Obviously, first and foremost, I’m gonna need no more demoralizing, soul-crushing injuries. Okay? This is obviously the big tune up before the regular season, where the starters play into the third quarter, and I just don’t fucking need the hassle.
With that obvious caveat out of the way, let’s talk about some shit.
I think we’re all pretty interested in the goings on of the offensive line, am I right? In a vacuum, I think we’d like to see these guys take care of business, but this game features a pretty big test. These aren’t your 2012 Chiefs; this front seven is for real. Particularly off the edge, which means the spotlights are going to be shining pretty bright on Ifedi and Odhiambo.
No one is questioning Ifedi’s run blocking ability, but the dude needs to take a big step forward in his footwork and his balance in pass protection. Too often he’s slow and too often he’s caught lunging at defenders, allowing them to swim right past him. I don’t know how much Justin Houston or Dee Ford will play, but those guys are animals and I could see them giving us fits.
Pretty much everyone is questioning everything about Odhiambo’s game. This guy is a virtual unknown when it comes to game action, and what little we have seen hasn’t been all that impressive. I’m curious to see how he looks after a week as the starting left tackle, getting the lion’s share of the reps, and going into this game with the mindset of a starter. I think it could be easy to get overwhelmed when you’re dumped into the fire in the middle of a game after the first team guy gets injured. I mean, let’s face it, if Odhiambo was gearing up to play left tackle heading into last week, I’m sure he was preparing to go up against second and third teamers towards the end of the game. I doubt he was going to be considered for action with Russell Wilson and Co. still in the game.
I have a very low bar for Odhiambo to clear here:
- Don’t get Russell hurt.
- Just be better than George Fant was in 2016.
See, I’m not asking for the moon and the stars here! I’m not even saying, “Don’t let Russell get hit,” although that would be nice. I’m just saying don’t let him get HURT. If that means playing well, then obviously I’d take it. If that means praying to your lord and savior, then do what you gotta do, but if we leave this game with Russell in any way shape or form at a reduced capacity, I’m going to be very upset. And you don’t want to see me when I’m very upset (a lot of crying and ice cream eating).
Ultimately, I don’t even think 2016 George Fant was the worst starting left tackle I’ve ever seen (I might save that distinction for Brad Sowell, or some of the turds who took over for Walter Jones in the immediate aftermath of his career-ending knee injuries), but he was pretty bad. What he had going for him was inexperience, in that once he gained a little experience, you had to figure you’d see some dividends paid. Odhiambo at least has a pretty good amount of college experience. He also has a year in the Seahawks’ system. He’s not a rookie anymore, even though this is his first year starting. He got out of 2016 healthy, should’ve put the work in in the weight room over the offseason, and ostensibly should be in the best shape of his life. The fact that I haven’t read any stories like that is certainly cause for concern (that maybe he DIDN’T, in fact, put in the work in the weight room, and ISN’T in the best shape of his life), but I would have to think he’s at least somewhat stronger than he was as a rookie.
So, it’s all out there for him. Just be better than 2016 Fant. That SHOULD be good enough to get the job done, from a winning football team perspective.
With all the focus on the tackles, I’m going to just take for granted that the interior of the line will be fine. No injury setbacks for Joeckel, Britt won’t dive at any other teammates’ legs, and the battle of Glowinski vs. Aboushi will finally be settled. And maybe, just maybe, Ethan Pocic will force this team’s hand to start him as a rookie (though, based on his shaky performance last week, that seems unlikely).
It’s really kind of a bummer that we’ve got to face the Chiefs this week, as they figure to have a Top 10 defense this season. Not that I don’t appreciate a good challenge heading into the regular season, but I also don’t like my players getting beaten up in a meaningless game.
Take, for instance, the running game. I have no idea what’s going on with these running backs, but from what I’ve gleaned it sounds like both Rawls AND Prosise will be out for this game. For those keeping track, Rawls played in the first game, got injured, and is still out; Prosise hasn’t even done that much. I mean, at this point, it’s pretty silly to consider the running back position anything but a collosal letdown. With roster spots at such a premium on this team, how can you afford to keep both of these guys when they can’t stay healthy for more than a game or two at a time?
Are we really going to drop perfectly good backs in Alex Collins and Mike Davis – workhorse types who bring a lot of different skills to the table, who also DON’T get injured every fucking week – just to keep around dynamic glass figurines in Prosise and Rawls? I mean, yeah, I LOVE what those two can do with the football in their hands. I think they’re both very special talents who could be Pro Bowlers in an alternate universe where they weren’t as soft as tissue paper. But, we’re stuck in this stupid reality, and in this stupid reality Prosise and Rawls can’t be trusted. Ipso facto, I know this isn’t going to be a popular opinion, but I think the team should cut them both so we can move on with our lives.
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of wondering if those guys are going to come back next week or not.
Since that’ll never happen in a million years, I’ll be curious to see what Lacy and Carson can do. Chris Carson might not be the most talented back on this roster right now, but I’m still putting it out there that I think he’ll be this team’s feature back in 2018. I don’t even think that’s very hot of a take, to be honest! I don’t think Lacy is all that good. Sure, he’s a battering ram, and it’ll be fun to watch him wear defenses down in games where we’re leading comfortably in the fourth quarter, but Lacy isn’t talented enough to be a feature back. I think he’ll struggle for the most part this year and he’ll find his way onto a different roster in 2018. At that point, it’ll come down to Carson (who I figure will play quite a bit this year, with all the injuries & ineffectiveness ahead of him on the depth chart) vs. the dainty flowers that are Rawls and Prosise. No contest. Carson in 2018!
As for the rest of the offense, I’d like to see Jimmy Graham get zero snaps this week. I’d like to see Doug Baldwin get very limited snaps (but, I’d also like to see him make Marcus Peters look foolish just once, because I like seeing Doug beat the best this league has to offer). I’d like to see Kasen Williams get a TON of snaps with the first team offense, in hopes of building more of a rapport with Russell. I’d also like to see J.D. McKissic get some play with the first unit. See if he can play that Prosise role we keep talking about. With his return ability (in spite of his muff last week), I’m really rooting for McKissic to crack the 53-man roster.
Defensively, I’m always drawn to the younger guys. Naz Jones, first and foremost; I’d like to see him continue to build off of his first two games, which were both brilliant. I’d like to see him get a lot of play next to Jarran Reed in the base defense, and I’d like to see both of those guys get some play in passing situations to see what they have to offer in pass rush up the middle.
Obviously, I’ll be watching Shaq Griffin. He was picked on a lot last week, and I have to figure we’ll see more of the same again this week. Of course, this is Alex Smith we’re talking about, so I have to wonder how much he’s actually going to throw to his wide receivers, but I have to believe it’s higher than zero times. I can pretty much guarantee he won’t throw on Sherman though, so whatever poor sap the Chiefs line up on his side is going to have a quiet, boring day.
I’d also like to see some of our younger safeties get in there against KC’s first unit. Kam and Earl don’t need to play 2.5 quarters; they’re good. I’d be happy as a clam if they didn’t play a minute of this game. On top of that, I’d like to see more of the free agent vets we’ve brought in: Bradley McDougald and Tramaine Brock. They need run with the first unit to better understand our system, and for the coaches to determine what they can do for this team.
I also find the battle for the last couple spots on the D-Line pretty fascinating. Cassius Marsh is going into the final year of his rookie deal, and normally he’s been a beast in the pre-season. But, he’s also normally been going against backups. I’d like to see Marsh get more extensive play in the first half (again, guys like Avril and Bennett really don’t need to play 2.5 quarters; they good), and I’d like to see him really step up and earn a spot on this team. Not just because he’s a good special teamer, but because he’s a weapon we can use in our pass rush package in games that matter! Also, guys like David Bass, Marcus Smith, and Rodney Coe are probably all fighting for one roster spot. They more they can do, at more positions along the line, the better their chances of making this team and contributing this season.
Finally, I want more of that shit-talking, fired up Blair Walsh shoving 50-yard field goals down opposing throats (but I’ll settle for him quietly going about his business, as long as he keeps making his kicks).
Big test in this one. Honestly, this should be one of the best matchups of the entire pre-season, based on the quality of these two teams. Both Seattle and Kansas City figure to be fighting for spots in their respective conference championship games, and quite frankly both of these teams COULD meet in the Super Bowl if everything breaks right. I expect a hard-fought, tight battle of defenses through all four quarters, with infrequent bouts of offensive competence.
So, can you imagine how exciting it would be if the Seahawks go out there and kick their teeth in?