"I’d love to see the Seahawks execute a daring trade (Metcalf) or a cold-hearted cut of a good player (Williams or Lockett) in the offseason in the name of aggressive rebuilding, rather than extending things through 2027 in the name of keeping a classic rock cover band together."
There are a lot of things you can criticize John Schneider for, but it's clear by now that he does not fear turnover, and he would rather get rid of an aging veteran too early than too late. See: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, and of course Russell Wilson.
Also, the pedantic nerd in me appreciates the way you specified that Frankenstein's MONSTER would be a good football player. Because Frankenstein, the doctor, would not.
Your Frankenstein's monster reminded me of Darrell Taylor. He's a beast, but he can only obey simple commands. Had the most hilarious roughing the passer penalty last year (he even celebrated that he had "sacked" Goff, who had handed off about 2 seconds prior).
Mike Macdonald traded him to the Bears since he didn't believe Taylor would understand his scheme.
@ Mike - the biggest Hive and Stan offenders that come to mind are actually not Youtube film people. At least two are highly respected media people working for major household name platforms while the "Herbert top 5 for MVP and Geno top 5 QB" offender is also a relatively major platform person. The latter is also famously anti Purdy, so you can probably figure that one out by now. All parties shall remain nameless.
Regarding the Seahawks in general, and related to Geno Smith (Disclaimer, I am a fan):
This is a team with B-to-B-Plus talent at a lot of places on the roster. There are a bunch of above-average players. The linebackers and interior offensive line are bad.
That all adds up to a team that is average to a little above average. If they had one game-breaking talent at a critical position (interior DL, edge rusher, wide receiver) then they'd be perennial playoff competitors and have a chance at a Superb Owl.
Obviously, one of the places they could upgrade is quarterback. Geno is a perfectly cromulent quarterback. You're not going to win because of him, but you can win with him. But of course guys like that don't grow on trees.
It's a frustrating place to be as a fan. You can see the quality on the roster, but know that there are upgrades available, and that you need to upgrade somewhere to have a shot at a championship.
Regarding the Ravens defense, this weekend should be fascinating - vs. an offensive genius who believes he's smarter than the opponent and completely sticks to a scripted game plan. Especially with a rookie QB who has had challenges when moving to later progressions on a play.
I really hope there is success against the Ravens - speaking of someone who will be at the game as a Denver fan.
But this matchup screams of one team being angry about last week and refocusing on whatever opponent this week. And also a perfect let down for the Broncos.
PS Besides, I've personally seen one Broncos road victory since 2004 - beyond a preseason game and a London game. 🤣
As a Ravens fan, it was obvious in the off-season that the D was due for a letdown. Too much talent left the team, new coaches promoted who needed time to grow. The secondary was my biggest concern and it has been proven. Diontae - I remember him dropping passes all the time with the Steelers. I still think speed is the key for the Ravens offense - if they can get Keaton Mitchell back to last year's level they will be fine.
I have to respectfully disagree on your takes on the Seahawks and Geno. First, Geno. He's playing really well. If you look at his sack to pressure rate, that's elite. I wouldn't say that he's a top 5 QB, but this year, only Stafford is playing better than him in the NFC West. I don't know whether you consider Stephen Ruiz one of your film critics, but he has Geno as the 9th best QB this season.
I think you got a few things wrong about the cap. Releasing Lockett should happen, unfortunately (I was hoping they could send him to KC so he could chase a ring, but they already got Hopkins, so not happening). DK was already restructured, so not much cap to find there. They can cut Dre'Mont Jones for a significant relief. He and Locket alone give the team $30M in cap. They have several players that are expensive, ineffective, and with very little dead money (the trifecta of "easy to cut"), they will be okay. With some simple levers they can free $60M without impact future cap significantly.
Tudo bem cara mais ... respectully, I disagree on Geno. You can't just pick and choose stats like pressure rate to bolster your case. I don't have access to the advanced stats but Danny Dimes is probably top 5 by EPA on scrambles (though maybe not if fumbles count against scramble EPA). That doesn't make DD elite. I agree with Mike Tanier that Geno is the 4th best QB in his own division. In the NFCN, he'd be QB3 and while Geno is better than Caleb Williams today I'd still take Williams over Geno due to future upside. In the NFCS, Geno would arguably be tied for QB1. In the NFCE, he'd probably be QB1.5. So, Geno barely cracks top 10 QB in the NFC. Yes, Ruiz is the biggest Hive/Stan offender. I consume The Ringer podcasts and Ruiz has put Geno in his top 5 multiple times, with Mahomes, Lamar, Allen and Herbert. While Ruiz is the biggest offender, there are others who regularly fawn over Geno including a former colleague of Mike's. --- Abs Guilherme!
In regards to the question about Mahomes, why don't more defenders try to, you know, tackle him? Like actually wrap him up instead of launching at his like a missile?
Yeah, just break down and tackle him if he stays in bounds, try to slap the ball away if he extends it while going out of bounds, otherwise watch as he goes out of bounds. Not rocket science. More like Pee Wee football.
I believe the issue with tackling Mahomes is that he’s shifty and difficult to get a clean shot at. When he decides to run with ball it seems he’s always in the right place at the right moment. Surely, he’s been stopped short of the first down much less behind the line of scrimmage while scrambling at times but it seems in the big games he is never stopped. To me that running ability in clutch moments is his magic moreso than his clutch passing.
And these are vibes talking not stats-based so I could be wrong too.
Yeah, I thought that was a weird question. Implying that a rule change is needed so defensive players can violently launch at the NFL’s most valuable commodity, instead of just pushing him out of bounds.
Re Surtain and Moss, I like the movie related nicknames, so since they are Broncos how about Blazing Saddles?
"I’d love to see the Seahawks execute a daring trade (Metcalf) or a cold-hearted cut of a good player (Williams or Lockett) in the offseason in the name of aggressive rebuilding, rather than extending things through 2027 in the name of keeping a classic rock cover band together."
There are a lot of things you can criticize John Schneider for, but it's clear by now that he does not fear turnover, and he would rather get rid of an aging veteran too early than too late. See: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, and of course Russell Wilson.
Also, the pedantic nerd in me appreciates the way you specified that Frankenstein's MONSTER would be a good football player. Because Frankenstein, the doctor, would not.
I want Frankenstein on my staff.
He could put the smartest heads on the strongest bodies with the fastest legs and most powerful arms.
Make "drafting for parts" the NFL's most effective strategy.
Mailbag morning! A great way to start the day.
Also, A+ Geno Smith stray.
Your Frankenstein's monster reminded me of Darrell Taylor. He's a beast, but he can only obey simple commands. Had the most hilarious roughing the passer penalty last year (he even celebrated that he had "sacked" Goff, who had handed off about 2 seconds prior).
Mike Macdonald traded him to the Bears since he didn't believe Taylor would understand his scheme.
And I'll keep on taking potshots until he gets it right!
@ Mike - the biggest Hive and Stan offenders that come to mind are actually not Youtube film people. At least two are highly respected media people working for major household name platforms while the "Herbert top 5 for MVP and Geno top 5 QB" offender is also a relatively major platform person. The latter is also famously anti Purdy, so you can probably figure that one out by now. All parties shall remain nameless.
Regarding the Seahawks in general, and related to Geno Smith (Disclaimer, I am a fan):
This is a team with B-to-B-Plus talent at a lot of places on the roster. There are a bunch of above-average players. The linebackers and interior offensive line are bad.
That all adds up to a team that is average to a little above average. If they had one game-breaking talent at a critical position (interior DL, edge rusher, wide receiver) then they'd be perennial playoff competitors and have a chance at a Superb Owl.
Obviously, one of the places they could upgrade is quarterback. Geno is a perfectly cromulent quarterback. You're not going to win because of him, but you can win with him. But of course guys like that don't grow on trees.
It's a frustrating place to be as a fan. You can see the quality on the roster, but know that there are upgrades available, and that you need to upgrade somewhere to have a shot at a championship.
Regarding the Ravens defense, this weekend should be fascinating - vs. an offensive genius who believes he's smarter than the opponent and completely sticks to a scripted game plan. Especially with a rookie QB who has had challenges when moving to later progressions on a play.
I really hope there is success against the Ravens - speaking of someone who will be at the game as a Denver fan.
But this matchup screams of one team being angry about last week and refocusing on whatever opponent this week. And also a perfect let down for the Broncos.
PS Besides, I've personally seen one Broncos road victory since 2004 - beyond a preseason game and a London game. 🤣
As a Ravens fan, it was obvious in the off-season that the D was due for a letdown. Too much talent left the team, new coaches promoted who needed time to grow. The secondary was my biggest concern and it has been proven. Diontae - I remember him dropping passes all the time with the Steelers. I still think speed is the key for the Ravens offense - if they can get Keaton Mitchell back to last year's level they will be fine.
I have to respectfully disagree on your takes on the Seahawks and Geno. First, Geno. He's playing really well. If you look at his sack to pressure rate, that's elite. I wouldn't say that he's a top 5 QB, but this year, only Stafford is playing better than him in the NFC West. I don't know whether you consider Stephen Ruiz one of your film critics, but he has Geno as the 9th best QB this season.
I think you got a few things wrong about the cap. Releasing Lockett should happen, unfortunately (I was hoping they could send him to KC so he could chase a ring, but they already got Hopkins, so not happening). DK was already restructured, so not much cap to find there. They can cut Dre'Mont Jones for a significant relief. He and Locket alone give the team $30M in cap. They have several players that are expensive, ineffective, and with very little dead money (the trifecta of "easy to cut"), they will be okay. With some simple levers they can free $60M without impact future cap significantly.
Tudo bem cara mais ... respectully, I disagree on Geno. You can't just pick and choose stats like pressure rate to bolster your case. I don't have access to the advanced stats but Danny Dimes is probably top 5 by EPA on scrambles (though maybe not if fumbles count against scramble EPA). That doesn't make DD elite. I agree with Mike Tanier that Geno is the 4th best QB in his own division. In the NFCN, he'd be QB3 and while Geno is better than Caleb Williams today I'd still take Williams over Geno due to future upside. In the NFCS, Geno would arguably be tied for QB1. In the NFCE, he'd probably be QB1.5. So, Geno barely cracks top 10 QB in the NFC. Yes, Ruiz is the biggest Hive/Stan offender. I consume The Ringer podcasts and Ruiz has put Geno in his top 5 multiple times, with Mahomes, Lamar, Allen and Herbert. While Ruiz is the biggest offender, there are others who regularly fawn over Geno including a former colleague of Mike's. --- Abs Guilherme!
In regards to the question about Mahomes, why don't more defenders try to, you know, tackle him? Like actually wrap him up instead of launching at his like a missile?
Yeah, just break down and tackle him if he stays in bounds, try to slap the ball away if he extends it while going out of bounds, otherwise watch as he goes out of bounds. Not rocket science. More like Pee Wee football.
I believe the issue with tackling Mahomes is that he’s shifty and difficult to get a clean shot at. When he decides to run with ball it seems he’s always in the right place at the right moment. Surely, he’s been stopped short of the first down much less behind the line of scrimmage while scrambling at times but it seems in the big games he is never stopped. To me that running ability in clutch moments is his magic moreso than his clutch passing.
And these are vibes talking not stats-based so I could be wrong too.
Y, if it were all that easy, it’d be done by now.
Yeah, I thought that was a weird question. Implying that a rule change is needed so defensive players can violently launch at the NFL’s most valuable commodity, instead of just pushing him out of bounds.