A couple of notes based on my viewing up to the 30-7 point:
- Seattle's O-Line has had a bad reputation for a couple of years now. What I saw yesterday was a good run blocking line against a good Carolina front. Their pass blocking is dismal.
- Thomas Rawls looked like the second coming of Shady McCoy in the first half. He went out of the game under the concussion protocol. He returned, did little on a few carries, and then sat evidently judging from his 15 carry total. He may not be right. Prosise is out for the year. If Rawls is out or suffering residual affects, it leaves Seattle with no conventional running game, which is critical to their offense.
- I've watched Seattle twice this year. If those games are representative of Chancellor's play, he's playing at the highest level this season. While he won't get consideration for DPOY, having missed 4 games and not having the gaudy INT or sack numbers favor, he's just out there making play after play.
While the Legion of Boom gets the press, the linebackers may be the better unit, especially when the boomer Chancellor plays up as a hybrid LB. Man, zone, blitz, it doesn't seem to matter...they just don't give up much separation in the short routes.
I think it's going to take a special effort and some luck for the Packers to pull this off: a low scoring game where Rawls is out or dizzy, Wilson is kept in the pocket, Rockett Lockett doesn't bust a big play, Baldwin is kept from getting over the top, no turnovers and Rodgers can find somebody downfield when they go to single high safety which has not been their previous habit against GB. Carroll always has some gadget plays dialed up. You can't let him go off with those.
In the Carolina game, Carroll had an offensive formation with a 5 man line, single back, single wide right, and what looked like 3 TEs in down stance in the left slot. I wanted to see what exactly he was going to run, but there was a penalty and he did not go back to it. He's got end around throwbacks to the QB, fake kicks
, and miscellaneous whozits and whatnots. That kind of crap must be defended, whatever the h*ll it is.
It's all a pretty tall order. But on any given Sunday....