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Fumble Around and (Don’t) Find Out
27 Plays15 days ago
Tristan and Miles talk about all that beautiful depth on the defense, go on JSN record watch, and break down the most complicated five-yard penalty in the NFL record books.
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Transcript
The Texas Oil Rush and NFL Beginnings
00:00:00
Tristan Amundson
Miles, the year is 1901. The Lucas Gusher is the first. It's the beginning of the Texas oil rush.
00:00:15
Tristan Amundson
59 years later, 1960, the Houston Oilers are founded. 1997, I'm really sad to report that they're relocated to Tennessee, renamed the Titans, and
00:00:27
M dub
Thank
00:00:30
Tristan Amundson
And it'd be really sad if that's where the story ended, because the Seahawks wouldn't have been able to play on Monday night. No one would have showed up. Luckily, in 1999, they were refounded.
00:00:44
Tristan Amundson
And in the year 2002, they had their first season as the Houston
Houston Texans' Early Days and Challenges
00:00:51
Tristan Amundson
Texans. How are you doing, Miles?
00:00:53
M dub
Tristan, a pleasure to be with you. Pleasure to talk Seahawks football. What was going on for those three years? That's pretty interesting. That 1999 to 2002, they really, really had a long run up on it there to get game one started and let David Carr go out there and get sacked a a record amount of times.
00:01:11
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, they really wanted to make sure the logo was was good. They were ready to play football, but um ah they just, they they didn't think the logo was right. So they wanted to get back into the lab there.
00:01:21
Tristan Amundson
And then they had some different ideas on on new cleats they wanted to use.
00:01:26
M dub
you
00:01:26
Tristan Amundson
They weren't sure. so you know, that delayed another year. And then, you know, shoulder pads, that always takes a long time to figure out. So yeah, just, you know, they needed a couple of years between 99 and 2002, eventually they were able to um you know, get the, get the plane off the ground and and they're rocking and rolling ever since.
00:01:45
M dub
And Tristan, since 2002, the Texans have an incredible tradition of very randomly being right there in the divisional round one year and then being like 3-13 the next year. But then right back into the divisional round the next year, four and twelve the next year. and that they are It's hard to know where they're going to go. there's There's almost no streaks, I feel like, in their franchise history. Is that fair to say?
00:02:10
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, does seem that's interesting. um that's That's an interesting observation. It does seem like they do kind of tend to go up and down. um it seemed there for a second a couple of years ago. When I say a couple, I guess I mean like six or seven, but During the Deshaun Watson era in Houston, it it felt like, oh, holy smokes, they, you
Current Season Highlights: Stroud and Defensive Struggles
00:02:31
Tristan Amundson
know, they got it right. This is this is going to be the start of something really, really special.
00:02:35
Tristan Amundson
And obviously that ended.
00:02:37
M dub
you
00:02:37
Tristan Amundson
um Yeah, it does seem like they kind of have a stop and start um kind of problem. C.J. Stroud might be might be the answer. One thing that I really took away from the broadcast last night that I thought was interesting, especially interesting in the way that this game went, which I'm assuming you'll break down for us here in a second.
00:02:56
Tristan Amundson
But coming into the game, did you hear them mention that C.J. Stroud was throwing 70 percent coming into the game on Monday night?
00:03:05
M dub
um I didn't hear that, but i mean, the Houston Texans currently sit at two and four after the incredibly strong rookie year by CJ Stroud. It does kind of look like that Texan cycle is repeating itself no matter how many ah passes he completes.
00:03:20
Tristan Amundson
ah Before we get too deep into this, Miles, you want to give us kind of our ah our are set the table for us, kind of give us the ah the minutes of the game here?
00:03:31
M dub
Yes, I've recorded our minutes from the last meeting, and I'm happy to share them now. ah Tristan, with the eyes of the nation, the eyes of a very sleepy East Coast nation upon the West Coast in one of the latest ever Monday night football games to get started, the Seattle Seahawks hosted the Houston Texans, and it looked like a blowout early with the Seahawks up 14-0 and the defense...
00:03:54
M dub
causing some very hectic and unusual plays that were refereed in very unusual ways. And it looked like a blowout was on. And somehow, as the game went on, the Seahawks ah had a new strategy. This might not have been what they thought about doing, but what they actually did do is they continued to give the ball over to the Texans over and over again. They did that four times by the end of the night.
00:04:21
M dub
And still, it was not enough as the the Seattle defense, as we did discuss last week, the Seattle defense really had control of the Texans. And it ends up in a 27-19 Seahawks victory for the team to move to five and two Eight points. That's a really big margin. If you're eight-point favorite in Vegas, but that's a huge margin.
00:04:42
M dub
And that that was the margin of this game. And and it feels simultaneously so big and so small.
00:04:48
Tristan Amundson
it It really does. Yeah. When you it's a great point to bring up the Vegas line because and eight point game is massive in the NFL. It it does not happen. um happens very rarely. a it's a tough thing to do. These are all good football teams.
00:05:04
Tristan Amundson
um And yet, to your point, when you're watching this game, and it really felt as though. all right, any minute they're going to break away and this is going to be 21-0. going 24-0, 24-7. We're going have kind this, call it more like don't know, 14-point, maybe 18-point, 17-point spread that never...
00:05:18
Tristan Amundson
kind of this let's call it more like ah ah i don't know ah a fourteen point maybe eighteen point seventeen point spread that that never quite took off the way that we thought it would.
Seahawks vs Texans: Game Analysis
00:05:30
Tristan Amundson
Now, if I'm understanding you right, this is, you might be Frankie news. You think that this was um a new stratagem um being used by Clint Kubiak. What if we give them the ball lots just to kind of confuse the other team and and maybe that confusion leads to a win? Is that, do you think what what Clint was thinking?
00:05:51
M dub
um You know, it's a good point. I did use the word strategy there. It is probably not what he was thinking. It is what the Seahawks were doing on the field, practically speaking, as they created a pretty much a new way to to give the ball over to the Texans every time.
00:06:05
Tristan Amundson
it's It's incredible, man. So we we were chatting before the game. i did a little quick research on this end. A minus three turnover margin, which is what the the Seahawks had in this game, typically results in the team with that margin winning the game 9% of the time, meaning that if you have a plus three turnover margin, such as our opponent had, that you're looking at 90% rate.
00:06:34
Tristan Amundson
windra um which, you know, pretty good odds. we're We're going to take those odds most days. It was absolutely incredible to see um ah new and exciting ways to give the ball to your opponent.
00:06:48
Tristan Amundson
And but for me, what I took away from that, the the big, I don't know, lesson from that is that in this matchup in particular, and and man, I would like to know your thoughts on on your perception of Houston coming into the game. I knew that Houston wasn't, you know, an elite world beater coming in. I knew they had a really good defense, which would be difficult. I actually didn't know until they mentioned on the broadcast top scoring defense in the league. So, okay, good defense, pretty good team defenses, keeping games.
00:07:21
Tristan Amundson
Um, but, what was really clear to me is that we, the Seahawks, I should say outclassed Houston in this game. And I mean that in the most classic sense. i it it was just a a different level of football team. And that's the only explanation for how you turn the ball over that many times and still feel like you're dominating a game yeah because any normal team that you are,
00:07:48
Tristan Amundson
generally matched up with. If you give them the ball three times, you you're going to be blown out. At the very least, you're going to lose, but it's it's not going to look pretty at all. And so the fact that we were able to, the Seahawks were able to turn the ball over three times,
00:08:04
Tristan Amundson
ah or Well, the margin of three times. And one of those times, one of the four actual turnovers that we committed instantly resulted in a touchdown by the other team with that um strap with that sack, a strip sack, excuse me, by by Sam Darnold.
00:08:21
Tristan Amundson
um It's it is shocking that we were able to stay in this game and continue to basically dominate the game. My takeaway was we we What we witnessed was two different classes of football teams on the field. what Is that what you saw, Miles? What was your perception of Houston coming in?
00:08:42
M dub
I do think we saw two different classes of football team. And I do think this game actually did go, as we mentioned at the end of last week's episode, with The Seattle defense, and in particular, the defensive line controlling the game.
00:08:55
M dub
I really think that defense is actually to thank for a lot of the Seahawks' offensive points, all 27 of the Seahawks' points. came on offense, but i ah so as we left the game, I was kind of like, certainly in the second half, the Seahawks offense was never in a good rhythm.
00:09:07
Tristan Amundson
Thank
00:09:10
M dub
So I wanted to go back and look at, okay, how how did these drives actually happen to get us these points? So 27 points is three touchdowns and two field goals. Here's the three touchdowns and how the Seahawks got them. And it's pretty, ah two of them are pretty much thanks to the defense. So ah in the first quarter, the Seahawks do not get a safety called. This was a ridiculous play that I'd like to discuss further, but the the Texans are punting from the back of their own end zone.
00:09:38
M dub
The Seahawks start their offensive drive with a 44 yard field They cash it in. That's score number one. Score number two is a proper 80-yard drive at the end of the first quarter. It is kept alive by the honestly really terrible body slam that as you Aziz Alshair gives to Sam Darnold.
00:09:55
M dub
That was on the third down. The drive was dead. That revives the drive. Seahawks score for touchdown number two. Seahawks score number three comes right after the absolutely electric run stuffing.
00:10:09
M dub
ah The Texans have a third and one and fourth and one. They run the ball on both plays. The Seattle defensive line completely stuffs both plays to create a turnover on downs.
00:10:20
M dub
That creates 39-yard field. for the Seahawks to score their third touchdown of the game. And then on one of the two field goals, they get set up with Ernest Jones getting an interception. So even 27 points is a pretty high number for an offense. But even that, the the Seahawks offense was never in that great of a rhythm, but they just kept on getting short and short fields by this ah tremendous defensive performance.
00:10:47
Tristan Amundson
It was incredible. i Can we talk a little bit about those um that those stops on third and fourth down? If I'm thinking of the same ah sequence that you're thinking of, and i believe we are, it was when ah Houston tries to run the ball to their left side um two times in a row.
00:10:56
M dub
Yes, yeah.
00:11:07
Tristan Amundson
and and our Are we thinking about the same play where Byron Murphy is just right in the middle of it both times?
00:11:13
M dub
yes yeah
00:11:14
Tristan Amundson
That how fun was that to watch? Just taking a step back here, watching Byron Murphy beat a one on one block and penetrate the line of scrimmage and just kind of reset the entire line. It certainly wasn't just Byron. I'm not trying to say it was he was there with his with his buddies.
00:11:32
Tristan Amundson
but he was definitely the biggest one in in that ah scrum. And that makes a big difference when you have one of those big bodies. This was just another really fun. I mean, and man, I feel so lucky to we keep saying this over and over again.
00:11:49
Tristan Amundson
Another really great Byron Murphy game, not to mention Big Cat whatsoever, because he had a great game too. But it's starting to just become the norm that we see Byron Murphy give us great performances, man.
Seahawks Defensive Strategy and Key Players
00:12:02
M dub
Absolutely. I broke down some numbers of how this Seahawks defensive line and linebacking crew absolutely shut down the Texans run game. Here's the numbers. So CJ Stroud had a couple of scrambles. I noticed late in the game. I'm noticing that is happening lately and it's inflating the opponent's rushing numbers a little bit.
00:12:23
M dub
Nonetheless, this is the third straight game where the opponent, scrambles included, gets less than 60 rushing yards on the whole game. The Texans running backs combined for 15 rushes for 31 yards.
00:12:35
M dub
One of those 15 goes for a first down. They have five rushes with under three yards to go. They go 0 for 5 on all of those. And out of the 15 rushes, there's also five negative plays.
00:12:49
M dub
you're right Your run game isn't supposed to get a negative play a third of the time. ah Byron Murphy is making a lot of plays. Jaron Reed does not play the majority of the snaps for this team, but it it does seem like the team makes it makes it a point to get him out there in these short yard situations.
00:13:06
M dub
And he comes up big. Demarcus Lawrence is in there. Leo Williams is in there. you're You're watching these plays, these short-run situations, with just a lot of confidence that the defense is going to be able to handle it.
00:13:19
Tristan Amundson
It's incredible just the luxury I think this team has of, first of all, being able to have Byron Murphy and Leo Williams on the field at the same time. Not many teams have anything like that. That's pretty incredible.
00:13:33
Tristan Amundson
Having Jaron Reed as a part of that rotation is an insane luxury. And then, you know, some of the guys come in coming behind them, ah Brandon Peely, Mike Morris, ah a little to a lesser extent, more more Brandon, I think, coming in.
00:13:49
M dub
Thank
00:13:52
Tristan Amundson
Just having this rotation is such a luxury. The fact that the front of this rotation is Big Cat and Byron Murphy is is pretty unbelievable. And to see the two of them, yeah they are two players that need to be double teamed.
00:14:07
Tristan Amundson
So you put them on the field at the same time. You got you got problems. um And they're continuing to show that over and over again. Something I brought up to you that it just I think it stood out to anybody watching this game.
00:14:20
Tristan Amundson
Just all the tackles for a loss, similar to last week. All the sacks, all the tackles for loss. um It's something that I threw out to you earlier this morning that 20% of the attempts, 20% of the plays, I should say, that Houston ran,
00:14:37
Tristan Amundson
resulted in either a sack or a tackle for a loss. So if you talk about their offense trying to operate and it being shut down 20% of the time in their own backfield, whether that be a run play or um or a passing play is...
00:14:45
M dub
you
00:14:55
Tristan Amundson
It's just kind of mind boggling, right? I mean, it's just you look at that, you just think, yeah, it's going to be hard to get into a rhythm if you're constantly being stopped behind your own line of scrimmage. I mean, it it becomes, I'm sure, a demoralizing thing.
00:15:08
Tristan Amundson
We certainly saw that big tackle for a loss. on the run play that Byron Murphy had that, that really felt like a tone setter to me. um Admittedly, i my eye I'm watching him on defense. Like if, if he's on the field, I'm just watching Byron now. Cause I, I enjoy watching his play so much.
00:15:27
Tristan Amundson
um But yeah, man, the dominance of taking the game into their backfield was incredible to see.
00:15:35
M dub
uh, the linebackers are also doing it as well. We've got Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas has officially surpassed Tyrese night in the death chart. Night was healthy for this game. He was playing on special teams, but we nonetheless had Drake Thomas in for 89% of the snaps.
00:15:51
M dub
He also gets in there for two tackles for loss. Uh, in addition to three passes defended, um past the line of scrimmage, but yeah, the line the linebackers are getting it done as well.
00:16:00
Tristan Amundson
You like this Nicky Manwari guy? You think he's going to be okay as a football player? Think he's going to figure it out?
00:16:06
M dub
Yeah, this is his third full game as a professional. and it doesn't It feels like he's veteran. it feels like he's a veteran
00:16:13
Tristan Amundson
You know, tell me if I'm being hyperbolic. This feels a lot like Spoon's first couple of games where it just seemed like he was everywhere causing trouble. um Him getting in front of passes, him breaking up passes with big hits, obviously being in the backfield. this Does this feel to you a little bit like those first six games or so with Witherspoon where you just think,
00:16:37
Tristan Amundson
Okay, that this defense looks a little different because this guy's on the field. Like, he's causing trouble. I noticed towards the end of the game, it seemed as though Stroud just wasn't passing in his direction. did Did you kind of get that Witherspoon vibe at all?
00:16:53
M dub
It does remind me of the start of Witherspoon's career in that when Witherspoon was playing his first games, I think he also was injured for the first couple weeks in 2023, funny enough, if I'm remembering right.
00:17:03
Tristan Amundson
You're right, yeah.
00:17:05
M dub
But once he got in there, it it really felt like a veteran playing right away. And you and you just didn't get any of that rookie ramp up that... It happens with even very good players. they They tend to not be positive contributors in their rookie year. It's very hard to make a positive contribution as a rookie, but both these guys do it right away.
00:17:26
M dub
And with with both players, you really feel that John Schneider and everybody else, they found the Seahawk in the draft. they They really found the Seahawk, the the aggressive but intelligent, enthusiastic defensive player.
00:17:39
M dub
i think that's what a Seahawk is, and they found him in both drafts.
00:17:44
Tristan Amundson
I think that's a, that's a really cool way to look at it. They found a Seahawk. I i wouldn't have put it that way, but I think you're totally right. um They play with a different level.
00:17:55
Tristan Amundson
I couldn't help, but just think about the fact grateful for the fact that we got this win in convincing fashion, all the while that Jordan love and with their spoon are able to continue to heal up and be fully healthy. Derek Hall for that matter as well.
00:18:11
Tristan Amundson
I can't help but think ahead to seeing this entire defense playing together. um I want to see three weeks of it. I want to be able to see it three or four weeks down the line where we see Spoon in the backfield with E-Man, in the backfield with Love, and just this thing really coming together.
00:18:32
M dub
It'll be pretty exciting. I totally forgot about Derek Hall. mypo i mean there was there's so much happened I mean, there was so much pressure in the backfield the whole game. You you could forget that, oh yeah, but one of our best at this position is actually out for this game as well.
00:18:46
Tristan Amundson
It's incredible, man. the the The depth. You know, it's funny. This team doesn't seem to have TJ Watt, right? It doesn't seem to have that one marquee edge rusher, you know, who's who is you know just a household name.
00:19:01
Tristan Amundson
And yet, when you have the depth that they have between Lawrence, between Hall, between Boye, between Shanna, that's they just keep coming at you in waves. And the fact that we have the luxury, to your point,
00:19:17
Tristan Amundson
to have Derek Hall healing up and not able to play in this game and you don't miss a beat because you have the depth of those three guys that just keep coming wave after wave and are able to give each other rest. It's it's an incredible luxury to have as a team.
00:19:31
M dub
and you Shout out to Tai Okada starting in place of of Julian Love. There was a really great play. i'm I'm totally forgetting the point in the game, but Mike McDonald has has a really good feel for calling a defense, I feel like, and giving the opponent something they haven't seen yet at all in the game on a really crucial down.
00:19:51
M dub
And that's what he did, sending in Tai Okada for a blitz. He gets a sack on the play. I'd love to see it.
00:19:58
Tristan Amundson
It was, yeah, but it was a perfect time for that. He timed that so well, um getting to the backfield and and also kind of being careful not to blow up CJ Stroud. A lot of times you see a play like that turns into a penalty.
00:20:12
Tristan Amundson
um he He kept body control the entire time, got the quarterback to the ground.
00:20:13
M dub
Thank you.
00:20:17
Tristan Amundson
um Speaking of great getoffs, what? when you were watching it, did you think Lawrence was, was offside in, I didn't see any reality where he wasn't offside.
00:20:27
Tristan Amundson
i i wish we could have gotten one really good definitive camera angle. Apparently one didn't exist or ESPN didn't want to show it to us. I got to believe my guy was offside. I'm glad it wasn't called, but Holy moly. He was, seemed like on the other side line of the scrimmage before the ball was snapped.
00:20:45
M dub
That's really funny. In my mind, I guess I twisted it to be like, that that get-off was perfect. You can't do it better than that. But he was still rolling the dice, I think, with it.
00:20:56
Tristan Amundson
I mean, at the very least, it was, yeah, as hume as close as you could possibly get um to ah to being on that side. what do you ah So you know you so you apparently you think the Seaman Warrior guy is going to be pretty good.
Record-Breaking Potential of Jackson Smith-Njigba
00:21:12
Tristan Amundson
it it seems like this JSN guy is ah is here to stay as well. I mean, it seems like he's he's progressing well.
00:21:19
M dub
Tristan, I do like that so the discussion now nationally is, oh, I think JSN's the number one receiver in the league. Tristan, I'd like to take a step ahead of that. And, ah you know, I'd like to monitor the history here. And we've we've got a historical moment on our hands. I do want to knock on wood, you know, for the for the full season.
00:21:38
M dub
ah just, you know, I'm not taking anything for granted. I'm not assuming anything. But history could be being made here. And if it is, I'd like to chronicle it week by week.
00:21:50
M dub
So in this game, Jackson Smith and Jigba has eight catches for 123 yards and one touchdown. let let's put the season so far in historical perspective that moves JSN season average in yards per game from one 16 to one 17. So as the season gets longer, it gets hard to move that average, especially gets hard to lift it up, you know? So he's well above the average at one 23. It still only moves it one yard.
00:22:18
M dub
The all time NFL record for yards per game is Calvin Johnson 2012 and twenty twelve He has, and that was when it was a 16 game season.
00:22:29
M dub
He has 122 yards per game in that season. Funny enough, it's his only 100 catch season in the NFL. Megatron just had one of those.
00:22:38
Tristan Amundson
so
00:22:40
M dub
So it's a 2012. He goes 122 yards per game and sets the NFL record with 1,964 yards in the season. So at the moment, Jackson Smith and Jigba is just behind him the,
00:22:55
M dub
yards per game, but JSN's season projection right now with the 17 game season does have him breaking the record for yards in a year 1,989.
00:23:06
M dub
pace for 1,989 yards in the year. he's on pace for one thousand nine hundred eighty nine yards in the in the year
00:23:15
Tristan Amundson
It's the man has 819 yards right now. I mean, it's it's so funny. If you look at any wide receiver at the end of the year and you saw that they they caught they they had 100. I'm sorry. They had 800 yards in the season.
00:23:31
Tristan Amundson
You'd be like, hey, that guy had a pretty good year. I mean, that that's a good wide receiver in the league. If you saw a guy that has thousand yard season, excuse me you would say that that's a really good wide receiver. 1,200. mean, that these are great numbers.
00:23:48
Tristan Amundson
yeah Again, to your point, knock on wood, he should be... i mean a blazing past 1200, a 1300 type yard season. Those are elite years for a wide receiver. So the fact that we're talking about this, the the fact that we're talking about JSN is, is one of the top, you know, I mean, top right now, wide receiver, but you know, at the very least a top five wide receiver in the league, um you know, let alone, is he a number one wide receiver? Yeah. i think that we can put that to bed.
00:24:19
Tristan Amundson
Um, now it's just a matter of, you know, is he top two or top one or or top five or whatever it happens to be? Um, it's incredible, but just the fact we just wrapped week seven and he has 819 yards. You shouldn't have that many yards in week seven. It's, it really is incredible what we're seeing right now.
00:24:39
M dub
that' That's a great point, that it already is a good season. We haven't even, we're just selecting our Halloween costumes right now, and he's at that number. I wasn't focused on the full season. now I was focused on the fact that he is already ahead of second place.
00:24:49
Tristan Amundson
Thank you.
00:24:54
M dub
The second best wide receiver in the whole league is Jamar Chase over in Cincinnati, and JSN has a 190-yard advantage over
00:25:03
Tristan Amundson
That's incredible. It's unbelievable. I mean, it really is. The numbers don't make any sense. I mean, it's it's wild um to think about that. And to think about in context, I'm i'm looking at his um his historic receiving numbers.
00:25:17
Tristan Amundson
His rookie year, he had a good year. he had 628 yards his rookie year um on sixty three receptions that's that's super solid his sophomore year He had 1100 yards, at almost 1200 yard season.
00:25:34
Tristan Amundson
That's again, i mean, you're done, man. I mean, like that is beyond that. That's a great season for any NFL um wide receiver.
00:25:45
Tristan Amundson
The fact that he is currently seen at 819 today. um i love your comment. We haven't even we're still picking out Halloween costumes. it's It's really fun to see similar to, you know, anytime you see a historic season from a great player, you kind of just have to stop and enjoy it and and kind of take stock of what you're seeing because this is a unique thing we're seeing right now. You that you don't you don't get to see this on your team every year.
00:26:14
Tristan Amundson
um So whenever it happens, like anything in in sports, you have to just take a step back and and appreciate the specialness of of what's unfolding.
00:26:25
M dub
Another kind of fun historical footnote of all this. So Calvin Johnson, most yards in a season, 1964. Number two with 1947 happened in a 17 game season.
00:26:39
M dub
And it was JSN's teammate, Cooper Cup. He did it in 2021. He did that. He won the receiving triple crown. He had 114.5 yards per game. So a little less than JSN is having right now. so but that'd That'd be kind of wild for for two of these guys to be teammates putting together some of the best. why Knocking on wood, knocking on wood. But, you know, it could happen.
00:27:04
M dub
And both relatively tiny fellas as well, certainly compared to Megatron.
00:27:09
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, we're lucky to see it, man. We are we are absolutely lucky to see it. um do i Do I sense that we have a new segment? Do we have a GSN watch ah upcoming? Is this going to be a ah regular recurrence for us, I assume?
00:27:21
M dub
I mean, i think he's for I think he's forced. I mean, i i don't want this to go by without tracking the numbers here.
00:27:24
Tristan Amundson
It's forcing your hand.
00:27:26
M dub
You know, these, look at these numbers.
00:27:29
Tristan Amundson
No, it's incredible. like Listen, I want I want you to have to do it. I think it's a it's a great thing to it's a great thing. Blah, blah, excuse me. A great thing to track. um So thinking through this game, you know, defense, a plus. I mean, they they really competed their butts off and and put together a ah full game for us, kept us in the game um from an offensive perspective. offensively, JSN obviously had another great game.
00:27:56
Tristan Amundson
um You know, kind of a mixed bag, I think, with the rest of the offense. No other major guys standing out from a receiving perspective. I i like what we saw.
00:28:10
Tristan Amundson
in the running game, just from a standpoint of stick to it of Ness. You know, they, they kept going looking at this right now. Kenneth Walker, 17 attempts, Zach Charbonnet, 12 attempts, um ah Walker for 66 yards, Charbonnet for 49. So they did have kind of a stick to it of Ness and, and certainly had a few real nice runs in there.
00:28:32
Tristan Amundson
and And it felt like they were able to help dictate the game because of that. um Any other players stand out to you from an offensive perspective?
Running Game and Trick Plays: A Deeper Dive
00:28:41
M dub
You know, the with the running backs combined, I did notice that 13, sorry, not 13, but rather 33 rushes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
00:28:52
M dub
Those are some real beefy, like 1990s numbers there. am i crazy i don't know how this happened. It it didn't feel that strong. is Is that weird to say that it didn't?
00:29:04
M dub
It didn't feel like there was a lot of control in the running game. T wasn't able to run its way kind of out of the shadow of its own end zone, which which led to the Sam Darnold strip sack.
00:29:15
M dub
It just didn't feel dominant in the way that the numbers look like it at the end of it. i don't Maybe I'm just not being grateful enough. What do you think?
00:29:23
Tristan Amundson
No, you know, it's funny. It was a little streaky, but it was it was consistent enough that whenever they didn't have success a few plays later, it seemed like, oh, yeah, well, there's another five yards to me. That's kind of what it felt like a lot of five, six, seven yard type runs.
00:29:39
Tristan Amundson
um I'm looking at the numbers right now. Both of them, their long was 16 and 15, respectively, for for Kenny and for Zach. So. Yeah, there there were obviously no big home run there. Really, I mean, to the definition, no explosive plays from the running backs.
00:29:55
Tristan Amundson
um And yet it did feel to me very workmanlike, four yards at a time, five yards at a time. um it it felt to me, this is a bit, i don't have the numbers to back this up. um So this might just be a little bit out of left field.
00:30:12
Tristan Amundson
But it felt to me as though Ken Walker was having more success. in just getting, say, getting his five yards, his four yards. It seemed like there was less, you know, for zero, less for negative one, less for negative two, where i in my mind, Kenneth Walker kind of has more of a home run hitting kind of profile.
00:30:33
Tristan Amundson
This felt much more consistent. Just I'm going to get the four yards I can get and move on and play another day.
00:30:41
M dub
Yeah, yeah. there There still feels like a way to go there. It does it does seem like both running backs are are getting all the yards they're given. don't know.
00:30:52
Tristan Amundson
I think that's fair. Yeah, no, I think that's fair.
00:30:53
M dub
Yeah.
00:30:54
Tristan Amundson
That that seems kind of like what we what we saw. um Just, yeah, kind of workmanlike. um And, you know, it's funny looking, I'm just looking at the numbers and and it really played it out this way.
00:31:05
Tristan Amundson
Not a lot of ah diversity in the in the passing attack this week. It really was kind of the JSN show with a few friends helping out a little bit here and there.
00:31:16
Tristan Amundson
Funny to see um Elijah Arroyo as our number two wide receiver. i just mean from a target and from a reception perspective. He was four for five for 42 yards um and a long of 27 with, you know, fun, explosive play.
00:31:32
Tristan Amundson
um Cooper Cup didn't get as involved in this game as he has in the past. Long of 32. So that's great to see. um But really pretty quiet from everybody else.
00:31:43
M dub
Yeah, a quiet game, although, did we talk about this before we started recording or not? the The Cooper Cup pass play ah for the interception.
00:31:50
Tristan Amundson
we We did. We should probably talk about a little bit here because it is it's I mean, it it was entertaining at the very least.
00:31:54
M dub
Okay.
00:31:57
M dub
so All right. So, um I think Seahawks fans who are tuned in are aware of this distressing pattern of I'm going to say an offensive turnover that comes from decision making.
00:32:12
M dub
that That kind of comes from the sidelines. And this was an absolute textbook case, a little trickeration. And with Cooper Cup tossing the ball down the field, that gets picked off.
00:32:23
M dub
um In his years with the Rams, Sean McVay did have Cooper Cup attempt several passes in the NFL. And he went 0 for 5. So I can look up that number. The Seahawks could have looked up that number.
00:32:37
M dub
I don't know if they did or not. But when I saw the 0 for 5, well, first, when he's holding the ball in the backfield, I was not excited about what was coming next because that was ah a moment in the game when the Seahawks offense was humming.
00:32:51
M dub
And it ended up being an interception. Then I looked at the numbers and I thought, I i wonder wonder what's going on there.
00:32:58
Tristan Amundson
So not a great quarterback rating for for Cooper Cup is what you're telling me. If he's now 0 for 6 with an interception, that's that's not a ah quarterback rating you want to hang your hat on going into the future.
00:33:11
M dub
Yeah, if I can go back to some of the numbers from earlier, a Cooper Cupp did set the second most yards in any season by any wide receiver in NFL history. So he's very good. He's he's got it covered there.
00:33:25
M dub
um Other position, you know, ah linebacker, defensive line, place kicker, quarterback, not
00:33:32
Tristan Amundson
Thank you.
00:33:33
M dub
he's not really paid to do those things. I wouldn't really ask him to do any of those things. A wide receiver, ah hard to argue that he's not one of the best of all time.
00:33:42
Tristan Amundson
but Catching the ball. He's your guy. I mean, listen, he's your go-to fella for catching the ball, but yeah, maybe, maybe we keep them off the defensive line. Maybe we keep them out of the quarterback room a little bit and just let him focus on catching it.
00:33:55
Tristan Amundson
um And, and don't do any of the extracurriculars. I, I think I tend to agree. Did you, I don't know if, if, if you're like this, like like I am miles, my neurotic moment, watching the game um towards the end of the game, Torrey Horton, he, you know, huge pass down the field, gets tackled in the end zone, and comes up limping and and goes to the sidelines. And I, I had this moment where I just took a deep breath. I was like, no, like I, I like this guy. I think he's going to be really good for us.
00:34:25
Tristan Amundson
I was searching the internet this morning typing in everything I could think of Torrey Horton injury, Torrey Horton injury week seven. And I, I didn't get anything as far as I could see Torrey, think was healthy coming out of the game. I don't know if you have any ah additional additional news on this. I didn't see anything except that he was healthy and it looks like, you know, he'll be fine.
00:34:49
M dub
Yeah, I wish I did. I had ah the similar thought that, ah yeah, this this guy's an important player already as as a starting wide receiver.
00:34:56
Tristan Amundson
And you, Yeah, and you you don't really have a ton of depth behind, um frankly, but behind him or Cooper Cup, right? I mean, you really, it's it's going to be important to keep those guys relatively healthy. Everyone's going to miss a game or two, you know, throughout the season. I'm not saying they, we don't have that level of flexibility, but.
00:35:17
Tristan Amundson
um certainly losing either of them for an extended period or for a season would be really, really rough for this team. So was happy to not find anything.
00:35:25
M dub
you
00:35:26
Tristan Amundson
I'm going assume no news is good news. Go into the bye week. Hopefully he just, you know, frankly, he had two adult men land on him while he was running full speed. So I think I might come up limping a little bit too.
00:35:37
Tristan Amundson
um Very understandable. um But yeah, was, was, was certainly holding my breath there a little bit. I think, he He similar to Elijah, similar to even worry.
00:35:48
Tristan Amundson
These are all guys that have such interesting upside for this team. um And I think, indeed, that's going to be one of the fun things of watching this team this year is so many really a young team and so many young guys with um such promise and such upside that we're we're watching them kind of lean into as we speak.
00:36:11
M dub
Absolutely. Tristan, can I take us back towards the beginning of this game? and This really feels like small potatoes now that we've discussed this whole thing, and and the Seahawks won, and these points didn't matter,
Controversial Officiating and Historical Context
00:36:23
M dub
but...
00:36:23
M dub
Tristan, in the first half, it really felt to me like the Seahawks got robbed of two safeties or two defensive scoring plays early on. And especially to get two safeties, which was on the table ah in a single game, is one of the rarest things in NFL history.
00:36:41
M dub
And it almost happened in one half, but it actually didn't happen at all. Just in his first play, as well as actually, they both bother me. They both still bother me how they were called and officiated.
00:36:52
M dub
First play, we're in the first quarter. The Texans line up on their 19-yard line. So we're not thinking about a safety at this point, really. But an absolutely monster pass for us from DeMarcus Lawrence and Echenna Nwosu gets C.J. Stroud back into the end zone.
00:37:09
M dub
Echenna tackles him, and this is quite clearly a safety. TJ Stroud has his big toe sticking outside the end zone, but 98% of him and 100% of the Chenin Nwosu is in the end zone.
00:37:26
M dub
To me, this is a safety. And the head referee, Carl Cheffers, actually makes that ah really funny over-the-head safety sign at first as he's watching it.
00:37:37
M dub
Somehow, this gets overturned. It does go down in the books officially as an 18-yard sack by Nwosu, which is pretty darn good. And Coach Mike is furious. He he wants that two-point safety on there for his guys.
00:37:51
M dub
And he throws the red challenge flag out. And they have him pick it up. And that's the part that really sticks with me because, in my mind, he he's challenging the spot.
00:38:03
M dub
He's challenging. Hey, you're saying this ball is on the one-yard line. i I'm saying it's not. I'm saying it's earlier. Maybe you can only challenge the spot if it's with if it like changes to a first down or not, but I was very confused by the whole thing, and I still i still think the Seahawks were robbed.
00:38:20
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, that that was frustrating. It's always, and safeties are so rare. It's always frustrating when you you don't get one because, yeah, to your point, you're you're not going to have that opportunity very often. And to have it twice in this game and and to not get either um is, yeah, incredibly frustrating. and
00:38:39
M dub
it Okay, so the second play, which is has to be one of the most bizarre plays in NFL history, happens in the second quarter. And here's what goes down in the books. This is what officially happens on the play. is There's no play. There's a procedural penalty on the Texans.
00:38:56
M dub
All right, so that's the cover of this book. But what actually happens on the play, and so they act in real life, they snap the ball. Ernest Jones, they're at the 24-yard line, by the way, the Texans.
00:39:07
M dub
Ernest Jones comes screaming through, completely unblocked, and basically gets a sack. But CJ Stroud kind of fumble, fling, throws the ball, and it's just bouncing around out there.
00:39:21
M dub
It's one of those plays where we don't know if it was a forward pass or not. Drake Thomas picks it up. And this this was so unlucky for the Seahawks because I realized if Drake Thomas just slaps the ball back into the end zone, this play counts as a safety.
00:39:40
M dub
ah for the Seahawks because they haven't established possession. But in this like very weird alternate dimension, tre Drake Thomas establishes possession. He's kind of fumbling around for it on the five-yard line.
00:39:56
M dub
Starts to go to score a touchdown, but Woody Marks, the Texans running back, punches the ball out. Again, it seems like it was at the one. i thought I still think there was a chance Drake Thomas got into the end zone for a proper touchdown on this.
00:40:12
M dub
And then there there's more kind of fumbling around for the ball, and the Texans recover it for a touchback of all rulings. thatcha I mean, what a play. If if Drake Thomas, again, the the Seahawks are helped out. There's like four amazing things the Seahawks did on this play, and the luck like goes against them in all four directions.
00:40:38
M dub
And the Texans just completely luck out here to not have the Seahawks get some points on the board. It was it was one of the weirdest plays i've ever seen.
00:40:47
Tristan Amundson
And, you know, it's funny, as you mentioned that, thanks for the the detailed breakdown, because it was fun kind of reliving that just now in my mind. um As you mentioned that, it makes me feel like this game was even more of a dominant win ah by the Seahawks, right? Because if you think about the the turnover margin that we gave up, minus three, and then you think about the easy points that we we really should have put on the board that we weren't able to because of some pretty some pretty bizarre, weird plays and and and calling and all of that kind of stuff.
00:41:19
Tristan Amundson
It does make you just kind of realize this game could have easily been way more out of hand. And it was still dominant. There's I don't think there was anyone that watched this game at any point and got super nervous, like, oh, man, we're going to we're going to lose this one.
00:41:34
Tristan Amundson
the The Seahawks had it well in hand the entire game, even despite to your point, two absolutely bizarre plays and losing the turnover margin in a horrific way.
00:41:46
Tristan Amundson
um And yet, you know, you still come out on top with, with some authority. It really just, again, speaks to the class difference in this matchup at the very least. You know, I'm not, I'm not saying that the, that the Texans can't be something, but on this day there, was it was just two completely different levels of team.
00:42:07
M dub
it It really was. It really was. um These Seahawks are going to get a chance to rest their wings next week. lot of players on the mend. I think a great opportunity to have the bye week.
00:42:18
M dub
And then I was looking on the other side, the week after, going to be traveling to Washington to face the Commanders. Not only are the commanders facing some questions with Jaden and Daniel's health right now, but I noticed in this next week what when the Seahawks are are resting, taking vacation, you know, doing doing what they need to do, they're just hanging out.
00:42:39
Tristan Amundson
Maybe an ice pack or two. Woo.
00:42:40
M dub
And I was thinking hot tub, ice pack, both, same time. who i mean, it's going to be saunas, cold tubs, hot tubs, ice packs. The Seahawks are going to be doing it all. And on their televisions, they were going to be able to watch Washington go into Kansas City on Monday night next week.
00:42:58
Tristan Amundson
oo
00:42:58
M dub
So the Commanders will be playing that game on a short six-day week, while the Seahawks will be on a 14-day mega rest. I really like that. That's a very lucky break for the Seahawks.
00:43:10
Tristan Amundson
Very fortuitous. and And to your point, nice to get this bi-week at this time of the year, right? It feels a week eight bi-week feels just about right. um you You do have a good chunk of the season in the bag, and now you have a chance to do yourself scouting, certainly to to use those ice packs liberally, um to get an ice pack inside of a sauna,
00:43:34
Tristan Amundson
during a cold plunge, um you know, just the the the whole gamut of of hot and cold exposures. um It's going to be great. So, you know, it's ah it's a really good, all joking aside, a really good time of the year to ah to be getting this bye week.
00:43:53
M dub
Tristan, this is the Seahawks' 50th bye week because it's their 50th season in the NFL, and we honor these 50 seasons each episode by taking a ah dip in the ah hot tub of 50 seconds in Seahawks history.
00:44:07
M dub
Are you ready?
00:44:07
Tristan Amundson
Yes.
00:44:09
M dub
ah ah Turnovers were a pretty big part in this game. And turnovers are part of this story. Here we go. So in the Super Bowl era, the Seahawks hold the record, the team record for the most turnovers and interceptions forced in a season.
00:44:23
M dub
But it was not the Legion of Boom. This happened all the way back in 1984. In that 16-game season, the team forced 63 turnovers, including 38 interceptions.
00:44:36
M dub
On the offensive side, quarterback Dave Craig actually leads the league in interceptions, but the team is still plus 24 in turnover margin on the year.
00:44:48
M dub
They're led by Hall of Fame safety Kenny Easley, who has 10 interceptions and is the defensive player of the year in the whole league. The team has seven pick sixes in the season, but they bunch it up with four pick sixes in a single game, which is a 45-0 blowout of the Chiefs.
00:45:04
M dub
The team goes 12-4 with the fifth best in points per game on both offense and in the playoffs. They face second-year quarterback Dan Marino. They pick him off twice, but they still lose thirty one to ten But they they set that record, most turnovers in a season.
00:45:22
M dub
That one is not going to be touched.
00:45:24
Tristan Amundson
That's that is wild. Four pick sixes in one game is i mean that. Hard to even imagine seeing that. um Kenny Easley. I mean, there's hopefully some folks you just put a massive smile on their face as they remember the great Kenny Easley, one of the great Seahawks of all time. That's that is really, really fun. I did not know what what an incredible thing to have a ah turnover margin. What did you say? if plus 24 or 22 while your quarterback leads the league in interceptions. That's that's incredible.
00:45:58
M dub
Yeah, plus 24. I mean, that Jameis Winston year of 30 interceptions stands out to a lot of people, as it should in the modern NFL. Seahawks pick off 38. on the year.
00:46:10
M dub
Yeah, that it was a different game back then. It really was because, yeah, this the the game will have to change in an in an unprecedented way for this record to be approached at all.
00:46:22
Tristan Amundson
That's incredible. No, that's really fun. And man, yeah, a 10 interception year for a single player. um that's That's unreal. i've I've always thought of seven interceptions as kind of the number of... yeah I mean, you had an insane year. You had an incredible year as a cornerback ah or as a safety for that matter, as a secondary player.
00:46:43
Tristan Amundson
If you get, say, six or seven um ah interceptions, and the I came to that from... Admittedly, just the year that Marcus Trufant had um in the early 2000s and really thinking through um his season, or I'm trying to remember what that year would have been, but either way, the the fact checkers will get me on it.
00:47:05
Tristan Amundson
Marcus Trufant's seven-interception interception year um I've always thought of that as kind of the gold standard. Tru had such an incredible year, and that was at seven. yeah to To watch a defensive player get ten, and that's just – it's It's unbelievable. That's really, really cool.
00:47:24
M dub
Yeah, it's happening more than every other game.
00:47:27
Tristan Amundson
Yeah, that's really neat. that's That's dominant. That is being a dominant Hall of Famer.
00:47:33
M dub
I feel like that's where the Seahawks' defensive tradition had to start with that year, 1984. That's like year eight or so in team history and and really set the standard for a lot a lot of teams in the future to come.
00:47:41
Tristan Amundson
Yep.
00:47:46
Tristan Amundson
Yeah. And, and there has been a great standard over the years and certainly, um you know, great players that, that have upheld that standard. I mean, obviously on this podcast in this house, we talk about Cortez Kennedy quite a bit because he's one of the greatest of all time.
00:48:03
Tristan Amundson
Um, but you, you got those, those folks like Kenny easily. and then you, you know, you bring that into the future with the Marcus true fonts, you bring that into the future, obviously with, um, You know, with the Cam Chancellors and the Earl Thomas and they have Richard Sherman, um just, you know, just thinking about specifically those secondary guys. Right. It's just, ah yeah, pretty incredible. Some of the the great players we've been able to watch over the last 50 years. That's pretty, pretty great.
00:48:31
M dub
ah Tristan I don't know if you know but in the secondary meeting room ah in Renton there is a motto that is written on the wall and ah the the players recite the motto every day they look at the motto they they decide they make sure they live by the motto that's what every secondary coach in Seahawks history has has always emphasized do you know what that motto is?
00:48:56
Tristan Amundson
i could I could give a guess if you want me to.
00:49:00
M dub
Uh, yeah, yeah, take a guess.
00:49:04
Tristan Amundson
Go Hawks.
00:49:05
M dub
Go Hawks.