Q & A With a Hawk Fan

[laram0]

When Branch starts clicking with Hass which Seahawk receiver is going to be put on the back burner ?

[bela]

I think that GB and Sea are pretty evenly matched. And I hope for a good game this week.

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Are you serious?

The TE has basically been a non-factor so far this year - an absence that has been conspicuous. Our TE's - combined - have caught less than 70 yards this year. That's what Stevens will get on a good day.

Stevens is a good asset in the passing game, he's fast, has above average hands, and runs good routes. He will also run routes down the field which plays havoc with safeties.

Jerhawk – awesome job in the Q&A, I don’t necessarily agree with everything, but your opinion is very well reasoned.

I wanted to add to the above though. I think a lot of Hawk fans (not you) have underestimated the effect of Stevens being out, and thus underestimated the effect of his return. The TE is one of those positions where you can’t just look at catches.

Having Stevens back has a big affect on both the run and the pass. Stevens is an adequate blocker, but his size and speed force LBs to be honest. You have to respect the play action when you have a 6’7” guy who can run chipping and releasing off the line.

Like you said - In the WCO, especially a WCO with a RB that can’t catch, the TE is the primary out receiver. Its our primary way of dealing with LB blitzes, and more importantly, having him run around the middle of the field prevents LBs from sitting underneath taking away short stuff to the WRs.

Although I wish Shaun were back, I think we see a big boost to the offense this weekend.

[Rhew Churyll]

Stevens is excactly what bela say's he does, keeps the Linebackers honest. Creates mismatches in the secondary because of his height.

But I don't really remember Steven's having a 70 yard day. ALMOST, but not quite. Stevens most catches in yards last year was 65 (anyone want to take a guess and tell me which game he did that in???))

I also agree that Hass did get a little shaken up in the first game this season and is probably sore in the rib area. That creates a strain on his passing, maybe he zips the ball to quickly on the short routes, and Hass has never been one to be known for the long ball, so he's underthrown a few balls more so than in the past.

Great thread btw.

[JerHawk81]

When Branch starts clicking with Hass which Seahawk receiver is going to be put on the back burner ?

The concensesus seems to be that Burleson will turn into the odd man out. Burleson has struggled quite a bit in the first few games, dropping quite a few balls and not running as precise routes as our other top WRs. I still think Burleson will be an asset to the team at some time in the future, but today, I think the role of Jackson and Engram are basically set in stone, and provide us with the best chance to win today.

Expect to still see Burleson getting time in the 4 WR sets (a set that we may back off of a bit with Stevens back) and rotating in with the top 3 in other sets.

Edit: Just to clarify, the above comments were pertaining to who would get the playing time and catches. Hackett, who is a very VERY good 5th WR will become the innactive man.

[thoey]

First, great thread. We should get some of our more knowledgeable (AR, Nick, or Hub come to mind, but I know there are others) to go over to your forum and offer the same Q & A.

I see that Engram is questionable due to illness (KFFL). What's up and when do you think he will be back?

[JerHawk81]

First, great thread. We should get some of our more knowledgeable (AR, Nick, or Hub come to mind, but I know there are others) to go over to your forum and offer the same Q & A.

I see that Engram is questionable due to illness (KFFL). What's up and when do you think he will be back?

First, I should say something in support of Engram, as he's often underappreciated. If Jackson goes down, Branch could step into his role. If Branch goes down, Hackett or Burleson could take over his role. If Burleson goes down, at this point I think that I could take over his role (you might be surprised at how good at dropping balls I am; OK, he hasn't been that bad, but you get the idea). But, if Engram is out for any reason, there is no one on this team that can step in and fill his shoes.

The team got a week off last week for the bye, and the first time that coaching staff saw Engram was Monday when it sounds like he was already quite ill. At that time, everyone sounded optimistic that he'd be playing this Sunday. By Wednesday, he's still too ill to be practicing.

If you ask me, my hunch is that he went to TJ over his bye week and ate some bad shrimp, in which case he should be fine over the next 48 hours and should play this Sunday. But, even if it's just the flu (which yeah, may be more likely), I'd expect to see his fever break and his symptoms to subside over the next 48 hours and he should play this Sunday. With that being said, the team is testing him for a thyroid condition, which WOULD keep him out this Sunday. I think he underwent those tests yesterday, and we should hear back today.

So, even though he's listed as "questionable" I'd give him a 70-80% chance to play. The team tends to list anyone who couldn't play a game on Wednesday as "questionable." Obviously, the thyroid thing would keep him out, but it sounds like if it was food poisoning or the flu, he would look the same today, and should be fine (fine enough) for Sunday.

And finally, Engram doesn't need to play 40 snaps to contribute on offense. He's a go-to guy on third downs, and is an ideal 3rd down 3rd WR in this offense; so if he could play on those 10 or so plays, It would be worth him suiting up.

[bela]

Jerhawk,

You hearing this stuff about Bobby having some sort of thyroid problem? I think 80% may be a little high...

[JerHawk81]

Jerhawk,

You hearing this stuff about Bobby having some sort of thyroid problem? I think 80% may be a little high...

Yeah, I commented on the thyroid thing above. Honestly, I'm not confident that it's a thyroid thing - or rather I am confidant that it's not. My logic is this: I bet most people that go as far as being tested don't have it, and because he had a time of extensive work followed by a time of little work and little stress, the situation was good for him to catch a common ailment (e.g. the flu).

But yeah, maybe I'm being optimistic - not a trait that I'm known for. Anyhow, we should hear back about the test results today.

[JerHawk81]

Update:

It sounds like it's a thyroid, and not a shimp thing after all. Engram's out this week, and the talk is that Branch may jump from 4 to 2 on the depth chart. Hackett will get some action, and is a very suitable 4th WR; just plays very differently than Engram.

[Rambos]

Enram is now out, will this slow down the Hawks?

[JerHawk81]

Enram is now out, will this slow down the Hawks?

It will change our approach a bit. For our 3 WR sets, it sounds like we'll use our #1 guy in the slot, and stick Branch out on the end.

This setup has a greater big-play potential, but won't convert as many 3d downs, which is a major drawback. Granted, we've been bad on 3rd downs on both side of the ball this year, so it's possible that no one will 'notice' the functional difference.

On another side note, our TE had a good week of practices, and should play most, if not all of the game. This should help us more than losing Engram hurts us. Shaun's another story...

[rawkhrdr]

I think that GB and Sea are pretty evenly matched. And I hope for a good game this week.

Wow, I must have been high when I wrote that. I meant that I think that SEA and STL are pretty evenly matched. I don't know why I wrote GB. Maybe I was just tired or not thinking straight. Or maybe just a little of both.