Tag Archives: Matthew Stafford

#LARvsSEA, X's & O's

On defense, Macdonald outsmarted himself

Leave a comment

Mike Macdonald is a brilliant defensive coach – he has proven it with three teams (including the Seahawks) over the past few years. But sometimes he is too smart for his own good – or for his players’ good.

Thursday night was one of those times.

As hard as it is to fathom, his stellar defense surrendered a franchise-worst 581 yards to the juggernaut Rams. That included 457 passing yards from Matthew Stafford and 225 receiving yards from Puka Nacua.

Six Rams had receiving plays of 19 yards or more. Nacua had a 58-yarder and a 41-yard TD in overtime.

It was a big shock after the Hawks had held Stafford to just 130 yards in Week 11.

Macdonald admitted he tried to get too fancy in the game plan on a short week.

Continue reading On defense, Macdonald outsmarted himself →
#LARvsSEA

Macdonald on historic comeback: ‘Great teams figure out a way to win’

Leave a comment

Mike Macdonald knows he has a great football team because it can beat any team in any style of game.

And the Seahawks are so resilient that they can give up a franchise-record 581 yards, go minus-3 in turnover margin, trail by 16 midway through the fourth quarter and still rally to beat the “other best team” in the NFL with a two-point conversion in overtime.

That’s what the Hawks did to the Rams in a wild 38-37 comeback that (a) clinched a playoff spot, (b) gave the Hawks control of the No. 1 seed and (c) got the Big Game Monkey off Sam Darnold’s back.

Macdonald said he was “really, really proud” of his team for overcoming all of the negatives in the massive NFL battle royale.

“What a friggin’ football team you guys are,” he told his players afterward. “What a freaking football team, man! We’re the freaking Seahawks! Let’s go!”

Continue reading Macdonald on historic comeback: ‘Great teams figure out a way to win’ →
#SEAvsLAR

Blowout wins send Hawks, Rams into huge Week 11 clash

Leave a comment

The Seahawks and Rams are clearly the class of the NFC West and among the very best in the NFL as well, as they both proved by eclipsing 40 points in blowout wins against division opponents Sunday.

They have been on a collision course for division dominance for weeks now – and that head-on clash is coming in Week 11 as the pair of 7-2 teams finally square off.

Continue reading Blowout wins send Hawks, Rams into huge Week 11 clash →
NFL history, State of the team, The roster

Hawks should take lessons on how 49ers and Rams keep getting to the Super Bowl

1 Comment

“We feel this is the toughest division in football.” – John Schneider on the NFC West.

The NFC West has been the best division in football for several years now, so it is no big surprise that the NFC championship featured two teams from Seattle’s division.

The 49ers and Rams both have lost in the Super Bowl in the past three years, and now – after a pair of walk-off road wins last weekend — one of them (the Rams) is returning to the league’s championship game. It will be the NFC West’s sixth Super Bowl appearance in the last 10 seasons – another tribute to the best division in the NFL.

Continue reading Hawks should take lessons on how 49ers and Rams keep getting to the Super Bowl →
Week 5: L.A. Rams, X's & O's

Forget Wilson; priority is fixing the defense

3 Comments

For some fans, the sky is always falling. So, you can imagine the reaction after the Seahawks lost to the Rams yet again – and Russell Wilson got hurt along the way.

The Hawks are now 2-3, and some people are writing their 2021 obit. But the season is far from over.

The Hawks were not expected to beat the Rams – not this time, not with an inconsistent offense and discombobulated defense. The only surprise in the 26-17 loss was the finger injury to Wilson, which actually improved the offense as Geno Smith led the Hawks to more points in one quarter (10) than Wilson had in three (7).

Smith’s steady performance – minus the unfortunate interception at the end – assuaged any concerns that the Hawks cannot win without Wilson. In some ways, Smith was better (e.g., he worked the middle of the field and threw a successful screen pass).

The big problem Seattle must fix over the next 10 days – before a Sunday night game in Pittsburgh – is a defense that once again is off to a historically bad start. Pete Carroll and Ken Norton Jr. have got to seal up the cracks – again.

Continue reading Forget Wilson; priority is fixing the defense →
Contracts

QB leapfrog: Wilson will make another jump in 2019

1 Comment

Wilson signing contractQuarterback contracts are just a game of leapfrog, so it’s no surprise to see Derek Carr jumping over Andrew Luck as the highest-paid passer in the NFL.

It’s easy to see where the market is going — a few more guys will leap Carr before the Seahawks and Russell Wilson start talking extension in a couple of years.

At least four more deals are likely to exceed Carr’s $25 million a year, and the APY could be around $30 million by 2020.

Continue reading QB leapfrog: Wilson will make another jump in 2019 →