Post Mortem: Seahawks v San Jose Adjacent

[auroraave]

After last night's maddening, infuriating, glorious wim on the road, a PM just felt right.

In one of the strangest seasons, and maybe they're all strange, this win did not surprise me. I really liked Seattle's chances going in.

First, basic mathematics will tell you that winning streaks get exponentially harder to sustain the longer they go. I suppose that applies for losing streaks, too, but we'll have to ask Jets/Bengals/Cardinals fan about that one.

Second, you have that championship DNA difference - Seattle has it, SF doesn't. Not yet with this roster, anyway.

Third, didn't it feel like this defense was due for a breakout performance? Didn't it seem like they were playing at the floor of their capabilities, and not the ceiling? A lot closer to the ceiling after last night. Clowney, Reed, Griffin, Diggs, were BALLIN'. Suddenly, going into the second half of the season, this unit proved they could/would/should be a force to be reckoned with.

MVP of the game: it's gong to be easy to hand it to RW, but I'm gonna do the ole end-around (off play actions) and hand it to the defense. They didn't give up much and harassed Janeane Garoffalo in the most extreme non-sexually-threatening way possible.

Watching this game and reading the post game pressers and analytics, I wonder how many people saw the same game I did? This didn't even feel close, this felt like a blowout. I'm going to open that discussion with another rant against the embarrassing state of officiating. It's easy to scoff at officiating when your team is the victim, but I truly felt, during the entire game, that the refs were a primary reason SF was even in the game. Seemed like every call of significance went against Seattle. On the 'in the grasp' penalty (insert hard eye roll) you could hear the whistles AFTER RW broke free. WT LITERAL F is going on here?

27-24? Yeah, this game never really felt that close at all. If DK doesn't fumble and Ifedi doesn't bumble, and the refs don't offer up constant training wheels to prop up SF, this is a one sided affair. Didn't it feel that way? I never thought SF looked that formidable at all. Seattle punched them on the mouth the whole game.

So many ticky tack fouls followed up with missed blatant facemasks and helmet to helmet calls miraculously NOT going Seattle's way. It's one thing to suffer through it as a Seahawk, fan and quite another as a football fan - because the same conclusion can be drawn by either one - that crew was f*cking awful. I'm gonna leave that one right there.

As much as RW is, and should be, the front runner for MVP, it's time to start the discussion about - are you ready -for PC to get COTY consideration. No one saw 8-2 coming down the pike - and as bad as this team has looked at times, they seem to be improving all over the place. With the stretch run coming, additions of Josh Gordon and Diggs could prove to be major difference makers. PC's team is adapting, the defense had a smart scheme to take away SF's run game, and he seems to be handing the keys to Shotty and getting out of the way - leaving him with more time to concentrate on blowing time management. But hey, 8-2, right? Who else should be above PC on that list?

This team feels like it's on the verge of really exploding - and I mean like that three game stretch of 58-0, 50-17 and 42-13 (against the 9ers, too!) blow outs and established themselves as a team to be feared back in 2012. This team feels a little different, but it feels like they are on the verge of a hot streak.

Lot's of talk about this being an all time classic. Not to me. Oh, it was a great win, not an unexpected win, but atrocious officiating and two fumbles were the only thing keeping this game from being a blow out, IMO. SF has the better roster on paper, but Seattle has the better team on the field. Seattle looked ready and comfortable in Prime Time - SF coughgaroffolocough did not.

We know what we have in RW, we expect the superhero routine from him, but let's not let that overshadow a potentially bigger question - has the defense we've been waiting for all season finally arrived?

[D-train]

That in the grasp call was mind boggling. I know that rule existed in the past to protect QBs but I thought they did away with it now that they call a PF every time a defender winks at a QB.

I also thought the PF on Thorpe on the punt returner was insanity.

[D-train]

It was an all time classic for the following reasons.

1. Intra division match up of two teams with two combined losses
2. Rivalry renewal game
3. Half dozen massive momentum swings
4. Crazy turnovers and Defensive scores
5. Clutch play by so many players
6. Went down to the last second of OT after 5 intense possessions.

btw If you need a perfectly officiated game to be a classic there never will be another....

[Michael K.]

There was no fair catch, the punt returner has the option to call a fair catch, so when he doesn't, he is NOT defenseless! This league has become a joke, and that officiating crew last night should have been ridiculed. Instead we have a two jokers in the booth and a retired yes man ref making excuses and calling every call legit. I thought the broadcast was worse than the officiating. And the officiating was piss poor.

Heard after the game that people on ESPN were whinning about the players the Niners were missing...even mentioned their Center! Dude, did you see who we started at Center? I am 5 foot 11 and around 200 lbs. Give me a week of cheeseburgers and I am close to Joey Hunt's size! And I guess losing a Pro Bowl WR for OT doesn't count?

Nothing but excuses. The Niners were at home, got every call, and still couldn't beat us.

[DanielVogelbach]

That in the grasp call was mind boggling. I know that rule existed in the past to protect QBs but I thought they did away with it now that they call a PF every time a defender winks at a QB.

I also thought the PF on Thorpe on the punt returner was insanity.

How many times have you seen that called on Wilson? I have never seen it, and I feel like I've seen 90% of Wilson's career snaps. That was memorable, though. Refs tried to fuck 'em and he just slangs a 16 yard strike to the new guy. He was on fire that drive, just got a little overconfident on that last one... not worth the risk, too cute. Still, he was awesome. You could see him in his zone at the end while Jimmy was looking spooked. Speaking of spooked, how bout their kicker?

I was surprised on the punt returner also. It looked vicious, but legal.

[D-train]

There was no fair catch, the punt returner has the option to call a fair catch, so when he doesn't, he is NOT defenseless! This league has become a joke, and that officiating crew last night should have been ridiculed. Instead we have a two jokers in the booth and a retired yes man ref making excuses and calling every call legit. I thought the broadcast was worse than the officiating. And the officiating was piss poor.

Heard after the game that people on ESPN were whinning about the players the Niners were missing...even mentioned their Center! Dude, did you see who we started at Center? I am 5 foot 11 and around 200 lbs. Give me a week of cheeseburgers and I am close to Joey Hunt's size! And I guess losing a Pro Bowl WR for OT doesn't count?

Nothing but excuses. The Niners were at home, got every call, and still couldn't beat us.

And we had our RT with the body of a Rhino suddenly think he was Barry Sanders or Reggie Bush!

[auroraave]

There was no fair catch, the punt returner has the option to call a fair catch, so when he doesn't, he is NOT defenseless! This league has become a joke, and that officiating crew last night should have been ridiculed. Instead we have a two jokers in the booth and a retired yes man ref making excuses and calling every call legit. I thought the broadcast was worse than the officiating. And the officiating was piss poor.

Heard after the game that people on ESPN were whinning about the players the Niners were missing...even mentioned their Center! Dude, did you see who we started at Center? I am 5 foot 11 and around 200 lbs. Give me a week of cheeseburgers and I am close to Joey Hunt's size! And I guess losing a Pro Bowl WR for OT doesn't count?

Nothing but excuses. The Niners were at home, got every call, and still couldn't beat us.

That's exactly why RW and PC are MVP and COTY right now. Big underdogs, completely handled SF in that situation, despite the refs doing their best to keep SF relevant. I'm not sure how much longer this league can sustain with the circus officiating making every game a WWF event. Just brutal to witness. It's not about a couple missed or botched calls - this is the refs absolutely dictating the games. It is undeniable anymore.

I don't know how many times I heard the cries of "But Kittles is out" while never acknowledging the top TE in the conference, Dissly, not to mention Seattle's starting center (going against the worlds greatest defense) were out. Pretty funny. If your entire offense is centered around one guy, you're in big trouble.

[maoling]

Chiming in on the abomination that was called officiating last night. I have no idea why some of these dickhead zebras are allowed anywhere near a field in all of Footballdom. Call after call was missed or blown all night long, and it seemed like 90% of them went against us. It was f'ing pitiful. Even worse were the announcers analyzing each POS call and then saying, "Good call, they got it right." Jeezus, I loved the wim, but that is as bad an officiating crew I've seen since we got hosed in the SB against the Steelers. Totally agree that the officials kept SF in the game all night long.

Rant concluded.

Great write-up as always, Ponyboy. Stay Gold.

[D-train]

Was there ever a time when officiating in any sport was considered good. Remember when they thought Vinny Testeverde's white helmet was the ball costing us the playoffs? SB 40 was now 14 years ago. I just don't get the notion that bad officiating is some recent shocking development.

[D-train]

Coin flip controversy developing. lol

https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/11 ... 7798831105