Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    Twitter
    Home » Thiel: Fine time for Falcons, Sark to play Hawks
    Football

    Thiel: Fine time for Falcons, Sark to play Hawks

    Art ThielBy Art ThielNovember 15, 201716 Comments5 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
    Julio Jones (11) won’t have Richard Sherman (25) lurking Monday. / Drew McKenzie, Sportspress Northwest

    Asked what he expected to see from opponents in the injury absence of CB Richard Sherman, beleaguered Pete Carroll politely sidestepped the question Tuesday, although he certainly could have justified a few elbow smashes and an airplane spin or two upon his interrogators.

    “We will have to wait and see,” the Seahawks coach said with a tight-lipped smile.  “Let’s not go ahead and give them any ideas. If you don’t mind.”

    I suppose he could have said, “Well, without either Sherman or Kam Chancellor, and with Earl Thomas having missed two games, and maybe no Jarran Reed, I expect a blizzard of go routes, numerous seam routes from the tight ends and a bunch of play-action misdirection to take advantage of our absence of experience at various positions, which will give Julio Jones at least 100 yards in receptions, Matt Ryan 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing for Tevin Coleman.

    “Just a guess.”

    Since he didn’t say that, it is left to the rest of us to speculate for him. You’re welcome, Pete.

    Then again, no one, including Carroll, knows which Seahawks defenders will show up Monday night against the defending NFC champion Falcons.

    Carroll does know that Atlanta offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, his former protege at USC and the ex-Huskies coach, is capable of unleashing the football equivalent of a Cirque du Soleil aerial act upon his former boss and his former town in front of a national TV audience.

    More or less, that’s what the Falcons delivered in January, a 36-20 playoff whipping in Atlanta that ended the Seahawks season and could have been worse had not coach Dan Quinn, the ex-Seahawks assistant, eased off.

    The deed was done without Sarkisian, in his first year with the Falcons. But he’s under much fire already for the Falcons’ tepid 5-4 start. So for Monday night, the man does not lack for incentives.

    Nor do the Falcons, who appeared to correct themselves Sunday with a 27-7 beatdown of the depleted Cowboys. Desperate to avoid falling further behind the revived Saints (7-2) in the NFC South, Atlanta encounters an even more depleted Seahawks team, who inexplicably is favored by the Las Vegas bookmeisters by three points.

    The bookies seem to have forgotten an axiom provided by former Seahawks coach Chuck Knox.

    “It’s not always who you play,” he said. “It’s when you play ’em.”

    If ever there were a good time to play the Carroll-era Seahawks (6-3), it is now.

    Besides Sherman on the defense, Reed (hamstring) and Chancellor (neck stinger) are hurting. On offense, the Seahawks lost RB C.J. Prosise (ankles) for what amounts to the season. Perhaps most significantly, LT Duane Brown (ankle), who is so much better than the next best Seahawks O-lineman than even a Seahawks running back could run through the gap, might miss the game.

    The upshot is that with a wounded defense and an ineffective run game, the Seahawks appear to need a grand slam, a hat trick of goals, a buzzer-beating jumper as well as the best game of his football life from QB Russell Wilson. Even at his $21 million salary, that might be a reach.

    After the high casualty rate of the 22-16 win over Arizona, Carroll sought to soothe the psychic wounds with positive, brave words.

    “I made the point (to players) that we survived the game and we had a good break, which is what the Thursday opportunity does,” he said.  “There is an upside — these guys had four days off. So they had a bye, in essence, to try and get recovered, and back for the finish of the most challenging season.

    “We are surely not belly-aching about it, or griping about it, or any of that kind of stuff.”

    Indeed, whining should be reserved for when it does the most good — penalties. Oh, wait . . .

    Truth is, outside help available at this point in the season is barely even modest. CB Byron Maxwell was brought back, but only after the Dolphins were willing to eat the balance of his $8.5 million contract two weeks ago to be rid of him.

    Nor did things work out for Maxwell in Philadelphia, where he was hired by Chip Kelly after the 2014 season for $63 million. Maxwell’s chief claim to fame in Philly was that he was part of a trade that allowed the Eagles to move up to draft QB Carson Wentz, who is remaking his team the way Russell Wilson did in 2012 with the Seahawks.

    On offense, the Seahawks promoted from the practice squad RB Mike Davis, who offered some promise in the preseason. In his first two seasons with the 49ers after being taken in the fourth round from South Carolina, he traveled 108 yards in 54 carries.

    He should fit in.

    “It’s an amazing opportunity, especially coming from not playing,” Davis said Tuesday. “I gotta make the most of it.”

    So said Maxwell.

    “You’ve always got to prove yourself in this league, no matter what,” he said. “You know, Dwight Freeney (another mid-season hire off the couch by the Seahawks), he’s out here trying to prove himself that he can still do it. So no matter who you are, you’re still trying to prove you can do it.”

    Injuries have made Seahawks home this season to the try-hards. What they need are do-betters, a steep task in a week.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email

    Related Posts

    A few musings about sports journalism as the unwinding begins

    February 18, 2022

    Carroll’s staff makeover seeks to get Wilson back in the game

    February 16, 2022

    Arizona loss unmasks truths about Hopkins, UW hoops

    February 15, 2022

    16 Comments

    1. ss on November 15, 2017 9:56 pm

      Art, you’re killin’ me, man. To say about Mike Smith that after 2 years and 108 yards on 54 carries, “He should fit in” with the Seahawks… My sides are hurting. ROTFLMAO!

      • Tman on November 16, 2017 11:54 am

        Art’s on his game.

      • art thiel on November 16, 2017 9:40 pm

        Thanks for noticing.

    2. John M on November 16, 2017 9:26 am

      Like Brando’s brother said in Waterfront, “It ain’t your night, kid.” If they don’t get steamrolled it will seem like a victory . . .

      • art thiel on November 16, 2017 9:40 pm

        Keep the expectations low, and think how much fun it will be if they win.

    3. Topcatone on November 16, 2017 9:34 am

      The OL and Rawls really have to step up for this game. Prosise, I don’t know. I kinda feel like Hawks should give up on him. Seems to be one of those guys who is constantly injured.

      • art thiel on November 16, 2017 9:39 pm

        He’s shown enough to be worth keeping into training camp. Won’t cost them much.

    4. coug73 on November 16, 2017 10:18 am

      Winners bring reality up to their vision. Losers bring their vision to reality. Chuck Knox

      • art thiel on November 16, 2017 9:38 pm

        You sure that’s Knox? That might be Dr. Phil.

        • coug73 on November 16, 2017 9:51 pm

          Yes. Dr. Phil has lost his way.

    5. tor5 on November 16, 2017 2:40 pm

      Whoa, that’s quite the buzzkill, Art. I wouldn’t doubt your assessment of the loss of talent, but the Hawks still have one of the better spirits in the league. That might not factor into a purely rational analysis, but they’re a dangerous underdog. A role they played pretty well in the past.

      • art thiel on November 16, 2017 9:37 pm

        C’mon, tor. You know I’m not in charge of your emotions, certainly not for free.

        • tor5 on November 17, 2017 9:42 am

          Of course, I count on you to bring the hard truth, Art, along with your classic double-take metaphors.

    6. DJ on November 16, 2017 5:50 pm

      Thanks Art – I sense your frustration too?

      Apparently “do-betters” is even hard to accomplish through the offseason, draft, training camp and half the season. Not a lot has changed with the teams’ deficiencies since then – cornerback improved, but it’s now a bit of a wash with Sherman out. Now attrition from injuries is starting to take it’s toll and there is little margin to handle it. Hard to take the explanations when obvious existing issues are dubiously addressed.

      Take the running game, for instance – very few running backs are going to have success behind this O-line. Carson was an anomaly with the right combination of direction, speed, power and fearless attitude, so did alright in the short time before he was hurt. You can line up a dozen of the best backs in the league and maybe a third of them would have some success – but it would be just above mediocre. This line has the build to make average defenses look good and take years off of a talented young QB.

      I’m still rooting for the Hawks to make the Falcons look silly in some fashion – Especially Sark. I’ll bet that Carroll is well aware of his weaknesses and has a plan.

      Go Hawks!

      • art thiel on November 16, 2017 9:36 pm

        I get frustrated when writers and broadcasters use the useless phrase, “going forward.” My game is English. I leave football to the Seahawks.

    7. jafabian on November 17, 2017 5:39 pm

      Rooting for the Hawks but also a fan of both Quinn and especially Sark. Before he left he got the Husky program on the right track.

    • Follow @Art_Thiel on Twitter
    Use our affiliate link on Amazon

    Subscribe to Our Weekly Roundup

    Get the top stories sent to your inbox every Thursday.

    Art Thiel on KNKX 88.5FM

    Kirsten Kendrick's Q. & A. with Thiel can be heard every Friday during Morning Edition at 5:45am and 7:45am and again that same day on All Things Considered at 4:44pm. It also airs Saturday at 9:35am.

    Listen now!
    Latest Posts

    A few musings about sports journalism as the unwinding begins

    February 18, 2022

    Carroll’s staff makeover seeks to get Wilson back in the game

    February 16, 2022

    Arizona loss unmasks truths about Hopkins, UW hoops

    February 15, 2022

    Rams win a survivors contest called the Super Bowl

    February 14, 2022
    Twitter
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    © 2023 Sportspress Northwest

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.