1978 Seahawks vs. 1979 Seahawks

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CSKreager
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Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 8:13 pm

1978 Seahawks vs. 1979 Seahawks

Post by CSKreager »

Simple question- which of Jack Patera's 9-7 winning record Seahawk squads did you think was better?

Personally, I lean slightly towards '79 because it was Zorn's peak as an offensive player (career high passing yards, career high in TD passes), they had the famous MNF win at Seattle with the trick plays, Largent led the NFL in receiving yards, scored more points overall
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Todd Pence
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Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:07 am

Re: 1978 Seahawks vs. 1979 Seahawks

Post by Todd Pence »

I would give the edge to the '79 team, too. They scored slightly more points than the '78 squad. They also allowed slightly more, although I think they played better defense overall. '79 Hawks had five wins over winning teams versus the '78 versions three. Both these teams seemed to match up magnificently against certain teams (Raiders, Jets, Browns) while they struggled against others (Chargers, Chiefs).
There was a sense of them playing above their heads, though, and their lack of depth would be exposed in '80. After starting out the season 4-3, including impressive victories over the Redskins and Oilers, injuries decimated both lines and the running back corps and they didn't win a game for the rest of the year. After another losing season coach Jack Patera would be gone.
Patera should bear a good deal of the credit for the success, such as it was, of these two squads. His innovative coaching kept the Seahawks competitive and he occasionally came up with a brilliant game plan. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done with a better team.
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