Tawking About the Seattle Seahawks and Monday Night Football!!

The Rams better watch out, I hear there are sharks in them waters.

Happy Blue Friday 12ers, let’s get our Hawk Tawk on.

I got curious today about where the Seahawks sit after seven games versus where they were last year at this point.  In my quest for knowledge, I stumbled on some interesting things that I wasn’t quite aware of.  I would like you to take a seat before we begin.  You see, this week I am going to Tawk about some statistics.  I know, I know, I feel guilty already.  But, to save face, I didn’t compile these stats.  I just read about them and wanted to point them out, because it really made me take pause for a few moments.  Here we go, but don’t worry this will not become habitual.

I started comparing the Seahawks stats through week seven of last season and this season.  Knowledge is getting ready to drop, wait for it.

Last year, the offense had racked up 2,055 yards from scrimmage at the end of week seven.  So far this year they have accounted for 2,580 yards.  I have been pretty down on the offensive production thus far.  Being the 12er that I am, I want to see the Hawks blow everyone out like that torrid four game stretch last year.  But, this really shocked me.  I had, prior to today, perceived the Hawks offense to have looked bad so far.  Yet, they are actually putting up more yards than they did last year.  And they have been doing it with a make shift offensive line, and at times, back up tight ends.  Keep in mind that Marshawn isn’t running for 100 plus yards every game either.  Food for thought, right?

The defense had given up 2,081 yards at this point last year.  This year they have given up 1,975 yards.  I know that isn’t a mind blowing improvement, but it is an improvement.  The importance of this one isn’t lost on me.  I have spent a measurable amount of time cussing at Dan Quinn (through the TV of course) about the Hawks getting burnt in zone coverage and giving up so many big plays.  The Indy game was a prime example.  What I did know was that the defense was making big plays when they had to for the most part.  What I didn’t know was that they were giving up fewer yards than last year, so far.  I say so far, because as we know, things can change quickly.  Seattle’s run defense was one of the best in the league for most of the first half of the season last year.  That changed dramatically over the last half.  I learned something today.

The Seahawks are +7 in the turnover column, and that is awesome, except when you realize that they have turned the ball over ten times so far this year.  Last year they were at 11 through seven games, but that is not much of an improvement.  Take away  three or four of those turnovers and the defense would be looking pretty good, right?  Well, the defense has 19 takeaways this year, compared to 12 at this point last year.  That is an awesome number 12ers, and helps buffer the pain of 10 turnovers.  I knew Seattle was doing well in the turnover ratio department, because that is one of three things that the Tawking heads on TV discuss when they are supposed to be giving color commentary.  The Seattle Seahawks are second in the NFL with a +7 turnover margin.  I want more, don’t you?

Last year the Seahawks finished the season with a scoring drive percentage of 39.4 percent.   That is, 39.3 percent of their offensive drives resulted in a score.  So far this year they are at 42.2 percent.  I think we can expect that number to get much healthier as the season progresses and everyone gets healthy.  The Seahawks offensive line has been on disability all year, but it won’t stay that way, they are slowly getting healthy.  Mad Max is back and as soon as Okung makes his way back, things should start shaping up.  Maybe not dramatically, but they will get better.  I wish Seattle could find someone as mean and nasty as Giacomini who is actually good.  Maybe they can get “American Horror Story” to make a Frankenstein’s Monster for them.  A Frank-O-Meanie, if you will.  By the way, a fellow that I went to school with (way back in the olden days) and his wife do some of the makeup on that show.  He has even been nominated for like five Emmys.  Pretty cool, I’m just saying.  If I was going to shamelessly drop names I would probably say something like, “Shout out to Mike Mekash!”

In 2012, the Seahawks turned the ball over on 10 percent of their drives for the season, and they are beating the !@#$ out of that number so far this year.  They have gotten that number all the way up to 14.5 percent!  I’m joking people, settle down.  This is one category where a bigger number is not the winner winner chicken dinner.  I am going to go out on a limb and say that this is a product of the offense line.  I don’t want to Tawk too much about it because it sucks, but the fact is they are losing points because they are turning the ball over much more than last year.  Some of that is due to a less conservative playbook for Russell Wilson.  Some (most) of it is because the offensive line has been decimated.  All of it is inexcusable.  This has to get fixed, quickly.

Last year the Seahawks were 4-3 at the end of Week 7.  They lost all three of those games by one score or less.  They squandered opportunities to win all three.  The opportunity was there, but they could not take advantage.  They haven’t let those kind of games slip away this year, except one.  Even when they look really, really bad, they have fought back and found ways to win.  Quality football teams are founded on that truth.  If a team can play it’s worst football and still put the “W” on the scoreboard, it speaks volumes about their heart and soul.  It speaks even louder about the balance and talent.  I don’t know about you, but I am very, very, very excited to see what a healthy Seahawk team can do.

Here is a blast from the past you need to watch if you are interested in where it all began in regards to the Seahawks and Monday Night Football.   This Youtube video brings back memories; Seahawks vs Falcons 29 October 1979.  Jack Patera was the trick play Guru of his day, and it made Seattle a fun team to watch.

The Seahawks are proud owners of the best record in the History of Monday Night Football with a .692 winning percentage.   Other teams have played more and won more, but they also have lost more.  Their record of 18-8 is pretty impressive when you note that they have not always been the best team on the block.  One thing Seattle has always done well is to kick the Monday blues right in the groin for the 12thman.  I can’t wait for Monday, how many of you just repeated that out loud, and realized how weird it is to say?

As of right now the Seahawks are sitting atop some of the NFL power polls, but those don’t matter.  They have scored 191 points which is good enough for 5th in the NFL — that does matter.  The Hawks have only given up 116 points which is good for 3rd in the NFL, and that very much matters.   Did anyone realize that they did that with a make shift offensive line and ailing tight ends.  It is going to be an even more exciting season when everyone is healthy.  Oh by the way, you do know that Percy is practicing this week right?  There is even conjecture that he may play Monday night.  I have two trains of thought on that.  The first is, “Don’t rush it, no need to, the Seahawks don’t need him to demolish the Rams.”  The second is, “Do it!  I can’t wait to see what other teams look like when they are trying to defend against Skittles, DangeRuss, and Boo Boo!”  I call him Boo Boo, because he gets lots of Boo Boos.  And because it is almost Halloween.  Also, because he is scary good, like a ghost, Boo.

Bad time to be without a quarterback.

The Rams are really hurting right now.  Without Bradford they are going nowhere.  I can’t believe they actually called Brett Favre’s agent.  They are really desperate, huh?  They also have only averaged 70.5 yards per game rushing, and keep in mind that they boosted that number with 143 yards against Gus Bradley’s Jaguars.  The Rams however, have only turned the ball over nine times, so I am looking forward to the Hawks giving them a hand in making that number much less respectable.  

I am excited for Monday Night Football folks.  Thanks for sticking with me this week, I know you don’t Hawk Tawk for stats.  12thman now, 12thman forever, GO HAWKS!