Tag Archives: Russell Wilson

Moeaki already has made offense better

November 29, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Tony Moeaki has made a heck of an impact in just three games with the Seahawks.

The tight end scored a touchdown in his first game — against his old team, Kansas City. He led the Hawks with four catches in the win against Arizona, making two first downs. And then he pulled off Seattle’s longest play of the year — a 63-yard gain that maybe should have been a 64-yard touchdown — against San Francisco.

It has been a heck of a start for a guy general manager John Schneider picked up four weeks ago to replace Zach Miller, who is out for the season with an ankle injury.

Russell Wilson already loves Moeaki and looks for him in key spots, like the broken play that resulted in the 63-yard pass play.

“Moeaki, man, that’s a tremendous football player,” Wilson said Thursday after the Seahawks’ 19-3 win over the 49ers. “He knows what to do, he runs tremendous routes, he has a great feel for the game, get in and out of his routes at the right time, he has unbelievable hands. His adjustment to us is pretty spectacular to see in terms of how quickly he has made a difference. We are excited to have him on our team and to see all the plays he makes.”

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Week 13: At San Francisco

Hawks should finally win in San Francisco

November 27, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Is this finally the year the
Seahawks win at San Francisco?

They haven’t done it since 2008, going 0-4 in Pete
Carroll’s trips to his hometown. But a lot of things seem to be going their way for their first game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

1 — This has been a home-dominated series between Carroll’s Hawks and Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers, but the Hawks have gotten closer and closer to winning in the Bay Area. They lost by 19 in 2010 and 16 in 2011, and with Russell Wilson they have lost by seven and two. Extrapolate that improvement out and the Hawks seem set for a three-point win this time.

2 — The Seahawks are 11-1 in prime time under Carroll — a major reason they were shorted on night games this season despite winning the Super Bowl. Granted, the loss was in San Francisco on a Thursday night in 2012, but the Hawks have won seven straight night games, averaging 31 points.

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Week 12: Arizona, X's & O's

Despite great game, Wilson shares blame

November 26, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Russell Wilson clearly had one of his best performances of the season Sunday against Arizona, playing a very efficient game in the face of adversity.

According to ESPN, only 13 passers in NFL history had better ratings than Wilson’s 121.6 when being sacked seven times or more. Wilson was pretty calm in the face of the blitzing Arizona defense, hitting 11 of 13 passes for 153 yards in pressure situations.

But he still missed several opportunities and shared plenty of blame for the seven sacks.

Field Gulls put together screen shots and GIFs of each Seattle play that ended in a sack. After seeing those and rewatching the game, the fact is Wilson probably could have avoided at least four of the sacks if he had made quicker decisions and trusted his receivers a bit more.

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Week 12: Arizona

Can Wilson keep carrying offense? Will he have to?

November 25, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Last week, Russell Wilson took full responsibility for the struggles of the Seahawks’ offense and basically declared that it was time for him to take over.

“I think that I have to find a way to be clutch and always be clutch,” he said. “It’s something that I look forward to. It’s calling for that time right now, so I’m looking forward to that.”

On Sunday, he was as clutch as it gets, playing probably his best game of the season — considering the opponent, the team’s situation and the personal slump Wilson was trying to bust out of.

The question is: Can he continue to do it?

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Schedule, Week 12: Arizona

Hawks’ playoff scenarios

November 23, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Unlike last season, when the Seahawks were 9-1 at this point and pretty much assured of a playoff spot, they are fighting for their playoff lives as they enter a brutal six-week stretch to finish the season.

Some think the Hawks are in must-win mode the rest of the way, starting vs. Arizona, but the fact is they need just five wins in the final six games to make the playoffs. And they could make it with a 4-2 finish if other teams scuffle toward the end.

The Seahawks have a steep upward climb to catch Arizona for the NFC West title, trailing by three games and facing the toughest remaining slate in the NFL: Arizona (9-1), at San Francisco (6-4), at Philadelphia (7-3), vs. San Fran, at Arizona, vs. St. Louis (4-6).

Just to make the playoffs, the Hawks almost certainly will have to sweep either Arizona and/or San Francisco, plus win the finale at home vs. the Rams. Basically, they need to go at least 4-1 in their division games and perhaps win in Philly.

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State of the team, Week 12: Arizona

Is Wilson’s slump over?

November 19, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Russell Wilson has been scuffling along for weeks, fighting a passing slump (we can only hope it is passing) that has been worse than
anything since early in his rookie season.

It’s almost as if he has been enduring the so-called sophomore slump in his junior season.

He played better in Kansas City, seeming to find a little rhythm with his receivers, but he still was unable to rally the Hawks — the third time in Seattle’s four losses he has not been able to win it at the end.

You would think the third-year quarterback would be past that kind of a skid, especially considering all of the trials and tribulations he overcame last season, when he played behind a battered and leaky offensive line against some of the league’s best defenses and still led the Hawks to a Super Bowl title.

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Week 10: N.Y. Giants, X's & O's

Passing game is still grounded, but at least the Hawks are running it

November 11, 2014 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks are finally doing what you, me and everyone else thought they should be doing all year: Running the ball.

Both with Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson.

Pete Carroll and Darrell Bevell royally screwed up the offense in the offseason when they plotted to take over the world with Percy Harvin as their weapon of mass destruction. But — as most of the rest of us could have predicted — he imploded, and the Seattle offense blew up with him.

Thanks to the Percy Plan and many injuries on the offensive line (again), Wilson and the passing game have simply not been in sync.

For the fourth time in five games — and third straight game at home — Wilson was very bad throwing the ball. He threw two interceptions — both his fault — in the 38-17 win over the New York Giants. That followed up a 17-of-35 game vs. Oakland and a below-average performance at Carolina.

But the Hawks have won all three because they are running the ball again.

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Week 9: Oakland

Wilson & the Hawks are used to inconsistent OL

November 2, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Wouldn’t it be fun to see what Russell Wilson could do with the passing game behind a reliable offensive line?

He hasn’t had one yet in two and a half seasons as Seattle’s quarterback, and Sunday in their 30-24 win over the Oakland Raiders the Hawks went with their 15th line combination in Wilson’s 40 games.

It was ironic that the five starters from the best line in Seattle history — the 2005 Super Bowl line — happened to be in the house to celebrate Hall of Fame tackle Walter Jones’ induction into the Ring of Honor.

As Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, Chris Gray and Sean Locklear looked on, the Hawks started a third-string center, a second-year utility player at left tackle and a rookie right tackle — and by the end of the game they had another rookie playing left guard.

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Week 9: Oakland

The Seahawks won’t fall for it this time, right?

October 31, 2014 cc Leave a comment

That’s probably what Admiral Ackbar would say about a game that featured the defending Super Bowl champs at home against a winless, rudderless team that already had fired its coach.

But if ever there was a team that should know not to overlook an 0-7 opponent, it’s these Seahawks. As you might recall, they did that last year at exactly this time, falling into a 21-0 hole against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in Week 9.

Now, here they are again — facing another 0-7 team in Week 9 as the Oakland Raiders come to Seattle.

But these are not the same Seahawks as that overconfident 7-1 bunch last year that had to rally to beat Tampa in overtime.

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Week 8: At Carolina

A look back at Hawks’ most inefficient ‘long’ drive of the season

October 28, 2014 cc Leave a comment

Cooper vs Carolina — Cooper Helfet can’t quite get back to a pass thrown short of him at the 5-yard line in the third quarter at Carolina.

The Seattle offense was a total tease against Carolina, with two of its most time-consuming drives of the season ending in disappointment.

Bad enough was the 13-play drive at the end of the first half that ended in an interception off the hands of Marshawn Lynch. The 13 plays tied for the most in a Seattle drive this season.

But even worse — and more mindboggling — than that was the bizarre drive to start the third quarter, right after Marcus Burley had intercepted a pass by Cam Newton.

How does a team manage to hold the ball for six minutes and 12 plays and gain just 29 yards? With a very entertaining combination of good and bad plays.

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