This is where Seattle was excellent: A) Pass Rush B) Man to Man Pass Def. C) Zone and Other Pass Cov. D) Efficient play from LB in all facets. (That takes care of Defense...) On Offense: Excellent on: A) Passing Efficiency B) Run Efficiency C) Turnover Diff. D) 1st down Conv. Eff.
I think home field advantage and coaching play just as big a role as on the field talent. What I wouldn't give to see Philbin make an effort to get Wallace the ball on a couple end arounds in the first quarter like the Seahawks did with Percy in the Super Bowl. They ripped off two big runs in the 1st and had another decent run on the first play of the 2nd off of a fake end around. They then hit him with a quick screen a couple plays later, the moved him around, got him in space and let him go to work. They didn't just stick him one side of the field to run the same routes all day (year) long and hide behind excuses about how he doesn't fit the offense or have good chemistry with the QB. Seattle's defense is very talented, but they're not 43-8 talented. That was the result of Seattle being extremely well prepared for Denver's offense IMO. They were all over the screens, the crossers, the pick routes, the misdirection etc. Even when thy were fooled they seemed to instinctively know how and where to recover to. They pressured Manning, they even confused him at times. They showed man and played zone, showed pressure and backed out, they used robbers to control the middle of the field, Chancellor especially. There was a lot more to it than having good players, the Broncos have some pretty good players but they looked like total sheeeit on Sunday.
From Barry Jackson's Sports Buzz: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...lphins-spoelstra-on-seahawksheat-meeting.html Sucks that Spoelstra has to travel all the way to Seattle to make those kinds of statements instead of being able to say those things about the Dolphins right there in Miami.
You don't HAVE to be that much better than everyone. But the Seahawks were. They were the Super Bowl winners that the San Francisco 49ers should have been in 2012. They were among the strong Super Bowl winners such as the 1998 Broncos, the 2003 and 2004 Patriots...teams that actually dominated the sport instead of just getting into the playoffs and then going on a run.
Agree. Yet..they were statistical noise away from playing the NFC Championship in SF. Which they would have lost. In fact...it would have forced Seattle to go the road gauntlet the entire way. Yeah..I feel comfortable in saying the 49ers would have been in the SB instead.
Just shows how nasty that SF team is more than anything. Hawks and Niners are gonna have some good fights in the next few seasons. Everyone else will be scrambling to get to that level.
the 49ers have a tougher road to climb next year though, imo they have some important free agents on D and O and then there is also the bowman ACL injury, they have to face what seattle won't face for another year
What that Super Bowl showed me, along with EVERY other game we got smoked in this year, was the intensity the other team played with. Seattle was super hyped for that game...Denver wasn't even in the same zip code. However they do it, those coaches know how to get 'em riled. Sure, the players also have to have that natural NEED to be hyped up and EXPECT to win, like that Seahawks defense does, but I really have to believe the coaches play a significant role in that. It has to be a unified vision by the coaching staff. Buccaneers - hyped up and ready to play...flying all over the field...converging on the ball...Miami loss. Buffalo (x2) - same. Carolina - same. Common theme here? Fire-pissers on defense. We have too few. Three of those 4 games we should have won on paper, but got out-hustled, out-athlete'd, out-coached, and came away looking weak.
You mean you think emotion, motivation, and energy inside the building can impact a players performance.?
Early on last season, at 3-0 out of the gate, it seemed the defense came out primed each Sunday with this exact kind of hyped up mentality. In contrast, when they reached the home stretch and closed 0-2, the team was virtually bereft of that former mindset. How close are we? Lets just say, to plot a trajectory to the Superbowl, our season left us at an outermost distant point of orbit.
both teams aren't paying their stud QB's ****. When their contracts go from less than 1 million to 10+ million, i bet they both fall off quite a bit. Both their defenses are loaded with guys and that's not easy to keep assembled once you gotta pay the QB big money. giants and ravens are perfect examples. just look at the names, Willis, Bowman, aldon smith, justin smith, eric reid already, ahmad brooks, etc somethings gotta give... (seahawks are even worse. Chancelor, clemons, avril, earl thomas, richard sherman, etc)
Interesting you say that. Belichick talked about this during the playoffs. Unlike the NBA, MLB, Hockey, it's one game, winner take all. Winning in the playoffs is more about who's more prepared than about talent v. talent. I think that's a pretty true statement for the most part. Didn't help him against Denver, but... They did have a major talent deficiency (and Talib going down allowed Demaryius Thomas to run wild on them). That being said, I still think we're a ways off from a SB appearance.
This is why I laugh when seemingly knowledgeable football fans who happen to be Dolphin fans say things "we're close"....its like, really? The Seahawks played their best football when it mattered most. Their depth, their leaders....its all just so foreign to me as a Dolphin follower. Clearly a case of, "ooohhh so thats what a real team looks like"....even the 49ers, i think they got robbed in the nfc champ. game but thats another story. Night and day when comparing them to the Dolphins. *sigh* we have a bumbling bafoon as an owner, a reject as a GM, a mystery at head coach. Our best player just got screwed. Nothing surprises me anymore.
