Seahawks offense flaccid
The Seahawks 6-3 loss to the Browns yesterday was one of the ugliest NFL games I have ever seen in my life. Not only did the Seahawks lose to the Browns, they lost to the referees, too.
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I want to give praise first, though. The Seahawks defense was phenomenal. The only weak spot was the 3rd down defense as they allowed the Browns several times to convert their 3rd downs. Being on the field for 2/3 of the game is hard in the first place, but to play solid defense and not allow them to score a touchdown was beyond clutch.
Red Bryant and David Hawthorne stepped up huge in the game, with one of them seemingly in on every play.
Red Bryant‘s run stopping and surprising quarterback pressure was one of the huge keys to the game as the constant pressure kept the Browns off guard and unable to get anything going. And on special teams, the guy was amazing.
Two blocked field goals?! You don’t even see that kind of stuff in college!
David Hawthorne was a machine, sacking McCoy and getting tackles for loss as well as doing a great job as the Mike linebacker, able to cover the full field when necessary. His interception was key, even if he played hot potato with the ball heading to the sideline.
Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor had good days as well. Chancellor will sadly be most known for the roughing the quarterback call against him though that should not have been called.
He also had one of the most amazing NFL hits I have ever witnessed in the 4th quarter on Montario Hardesty. (vid coming soon when I can find it)
The special teams play was exceptional as well. Along with Bryant’s aforementioned blocked field goals, punter Jon Ryan managed to keep Josh Cribbs out of the game. No small feat since he is one of the best returners in the game today as well as NFL history.
To make Cribbs a non-factor definitely helped the Seahawks stay in the game.
Alright, onto the Seahawks offense. I understand that missing several key players in Tarvaris Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Zach Miller, and Max Unger made the game much more difficult, but the Seahawks offense had several chances to win this game.
For starters, the dropped passes never help and the biggest offender was tight end Anthony McCoy who continued his poor play at the position after dropping a few passes vs the Giants.
Charlie Whitehurst proved why he is the backup quarterback and hasn’t been named starter in his 6 year career. His throws were frequently way too high or not even in the vicinity of any of his receivers. It was like he was trying to kill his receivers the way he was throwing.
Whitehurst couldn't smile after Sunday's debacle
Take for example, the series where the Seahawks actually moved the ball down field. The 38 yard pass to a wide open Sidney Rice was brutal. Whitehurst should’ve thrown the pass to the inside of the field so Rice’s momentum didn’t carry him out of bounds.
On the flipside, Rice could have positioned himself so he didn’t have to play the tight rope act down the sideline. Had the play gone down smoothly, Rice would’ve been in for 6 points easily.
Then the Seahawks ran 5 plays in the Browns red zone and could not get it in. They called runs to Justin Forsett that were easily stuffed by the Browns defense. Why call on Forsett in a power back situation?
I get it, no Beast mode, but there’s still Michael Robinson to try and power the ball in with if you wanted to run the ball.
Then they called a pass play and Michael Robinson was relatively open in the front right corner of the endzone.
Whitehurst threw it well over his head, forcing Robinson to try and jump to make the play. Robinson was almost cut in half by the Browns linebacker that came in to try and make the play.
There is no excuse for that. You’re a pro, you should be able to make the basic throws. (12 of 30? Really?)
In the end, you can’t point fingers at many players. The game is run by the quarterback and the quarterback did not execute at all.
That’s why I’m pointing MY finger at Whitehurst.
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