I spent most of last week looking forward to this game with you guys, both giving insights in to my team and (of course) looking for scouting reports on your team. I told myself that win or lose ... I would come back (eat my humble pie if need be) ... and share some thoughts on the game. I'm not here to gloat (well, perhaps a little -- I'll try to stifle my enthusiasm
) ... but honestly would more like to get your guys' thoughts on what we saw out there today.
First of all, let me say that I've seen a lot of drivel on your site from some Patriots fans -- complaining about various aspects of your team and basically saying that your team sucks. I find that completely hilarious because it reminds me so much of the chicken littles who also populate Seahawks.net. In a nutshell, the Patriots have one of the most dominant offenses that I have ever seen. I've seen Montana's 49ers, Aikman's Cowboys, and a lot of other prolific offenses -- this one's every bit as good as any of the great teams I've seen. One of the local broadcasters up here said it best -- the Patriots Offense has just about everything that you could ever want (Great TE's, great slot receivers, deep threats, and surprisingly shifty RB's. I honestly didn't think that Ridley or Bolden were all that good and was surprised by their elusiveness). Your Offensive Line play today was fantastic. That was a HUGE key to your success IMO. I haven't seen any OL be able to block Seattle's DL -- and they did that quite effectively throughout most of the game, as Brady had all day to throw on many occasions. This is a Super Bowl Caliber offense ... in fact, I'd concur with most experts out there in saying that this is the best offense in the game bar none. They gave the Seahawks Defense absolute fits in the first half. I was highly surprised that the Hawks Defense started off by playing off of your receivers (that's not something I've seen much of this year) and your offense was able to march up and down the field at will. In the 2nd Half, I saw a lot tighter coverage. The bottom line is that the Patriots were able to go in to on the road … in to one of THE most hostile environments in the NFL … against one of the Top 5 defenses in all the game … rack up 23 points and a ton of yards (more than anyone has on us all this season) and lose by only 1 point. Pretty darned impressive if you ask me.
As I was watching your high powered offense ... and then noticing how Seattle was able to get their offense going more in the 2nd Half a thought occurred to me -- an observation/theory if you will. I'm just wondering if part of the problem with your defense is BECAUSE your offense is so good. Let me explain. As I was watching Brady sling it around and the offense rack up yards ... my mind hearkened back to the 1990s and watching the Lions. Now for those who might not remember those teams, the Lions back in those days (believe it or not) had an incredibly high powered offense. They ran the Run and Shoot offense under OC Mouse Davis ... and it was incredibly impressive. RB Barry Sanders racked up tons of yards on the ground ... WR Herman Moore put up a sickening number of yards ... and the Lions offense could score in a hurry. You'd think that a team that scored THAT much would have won a few Super Bowls ... but they didn't. Eventually though, the Lions decided to move in a different direction away from the Run and Shoot ... and when Mouse Davis went, Barry Sanders decided to bow out. Why did the Lions scrap the Run and Shoot and why don't you really see it much anymore? Well, because the offense could score in a hurry ... the defense didn't have a whole lot of time to rest. They were always out there on the field ... so they were gassed by the 2nd Half and teams could therefore rack up points on them. I'm wondering, just wondering, if that could be part of the issue with the Patriots. That the defense ends up getting tired out because your offense is so good. That might also explain why Pete Carroll is so insistent on wanting to establish the RUN -- to give his defense time to adequately rest. I dunno -- just a thought.
As far as the game itself was concerned ... I ended up being right about the fact that New England would gear up to stop the run ... and that Seattle's plan, therefore, would be to really open it up -- PASS first in order to try to set up the RUN. Wilson's mobility and ability to create on the run really did come in to play much more than I thought it would. The Bottom Line is that Pete Carroll made adjustments going in to the 2nd Half, Belichick didn't, and the Seahawks walked away with a victory. One thing's for sure, Belichick's got to shore up that secondary.
Anyway like I said before, I honestly believe that the Seahawks needed this victory fan more than the Patriots did. Seriously as I look at the rest of the AFC ... I see Houston as being the only real serious threat to your return to the Super Bowl. The Patriots will be fine, as I see them winning the AFC East fairly easily and in the AFC Title game once again. I would wish you guys good luck next week, but honestly don’t feel you need it (Mark Sanchez? Oooof!) It would be fun if our 2 teams were to meet again in New Orleans in February. Let’s make it a date. Good luck the rest of the way this season.
Before I completely bow out though, I’d love to get your guys’ thoughts on our little team up here in Seattle. Thoughts, observations, etc.?
