Week 3 of the 2009 NFL season saw the Detroit Lions pick up their first win since 2007, snapping a 19-game streak that allows them to avoid making history for the wrong reason a second time by breaking Tampa Bay's infamous record of 26 straight losses. The Cincinatti Bengals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to go 2-1, and if it wasn't for a freak play against the Denver Broncos they could easily be 3-0 (What!?).
But the game most of you probably didn't see took place on the West Coast between the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks, two teams that made it to the Super Bowl a few years back and seem to have taken on chronic cases of Super Bowl hangover, either failing to make the playoffs or facing an exit far too early for their liking (anyone who remembers Seattle's 42-20 drubbing at the hands of the 2007 Green Bay Packers knows what I'm talking about). Both teams entered the game banged up, the Bears on defense and the Seahawks on both sides of the ball, but most fantasy league owners were probably praying that Matt Forte would run away with the game. Alas, they would be disappointed as he carried 21 for only 66 yards against a Seattle defense lacking star linebacker Lofa Tatupu, but quarterback Jay Cutler made up for it with a stellar performance, completeing 21 0f 27 passes for 247 yards and three scores while only turning the ball over once.
Seahawks Verdict - Injuries = Losses: It's hard to get any more simple than that. Without Tatupu, the Seahawks defense performed valiantly in holding Forte to 66 rushing yards, but they also allowed their first points through the air of the season against the Bears, who are not yet known for their flashy pass attack. The injury that probably hurt the most was Matt Hasselbeck's; Seneca Wallace made too many mistakes in his absence, and the hole left by Hasselbeck is starting to show itself once again as the Seahawks struggled to move the ball when it counted, settling for Olindo Mare field goals and failing a last, desperate fourth down conversion.
Bears Verdict - Cutler going strong, Forte not so much: After a dismal Week 1 showing against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears QB has demonstrated an increased rapport with his recievers, particularly Devin Hester and Johnny Knox. Meanwhile, Matt Forte (who accounted for 36% of Chicago's offensive yardage last year) has continued to struggle, rushing for a poor 2.6 yards per carry through the first three games. While Cutler was able to carry them past Pittsburgh and Seattle, Lovie Smith has made it clear that he is not happy with the offense's lack of balance. When the cold weather comes to the NFC North, the Bears will need to pound the rock, and Forte's production must be better if they are going to sustain their success.
Showing posts with label Seattle Seahawks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle Seahawks. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
NFL Draft Recap #1
Now that the last pick has been called, the Draft is officially over, but the drama is not. Now each team must get their players signed and on to the practice field. In the meantime, here is the first installment of our Draft Recap.
Most Intriguing Pick: I will not go so far as to say ‘best’ or ‘worst’ pick, since none of these players’ careers or set in stone. But I can say that the most interesting to me was Mark Sanchez, picked fifth overall by the New York Jets. The Jets made a costly trade to get the rights to Sanchez, and most of their hopes will be riding on his shoulders.
Most Puzzling Pick: Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos). With all of the focus for improvement on Denver’s ailing defense, they instead elected to take Knowshon Moreno, a running back from Georgia who many Draft analysts expected to be taken in the middle of the first round at the highest, more in the area of the Broncos’ #18 pick instead of their substantially higher #12 selection.
1. Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford – QB – Georgia: As I outlined previously, the Lions went with Stafford over USC QB Mark Sanchez or Wake Forest product Aaron Curry. While Curry would have addressed the need for a fresh face at linebacker, Stafford could end up being a much more emphatic stamp on this new Lions regime with his elite arm strength and three years of college starts. Sanchez also had a case to go here, but he had some injury concerns in college and Stafford has the toughness that will probably be needed at the woeful Lions, where he can expect to get beat up for a while.
2. St. Louis Rams – Jason Smith – OT – Baylor: With the release of Orlando Pace who has been a feature on the Rams’ offensive line for the past decade, offensive tackle shot up the list of St. Louis’ needs (keep in mind it was already a concern before Pace’s departure, and thus became even more critical afterwards). They met it well, drafting a strong run- and pass-blocker in Jason Smith. While Alabama’s Andre Smith may have had the most potential of all the offensive linemen in this draft, Jason still has tremendous talent and is a safer pick due to his lack of off-the-field issues. I think that, like Pace before him, Smith with anchor the Rams line for a decade or more.
3. Kansas City Chiefs – Tyson Jackson – DE – Louisiana State: This was my first (but not biggest) surprise of this draft. While Tyson Jackson is ideal for the Chiefs’ conversion to a 3-4 defense with his ability to play 3-4 end or even 4-3 defensive tackle during the transition period, he might not have been worth the third overall selection. He is a solid player, but his potential is limited and he isn’t the type of talent who is necessarily going to change the fortunes of a franchise. Now the Chiefs tried to trade down but were unsuccessful, so while Jackson may have been a bit of reach in terms of talent he was likely one of the best players for Kansas City. He and last year’s fifth overall pick Glenn Dorsey will form a formidable tandem on the Chiefs defensive front along with first-rounder Tamba Hali.
4. Seattle Seahawks – Aaron Curry – LB – Wake Forest: Most of the pre-draft hype had Seattle taking a receiver, but with the acquisition of former Cincinnati Bengal T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency the Seahawks elected to go with Aaron Curry. One of the best players in this draft, Curry has excellent size (6’1” and 250 pounds), speed, skill, and raw instinct. He fits Seattle’s defensive scheme almost perfectly and can step right into the spot that Julian Peterson vacated, keeping the strong Seahawk linebacker core alive with Leroy Hill and Lofa Tatupu.
We will have picks #5 through 11 on the second edition of our 2009 NFL Draft Recap.
Most Intriguing Pick: I will not go so far as to say ‘best’ or ‘worst’ pick, since none of these players’ careers or set in stone. But I can say that the most interesting to me was Mark Sanchez, picked fifth overall by the New York Jets. The Jets made a costly trade to get the rights to Sanchez, and most of their hopes will be riding on his shoulders.
Most Puzzling Pick: Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos). With all of the focus for improvement on Denver’s ailing defense, they instead elected to take Knowshon Moreno, a running back from Georgia who many Draft analysts expected to be taken in the middle of the first round at the highest, more in the area of the Broncos’ #18 pick instead of their substantially higher #12 selection.
1. Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford – QB – Georgia: As I outlined previously, the Lions went with Stafford over USC QB Mark Sanchez or Wake Forest product Aaron Curry. While Curry would have addressed the need for a fresh face at linebacker, Stafford could end up being a much more emphatic stamp on this new Lions regime with his elite arm strength and three years of college starts. Sanchez also had a case to go here, but he had some injury concerns in college and Stafford has the toughness that will probably be needed at the woeful Lions, where he can expect to get beat up for a while.
2. St. Louis Rams – Jason Smith – OT – Baylor: With the release of Orlando Pace who has been a feature on the Rams’ offensive line for the past decade, offensive tackle shot up the list of St. Louis’ needs (keep in mind it was already a concern before Pace’s departure, and thus became even more critical afterwards). They met it well, drafting a strong run- and pass-blocker in Jason Smith. While Alabama’s Andre Smith may have had the most potential of all the offensive linemen in this draft, Jason still has tremendous talent and is a safer pick due to his lack of off-the-field issues. I think that, like Pace before him, Smith with anchor the Rams line for a decade or more.
3. Kansas City Chiefs – Tyson Jackson – DE – Louisiana State: This was my first (but not biggest) surprise of this draft. While Tyson Jackson is ideal for the Chiefs’ conversion to a 3-4 defense with his ability to play 3-4 end or even 4-3 defensive tackle during the transition period, he might not have been worth the third overall selection. He is a solid player, but his potential is limited and he isn’t the type of talent who is necessarily going to change the fortunes of a franchise. Now the Chiefs tried to trade down but were unsuccessful, so while Jackson may have been a bit of reach in terms of talent he was likely one of the best players for Kansas City. He and last year’s fifth overall pick Glenn Dorsey will form a formidable tandem on the Chiefs defensive front along with first-rounder Tamba Hali.
4. Seattle Seahawks – Aaron Curry – LB – Wake Forest: Most of the pre-draft hype had Seattle taking a receiver, but with the acquisition of former Cincinnati Bengal T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency the Seahawks elected to go with Aaron Curry. One of the best players in this draft, Curry has excellent size (6’1” and 250 pounds), speed, skill, and raw instinct. He fits Seattle’s defensive scheme almost perfectly and can step right into the spot that Julian Peterson vacated, keeping the strong Seahawk linebacker core alive with Leroy Hill and Lofa Tatupu.
We will have picks #5 through 11 on the second edition of our 2009 NFL Draft Recap.
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