Road Warriors?

Wow.  It's hard to sum it up with any more words than that.  It was simply one of the best road performances we've seen from the Seahawks in quite some time, and best of all, today's 36-25 win over the Giants in New York was notable as much for opportunities missed as it will be for the final score. 

The Seahawks should have won this won easily, but two early fumbles inside the 5 yard line, a bad interception by Tavaris Jackson that led to 3 points for the Giants just before halftime, and TEN penalties allowed New York to hang around.  That's what makes this win so remarkable.  This wasn't a flukey win.  Time and time again the Hawks faced adversity and they just kept fighting. 

I'll have a lot to say about this one.  First I need to watch the tape again, and focus in a little closer on some individuals I believe deserve to be singled out.  But for now, I'm just going to ignore the doubters and revel in the moment. 

Forget about draft position, I want to win.  This team looks capable of winning more than most experts projected, and there are signs that the foundation of a good team are being put in place.  It's fun to watch this young team grow before our eyes. 

Today my Hawks played well on the road, against a quality opponent, and it wasn't handed to them. 

In this moment, for this fan, that's enough. 

Progress?

Tavaris Jackson threw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's Sunday in our near-miss against the Falcons, and suddenly many fans are feeling better about #7. 

But let's not overdo it. 

I was pleased with some of what I saw from T-Jack.  He went to his secondary reads more often, threw the ball accurately, and for the most part made good decisions.  The offensive line took another step forward and didn't allow a sack all day.  But I still need to see more from Jackson to believe he can be any more than a placeholder for our next quarterback.  He had open receivers to throw to and he made those throws.  That in iteself is a good sign both for him and Darrell Bevel, but until I see Jackson making difficult throws into tight windows I won't quite be a believer in his long-term viability. I'm still not seeing the anticipation you see from the top-tier NFL signal-callers.  He sees a guy open, and THEN he throws the ball.  Against really good defenses, some of those balls are going to be picked off or batted down.

This week, on the road, against a good (albeit banged-up) New York Giants team could tell us a lot.  If we can see another sign of incremental progress both from Jackson and the offensive line, whether the team wins or not, it would bode well for the not-so-distant future. 

Already it looks like we can write off any chance of Andrew Luck being the Hawks next QB.  With a solid defense, an improving offense, and the NFC West looking as bad as ever, it's looking more and more like this Seahawk team could be a 5 or 6 win team, maybe more.  That not only puts us out of the running for Luck, but for Matt Barkley as well. 

Tavaris Jackson's Best (And Worst) Moment Vs. Cardinals

6:01 remaining in the third quarter, Seahawks trailing the Cardinals and needing a TD to take the lead and punctuate their most promising offensive drive of the season.  Tavaris Jackson runs for an 11 yard score that changed the game in the Hawks favor. 

Great moment, right?
Key to the victory? 

I'm here to tell you it's more of an indictment on how bad Jackson is. 

The result of that play should have been a TD pass to Mike Williams.  An easy TD pass.  A layup.  A play 90% of the quarterbacks in the league would have made.  Not just starting quarterbacks..... ALL OF THEM!!!!

Wiliams is matched up up against rookie corner Patrick Peterson on the left.  It's single coverage.  Peterson was the 7th pick in the draft and may well have a great career, but right now that's a mismatch.  Williams runs a post-corner and Peterson bites so hard on the first cut that it's about as easy a throw as any QB is going to get.  Jackson has ALL DAY to throw, and even looks that way, but for some reason he can't pull the trigger.  Unable to make a decision, Jackson finally feels some pressure and rolls to the left, towards Williams.  Williams is still open, really open.  He has Peterson 3 feet behind him and he's moving toward the pylon.  If Jackson just throws it to the pylon it's a simple score.  Again, for emphasis, I'll just say that I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THAT THROW!  Jackson cocks his arm, but once again can't pull the trigger.  So he runs and scores, and everyone is happy.

I get the fact that you can't pin everything on Jackson at this point, but there were a lot of positive signs out of Sunday's game vs. the Cards; the running game showed some life, and overall the offensive line looks like they are starting to gel.  Bottom line:  he leaves way too many plays on the field, and if this offense continues to progress, it won't be long before it will be plain as day that the only thing holding it back is the present starter at quarterback.