be enough against the offense I saw in Atlanta,
and it turned out to be the case. And good
(01:08):
on the Hawks for just turning in on in the
last thirty minutes that football game. Your thoughts from thirty
thousand feet on what you saw.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, I think where there was concern is, first of all,
you look at Atlanta. They have a good offensive line,
and I thought that they did a good job of
moving the line of scrimmage. I thought that the defensive line,
for all of the accolades they had been given last week,
I thought that they played as poorly as they had
since Tampa Bay. And you've got Bijon Robinson, to my eye,
(01:42):
in many ways I could argue is the best running
back in the NFL and specializing in that outside outside zone,
and so behind a good line, and with him there
was a potential concern. And then you know Kirk Cousins,
Yeah he's aging and what have you. But you know,
you alway think, okay, is he gonna put the clock
(02:02):
back and and have one of those big games. Hell,
he's beat the Seahawks before with lesser teams, and and
so that was probably concern. And then of course, the
the defense of Atlanta and their their propensity to rush
and maybe present some of the similar type of challenges
that Seattle had failed against the Vikings. I think that
(02:23):
was it. But yeah, you're right, Rashid Shihat. I mean,
if you know that that was a breathaking return and
that's what you.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Got him for right there, and what he did on
offense in the second half.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Uh yeah, and you know that return. I mean, Mike
Morris deserves a shout out and Nick Caller up. They
had a double team at the point of attack and
then Bobo, you know, had the most critical block. He
started to lose it and he chose not to hold,
which is really difficult, and so she head had to
(02:58):
break a little bit of an a tackle there. That
was Bobo's man. But you know, you're always thinking, you know,
I love it when the announcers say no flax as
a guy, you know, ten yards from the end zone,
you're play by play.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Because usually that's all your long confern on all long returns.
It almost seems like it's a fifty to fifty proposition
that it's coming back when you get lost return.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
But man, he has got a beautiful stride and he
can go, and I mean it's just he's so smooth
in his in his upper body, so relaxed and I mean,
that is just some some real heat that they're dealing
with when he gets in the open field. So it
was fine good to see that that manifest both in
(03:39):
the kickoff return and on offense.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well, let's take this game, you know, kind of chronologically.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I know we started right in the middle with the
with the kickoff return, but that why I felt that
was the play that end of the game. Let's take
it back to the beginning because talk about Atlanta's defensive
front against the Hawks offensive line and what was causing
problems and why, like who was causing problems on the
Hawks offensive line, because it just it seemed like a
(04:05):
sieve earlier early in the game, and that Sam was
just under duress far too many times.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And most of that was coming from Charles Cross. He
was just getting beat. I mean, I was surprised that
the Falcons didn't, you know, after the Viking game, and
we've heard this term for years when you see your
team perform poorly in some area, say, okay, is that
now a blueprint that everybody's gonna follow? Well, it might
be if a team is inclined, you know, to run
(04:37):
similar schemes. You're not going to just reinvent yourself in
one week because the Seahawks had a hard time with Minnesota.
But but I think Charles Cross was really getting pushed
back by you know a number of different defensive vans,
and early on in the first quarter, I think he
was the primary culprit causing uh problems for Seattle. Now
(05:02):
they you know, but they they lined up and and
they didn't do a lot of disguising the Falcons. I mean,
when they lined up in a too high structure, they
were just going to show you, hey, we're playing uh,
you know, a four deep three under zone or maybe
rolling uh. And then when they played man and man,
it was pretty obvious. So there wasn't a lot of
of uh uh, you know, misdirection defensively from Atlanta, just
(05:27):
a couple of occasions where they were just beating Seattle physically.
I don't think they were fooled. I think they were
just beat physically.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And then Sam Darnald again we saw some of the
things that have concerned us in the past with Donald Rear,
their ugly head in the in the first half and
I and the word that just keeps coming back to
me is rattled.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Sam.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
It seems like he gets rattled pretty easily. When the
pressure comes up, he seems he seems frantic when he's
in there. There's so many I think of a guy
like Drew Brees for example. And Drew Brees, I just
picture him in my mind's eye when he dropped back
to pass, it almost had he had this inate ability,
almost like he's got the force or something, and the
pocket would collapse around him, and it almost could seem
(06:11):
like he could close his eyes and just take one
step to the left or one step to the right,
or one step up or one.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Step back, and he would be clear. He would like
clear himself.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And when I watched Sam, it seems like he drops
back and the pocket starts collapsing, and he just kind
of goes into this I don't know what the freak
out mode, like he's just he's just moving all around,
He's going this way in that when he doesn't really
know he doesn't have that feeling. Is that Is that
a fair criticism in what you're seeing with Sam Well?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
First of all, regarding Drew Brees, Now I'm gonna relate
his story. I guess in a court of law this
is hearsay. But Trent Dilfer and I were discussing Drew Brees,
and what Dilford told me that he had had a
conversation with Breeze. So so I'm one person removed from
the actual source. And what Breeze told Dilfer is that
(06:59):
he told the franchise, hey, listen, we got you gotta
protect the middle of the offensive line. For me, I
don't care if the tackles aren't great. I can step
up into the pocket, but please guard the middle. And
if you go back and look, during those times, the
Saints were all you know, they draft, they traded for
(07:19):
Max Hunger. They always had guards that were at or
near the best guards in the league, in part because
Breeze had conveyed what he needs. And and so, uh,
I think here's Seattle. Now you know the weakness on that.
You know, certainly right guard and and center you get
(07:42):
that interior pressure. Now, darnold, look, he's you know, he's
a big dude. You know, is he the most graceful
looking athlete? No, I think I think some of that
is what you're talking about. You know, he tries to
find holes. You know, I think he does a pretty
good job of navigating the pocket.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And well he did take God.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
In the second half, I thought he did a great
job of just taking off, and I would love to
see more of that from Sam because it seems every
time he takes off, every time he takes off and
runs for ten or fifteen yards, I say the same
thing to myself.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Damn, he's pretty fast.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah he's good wheels, Yeah, that more yeah, yeah, indeed,
so I wouldn't. There was a time they had a
curl flat. You know, it was a single high beater
to his left and Jackson Smith and Jigbo was coming
wide open, and if I was grading him on that play,
I think he could have stepped up and then just
(08:37):
kind of kept his eyes there. I thought he overreacted
on that play, so I would say what you described.
I definitely would would have given him a minus on
a play. But I think for the most part, he responded.
Because you want to avoid two extremes. You know, it's
like goldilocks in the porch, not too hot, not too cold,
(08:58):
your your presence in the pocket. You don't want to
be an iron deer on a lawn, totally incapable of
helping out your offensive lineman with movement. But you don't
want to be fluttery at every little sign of odes.
You know, you know, you know, I thought I heard
a butterfly. Oh let me get the hell out of here,
you know. So it's you. You're trying to make sure
(09:21):
that you're not at either extreme. And I think for
the most part, when he had to move, when he
did move, it was because he had to move. You know,
I wouldn't I wouldn't say it was a glaring problem.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I think that they just you know, and we'll get
to it in a second. But I think they they
changed their plan and started getting the ball distributed.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Let's talk about that, because I'm just gonna once again
remind folks what the first half drives looked like versus
the first five drives in the second half. I mean,
the Seahawks in the first half went three plays minus
ten yards. Then they had a nice drive but couldn't
cap it off with a touchdo on twelve play seventy yards.
Then they threw a pick after three yard three plays,
(10:05):
Then they putted after three plays, and then they ended
the half with a seven play, forty five yard forty
five yard drive for a field goal.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
That's it. That's all for the first half.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Then, of course you've got the touchdown on the special teams,
But the first four drives after the touchdown on the
special teams, eight plays eighty eight yards touchdown. Six plays
twenty eight yards field goal after the pick, eight plays
fifty nine yards field goal. Six plays sixty excuse me,
the field goal was the Falcons. Six play sixty yards
touchdown for Seattle. Six plays thirty five yards touchdown for Seattle.
(10:38):
So Seattle goes in the third and fourth quarter until
the game was essentially over. Touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Let's talk about what will.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Be the number one, number two reasons behind the dramatic
improvement in the offense in the second half.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Well, as I watched the game, I even know it
was texting with some friends, and I'm like, they got
to get Barner involved, like they got to get the
ball distributed around, and that was when things were really
kind of sucking in. And you know, I apologies to
the our P one listeners, you know, I had this.
(11:16):
I think it was the key to the turnaround, and
so I wasn't gonna withhold it from Chuck and Buck
this morning. So unfortunately, I'm just gonna have to repeat it,
and to me, the real juncture was not halftime, It
was slightly before the line of demarcation for me was
prior to that last drive of the second quarter, right
(11:38):
with fifty seven seconds to go, just to refresh your memory,
the Falcons had just kicked the field goal, They're up
six to three, Seattle gets the ball, and you know,
things had been a mess. In fact, how much of
a mess they were on a pace at that juncture
if you go literally down to the second in pro rate,
they were on a pace to throw for seventy six
(11:59):
yards from that point on. They they threw it at
a pace that would be a four hundred and eleven
yard passing day, not offense, just passing. So they really
changed what they did.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
But tempo kind of helped in that second quarter too.
Sometimes we saw that with the Russell Wilson Seahawks, where.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Their offense was doing you're gonna you're gonna go, and
you're gonna go hurry up for sure, you know, and
get under a minute. Right. But but prior to that
drive in Jigba had been fifty five percent of the
targets and seventy percent of the passing yards up to
that point. From that point on the target, the target
(12:42):
percentage goes falls from fifty five percent to Jason just
to just twenty one percent, and the yards fall from
seventy percent to just thirty one percent. So so here
we have this massive burst of passing prowess right to
the tune of at a pace for four hundred and
eleven yards for a sixty minute game, and we had
(13:06):
a drastic reduction in the amount of targeting JSN. Let's
get the ball around. In fact, the very first now
the first offensive sequence was was the kickoff return. But
when Seattle got the ball back their first pass of
the third quarter, which is often an indicator of what
they want to do. What you know, you said, hey,
(13:29):
within our game plan, we like this play. They went
out and they they ran to the They put Jackson
Smith and Jigma to the left as the single receiver
X receiver.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
And.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
The the Falcons rolled the coverage to that side, to
the trip side to Sam Darnold's right. They had three
receivers and they ran what's called a three man levels
concept where you got the innermost guy runs fiveive yards
and in, and then the middle guy runs ten to
twelve yards and in and then the widest guy close
(14:05):
to the sideline also runs a five yard So you
got two guys running five yard in and the middle
guy running an eleven yard in. Okay, that's a level
Peyton manning through for ten thousand yards on various level structures.
I was on a team that on that one we
would call ohio because it sounds like low high low.
The first one's low, the second one's high, and then
(14:26):
and then we had another one who was Idaho, which
the first guy is high, the deepest one, and then
the next two or low gotchach. So there's different ways
of doing three man level. So if you're following with me,
they run ohio on the first pass, which is again
is an indicator of what they were thinking at halftime.
You know who is the middle guy running the twelve
(14:47):
yard in.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Boots, Robbietes boots, Robbie oots, Robbie oots.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
They put him in the slot, and I guarantee you
you could run that play a thousand times. Sam Darnold
ain't throwing no freaking twelve yard dig to rob No.
But what they wanted to do is just say, hey,
how are you going to adjust to this formation? And
and how are you going to cover? And then it
was a night because of the distributor, Like what number
(15:14):
forty's gonna run a twelve yard in? Like all of
a sudden, now we get barner on on the five
yard in. It's the easiest completion. Sam Darnold could have
completed that pass when he was in fourth grade. But
it was it was all made by just just little
tiny tweaks. This is what what uh you know? Off
offensive coordinators? Did you know they say, hey, we got
(15:35):
Ohio in And I'm not saying they call it ohio.
But since I've explained the terminology, we'll stick with that
terminology for for the moment. But we're gonna put our
fullback is not not the five yard that might have
made us. He's running the twelve yard on the middle.
The most complex. You know, you got to read, hey,
do you if there's an overhanging defender, do you take
(15:55):
an outside release or inside release? And why? Like you
got to have an understand of now Jackson Smith and
Jigbob would tell you why, right, But Robbie Uta, he's
just gonna run down and hang a left, you know
at the buick exactly like you're playing in the street
like so so did any event really cool adjustments getting
(16:16):
away from JSN. But then paradoxically JSN uh when they
got to manned a man instead of rolling coverage in
his own when they got to mand a man and
the way the Falcons were pressing, pressing is a man
and man term z right back to eleven. Then he
he he had an inbreaking route. He takes an inside
(16:38):
release in breaking routes, he got he got the leverage
and you know, uh, and then you know, good night,
thirty yarder and then a twenty eight yarder for the touchdown.
Bam bam. So he was he was still featured, but
it was because the Seattle was moving the ball around
to others and then oh yeah, now we can get
the single coverage to uh to JSN and get.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
The touchdown here breed love mellon joe us.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Until about five point thirty tonight, we got a lot
to get to. And at four o'clock, Representative Adam Smith
is going to talk a little college football, in fact
the Score Act, and is what is going on with that?
Will we have a score Act voted upon in Congress
for college football to help give it some organization.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
But more Seahawks. Talk with you right around the corner
on ninety three point three KJRFM.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
From the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now
back to Softie and Dick on your home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ R.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
F fifty.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Last week and if blocked another special teams played Nicky man.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Lorie with a rejection third and three because it's deflected,
and even Horrie off the deflection from his chest.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
With the interception.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Heard on draft weekend was the word freak to describe
Nicki man Worri And my goodness, I thought this guy
would take a little bit to actually acclimate himself to
the NFL, and instead he is just, you know, three
months into his pro football career, is looking like a
(18:23):
pro bowler, Hugh, and on every level. I mean, yeah,
PFF didn't great him as great in the secondary and coverage,
but that blocked field goal. And I know nothing about
special teams and I'll throw it over to you, former holder,
And in all the special teams meetings, you know, he've
been in a thousand special teams meeting. Is that obviously
(18:45):
it's an athletic skill. It's a trait to be able
to get around the edge like that. And I heard
you mentioned this morning that that's usually like a cornerback
and not a guy the size of Nicky man Worri
that's turned in the corner like that. But to get
your hand out there, is that a skill or did
he just get lucky where his hand was placed, because
it just seems to me how you could possibly time
(19:06):
and block a field goal with one hand like that
without the element of luck.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
I don't know, man.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Yeah, they try and work on the timing of that.
And sometimes you'll have a you know, a volleyball or
onto a rope or a tether ball or something, and
and they just practice, Okay, this is the time if
you're going to get the block, this is when you're
gonna have to leave your feet. But as you said,
when with him as the outside guy, now you run
out of blockers that wing, his responsibility is to protect
(19:34):
his inside gap and even worry is coming out of
his outside gap. So so the way I've always seen
it coached is that you want to have a wide
base if you're blocking, if you're the falcon who's on
the wing, there and you want to be able to
be strongly punched with your inside hand. That's the that's
the one you have to defend the most. But if
your leg is is out there, you make the corner
(19:57):
have to go around your outside leg or even jump
a over your knee and you can kind of you
give him less of a punch with your outside arm.
The most critical gap is your inside the inside gap,
and I think Julian Love had a blocked field goal
going through the inside gap earlier in the season on
the wing. In fact, I'm serving I can't remember what team,
(20:20):
but now even worried to have him as the outside guy, which,
as you said, always a corner almost always a cornerback
because they're the ones who have that kind of elite
change of direction. So you're springing around the edge, but
then you have to make a turn at full speed.
And the way the Seahawks are looking at it, here's
(20:43):
a guy most corners aren't six three most corners. I mean,
here's a guy that had a vertical of forty three inches,
that is ninety ninth percentile for safeties at the combine.
His broad jump was one hundred and thirty eight inches,
which is the one hundred percent, So that gives you
an idea of the explosion. So that quickness that he
(21:03):
has combined with the length, is he's able to stay low,
turn the corner and then just you know, having that wingspan,
his span eighty seventh percentile among safeties, all of those
factors combined so that he's a credible threat to block
that field goal, which he did.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Am I being a prisoner of the moment by saying,
he's one of the most versatile Seahawk defenders I've ever
seen in fifty years. And I've seen every Seahawk defender
basically worth his salt in my lifetime. And I mean
the first guy that came to mind was Kenny Easley.
He was a freak versatile defender. Cam Chancellor was a
freak versatile defender. But I don't know if he's as
(21:44):
versatile as Nick Amn worry is. I Mean, it's just
am I, it just seems like this guy's the limit.
For this guy, we might be looking at another just
multiple time all pro safety like we're.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Used to seeing in this town. Well, Kenny Easily, you know,
probably gets that distinction. I mean, he was a guy
that that kid run and hit and and he had
the athleticism to stay with any receivers. So so, I
mean he's a Hall of Famer, right And Running Lot
said that there's one guy that he patterned his game
(22:18):
after Running a Lot has thought to be the greatest
safety of all time. And he said the one guy
that he looked up to, he only cited one name,
and it was Kenny Easily. So, but you mentioned Bam Bam.
I think Cam Chancer is more physical than we have
seen from Emon Worriy, including the South Carolina after Seattle
drafted him. I watched a lot more tape than I
(22:38):
had prior to the draft, obviously, and I don't I
still don't see that that violence from Emon Worriy, that
that certainly we saw from Cam Chancellor from a versatility standpoint,
Cam Chancer, I just looked it up. Earlier in the
year twenty thirteen, the Super Bowl year, Cam Chancellor played
four hundred and thirty seven snaps as the free safety,
(22:59):
the safety in the middle of the field, and then
another fifty three snaps as a safety on either half.
So and Nick Ammon Worry has only played six snaps
of safety, one in the post, one in the so
Nick Ammin Worry is a box defender. Now his duties
may expands, you know, like right now you just say, hey,
(23:23):
we're gonna have you as the Sam linebacker. You know,
just we call it nickel Sam. You just learned the
Sam linebacker spot and be great. But in that capacity,
in certain coverages, they do different things for them. Well,
he they walk them out and he's covering the slot.
And what has interested in me, even going back to preseason,
(23:46):
is that sometimes it's a little bit the guy. I'll
even I've even taken to looking up the height and
weight of a guy who looks small. He's He's gone
man to man against guys that are one hundred and
eighty three pounds. He's gone man man against Justin Jefferson.
He's gone man and man against tight ends. That's the versatility.
So that when he lines up out there as a quarterback,
(24:08):
you say, I can't just say, well, they won't play
man and man because we got this little smurf quick
eye in the slot. No, that Seattle Will. He's got
the length. He might not Aiman Warry might not be
as as quick as some one hundred and eighty pound dude,
but he's quick enough when considering how long he is
and so the overall coverage ability he has it Now
(24:30):
he got beat by Kyle Pitts, who's one of the
most athletic tight ends we've seen in the draft in
ten twenty years. Been a little bit of an underperformer,
but still an elite athlete Kyle Pitts. And on that
corner route, it was the best throw that Kirk Cosan's
had in the game. And it was really good coverage
and it took Kyle Pitts a leaping fingertip catch that
(24:53):
was man and man and he beat him. And worry,
but that was still damn good coverage and it took
the perfect throwing Cats to beat him.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
So I think it's pretty clear, even probably to the
most biggest Seahawks skeptic, that two thirds of this football
team is championship quality, super Bowl champions of quality. You've
got a defense it's number two in yards per yards
per game, points per game allowed, You've got a special
teams that is number one in the NFL, and EPA
(25:20):
per play.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Let's talk about the third third of.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
This football team and ask you in the next segment,
is it going to be the anchor that pulls this
other two teams parts down or can it booy them
enough that you can get over the top. We'll talk
about that next on ninety three point three KJRFM from.
Speaker 5 (25:41):
The R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now back
to SOFTI and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ R FM.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
So I think bick without the soft I want to
be back on Wednesday. Hugh Breed love Millan good enough
to join us today and tomorrow for the show, and
he as I mentioned, going to break, I is it
fair to say we have no issues that the Seahawks
defense and the Seahawks special teams is super Bowl quality?
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Would that be a fair assessment.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Of your mind? I would absolutely agree with that, And
just to underscore that point. Since the Tampa Bay game,
if you and I'm looking at all these defensive stats
and correlation defensive EPA per play, the Seahawks are number
one in the NFL yards or excuse me, points per
(26:44):
drive that has that is a point seven. If you
rarely see correlations over seven hundred, it is a seven
oh four technically a negative seven oh, four points per
drive Seattle's number one in the NFL. And that and
passer rating opponent passer rating Seattle's number two. But net
(27:05):
yards per attempt that has a six sixty six correlation,
very high. Seattle's number one in that. So so so yeah,
not only are are you're gonna hear the the stats
for the entire season, but you know, you know Seattle's defense.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
You know, they didn't have Nick m and Worry for
the Tampa Bay a lot of injury issues in the beginning.
They have the seven starters in the Buccaneer game. That's right, right,
and so now they're healthy. They they they're young guys,
have experienced, not just experience in the NFL, but playing together.
They're playing you know, they got you got Witherspoon playing
more outside and less nickel. They're playing more dime in
(27:46):
situations because you can bring Witherspoon inside and even Worry inside.
So they are they are now becoming the Mike McDonald's vision.
That's eight games. That's not like a you know, I'm
not just serry picking two or three games. I've that's
over the last eight games. That's where Seattle is. They
are the best defense in the NFL over the last
(28:06):
eight games, and they're consistent in that they perform for
four quarters a game, just like the special teams performs
for four quarters a game. Now you come to the
offense the third third, and it's so funny because I'm
looking here, it's almost like I don't believe my eyes. Right,
I hear the complaints about the offense. I have some
complaints on my own about the offense, particularly the offensive line,
(28:27):
the run game at times, Sam Darnold. And yet I
look at points per game, just flat out points per game,
and the Seattle Seahawks are averaging twenty nine point eight
points per game, good for number two in the NFL.
They have the second highest scoring offense in the NFL.
And yet I think Seahawk Nation, me included, are like, yeah,
(28:49):
but so, what is the level of concern over you know,
in micro, how the first half looked offensively in this game,
and macro how they have played, you know, fifteen thirty
forty minute stretches of football games where they just haven't
been able to get out of their own way and
they usually finally figure it out.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Yeah, well, first of all, I think, you know, points
per game that's that's just the team. So pick six
is by the defense. Rasis okay, So I'll go a
point of offense points per game, and then I think
offense points per drive because because points can be a
reflection of what what obsponent's doing and you can never
(29:32):
totally detach it. But you know, that's where like Seattle's
is number two in points per game over that span defensively,
but they're number one in points per drive, which is
really the best measure, right because if you have a
lot many more drives due to offensive inefficiency, a good
defense can be saddled with a poor offense. But I
(29:54):
think I think Seattle they've got the pieces other than
a couple of guys on the offensive line, I think
it's gonna be that's going to be the real arm
wrestle the team is. They've got all of these if
you think of like the scales you know in the courtroom,
the scales of justice. Yes, you know, like you say, okay,
we got all these bricks of what is a quality
(30:16):
Super Bowl winning level team. There's a lot of components
were put in there, but and they far outweigh the negative.
But it doesn't work like that with the scales of justice.
It works more like you're only as strong as your
weakest length, and if number seventy five can't play, then
(30:39):
that can bog down the entire team. And I don't
mean that he's got a good grade.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Yesterday, at least on one side of the ball. I
can't remember. I was run boxing.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Yeah, and he had a good game against the Cardinals
in Arizona. I mean, you know it rains in the desert,
not just not very often.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Right, Hugh loves himself some Bradford Jackson loves this.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
You're right, you know what. I'm glad you said that,
because this is not a week a week to pick
good on Anthony Bradford. He he upped his his Uh.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Yeah, Mike McDonald was just speaking.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
I know, we got to break.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Mike McDonald was just speaking at a press conference, and
he went out of his way to say that Anthony
Bradford was the highest rated offensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I think, why do you think he did that? Because
he's heard no, no, take me out of it. Why
do you think he's done this? Sorry, yes, because he
knows that Anthony Bradford is is the I don't want
to say worst weekly the least accomplished starter on his
team who's been beat up, and he wants to infuse
(31:40):
that guy with some confidence. Right, Yes, that's exactly right.
So even that comment is telling you what the head
coach thinks of the right guard.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
That's a little indicting. You're exactly right. Three fifty three
ninety three point three kjf FN. We'll come back to
the Seahaks a little bit later on the show. We're
he talks some college football. Obviously, the college football world
is just in upheaval, and as exciting as the games are,
as exciting as the playoffs are going to be, we
can all agree that.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
It's a mess and needs to be fixed.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
And Congress may or may not be stepping in to
try to fix that. And we're going to get a
member of Congress on represented from the ninth District. Adam
Smith is going to join us next to talk about
the Score Act and what potentially will be or could
be done to fix the mess, the mess that is
college football.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Next on ninety three point three kjerv
A strange game yesterday, you know, honestly, Hugh, and welcome in.
Thanks for joining us to this softies out today and tomorrow.
He'll be back on Wednesday. To be honest, I thought
that this was going to be a game where we
had forty five to fifty five minutes of angst. I
just felt like, you know, I thought the Seahawks would win,
of course, but going into the game, I like the
(00:21):
I liked the Falcons plus the points.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I was like, this just kind of.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Seems to me like a lower scoring game where the
defense shows up but maybe the offense doesn't because that
Atlanta team is pretty good on that side of the ball.
And at halftime I was like, damn, this looks like
the game I thought. But then sometimes one play can
just completely change a game because my level of concern
(00:47):
at halftime versus my level of concern ten seconds after
halftime when our new guy Shaheed took it all the
way for the touchdown. At that point, I was like,
I don't even know if the Hawks need to score
any more points to win this game. I thought thirteen
might be enough against the offense I saw in Atlanta,
and it turned out to be the case. And good
(01:08):
on the Hawks for just turning in on in the
last thirty minutes that football game. Your thoughts from thirty
thousand feet on what you saw.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, I think where there was concern is, first of all,
you look at Atlanta. They have a good offensive line,
and I thought that they did a good job of
moving the line of scrimmage. I thought that the defensive line,
for all of the accolades they had been given last week,
I thought that they played as poorly as they had
since Tampa Bay. And you've got Bijon Robinson, to my eye,
(01:42):
in many ways I could argue is the best running
back in the NFL and specializing in that outside outside zone,
and so behind a good line, and with him there
was a potential concern. And then you know Kirk Cousins,
Yeah he's aging and what have you. But you know,
you alway think, okay, is he gonna put the clock
(02:02):
back and and have one of those big games. Hell,
he's beat the Seahawks before with lesser teams, and and
so that was probably concern. And then of course, the
the defense of Atlanta and their their propensity to rush
and maybe present some of the similar type of challenges
that Seattle had failed against the Vikings. I think that
(02:23):
was it. But yeah, you're right, Rashid Shihat. I mean,
if you know that that was a breathaking return and
that's what you.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Got him for right there, and what he did on
offense in the second half.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Uh yeah, and you know that return. I mean, Mike
Morris deserves a shout out and Nick Caller up. They
had a double team at the point of attack and
then Bobo, you know, had the most critical block. He
started to lose it and he chose not to hold,
which is really difficult, and so she head had to
(02:58):
break a little bit of an a tackle there. That
was Bobo's man. But you know, you're always thinking, you know,
I love it when the announcers say no flax as
a guy, you know, ten yards from the end zone,
you're play by play.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Because usually that's all your long confern on all long returns.
It almost seems like it's a fifty to fifty proposition
that it's coming back when you get lost return.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
But man, he has got a beautiful stride and he
can go, and I mean it's just he's so smooth
in his in his upper body, so relaxed and I mean,
that is just some some real heat that they're dealing
with when he gets in the open field. So it
was fine good to see that that manifest both in
(03:39):
the kickoff return and on offense.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Well, let's take this game, you know, kind of chronologically.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I know we started right in the middle with the
with the kickoff return, but that why I felt that
was the play that end of the game. Let's take
it back to the beginning because talk about Atlanta's defensive
front against the Hawks offensive line and what was causing
problems and why, like who was causing problems on the
Hawks offensive line, because it just it seemed like a
(04:05):
sieve earlier early in the game, and that Sam was
just under duress far too many times.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And most of that was coming from Charles Cross. He
was just getting beat. I mean, I was surprised that
the Falcons didn't, you know, after the Viking game, and
we've heard this term for years when you see your
team perform poorly in some area, say, okay, is that
now a blueprint that everybody's gonna follow? Well, it might
be if a team is inclined, you know, to run
(04:37):
similar schemes. You're not going to just reinvent yourself in
one week because the Seahawks had a hard time with Minnesota.
But but I think Charles Cross was really getting pushed
back by you know a number of different defensive vans,
and early on in the first quarter, I think he
was the primary culprit causing uh problems for Seattle. Now
(05:02):
they you know, but they they lined up and and
they didn't do a lot of disguising the Falcons. I mean,
when they lined up in a too high structure, they
were just going to show you, hey, we're playing uh,
you know, a four deep three under zone or maybe
rolling uh. And then when they played man and man,
it was pretty obvious. So there wasn't a lot of
of uh uh, you know, misdirection defensively from Atlanta, just
(05:27):
a couple of occasions where they were just beating Seattle physically.
I don't think they were fooled. I think they were
just beat physically.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And then Sam Darnald again we saw some of the
things that have concerned us in the past with Donald Rear,
their ugly head in the in the first half and
I and the word that just keeps coming back to
me is rattled.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Sam.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
It seems like he gets rattled pretty easily. When the
pressure comes up, he seems he seems frantic when he's
in there. There's so many I think of a guy
like Drew Brees for example. And Drew Brees, I just
picture him in my mind's eye when he dropped back
to pass, it almost had he had this inate ability,
almost like he's got the force or something, and the
pocket would collapse around him, and it almost could seem
(06:11):
like he could close his eyes and just take one
step to the left or one step to the right,
or one step up or one.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Step back, and he would be clear. He would like
clear himself.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And when I watched Sam, it seems like he drops
back and the pocket starts collapsing, and he just kind
of goes into this I don't know what the freak
out mode, like he's just he's just moving all around,
He's going this way in that when he doesn't really
know he doesn't have that feeling. Is that Is that
a fair criticism in what you're seeing with Sam Well?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
First of all, regarding Drew Brees, Now I'm gonna relate
his story. I guess in a court of law this
is hearsay. But Trent Dilfer and I were discussing Drew Brees,
and what Dilford told me that he had had a
conversation with Breeze. So so I'm one person removed from
the actual source. And what Breeze told Dilfer is that
(06:59):
he told the franchise, hey, listen, we got you gotta
protect the middle of the offensive line. For me, I
don't care if the tackles aren't great. I can step
up into the pocket, but please guard the middle. And
if you go back and look, during those times, the
Saints were all you know, they draft, they traded for
(07:19):
Max Hunger. They always had guards that were at or
near the best guards in the league, in part because
Breeze had conveyed what he needs. And and so, uh,
I think here's Seattle. Now you know the weakness on that.
You know, certainly right guard and and center you get
(07:42):
that interior pressure. Now, darnold, look, he's you know, he's
a big dude. You know, is he the most graceful
looking athlete? No, I think I think some of that
is what you're talking about. You know, he tries to
find holes. You know, I think he does a pretty
good job of navigating the pocket.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
And well he did take God.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
In the second half, I thought he did a great
job of just taking off, and I would love to
see more of that from Sam because it seems every
time he takes off, every time he takes off and
runs for ten or fifteen yards, I say the same
thing to myself.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Damn, he's pretty fast.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah he's good wheels, Yeah, that more yeah, yeah, indeed,
so I wouldn't. There was a time they had a
curl flat. You know, it was a single high beater
to his left and Jackson Smith and Jigbo was coming
wide open, and if I was grading him on that play,
I think he could have stepped up and then just
(08:37):
kind of kept his eyes there. I thought he overreacted
on that play, so I would say what you described.
I definitely would would have given him a minus on
a play. But I think for the most part, he responded.
Because you want to avoid two extremes. You know, it's
like goldilocks in the porch, not too hot, not too cold,
(08:58):
your your presence in the pocket. You don't want to
be an iron deer on a lawn, totally incapable of
helping out your offensive lineman with movement. But you don't
want to be fluttery at every little sign of odes.
You know, you know, you know, I thought I heard
a butterfly. Oh let me get the hell out of here,
you know. So it's you. You're trying to make sure
(09:21):
that you're not at either extreme. And I think for
the most part, when he had to move, when he
did move, it was because he had to move. You know,
I wouldn't I wouldn't say it was a glaring problem.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I think that they just you know, and we'll get
to it in a second. But I think they they
changed their plan and started getting the ball distributed.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Let's talk about that, because I'm just gonna once again
remind folks what the first half drives looked like versus
the first five drives in the second half. I mean,
the Seahawks in the first half went three plays minus
ten yards. Then they had a nice drive but couldn't
cap it off with a touchdo on twelve play seventy yards.
Then they threw a pick after three yard three plays,
(10:05):
Then they putted after three plays, and then they ended
the half with a seven play, forty five yard forty
five yard drive for a field goal.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
That's it. That's all for the first half.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Then, of course you've got the touchdown on the special teams,
But the first four drives after the touchdown on the
special teams, eight plays eighty eight yards touchdown. Six plays
twenty eight yards field goal after the pick, eight plays
fifty nine yards field goal. Six plays sixty excuse me,
the field goal was the Falcons. Six play sixty yards
touchdown for Seattle. Six plays thirty five yards touchdown for Seattle.
(10:38):
So Seattle goes in the third and fourth quarter until
the game was essentially over. Touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Let's talk about what will.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Be the number one, number two reasons behind the dramatic
improvement in the offense in the second half.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Well, as I watched the game, I even know it
was texting with some friends, and I'm like, they got
to get Barner involved, like they got to get the
ball distributed around, and that was when things were really
kind of sucking in. And you know, I apologies to
the our P one listeners, you know, I had this.
(11:16):
I think it was the key to the turnaround, and
so I wasn't gonna withhold it from Chuck and Buck
this morning. So unfortunately, I'm just gonna have to repeat it,
and to me, the real juncture was not halftime, It
was slightly before the line of demarcation for me was
prior to that last drive of the second quarter, right
(11:38):
with fifty seven seconds to go, just to refresh your memory,
the Falcons had just kicked the field goal, They're up
six to three, Seattle gets the ball, and you know,
things had been a mess. In fact, how much of
a mess they were on a pace at that juncture
if you go literally down to the second in pro rate,
they were on a pace to throw for seventy six
(11:59):
yards from that point on. They they threw it at
a pace that would be a four hundred and eleven
yard passing day, not offense, just passing. So they really
changed what they did.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
But tempo kind of helped in that second quarter too.
Sometimes we saw that with the Russell Wilson Seahawks, where.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Their offense was doing you're gonna you're gonna go, and
you're gonna go hurry up for sure, you know, and
get under a minute. Right. But but prior to that
drive in Jigba had been fifty five percent of the
targets and seventy percent of the passing yards up to
that point. From that point on the target, the target
(12:42):
percentage goes falls from fifty five percent to Jason just
to just twenty one percent, and the yards fall from
seventy percent to just thirty one percent. So so here
we have this massive burst of passing prowess right to
the tune of at a pace for four hundred and
eleven yards for a sixty minute game, and we had
(13:06):
a drastic reduction in the amount of targeting JSN. Let's
get the ball around. In fact, the very first now
the first offensive sequence was was the kickoff return. But
when Seattle got the ball back their first pass of
the third quarter, which is often an indicator of what
they want to do. What you know, you said, hey,
(13:29):
within our game plan, we like this play. They went
out and they they ran to the They put Jackson
Smith and Jigma to the left as the single receiver
X receiver.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
And.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
The the Falcons rolled the coverage to that side, to
the trip side to Sam Darnold's right. They had three
receivers and they ran what's called a three man levels
concept where you got the innermost guy runs fiveive yards
and in, and then the middle guy runs ten to
twelve yards and in and then the widest guy close
(14:05):
to the sideline also runs a five yard So you
got two guys running five yard in and the middle
guy running an eleven yard in. Okay, that's a level
Peyton manning through for ten thousand yards on various level structures.
I was on a team that on that one we
would call ohio because it sounds like low high low.
The first one's low, the second one's high, and then
(14:26):
and then we had another one who was Idaho, which
the first guy is high, the deepest one, and then
the next two or low gotchach. So there's different ways
of doing three man level. So if you're following with me,
they run ohio on the first pass, which is again
is an indicator of what they were thinking at halftime.
You know who is the middle guy running the twelve
(14:47):
yard in.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Boots, Robbietes boots, Robbie oots, Robbie oots.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
They put him in the slot, and I guarantee you
you could run that play a thousand times. Sam Darnold
ain't throwing no freaking twelve yard dig to rob No.
But what they wanted to do is just say, hey,
how are you going to adjust to this formation? And
and how are you going to cover? And then it
was a night because of the distributor, Like what number
(15:14):
forty's gonna run a twelve yard in? Like all of
a sudden, now we get barner on on the five
yard in. It's the easiest completion. Sam Darnold could have
completed that pass when he was in fourth grade. But
it was it was all made by just just little
tiny tweaks. This is what what uh you know? Off
offensive coordinators? Did you know they say, hey, we got
(15:35):
Ohio in And I'm not saying they call it ohio.
But since I've explained the terminology, we'll stick with that
terminology for for the moment. But we're gonna put our
fullback is not not the five yard that might have
made us. He's running the twelve yard on the middle.
The most complex. You know, you got to read, hey,
do you if there's an overhanging defender, do you take
(15:55):
an outside release or inside release? And why? Like you
got to have an understand of now Jackson Smith and
Jigbob would tell you why, right, But Robbie Uta, he's
just gonna run down and hang a left, you know
at the buick exactly like you're playing in the street
like so so did any event really cool adjustments getting
(16:16):
away from JSN. But then paradoxically JSN uh when they
got to manned a man instead of rolling coverage in
his own when they got to mand a man and
the way the Falcons were pressing, pressing is a man
and man term z right back to eleven. Then he
he he had an inbreaking route. He takes an inside
(16:38):
release in breaking routes, he got he got the leverage
and you know, uh, and then you know, good night,
thirty yarder and then a twenty eight yarder for the touchdown.
Bam bam. So he was he was still featured, but
it was because the Seattle was moving the ball around
to others and then oh yeah, now we can get
the single coverage to uh to JSN and get.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
The touchdown here breed love mellon joe us.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Until about five point thirty tonight, we got a lot
to get to. And at four o'clock, Representative Adam Smith
is going to talk a little college football, in fact
the Score Act, and is what is going on with that?
Will we have a score Act voted upon in Congress
for college football to help give it some organization.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
But more Seahawks. Talk with you right around the corner
on ninety three point three KJRFM.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
From the R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now
back to Softie and Dick on your home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ R.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
F fifty.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Last week and if blocked another special teams played Nicky man.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Lorie with a rejection third and three because it's deflected,
and even Horrie off the deflection from his chest.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
With the interception.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Heard on draft weekend was the word freak to describe
Nicki man Worri And my goodness, I thought this guy
would take a little bit to actually acclimate himself to
the NFL, and instead he is just, you know, three
months into his pro football career, is looking like a
(18:23):
pro bowler, Hugh, and on every level. I mean, yeah,
PFF didn't great him as great in the secondary and coverage,
but that blocked field goal. And I know nothing about
special teams and I'll throw it over to you, former holder,
And in all the special teams meetings, you know, he've
been in a thousand special teams meeting. Is that obviously
(18:45):
it's an athletic skill. It's a trait to be able
to get around the edge like that. And I heard
you mentioned this morning that that's usually like a cornerback
and not a guy the size of Nicky man Worri
that's turned in the corner like that. But to get
your hand out there, is that a skill or did
he just get lucky where his hand was placed, because
it just seems to me how you could possibly time
(19:06):
and block a field goal with one hand like that
without the element of luck.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
I don't know, man.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Yeah, they try and work on the timing of that.
And sometimes you'll have a you know, a volleyball or
onto a rope or a tether ball or something, and
and they just practice, Okay, this is the time if
you're going to get the block, this is when you're
gonna have to leave your feet. But as you said,
when with him as the outside guy, now you run
out of blockers that wing, his responsibility is to protect
(19:34):
his inside gap and even worry is coming out of
his outside gap. So so the way I've always seen
it coached is that you want to have a wide
base if you're blocking, if you're the falcon who's on
the wing, there and you want to be able to
be strongly punched with your inside hand. That's the that's
the one you have to defend the most. But if
your leg is is out there, you make the corner
(19:57):
have to go around your outside leg or even jump
a over your knee and you can kind of you
give him less of a punch with your outside arm.
The most critical gap is your inside the inside gap,
and I think Julian Love had a blocked field goal
going through the inside gap earlier in the season on
the wing. In fact, I'm serving I can't remember what team,
(20:20):
but now even worried to have him as the outside guy, which,
as you said, always a corner almost always a cornerback
because they're the ones who have that kind of elite
change of direction. So you're springing around the edge, but
then you have to make a turn at full speed.
And the way the Seahawks are looking at it, here's
(20:43):
a guy most corners aren't six three most corners. I mean,
here's a guy that had a vertical of forty three inches,
that is ninety ninth percentile for safeties at the combine.
His broad jump was one hundred and thirty eight inches,
which is the one hundred percent, So that gives you
an idea of the explosion. So that quickness that he
(21:03):
has combined with the length, is he's able to stay low,
turn the corner and then just you know, having that wingspan,
his span eighty seventh percentile among safeties, all of those
factors combined so that he's a credible threat to block
that field goal, which he did.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Am I being a prisoner of the moment by saying,
he's one of the most versatile Seahawk defenders I've ever
seen in fifty years. And I've seen every Seahawk defender
basically worth his salt in my lifetime. And I mean
the first guy that came to mind was Kenny Easley.
He was a freak versatile defender. Cam Chancellor was a
freak versatile defender. But I don't know if he's as
(21:44):
versatile as Nick Amn worry is. I Mean, it's just
am I, it just seems like this guy's the limit.
For this guy, we might be looking at another just
multiple time all pro safety like we're.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Used to seeing in this town. Well, Kenny Easily, you know,
probably gets that distinction. I mean, he was a guy
that that kid run and hit and and he had
the athleticism to stay with any receivers. So so, I
mean he's a Hall of Famer, right And Running Lot
said that there's one guy that he patterned his game
(22:18):
after Running a Lot has thought to be the greatest
safety of all time. And he said the one guy
that he looked up to, he only cited one name,
and it was Kenny Easily. So, but you mentioned Bam Bam.
I think Cam Chancer is more physical than we have
seen from Emon Worriy, including the South Carolina after Seattle
drafted him. I watched a lot more tape than I
(22:38):
had prior to the draft, obviously, and I don't I
still don't see that that violence from Emon Worriy, that
that certainly we saw from Cam Chancellor from a versatility standpoint,
Cam Chancer, I just looked it up. Earlier in the
year twenty thirteen, the Super Bowl year, Cam Chancellor played
four hundred and thirty seven snaps as the free safety,
(22:59):
the safety in the middle of the field, and then
another fifty three snaps as a safety on either half.
So and Nick Ammon Worry has only played six snaps
of safety, one in the post, one in the so
Nick Ammin Worry is a box defender. Now his duties
may expands, you know, like right now you just say, hey,
(23:23):
we're gonna have you as the Sam linebacker. You know,
just we call it nickel Sam. You just learned the
Sam linebacker spot and be great. But in that capacity,
in certain coverages, they do different things for them. Well,
he they walk them out and he's covering the slot.
And what has interested in me, even going back to preseason,
(23:46):
is that sometimes it's a little bit the guy. I'll
even I've even taken to looking up the height and
weight of a guy who looks small. He's He's gone
man to man against guys that are one hundred and
eighty three pounds. He's gone man man against Justin Jefferson.
He's gone man and man against tight ends. That's the versatility.
So that when he lines up out there as a quarterback,
(24:08):
you say, I can't just say, well, they won't play
man and man because we got this little smurf quick
eye in the slot. No, that Seattle Will. He's got
the length. He might not Aiman Warry might not be
as as quick as some one hundred and eighty pound dude,
but he's quick enough when considering how long he is
and so the overall coverage ability he has it Now
(24:30):
he got beat by Kyle Pitts, who's one of the
most athletic tight ends we've seen in the draft in
ten twenty years. Been a little bit of an underperformer,
but still an elite athlete Kyle Pitts. And on that
corner route, it was the best throw that Kirk Cosan's
had in the game. And it was really good coverage
and it took Kyle Pitts a leaping fingertip catch that
(24:53):
was man and man and he beat him. And worry,
but that was still damn good coverage and it took
the perfect throwing Cats to beat him.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
So I think it's pretty clear, even probably to the
most biggest Seahawks skeptic, that two thirds of this football
team is championship quality, super Bowl champions of quality. You've
got a defense it's number two in yards per yards
per game, points per game allowed, You've got a special
teams that is number one in the NFL, and EPA
(25:20):
per play.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Let's talk about the third third of.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
This football team and ask you in the next segment,
is it going to be the anchor that pulls this
other two teams parts down or can it booy them
enough that you can get over the top. We'll talk
about that next on ninety three point three KJRFM from.
Speaker 5 (25:41):
The R and R Foundation Specialist Broadcast Studio. Now back
to SOFTI and Dick on your Home for the Huskies,
Kraken and the twelfth Man Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ R FM.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
So I think bick without the soft I want to
be back on Wednesday. Hugh Breed love Millan good enough
to join us today and tomorrow for the show, and
he as I mentioned, going to break, I is it
fair to say we have no issues that the Seahawks
defense and the Seahawks special teams is super Bowl quality?
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Would that be a fair assessment.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Of your mind? I would absolutely agree with that, And
just to underscore that point. Since the Tampa Bay game,
if you and I'm looking at all these defensive stats
and correlation defensive EPA per play, the Seahawks are number
one in the NFL yards or excuse me, points per
(26:44):
drive that has that is a point seven. If you
rarely see correlations over seven hundred, it is a seven
oh four technically a negative seven oh, four points per
drive Seattle's number one in the NFL. And that and
passer rating opponent passer rating Seattle's number two. But net
(27:05):
yards per attempt that has a six sixty six correlation,
very high. Seattle's number one in that. So so so yeah,
not only are are you're gonna hear the the stats
for the entire season, but you know, you know Seattle's defense.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
You know, they didn't have Nick m and Worry for
the Tampa Bay a lot of injury issues in the beginning.
They have the seven starters in the Buccaneer game. That's right, right,
and so now they're healthy. They they they're young guys,
have experienced, not just experience in the NFL, but playing together.
They're playing you know, they got you got Witherspoon playing
more outside and less nickel. They're playing more dime in
(27:46):
situations because you can bring Witherspoon inside and even Worry inside.
So they are they are now becoming the Mike McDonald's vision.
That's eight games. That's not like a you know, I'm
not just serry picking two or three games. I've that's
over the last eight games. That's where Seattle is. They
are the best defense in the NFL over the last
(28:06):
eight games, and they're consistent in that they perform for
four quarters a game, just like the special teams performs
for four quarters a game. Now you come to the
offense the third third, and it's so funny because I'm
looking here, it's almost like I don't believe my eyes. Right,
I hear the complaints about the offense. I have some
complaints on my own about the offense, particularly the offensive line,
(28:27):
the run game at times, Sam Darnold. And yet I
look at points per game, just flat out points per game,
and the Seattle Seahawks are averaging twenty nine point eight
points per game, good for number two in the NFL.
They have the second highest scoring offense in the NFL.
And yet I think Seahawk Nation, me included, are like, yeah,
(28:49):
but so, what is the level of concern over you know,
in micro, how the first half looked offensively in this game,
and macro how they have played, you know, fifteen thirty
forty minute stretches of football games where they just haven't
been able to get out of their own way and
they usually finally figure it out.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Yeah, well, first of all, I think, you know, points
per game that's that's just the team. So pick six
is by the defense. Rasis okay, So I'll go a
point of offense points per game, and then I think
offense points per drive because because points can be a
reflection of what what obsponent's doing and you can never
(29:32):
totally detach it. But you know, that's where like Seattle's
is number two in points per game over that span defensively,
but they're number one in points per drive, which is
really the best measure, right because if you have a
lot many more drives due to offensive inefficiency, a good
defense can be saddled with a poor offense. But I
(29:54):
think I think Seattle they've got the pieces other than
a couple of guys on the offensive line, I think
it's gonna be that's going to be the real arm
wrestle the team is. They've got all of these if
you think of like the scales you know in the courtroom,
the scales of justice. Yes, you know, like you say, okay,
we got all these bricks of what is a quality
(30:16):
Super Bowl winning level team. There's a lot of components
were put in there, but and they far outweigh the negative.
But it doesn't work like that with the scales of justice.
It works more like you're only as strong as your
weakest length, and if number seventy five can't play, then
(30:39):
that can bog down the entire team. And I don't
mean that he's got a good grade.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Yesterday, at least on one side of the ball. I
can't remember. I was run boxing.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Yeah, and he had a good game against the Cardinals
in Arizona. I mean, you know it rains in the desert,
not just not very often.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Right, Hugh loves himself some Bradford Jackson loves this.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
You're right, you know what. I'm glad you said that,
because this is not a week a week to pick
good on Anthony Bradford. He he upped his his Uh.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
Yeah, Mike McDonald was just speaking.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
I know, we got to break.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Mike McDonald was just speaking at a press conference, and
he went out of his way to say that Anthony
Bradford was the highest rated offensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I think, why do you think he did that? Because
he's heard no, no, take me out of it. Why
do you think he's done this? Sorry, yes, because he
knows that Anthony Bradford is is the I don't want
to say worst weekly the least accomplished starter on his
team who's been beat up, and he wants to infuse
(31:40):
that guy with some confidence. Right, Yes, that's exactly right.
So even that comment is telling you what the head
coach thinks of the right guard.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
That's a little indicting. You're exactly right. Three fifty three
ninety three point three kjf FN. We'll come back to
the Seahaks a little bit later on the show. We're
he talks some college football. Obviously, the college football world
is just in upheaval, and as exciting as the games are,
as exciting as the playoffs are going to be, we
can all agree that.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
It's a mess and needs to be fixed.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
And Congress may or may not be stepping in to
try to fix that. And we're going to get a
member of Congress on represented from the ninth District. Adam
Smith is going to join us next to talk about
the Score Act and what potentially will be or could
be done to fix the mess, the mess that is
college football.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Next on ninety three point three kjerv
Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain News
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