Good. Fucking Grief.
Yeah, there were plenty of legit fouls, but c'mon. Yesterday's crew spent so much time on camera they qualified for SAG cards and already have their first Emmy Nom for M.V.V. (Most Villanous VIllain). That was painful to witness, but more on that later.
3-1. Ugliest game of the year not names Washingon v USC. Yeah, I had to witness both of those living abortions.
Darnold is not yet dialed in - but he'll get there. Looks like he still has a few picks in him, but all QB's do. The season is young, the rhythm is not there yet. I thought once he got that nifty run under his belt he would be lights out. But, alas, we went to mood lighting instead.
Conservative game plan. Again. Perhaps intentionally. I think Fleury is playing the long game strategy - keeping the playbook minimal - not giving tape on what we have - we will unleash more later. Wilson quietly has much-needed huge day. Really game saving. Also, I like Holani, he is a solid player, but what he is not, is fast. Enough "second/third and long" outside runs - he is not fast enough to get around the edge - he is strictly a north/south runner - kindly use him accordingly. Also a bit curious why we insist on running every single play over the right side - where Bradford was. He's a mauler in the run game - but he ain't in there. Let's rethink that, 'kay?
Mid season MVP - Shaheed, of course.
I think we are also minimizing his playbook, to be opened against divisional opponents down the road. Long game strategy. More to come from him. Defense? Hmmm. Mixed bag. What felt like domination - really wasn't. We gave up 300 yards to that dumpsterfire offense. Third and long? No problem! The penalties were obv a HUGE factor in extending drives. Maddening, honestly. Defense needs to reset their brains into 'smart' mode and play with more awareness and discipline. Giving up 23 to the 9 volts almost feels embarrassing - the fact there were in it at the end - feels embarrassing. This should have been a blowout - but in typical Seahawk fashion we let 'em hang the fuck around.
I guess the good news is we play SF this week - a team we should not have any problem getting up for. This could very well be our break out game. It will say a lot about the direction of the team - one way or another. SF is a problem - let's see if we rise to the challenge.
Williams injury appears to be not serious. We may have Okada back.
There needs to be an honest conversation about the state of football, the NFL's brand in particular. College is a whole other convo, to be had at another time, but what the literal fuck is going on with the NFL?
Games like yesterday's abomination are stark reminders the players do not control games, the refs do, or at last they have shown a willingness to do so. My mind immediately defaults to 'who gains from pre-determined outcomes?" and when combined with "oh, wow, Fanduel and the NFL are currently dating hard" it's pretty easy to be skeptical about the integrity of NFL game anymore. Sports is littered with factual evidence of games thrown, careers sacrificed, mob interference, all for the almighty gambling dollar. We 100% know it is going on, but yesterday's unwatchable shitfest is a grim reminder of the intersection of money and opportunity and the decline of integrity in the game.
The takaway from yesterdays game was not "Oh, Seattle won!" It was "OMG the officiating!" The win didn't make the top ten list of post game stories - that's how bad it was.
I have said it many times on here, and you know fuck all well, I am gonna say it again: The NFL is a consumable product. Nothing more. The product, really since 2010ish, has become hard to consume. Over legislation, merging gambling into the games, tainted officiating, more tainted officiating, it feels like it is all coming to a head. As consumers, the NFL banks on our un wavering fandom, as a way to extort us. For me, and I feel like this is a growing trend, the NFL has gone from Wagyu Beef, to an undercooked Little Caesars pizza - the product is becoming unpalatable - and it is 100% due to greed. Pigs get fat, pigs get slaughtered.
It reminds me a lot of what has happened to Hollywood - shoving worn out IP's and remakes down the throats of burned out and uninterested consumers. They have slit thier own throats. There's more to that, but I'll skip it for now. You're welcome.
I consume less football now than I ever have - I grew up an absolute fanatic - now the college game has gone completely off the rails - but the NFL - I just can't with Little Caesar's. The only thing that has kept the NFL on my radar is the fact Seattle has been so good for so long now - a fucking fantastic problem to have - I felt this way in the Wilson years - exciting team, SB contenders - I was not ready to give up on the game, but I could see the decline of the league despite the ascention of the Seattle franchise. A truly bittersweet situation.
The NFL is doing everything they can to drive consumers away. To make the league entirely about sports betting. Giving a narcissistic middle finger to the fans and consumers and saying "so, what? WTF are you gonna do about it, stop watching?"
Well, eventually, yes. The NFL is just so completely tone deaf to the consumers anymore. Perhaps, the real consumers, the only ones that matter to the NFL, are the gamblers.
SInce we hoisted the trophy last year, I've spent too much time wondering if the NFL greased Seattle's way into the SB to drive up valuation for the impending sale. I wondered if the new owners were targeted because they might be willing to relocate a franchise overseas - where the NFL can spread thier disease to a whole new market. A horrible thought, right? But that is where my mind is with this league anymore.
Discuss at your leisure.
Bring on the Niners!
Go hawks....
