Matt of Seahawk Addicts was nice enough to give his feedback to some questions posed on the upcoming match up between the Gmen and the Seahawks. Likewise, feel free to drop in on Seahawk Addicts to review the UltimateNYG Q and A session.
What do you believe to be the issue with Aaron Curry? Is it finding a way to fit him their scheme or is it his athleticism?
Aaron Curry is a rare athletic talent to be sure, but he’s an uneven player. He’s above-average when he’s asked to set the edge and play against the run, and he’s below-average when asked to drop back into coverage. Curry can almost certainly have a decent career as a role player, and in the right situation (like as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment) he could even go to some Pro Bowls. It may take a change of scenery for that to happen, though.
What he’s not going to do, unfortunately, is live up to being the fourth overall pick in the draft. He’s the victim of some weapons-grade draft hype, really. Draft analysts and front offices alike were too busy fawning over his physical prowess to notice how often he bit on play-action & fakes and overran plays, all of which he’s been soundly criticized for doing as a pro.
The chemistry between T-Jack and S Rice do you see that in practice and, if so, is it translating into the games?
The chemistry between Jackson and Rice is obvious both in practice and in games. Jackson’s play has improved significantly since Rice returned from injury in Week 3, and the way defenses have been forced to react to Rice has also opened things up for other receiving threats on the team, especially Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu, and Zach Miller.
Seahawks were 1-7 on the road last year, this year they are 0-2. What are the reasons for poor performance away from home?
This one is a touchy subject for most Seattle fans, but the problem for the last several seasons has been that the Seahawks have not been a good team. By 2008, the players who took the team to the Super Bowl back in ’05 were mostly gone or old and ineffective, and (now ex-)general manager Tim Ruskell failed to re-stock the team with talent. Really what people should be asking isn’t why the team lost so many games on the road, but how did they manage to win so many games at home? (Answer: they’ve got one of the best home field advantages in the NFL.)
There’s a bigger problem at work here, though, and that’s forcing West Coast teams to play morning games on the East Coast. I know jet lag doesn’t sound like much of a factor, but the level of play in the NFL is so even anymore that any little advantage can be enough to swing a game. If road games to the East Coast were all moved to afternoon time slots, that would go a long way toward alleviating the problem, but none of the West Coast teams seem to have enough clout with the league to force through a change in that regard.
That said, back in 1983 the Seahawks beat the Dolphins in Miami to advance to the AFC Championship game after getting just a few hours’ worth of sleep due to a delayed flight, so who knows?
A lot of early, so called analyst, talking heads are projecting that the Seahawks are looking to “suck to get Luck”. What are the specifics you can point to to combat this notion?
The season’s early yet, but I’m already getting sick of hearing all the “suck for Luck” rumors out there. I don’t know what the talking heads think the Seahawks are all about, but I can tell you they sure as hell aren’t losing games on purpose. The roster is filled to the brim with young players hungry for success, second-chance guys like Mike Williams and Brandon Browner who are making the most of their second shot at the NFL, and long-overlooked guys like Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock who’ve spent most of their careers buried on other teams’ depth charts and are bound and determined to show everyone what they’ve been missing out on by not playing them.
Pete Carroll loves to throw around pat little phrases like “Win Forever” and “Always Compete,” but you know what? This entire team has bought in to it, and you just can’t do that and throw games at the same time. Even when the game is hopelessly out of reach, you don’t see players giving up or phoning it in, and that isn’t something you’d see if they really were trying to land the top pick in the draft. Seattle fans are leery of high-round QBs anyway. Dan McGwire and Rick Mirer didn’t work out so hot — we much prefer the late round guys with chips on their shoulders like Dave Krieg and Matt Hasselbeck.
Does Carroll now have the controlling player personnel player decisions?
Yes, he does indeed. Having the final say in personnel decisions was a key part of getting Carroll to sign on as head coach, and he also got to choose the general manager he wanted, Pete Schneider. The two have been marching in lockstep ever since.
I assume you’re referring to Eric Edholm’s Pro Football Weekly report? I’m still scratching my head over that one, honestly. The descriptions of Carroll and Schneider’s working relationship from beat reporters, team sources, and players both current and ex have been consistently positive. Edholm’s report doesn’t jive with any of that, and if I had to guess I’d say it was probably based on bad information given to him by a disgruntled agent.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
