Something has gotten lost in the controversy surrounding Pete Carroll's decision to throw on 2nd and goal rather than handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch: Namely that, the Patriots racked up over 300 yards passing against the so-called "Legion of Boom," what many people think is the NFL's best defense. Imagine, for a moment, that after the ball hit Jermaine Kearse's knee, it had bounced toward one of the two Patriots' defensive backs in the area, rather than to Kearse, and the Patriots had intercepted the ball then rather than a few moments later? No one would be tearing into Pete Carroll; instead, they'd wondering what happened to the Seattle defense, how it happened to give up 14 points in the fourth quarter and squandered a 24-14 point lead.
I'm pretty certain this hasn't been lost on everyone. In fact, I'm willing to bet that offensive coordinators around the league will be spending the offseason studying the fourth quarter, learning what the Patriots did in order to move the ball so (relatively) easily, and incorporating whatever insights they can glean into their own offensive schemes. Combined with the fact that the Seahawks are losing their defensive coordinator (heading to Atlanta) and probably one of their defensive backs, the legion of boom may be doomed. The rest of the NFL can only hope :-)!
Well said. They will be challenged. At the risk of making excuses, two or three of them were injured going into the game and some are having surgery. One went down during the game and Brady wisely picked on his replacement. The Hawks have trouble with good tight ends (Gates, Davis, Whitten, Gronk) and teams that run right at them. The Chargers and Chiefs dinked and dunked, ran a lot, and held possession for a long time. Next season will be interesting. Plus, your photo is from last season. Sometimes I think your not a Hawks fan.
ReplyDeleteExcuses aren't allowed. The 1985 Bears were dominant for about two years until opposing offenses figured them out. My memory may be failing me, but I don't think the Bears won another Super Bowl, did they?
DeleteP.S. No, I'm not a Seahawks fan, but wait for it... neither are you. You're a Chargers' fan or have you forgotten?
Yet when my Bolts beat your team earlier this year, you were very quick to point out that Rivers was throwing against your second string dbs. Do I smell a double standard? Yes I do. I agree that the LOB is in decline, but the Hawks will be a playoff team for a few more years.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, and I repent in dust and ashes...
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