There’s no sugar-coating this. It’s not looking great for next years draft.
Over the weekend I saw a tweet commenting that the Eagles could, realistically, end up with three top-10 picks in 2022 after smart trades with Miami and Indianapolis.
Yet as we sit here today it’s hard to work out who’d actually be worth selecting.
Currently I’ve only got nine players on a list of ‘possible high picks’.
That’s not nine possible top-10 picks. It’s simply nine players I’ve watched enough of to say — they could go reasonably high:
Kayvon Thibodeaux (DE, Oregon)
Derek Stingley Jr (CB, LSU)
Kyle Hamilton (S, Notre Dame)
Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan)
Jordan Davis (DT, Georgia)
Trevor Penning (T, Northern Iowa)
George Karlaftis (DE, Purdue)
Jalen Catolon (S, Arkansas)
Jalen Wydermyer (TE, Texas A&M)
Granted, I tend to be pretty conservative at this time of year. We’re months away from the Senior Bowl let alone the combine.
Peruse the many internet mock drafts available and you’ll see a whole bunch of other names I haven’t listed above.
Alabama tackle Evan Neal, for example, is very much on the national radar after topping Bruce Feldman’s ‘freak list’ this year. I’m not sold. Not yet anyway. I suspect he might be more of a day-two pick at this point. Yet some mocks have him not only in round one — but as a prospective #1 overall pick.
If he blows up the combine then the relentless need at the tackle position will ensure a high grade. A vertical jump of just under 23 inches at SPARQ doesn’t have me convinced he’ll be the kind of explosive tester that traditionally goes very early.
Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam is often mocked in round one. I’m alarmed by his play. Erratic isn’t a strong enough word to describe him. He has physical tools and size but there are just too many moment where he switches off. I think fast receivers will have a field day challenging him deep and you can beat him with any kind of head-nod or double-move. He’s a project based on physical traits.
The Ohio State receiver duo of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are often mocked in round one. I want to see them run at the combine. Olave ran a 4.73 at SPARQ and Wilson a 4.61.
It’ll be a relief to Seahawks fans that the top-10 looks so weak this year. I’ve not seen it this bad since the notorious 2013 class. If Seattle ends up gifting the New York Jets a high pick in the Jamal Adams trade, it’ll be less painful for that reason.
Hopefully with Russell Wilson returning at some stage, there’s no threat of ending up with a top-five pick and whiffing on a Thibodeaux or Stingley Jr.
That would be difficult to take.
I also think the somewhat weak upper-class of this draft also makes a prospective Wilson trade so incredibly unpalatable. Short of being able to rebuild your defense with Thibodeaux and Stingley Jr — you simply can’t justify it.
Having picks is fine. You have to turn them into good players. This doesn’t feel like a year where you want to blow things up and start again. You’d be picking from a weaker talent pool at the top end.
There is some reasonable depth though and players are emerging that warrant tracking. It’s not ideal that a position like tight end might be the deepest, rather than O-line or cornerback. Yet there are some intriguing names I want to note here today.
Admittedly I haven’t watched everyone. You may want to ask about certain high-profile players that I’m not mentioning. This is a long process and there are weeks remaining in the college football season. These are simply the players I’ve personally had a chance to observe enough to pass comment.
The quarterback group is a mess
The national media is desperate to find their next Zach Wilson to salvage this class.
There isn’t one coming.
This is not the year if you want a quarterback. There’s a black hole at the position in college football. Trade value will likely sky rocket for any veteran available.
You might think that’s a good thing if you’re in the ‘trade Russell Wilson’ camp. Here’s something to remember. If Green Bay trade Aaron Rodgers — they drafted Jordan Love in round one last year. If/when the Texans trade Deshaun Watson — well at least they added Davis Mills.
The Seahawks have neglected this position for years — failing to invest in a proper developmental backup.
Trading Wilson and looking for answers in this draft would be a surefire way to become the Lions, Broncos, WFT or any other club desperate at the position.
Ole Miss’ Matt Corral is fun to watch but he’s playing in a wide open offense and he looks every bit the kind of productive college quarterback who doesn’t necessarily translate to the next level. In the quicker game and without the massive scrambling yardage and easy throws on offer in Lane Kiffin’s system, I’m not convinced he has the physical tools to start in the NFL.
Malik Willis has major technical flaws. Spencer Rattler faces the prospect of transferring from Oklahoma to salvage his career. Sam Howell looks pretty average. Carson Strong is way overrated.
The best of the bunch might be Desmond Ridder and even he looks like a mid-round flier (although he threw some excellent passes against Notre Dame).
If ever there was a class to make you treasure what you have, this is it.
It’s a good year at tight end and possibly running back
There’s so much depth at tight end. It starts with Wydermyer at the top but then it just never ends. You also have some reasonable blocking TE’s too.
Jake Ferguson has been a blog favourite for some time. He’s a good blocker, he’s underused in the passing game and he has great short-range agility (which is important for his position). Ferguson ran a 4.15 short shuttle at SPARQ and added a 35 inch vertical. He has a very rounded game.
Cade Otton has suffered through illness and playing on a lousy team yet there’s definitely something there to develop. How he tests will be vital.
UCLA Greg Dulcich has major physical tools and high upside. If he enters the draft, keep an eye on him later on.
Derrick Deese Jr at San Jose State has NFL bloodlines and just catches everything. He’s well sized and extremely reliable. He’s a mismatch in college and you wouldn’t bet against the same thing happening at the next level. He’s a magnet for the football.
Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert has a rounded skill-set and Iowa’s Sam Laporta is very capable of making plays. There are still a whole bunch of tight ends I haven’t even watched yet. If you need help at the position, you’ll be in luck in 2022.
There isn’t the same depth at running back but there are some good options.
Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker transferred from Wake Forest and has looked fantastic this season — breaking off huge runs some of the time and getting the hard yards the rest. He’s well sized, quick and looks explosive.
Zach Charbonnet swapped Michigan for UCLA and along with Walker, has been one of the players we’ve talked about the most this season. He’s big and physical and just drags defenders for extra yardage. He can be a playmaker, he looks athletic. He’s interesting.
Jerome Ford transferred from Alabama to Cincinnati and has rocket speed, good size and appears to be a bit underrated in the media. I think his best football could come at the next level.
Brian Robinson at Alabama is the next off the Nick Saban production line. He’s highly cut and that does put some teams off but he can make plays as a runner and receiver, he’s reasonably sized and he’s having a great year.
Another name to mention is Tyrion Davis-Price at LSU. He’s a huge, explosive, dynamic runner who hasn’t been used all that much but he has a physical profile to interest teams.
Two receivers to remember
There’s just something about Josh Vann (WR, South Carolina) that makes you think ‘big time pro’. He makes so many difficult catches. He’s gritty and competes. He can separate. The Gamecocks are good at developing receivers and Vann is the latest.
He might be competing with Arkansas’ Treylon Burks to be the top receiver in this draft. They don’t get as much hype as the Ohio State pair but I was extremely impressed when watching both.
Burks has been making highlight grabs all season.
Some players to monitor in the trenches
I think Tyler Linderbaum (C, Iowa) is overrated by ‘Draft Twitter’. He’s become their golden goose. He’s a good player who could even land in round one. He’s very athletic and if he tests well, could go as early as Garrett Bradbury. I worry about his power and ability to drive off the ball when he’s not on the move. Could he be bullied at the next level?
Oregon center Alex Forsyth is one to monitor as is Penn State tackle Rasheed Walker. Both are very capable of landing in the top-50.
On the other side of the ball, Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson has really created an impression this year as a dynamic edge. He has 6.5 sacks and if he tests well, could easily be a top-50 pick.
DeMarvin Leal at Texas A&M is big (290lbs) and starting to show what he’s capable of. His sack tally is up to 5.5 for the season and many consider him a first round prospect.
West Virginia’s Dante Stills, brother of Darius (who we interviewed this year) has four sacks and is very capable of disrupting plays up front, moving around the line and creating pressure.
Haskell Garrett (DT, Ohio State) is a blog favourite with plenty of tenacity and agility up front to work into a solid rotation. He should test well at the combine after running a 4.41 short shuttle at 300lbs at SPARQ.
USC’s Drake Jackson has a lot of the athleticism and the physical skills teams want. He’s raw and needs further development. He has three sacks, four TFL’s and an interception this year.
Devonte Wyatt is a team mate of Jordan Davis at Georgia. He benefits from playing on that incredible defense but he’s a disruptive three-technique who has impacted most of the Bulldogs’ games so far.
What’s it like in the secondary at linebacker?
A bit overrated at corner. I just can’t get excited about a lot of the names being touted to go early.
Auburn’s Roger McCreary has size and could be a really useful pick for someone. Montaric Brown has shown little flashes for Arkansas. I think Washington’s Kyler Gordon has the agility and quickness a lot of teams love. Trent McDuffie also has his admirers.
Apart from that it’s likely to be another draft where cornerbacks go far earlier than they should due to need. Teams are desperate at the position and will overdraft CB’s who have no business going as early as they do to try and fill holes.
A quick note to say how brilliant Channing Tindall and Quay Walker the two Georgia linebackers are. Larry Brooks the Tulane safety looks like a throwback player with a lot of potential. And let’s not forget long term blog favourite — Colorado’s Nate Landman. The ‘hammer’ will finally enter the NFL at the end of this season and provide immediate special teams value for someone.
Notes on the nine standouts
Kayvon Thibodeaux (DE, Oregon)
Ideally sized with the speed and quickness to threaten the edge and the physical skills to do everything else. He should be the favourite to go first overall and could be the next big game-changer at defensive end.
Derek Stingley Jr (CB, LSU)
From the minute he stepped on the field at LSU he had star potential. He has good size and ran a 4.30 forty at SPARQ, then jumped a 42 inch vertical. He could go in the top-five.
Kyle Hamilton (S, Notre Dame)
People see his listed size and expect big and physical. Hamilton’s actually a glider who covers ground quickly and plays the ball.
Jordan Davis (DT, Georgia)
A 6-6, 340lbs behemoth who absorbs double teams, anchors the Georgia line and yet still — at his size — provides some pass rush threat with quickness and mobility. He is going to shock people at the combine.
Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan)
An absolute monster coming off the edge — Hutchinson matches twitchy athleticism with raw determination to be a threat as a pass rusher.
Trevor Penning (T, Northern Iowa)
Penning plays with violence. I haven’t seen an offensive tackle finish blocks the way he does. He’s listed at 6-7 and 320lbs, he has an 83.5 inch wingspan and he broke NI’s school squat record with two reps at 625lbs this year.
George Karlaftis (DE, Purdue)
His sack production is a concern (five in 1.5 seasons) but you do see real flashes where he flies off the edge and his get-off is superb. At SPARQ he ran a 4.53 short shuttle.
Jalen Catolon (S, Arkansas)
Arkansas’ season is tailing off a bit but Catolon has been a bright spark throughout. He’s very quick for a free safety but has the physicality to come up to the LOS and mix things up. A good hitter with playmaking potential.
Jalen Wydermyer (TE, Texas A&M)
It took him a while to get going this season but then he turned it on against Alabama (of all teams). An exceptionally gifted natural athlete.
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Jamal Adams PFF grade vs PITT — 62.4
12th best on defense
https://www.reddit.com/r/Seahawks/comments/qar1sq/seadefense_grades_pff/
56.7 for the season
53rdb rankes S in the NFL last year. Any idea where he ranks this year?
12th best on defense, when there are only 11 starters…
That’s so pathetic, it’s comical. I bet he leads the league in being hated by his teammates, getting hit in the head with thrown passes, being overrated, and self-promotion.
The Dolphins are pathetic and Jamal would actually be a fit. I wonder if there’s some type of mid-season trade that could be worked out to benefit both parties? Maybe Raekwon Davis and a draft pick for Adams? Alan might have fun dressing Jamal in Southern Florida.
The Seahawks would be stuck with about 7M in dead money for each of the next 4 seasons, and the Dolphins would have him for only about 11M APY for 4 seasons.
I’d sure hope they can get more than Davis and a pick for him.
That’s not how dead money works.
You only absorb dead money in the year you make the transaction, unless it’s post-June 1st. In that scenario, you split it over two years.
So if you dealt Adams immediately at the end of this season it would cost you $16m for 2022. If you dealt him after June 1st, it would cost you $4m in 2022 and $12m in 2023.
From 2023 you can actually save $6m by moving him.
Right now I would happily ‘buy’ a second round draft pick for $16m and move him in March.
And sure, eating $16m is hard to take. But you’d instantly free up $18m for 2023.
To quote Pete Townshend, “I’d call that a bargain, the best I ever had”.
For which you would stand naked, stoned and sad?
Jordan Brooks is counting his lucky stars that Adams is getting all the negative attention. Because its looking to me like he’s the Seahawks latest first round dud. Just not seeing anything from him. The only thing he’s got going for him is that he’s not Cody Barton.
“The only thing he’s got going for him is that he’s not Cody Barton.”
So painful, yet spot on. All we can really do is embrace how comical this all is because the reality is it sucks so bad to keep drafting first round bums.
The Seahawks suck so bad at 1st round draft picks that even when they trade their #1 picks for a superstar player, that player becomes terrible, too.
At this point, blindfolding a kid to throw at 32 different names on a chart provided by SDB would be a more intelligent way to draft than letting Carroll/Schneider have the 1st round picks.
I didn’t think I would ever say it, but they probably miss BBK.
That’s with probably being credited with a pass defended for the face-ball incident.
I can imagine the article being written as we speak.
‘Why Jamal Adams deserves credit for his PBU, not laughter’
Jamal purposely did that because he’s such a good teammate. He was trying to deflect the ball so one of his teammates could catch it and be the hero. Had he known his teammates weren’t good enough, he would have intercepted it himself and ran it back for a touchdown. Jamal is so misunderstood. Nobody understands his greatness because everyone else is so far beneath him.
I’ve no idea what DK Metcalf is doing on Twitter today.
But it’s not good and he’s making himself look a bit of a tit.
He’s an awesome talent, but not a guy I’d trust with over $20M per year.
I have to wonder if there is something about Pete Carroll’s style that encourages players to develop inflated egos. I wouldn’t care except they often demand a huge contract, one that for at least two defensive linemen and one safety the free market wouldn’t support. At the end of the day the linemen get mad at the Seahawks and won’t do a deal unless they get what they think they are worth, even when the initial deal was reasonable.
For that matter, what about Percy Harvin? Proper management would have kept him for the second superbowl and maybe beyond. Instead he self implodes on Pete’s watch.
This whole big ego thing wouldn’t happen in New England.
I mentioned this on the last thread. He got called out by Shannon Sharpe for that incredibly stupid play and came back at him by calling him “Lil boy”. I just don’t know if he’s ever going to learn.
I don’t like Shannon Sharpe but fact remains he’s a Hall of Fame TE and has won Super Bowls with multiple teams. If you can’t respect criticism when it’s warranted, then you’re not worth the mega-contract you’re going to want. It was a stupid play by DK. Own it. Learn from it. But he doesn’t. He’s made some of the dumbest plays we’ve ever seen the last few years. That being said, he’s sure done some things we’ve not seen either. Such a great talent, but so maddening.
100% agree Bobby. Not a Sharpe fan either, but it’s a VERY legit criticism.
The problem in my eyes is that many people, apparently DK included, simply cannot admit it when they’re wrong. I see it from posters here on this blog, I see it in friends, I see it in family members and so on. My Dad would not because he could not admit he was wrong, even when presented with visual proof he was mistaken. His Dad was the same way, so is his sister and her children. It’s an unpleasant trait and as a young boy I swore I would never be like that. Admitting your wrong is not a sign of weakness, it’s just a sign of being human.
Frankly, I’m not sure all the maturing/aging in the world will change this aspect of DK’s personality.
In our house growing up, we had a saying about my dad: often wrong, but never in doubt. 🙂
If I had said something like that on social media, my boss would have called me in and chewed my ass out. I don’t think he was any different than most bosses/jobs in the USA. Avoid social media if you don’t have anything good to say about people or events.
A great read as ever Rob, and despite the thin talent in the draft, it could still be worth the Seahawks picking up another top 40 pick, perhaps pivoting between the best player available at TE, OL, DL or Safety? So I’ve got an alternative tanking scheme for the Seahawks, for when it surely comes to that this season, that might bring them an early day 2 pick in a trade from a (gullible) team?
Blitz Jamal Adams 12 times a game, whilst rushing Jordyn Brooks constantly into the A gap, garnering Adams 5 sacks in the last 7 games and then putting him up for trade as a nation besting defensive playmaker.
Giving up 500 receiving yards a game will be the sacrifice. Might it work?
I’m up for anything that allows them to move on at this stage
Big Ben literally threw a pass to him last night and he still couldn’t pick it off. The fact is smacked him right in the face was the pièce de résistance.
Unfortunately I had a flashback to Flowers. I like the way Diggs is playing and can understand why he was disgruntled that he didn’t get some of Adams pie.
We need to talk about the pass rush, or total lack thereof.
So much ink spilt in the punditry press before the season about the depth and talent of this year’s DL (“ooh it’s as good as 2103!” 🙄), and what’s to show for it? We can’t even hit the least mobile QB in the NFL, let alone sack him? Did we even hit him once last night?
Benson Mayowa ain’t the way. I’m starting to sour on Dunlap too. Does he have anything left in the tank? I’m not seeing it if he does.
We should be giving the bulk of snaps to Robinson and, injury permitting, Darrell Taylor.
I don’t care so much about wins at this point. We aren’t going to win our division, nor any playoff games if even we reach the post season. What I want to see is our younger talent getting game experience. And I also want to see strong individual performances.
Like last night, DJ Reed had a strong individual performance. What did he have, like 3 or 4 passes defensed? A couple were at crucial points in the game.
Tre Brown, in limited action, had a good individual performance. Let’s see more of him going forward.
As I said numerous times over the summer — the pass rush is made up of journeymen and never-men.
I’m delighted, like everyone else, that Darrell Taylor has flashed talent. But the rest are the definition of totally bang average. And it’s one of the big black marks against PCJS how they’ve botched building this pass rush.
Plenty of other sites hammered this place for wanting Clowney and Quinn a year ago. Right now Quinn has 5.5 sacks and Clowney has three. Give me that over Jamal Adams any day.
PFF says 1 snap for Alton?? Sweet lord what a shame…
It’s like Dunlap suddenly got old.
Especially hard this year to have an opinion on where the Hawks should draft because they have needs everywhere. Hopefully they will figure out where the strength of this draft class lies. Their recent drafting track record has not been good. JS, this means you and your scouting people.
Really liked that DT rush on a pass to the sideline that Reed broke up. That was special. Not a sack, but a hit, and explosive with technique.
I wonder at this point what they could get for JA?
He’s had a horrible start.
Has been injured fairly recently.
Would cost a fortune.
And he’s got a mouth on him that seems to rub teammates the wrong way.
2nd rounder?
Doubt it
I like two TAMU offensive prospects, both juniors so no guarantees they enter the next draft:
WR Ainias Smith and RB Isaiah Spiller
I also like what I see from TAMU QB Zach Calzada (So) so far.
My guy Karlaftis! Glad to see him on the list. I do wonder how he will test though. There is so much to like about his game.
I know, Big-12 and all that, but I like the looks of RB Jaylen Warren.
About the game last night- Brutal to be 2-4 now. Feel like we could easily have a better record with a couple plays made. Need players to make them. I’ve waited long enough to say Jamal Adams is useless. 2 possible picks that he missed. Make one and we win. Maybe that stupid visor is messing him up because…seriously it’s not that hard. Move him to LB and have someone at SS who can catch.
Got a feeling we’re gonna start making some trades. PC talking with Cam as well. Pretty sure we’re gonna do something desperate with our draft picks. Hopefully it works out. 2 weeks until the trade deadline. If we lose 2 of 2 then we definitely need to trade and build for the future. Is PC too old to think about the future?
Might as well move Adams to DE, he would be as useless there as he would be at LB.
I dream of the day when ‘move the 210lbs defensive back to linebacker’ isn’t a thing
For me…i truly hope pc/js don’t waste anymore picks on mid season trades. Zero track recprd to show that approach works. From the uptick in quality of Richardson and Clowney that’s great but not being able to retain high priced rentals when the team needs a ton of pieces next year…I seriously hope there are no trades coming.
You’re a bigger supporter of Geno Smith than myself. That said I’m not sure how Cam newron would be an improvement. He looked cooked in New England
I just want to win. I wish Geno was allowed to just wing it, but PC doesn’t want that. If Cam can run this offense better, then so be it. Geno did enough to keep us in the game, but I don’t know if he knows how to win.
Derrick Henry is the best RB in the league and it’s not close
I totally agree that Derrick Henry is great, he hit 21.8 mph on his touchdown run. Wowzer!!
I really like the Buffalo team but they have hardly run the ball and the passing has made them very one dimensional. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose this game.
Wow, Buffalo goes for a half yard quarterback sneak and gets stuffed. Game over for Buffalo. Wow. They really should have kicked a field goal!!!!
Just for laughs, I did the draft simulator over on Pro Football Network for Seattle and took only the best available defensive player from Georgia with every pick. It looks like this:
SEA 43. Jordan Davis DT Georgia
SEA 74. Derion Kendrick CB Georgia
SEA 108. Nolan Smith EDGE Georgia
SEA 111. Devonte Wyatt DT Georgia
SEA 150. Quay Walker LB Georgia
Obviously the hawks aren’t going to ask Rob who is a multi time huddle report draft prognosticating leader his opinion.
Nor are they gonna poll the groupthink of some far out there extremely niche blog and it’s community…..
So failing that I’m not opposed to drafting the best georgia defensive player with every pick.
It is an exercise in stupidity, but I think it makes a point. Sometimes it’s best to just have a simple plan and not overthink it. KISS = keep it simple stupid.
How can Pete talk about how hard it is for the QB and how important is to support him, and not sign a better C?
You’re confused. PC means support like “hang in their buddy you’re doing your best.”
Obviously Oline isn’t important since they haven’t put a good one….which is kind of crazy btw because i remember this blog talking about how the 2012-14 line wasn’t good…..together in about seven years.
Side note: i’d kill to have big fat james carpenter and breno “penalty machine,” giacomini on this team…a bunch of big sloppy maulers who presented a threat of trench violence against the opposing team…
Remember the good old days when they turned J. R. Sweezy from a defensive linemen that had 86 tackles in college into a guard? It took him a while to adjust, but he played better and was healthier than the linemen they have today. Maybe they should try Poona Ford at center. har har
I’m sure you were a fan back when, but I remember the hawks being so bad fans at the kingdome would fantasize about Cortez Kennedy being a running back, playing oline, anything to break up the awfulness
Remember when the Seahawks were nearly unbeatable at home, especially in prime time?
Latest spread, New Orleans -5 with Jameis Winston at QB Lumen Field, the factory of sadness.
Calling Lumen Field the ‘Factory of Sadness’ is trademark infringement, and you should expect a sternly-worded letter to cease and desist from the Cleveland Browns legal team in coming days.
🤣
We should call it Mandatory Vaccination Field to chase away the Saints fans.
Rob – have you looked at Ja’Von Hicks, the safety at Cincinnati?
I haven’t, sorry
Along with PC someone else from media also needs to retire
https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1517581/clayton-seahawks-2-4-needed-progress/
Referencing Cody Barton as a good player? Yeah, ok.
He also mentioned that the pass rush was improved.
He has zero credibility at this point.
Against Big ben we should have shut out, even then i would wait to see next game before saying we improved in defense. Why I’m even paying attention to Clayton… my fault.
“Cheer up, loads of other teams are shit too”
For some reason the theme song to Sesame Street started playing in my head while reading that. Huh.
There are no words to describe how BAD this is…
https://twitter.com/korkedbats/status/1450461979282485256
Trying to come up with something……………….nope, you’re right. I got nothing. I will ask though, how much does this guy (and plenty others like him) make to suck this badly? (answer: way too much)
Look I get that you’re not on your game every day, but good Lord at least be listenable.
Taylor Lewan’s absence is so bad for the Titans that it makes the left tackle for the other team suffer in equal proportion. That’s some next level stuff.
Any good team will have good OL and DL, a good push from OL would be easy touchdown.
Timothy Gay Ph.D., in his book The Physics of Football, has a long rant about the quarterback sneak. Really, as long as you execute it properly it is the most reliable play you can run. Especially when you only need six inches. The bottom line is Josh Allen completely screwed it up. First, he did it to the same gap that he did earlier in the game, so the defenders were ready. Second, he slipped. Bottom line: they screwed it up.
Personally, I would rather lose a game on a call like that than have a bunch of fatigued players play an extra period where there is likely to be an injury that could negatively affect the rest of your season.
What some are joking about but not actually saying is, Taylor Lewan plays for the Tennessee Titans. He doesn’t play for the Bills. Wonder if this actor lost the person who used to write the script. Won’t get into the reason. Just wow.
The only reason the Seahawks lost to the Steelers is because TJ Watt put on the wrong uniform.
Did I do that right?
Rob, have you looked at defensive back Leon O’Neal Jr. from TAMU? He seems to make a big play every game he’s been in this year.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4372521/leon-oneal-jr
O’Neal ran a 4.9 in high school. Don’t think he will test well.
You know who is to blame for the record-setting defense this year? It’s Michael Dickson.
If our Aussie rules footie star didn’t keep pinning back opposing offenses with lots of real estate in front of them, then those offenses would have less far to go before eventually scoring TDs. So by the time they get to garbage time in the 4th quarter and begin focusing on killing clock instead of gaining yards, those offenses have already racked up way too much yardage. If we had a more consistently mediocre punter, we wouldn’t have this problem.
Obviously, Pete sees the same problem I do, because the punting unit was sub-par against the Steelers. Dickson sprinkled in a few mediocre punts and the punt coverage guys chipped in with some buffoonery when downing that one kick for a touchback instead of at the 2-yard line.
🙂
This is the kind of in depth, quality analysis I just can’t get anywhere else.
👏
BWAHAHAHAHA !!!
lol. I’ll be here all week, try the veal.
And don’t forget to tip your waitress
It begs the question: Why don’t they play Lutton as Quarterback? What do they have to lose?
The main reason I think is if it wouldn’t jibe with Pete’s ‘Always Compete’ mantra. Yeah, it would be helpful for our draft capital I suppose if our 1st pick was made at #40 overall instead of #45 overall, but if everyone inside the building thinks we have a better chance of winning with Geno under center and not Jake, then starting Jake might lose the locker room.
Cannot lose the locker room. Pete has built a good foundation (insert sarcastic draft pick joke) but nothing will lose a locker room quicker than stuff like that.
Rob, is there a potential Justin Herbert in this class? Mediocre college tape, all the traits, but held back by their college offensive system.
No, definitely not
Off topic but Mercilus released by Houston. Why shouldn’t the Hawks be interested?
Old.
We already have enough problems getting our youth edge rushers snaps
I’ll start by saying I like DJ Reed, but man oh man, I’m getting tired of people heaping praise on him for last game. He made some nice plays, and unlike Flowers, has the basic awareness to look for the ball. Yet people seem to think he was a stud last game. Rewatching his biggest plays, the thing that struck me most was how bad those footballs were. The deep throw he broke up? Ball was terrible under thrown. Against any QB with a decent arm and that’s an easy completion. Johnson (I think it was Johnson, could be wrong) had two steps on him, had to slow down and turn to make a play.
In general, I’m getting very frustrated by those in the media thinking this is the beginning of a defensive turnaround. That was a horrible offense, with a T Rex armed QB and a bad Oline. Yet our Seattle Time columnists are convinced this is the start of something. It isn’t. It was just a bad offense.
I’m glad to see someone else recognizes this as I’m sure a lot of SDB’ers see it as well. I’m also not ready to hear how Tre Brown will be our next starting CB/savior of the backfield. We’ve seen him in a handful of plays this year and he looks good in some of them, but it is only a few plays and he is just off of IR. Gimme a break!
Right there with you Tom. Very encouraged by what we saw out of Brown, he looks like he belongs. But as is true of every player in the NFL, it’s not about doing it for a few games or even a season. It’s about succeeding even after the opposition has tape on you. People love to jump on the bandwagon with young rookies and suddenly explosive journeymen, but usually the wagon falls off the rails (see Hillis, Peyton). Let’s give the kid more snaps, see if he can do it more than a few times, and then if he can adapt after teams find a counter.
I should also say, man am I happy to have a community that actually watches games critically, examines the facts, and forms conclusions based on what they’ve seen. Getting very tired of the sensationalized junk we see on most team sites.
You can thank Rob for that, I do!
This site also attracts the people you’ve described, which is the majority of the folks here. Rob has the thankless job of weeding the garbage out.
Thanks Starhawk.
Best place to talk Hawks by a mile IMO.
Yup, excellent and sometimes brutally honest analysis with the only sports comments section worth a shite.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
No doubt Rob, and thank you again for your brilliant work. Your work is hands down as good as anyone’s on the internet.
at least they have been improving. the lack of pass rush gets things dis-comodulated a bit with how they are actually doing. one thing, it is nice to see SOME p.b.u’s for a change
Not gonna disagree, happy that we’re finally making plays on the ball. I just think in general people need to pay more attention to context. Where is the throw relative to the receiver? Was there somewhere that the ball could be placed that would prevent a defender making a play? Was the defender in position, or were they saved by a bad throw? I felt there was a whole lot of bad throws that gave our guys a chance to make a play.
Grading my Week 6 Watch points
Conservative: Mind the margin
Grade: D
3 fumbles by the team
A big mental mistake by Metcalf that nearly cost them the game
And missed chances on bad Ben throws.
I wrote:
That wasn’t an accurate prediction so much as a universal truth.
A bullet straight to Jamal Adams missed. A tipped pass that was up in the air with Seahawks around it deep in their own zone, also fell harmlessly to the ground.
Bingo. That’s the ballgame.
Aggressive: Put pressure on Ben Roethliberger
Grade: F
One sack. One QB hit. Pathetic.
Ben with all the time in the world. The only thing stopping him from carving the Seahawks up was Ben himself.
What is going on with Carlos Dunlap, Benson Mayowa and Kerry Hyder at this point? Have they provided anything? Why aren’t more questions being asked of veteran pass rushers?
Alton Robinson with one snap on defense. One.
Conservative: Keep Najee Harris from taking pressure off the offense
Grade: C+
127 yards on 81 rushing and 46 receiving and one touchdown.
3.37 yards per carry is acceptable. But Harris gave the offense just enough to get what they needed to have some room to operate.
Aggressive: Do not be afraid to take shots on offense
Grade: D+
The good: Geno with a bullet to Tyler Lockett
https://twitter.com/CorbinSmithNFL/status/1450529833608351744
5 throws to the tight ends.
The bad: Too many game calls on developing plays. Play action where Geno turns his back to the defense, then turns and surveys the field. Those can be effective but your processing power has to be extremely high to take that much time. Particularly when TJ Watt is rushing you.
No slants to DK Metcalf. Particularly with Minkah Fitzpatrick covering the deep middle.
Way, way too many screen passes.
The ugly: 5 sacks for 44 yards lost.
No attempts by the Seahawks here.
First quarter, 4th and 5 from the Steelers’ 38 yard line, Seahawks have driven from their own 15 yard line. In FG range for a 54 yard try.
Pete Carroll elects to punt. Even takes a 5 yard penalty to give Dickson more room.
Myers was hitting from that range at that end in warmups.
The Steelers are not good defending 4th down tries.
Nope. Let’s punt. Touchback. Net gain of 23 yards.
4th quarter, game tied. Seahawks have 3rd & 10 from the Steelers 35. A no gain play sets up a 52 yard FG try.
Seahawks call a screen play to…Freddie Swain? Lose 4 yards to push it to the 39 and a potential 56 yard FG try.
Again, elects to punt and yet only gains a net of 19 yards because it was a touchback.
Pathetic.
Not sure what is worse – Pete Carroll not making aggressive yet correct calls to steal a game on the road with your star QB hurt, or the fact that he feels completely justified in making the decisions he has.
TJ Watt owned Geno. End of story!
I was very irritated with PC not taking chances. Can’t tell if it’s old age or just that California “lets be safe even if it ruins everyone’s lives” attitude. Chill out bro, take it easy, no need to try for points now when we can fail to get them later….
In my perfect world, Pete would have been fired immediately after the game for that decision to punt in Steelers territory. Pathetic, and I can only imagine RW’s sense of despair watching that. Abysmal. Pete should have flown back to Seattle on a separate plane – or to LA to talk again with USC.
That tip “fell harmlessly to the ground” via Jamal Adams’ stomach, as I recall.
Had himself a nice little debut all things considered, plus the key tackle:
Got a chance to go to the Hall of Fame while I was out there. Here are some quick Seahawks nuggets:
-At one point you walk into another area and they have a wall of inspirational football quotes. Placed dead center in the biggest font is this one by Walter Jones:
Poignant considering the mire the Seahawks find themselves in.
-They had a SuperBowl video showing, and it recapped some of the great moments of the 2020 season. Only, the Play of the Year (DK chasing down Budda) got a half second of screen time. Blink and you’d have missed it. Meh.
-The exhibits rotate – they only display about 1% of their collection, so you’re not going to see everything you’d like. Still, they had a ‘great moments in modern day football’ display and it was underwhelming. Zero mention of either of the two Beast Mode runs, but they had space to display JJ Watt’s elbow brace from his 2016 DPOY season.
-Very little mention of the LOB or the 2013 defense. Disappointing.
-Plenty of Russell Wilson stuff. Featured prominently in the ‘Best Rookie seasons’ exhibit, and also had his jersey for the ‘most wins in first 9 seasons’ display, and the ‘most TDs in first 3 games’ record.
-They had a video showing with a holographic Joe Namath telling us how football is a metaphor for life and you can overcome obstacles. Two featured Seahawks – Steve Largent running a 4.8 in college and being too small and getting dumped by Bum Phillips (and then Bum later telling him it was the worst trade he’d ever made) and Warren Moon being told he could never be a QB in the NFL and that he’d have to play another position if he wanted to go pro, and tearing the CFL up and forcing the NFL to take notice.
-At one point, as you walked into an exhibit, they had a flatscreen TV and webcam with a guy in research. If you were wearing gear representing your team, he called out to you ‘hey, guy in the Seahawks gear! Who is your favorite player?’ and then had cool stories, videos, pics etc at his fingertips to show you. Amazingly interactive.
-They had all the draft cards from the first round last year, with the selections written in by the teams. I really dug that.