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Gotta love the look on Wilson in that picture. So relaxed. Looks like be could just go take a nap!
... Seahawks 12
'I'm not telling you it's going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it'
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Q. Was Russell Wilson "sloppy" in the first quarter?
A. No, he was information saturated.
He evidently went into the game with this key and that key and the other key, all courtesy of his 12,000-play Drew Brees download. His timing is of course going to be off as he tries to play in a new way.
Prediction here was that, about 6:00 left in the second quarter, Wilson was going to abandon the pre-game intentions and revert to street football. Film is great, but there's a game to be won out here.
The day will come when he jells ... maybe he'll become Drew Brees crossed with Joe Montana.
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Q. How did he get it turned around?
A. How many of you guys ever watched Dave Krieg play? Dave was a cool guy, and I liked him, but ... let a game start the way the Carolina game did, and the Seahawks were sunk without a bubble.
First couple drives, Wilson was running for his life, the O-line was getting its keister kicked, and Krieg's next two fumbles were a foregone conclusion.
Russell Wilson, by contrast, imposed his will, turned his dreams into reality. How an athlete does that, you'd have to ask HIM. Dr. D does not know how to do this. Not many human beings do.
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It remains a great mystery how sports fans continue to argue about "intangibles," after watching so much sports. What is it about "intangibles" that we hate so much? People have souls. Is that disquieting, that we can't capture the universe?
I read some stat, that Wilson has 6-7 comebacks in the 4th quarter in his first 19 starts. Tom Brady has like 20-some in 177 starts... granted, Brady isn't behind in the 4th quarter much. :- ) But Russell Wilson has been able to complete Hail Marys (Maries)? to beat Aaron Rodgers since he first strapped on a helmet.
Speaking from a totally detached standpoint -- Dr. D doesn't care about the Seahawks like Field Gulls does -- Russell Wilson definitely has "It." He's the football equivalent of Larry Bird.
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Q. How come Marshawn Lynch couldn't run?
A. Carolina is set up to stop the run. Their coach is obviously behind the times; Chuck Knox would be proud.
There was a point in the 3rd quarter when the Seahawks pretty well abandoned the run, as they should.
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Q. Is that obsolete, "Establish the Run?"
A. It is, yes.
Tom Brady will spread 5 receivers for an entire half. If you coulda seen the 1970's, boys, when 3 wideouts was totally radical ... right now, it seems daring to pull Lynch out of the game. But there was a time when one running back seemed crazy.
Why do you need to Establish The Run? Let's say that Marshawn Lynch is at tailback, and you've thrown 11 times in a row, and the defense is NOT respecting Lynch. Wouldn't that be great? Hand him the ball and let him ramble for 18 yards.
Lynch is like a 96 MPH fastball. You'd LOVE for your opponent to forget about it!
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Q. Did the O-Line cause worry?
A. That one, you'll have to ask Field Gulls.
Seems to me, the basic solution these days is to call different plays. On the touchdown to Kearse, the way that the Seahawks got time for Russell Wilson was to counter-fake and roll him away from pressure. Bill Walsh was doing that in the 1980's -- call the plays so as to neutralize pressure.
Walsh didn't draft O-linemen in the first round to neutralize pressure. He threw screens and sting passes to neutralize pressure. Seemed that Carroll did that, starting in the 2nd quarter.
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Q. Are the Seahawks' receivers good enough?
A. Dr. D scoffs constantly at this unit. Our good buds at Field Gulls are wayyyyy too close to the situation, bragging on Doug Baldwin.
From Dr. D's situation, the key takeaway about Doug Baldwin is that he is not Larry Fitzgerald.
Hey, it's not just my opinion. How much did Pete Carroll pay this winter, to try to find a feature WR?
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That said, the wideouts seem to be improving, and it's true that the system can cause mediocrities like Baldwin, Tate and Rice to "play up." Tom Brady often does without feature receivers.
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Q. Best thing about the offense?
A. Wilson threw for 320, and he did it without taking a single risk. (After the first throw of the game.) SSI has the patent on the Fran Tarkenton comp, but we may have to swap Fran out for Joe Montana.
The QB keeps this up, he's liable to become a great player. Last players the offense had with Wilson's kind of talent, probably Steve Largent and Curt Warner.
BABVA,
Dr D
Comments
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Dave was really effective and fun to watch. Except when he treated the ball like a bar of wet soap in the shower. Isn't he the career NFL leader in fumbles? Other than the killer fumbles he was pretty darn good!
The way I see it Russell isn't shaping up to become a great player. He's on his way to knocking Griffey out of the #1 spot as "Greatest / Most Beloved Athlete In Seattle Sports History".
This town might be thirstier for a sports hero now than any time in history. Griffey was fantastic when he broke on the scene, but the Sonics had won a World Title a decade prior. We haven't had exciting baseball for a decade. Seahawks Super Bowl appearance was what 8 years ago? Our NBA team was ripped away. UW football had a lengthy down period. It's been a pretty-rough stretch for Seattle sports the past couple decades really. Wilson is on the cusp of owning the Pacific Northwest and if he wins a Superb Owl or 2 he could be top dog for decades to come.
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His body language was "back yard touch with the kids." Unhurried, weight not too far forward, finish the throw casually. Yet the 1-0 vs. 0-1 season was on the line.
In aikidio, O-Sensei spent his whole career trying to help people RELAX during competition. It's no small principle...
Makes me wonder how long it took you to relax during surgery Dr. G ... and when a crisis occurred on you ...
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Seems like they're holding back a little. If so, not sure why. Even on (say) Field Gulls, the mood I seem to grok is more like, "yeah, he seems pretty legit." Certainly he is not getting RGIII type reaction.
I think you're hitting the nail on the head BlissedJ ... once the city really buys in to Wilson, there's no telling...
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Is the city embracing Russell? Maybe this crackling electricity flowing through the Northwest is all about the Seahawks as a TEAM. That is great and as it should be! This is so much fun!
When I watch it seems none of this would be happening without Russell Wilson. More of the same 7-9, 8-8,9-7 stuff. When you talk about intangibles, Joe Montana and Larry Bird I'm right there with you. Did any of them consistently do as much to improve in the offseason as Wilson? This is some kind of unimaginable once-in-a-lifetime freak show of excellent athletic talent, burning desire, textbook execution, picture-perfect role model positive attitude and about 500% more preparation and off the field work than a Gatorade or Nike commercial showcases. Hope he stays healthy to see how it unfolds.
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I don't know what the Seahawks coaches are so worried about. Russell Wilson is at his best on the move and improvising. Yet here we go again keeping the offense waaaaaay to conservative for the first 2 or 3 quarters, digging ourselves another big hole. We managed to dig out in both playoff games last season, and again today. First half in Carolina was way too much run when the pass was there all day. Russ saves the day again, along with Sherman!