Tag Archives: Red Bryant

Things That Interest & Don’t Interest Me About The Seahawks’ OTAs

Posted on by
Reply

That title is awkward, but this is Don’t Give A Care Friday and it’s time to be moving on.

You can’t always focus on the negatives without at least acknowledging some of the positives.  Like, for instance, Red Bryant is fully healthy for the first time in a year.  He had plantar fasciitis last year that REALLY cut into his being productive.  Yes, he played in all the games, but more often than not he was just taking up space as opposed to wreaking havoc like he was in 2011.  I’m also told that with the hire of Dan Quinn as D-Coordinator, they’re going to shift Red back to a role that’ll have him in the backfield more, disrupting running plays and all-around getting in the quarterback’s face.  It’s all very technical, and I don’t want to go back and research the specifics, but he’ll be lined up in a different gap than he was in 2012 and therefore – with his newfound foot health – he should kick more ass.  I’m amazing with words, I know.

Also healthy:  James Pancakes Carpenter.  The team is giving this 2011 first round pick every opportunity to win that Left Guard spot and, at least in the early going, it looks like he deserves it.

It would be SO HUGE for our running game if we can keep this guy healthy for a full season.  I mean, if he lives up to his potential, he could be the best run-blocking guard in football!  He’ll be pancaking his way through the NFL like it was an I-Hop all-you-can-eat buffet!  And, not for nothing, but if he can lock down the left guard position, that makes it a 3-man contest for right guard with Sweezy, Moffitt, and McQuistan.  I think each one of those guys has their flaws, but you gotta like our odds if we’re forced to only play ONE of the three as opposed to two of the three.

On the flipside of the ball, we’ve got Walter Thurmond back and better than ever.  They are absolutely RAVING about this guy in the early going of the off-season; some are even saying that he’ll take snaps away from newly-signed nickel corner, Antoine Winfield.  Others are saying that Thurmond could even push Browner for a starting cornerback spot!  Now, I don’t necessarily think that’ll happen, and I think this team would be wise to ease him back into the gameplan when the shit starts getting real – it would be terrible to count on him to play starter’s minutes, then have to lose him for the season in his first or second game.  But, if he IS back, and he CAN stay healthy, then this just boosts our secondary depth tenfold.  Essentially, we will have four quality, starting-calibre cornerbacks on this team to go with two Pro Bowl/All Pro-calibre safeties.  Are you KIDDING me?  Eight years ago, I would have killed for just ONE Pro Bowl/All Pro-calibre member of our secondary!

Thurmond could be a difference-maker.  If he becomes what I think he can become, he could turn into a replacement for Browner when he eventually signs with another team because we can’t afford to pay him the kind of money he’ll be looking for.

The biggest question mark – and area of need – on this team is the pass rush.  Which is why it would be nice for Chris Clemons to make a miraculous comeback from his ACL surgery.  Well, this week, there’s been talk about Clemons being ahead of schedule.  There’s been talk of him possibly being ready to go in Week 1.  Granted, this is what they were saying about Pancakes last season, and look at what eventually happened.  Still, it’s better to hear this than to hear about how he’s behind schedule, or that he’s had a setback, or that doctors are confused as to what’s still wrong.

I refuse to go into this season with the expectation that we’re going to get significant production out of Clemons.  My own personal best-case-scenario bar is set mighty low.  I’d like for him to continue rehabbing while on the PUP list, then I’d like for him to be reintroduced to the game slowly; maybe sit on the Inactive List for a couple of games while he practices with the team.  Then, maybe around week 9 or 10, we get him into some games, playing about 20% of the snaps he played last year.  Finally, over the last six games of the year, we build him back up to being a full-time starter for this team, just as it’s hitting its stride and entering the playoffs as the #1 seed in the NFC.  If I were God, this is how I’d wield my magical powers.  In the Super Bowl, Clemons will come around the edge and blind-side Peyton Manning for the game-clinching fumble with less than two minutes to go in the game.

Finally, this doesn’t have to do with a guy recovering from injury, per se, but it’s injury-related-adjacent.  With Anthony McCoy going down, there’s been grumbling by myself (and maybe others) about our tight end situation.  As Barney from The Simpsons said (in English):

I’m worried about the beer supply.  After this case, and the other case, there’s only one case left!

On the one hand, yeah, we’ve still got a high-quality tight end starting for us in Zach Miller.  But, on the other hand, we’ve got nothing but unproven rookies and near-rookies to carry the load in the event that Miller goes down with a significant injury.

Everyone is tapping the speedy Luke Willson – this year’s tall, athletic rookie project – to supplant McCoy as the backup.  Well, not so fast.  While I’m sure he’ll find a way onto this team, I’m reading about one:  Sean McGrath.  He could be JUST the guy we’re looking for.  Big and bruising, a blocking tight end with the potential and soft hands to make an impact in the red zone.  Keep this guy on your radar.  He looked solid last year in the pre season and he should only get better from there after a year in the league.

***

Now, for the things people are talking about where I DON’T give two shits.

Like, for instance, Marshawn Lynch “not being there”.  First of all, WHY do we need him there?  He’s our starting running back!  This has been established!  No running back on this team right now is better than Lynch.  Hell, aside from Adrian Peterson, no running back in the NFL is better than Lynch right now!

He’s not being lazy, he’s working out on his own.  These are VOLUNTARY practices that he’s missing.  This isn’t some hold-out for more money or some message he’s trying to send to the team.  Would we like to have him there?  Sure, fine, whatever.  But, do we NEED him there?  Of course not!  In fact, if you want my opinion, I’d rather he NOT be there.

Think about it, every voluntary practice is another opportunity for the guy to injure himself.  Why is that of my concern?  Because I’m a worrier.  And because his back issues aren’t going away any time soon.  He’s missed a game here and there because of his back, and it would be nice to know that one of these young rushers can pick up the slack.

How are we going to find out if they can handle it unless they get a lot of reps in these practices Lynch is skipping?

Also, not for nothing, but remember how we all lionize Walter Jones for all those pre-seasons where he skipped camp because we Franchise Tagged him?  Remember all those stories about how he was pulling cars to get in shape for pushing around defensive linemen?  Remember how we like all those stories?  Especially when he came back to the team a week before the first game and it was like he was never gone?

How about we stop fussing over who’s not there and trust that he’s going to be just fine when we get to the regular season, mmmkay?

I also don’t give a fuck about all the stories coming out about this team being “out of control”.  Guys getting arrested, guys being suspended, adderall adderall adderall!

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that back in the day, I used to bash the shit out of the Bengals for all their legal transgressions as an organization out of control.  So, you can either call me a homer (which is your right), or you can say that I’ve grown more wise in the years since.  After all, you don’t really understand something until it happens to you.

In this case, you don’t really understand that – hey, a team can’t control every single person on a football team at all hours of all days.  At this point in the off-season, there are a whopping 90 guys on the team!  I’m sure the coaching staff and the organization as a whole is doing everything it can to stem the tide of bad-boy behavior.  But, sometimes, players are going to do selfish things.  That’s the risk you take.  Don’t like it?  Hire Tim Ruskell and let him build through character over talent.

Of course, my apathy for these topics of discussion doesn’t make the John Moffitt public urination thing any less funny.  It’s just like an episode of Seinfeld!

Projecting The 2013 Seattle Seahawks’ 53-Man Roster

Posted on by
1

Some guys dig on mock-drafts and look to pump them out on a monthly basis whether there’s any new information or not … and some of us like to do mock-rosters because it’s the baseball season and there’s nothing else to write about.

More or less, this is your average NFL 53-man roster:

9 Offensive Linemen
6 Wide Receivers
3 Tight Ends
2 Quarterbacks
4 Running Backs

9 Defensive linemen
7 Linebackers
10 Corners & Safeties

1 Punter
1 Kicker
1 Long Snapper

24 offense, 26 defense, 3 special teams.  You substitute a player here and there depending on special teams coverage needs, but that’s ultimately what you end up with.

So, with this template in mind, why not look at the Seadderall Seahawks and see where things plug in?

Offensive Line

Right now, we’ve got three starters locked in:  our tackles and our center, Okung, Giacomini, and Unger.  For the guards, take your pick of two among the following four:  McQuistan, Carpenter, Sweezy, Moffitt.  All seven of those players are pretty much locks to make the team, which leaves two more offensive line spots.

McQuistan can also play tackle, so that gives you some flexibility.  Jeanpierre, I believe, has some experience as a center, so he might be good to go as one of those final linemen.  I don’t know enough about the linemen to make a very educated guess on the last guy, so let’s just say Mike Person is someone and leave it at that.  Stick the rookies on the practice squad and call it a day.

Quarterbacks

This is Russell Wilson and Brady Quinn.  Almost certainly.  Portis just got shit-canned for being an idiot, which leaves Jerrod Johnson who has never played a down of NFL football.  I’m going to go out on a huge limb and say Brady Quinn’s job is secure, with no chance of this team keeping a third QB.  Johnson would have to blow everyone away in Training Camp to make the leap, and I’m just not buying it.

Tight Ends

Unless injury strikes, this one’s pretty easy too.  You’ve got your starter, Zach Miller.  You’ve got your blocking tight end/backup, Anthony McCoy.  And you’ve got your pass-catching tight end/backup, Luke Willson.  There, there’s your first rookie to make the team.  Coaches seem high on him, even though he did next-to-nothing in college.

Running Backs

Here’s where I’m going to deviate from the norm just a bit.  I think this team keeps five running backs.  Lynch, Turbin and Michael are all locks (there’s rookie #2).  I don’t think this team can afford to give up Michael Robinson, who is not only the starting fullback but also a standout on special teams.  And, I think the team hangs onto Ware (rookie #3) and grooms him to be a fullback replacement for next year.  For the record, I think Ware and possibly Michael regularly ride the pine on gamedays as inactives.

Wide Receivers

To make up some room for our extra running back, I think this team keeps only five receivers (Rice, Tate, Harvin, Baldwin, & Harper).  That decision is made easier depending on how well guys like Baldwin and rookie Chris Harper (rookie #4) take to special teams.  Jermaine Kearse will be a tough guy to leave off, but I just don’t see how this team can afford a sixth receiver with all the talent we’ve got on defense.

Defensive Line

With Scruggs on IR, Irvin suspended for four games, and Clemons on the PUP list, the defensive line became a whole lot easier to figure out.  You’ve got your starting ends:  Bryant and Avril.  You’ve got Mebane and whoever starts opposite of him at the other tackle position.  Bennett is another lock to make this team as a guy you can slide either inside or outside, so that brings us to four.  I think both rookies Hill and Williams make the team and fight for starting minutes (rookies #5 & #6).  I think free agent McDaniel cracks the squad along with veteran McDonald (played a lot last year in backing up Mebane) and young guy Jaye Howard.  That gives us 9.

Of course, you have to anticipate Irvin and Clemons returning, so some tough decisions will be waiting after the first month of the season.  By that point, you gotta figure there will be an injured guy or two who can slide right onto the IR without being missed.  We’ll see.

Linebacker

Wagner & Wright are your locks.  Malcolm Smith is looking strong to be the third starter.  Instead of the traditional seven, I think this team has to scrimp here and only keep six.  Undrafted free agent Lotulelei (rookie #7) looks like a strong bet to make the team.  Special teams standout Heath Farwell should be a keeper for all he does in that realm.  And, if I had to guess, I’d say the last guy on the team will be Mike Morgan.  The Seahawks have already waived Korey Toomer once before; I can see them doing it again.  Allen Bradford doesn’t strike me as a guy you just HAVE to have (and, let’s face it, good teams tend to drop good players when they make their final cuts).

Safety

Earl and Kam are your guys here.  Since this team only has five safeties on its roster, and since I’ve only heard of four of these guys, I think it’s pretty obvious who the backups will be.  Winston Guy got some valuable experience last year and is as much of a lock as can be.  Jeron Johnson is the other, and he’s proven to be a solid contributor as well.

Cornerbacks

Sherman & Browner are your guys here.  Consider Winfield to be a lock as your nickel corner.  I like Jeremy Lane, Walter Thurmond (if he can stay healthy) and rookie Tharold Simon (rookie #8) to be solid backups.  That already brings us to six, but for the life of me, I can’t see this team throwing Byron Maxwell away.  He’s been on the team for too long and you know if he goes somewhere else he’ll be competing for starting minutes.  I think the team finds a roster spot for Maxwell and keeps a total of 7 corners.

The Rest

That brings us to 50, with Hauschka, Ryan, and long snapper Clint Gresham as your final guys.

I’m sure as I continue following the goings on in this pre-season portion of the season, this roster will change quite a bit.  But for now, this is my opening statement on what the roster will be.  Let’s see how much it resembles the ACTUAL 53-man roster come opening day.

I will say, as one caveat, that I haven’t accounted for injuries (except for the ones that already happened).  I’m sure a major reason why my roster now will differ from the real 53-man roster in September will have most-everything to do with injuries, and how that trickles down when considering need vs. want at all the positions.

What The Seahawks Should Do On Draft Days 2013

Posted on by
Reply

Remember when it was just Draft Day and we didn’t drag this out in a masturbatory exercise in NFL self-congratulation.  WE GET IT, you’re the biggest sport in the world!  Why not make it Draft Week and have one round per day?  Limey fucks.

The Seahawks have 10 picks in the 2013 NFL Draft.  Obviously, they traded their first round pick to Minnesota, so they’ve got nothing to do with the rest of their day today.  The odds are pretty much nil that the Seahawks trade up into the first round, especially given the low status of their second rounder (#56 overall).

And I don’t want them to!  Fuck the first round.  There’s nothing in the first round that we won’t be able to find in any of the other rounds.

The Seahawks have at least one pick in the remaining six rounds, including 2 in the fifth and 4 in the seventh.  That’s where we stand right this very moment.

If you want to know what I WANT to happen, I’ll tell you.  First and foremost, I’d look to see if there’s a taker for our second round pick.  Ideally, the Seahawks would trade that second rounder for a first rounder in next year’s draft.  That’s how confident I am in this team’s ability to contend with what they have right now.  I think the more draft picks we can trade to jump into next year’s draft, the better.  Because by that time, we will have some major contract decisions to make.  Guys are going to get paid, while other guys are going to get cut to save money to pay the contracts of those first guys.  So, having a glut of higher draft picks going into 2014 would be a great way to mitigate the losses of good players who will be gone after 2013.

Something tells me that won’t happen, but a guy can dream.

In some particular order, the Seahawks need to draft a linebacker, a backup quarterback, a couple defensive tackles, a defensive end, an offensive tackle, a wide receiver, a cornerback, a third running back, and maybe a kicker.  That’s sort of my order of importance, but truth be told, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Seahawks draft ANY of these positions in their higher draft areas (second & third round).  OK, I’d be surprised if I saw a kicker drafted there, but can you just IMAGINE the balls it would take to say to the NFL:  here’s how good we are, take a look at our first pick kicker!

I’ve had this hunch for a while now that the Seahawks would look to draft a quarterback in the second round, if the right one fell to them.  The more I think about it, the more I’m waffling on that sentiment.  I mean, part of the whole thing about trading Matt Flynn was getting rid of a backup quarterback who made a lot more money than the starter.  Why would the Seahawks look to disrespect Russell Wilson by taking a quarterback a year later in a round HIGHER than he was picked?  Part of me thinks:  you gotta get over that shit.  That’s pride, fuckin’ with you.  But, another part of me knows that people take shit like this seriously.

Nevertheless, I don’t think the Seahawks will have any choice if the right guy falls.  Right away, you have a pretty good idea that he’ll be better than Brady Quinn.  On top of that, if he develops at all, you can trade him away in a few years for more draft picks.  Maybe by that point, people will have forgotten how much Kevin Kolb sucks.

A very un-sexy pick would be a defensive tackle, but you can’t rule it out.  Mebane and Bryant are getting up there.  These wide-bodies don’t have the longest shelf lives, and once they get injured, they break down quick-fast-and-in-a-hurry.  And beyond that, we just need depth!  All of these free agent defensive ends they signed tells me that the Seahawks are going to need to improve this position via the draft, unless they want to risk signing guys to 1-year deals every year for the next half decade.  We’re pumping a crazy amount of money into the line, with the deals for Bryant and Mebane specifically.  Once we start looking to re-sign Sherman, Thomas, and Wilson, money is going to have to come from somewhere.  A good bet is it comes from the D-Line.  Which means, the Seahawks have to start looking to draft their replacements NOW.  Cost-effective players who can handle their shit, that’s what we need.

Linebacker is one of the more obvious needs, but I’m no longer convinced the Seahawks have to get this in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.  We need to replace the departed Leroy Hill, and we’re going to do that either with someone on the roster today, or someone who will be on the roster after Saturday.  My guess is we look somewhere in the fourth or fifth rounds for this player.  No sense in over-paying for a position that quite frankly you can fill with lower-tier talent.

Since I hardly know any of the projected first round talent as it is (a byproduct of me not giving two shits), there’s no way in Hell I’d try to do a true mock draft of who I think the Seahawks will pick.  However, I’ll go a little more simple:  my mock draft of what positions the Seahawks will draft in each of their rounds.  Let’s see how many I’m able to correctly guess.

2nd Round:  Defensive Tackle
3rd Round:  Offensive Tackle
4th Round:  Quarterback
5th Round:  Linebacker
5th Round:  Wide Receiver
6th Round:  Defensive End
7th Round:  Cornerback
7th Round:  Defensive Tackle
7th Round:  Running Back
7th Round:  Linebacker

Seahawks Sign Tony McDaniel

Posted on by
Reply

Because who among us can REALLY get enough of Seahawks news this offseason?

Tony McDaniel is 6’7 and plays defensive tackle.  Essentially, he’s Jason Jones, right on down to being injury prone.

I don’t have a lot to say about this because I don’t know much about the guy.  If the Dolphins are willing to let him go, you gotta wonder how good he really is.  Or maybe it’s just they got tired of dealing with him being injured all the time.  I guess I can see that.  Anyway, he’s depth.  He’s another guy we can throw on the line, with Avril, with Bennett, with Irvin, to create some kind of super-speedy, kill-the-quarterback type of line-up.  In all likelihood, this is a guy who’s going to play well under 50% of the snaps.  But, if we can keep him walking upright, maybe we can squeeze a lot of success out of those snaps.

I dunno.  John Clayton on the radio yesterday said he’s good.  So, I guess he’s good.  Either way, he’s only here for one year.  And maybe not even that.  There’s nothing that says he HAS to make this team coming out of Training Camp.  When you’re a Seahawks fan under the Pete Carroll/John Schneider regime, you tend to not get too attached to fringe guys like Tony McDaniel.

Also, people are saying this spells the end of Alan Branch.  I dunno about that either.  Seems to me we’re still going to need some more wide-bodies to plug in there and stop the run between Mebane & Red Bryant.  Unless THAT’S where we’re opting to go young and cheap.  Because literally every other spot on the line is being eaten up via free agency and/or the extremely wealthy.  And really, you gotta wonder how much more money they’re willing to spend this offseason on free agents.

In unrelated news – unworthy of its own post, if you ask me – Matt Flynn rumors are heating back up.  Is that the plan?  Trade him for a draft pick or two, save some money … and then what?  If our goal is to sign a free agent quarterback as a backup, it’s likely going to cost us at least half of what we’re saving in that Matt Flynn money.  I still don’t see the point in trading away a really good backup quarterback when he’s always in the top 20-25 players on any given team!

How many teams in any given year play every meaningful offensive snap with one quarterback?  Not very many!  You’ve got to have a Plan B that isn’t Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy, or Matt Leinart!  Look, Seahawks, I’ve got quite a bit of money riding on you guys this year.  A casino in Tahoe bumped their Seahawks Win The Super Bowl odds from 5-1 to 7-1 and I jumped in for $100.  That’s a good amount of scratch if we win, but for us to get there, I’m going to need you to be the best team you can be!  Right now!  In 2013!  For you to be the best team you can be, I’m afraid I’m going to need quality depth across all positions.  That means KEEPING Matt Flynn, because in a pinch I believe he can win us some ballgames.

After 2013, go nuts, I don’t care.  But, WE GOTTA DO THIS!  PAPA NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF EVERYTHING!

#6 – Bobby Wagner

Posted on by
1

To see the full list of the 20 best Seahawks in 2012, click here.

Man, February is the WORST for sports blogging.  The NBA can’t get back to Seattle quick enough for me …

Bobby Wagner is just another in a long line of impressive draft picks from the brain trust at Seattle Seahawks Incorporated.  I mean, I REALLY can’t stress enough how mind-blowing it is to have all these guys who are not only home-grown, but who are QUALITY home-grown!  The Seattle Mariners are totes jelly right now.

Let’s start with the secondary and work our way forward:  Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner, Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, Bruce Irvin:  all defensive starters or would-be defensive starters, all drafted by the Seahawks, all under the age of 30.  That’s potentially 8 of 11 starters going into 2013!  And, realistically, you’ve got enough drafted depth behind those guys to fill in the rest of the holes and not lose much of a step.

On the offense, we’re looking at a situation where free agency and trades have made more of an impact, but you’ve still got Russell Wilson, Russell Okung, Max Unger, Pancakes Carpenter, and Golden Tate who are all starters, all drafted by Seattle, and all under 30.  So, 5 of 11 (with Lynch, Miller, McQuistan, Giacomini, Robinson, and Rice rounding out the rest of the group), but plenty of drafted depth with the likes of Turbin, McCoy, Baldwin, Moffitt, and Sweezy to round things out.

Granted, there are a couple of IFs along the offensive line.  For instance, can two of the following – Carpenter, Moffitt, and Sweezy – lock down the offensive guard positions?  If that happens, then you’ve got 4/5 of your offensive line as Seahawks draft picks.  When you play Baldwin instead of Robinson (in 3-WR sets), you’re looking at 7 of 11 offensive players.  Essentially, as a team, that puts the Seahawks at 15 regulars/starters out of a possible 22 who were Seahawks draft picks.  Incredible!

At this point, thanks to the production of guys like Bobby Wagner, we can go into the 2013 season and just ASSUME that the Seahawks will not only draft a linebacking replacement to Leroy Hill, but that he will also step right in and be a productive member of this defense.  And, Hell, if that rookie comes in and can’t hack it, well guess what:  Malcolm Smith stepped in for Hill towards the end of 2012 and did just fine in limited duty spelling the veteran.  We’ve ALREADY got a Seahawks-drafted guy under 30 on our roster to step into the starting lineup!

This post hasn’t really had that much to do with Wagner up to this point, so let’s talk numbers.  Wagner, as a rookie, came in here and led the team in tackles with 140.  That number, mind you, was 7th in the league and 2nd among all rookies (which is why he didn’t win Defensive Rookie of the Year, though he was clearly in the running).  Wagner also tacked on 2 sacks and 3 interceptions to round out just an amazing rookie campaign.  He easily made us forget guys like David Hawthorne and Lofa Tatupu, which was a pretty tall order to be sure.

In a lot of ways, Wagner was kind of an overlooked figure on the 2012 Seahawks.  When you’ve got guys like Wilson, Sherman, Lynch, and Thomas taking the bulk of the glory, Wagner just went out there, did his job, and did it at an elite level.  Before too long, he’ll be going to Pro Bowls and earning a huge amount of money.  But, for now, he’s our 2nd-year leader of this defense that’s hopefully going to bring us a Super Bowl championship.

#20 – Bruce Irvin

Posted on by
1

To see the full list of the 20 best Seahawks in 2012, click here.

You’ll notice one big name conspicuously missing from this list, and that would be Red Bryant.  There’s a reason for that:  he wasn’t one of the 20 best Seahawks in 2012.  I won’t go so far as to say the guy was terrible, but to be considered as having a positive season, you need at least one of two things:  to be remembered for a lot of impact plays, or to at the very least do the job you were brought in here to do.

Red Bryant, aside from a few blocked field goals (of which I only remember one in 2012), isn’t known for his impact plays.  He doesn’t sack the quarterback, he doesn’t cause a lot of fumbles, he doesn’t knock down a terribly high number of passes.  But, what he was brought in here to do, what his primary objective is, is to stop the run.  And, truth be told, the Seahawks weren’t nearly as good as they were in 2011 at stopping the run.

I can’t blame Red Bryant for that all by himself, it’s certainly a team effort.  But, he sure as shit got a ton of credit when the Seahawks WERE stopping the run at a high rate, so it’s only fair to consider his season something of a failure.  Or, at least below average; I give big Red Bryant a D+.

It gives me no pleasure to rag on the guy, because he’s genuinely one of my favorite Seahawks.  Whenever Red Bryant makes a big tackle for loss, or gets fired up and starts talking a mad amount of shit to our opponent, it fires me up like no one else on this team.  Unfortunately, those moments were few and far between in 2012.

I don’t think the guy was resting on his laurels after signing a big contract, and I fully expect him to return with a vengeance in 2013.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out later that he was dealing with shin splints or some damn nagging thing that inhibited his productivity.

On the flipside, I have nothing but kudos to give for Bruce Irvin.

The job he was brought in here to do:  be a rookie, learn from Chris Clemons, and sack the quarterback.  Yes, he was a liability against the run, yes he would go games at a time without doing much of anything.  But, as a rookie he led all others in sacks.  He finished with 9 sacks in 18 games, which isn’t bad.  He showed tremendous speed and he made big impacts on our games against Green Bay, Carolina, and New York (2 sacks each).

I know he was a first round pick, but I wasn’t expecting him to come in and set the world on fire.  In fact, here’s what I wrote back in August:

While it’s unfair to expect the world out of a rookie – even if he is a high draft pick – it’s more than fair to expect SOMETHING.  Essentially, to expect a sign of better things to come.  I’m not looking for the guy to get 16 sacks as a rookie; in fact, I’d be elated if he ended the season with half that.  But, he needs to do something.

Well, he did get half that, and I didn’t lie, I’m pretty elated.  I think 8 sacks as a rookie is a GREAT sign of things to come.  Jason Pierre-Paul as a rookie only had 4.5 sacks.  He went on, in his second season, to net 16.5 sacks.  Osi Umenyiora only had 8 sacks after his first TWO seasons combined, then busted out with 14.5 in his third.  J.J. Watt only had 5 sacks as a rookie before winning the Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 as a 2nd-year man.  The list of defensive ends who started off worse than Irvin, but blossomed into stardom is probably endless.

The stakes will be higher in 2013.  Much higher.  We might be without Chris Clemons, if indeed the Seahawks waive him like I think they will (as opposed to holding onto a guy who will likely finish his season early on the IR once again).  If we don’t bring in a high-priced free agent (which, given the track record of John Schneider, we probably shouldn’t expect), then Bruce Irvin is going to be The Man.  He’ll likely be the starting end in Clemons’ Leo position on the line, and some other young gun will be opposite him.

Which means, we’re going to need to see some fairly drastic improvement out of Irvin.  He’s going to have to get more consistent pressure on the quarterback and take the pressure off of whoever’s opposite him.  He’s had a full, healthy year in the NFL.  The defense is going to be essentially the same under Dan Quinn.  Plus, Quinn’s specialty is as a D-line coach, so I’m sure he’ll be able to take whatever it is that Irvin has learned in 2012 and enhance it.

I think Irvin can do it.  I think he’s got what it takes to shoot up this list and be a top 5 presence on this team.  The sooner that happens, the better the Seahawks will finish at season’s end.

Seahawks Death Week: Why We Will Be Great Next Season

Posted on by
1

It’s time to start pulling ourselves out of the doom and gloom.  It’s been four days since the Great Atlanta Tragedy.  The sting of the suddenness has worn off, finality has set in, we’re already making plans that conflict with this weekend’s games, because seriously who wants to watch football at a time like this?  Especially when you know we’re headed for an All-Harbaugh Bowl anyway?

Stop that.  This is supposed to be an uplifting post.

The Seahawks are set up beautifully for a long and successful stretch of football.  This is what I’ve tried to ignore hearing about up to this point because all I’ve wanted to do is wallow.  But, it’s really true.  All we have to do is survive what is suddenly an unexpectedly competitive Washington Husky basketball season, and a sure-to-be-bad, though also a sure-to-be-differently-bad-than-what-we’ve-seen-thus-far-these-last-few-years Seattle Mariners season.  It’s going to be a long, dark seven months until we’re smack dab in the middle of preseason football.  But, we’ll all be better for having survived it.

What were the big question marks going into 2012?  It was starting quarterback, it was the wide receivers, it was the offensive line to a lesser extent, and it was the defensive line.

Well, the defensive line is still a huge question mark going into 2013.  But, the offensive line proved to be fantastic, the wide receivers (at least our top 3) improved a great deal, and we found ourselves our Franchise Quarterback.  I’d say that’s a pretty good haul in one season!

I’m going to write up a post sometime soon about my undying affection of Russell Wilson, so I’ll keep my praise brief.  But, this is really something.  He just finished one of the greatest rookie seasons for any quarterback in the history of the NFL, and he STILL won’t win the Rookie of the Year award.  That doesn’t change the fact, in my mind at least, that he’s the best rookie of this class and will go down as having the best career of them all (which is really saying something, because Andrew Luck is the real deal who is going to keep that Colts team competitive for years to come).

Our core on offense is set up beautifully for the next good long while.  We’ve got our quarterback.  We’ve got an elite running back and we’ve got another good running back we just drafted.  We’ve got a solid up-and-down offensive line that’s also very young.  We’ve got a couple wide receivers in Tate and Baldwin who should be productive every season going forward.  Add a couple more weapons for Wilson to play around with, and I think this offense will be as unstoppable as it gets.

On defense, we’re even better.  We’ve locked up Mebane and Bryant to long-term deals to anchor our run defense.  Granted, it wasn’t the best run defense to close out 2012, but I think if we manage to find another run-stuffer to plug in between those two guys, we’ll be all set.  We drafted Bruce Irvin who had 8 sacks in his rookie season.  Experience will only make him more of a monster in that regard.  Don’t be surprised if you see him in that 18-20 sack range before too long.

Two of our three starting linebackers have two years of experience or less (K.J. Wright & Bobby Wagner).  Those guys are locked in for years to come.  We’ve got solid linebacking pieces who are also young that can fill in on the other side, but look for this team to draft one anyway.

Then, you look at our secondary, and we’re talking about the greatest secondary in all of football.  Earl Thomas:  best safety.  Richard Sherman:  best cornerback.  Kam Chancellor:  hard-hitting Pro Bowler.  Brandon Browner:  hard-hitting Pro Bowler.  We’ve got young depth behind them and don’t be surprised if they try to supplement that depth even more in the draft.  The diamonds in the rough reside here, for sure, and they’re being coached up in a big way.

The loss of Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator seems like a bigger blow than it really is.  I feel like this defense coasted more on talent than it did succeed through scheme.  If we’re able to bring in the right guy, whose willing to ramp up the heat on opposing offenses, I don’t think there’s any limit to what this defense can do.  Can they lead the league in points allowed?  Well, they’ve done it before, this past season in fact.  Can they lead the league in yards allowed?  They very nearly did that this past year as well.  Can they lead the league in turnovers?  Why the Hell not?  Can they set the NFL record for most shutouts in a single season?  The SKY is the limit, people!

I’ll get into some of this tomorrow, when I reflect on the positives that have come out of the 2012 season, but suffice it to say everything this team needed to accomplish was accomplished.  They improved over 2011.  They found their quarterback.  They made the playoffs.  They won in the playoffs (to nip that in the bud before it turns into a monkey on the back).  They very nearly made it to the NFC Championship game before tasting bitter defeat.  The most bitter of bitter defeats.  Like sucking on an aspirin like a lozenge.

This team is hungry.  STARVING.  The players, for the most part, were passed over time and time again, either by falling in the draft or by being released from other teams.  They got no respect as individuals and they get no respect as a team.  They’re loathed league-wide.  They’ve got a chip on their shoulder the size of Gibraltar.  They know the formula to succeed:  Home Field Advantage.  They’re better in January than they were in September, which means we shouldn’t see any early-season fumbling-away of football games we’re supposed to win next year.  Every team will be taken seriously.  Every week will be another opportunity to pound the other team into submission and turn it into a glorified preseason game.

2012 was just the start of something huge.  2013, the fun really begins.  Raise your expectations, because from now on this team is one of the elites.  Enjoy it, because this opportunity doesn’t come around very often.  Thank your lucky stars you’re not a fan of the Bills, the Jags, the Dolphins, the Cardinals, the Raiders, the Chiefs, the Jets, the Browns, or the Rams.  They are SO FAR AWAY from being where we are right now, it’s not even funny!

The Seahawks Play The 49ers For Some Of The Marbles

Posted on by
Reply

Not ALL of the marbles.  That ship has long sailed.

So, I don’t know if you guys were aware, but these Seahawks & 49ers are pretty much the same exact team.  Tough, physical defenses.  Tough, physical running backs.  Young, mobile, accurate quarterbacks in their first seasons as starters.  Wide receivers who aren’t flashy, but are somewhat effective.  Tight ends who should probably be utilized more than they are (fuck you, 49ers, for not getting Vernon Davis the ball!  Leaky Submarine struggled all year because of you assholes!).

And that doesn’t even get into the numbers!  Have you seen the numbers?

Within 12 total yards of one another per game.  Within 2 rushing yards and 10 passing yards per game.  Within a half a point per game.  3 turnovers separate, 2 penalties separate.  Total defense is right there (49ers ranked 2nd, Seahawks ranked 3rd).  The 49ers have given up 218 points, the Seahawks 219 points.  We’re RIGHT THERE in every catagory!  These two teams couldn’t be more evenly matched!

Want to know why everyone in Seattle is so excited about this game, even though it won’t decide the division?  Well, that’s for starters.  Regardless of the circumstances surrounding everything, we’re practically guaranteed to have a good, close football game down to the bitter end.  I wouldn’t anticipate the lead in this game to surpass a single score.  If ever it was appropriate to predict a tie going into a game, this would be it.

Obviously, each team has certain advantages.  The Seahawks are at home, so that’s a HUGE check in their column.  The Seahawks arguably have a better field goal kicker; that might come up big in a close game.  I can say with certainty that the Seahawks have a better punter as well.  Field position is going to determine who wins this game more than anything else.  Field position was huge in the earlier meeting between these teams as well.  With the Seahawks consistently backed up and in a hole, they stood no chance of coming back against the 49ers late in that game.  Here’s to hoping those tides are turned.

The question on my mind brings me back to last Sunday night.  The Patriots really put a clinic on the 49ers in the second half of that game, scoring four unanswered touchdowns to tie the game.  Can the Seahawks do that?

I’m not suggesting the Seahawks abandon the running game, but I do think they need to get a little creative.  Did you like the pitch to Marshawn Lynch, who threw back to Wilson who then threw up field to Tate?  I wouldn’t mind seeing more of that.  Maybe a wide receiver pass.  Maybe just a straight up end-around or a reverse.  I’m just spit-balling here.  I don’t think this is the game where you go back to being conservative.  You’ve gotten where you’ve gotten by taking shots.  You take the good with the bad in these instances, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re worth the risk.

Running Lynch straight up the middle on first and second down will be a nice way to set you up with 3rd and 5, but is that really the position you want to be in?  Do you really want to get into a lot of obvious passing downs against this defense?  I don’t think you do.

Which is why I think the read-option will be HUGE in this game.  Unlike our last two opponents, I think the 49ers are going to do whatever it takes to not let Wilson beat them with his legs.  So, if he’s smart, he’ll hand the ball off more, which should hopefully open up some holes for Beastmode.

I also wouldn’t mind seeing the Seahawks add a new wrinkle to their read-option & have Wilson throw from that setup.  We have yet to see him pull back & throw; could catch them off guard.

On defense, what can you say?  In the last game, the 49ers dinked & dunked us to death in the second half, while also gashing us up the middle in the run game.  Gotta shore that up.  Gotta have All Pro games out of Mebane, Branch, and Bryant up front.  We don’t necessarily have to get a ton of sacks, but we gotta force Kaepernick to be uncomfortable.  Don’t let him run, necessarily, but have him consistently moving around in the pocket.  Just as the 49ers can’t afford to have Wilson running hog-wild, the last thing the Seahawks want is for Kaepernick to scramble for huge chunks of yards.

I’m still finding it tough to get a good read on this game.  My gut is leaning towards the Seahawks, just because we’re at home.  But, my stupid brain keeps looking at the recent history of this series and has seen the 49ers taking the Seahawks out behind the woodshed.  For some reason, I can’t help shaking the feeling that the 49ers just have our fucking number and they’re going to be that team we hate for years to come.

Also, a win guarantees us a playoff spot.  I dunno, for some reason it wouldn’t feel like a real Seahawks season if we weren’t scrambling for a playoff spot in the final week of the season.  That’s the Seattle talking, of course, but still.

Gun to my head?  31-28 Seattle wins, because the Seahawks are seemingly terrible at holding teams to field goals.  And I reserve the right to flip-flop on that prediction up to kickoff.

Seattle “Drops” An Opportunity At First Place …

Posted on by
Reply

… and local blogger hangs himself over embarrassing play on words …

I blame Robert Turbin (but, really, I blame the coaching staff for not having Leon Washington in there as a pass-catching third down back), I blame Evan Moore (but, really, I blame Pete Carroll and John Schneider for getting rid of Kellen Winslow for this fucking stiff who has been nothing but worthless since we picked him up from Cleveland … word to the wise, if a player is so bad CLEVELAND doesn’t want him, that probably means he’s not any fucking good!), I blame Golden Tate, and yes, I blame Marshawn Lynch (but, again, I really blame the coaching staff for not putting Leon Washington in there to catch that swing pass in the flat).

Those are all the drops I recall.  There may have been others for the Seahawks, but those are the ones that stand out.  Had Turbin caught the ball, we would have had first and goal and a great chance to score a touchdown on a drive where we settled for a field goal.  Had Moore caught the ball, we would have been driving again, chewing up clock and possibly padding our lead.  Had Tate caught the ball, we would have had a first down; it’s hard to know what that drive would have turned into, but it likely would have been better than the alternative:  punt.  Had Lynch caught the ball, again it likely either would’ve been a first down or it would have put us in a better position to convert.

I don’t have a lot to say, to tell the truth.  Did I already tell you I can’t fucking stand Thursday games?  Yeah, I think I did that.  Did I happen to mention that the Seahawks are now 0-3 in the NFC West and even if they somehow manage to tie the 49ers for the division at season’s end, we’ll still likely lose the tiebreaker?  Yeah, I probably did that too.

I don’t think anyone could’ve seen all those drops coming.  It seems like once the first drop clanged to the ground, the tidal wave was on and we were drowning in a sea of fuck-ups.  And the defense suffered the brunt of it.

That was one shitty run-defense performance.  Part of that had to be due to our offense’s inability to stay on the field and score, thereby putting pressure on the 49ers to throw more often.  Give Alex Smith more opportunities to throw and you’ll likely generate more mistakes.  But, credit where it’s due:  the 49ers’ offensive line fucking MANHANDLED our defensive line and linebackers.  I thought K.J. Wright played his single worst game as a Seahawk last night.  I thought the triad of Mebane, Branch, and Bryant were as ineffective as I’ve ever seen them.  I thought our primary pass-rushing defensive ends – Clemons & Irvin – were totally and completely non-existent.  I thought our secondary was top-notch, pushing and shoving their inferior receivers all night long; but I thought we REALLY got nothing out of our linebackers.  How many checkdowns did they complete for moderately big gains?  How many times did Frank Gore plow through the line and immediately find himself grappling with our secondary?  Where was our intermediate line of defense?  Where was Wagner and Hill?  Where were those guys who had made a living the first six weeks plugging up holes like the fucking Little Dutch Boy?

Oh, and where were the BLITZES???  Are you kidding?  You think you’re going to generate pressure against that all-world offensive line with only a 4-man rush?  What the FUCK?  I told you to attack Alex Smith into turnovers!  Weren’t you listening???  If we’re not going to defend the middle of the field as it is, then at LEAST we can throw more guys into Smith’s pocket and see if he gets flustered!  At least TRY it a little bit!  If he beats you, fine, switch it up; but don’t just avoid blitzing altogether!

And, I’m going to keep saying this until it’s fixed:  can the Seahawks PLEASE stop going to the shotgun formation on third down?  Or, at the very least, not EVERY SINGLE FUCKING THIRD DOWN?  You take away the play-action (your best offensive weapon next to the run game itself) and you force a rookie quarterback to make a split-second decision that thus far has seemingly fallen incomplete every fucking time.  He’s not Tom Brady and we’re not the New England Patriots.  We’re not wired for the third & short shotgun formation quick slant in the middle of the field for a first down.  We either have to pound the ball and take our lumps if it fails, or we fake the run and hope the defense falls for it just enough to get a receiver streaking open down the field.

Granted, that receiver has to catch the fucking ball, but that’s neither here nor there.

And don’t think I forgot about you, Hauschka!  You gotta MAKE those 50-yard field goals, God dammit!  I know the game didn’t really hinge on those three points, but who knows how the game changes with the 49ers down 9-3?  My guess is, dramatically.  Once they go up 10-9, things aren’t quite as dire only needing a go-ahead field goal as opposed to a go-ahead touchdown.  Maybe the defense is a little more fired up in a one-field goal game vs. a one-touchdown game.  I dunno.  It’s not entirely insignificant.

Just a shitty, shitty game all around.  I feel dirty just having sat there and watched it.

On the plus side, I really think we’re going to kick Detroit’s shit in on the 28th.  Their secondary is right in our wheelhouse (a la New England’s secondary).  I really think we could be 7-3 going into our BYE week in November.  Prime real estate for a playoff spot if we play our cards right.

Guessing the Seahawks’ 2012 53-Man Roster

Posted on by
Reply

Really quick, because we will all know for sure at 6pm tonight, here’s my stab at this year’s Week 1 roster:

Quarterback
Russell Wilson
Matt Flynn
Josh Portis – **CUT**

Running Back
Marshawn Lynch
Guns Turbin
Leon Washington
**Kregg Lumpkin** (??)
Michael Robsinson (FB)

Wide Receiver
Sidney Rice
Braylon Edwards
Doug Baldwin
Golden Tate
Charly Martin
**Ben Obomanu**

Offensive Line
Breno Giacomini
J.R. Sweezy
Max Unger
Paul McQuistan
Russell Okung
Lemuel Jeanpierre
John Moffitt
Frank Omiyale
Allen Barbre – **Suspended List**
**James Carpenter**

Tight End
Zach Miller
Kellen Winslow
Anthony McCoy
Sean McGrath – **CUT**

Defensive End
Chris Clemons
Bruce Irvin
Red Bryant
Greg Scruggs

Defensive Tackle
Alan Branch
Brandon Mebane
Jason Jones
Clinton McDonald
Jaye Howard

Linebacker
Leroy Hill
Bobby Wagner
K.J. Wright
Heath Farwell
Mike Morgan
Korey Toomer – **CUT**
**Malcolm Smith**

Safety
Kam Chancellor
Earl Thomas
Winston Guy
Jeron Johnson

Cornerback
Brandon Browner
Richard Sherman
Jeremy Lane
Byron Maxwell
Chris Maragos
Phillip Adams – **CUT**
**Marcus Trufant**

Special Teams
Jon “MVP” Ryan – P
Steven Hauschka – K
Clint Gresham – Long Snapper

I’m guessing they try to hide that fifth tight end on the practice squad.  I’m guessing if the team goes with Trufant, they’ll get rid of Maxwell.  I’m guessing if they don’t keep the bottom one or two offensive linemen I listed, that means they’re going outside of the organization and picking up some other team’s castaway(s).  I’m guessing those other running backs and fullbacks were nice, but there won’t be room and some other team will snap them up.

We’ll find out in a few hours.