Showing posts with label Seattle Seahawks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle Seahawks. Show all posts

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The 53 - First Look at 2014 Regular Season Schedule for the Green Bay Packers

Besides their usual home and away with their NFC North divisional foes (Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings), next season the Green Bay Packers host the New England Patriots, the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons in non-divisional games while they face the Seattle Seahawks, the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints on the road.  The date date and time of when the Packers actually play all of those games was announced last night:

Week 1: @ the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, September 4th @ 7:30 p.m.
Week 2: vs. the New York Jets on Sunday, September 14th @ 3:25 p.m.
Week 3: @ the Detroit Lions on Sunday, September 21st @ noon
Week 4: @ the Chicago Bears on Sunday, September 28th @ noon
Week 5: vs. the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, October 2nd @ 7:25 p.m.
Week 6: @ the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, October 12th @ noon
Week 7: vs. the Carolina Carolina on Sunday, October 19th @ noon
Week 8: @ the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, October 26th @ 7:30 p.m.
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: vs. the Chicago Chicago Bears on November 9th @ 7:30 p.m.
Week 11: vs. the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, November 16th @ noon
Week 12: @ the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, November 23rd @ noon
Week 13: vs. the New England Patriots on Sunday, November 30th @ 3:25 p.m.
Week 14: vs. the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, December 8th @ 7:30 p.m.
Week 15: @ the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, December 14th @ noon
Week 16: @ the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, December 21st @ noon
Week 17: vs. the Detroit Lions on Sunday, December 28th on noon
The three most interesting games on the slate to me when you factor in just the time of the year of the game, where the game is being played, and the current rosters for the other team are:

 #3) Week 16 @ the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, December 21st @ noon: For years Cheesehead Chick and I've talked about spending Christmas at Mama Cheese and Papa Cheese's vacation home in Punta Gorda, FL.  This year seems like the perfect year to do it, especially if we take Christmas week off so we can make the short two hour drive north to score easy tickets to see the Packers play in the sun in late December and then spend the rest of the week relaxing poolside, hopefully enjoying the fruits of another Packer victory.  There is no doubt that Week 8 @ the Saints and Week 13 hosting the Patriots look like better games right now but there is always one team that struggles the previous year but wins at least six more games the following year.  The Bucs were 4-12 last year but they cleaned house after last season and brought in Lovie Smith as their new head coach, Jason Licht as their new general manager, and Josh McCown as their new starting quarterback.  I am not sold on McCown despite how well he played in relief of Jay Cutler at quarterback for the Chicago Bears the last few years, mostly because filling in for the injured starter is much different than being the starter from day one. Factoring in all the changes for the Bucs, I could see them turn the corner quickly to become a borderline playoff team next season.  Leaving the glorious possibility of spending Christmas in warm weather in Florida aside, I could actually see this game determining whether the Packers or Bucs are playoff bound in 2014.

#2) Week 12 @ the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, November 23rd @ noon: The Vikings are finally building a new stadium to replace The Humpty after they knocked it down following the 2013 season.  Mother nature tried to get rid of The Humpty in 2011 but the Vikings kept playing there for two more years.  Without a new permanent home till (at least) 2015, the Vikings are playing at TCF Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.  Last year Gaber, Nick, Sug, and I sent out The Humpty in style.  The day before, Nick and I got a preview of coming attractions when we saw the Minnesota Golden Gophers beat the Nebraska Cornhusters at TCF Bank Stadium.  Let's not forget, TCF Bank Stadium is where Brett Favre's consecutive games started streak ended at 297 when he took a hard hit on the astro turf at the hands of Buffalo Bills linebacker Arthur Moats.  Despite opening in 2009, the Vikings are still investing money in the field and running beer lines throughout the stadium to make the stadium as modern as possible.  Hopefully Gaber, Nick, Sug, and I can get the band back together to see the Packers beat the Vikings outside at TCF Bank Stadium in 2014, where games should be played in the Midwest.

#1) Week 1 @ the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, September 4th @ 7:30 p.m: This is clearly the easy one to pick for a number of reasons.  Not only is this the first game of the entire 2014 NFL regular season because the Seahawks won the Super Bowl last year, but this also marks the first visit to Seattle for the Packers since they got hosed in the "Fail Mary" game on MNF of Week 3 of the 2012 season.  The replacement refs botched the call at the end of the "Fail Mary" game so bad in front of a national audience that it actually ended the NFL ref's strike.  The front offices of both teams are intertwined given that current Packer's general manager Ted Thompson used to be a prominent member of the Seahawk's front office while the current Seahawk's general manager John Schnieder worked under Thompson in Green Bay.  One game does not make a season but my expectations are low for this game unless Thompson has a stellar performance in the 2014 NFL Draft so if the Packers could somehow beat the Seahawks on the road, it could go a long way towards making 2014 a special season for the Packers.

I will have a much more detailed breakdown of how I think all of the games will play out once I know how The 53 is most likely going to look following the 2014 NFL Draft.  Speaking of which, make sure to check back over the next few week as I start to roll out my in-depth look at draft for Thompson.
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Art of 51 in the NFL

There is a very simple NFL equation for winning that is often attributed to Bill Parcells named "The Art of 51".  The equation is completed passes + positive rushing attempts > 51 = win.

Obviously if both teams have above or below 51, the team with the higher number usually wins the game.  Another way to look at "The Art of 51" is that it is a two team, head-to-head race to 51.

I know the equation seems elementary, but since we have no Packer game to look forward to because this is their bye week, let's see how "The Art of 51" played out so far for the 2012 Green Bay Packers:
- Week #1: Packers (44) lost to the 49ers (52)
- Week #2: Packers (51) beat the Bears (34)
- Week #3: Packers (47)  "lost" to the Seahawks (39)
- Week #4: Packers (56) beat the Saints (54)
- Week #5: Packers (54) lost to the Colts (61)
- Week #6: Packers (55) beat the Texans (50)
- Week #7: Packers (56) beat the Rams (43)
- Week #8: Packers (48) beat the Jaguars (47)
- Week #9: Packers (53) beat the Cardinals (41)

As you can see, "The Art of 51" has held for the 2012 Green Bay Packers so far this year.  The equation went 8 for 9 if you believe the Packers actually lost to the Seahawks and 9 for 9 if you are a rationale non-Seahawks sports fan.

Consider this is amuse-bouche to the main course this weekend.  Check back this weekend for my mid-season rankings of the 2012 Green Bay Packers 53-man roster.

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Packers "Lose" to Seahawks on MNF

As I said in my initial player rankings, I am going to tweet and re-tweet during Packer games but only blog about games that I attend.

Since the Green Bay Packers suffered one of the most notorious "losses" in franchise history on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, I had to post something. Here are my tweets and re-tweets from the night without comment:



































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Sunday, December 27, 2009

2009 Packers v. Seahawks Analyzed

The Green Bay Packers accomplished three things on Sunday:
#1) trounced the Seattle Seahawks,
#2) didn't suffer any major injuries and
#3) punched their ticket to the playoffs.

In one of the more impressive regular season performances of the Ted Thompson/Mike McCarthy era, the Green Bay Packers demolished the Seattle Seahawks 48-10. The game was out of hand early in the 3rd quarter, which allowed Mike McCarthy to insert backup quarterback Matt Flynn (along with a number of back ups on both sides of the ball) at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Here were the top five plays from the game:

#5) Green Bay leads 7-0, Green Bay ball on their own 33 yard line, 3rd and 4 with 1:37 left in the 1st quarter:
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) threw deep left to Greg Jennings (Green Bay) for a 40 yard gain.

Analysis:
This play never happens last season, Mike McCarthy would not have called a play that gave Aaron Rodgers a chance to take a shot in that situation. With how well Rodgers is playing this season, McCarthy trusts Rodgers in almost any situation. McCarthy dialed up a play that got Jennings one-on-one with a cornerback. Rodgers saw the mismatch and threw a perfectly weighed ball to keep the drive alive. That completion helped propel Rodgers over 4,000 passing yards for the season. That gives Rodgers back to back 4,000 yard passing seasons to start his career, the first (yes you read that correctly) quarterback to do that in NFL history.


#4) Green Bay leads 14-0, Seattle ball on the Green Bay 8 yard line, 3rd and 6 with 12:10 left in the 2nd quarter:
Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle) threw short middle intended for T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Seattle), tipped by Johnny Jolly (Green Bay) and INTERCEPTED by Atari Bigby (Green Bay) for a touchback.

Analysis:
The game was not out of hand at this point. If Hasselbeck throws a touchdown, Seattle only trails by only 7 points. Instead, Hasselbeck threw an ill advised pass that was tipped at the line by Jolly (who set a Packer record for 11 tipped balls in a season) and intercepted easily by Bigby because the intended receiver (T.J. Houshmandzadeh) slipped on the play. After securing the interception, Bigby smartly went to the ground to force a touchback. Often times defenders want to make the big play and try to take interceptions out of the end zone instead of taking the ball at the 20 yard line. Very rarely is it a good decision to take it out of the end zone which actually puts their offense in worse field position.


#3) Green Bay leads 38-3, Green Bay ball on the Seattle 34 yard line, 4th and 1 with 10:52 left in the 4th quarter:
Mason Crosby's 52 yard field goal attempt is GOOD.

Analysis:
Mason Crosby's kicking woes have been well documented (missed field goals in 7 of the last 8 games he attempted a field goal going into the game against Seattle). This kick obviously was of little consequence for the game itself but might prove to be the confidence builder Crosby needed. Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson have stood behind Crosby all season despite his kicking problems. Today Crosby rewarded McCarthy and Thompson by nailing the 52 yard field goal, which was the first field goal he made over 50 yards since connecting on a 52 yarder in Week #1. The reaction from the sideline said it all. Rodgers, Jennings and other 1st teams lined up to congratulate Crosby. Green Bay is hoping this is the boost Crosby needs for the playoffs.


#2) Game tied 0-0, Seattle ball on the Green Bay 36 yard line, 3rd and 1 with 9:02 left in the 1st quarter:
Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle) threw short right, INTERCEPTED by A.J. Hawk (Green Bay) at the Green Bay 36 yard line and returned 29 yards to the Seattle 35 yard line.

Analysis:
Green Bay won the toss and elected to receive. I am still not too sure why McCarthy elects to receive. With how well the defense is playing this season I would always defer to the second half. On their opening possession, Green Bay went three and out. After a below average punt from Kapinos, Seattle marched down the field running the ball on 7 of 8 plays on the drive. Facing a 3rd and 1 on their 9th play of the drive Seattle ran a play action boot leg play for Matt Hasselbeck. Great call by the way. Any time you can get a slow quarterback moving outside the pocket with very few receiving options on 3rd and 1 you have to take it. With no receiver within 10 yards Hasselbeck threw a perfect strike to A.J. Hawk. If Hawk had any speed it would have been returned for a touchdown. Instead Hawk was run down by every offensive lineman on Seattle.


#1) Green Bay leads 14-3, Green Bay ball on their own 44 yard line, 1st and 10 with 5:46 left in the 2nd quarter:
Ryan Grant (Green Bay) runs off left tackle for 56 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Analysis:
This was Grant's second big run in three weeks. Grant had a 62 yards TD run against the Chicago Bears in Week #14 (click here and scroll down to play #2). Grant is not an overpowering runner like Ahman Green in his prime (or Sunday when Green ran over the entire Seattle defense to pick up 16 yards on a 3rd and 1). Grant is at his best when he makes one cut and hits the hole. On the 56 yard touchdown run against Seattle Grant hit the hole, made a quick side step to evade the safety at the second level and was off to the races. The Green Bay running backs got into the end zone 6 times against Seattle (2 rushing by Grant, 2 rushing/1 receiving by Jackson and 1 rushing by Green) so there were a number of plays to choose from for the top spot but Grant's 56 yard touchdown run had to be #1 since it put the game out of reach before halftime.


Trojan Boner of the Week Award - Matt Hasselbeck
Just as a refresher, the award goes to a player/coach/referee that makes a stupid play(s)/decision(s)/call(s) during the game.

Analysis:
Hasselbeck's line for the day: 19 for 37, 198 yards, 1 touchdown (that came with only 4 minutes remaining to pull Seattle within 38 points) and 4 interceptions. This marks the second week in a row Hasselbeck threw 4 interceptions. Last week Hasselbeck did it at home against the now 3-12 Bucs after the Bucs knocked off the Saints in New Orleans. Hasselbeck now holds the distinction of being the only Seattle quarterback in team history to throw 4 interceptions in 2 games in a single season.

Hasselbeck threw two picks to Bigby, one to Hawk and one to Jarrett Bush. You read that correctly, Bush got a pick. I have to give Bush credit, it was actually a text book play by him but pretty sad for Hasselbeck considering Bush is the guy that evvery team has identified as the Packers' biggest weakness.

Green Bay has not been a kind place to the Seahawks, they have lost 5 straight in Green Bay (a few coming in the playoffs in recent years). Let's take a quick look back to see if Matt Hasselbeck deserves the "lifetime boner award" when he plays in Green bay as a member of the Seahwaks.

No one can forget the overtime playoff game when Seattle won the coin toss only to have Hasselbeck say "we'll take the ball we're gonna score." Hasselbeck threw a touchdown pass, unfortunately for him it came on an interception returned for a touchdown by Al Harris for Green Bay to end Seattle's season.

A few years later Seattle was also the only thing that separated Green Bay from the 2007 NFC Championship game. Seattle jumped out to a 14-0 lead set-up by two costly fumbles by Ryan Grant. Quick tangent, I missed the start of the game because I was attending a wedding. As I ran to the car I heard the second touchdown on the radio. I was going to drive my beautiful wife to be and friends to the hotel to catch the rest of the game bu once we heard the score I handed over the car keys and immediately started foaming at the mouth. Luckily the Packers got back on track and ended up routing Seattle 42-20.

The only reason I can think of for why Hasselbeck is so horrible in Green Bay is that he might just be a die hard Packer fan. Hasselbeck started his NFL career in Green Bay before being traded to Seattle. Based on how horribly he plays in Green Bay may be he is conflicted on who he really wants to win the games. I am going to make the leap and give Hasselbeck the modified "lifetime boner award". Whenever Hasselbeck plays in Green Bay, bet heavy on the Packers.
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Saturday, December 26, 2009

2009 Week #16 - Packers v. Seahawks

Seattle is coming off two royal beatings in as many weeks, a 34-7 loss at the Houston Texans on December 13th and a 24-7 loss last week at home to Tampa Bay. Seattle is 1-6 on the record and a huge underdogs. At 5-9, Seattle is already looking towards 2010. If the Packers lose this game they don't deserve to go to the playoffs.

Seattle has been bitten badly by the injury bug. They have played the entire season without the starting left side of their offensive line: left tackle Walter Jones and left guard Mike Wahle (who injured is still more effective than Daryn Colledge). Besides that, Seattle lost their Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatufu early in the season. Finally, veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson and promising rookie outside linebacker Aaron Curry are most likely sidelined with injury this week as well.

All five of the players mentioned above would make Seattle's "Top 10 List" if healthy. As a result, some of the names mentioned below are a stretch for inclusion on a "Top 10 List"...

#10 - Max "How Did I Make the List?" Unger (C):
Seattle was forced to move Unger to center because injuries to their regular center Chris Spencer. With all of the "depth" the Packers had on the offensive line to start the season there was some talk of trading Scott Wells to Seattle, good thing that rumor never materialized. Since the beginning of August the Packers have shuffled their offensive line constantly: traded Tony Moll to Baltimore, cut Jamon Meredith (signed to Packers practice squad but later signed to Buffalo's active roster), placed center Jason Spitz on injured reserve and resigned Mark Tauscher. As crazy as it sounds, without Wells the Packers would have been remarkably worse and possibly out of playoff contention.

#9 - T.J. "Way Overpaid" Houshmandzadeh (WR):
Seattle and Minnesota aggressively pursued Houshmandzadeh in the offseason. Would Houshmandzadeh have thrived in Minnesota? May be, but Minnesota would have been much worse off. Houshmandzadeh's presence would have hurt the development of Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice. Minnesota is lucky that Seattle beat out their offer. At 32, Houshmandzadeh is not getting any younger and his 5 year, $40 million contract already looks like a mistake less than a year into it (72 catches, 794 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 fumbles and 1 lost). Houshmandzadeh is a good route runner but lacks speed to stretch the field. At 5 years, $20 million Houshmandzadeh would be overpaid...

#8 - John "Thanks for Nothing Charlie" Carlson (TE):
At 6'5", Carlson gives Matt Hasselbeck options over the middle of the field. Carlson possesses average speed, decent blocking abilities and superb hands. Carlson is in the top three on the team in the major receiving categories: 47 catches (3rd), 536 receiving yards (3rd) and 5 touchdown receptions (1st). Carlson has been a huge upgrade over the psycho that is Jerramy Stevens.

#7 - Jordan "Safeties Should Not have to Make so Many Tackles" Babineaux (FS): Babineaux is second on the team in tackles with 99 (next closest tackler has 64 tackles). Although not the fastest or tallest safety in the NFL, Babineaux gives Seattle a physical presence in the secondary.

#6 - Julius "The Heater" Jones (RB):
Jones might be the only NFL player that smokes cigarettes regularly according to The Sports Guy ("I found out two years ago that he smokes cigarettes and I just can't think rationally about him after that"article). Quick tangent, do you find it odd when you see nurses and doctors smoking in front of a hospital? As I pondered that along with Jones smoking as a professional athlete, I decided I still think it is crazier that Jones smokes. Just so we are not devoid of actual analysis, as a fantasy owner of Jones and his back-up Justin Forsett, the future in Seattle looks to be Forsett. Although not as fast as Jones, Forsett has hit some homeruns this season for Seattle and provides a much bigger upside based on age and production over Jones.

#5 - Jon "Unfortunately no longer a Packer" Ryan (P):
The Packers treated Jon Ryan's family with dignity while he was a member of the team. Just before Ryan's father lost his battle with cancer, the Packers gave Ryan's father the VIP treatment (story). Unfortunately Ted Thompson cut Ryan in favor of Derrick Frost (the man that did not kick well enough this season in the United Football League, you read that correctly United NOT National to last the entire season). After the Packers cut Frost, they turned to the under achieving Jeremy Kapinos. Check the stats for 2008, Ryan has been much more productive than Kapinos:
- Ryan: 4th in average at 47.1 yards and 10th in net average at 39.2 yards.
- Kapinos: 17th in average at 43.8 and 33rd in net average at 34.2 yards.

#4 - Olindo "Fountain of Youth" Mare (K):
Mare has had a renaissance since joining Seattle in 2008. This season Mare has converted over 90% of his field goal opportunities (although his longest is only 47 yards) to go along with his 22 touch backs. I will not list Mason Crosby's stats...it might forced me to poke my eye out.

#3 - Josh "Mr. Big Play" Wilson (CB):
Both of Wilson's interceptions this season have been returned over 60 yards for touchdowns. Although Wilson is not your typical shutdown cornerback (only 5'9"), he routinely draws the opposing team's #1 receiver. At 24, Wilson looks to be Seattle's defensive back of the future.

#2 - Matt "I am not getting any younger" Hasselbeck (QB):
After being traded from Green Bay to Seattle in 2001, Hasselbeck has been the face of the franchise. In eight seasons as the starting quarterback, Hasselbeck lead Seattle to five consecutive winning seasons (between 2003 and 2007) and one Super Bowl appearance (lost to the Steelers). Unfortunately for Hasselbeck, he isn't getting any younger. Seattle is in full rebuilding mode after going 4-12 last season, Mike Holmgren moving on as their head coach and only marginally improving this season. Hasselbeck's tenure with the team could end sooner rather than later if Seattle drafts a quarterback in the 2010 NFL Draft (likely a top 10 pick).

#1 - David "Surprising Defensive Leader" Hawthorne (MLB):
Seattle lost Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu for the season in Week #6 against the Arizona Cardinals. Hawthrone stepped in immediately and has been one of the only bright spots for Seattle this season. Hawthrone leads or is tied for the team lead in almost every defensive category: 103 tackles (1st), 4 sacks (tied for 1st), 7 tackles for a loss (1st), 2 forced fumbles (1st) and 3 interceptions (tied for 1st). Although Seattle would like a full compliment of healthy linebackers, Hawthorne's excellent play has eased the loss of Tatupu.
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