even when our team ends up on the short side of the deal, like seemed to happen yesterday vs. GB. There were tons of holding non-calls on both of our premier pass rushers, but I didn't mind because for the most part they were letting the contact go in the defensive backfield.
Let the boys play. It's a much more interesting, fun, engaging experience for all involved.
But Clay Matthews needs to be suspended when he does stuff like he's shown himself eager to do this year. That KO on Wilson was, in my opinion, a HUGE reason why RW3 had such a terrible day. He wasn't seeing things like he usually does (at least that's what it looked like to me) and he only seemed to shake out the cobwebs in OT. Both of those passes on the winning drive were tear-jerking things of beauty.
I think Wilson was concussed from that KO shot delivered by Matthews. Watch his head snap sideways right before his leg briefly folds beneath him after he gets hit; that's a classic drop-shot reaction in MMA that results in a swarming ground-and-pound victory by the hitter (Matthews) 90% of the time. Wilson got KO'd, in my opinion, but apparently passed the concussion test battery and fought through the rest of the game.
Dude's a warrior I'd gladly follow into battle. I don't say that of many people, especially those I haven't shared a room with, but there is no question that guy would bleed out for what he believes in, and I'd have no problem standing right there with him.

Did what he was supposed to do. When the QB gets in there and tries to tackle the ball carrier, anyone who has the opportunity is going to give them the best shot they've got. It wasn't a late hit, it was in the middle of the play. I had no problem with what Matthews did. That was a hockey enforcer move and frankly we're really lucky Wilson wasn't ko'ed, unexpected chin shots like that are the ones that are lights out bye bye in MMA, like you said.

Does not function well. FG did an article on it earlier this year, showing that Wilson's performances in rain have been mostly dismal. I think it's a combination of Wilson not being experienced enough to work through the chaos or get his grip right, but it's just as much because our "pedestrian" receivers drop balls and have trouble getting open when they can't cut as well. All our guys are more technique route runners, not pure athletes.
Wilson's trump card though, and a big reason he's so "clutch", is his running ability. Once he gets near the end of the game and can just cut loose and not worry about saving his legs, he becomes pretty unstoppable against most defenses. The Hawks no huddle Wilson-Lynch zone read + Baldwin outlet game is just beautiful to watch. Did the exact same thing to Denver in OT this year.

Or how about his clothes lining Kaepernick 3 yards out of bounds? When someone EARNS a reputation they don't get the benefit of the doubt.
http://www.fieldgulls.com/2015/1/19/7852199/we-need-to-talk-about-clay-m...

In which he hasn't had the lead at least once.
Let that sink in.
He has never trailed wire to wire. He has well over fifty games now as a Seahawk. On the TV broadcast they quoted the same stat but included the streak all the way back to college and the number was in the 80s. That is just insane.

When I listen to his post game comments I'm consistently struck that he seems to talk much less about savoring the victory than he speaks of his pride in teaching and mentoring his players.

Within the game he may have been inconsistent but in every single game he shows up with his game!
Sunday was as close to a game as we've seen where he just didn't have it and he still found a way to "clear the mechanism". In golf it's never unusual for a top name to not make the cut. Some days you just don't have it. 50+ NFL games in a row of essentially making the cut is incredible consistency.

The hands up palms forward catch seems to be kryptonite to our receivers with the exception of Baldwin. All of the big catches Kearse has made have been over the shoulder underhand catches, same with Luke Willson. My first instinct is to assume that since our receiving corps is short statured it's the small hands that are the issue. But the worst of the group for dropping almost every overhand catch is Willson and he is definitely no small guy.
Is there something about Wilson's passes that contribute to this? Is he really throwing that hard... or maybe the passes are starting off too close to the ground? Heh!

Great point - Bevell gets a lot of grumbling from the FG crowd at times for his play calling, and I will say it was a bit mystifying why they waited until desperation time to break out the read option in a win or go home NFCCG...yet, you have to assume there is a reason they don't run read option all game. Probably a combination of keeping the mileage down, as you say - and also it may just be more effective vs a tired defense (in particular, because it just gets harder and harder to stop Beast Mode, so the outside lanes start opening up for Russ).
Another point for RW - that he has the discipline to follow his coaching in this area and hold off on the heavy running until late in game, and not go for the cheap runs early on (unless it's a glaring hole). Compare to RG3 who doesn't seem capable of following the plan that is designed for his own benefit.

I get the desire to save the wear and tear. I also get that the earlier in the game it is the more disciplined the defense is to contain the read option, I do. But...
Wilson reminds me of what I see in a lot of fighters, both boxing and MMA. Many fighters will come out tight. They jump in jab and jump back, reset, over react to a fake, leap sideways reset, look, head bob, hop back, reset. etc, etc, etc,,, It isn't until they finally get popped by a shot that waters their eyes that they finally let the leather fly and start throwing in combinations. After that first hard hit they stop worrying so much about it.
I think Danger Russ comes out tight. It's telling to me that his accuracy gets so much better in the two minute drill. It just so happens that the two minute drill is when Bevell cuts loose with the read option. I think a couple trips around the corner gets Wilson's blood pumping and he stops over thinking, goes with his instincts and just lets it flow.

Matthews has been fined for his hit on Wilson
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/matthews-fined-dollar22k-for-block-o...

So is a 15 yard penalty. At some point with headhunters like Matthews you really do have to start docking playing time. They need to implement a rolling total of personal foul penalties which, when exceeding a given threshold, causes the player to be unavailable for the next regular- or post-season game. A second threshold means three games. A third means a year's suspension without pay, while the team takes a cap hit at least equal to the player's salary even if they don't have to pay it.
E.g. After a player has committed more than five personal foul penalties in a rolling 20 games active period, he's suspended from play without pay for a game. If that number rises to eight total personal foul penalties in a similar period, he is suspended for three games. If he commits ten such penalties in said period, he is suspended for a year.
I saw Matthews do this kind of thing like six or seven times this year, and I only watched maybe five GB games total. Personally, I'm not *against* letting old-school hits like the one he laid on Wilson be part of the game, but the rules pretty clearly state that his style of cheap shots are flagrant violations. What's a $20-50k fine for a 5% chance at removing the opposing team's QB early?
Like he wouldn't make ten times that on the apology tour alone. Either the hits are ok, or they're not, but don't go trying to convince anyone that a $20k fine is going to deter men making five to ten million per year when their job is to hurt people. Playing time is the only thing that will make the players, and teams, stand up and take notice. If you're not actually willing to punish them in a way they'll feel, take the rule off the books (about cheap hits) and stop talking about it.

There. All one syllable words just like you asked. ;-)

The elite QB's are worshiped like Gods and the gladiator like carnage is loved by the fans. Both bring in money and put butts in the seats. How do the two coexist? Even the new Movement towards player safety seems only half hearted in some ways. It so goes against the history and aura of a league that has immortalized the Jack Lamberts and the Dick Butkus' of the game.
I once saw an interview with an NFL ref who said when an interception occurs he immediately looks away from the play to locate the Quarterback because SOMEBODY is gonna take a free shot at him.
I wonder if the game wouldn't be better if the QB wore a different jersey the way a goal tender does in soccer.