SSI's pre-game fearless predictions, Hindsight Is 20/20 Dept.:
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(SSI) Myth: Pete Carroll has loaded up the Seahawks a "grass" front 7. This defense will hold up much better than did the 2009 defense.
SNOPES.com: The Seahawks bullied the Chicago Bears all afternoon.
The Road Warriors stuffed the Bears for a measly 61 yards rushing at home. In 39 passes, Jay Cutler completed only 17 while being knocked down 42.
As it happens, this beatdown occurred on, um, grass.
After game 5, the general consensus will be that the 2010 Seahawks defense is a real good one.
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Myth: The soft underbelly of the D is that the cover DB's, after Trufant, are worthless. But this weakness will probably not be fatal.
SNOPES.com: The cover guys gave up long gain after long gain, but the ballclub overall limped around this problem.
Pre-game, we opined that a Strat-O view of the secondary was:
- 5 - Trufant - GOOD - you win 2/3 of his matchup checks (Trufant used to be a 6 for a year or two)
- 4 - Jennings - FAIR - you win 1/3 of his matchup checks (Jennings might be a 5 on a good day)
- 0 - Milloy
- 0 - TERRIBLE - All the nickel backs
After the Seahawks scored, only two plays into 2Q, they had a 14-7 lead. They had a generic, theoretical (not actual) 71% chance to win.
As the Seahawks' PAT team galumphed off the field in celebration, it was announced that Kelly Jennings was out for the game. Their generic 71% chance to win sank to 45% in one whale of a hurry.
The three plays after Jennings was announced gone for the game, the Bears' 19-yard 1Q offense did this on the next three plays:
- Incompletion
- 34-yard torching of Walter Thurmond on a simple flash route
- 36-yard scorching of Lawyer Milloy on an extended drag route
- [seven plays intervened, including a big gain on a swing to Forte]
- 67-yard play to Knox
- 13-yard play to Knox
And boom, the Bears' offense had new life, specifically and exclusively because of the secondary depth.
But, fortunately, the D-coordinator managed a pressure game up front, and a shell game in back, and the flaw wasn't fatal.
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The Seahawks' season might depend on that Carroll guy bringing in a corner or two.
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Myth: The Front Four is playoff caliber, though LB dogs and DB blitzes will be needed to get sacks.
SNOPES.com: Time and again, the front line pushed the pocket back 5 yards as one man ... creating enough disrpution that the Seahawks' DB blitzing was free to barbeque Cutler time and again.
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