It's been a while since I last posted, but I felt obligated to post on this subject after such a heart breaking loss by the Seahawks this last weekend to the Atlanta Falcons. The reason I feel obligated is that I keep seeing tons of Facebook posts and random conversations in public related to the loss and how it was solely Pete Carroll's fault. Even worse is that most blame him because of the time out to ice the kicker. I think we all see coaches from high school to the NFL take a timeout before a big kick to ice the kicker. These days it doesn't seem to work well. In this case Bryant missed the first FG but the timeout saved him. I personally think he missed because the whistles were blowing as he was kicking it. There is no telling what would have happened if Pete Carroll allowed the play to continue. That being said, there was a huge pile of reasons why the Seahawks lost this game and the timeout to ice the kicker is not on that list.
Here is a list I compiled in my head as I was watching the game with several friends over at my place:
1) First Half Deficit: You cannot expect to be down 20-0 in the first half and win a playoff football game. Only one team in the history of the NFL has done so.
- The first half deficit was due to the following:
- The lack of execution on defense
- The fumble
- The going for it on 4th down when you can kick a field goal to make it a one score game
- The taking a sack to end the half all contributed to this first half deficit
2) Poor Defense: The Seahawks had the most dominant defense in the NFL this season, against the run and pass. Therefore, this game was not expected to get out of control so early for Seattle's defense. They gave up plenty of big plays to Atlanta's receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, but the player who killed them the most in the passing game was Tony Gonzalez. The Seahawks did not seem prepared in the first half to face such a monster TE, even though he's been doing well for years. The Seahawks also have a great run stuffing D-line, yet a struggling Michael "burner" Turner ran all over them. Poor tackling cost them in this category. They were trying to knock the ball out and knock him down. Everyone knows to square up, wrap up, and/or go for the legs on a big powerful running back like that.
However, the defense really disappointed Seattle by not showing up for the last 31 seconds of the game. They gave up 41 yards on two plays to put the Falcons in FG range for a great kicker in Bryant to win it. With just seconds to go in the game, a defense is expected to protect a lead. You cannot allow a decent kick return and two huge passing plays to lose the game for you.
3) Three Quarters of Awful Offensive Execution: The Seahawks offense looked so lost in the first 3 quarters of the game. The run game was awful. The read option was barely a factor as Wilson did not keep it too often and Lynch's running was the worst he's had all year. His fumble issues in the playoffs appeared to affect him mentally. Perhaps flying to the East coast back to back weeks attributed to this, but having a week between games should be plenty to recover. Wilson's passes were just a bit off, receivers were not getting as open, and the play clock management by the coaches and QB were baffling. I could see Berman watching the game saying his popular "tick, tick, tick, tick, tick!" at the end of the first half.
All that being said the Seahawks, and especially Wilson, found a great offensive groove in the 4th quarter. It was a bummer that it took 3 quarters to realize what would work offensively against a team with a poor defense.
4) No Pass Rush: It was clear that Chris Clemons was missed here. Not having him on the field put the weight of the pass rush on a rookie DE. Bruce Irvin was not a huge factor this season as one would expect for a first round draft pick and he was certainly a no show in this game. It seems like Gus Bradley should have created some nice blitzes to baffle and confuse Matt Ryan. Instead the Seahawks played a lot of 4-5 man rushes, which the Falcons O-line picked up with ease to give their WR's and Ryan time to shred the secondary of Seattle.
In summary, it was a team loss. The loss was a combination of players and coaches not executing the game they have been playing all year. Taking a field goal in the first half instead of going for it on 4th, not fumbling, not having clock management issues and taking a sack to end the first half, and not letting the Falcons drive with 30 seconds to go were huge factors. The Seahawks had a great year full of young players who will only improve. I am looking forward to next season. All the amazing draft picks the Seahawks had this year should be better next year, and if Seattle can get home field advantage in the playoffs, it is not crazy to think that the Seahawks will take home the 2014 Superbowl Trophy.
After thought: Here are some areas the Seahawks will need to take care of in the off-season:
- OLB: Leroy Hill will be a free agent. He had an off year and he has been full of off field incidents during the off season. I feel like the Seahawks should let him go and either go out and get a respectable OLB or hold out for one in the draft.
- DT: Alan Branch is also a free agent this off season. Seattle should re-sign him as him and Red Bryant are two huge run stopping DT's. If Jason Jones comes back it'll be a great DL for next year.
- Kicker: The Seahawks always seem to find decent kickers in the off season. If Hauschka pursues a bigger contract elsewhere then I have confidence the Hawks will find another decent kicker to replace him. However, he was consistent all year within 50 yards and he could kick it deep for touch backs, so let's hope he stays and the Hawks will not have to pay too much to keep him.
- CB: It seems that Trufant has aged to the point where injuries plague him and receivers are always breaking his coverage. I like Trufant because he was a Coug and a great CB for years, but I think it is time for him to retire or play a limited role so that players like Jeremy Lane can step up. CB injuries also seem to be common so signing or drafting another decent CB wouldn't hurt Seattle.
- DE: Chris Clemons just lost his knee. Off season surgery will dictate if he can even come back and if he does there will be questions about how his knee will hold up. I'd like to thank the Redskins cheap and terrible organization for putting a terrible spray painted turf out there for a playoff game. Seattle should consider signing a decent pass rushing DE and possibly replace Clemons if his knee plagues him next season.
- WR: The Seahawks haven't had a big play WR in a long time. They definitely need to pursue one in the off season to help Lynch and Wilson out on offense. Rice is made of glass when it comes to injuries and while Tate can make some big plays, he doesn't have the height or speed to be a consistent threat down the field.