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Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 2:25 pm
by Robbie
Despite a depleted defence, the Seahawks stood up their challenge against the best offence in the league by limiting them to just 10 points in their 24-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles - with help with the officials as the lateral pass was indeed a forward one upon review.

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Over a decade ago, I mentioned that in some stadiums one would fly the flag to honour a star player from that player's original country. Specifically, in the former Winnipeg Arena in the former version of the Winnipeg Jets and when Teemu Selanne was with the team, a fan would hoist the flag of Finland. I wondered if that happens in football games and sj-roc indicated that football is much more insular lacking Olympic and other international tournaments, and the only such association would be a player's international vs. national (formerly import vs. non-import) status. And in the CFL, the vast majority of the international players are American so flying an American flag would be confusing as there's so many Americans on the home team roster anyways. (Thread: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9357&start=30)

The reason I'm bringing this up now is because at the Eagles at Seahawks game, shortly after the Seahawks scored their 3rd and final touchdown of the game in the form of a Russell Wilson pass to RB J.D. McKissic, in the background you can clearly see some fans in the front row raise a Canadian flag :canada: . You can see it here at 7:08:



(embedding not allowed by the NFL, so click on the YouTube link offered)

I wonder what the purpose of that was :question: :question: :question:. Clearly J.D. McKissic is not Canadian as he was born in Alabama, played college in Arkansas, and never played in the CFL. The only obvious Canadian on the roster is punter Jon Ryan but he was clearly not involved in the TD play in question.

Perhaps.....the fans who raised that Canadian flag were from Canada and it was their way of saying something like Greetings from Canada!

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 4:18 pm
by Gridiron Ernie
FWIW, I don't know, can't recall, if he in any way had anything to do with the particular play you refer to Robbie, or perhaps did something that series, but tight end Luke Willson (with two 'L's as they often like to say) is Canadian (grew up near Windsor, ON.) Never played in the CFL, but he is Canadian, and he made a catch or two or three during the game. I'm guessing you just momentarily forgot about him/his origins. Cheers.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 4:47 pm
by Gridiron Ernie
Well, well... seems Luke Willson (with two 'L's) did not in fact catch a pass all game! --making a liar outta me. I just checked the game and player stats, and, nothin' doin'. I remember seeing him in the frame time to time throughout the game. He may have been targeted without success, or he may have been blocking, dunno. But, whatever, he is Canadian-born, that much is true.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:07 pm
by South Pender
That was probably the Seahawks' best game of the season--not that it was purrfect. The defense is really hurting in the secondary, but the D-line stepped up big time, and the LBs--Wagner and Wright--are always great. Despite the good effort, Carson Wentz threw for 348 yards.

The offense consisted of Russell Wilson and not much more, except for his receivers. The O-line should be better on the left side now with Duane Brown at LT and Luke Joeckel at LG, and Justine Britt doing OK at C. It remains to be seen whether rookie 2nd-rnd pick Ethan Pocic will round into a solid fit at RG, but Germain Ifedi at RT is just simply terrible. There's really no other way to put it. If the 'Hawks can keep Brown and Joeckel next season, their focus should be on RT either by free agency or the draft.

It's been a surprise to me just how poorly the two early front-runners at RB have done--Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls. They've both just stunk--over many games now. So it looks as if Schneider/Carroll will need to find a legitimate RB through free agency or the draft. The team needs a true feature back--like a Todd Gurley or Ezekiel Elliott--to provide a modicum of balance to an attack that is 85% Russell Wilson. At this point, it looks as if the running game will come down to Mike Davis and J.D. McKissic, neither of whom are really NFL first-team quality. Maybe Chris Carson makes it back before the season's over, but not a lot can be expected of him if he does. Right now about 85% of the total Seahawks' offense is Russell Wilson--passing and running. His yards rushing is the highest on the team, not a state of affairs that spells long-term success.

I think a lot of credit is due Pete Carroll for getting this team, banged-up as it is, up for the Eagles game--a game I was pretty sure the Seahawks would lose and probably one-sidedly. The Seahawks are still a good team, despite all the losses to injury. Imagine how things would look for them if Sherman and Chancellor were healthy and they had a running back who could actually grind out some yards.

The 'Hawks have four more games, and none is a gimme. They have a surprisingly good Jacksonville team to play next Sunday, in Jacksonville, and the early book has the Jaguars up by 3.5 points--essentially home-field advantage. Then they have the Rams at home, and that won't be an easy game, followed by the Cowboys in Dallas. The Boys will undoubtedly be up for that one, fighting for a wild-card spot, and will have Ezekiel Elliott back for the first time since his suspension. So a tough one for sure. Then they end the season at home against the Cardinals. Of the remaining four games, that one might be the most likely win of the four. A final 2-2 seems reasonable to me, leaving the Seahawks at 10-6 for the season. Whether that will get them into the playoffs as a wild-card remains to be seen. I think it will be close. How much more magic do Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson have in 2017?

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:24 pm
by South Pender
Gridiron Ernie wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 4:47 pm
Well, well... seems Luke Willson (with two 'L's) did not in fact catch a pass all game! --making a liar outta me. I just checked the game and player stats, and, nothin' doin'. I remember seeing him in the frame time to time throughout the game. He may have been targeted without success, or he may have been blocking, dunno. But, whatever, he is Canadian-born, that much is true.
I don't recall seeing him out there, but he might have been in on a few snaps for blocking. I don't think he was targeted for a pass. Instead Nick Vannett (drafted in 2016 out of Ohio State) was in there where we may have expected Luke Willson, and he had three receptions for 40 yards (don't recall how many times he was targeted).

Jimmy Graham is the Seahawks' F-type TE--largely just a receiver, playing out of the slot or out wide; Luke Willson is more of a U-type TE--both a blocker and receiver, and Nick Vannett was projected to be more of the traditional Y-type TE--mainly an in-line blocker. In Vannett's case, he seems to have morphed into a U-type, given his 3 receptions last night.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 6:45 pm
by Robbie
Gridiron Ernie wrote:
Mon Dec 04, 2017 4:18 pm
FWIW, I don't know, can't recall, if he in any way had anything to do with the particular play you refer to Robbie, or perhaps did something that series, but tight end Luke Willson (with two 'L's as they often like to say) is Canadian (grew up near Windsor, ON.) Never played in the CFL, but he is Canadian, and he made a catch or two or three during the game. I'm guessing you just momentarily forgot about him/his origins. Cheers.
I forgot about Luke Willson. I suppose those fans were simply paying a homage to both Willson and Jon Ryan given the fact that there are few NFL teams have a Canadian player, let alone two Canadians.

Comparing Willson with Ryan though, I immediately think about Ryan first given the fact that he was for his college, he stayed in the home town of Regina and played for the University of Regina Rams and then played two seasons for the Blue Bombers. Willson on the other hand, while he went to high school at his birthplace in LaSalle, Ontario, bolted to the USA for college at Rice University in Houston and never played for the CFL.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:59 am
by South Pender
My guess is that the Canadian flag was for neither Ryan nor Willson, but, instead, just an indication of support for the Seahawks by Canadian fans. I've read that about 10% of the fans at Seahawks home games are Canadian--the majority, I'd guess, from the lower mainland. The Seahawks have cultivated support in Canada, and there are quite a few "12s" here.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:30 pm
by David
South Pender wrote:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:59 am
My guess is that the Canadian flag was for neither Ryan nor Willson, but, instead, just an indication of support for the Seahawks by Canadian fans. I've read that about 10% of the fans at Seahawks home games are Canadian--the majority, I'd guess, from the lower mainland. The Seahawks have cultivated support in Canada, and there are quite a few "12s" here.
What would possess someone to travel down to the States with a large Canadian flag and either hoist it or display it at a football game? I never quite understood that. Do I lose sleep over it? No. Just confused by it I guess.


DH :cool:

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:16 pm
by Robbie
David wrote:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:30 pm
South Pender wrote:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:59 am
My guess is that the Canadian flag was for neither Ryan nor Willson, but, instead, just an indication of support for the Seahawks by Canadian fans. I've read that about 10% of the fans at Seahawks home games are Canadian--the majority, I'd guess, from the lower mainland. The Seahawks have cultivated support in Canada, and there are quite a few "12s" here.
What would possess someone to travel down to the States with a large Canadian flag and either hoist it or display it at a football game? I never quite understood that. Do I lose sleep over it? No. Just confused by it I guess.


DH :cool:
One possibility, as I already stated, is to give homage to Canadian players on the team.

It's always interesting to see what the majority of the population in Canadian cities root for when it comes to NFL teams. In Vancouver, it looks like the Seahawks are the most popular simply because of geography. And I'd say for sure that there's little connection if any for good BC Lions who went to the NFL, i.e. Vancouver rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs when Casey Printers went there, or rooting for the Miami Dolphins when Cameron Wake went there. And I've stated before that there's also the fashion statement as opposed to fan statements with regards to team apparel, as in the 1980's Raiders jackets were popular with certain groups - but not because they were true fans for the team but rather, their gang associations.

That said, I wonder what the other CFL cities root for when it comes to NFL teams. It's interesting to see how strong of a fan correlation there is to the Canadian city's geographical location to the closest NFL city. For Toronto, the closest NFL team are the Buffalo Bills. So are most Torontonians fans for the Bills? :hmm:

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:12 am
by South Pender
I had to miss yesterday's Seahawks game, but read about it this morning. It sounds as though the Seahawks pretty much disgraced themselves with the ejections, fights, and off-field interaction with the crowd. I haven't read everything on it, but they come off as sore losers. Not only that, but I gather they lost Bobby Wagner and K. J. Wright to injuries. If these two can't return next week, the 'Hawks' chances against the Rams will be just about zero. A poor show, and Pete Carroll will have to get his guys under control. A 9-7 season is now looking more likely than 10-6.

Speaking of unfortunate outcomes, it looks as if the Eagles' sensational QB Carson Wentz tore an ACL and will be lost for the season. This is really too bad as the guy was having an MOP season. They looked like close to a lock to get to the SB, but now who knows? The Eagles' backup QB, Nick Foles, has some experience and has played well in the past, but the offense will take a hit without Wentz.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 4:47 pm
by KnowItAll
how about those Rams. great game

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:06 pm
by South Pender
That was a most disheartening beating that the Seahawks took yesterday (unless you're a Rams fan! :sigh: ) The Rams look for real, and I can see them doing well in the playoffs (and I hope they do).

It raises a lot of questions about the Seahawks going forward, and the following piece in the Seattle Times gets it about right, I think:

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sea ... be-coming/

Those Seahawks fans that are mourning the end of a dynasty can feel some confidence in Pete Carroll and John Schneider turning this thing around, I think. The upcoming off-season will be one of the most important in franchise history--keeping the core of the team and adding new pieces around it. The focus now should be on 2018, and I definitely don't see this team falling apart.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 5:34 pm
by Robbie
Now that the Seahawks failed to make the playoffs for the first time in several seasons, which team will you root for? Any personal biases, e.g. ex-Lions on one of the playoff teams?

The Titans just upset the Chiefs.

And I know I posed this situation before. I wonder if those living in St. Louis will now be rooting for the LA Rams.

And I'm sure the Seahawks will have some rebuilding to do. Let's see if Blair Walsh will return. The team just signed another kicker for competition for the place kicker position.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:35 am
by Robbie
Despite being the wild card team that took the final spot over the Seahawks, the Atlanta Falcons appear to be determined to return to the Super Bowl with a convincing NFC West representative, the LA Rams.

In terms of personal biases, how about supporting the Buffalo Bills by qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in 1999, and for Steven Hauschka? I may have stated before that the Seahawks made a mistake of not re-singing Hauschka for the place kicker position and replacing him with Blair Walsh.

Re: 2017-18 NFL Season Thread

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 9:47 am
by South Pender
Robbie wrote:
Sat Jan 06, 2018 5:34 pm
Now that the Seahawks failed to make the playoffs for the first time in several seasons, which team will you root for? Any personal biases, e.g. ex-Lions on one of the playoff teams?
In the NFC, I'll be rooting for the Eagles. Doug Pederson, who is easy to like, has done a great job of building this team, and Eagles fans had to be heartbroken when their sensational QB Carson Wentz went down with the torn ACL. I'm hoping the offense can rally around backup Nick Foles (who, unfortunately, falls far short of Wentz) and get to the SB and win it. The long-suffering Eagles fans haven't had an NFL champion since 1960, and I'd like to see them finally see success. Of course, much the same could be said of the Vikings, who also have never won a SB, so I'd be fine with a Vikings win too.

In the AFC, it's a little harder for me. The Steelers are one of very few teams I really dislike (I'm not sure exactly why!), and it's hard to root for still another SB win by the Patriots, given their long string of successes. I guess I'd like to see some other AFC team make it to the big game, but I'd like the Eagles to prevail in that game. So maybe either the Titans or Jaguars for the AFC crown. Of those two, the Jags seem to be the better team despite lacking a competent QB.