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2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 14: Baldwin Blows Up

2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 14: Baldwin Blows Up

Wilson’s primary target was the often overlooked Doug Baldwin, a gritty player and persona who had never complained about the size of his role in the offense and was vocal about his demands that the other pass catchers follow suit. What had led Baldwin’s burst was his running style. Baldwin was able to go off-stride and change direction with precision, oftentimes using shoulder and head movements to disguise his feet. In doing so, he was tying defenders into knots and then blowing past them, where he would be—by no exaggeration of the term—wide open with nary an opponent’s jersey in sight. Against the Steelers, Baldwin put up 145, for a 24 yard/catch average. Against the Vikings, it was 94, for an 18.8 yard average. Against the Ravens, it was 82, for a 13.7 yard average. Out of Wilson’s 11 touchdown passes during the last three weeks, Baldwin had accounted for five. Against the Ravens, he and Wilson added three more.

For his final TD, Baldwin was covered by cornerback Ladarius Webb. Webb, whose slight nudge on Baldwin had prevented an earlier touchdown, had decided he needed a bigger cushion against the speedster. Backpedaling from Baldwin before the snap, Baldwin started at Webb furiously but then laid off the speed while still accelerating and lengthening his strides. The result was like an off-speed pitch in baseball. At the release, it felt like the pitch would come in hot, but it arrived so late that the batter had already swung. In this case, Webb had panicked when Baldwin rushed him and had gotten happy feet, forcing him to leap when Baldwin stutter-stepped to the outside. Webb flopped onto his hands and knees. He was turned so far around that he was able to watch Baldwin complete the catch.

2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 10: The Tale of Two Halves

2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 10: The Tale of Two Halves

For the second time in 2015, the Seahawks were .500—but .500 at 2-2 and .500 at 4-4 were different animals. The season half over, nothing short of a two victories against the division leading Arizona Cardinals would allow the Hawks an opportunity at the NFC West crown and a home playoff game.

2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 8: Sherman Shines

2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 8: Sherman Shines

Not often does one say that a quarterback made the most important tackle of a game, but Russell Wilson did exactly that. Offensive lineman Alvin Bailey had drawn the short stick against defensive end Greg Hardy, an immensely talented yet deeply troubled player. Bailey’s job was to use a cut block against Hardy, a technique where Bailey would obstruct Hardy by attacking Hardy’s lower torso and thighs; instead, Hardy side-stepped Bailey, using his strength to spring free. At 6’5” and 280lbs, Hardy swallowed parts of the sky as he plucked Wilson’s pass from the air. Already in the backfield, Hardy took off for what he expected was a touchdown. However, the undersized Wilson went low on Hardy, wrapping up the defender’s knees. Once again, Hardy powered through, leaving Wilson one final option. He clamped onto Hardy’s ankle, tripping him—an impressive improvisation for a player whose employment was based on avoiding tackles, not making them.

2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 7: Kaeper-can’t

2015 Seahawks Re-Watch, Week 7: Kaeper-can’t

The Seahawks were 2-4, a record that reflected poor play but also a murderous schedule. Of the five teams remaining in the league with a perfect record, the Seahawks had lost to three of them. In each game, the lead was forfeited in the final two minutes. What had happened in 2015 was a mix of things, but mostly, the letdown was on account of incredibly high expectations, maybe to a level where only disappointment could follow.

Divisional Playoff: Just Short.

Divisional Playoff: Just Short.

The 2015 Seahawks ends in disappointing fashion but how the team evolved and improved is a testament to the organization. Whether it was going to Rawls or cutting Cary Williams or dumping the run-first offense, the Hawks always embrace change and take big risks to improve. From 2-4 to 11-7, the Seahawks showed us the entire gamut of what a football season can be. Through dramatic highs and dramatic lows, the Hawks ultimately found their stride in a rebuilt offense led by its superstar, Russell Wilson.

Week One: Seahawks Down.

Week One: Seahawks Down.

You wait the entire year after losing the Super Bowl on the last play of the game for week one where you will get a new start, a new season, and the first game ends in losing on the last play. It was a fourth and short but it felt like fourth and forever with how dismal and predictable the Seahawks had been in short yardage situations for the preceding four quarters.