A Really, Really Bad 17 Minutes
Dec 13, 2009, 11:38 PM | Updated: Apr 4, 2011, 7:51 pm
by Brock Huard
After two wins and a mathematical chance at the playoffs, 17 minutes of football happened in Houston, and for Seattle, it was as poor a perfromance as I have seen all season. Jim Mora singled out the offensive line, and they were a factor, but fall behind 24-0 on the road and find me an offensive line that can thrive. Here’s how the wheels came off….
–Offense
3 Drives, three 3-and-outs
Fumbled snap
False Start
A run play directly into a LB double gut blitz
Unblocked LB on Seneca’s 3rd and 3 read option
Offense won on 2/9 plays called (2/10 with the penalty)
Sum Total: No threat, no rhythm, no tempo, squandered two decent kickoff returns. Ugly
–Defense
4 Drives, 3 TD’s and a FG
Houston 4/5 on 3rd Down
Nudged Schaub one time en route to 14/17 passing for over 200 yds and 2 TD’s
Johnson ran by Trufant twice, once vertically, once horizontally for TD’s en route to 6/117 yds 2 TD’s
Missed tackles galore (Hawthorne, Trufant, Babineaux)
A four man rush that produced nothing, no push, no contact, no fear for a dislocated shoulder, nothing
Quick Count caught the Hawks and Trufant on the first play of game
Easy to read fire zone blitzes that allowed Schaub to throw hot or throwaway
Easy to read man coverage with Curry on line and picked up each time by back for big plays on Wilson, Trufant
3 Man Rush on 3rd-10 and 3rd-7 that saw Jennings slow to react underneath to a flat and Curry fast to react to the check down in front and allow ample room for Johnson to run behind him
Defense won on 9/26 plays, wow.
–Special Teams
Blocked punt as Nick Reed beaten by former Hawk Kevin Bentley
Personal foul, late hit by Aaron Curry added another 15 yards of real estate
Two positive kickoff returns by Forsett, both squandered
Well, that’s what the notes say about the first 17 minutes. Tough to watch, will be really tough for the Hawks to take in tomorrow. I expect Jim Mora will be more upset after he re-watches these 17 minutes. There were effort issues, talent issues, scheme issues, mental errors, and it was no wonder Mora was steamed on the sidelines and steamed after the game. Again, I have a hard time laying this one all at the feet of the offensive line, as the numbers above clearly show, the first 17 minues was a complete mess in every phase of the game, not just upfront.
