Bears Vs. Seahawks: Notes, Scribbles, and Things Jotted Down

• So special teams started up with Percy Harvin doing Percy Harvin things. He'll make a huge difference in the Seahawks' offense.
• Two third downs on the opening drive by Seattle, and two conversions - the first hitting a receiver coming open behind Jon Bostic, and the second on a play action crossing route. On the second set of downs, Bostic came in hard and hit Marshawn Lynch on the play action, and Lamarr Houston got off his block and forced Russell Wilson to launch incomplete. The next play was the Harvin crossing route to the wide-open side of the field to run down to the six. Lynch cut back and drove it straight into the end zone.
• Seattle looks really, really good on rollouts to crossers, too. Wilson is really good at keeping plays alive and keeping them downfield. Tim Jennings played his snaps at nickel with Kelvin Hayden playing the outside (Kyle Fuller was still out), so that may have been a contributing factor.
• Worth noting that Shea McClellin bit hard and got driven out of the touchdown play quickly. Biting on misdirection is kind of a thing. All night long.
• So far Michael Spurlock hasn't done anything mind-numbing as a return man, but nothing spectacular either.
• Brandon Marshall looks ready. Alshon Jeffery looks like he had a hard time adjusting immediately to the physical play of the Seahawks cornerbacks, but started working his way into better space. Jeffery didn't have his strongest night - a couple of drops, including one that would have been a for-sure touchdown downfield. Marshall had a solid night, beating Richard Sherman semi-regularly.
• First Forte run on first down to the left is good for a first down. Not a ton else there in the run game.
• The Bears like Michael Ola here while Jordan Mills is out, but a false start on 3rd and ten isn't exactly something to solidify a roster spot, sir.
• Willie Young picked up a sack on a good interior rush by Houston. Young's got a pretty nice speed rush to the outside.
• Name a linebacker that looked ready for week one. Go ahead, I'll wait. Lance Briggs is getting older and looked a step slow, Bostic still doesn't look ready to handle zone coverages, and McClellin is still new at the position.
• Josh Morgan at this point looks like he can handle the third receiver duties just fine. I've been pretty impressed with the chances he's been getting.
• Way too many Jay Cutler throws launched with unsettled feet. When he has his stance set, those throws look so pretty. When he doesn't... I think I'll be willing to write it off to the loud Seattle home field, as well as the Seattle pass rush, but we need to see him against Buffalo in two weeks.
• Cutler also missed Matt Forte on short checkdown throws, instead opting to keep plays downfield. I'd think maybe they were trying to get Marshall and Jeffery to catch against the physical secondary of the Seahawks, but why not just see the open man and throw to the open man?
• Danny McCray yielded to Chris Conte in the second quarter to give Conte his first preseason action. Brock Vereen saw some time in the first, and Ryan Mundy likewise saw a lot of time.
• Chris Conte's first drive in saw him break up a near-certain touchdown catch. And I mean "In the hands and body and Conte hits him to force it out." Never mind the next play gets tossed to Jermaine Kearse through Danny McCray and Charles Tillman for a touchdown. Credit to the Seahawks though, that was a well-timed play in a small window.
• For a blocking tight end, O'Brien Schofield made Matthew Mulligan look silly beating him inside to pick up a sack on Cutler.
• Special teams are an official dumpster fire at this point. No gap control or ability to get in a guy's way. And Pat O'Donnell contributed to a 60-yard Earl Thomas return with a low-hangtime punt.
• Four Seattle offensive possessions. Four Seattle offensive touchdowns. No third-down stops by the Bears. And the fifth ended in a 59-yard field goal to close the half.
• Interesting to note the Bears put Ka'Deem Carey in before Shaun Draughn in this one. Early snaps against better competition, or a depth-chart shakeup? Carey ran hard, but missed a couple of blocks in pass protection.
• Dante Rosario looks pretty good running out of the backfield. But his touchdown catch was offset by an offensive-pass-interference penalty on Brandon Marshall that was... somewhat questionable. The Bears are getting beat up and down the field, badly might I add, but they're doing a lot of self-damage on these chances they do get. But to put it in perspective, it's probably 90% Seattle just destroying them and 10% actual self-inflicted damage, if that.
• Cutler's interception by Jeremy Lane was simply route jumping a completely covered receiver, and Cutler had no chance to make the throw.
• So since we're at half-time at this point and the twos and threes are coming in, honestly, it's at this point of the notes and game-watching experience (where it's 31-0 Seattle) where I have to take a deep breath and not get too wrapped up in a preseason game. It may just be a preseason game, and the main focus may be player evaluation, but there's something about falling 31-0 at halftime that makes you sit up and take notice.
• However, if taking a terrible game on the chin in preseason prevents taking a terrible game on the chin when the games actually count, maybe that terrible game has become a teaching moment. We can only hope so.
• I like what I've seen out of Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson.
• Santonio Holmes' first catch comes on a good slant route for a first down. His second target was thrown behind him by Jordan Palmer, and Holmes reached out with one arm to at the minimum bat it away from the oncoming Seattle defensive back.
• At this point, I see no scenario that results in Jordan Palmer being named the backup quarterback.
• Robbie Gould missed a 47-yard field goal. The end of days is even further nigh.
• Sherrick McManis has pretty quietly been pretty good at defensive back this preseason. Not sure the same can be said for Kelvin Hayden. Hayden might find himself squeezed out as cuts come down.
• Conte left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Disappointing in both his short return to playing time and because I thought he didn't look bad out there.
• The Bears tried Senorise Perry at returner. It looked... much the same. Really thinking it's more a function of blocking than who's got the ball in their hand at this point.
• Meanwhile, I think the Bears just got flagged for another delay of game penalty.
• Khaseem Greene and DeDe Lattimore both came in in the fourth quarter. Greene promptly let a receiver go right behind him for a catch and first down.
• Austen Lane showed a little of why the Bears keep playing him so high on the depth chart, outside pressure and holding up decently in the run.
• I didn't have any complaints with Jimmy Clausen's performance, and I'm pretty sure he's going to make the roster as the backup, but the Bears really like getting their earlier looks at Palmer.
• "Earlier looks" is probably a key bit to explain the results here - not to say the Bears weren't doing any type of trying or anything, but I'm not sure how much gameplanning was in the Bears' play selection, while there was quite a bit from the end of the Seahawks. All that we can really hope for is that we don't see a game like this in the regular season.
• Positives... positives... well, I liked what I saw from the defensive line. I thought the pass rush was decently effective, and the defensive tackles were largely okay. I'd include the safeties, because I thought there was some good play by Conte and McCray, but that's dampened a little by Conte's concussion. Also, no Adrian Wilson in this game - have to think he could be on the outs or not as certain to make the roster as we thought. And with Holmes and Morgan, maybe the Bears' third and fourth receivers will be okay.
• I guess, long story short, it was a bad game. A really, really bad game. But one game, especially a preseason game, doesn't dictate a season.

That's all I've got for you, for now. What's on your mind this morning?