5 Takeaways from Seahawks-Lions
Accountability, Grubb Time and delusional island resides in Detroit
Hawkblogger nailed it. What a fun game. Maybe I enjoyed the game, despite the loss, because the Hawks were 3-0 coming in. Maybe I enjoyed it because I knew Seattle is playing the Giants this week (probably without Malik Nabers). But Monday Night was great. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson called an absolutely perfect game and Ryan Grubb was with him nearly every step of the way. Geno Smith was electric, as were the skill position players for the Hawks. At the same time, this was a game that showed Hawks fans that Seattle has a ways to go to be elite. While the Seahawks battled through major injuries and weren’t at their best personnel wise, Seattle simply needs to be better.
The Defensive Depth Wasn’t as Deep as Great Expectations
Following the Dolphins game last week, I compared the depth of the Seahawks defense to that of The Great Gatsby. Seattle showed they were more than Byron Murphy, Leonard Williams, Boye Mafe and Jarran Reed on the defensive line. They had surprise performances from Trevis Gipson and Tyus Bowser against Miami. And so I entered Monday Night Football with great expectations, just like Charles Dickens. And like Dickens, I was disappointed in the humanity I witnessed. Missed tackles, blown coverages, and flat out getting smoked were the name of the game on Monday night. Many of the depth guys played poorly, but Gipson took the award home for “oh man, that guy can’t play this many snaps”.
Gipson diagnosed the trick play as a pass back to Jared Goff. He is literally within an arms length of the QB and he got smoked by Jared Frickin’ Goff. That was enough for me. The Hawks need their dudes back now. (Note: Bowser has since been waived so maybe he should have won an award too).
Mike Macdonald Becomes More Impressive in an Awful Defensive Performance
I think Mike Macdonald is a really good defensive mind. Most NFL people agree with this statement and most Hawk fans are excited about the future of the Seattle defense. However, there is a small part of me that wonders if the Hawks just beat up on bad teams. The Dolphins and Patriots, by nearly every metric and eyeball test, are the two worst teams in football. The Broncos started a rookie QB on the road in week one. When the Hawks faced a real offense, they gave up 42 points. Seattle got torched by Goff and the Lions weapons. So what makes me actually more impressed with Macdonald?
Let’s call it the anti-Fisch. While Huskies coach Jedd Fisch seems to deflect accountability for any errors, Macdonald does not shy away from it at all. Macdonald said the following on Tuesday:
"It starts with the head coach especially if I'm calling the defensive plays"
Macdonald’s press conference is full of quotes about accountability, getting better, giving credit to the Lions, and saying it is time to get urgent and improve. He didn’t blame the refs or throw any players under the bus. He spoke with confidence and also owned it. That accountability, combined with his attention to detail, gives me the feeling that the Hawks will put on a clinic this weekend against the Giants.
Note: I encourage you to read what Macdonald said here.
It’s Grubb Time!
One of the question marks coming into the season was if Ryan Grubb could adapt to the NFL and the complexity of NFL defenses. Putting up insane numbers in college with three NFL receivers and a NFL quarterback is one thing, but could he do it on the big stage? The early returns are that Grubb not only can do it, but he may be one of the best offensive coordinators in the league.
In a game that featured clearly one of the top offensive minds in Detroit’s Ben Johnson, Grubb was almost as impressive. Not only did Grubb adapt at halftime to get Kenneth Walker III going (5 carries for 6 yards in the first half versus 7 carries for 74 yards in the second half), but he designed some very cool pass plays to take advantage of the Lions’ tendency to play man to man. (This doesn’t even include the hook and ladder).
In this play below, DK Metcalf is running a rub route (similar to the one that Tyler Lockett was flagged on later). Jaxon Smith-Njigba is at the 33 yard line and about to turn toward the sideline. This was a great third down play call to get JSN open in space and get a first down. It only works if you study your opponent and know what you want to do against their tendencies. It is also creative because it is a play designed to be thrown before the first down marker, but with execution it becomes a first down.
In this next play, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Noah Fant are running right next to each other. It almost looks like someone is running the wrong route because there is no spacing. However, with Walker in the flat, Grubb knows he can essentially create a space for JSN to catch the ball. Fant takes out the middle linebacker simply through his route and JSN sits in the open space.
In this final example, Jake Bobo and Pharoah Brown run shallow crossing routes while Walker sprints out left to the flat. These three players seem like main options, but they are all simply designed to make defenders follow them to create an opening for Noah Fant.
Look below at the space the Noah Fant has as a result of this play design.
Grubb is really good and only going to get better.
The K9 Unit with a side of Charbonnet
It would be easy to point to the Seahawks’ 21st ranked rushing offense (yards/game) and question a takeaway that points out the awesomeness of the Seattle running backs. But you would be wrong. Did you know that Seattle has the top ranked rushing offense according to Pro Football Focus? Did you know the Seahawks have the seventh fewest rush attempts in the NFL but rank 11th in yards per attempt (4.5)? Anyone who saw what Kenneth Walker III did on Monday night left impressed. With 113 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, Walker’s stat line was only out shined by his double flip.
But Zach Charbonnet was awesome as well out of the backfield and in pass protection. In fact, Charbonnet ended up as the second highest rated blocker on the Hawks in Monday’s game. The Seahawks have something in this combo of Charbonnet and Walker. I look forward to seeing Grubb utilize both more to create a better balanced attack against the Giants.
The Lions Corners are Delusional
If you look at Pro Football Focus rankings for corners in the NFL after four weeks, you will see Carlton Davis ranked 62nd (behind a guy named Storm Duck) and rookie Terrion Arnold ranked 94th. If you just look at coverage grades, Davis is 116th and Arnold is 144th. On Monday, Davis had four penalties called against him and Arnold had three. On the season, they are ranked 1st (Arnold) and 3rd (Davis) in the NFL in penalties against AND they have terrible coverage grades.
Yet, Davis had this to say after the game.
Asked which of his penalties he took particular offense to, Davis said "every one" of them.
"I don't want to get fined because they are sensitive about this, but honestly bro, I can't say what I want to say, but honestly it's just like I felt as if they were just on the Seahawks' side today," he said.
Carlton Davis is on Carlton Davis delusion island. National broadcasters and pundits thought the refs blew this game for the Seahawks. Troy Aikman spent time on air blasting Arnold for his instincts to grab. Even the Lions coverage is concerned about the corners and their inability to cover and the penalties they accrue each week. And of course, there was this non-penalty against Joseph. Which doesn’t benefit the Seahawks does it Carlton?
Arnold actually spent time in the game pointing to replays in which the video proof showed he committed penalties. And yet the corners celebrated every missed pass like they won the Super Bowl. Look, the Lions deserved to win. But it wasn’t because of their delusional corners.