2024 Training Camp

[CrimsonCrew]

Heard it often voiced that teams with deep playoff runs tend to suffer more injuries the next year, particularly training camp injuries. Seems to make sense but has it ever been actually studied/proven?

Seems we've dodged that phenomenon the past few years. This year, it's been rookies getting injured more than anyone.

[arich35]

Heard it often voiced that teams with deep playoff runs tend to suffer more injuries the next year, particularly training camp injuries. Seems to make sense but has it ever been actually studied/proven?

Seems we've dodged that phenomenon the past few years. This year, it's been rookies getting injured more than anyone.

Didn't we go 6-10 after the Super Bowl in 2019-2020 year with a bunch of injuries?
That season has scarred me and have just come to expect major injuries

[Big J]

Anyone else scared of the Seahawks this year? Their roster is young and stacked and it looks like they just got the best defensive coach in the league.

[Cactus Jack]

Anyone else scared of the Seahawks this year? Their roster is young and stacked and it looks like they just got the best defensive coach in the league.

The one thing that could hold them back is the offensive line. Abe Lucas had offseason knee surgery & still hasn't seen the field yet. Laken Tomlinson is the projected starting LG. You also might have a rookie starting at RG.

But there's a ton of buzz around the team. Geno has had a great camp so far. Word is that it's the best he's ever looked. I'm expecting good things from him in this offense.

The team is probably still a year away from truly competing. The Ravens defense took a massive jump in year two under Macdonald as the DC. But the transformation with a completely new staff likely won't happen overnight.

The biggest difference? This might be the most talent they've had along the D-line since the LOB years. The additions of Byron Murphy & Leonard Williams make it one of the deepest DT units. Jarran Reed is coming off a very solid year & would start for most teams. The same could be said for Dre'mont Jones.

Nwosu & Mafe are both good, but not great edge guys. The scheme will probably help in that regard. As Macdonald was able to get the best out of guys like Clowney & Van Noy last season.

The defense was basically among the worst primarily due to the scheme & coaching. That shouldn't be the case now with Macdonald. Even if they're middle of the pack this year, it would be a huge improvement.

They won 9 games last season with a defense that ranked 25th in scoring. Ranked near the bottom in several categories. They we're also dead last in time of possession. Clint Hurtt (DC) was in over his head & they really had no answers. It's ultimately why Carroll was replaced.

[Jikkle]

Anyone else scared of the Seahawks this year? Their roster is young and stacked and it looks like they just got the best defensive coach in the league.

They are certainly capable of stealing one from us, but with completely new staff on both sides of the ball it will take time for them to iron things out.

I love Macdonald as a defensive coordinator but that doesn't always translate into being a great head coach. I mean Spags for the Chiefs is a prime example of a guy that's a great defensive coordinator but a terrible head coach. So time will tell if he's the next big thing or just another guy that's primed for the coordinator life.

Also the Seahawks will never be truly scary with Geno Smith behind center. Not saying he's terrible or anything but he's not good under pressure. Geno's like Goff in that you give him a clean pocket and he'll put some work in and make you pay but rough him up a bit and his effectiveness goes way down. Granted every QB performs worse under pressure but it impacts some QBs more than others.

[Big J]

Anyone else scared of the Seahawks this year? Their roster is young and stacked and it looks like they just got the best defensive coach in the league.

They are certainly capable of stealing one from us, but with completely new staff on both sides of the ball it will take time for them to iron things out.

I love Macdonald as a defensive coordinator but that doesn't always translate into being a great head coach. I mean Spags for the Chiefs is a prime example of a guy that's a great defensive coordinator but a terrible head coach. So time will tell if he's the next big thing or just another guy that's primed for the coordinator life.

Also the Seahawks will never be truly scary with Geno Smith behind center. Not saying he's terrible or anything but he's not good under pressure. Geno's like Goff in that you give him a clean pocket and he'll put some work in and make you pay but rough him up a bit and his effectiveness goes way down. Granted every QB performs worse under pressure but it impacts some QBs more than others.

Same could be said about Purdy also. We saw how he looked under pressure during the Browns, Vikings, and Ravens games.

[CrimsonCrew]

Anyone else scared of the Seahawks this year? Their roster is young and stacked and it looks like they just got the best defensive coach in the league.

They are certainly capable of stealing one from us, but with completely new staff on both sides of the ball it will take time for them to iron things out.

I love Macdonald as a defensive coordinator but that doesn't always translate into being a great head coach. I mean Spags for the Chiefs is a prime example of a guy that's a great defensive coordinator but a terrible head coach. So time will tell if he's the next big thing or just another guy that's primed for the coordinator life.

Also the Seahawks will never be truly scary with Geno Smith behind center. Not saying he's terrible or anything but he's not good under pressure. Geno's like Goff in that you give him a clean pocket and he'll put some work in and make you pay but rough him up a bit and his effectiveness goes way down. Granted every QB performs worse under pressure but it impacts some QBs more than others.

Same could be said about Purdy also. We saw how he looked under pressure during the Browns, Vikings, and Ravens games.

Purdy has been one of the better QBs under pressure in the league the past two years. Sure, as with any QB, he can struggle when there is significant pressure, but Purdy is better than most, and far ahead of most second-year QBs. Purdy has already done more in the clutch than Geno has over his entire career.

[Cactus Jack]

They are certainly capable of stealing one from us, but with completely new staff on both sides of the ball it will take time for them to iron things out.

I love Macdonald as a defensive coordinator but that doesn't always translate into being a great head coach. I mean Spags for the Chiefs is a prime example of a guy that's a great defensive coordinator but a terrible head coach. So time will tell if he's the next big thing or just another guy that's primed for the coordinator life.

Also the Seahawks will never be truly scary with Geno Smith behind center. Not saying he's terrible or anything but he's not good under pressure. Geno's like Goff in that you give him a clean pocket and he'll put some work in and make you pay but rough him up a bit and his effectiveness goes way down. Granted every QB performs worse under pressure but it impacts some QBs more than others.

Same could be said about Purdy also. We saw how he looked under pressure during the Browns, Vikings, and Ravens games.

Purdy has already done more in the clutch than Geno has over his entire career.

I don't want to make this into a Purdy vs. Geno debate. Because Purdy has played very well.

But Geno actually led the league in come from behind, game winning drives last season (5). He was very clutch in that sense. Look, I get it. There's still a stigma around him. But the guy has been very good at times. Especially when he has time to throw.

It's true that Geno plays better when he has a clean pocket. It's why the Goff comparison I think is a fair one. He's still one of the more underrated QB's imo. He should also thrive in this new offense. If anyone here has watched UW the last couple of years, you'll know what I mean.

You also have to understand that he was one of the most pressured QB's last season (47%). The OL was one of the worst pass blocking units last year, according to most metrics. Both starting Tackles missed significant time & they we're basically rotating guys in & out each week. It's why his stats took a dip last season.

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[CrimsonCrew]

In terms of those specific games, the Browns game was a bad one. Bad weather, Trent playing hurt, and facing maybe the best secondary in the league. Though Purdy still did enough to win that one. Baltimore was worse across the board, though a couple of the INTs were pretty fluky.

But Purdy played well for most of the game against the Vikings. He completed his first five passes for 58 yards, and ran for another 17 while avoiding a sack. But McCaffrey fumbled on the Vikings' 15 and Moody missed a 40-yard FG to start the game. The FG drive ended when Jennings slipped coming out of his break on third down, but Purdy had already thrown it with anticipation. The ball still went off Jennings' hands. On the third drive, Purdy was 5 of 5 for 59 yards, and McCaffrey punched it in.

Between the fumble, the missed FG, and the blown defense that let the Vikings score on the last play of the first half, we were trailing 16-7 at the half instead of leading the game as we should have been. Purdy was 11 of 13 for 122 yards passing (85% completion rate, 9.4 YPA) and 17 rushing. Darn good first half considering we only had three drives.

Purdy continued with a solid showing to start the second half. The first drive was killed by a sack where Hunter beat McKivitz with an inside move and was barely touched followed by a batted ball on 3rd and 25. But Purdy came back with a beautiful 28-yard pass to Kittle and a throw to CMC (short pass CMC took the distance) for the TD. He then had several nice throws in the following drive before quick pressure caused him to move off his mark and throw just short to Aiyuk (Aiyuk "caught" it, but it was on the ground and ruled incomplete) which led to a FG. In the 4th quarter, he had another nice long ball to Kittle as we were driving, but then we ran a QB sneak and he got hit hard in the head.

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At that point, he was 19 of 25 for 252 yards and a TD. After that, his play fell off a cliff. He threw two picks while going two of five for 20 yards. The vision and decision-making just weren't there, and given his play throughout this game, I think it's fair to wonder how much the hit to the head affected him. The bigger issue in that game - by far - was the D being unable to stop Cousins (though they did have two goal-line stands) who went 35 of 45 for 378 yards, and the disastrous TD at the end of the half. And the ground game did us no favors, as CMC averaged 3.0 YPC and fumbled in the red zone. Even with the late collapse, no way that loss was on Purdy.

[CrimsonCrew]

Same could be said about Purdy also. We saw how he looked under pressure during the Browns, Vikings, and Ravens games.

Purdy has already done more in the clutch than Geno has over his entire career.

I don't want to make this into a Purdy vs. Geno debate. Because Purdy has played very well.

But Geno actually led the league in come from behind, game winning drives last season (5). He was very clutch in that sense. Look, I get it. There's still a stigma around him. But the guy has been very good at times. Especially when he has time to throw.

It's true that Geno plays better when he has a clean pocket. It's why the Goff comparison I think is a fair one. He's still one of the more underrated QB's imo. He should also thrive in this new offense. If anyone here has watched UW the last couple of years, you'll know what I mean.

You also have to understand that he was one of the most pressured QB's last season (47%). The OL was one of the worst pass blocking units last year, according to most metrics. Both starting Tackles missed significant time & they we're basically rotating guys in & out each week. It's why his stats took a dip last season.

Geno has had a real career resurgence. And I'm not going to pretend that I have watched all of his games - though I probably watch the Seahawks more than any team other than the Niners. He was stellar for the first half of 2022, but he's been pretty shaky since then. And sure, OL issues are likely part of that, but he has some pretty significant limitations.

In terms of his comeback wins, there's something to be said for that, but the context matters. Purdy could have had a comeback win in the SB, but he didn't because the defense didn't get it done on three consecutive drives to put the game away.

Geno beat AZ (4-13) by one in a comeback effort, but they missed two FGs on their final two drives, including a longer one (51 yards) as time expired.

He knocked off the Titans (6-11) with two late TDs, and the D sacked Tannehill twice on the ensuing drive.

He drove the length of the field against Washington (4-13) for a late FG to win it. Nice drive with two good passes to Metcalf (curiously, the game log refers to them as short passes despite both going for 10+ yards in the air).

He had a nice drive to beat the Browns (11-6) with a TD late, though he was set up on the 50 by an INT and had the advantage of being able to play for the tie in a three-point game while also going for the win. Still, this was probably his most impressive comeback given the circumstances.

And he beat the Lions (12-5) with a TD drive in OT (thanks for that, BTW). That said, a pick-six gave him a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter. After the Lions responded with a TD, he had the chance to put the game away with a drive in regulation. Instead, on third down (3rd and 18 due to penalty, to be fair), he took one of the dumbest sacks I have ever seen. Right at the two-minute warning - so the Lions wouldn't have had to use a TO either way - he ran all over the field like a chicken with his head cut off despite multiple opportunities to get rid of the ball, and ultimately got sacked at the three for a loss of 17 yards. That play arguably single-handedly allowed the Lions to tie the game with a FG, and was about as unclutch as you can get. That said, he had a nice drive in OT.

I don't give him too much credit for beating three bottom-dwelling teams at the buzzer. The Cleveland and Detroit games were big wins in big situations, but the Lions game in particular was kind of a **** show (Myers missed two FGs, though one was a 56-yarder; Seahawks' first TD came in a sequence where they ran four consecutive 1st and Goal plays due to penalties).

I know you don't want to make this a Purdy-Smith discussion, and I don't either, but I will point out that Purdy just wasn't in position to have many comeback wins. Literally none of his regulation wins were single-score games (they beat the Rams 30-23, but that included a Rams' FG as time expired). That said, in the five games one-score games he played last year, he generally played well down the stretch. He drove the length of the field to set up a 40-yard FG against Cleveland, but Moody missed. I detailed Minnesota game above. He easily played well enough to win until he was probably concussed. But he led 4th quarter comebacks in the first two playoff games, and ended the SB with three drives to put his team in the lead. Those are clutch performances in big situations, and Geno hasn't necessarily shown that - granted he hasn't necessarily had the chance.

Anyway, Hawks are improved, young, and I'm terrified of them in two or three years if they can find a QB or Geno takes the next step. This year, I think we'll still have their number, but I agree that this offense should suit Geno and his skill players. Should be interesting to see how it shakes out.

And caveat to everything is that I think the new KO rules could be a real wild card for us this year. KO coverage has been our Achilles heel the past several years, and the new rules seem likely to only make that worse.

Okay, really got to get back to work now....

[Big J]

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Some interesting notes from Cohn today.

[CrimsonCrew]

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Some interesting notes from Cohn today.

That's snarky even by Cohn's standards. Didn't catch much of anything interesting, though.

[Big J]

CMAC out for preseason with a calf strain? Jesus, guess last year was probably an anomaly with his health.

[CrimsonCrew]

CMAC out for preseason with a calf strain? Jesus, guess last year was probably an anomaly with his health.

With Mitchell also banged up, really explains the Breida signing. Got to stay healthy to make another run....

[Big J]

CMAC out for preseason with a calf strain? Jesus, guess last year was probably an anomaly with his health.

With Mitchell also banged up, really explains the Breida signing. Got to stay healthy to make another run....

Might be a blessing in disguise if we can get a chance to see what Purdy looks like without a stacked roster before we give him a massive contract.

[arich35]

Drake Jackson will be out for the year again

[Harry Palmer]

Really starting to feel like one of those years.

[CrimsonCrew]

Drake Jackson will be out for the year again

Train wreck to date. I liked the pick because of the potential, but there were always warning signs, including the fact that he kind of let himself go during the draft process. I had Nik Bonnito ahead of him at pass rusher, though I thought Jackson had more upside given his frame and bend. He could still turn it around, but it's not looking good. Serious, potentially chronic injury. He needs to add strength, which he probably can't do right now. He's still got a shot to get it together for next year, but I don't see this one panning out. Yet another blown day two pick, looks like.

[CrimsonCrew]

Doesn't help that a couple starting OTs went shortly after him, including a very good one in Bernhard Raimann.

[Harry Palmer]

Jackson was a weird one because twice it went from gushing praise to he’s a long way away like overnight. Especially at last year’s camp everyone was drooling over how cut up he was and how lightning fast he was moving on the field, everyone seemed excited and then one day it was a 180, bust talk, he’s got issues, etc. One of the more confusing development stories we’ve had in a long time.