ArmchairGM Beat Writer

As you know, I cross publish articles from ArmchairGM, and from here to the Chair. Well I'm proud to announce that I am the Seattle Seahawks "beat writer" for AGM. So it is with great pleasure, that I will disappoint you with this article...

The Seattle Seahawks have not been known for their defense. As a matter of fact, I don't know everyone on the Seahawks defense. But let me show you this side.

Seattle has a 4-3 record heading into their bye week. The key to their winning record is not just the teams they are facing, but it's their defense. In 3 of their 4 wins, they did not allow a touchdown in that game (even the Bengals win, they allowed 2 touchdowns). In their 3 losses, they've allowed point totals of 23, and 21 twice (the Saints scored 28 points, but 7 came on special teams). Lets look at the strengths of this side at the halfway point of the season.

Strengths:

1. The secondary has been solid this season. They have not allowed a passing play of 50 yards or more all season, and that includes QB's like Drew Brees, Ben Rotseiljftsdljfsdljgberger Carson Palmer. Marcus Trufant leads the team in interceptions with 3, while new additions Brian Russell and Deon Grant have made big impacts, with Russell picking 1 off, while Grant has picked 2.
2. Linebackers Julian Peterson and Darryl Tapp have been sensational. Peterson has one interception, to go with his 7 sacks, second in the league to Osi Umenyiora of the New York Giants. Darryl Tapp had a career high 4 sacks last Sunday against the Rams (then again, everyone can have a career day against the Rams), and a forced fumble. Overall, Tapp has 5.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles this year. Expect both of these men to be Pro Bowlers at season's end.
3. The pass rush for Seattle has improved from last year. The team has sacked the QB 23 times, earning a top 10 ranking in the NFL.

Pretty good for Seattle. But.......

Weaknesses:

1. The pass rush is inconsistent. Save for the Steelers game, all of their losses have resulted in the lack of a pass rush on the QB.
2. Stopping the run is still a problem. Again, in their losses, they have not been able to stop the run. They are 4-0 without allowing a RB to run over 90 yards.
3. 3rd and 40. In virtually every game, they continue to allow 3rd and 10 or more to be converted. They continue to expect the deep ball, have their DB's way too far down the field, and allow a first down. That is inexcusable for a supposed contender. The 3rd downs in general have been awful for Seattle. They cannot continue to let their defense stay on the field, which was the reason why Pittsburgh pulled away.

So who is the current defensive MVP for Seattle? Julian Peterson without a doubt.

Overall Grade: B-

Look for some more reviews over the next few days for the offense and special teams.

Seahawks Obliterate Sheep

There is bad, and then there is really bad. The Rams, looked horrific.

Seahawks 33 Rams 6: The 2 game losing skid is over for Seattle, as the Hawks romped over St. Louis 33-6 to send the Rams to 0-7.

Recap: Matt Hasselbeck started great, cooled off, then finished strong as Seattle took a 10-3 halftime lead, and turned it into a blowout. Hasselbeck finished 18-35, with 2 touchdowns to backup tight end Will Heller, and one interception. After St. Louis went three and out on their opening possession, Seattle drove right down the field on a 11 play, 71 yard drive that lead to the easy one yard Heller TD catch. St. Louis responded, but could only contribute 3 points 2 drives later. Hasselbeck and Bulger each had a pick in the 2nd quarter, Seattle kicked a FG and the Hawks, who dominated the 1st half, had just a slim 7 point lead. That gave me that "We're going to throw away another easy game at home" feeling.

Opening kick of the 2nd half, Nate Burleson, who returned a punt for a TD last year in their 24-22 win over the Rams, returned the ball 91 yards for his 1st career KO return for a touchdown. So it's 17-3, game seems to be shifting further away from the Rams. They march down the field, kick a field goal.....those were the last points they would get. The Rams turned it over 4 times in the 2nd half, and 5 in the game, and that prevented any comeback. So Seattle continues this field goal binge, until another interception, this one by Julian Peterson, keyed another TD pass to Heller, to seal the game, and make it 33-6.

Shaun Alexander Watch: Uhhhhhh....

By the numbers:

• 5 turnovers by St. Louis (3 picks, 2 fumbles), and all of them were caused by Marc Bulger.
• 7 sacks on Bulger. Seattle had 16 sacks all season, and they get 7 in a game.
• 4 sacks by Darryl Tapp. The 2nd year player out of Virginia Tech had to wear a cast because of an injured right hand, but he had 4 sacks, a forced fumble, and a deflected pass.
• 47 rushing yards by Shaun Alexander on 19 carries.
• 42 rushing yards by backup Maurice Morris on 10 carries.
• 2nd in the league in sacks is Julian Peterson, who added to his total with one today.
• 4 inches that Seattle couldn't make on an early 4th and inches play. Walrus calls a stretch play, loses a yard with Morris, St. Louis kicks FG after that.

Offensive player of the game: Matt Hasselbeck. The Seahawks defense really won that game, but he has 11 touchdowns versus 6 picks (2 were deflected in the Bengals game) on the season.

Defensive player of the game: Darryl Tapp. 4 sacks, 1 deflected pass, 1 forced fumble, he was just brilliant.

Special teams player of the game: Nate Burleson. Need I say more?

What's Next: Seattle @ Cleveland (11/4), St. Louis vs. Cleveland (10/28)

Reviewing the AFC East teams in the form of Haiku

This is it. This is the final NFL division that I review in the form of haiku.



Miami Dolphins

Dolphin fans know this

Nick Saban=Turncoat

At least Joey left.



Buffalo Bills

Not a bad season

Not too far from the playoffs

Fan support sucks though


New York Jets

A magical year

For their new coach Mangini

Chris Berman joke here


New England Patriots

Pats fans are quite shocked

That the great Tom Brady has

Kids with both models



So there you have it. All 32 teams compiled in an 8 part series. Tuesday, you'll get every NFL division post on the sidebar. If Joe Buck was a....... will return on Tuesday as well, with Buck doing boxing.

Reviewing the AFC North teams in the form of Haiku

Cleveland Browns

QB Carousel

They don't seem to want to win

For 15 years strong


Cincinnati Bengals

Failed to reach goals

They may star in the movie

The Longest Yard 3


Baltimore Ravens

How did they not win?

McNair's arrested on DUI

Please don't teach Troy Smith


Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger

Wild offseason, poor year

Cowher's chin resigns

Reviewing the AFC South teams in the form of Haiku

Indianapolis Colts

Manning wins it all

Dungy makes some history

Brady helped their cause

Tennessee Titans

They started poorly

Vince Young turns it all around

Then Pacman screws up

Jacksonville Jaguars

Many Injuries

Mainly all their quarterbacks

and then Fred Taylor

Houston Texans

They get rid of Carr

Could've been even better

If they picked Vince Young

Reviewing the AFC West teams in the form of Haiku

Yay, I'm halfway done! So let's begin the AFC with the west.

Denver Broncos

I'll skip the sad parts

But the good news they now have

Is that Plummer is gone!

San Diego Chargers

They've learned their lesson

Never hire a coach named

M. Schottenheimer

Kansas City Chiefs

Manning stopped their dream

But they should hold their heads high

Unless you're Trent Green

Oakland Raiders

Wow! That was awful!

I am surprised at the fact

That they won 2 games.

Reviewing the NFC South teams in the form of Haiku

Today we finish off the NFC poetry with the South.



New Orleans Saints

A memorable year

Emotions were very high

Wish they'd won it all


Carolina Panthers

They are boring

Steve Smith is the only star

Jake Delhomme sucks now


Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Many injuries

Gruden is now in trouble

Time for Plan Chucky?


Atlanta Falcons

The star is Mike Vick

But he is only thinking

Who let the dogs out?


Editor's Note: I know this wasn't funny, but the NFC South was pretty uneventful outside of the Saints. I'm sorry, and the AFC should be funnier.

Reviewing the NFC East teams in the form of Haiku

Halfway home with the NFC, let us continue with the East.


Philadelphia Eagles

Nothing funny here

But McNabb got hurt again

But his job is fine



Dallas Cowboys

The Big Tuna left

Romo is now their future

Not for place holding


Washington Redskins

Just one giant mess

Joe Gibbs must've forgotten

You need a QB


New York Giants

Tiki Barber leaves

A management is shaken

Coughlin is still COACH?!

Reviewing the NFC North teams in the form of Haiku

Let's continue with the Norris division, in the style of Haiku poetry.

Chicago Bears

Only one question

Gross Wrecksman or Rex Grossman?

I'll go with the first

Green Bay Packers

Brett Favre is staying

At one-hundred years of age

Receivers suck though

Detroit Lions

They are really crap

But Kitna said "we'll win ten"

Mental health questioned

Minnesota Vikings

They had a bad year

But the one thing they can't do

Is party on boats

Reviewing the NFC West teams in the form of Haiku

The NFL Season is just around the corner. So let's review all 32 teams' performance from last year, in the style of Haiku. Today, we start with the NFC West.

Arizona Cardinals

They are really bad
Denny Green is now fired
Probably for this.


San Francisco 49ers

They did pretty well
But didn't make the playoffs
They beat the Hawks twice


St. Louis Rams

A potent offense
but a terrible defense
Josh Brown beat them twice


Seattle Seahawks

A up-and-down year
Many key players injured
But we love Romo.

NBA Draft Winners, Losers, Quote

NBA Draft Winners: Portland Trailblazers. They have Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Steve Francis, Channing Frye, and LaMarcus Aldridge. That is a super starting lineup.

Runners up: Seattle Sonics. OK, so I am mega upset that they totally caved in and traded Ray Allen, but they have Kevin Durant and Jeff Green! Plus, there's always free agency to find more quality players. (Chauncey Billups)

3rd Place: Phoenix Suns. They drafted Alando Tucker from Wisconsin, and got a huge steal in DJ Strawberry from Maryland.


NBA Draft Losers: Boston Celtics. Ray Allen won't be around much longer, and getting an overweight Glen "Big Baby" Davis is taking a huge risk. So in reality, they wasted their draft.

Runners up: New York Knicks. Wow, Isiah Thomas is asking to be punched. You had Arron Afflalo, Alando Tucker, Rudy Fernandez, and you pick Wilson Chandler? That was their only draft pick, and they messed it up.

3rd place: Los Angeles Lakers. They obviously need another center, and they draft Sun Yue from China. What happened to drafting a Nick Fazekas in the 1st round, or even Aaron Gray in the 2nd round? Javaris Crittenton is just a baffler to me.

And your quote of the draft comes from Jay Bilas of ESPN. When referring to Atlanta Hawks player Acie Law IV, he said "He's not a great shooter, but he can make shots". WHAT?!! Anyway, ESPN needs to reduce the number of people covering the draft, and calm Stephen A. Smith and Dick Vitale down. That was a brutal broadcast, and I don't want to do that again.

P.S: Spike Lee, you're all over the internet because people think you were drunk.

So what happened last night? Spurs Edition, Game 2

Great effort by the Snores Spurs, but they have to stop blowing big leads.



Spurs Defense:

• Believe it or not, they'll have to contain Ira Newble LeBron James. There's no explanation required, just remember that King James scored 48 points on the Pistons. Lebron shoots 9-21 for 25 points. Most of them garbage points. Grade A. FYI, Ira Newble did play, they contained him too, he shot 0-1 for 0 points. Grade A+ for containing Newble.

• Prevent easy baskets. The Cavs are not a great perimeter shooting team, and Bruce Bowen and Co. should stop Cleveland from driving right through them. Not bad. Grade B.

• Force King James to pass the ball. When he takes over a game, your team is doomed. If you take the ball away from James, and force his teammates to make an impact, the Cavs usually falter. Same result for Cleveland as game 1. Grade B.

Spurs Defense:

• Drain the threes. You've got Ginobili, Bowen, Barry, and now Tony Parker is making long range shots. Take advantage beyond the arc, something the Pistons almost never did, and that's why Detroit never had a double digit lead in the entire series. 8 of 24 from downtown. Michael Finley goes 0-3. Grade C.
  

• Dominate the boards. The key to Cleveland's success is the rebound. They have been successful at both ends of the floor when it comes to that category. If the Spurs take that away, the shots will go down for the Cavs, and the 2nd chance points are more likely for San Antonio. Spurs out-rebound Cleveland 46-42. Grade C.

• Make your free throws. I can't stress this enough. Both teams have been garbage from the stripe (save for Daniel Gibson and Manu Ginobili), and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of these games are decided via the free throw. 21-26, 80.8%. Grade A-.

Overall Grade: A-.

So what happened last night?: Cavs Edition, Game 2

What the heck was that? I might as well put F's across the board here.

Cavs Defense:

• Stop Tim Duncan. Now that is way too obvious, but Timmy has been outstanding in the playoffs, but Duncan has yet to face a 7'0 center throughout the playoffs, with the only exception being the Denver Nuggets' Nene. Cleveland should be in good shape if they double up on Duncan using Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Duncan gets 23 Points, 9-16 shooting, and 9 rebounds. Grade C-.

• Let the Spurs make their shots form the foul line. Realistically, the Spurs have no consistent free throw shooter, and Bruce Bowen does not spell success at the line. Spurs shoot 21-26 from the line. 80% on average. Grade D.

• Prevent easy baskets. In the last series against Detroit, the Cavs allowed way too many easy layups and dunks to any liking of the coaching staff. That was even worse than game 1. Grade is F.

• Out-hustle the Spurs. They key to the Cavs trip to the finals has been their aggressiveness at both ends of the court, and constant fighting for the offensive board. 46-42, Spurs have the edge. It's about even. Grade B.

Cavs Offense:

• Attack the basket. It doesn't necessarily mean that Cleveland has to score everytime, but putting one of the key Spurs players (especially Duncan) in foul trouble could be damaging to San Antonio. Same as game 1. Grade C.

• They must start out strong in the 3rd quarter. It's no coincidence that Cleveland won both game 5 and game 6 against Detroit, and outscored them in the 3rd. I believe San Antonio is a better team by a mile when matched up against Detroit, and it could be curtains for Cleveland if they go on a cold spell with them. Spurs outscore the Cavs 31-29 in the 3rd. Grade D for the defense of Cleveland in the 3rd.

• Larry Hughes must be told not to shoot the ball. Seriously, the dude only plays well every now and then, and is really only good for defensive purposes, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is benched at some point for Daniel Gibson. Morons! You let Hughes shoot an 0-5 for a total of 0 points! Daniel Gibson? A decent night with 6-12 shooting and 15 points. Grade F.

• The time is now for Cleveland to start making some free throws down the stretch in tight games. I know San Antonio absolutely stinks it up at the foul line too, but the Cavs have lost games because of inexperience at the charity stripe. 19-29 for 65%. Garbage shooting from the stripe. Grade D-.

Overall Grade: D+.


You'll see the Spurs edition later on.

So what happened last night? Spurs Edition

Let's look at the keys to the series for the Spurs and how it worked in game 1. Grading should be easier for the 3 time champions.


Spurs Defense:

• Believe it or not, they'll have to contain Ira Newble LeBron James. There's no explanation required, just remember that King James scored 48 points on the Pistons. LeBron, 4-16, 14 points. Grade A

• Prevent easy baskets. The Cavs are not a great perimeter shooting team, and Bruce Bowen and Co. should stop Cleveland from driving right through them. Success! Great job by the Spurs to make the Cavs a jump shot team. Grade A-.

• Force King James to pass the ball. When he takes over a game, your team is doomed. If you take the ball away from James, and force his teammates to make an impact, the Cavs usually falter. That's what they did, and LeBron's teammates (save for Daniel Gibson, Drew Gooden, and Sasha Pavlovic) were awful. Grade B.

Spurs Offense:

• Drain the threes. You've got Ginobili, Bowen, Barry, and now Tony Parker is making long range shots. Take advantage beyond the arc, something the Pistons almost never did, and that's why Detroit never had a double digit lead in the entire series. Spurs shoot 6-16 from downtown. Michael Finley has to stop jacking up unnecessary threes. Grade B-.

• Dominate the boards. The key to Cleveland's success is the rebound. They have been successful at both ends of the floor when it comes to that category. If the Spurs take that away, the shots will go down for the Cavs, and the 2nd chance points are more likely for San Antonio. Spurs out-rebound Cleveland 43-32. Grade B.

• Make your free throws. I can't stress this enough. Both teams have been garbage from the stripe (save for Daniel Gibson and Manu Ginobili), and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of these games are decided via the free throw. 11-16 from the line, as I said in the other edition, there weren't a lot of fouls called. Grade C.

• When the game is down to one shot, give the ball to Robert Horry. Big Shot Bob has saved teams everywhere he has gone, and this shouldn't be different. Grade Incomplete. Game 1 wasn't that close, and Horry didn't do much anyway.

Overall Grade: B.

So what happened last night?: Cavs Edition

Let's look at the keys to this series for the Cavs and how it played out in game 1 last night. Watch out for my grading Cleveland!

Cavaliers Defense:

• Stop Tim Duncan. Now that is way too obvious, but Timmy has been outstanding in the playoffs, but Duncan has yet to face a 7'0 center throughout the playoffs, with the only exception being the Denver Nuggets' Nene. Cleveland should be in good shape if they double up on Duncan using Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.The result? Tim Duncan scores 24 points, grabs 13 boards, and has 5 block shots. So the Grade is F.

• Let the Spurs make their shots form the foul line. Realistically, the Spurs have no consistent free throw shooter, and Bruce Bowen does not spell success at the line. The result? Spurs shoot 11-16 from the stripe. Not bad, that's 68%. So the grade is B-.

• Prevent easy baskets. In the last series against Detroit, the Cavs allowed way too many easy layups and dunks to any liking of the coaching staff. Oh goodness, the Cavs let WAY too many last night. Grade is F.

• Out-hustle the Spurs. They key to the Cavs trip to the finals has been their aggressiveness at both ends of the court, and constant fighting for the offensive board. Spurs out-rebounded Cleveland 43-32. The Cavs could do better. Grade D.

Cavaliers Offense:

• Attack the basket. It doesn't necessarily mean that Cleveland has to score everytime, but putting one of the key Spurs players (especially Duncan) in foul trouble could be damaging to San Antonio. They tried, but they were unsuccessful. Grade C-.

• They must start out strong in the 3rd quarter. It's no coincidence that Cleveland won both game 5 and game 6 against Detroit, and outscored them in the 3rd. I believe San Antonio is a better team by a mile when matched up against Detroit, and it could be curtains for Cleveland if they go on a cold spell with them. The 3rd quarter was pretty much the difference in this game, Cleveland barely showed up. Grade D.

• Larry Hughes must be told not to shoot the ball. Seriously, the dude only plays well every now and then, and is really only good for defensive purposes, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is benched at some point for Daniel Gibson. Listen to my advice Cavaliers! Larry Hughes with a bad foot, shot a terrible 1-5 for 2 points. Bench the dude now! Daniel Gibson went 7-9 last night, start the guy who is on fire! Grade F.

• The time is now for Cleveland to start making some free throws down the stretch in tight games. I know San Antonio absolutely stinks it up at the foul line too, but the Cavs have lost games because of inexperience at the charity stripe. 11-15, 73% from the line. That's what happens when you settle for too many outside shots, you take only 15 free throws in the game. To be fair, there weren't that many fouls called. Grade C.

• Know how to play against the 3-2 zone defense. Everyone (except Tony Reali) knows that the Cavs struggled against the zone of the Detroit Pistons. They couldn't attack the rim, and were forced to settle for outside shots. Grade Incomplete.

Overall Grade: D+.

Later on, you'll see the Spurs Edition, and how ABC messed up the broadcast.