interesting article on the eagles' blitzes versus the rams' offense:
espn.go.com
man it says the eagles have 3 corners who can cover!
the seahawks may have that if springs is healthy, and charlton and lucas come into their own. charlton (2nd year in 2001) was burned alot in the first two years. lucas was burned alot in his rookie year (2001). toward the end of the season though, each player had an interception against flutie. they may have both been tds... charlton's definitely was.
it's interesting that in the local press the talk is more about lucas now than charlton. yet with that sd game i have hope for charlton as well. both are 2nd round picks.
if they pan out it will say alot for holmgren and his staff.
holmgren made a big mistake on ahman green. green may fumble, but this past year he had less per carry than the seahawks' own alexander. anyone could see green's speed from those first preseason games in the '98 season. it's a shame holmgren didn't like the risk/reward ratio there; lots of fumbles and lots of tds... it's also interesting that green catches the ball out of the backfield. but for his supposed fumbling problems you'd think he'd be a natural in holmgren's scheme. alexander represents either the tandem of he and green, or green alone and a 1st-round defensive end instead of alexander.
as it is, green got away for practically nothing - cornerback (fred vinson?) who never played a down... hurt himself in offseason basketball or somesuch.
yes he represents great running back depth or a defensive lineman they don't have.
that and the sinclair signing in '99 are the two biggest mistakes i can think of - other than galloway.
in the 1999 season, when they were 8-2 and galloway hadn't played, their efficiency was highly rated - lots of points for few yards on the offense and few points and many yards on defense. after galloway came back, they got spanked.
it's interesting to wonder if they could have kept up that same anomalous ('lucky') efficiency and gotten deep into the playoffs that year - had galloway simply been told to take a hike from the get-go.
now on the bright side again - holmgren has assembled the best offensive line seattle has ever had. if they re-sign walter jones then they're set for the immediate future; and that's the best you can ask with the salary cap rules.
again on the bright side, he has drafted probably by far the best receiver corps seattle has ever had.
holmgren doesn't seem to know it (yet) but huard is also a great qb.
it's encouraging that qb coach jim zorn (a local seattle hero because he was qb for the 'hawks in the early years) was offered the offensive coordinator job at minnesota but turned it down.
my advice to holmgren is this: no matter who starts at qb, have them play like dilfer. that guy can pick apart a d!... and deep too!
i think huard could do that. 30+ runs to alexander per game, and lots of deep passing.
even if hasselback is the starter, he has to play better -- like dilfer!
all in all, holmgren hasn't been a total bust. he's inherited a more difficult situation than he'd bargained for, i think. it looks like he's building a team whereas the fans here want a winner now... we must be one of the least successful franchises in the past 15 years...
knox would run, and he threw deep. even though people called him ground chuck, he had one basic rule; 'if i get a first down between the 40 yard lines, i'm going deep.'
here is a rule i'd definitely like to see holmgren implement; anywhere from your own 10 to their 30... throw it deep on the first play after your defense gets a turnover.
erickson had a very good defense... set a record for defensive touchdowns... 13 or something.
holmgren has his program and the fans want wins... NOW
maybe this next year will be their year... i hear they're getting new uniforms.... i'm hoping for purple and black...
there's supposed to be a wr on the practice squad who is very good. yes, this is the best wr corps they've ever had.
now just add 2 or 3 defensive ends and with a healthy secondary, zowie! great defense... on a new field. 8 games in the driving wind and rain... salt air from the sound drifting in... a pro stadium built kind of like a larger husky stadium.
paul allen you sly dog! |
