Tag: offense

Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister valued for his football instincts

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer praised tight end Jacob Hollister and his play after Will Dissly’s injury.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister has been a surprising revelation for the team and a key offensive weapon for Russell Wilson this season, recording 25 receptions for 203 receiving yards and three touchdowns since being thrust into action in Week 7.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he did not expect Hollister to make such significant contributions to the team so quickly.

“I really liked Jake as a player when I first saw him and he had a great spring,” Schottenheimer said after practice on Thursday. “But, when you’re running around in t-shirts and shorts, it’s a little different than when you’re out there with pads on and you’re playing real football.”

When star tight end Will Dissly suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, the Seahawks’ unit at the position was thoroughly depleted. Ed Dickson being placed on injured reserve only reinforced that narrative. However, Hollister eventually embraced his role as the next man up and began to develop chemistry with Wilson. This led to a notable game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he recorded four catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.

“I think Tampa’s kind of where things swung for him – a couple big plays, big touchdowns, you get noticed a little bit more,” Schottenheimer said. “What you guys see on the little glimpses in practice, we see it all the time. Just very reliable, always in the right spot, great football instincts. Not good, great football instincts.”

Hollister will continue to be counted on as a major cog in the Seahawks offense throughout the final four games of the 2019 season. Seattle will undoubtedly need more production from him with the injuries at the tight end position.

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Former Saints CB Jabari Greer shares his thoughts on always-evolving offense

Jabari Greer practiced against the New Orleans Saints offense every day for almost four years, and he’s noticed changes in today’s team.

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Jabari Greer was one of the unsung heroes of the 2009 New Orleans Saints squad, which won Super Bowl XLIV and brought the city its first Lombardi Trophy. The veteran cornerback started several years for New Orleans and consistently manned up against the best receivers in the league.

His playing career ended with a torn ACL, but Greer has found success in covering NFL games in Canada for TSN and contributing to the SEC Network as a college football analyst, a role he’s enjoyed as a proud Tennessee Volunteers alum.

When prompted by a fan to discuss the changes in the 2019 Saints offense against the unit Greer played alongside from 2009 to 2013, Greer acknowledged the differences seen today while praising Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff for creatively working with the personnel they have, and not trying to put players in positions they aren’t suited for.

“Great question! I believe the Saints have adjusted their offense based on the personnel they have available, and not draft based on the system that is in place,” Greer wrote from his official Twitter account. “That is good coaching! Humbly asking ‘Who do we have, and how can we make ‘em shine.'”

A great illustration of Greer’s point would be Taysom Hill. Nominally a quarterback, the Saints have developed Hill’s positional versatility to a point where he’s scoring multiple touchdowns (both on the ground and through the air) while making an impact on special teams with blocked punts, all in the same game.

Obviously it would be great if the Saints had the personnel to where Payton doesn’t have to scheme up so much smoke and so many mirrors. If they had, for example, another wide receiver to make plays opposite Michael Thomas then things would be going much more smoothly — but their best options, Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre’Quan Smith, have caught just 38% of their targets since the bye week.

The Saints will have opportunities to improve that position group in the offseason. But for now, it’s like Greer said — good coaching and creative adjustments to personnel are helping the Saints win the day, week in and week out.

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5 takeaways from Seattle’s 37-30 prime-time victory over Minnesota

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football” to move to 10-2. Here are a few takeaways from the game.

The Seattle Seahawks (10-2) had a resounding 37-30 victory against the Minnesota Vikings (8-4) on Monday night that saw them take both the lead in the NFC West and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Seahawks extend their record in Action Green to 5-0 and now control their own destiny as they await another primetime matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 14. Here are a few takeaways from the game.

Chris Carson rebounds again and Rashaad Penny continues production

Seattle set a season-high in rushing yards Monday night with 218 as the backfield duo of Carson and Penny got rolling. Carson rebounded after a disastrous performance last week against Philadelphia with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown along with one catch for seven yards. Rashaad Penny chipped in 74 rushing yards for a rushing TD along with four receptions for 33 yards and a receiving score. The Seahawks had 16 first-down runs, the second most accumulated in a single game by a team this season. Penny has stepped up significantly over the past two games and Carson bounced back extremely well. Fans will hope that they continue to produce throughout the rest of the season, which will be essential to Seattle’s success.

DK Metcalf’s lost fumble gave momentum back to Minnesota

This was a great play by Xavier Rhodes, but the fact of the matter is that Metcalf’s fumble in Minnesota territory gave the Vikings new life and allowed them to score consecutive touchdowns. This came after an improbable play on a fake punt in which Travis Homer picked up 29 yards. The defense should not be excused for collapsing on the drives before and after the fumble, but Metcalf has to be better at protecting the football and reducing his mistakes because he has made a noticeable amount of them in the past three games.

Offense and defense aid each other with 24 unanswered points

Facing a 17-10 deficit, the Seahawks drove for Penny’s rushing touchdown. This was followed by a strip-sack on Kirk Cousins by Rasheem Green and recovery by Bradley McDougald, which set up a field goal to take a 20-17 lead. The defense proceeded to force the Vikings into a three-and-out and the offense took advantage with a 60-yard touchdown pass to David Moore. This was followed by an incredible interception by Tre Flowers, which set up Penny’s 13-yard receiving touchdown for a 34-17 lead. They proceeded to give up 13 unanswered points, but this productive stretch was enough to allow Seattle to hold on and clinch victory.

Self-inflicted wounds nearly cost Seahawks the victory

In addition to the aforementioned Metcalf fumble, Russell Wilson threw, or rather, batted an interception directly to Vikings safety Anthony Harris for a pick-six, giving Minnesota a 14-7 lead after the defense had just forced them into a three-and-out. On the Vikings’ drive before Metcalf’s fumble, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell was left incredibly wide open on a blown coverage for a 58-yard touchdown. Tre Flowers also committed a costly pass interference penalty on Stefon Diggs on third down, which set up Minnesota’s touchdown to make the score 34-30 after a missed extra point by Dan Bailey. The Seahawks could have run away with the victory but committed multiple mistakes that kept the Vikings in the game, along with their opponent’s own stellar play in the second half.

The 2019 Seahawks are still an incredibly resilient bunch

This team keeps finding ways to win. They are undefeated on the road and take every game of the week seriously. They have had some trouble keeping their foot on the gas, but they have managed to hold strong when things get too dire. They are now 10-2 with the NFC West lead and the No. 2 seed in the NFC, with the Saints holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over them. Seattle must keep racking up wins through the final four weeks of the season to secure a playoff spot, first and foremost. The Seahawks have the potential to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC this season and they must keep that in mind as they push to finish out the year.

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5 takeaways from Seahawks’ gritty 17-9 victory over Eagles

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense.

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense. Seattle secured a winning record for the eighth consecutive season and can take the division lead if the San Francisco 49ers (9-1) lose to the Green Bay Packers (8-2) on Sunday night. Here are five takeaways from the game.

Defense holds firm and totals five turnovers

The defense had a solid day even without Jadeveon Clowney, limiting the Eagles offense on Sunday. In addition, they had five total turnovers that were crucial to that accomplishment, often setting Seattle up in field goal range. The tackling was generally strong and the defensive backs mostly provided great coverage on their respective assignments, notching two interceptions off of Carson Wentz. They gave the offense multiple opportunities to put points on the board. However…

Missed opportunities on offense

The offense failed to capitalize on most of the chances given to them by the defense. Wide receiver DK Metcalf had three drops, including a brutal one on a surefire touchdown pass from Russell Wilson. After Quinton Jefferson recovered a fumble and took it deep into Philadelphia territory, the Seahawks turned a first and 10 into a first and 20 with back-to-back false start and delay of game penalties. This turned into a third and 25, leading Wilson to throw his third interception of the season. They did enough to win the game, but the missed opportunities were plentiful and Seattle cannot afford them later in the season.

Rashaad Penny shows improvement

Penny had his best game in quite some time, recording 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. That TD came on the longest run of his career, a 58-yard run.  It was also the longest rushing score for Seattle in the past three years. After being outshone by Chris Carson for most of the season, Penny came through when his team needed him to. This game could be a momentum shift in the season for the much-maligned second-year running back, and he will likely receive more carries going forward. Seattle could certainly use bigger contributions from Penny, so hopefully he builds on this.

Chris Carson fumbles twice in a row

Carson had a pair of egregious fumbles on back-to-back plays, the second of which Philadelphia recovered. The second one may have been attributed to Wilson as a botched handoff, but Carson was still at least partially to blame for not securing it. His ball-security issues continue to hamper the Seahawks offense. On top of that, he only had 26 rushing yards on eight carries. This, combined with Penny’s solid day, could give Carson less playing time for the remainder of the season.

Russell Wilson turns in a hot-and-cold performance

Wilson completed 13 of 25 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was the victim of a few unfortunate drops, most prominently by Metcalf. However, it was not the best game by Wilson’s lofty standards. His interception was a bounce to Rodney McLeod off a solid play by Ronald Darby. His touchdown pass to Malik Turner off a trick play was a thing of beauty, but he took quite a few sacks in crucial moments and his 75.4 passer rating is his lowest since the Seahawks’ Week 7 loss to the Baltimore. In the end, Wilson did enough to win and his performance shows how high his standards have become after largely playing at an MVP-caliber level through the first ten games.

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Alabama-Western Carolina: Postgame report

The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts with a finals score of 66-3 to improve to 10-1 on the 2019 regular season. This game was a true test of the Alabama offense without Tua Tagovailoa on the field. Redshirt-Sophomore …

The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts with a finals score of 66-3 to improve to 10-1 on the 2019 regular season.

This game was a true test of the Alabama offense without Tua Tagovailoa on the field.

Redshirt-Sophomore quarterback Mac Jones stepped up big time in place of Tagovailoa, completing 10 of 12 pass attempts for 275 yards and three touchdowns, all while not turning the ball over.

The freshman younger brother of Tua, Taulia Tagovailoa, also got to take some snaps at quarterback.

He completed two of three pass attempts for a single touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The passing attack turned out to be the most successful method of production as the Alabama offense totaled 310 yards and four touchdowns.

Devonta Smith continues to shine in his Junior season and make a strong case for being a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, today he reeled in four receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

Jaylen Waddle also got in on the action as he had three catches for 101 yards and a single touchdown that highlighted his breakaway speed along the sideline.

The running game also proved to be effective as Najee Harris had 14 carries for 66 yards, one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.

While Harris remains the star of the Alabama backfield, a young face made a strong appearance late in the game.

Freshman Keilan Robinson had eight carries for 92 yards and a touchdown in his brief appearance against the Catamounts.

The defense had another impressive outing as they were able to bring in four interceptions, two a piece for Xavier McKinney and Jared Mayden.

Overall, Western Carolina’s offense was held to 179 yards, 112 in the air and 67 on the ground.

This was a game many anticipated Alabama would walk away with a win, but the true test will be n the Crimson Tide’s final regular season game of the year as they’ll travel to Auburn and take on the Tigers, a game that will have some hefty playoff implications.

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Three reasons Texas lost to Iowa State

A disappointing loss against Iowa State, a lot went wrong for the Longhorns. The offense struggled and two mental errors cost Texas.

For the fourth time this year, Texas is on the losing side in frustrating fashion. Suffering a soul-crushing defeat to Iowa State on Saturday, a lot went wrong for the Longhorns. Offensively struggling all game and a couple of mental errors is the difference between a disappointing season and one with potential still in sight.

Here are three reasons Texas lost to Iowa State:

The offense’s poor play

Throughout the season, the Texas offense has been a strong suit for the team and the defense was the reason for the losses. Against Iowa State, the script was flipped. The Longhorns punted the ball a total of nine times and eight of them were after the offense went three-and-out. The inability to move the ball was something Texas had not shown all season.

Running backs Roschon Johnson and Keaontay Ingram struggled, combining for 14 carries and 27 yards. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger had the same amount of rushing yards as the two combined but on 12 carries. Even when designed plays were called for Ehlinger to run it, he got stuffed.

Throwing the ball, Ehlinger only completed 55% of his passes. In the first half, he was only able to get out 12 attempts due to the constant three-and-outs. He has been the glue to this offense all year and when he does not play well, the entire offense suffers. That was evident in Saturday’s loss.

Deshaunte Jones’ 75-yard touchdown

Going into halftime, Texas finally got some momentum, scoring a touchdown in 30 seconds to cut the Iowa State lead to three before the break. Texas kicked the ball off to start the second half and ruined all the momentum they had built up. On the first play of the third quarter, Purdy escaped pressure by scrambling to his left, launched the ball downfield, and found a wide-open Deshaunte Jones.

Without this total collapse in the secondary, Iowa State is going for a game-winning touchdown instead of a field goal in their final drive. The Cyclone offense struggled the rest of the second half, kicking two field goals, punting the ball four times, and turning it over on downs once. If the Longhorn defense does not allow that touchdown, the game could have been different.

Jumping offsides on the field goal attempt

After scoring touchdowns on two straight offensive possessions, the Texas offense went three-and-out (again), giving Iowa State the ball back with three minutes left in the game. After a couple of big plays from Brock Purdy and a pass interference call against Caden Sterns, Texas stopped the Cyclone offense and forced a field goal with two minutes and 16 seconds left in the game. Theoretically, that would have been enough time for Ehlinger to go win the game for himself.

However, Joseph Ossai jumped offsides on the field goal attempt, giving Iowa State a fresh set of downs from the Texas 20. Using their timeouts on the previous three plays, the Longhorns had no way of stopping the clock to give themselves an opportunity to win the game. The Cyclones were able to drain the clock down to four seconds before Connor Assalley hit the game-winning field goal from 36 yards.

This loss was a detrimental one to the Longhorns who are nearly out of the Big 12 Championship discussion. A miracle would be required and is looking more and more unlikely. Beating Iowa State would have allowed the Longhorns to control their own destiny, but now can only play the role of spoiler to Baylor.

Texas will face Baylor on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST on FS1.