Hugh Millen, asker of important questions
A curious thing happened yesterday.
Pete Carroll was put on the spot during a press conference.
It started with the Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar probing on the reasoning behind the continued offensive struggles on third down.
Then, the big moment.
Hugh Millen, unexpectedly, attended the press conference. He asked Carroll about the busted coverage that led to a 76-yard touchdown for Deebo Samuel.
It followed up a hunch he’d voiced earlier on 950 KJR about who was responsible for giving up the play.
Allow me to provide some background. Millen has been an outspoken critic of the Jamal Adams trade. He criticised Adams’ performance in 2020 and questioned not only the resource spent on Adams in terms of draft picks but also the sense in paying him a record-breaking contract.
He detailed specifically why manufactured production enabled Adams to break a sack record last year for defensive backs. He noted the regularity with which Bobby Wagner lined up in the A-gap to set the table and shift protection, creating an unblocked rush off the edge.
He highlighted Adams’ struggles in coverage and backed up his views through tape study with great detail.
It was welcome analysis. Not because it confirmed a lot of what we’ve written about on this website, although I’m sure that’ll be the accusation. It was welcome because here was someone in the media willing to actually look beyond assumptions.
Over the last 14 months I’ve lost count how often Adams has been referred to as a ‘weapon’, ‘stud’ or ‘playmaker’. His sack tally was used to prop up concerns about his overall performance. Time and time again people in the media and fans alike referenced the need to pay and retain Adams because the Seahawks ‘couldn’t afford to live without him’.
I’ve never seen any evidence to justify this, personally. And when you look at his PFF grade last year (64.2) it backs up the impression that he was pretty average overall and struggled to make an impact beyond the blitz-created sacks (a coverage grade of 53.1 being a particular concern).
This was pretty much shrugged off due to an injury-hit season and the fact it was his first year in Seattle. With extra time in the system, things would be different in 2021.
Only yesterday someone I like a lot sent me a tweet saying the Seahawks, “gave up a ton to get a stud. I wasn’t thrilled with it. But they did get a stud and needed one desperately.”
That’s part of the issue I have when analysing this trade. There’s an assumed quality with Adams that the evidence just doesn’t point to. It’s as if the size of the investment and name recognition is creating a reputation vs results type scenario.
I don’t think Adams is a bad player at all. Neither, I suspect, does Hugh Millen or anyone else who is heavily critical of this trade. But I do think it’s unarguable that it was a bad trade. That the investment of picks plus salary was far too much for what you’re getting in return and that there’s increasing evidence that this coaching staff still doesn’t know how to get the best out of him.
For example, a cursory glance on Twitter revealed how PFF has graded Adams for every game this season so far:
Indianapolis — 70.7
Tennessee — 63.6
Minnesota — 63.6
San Francisco — 49.4
His overall grade for the season is 62.8. Currently, that makes him the 42nd highest graded safety in the NFL — despite being the highest paid by some distance.
When I point this out, or discuss Adams in this way, I generally get two reactions.
One is the accusation that I ‘hate’ Adams. The same person who tweeted to me about Seattle ‘needing a stud’ also accused me of holding disdain for the player. I don’t. I just think the evidence shows this has been a horrible trade and I think it’s important to discuss why.
The other accusation is that I talk about this too much. I find that one somewhat similar to a ‘defending the sacred cow’ argument. At the end of the day, this is the biggest trade in franchise history in terms of spent cost. It’s the most significant move Pete Carroll and John Schneider have made. The value of this deal should be talked about a lot.
Let’s put it this way — imagine a scenario where the Seahawks, instead of drafting Russell Wilson, spent two first round picks and a third round pick on a quarterback before the 2012 draft. Then they gave that quarterback a massive contract. If that player was performing at the level Adams is, we’d never stop talking about it.
I don’t think there’s any reason not to discuss this as much simply because we’re talking about a safety instead of a quarterback. If anything, taking a punt on a quarterback at least can be justified if you’re trying to find an answer at the most important position in football. Investing what they have in a safety — that to me warrants even more analysis because it’s not considered a premium position.
And no amount of calling him a ‘stud’, ‘weapon’ or ‘playmaker’ should overcome an average performance. Which is what we’re seeing currently.
He has zero sacks, zero hurries, zero QB hits, zero pressures and zero interceptions. He’s missed 8.6% of his tackles and he’s giving up 17.7 yards per completion. He’s ranked 54th in terms of coverage grade per PFF.
No amount of ‘soundness within the scheme’ covers for that. Especially when the overall defense has given up 1778 total yards (most in the NFL), 608 rushing yards (most in the NFL) and has a sack percentage of just 5.4%.
For what they’ve spent, you should expect more. And whether people like it or not — this trade will be analysed with a critical eye throughout his time in Seattle.
Your most high-profile, expensive players will always receive a lot of attention. Look at how much people discuss Russell Wilson’s performances. He hasn’t been flawless this season by any stretch. Yet he still leads the NFL in yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (129.9), he hasn’t thrown an interception and his PFF grade is 83.0. It’s to his credit that it feels like there’s a lot more to come from Wilson and yet he’s still achieving these numbers.
If Adams’ play rapidly improves and they work out a way to make him far more impactful, I’ll be the first to write that up. But let’s not pretend that we shouldn’t be talking about his performance all the time, given what they’ve spent on him. It’s too convenient to avoid the arguments and wash this away as ‘hatred’ or ‘obsession’.
Back to Millen and his exchange with Carroll. On the busted 76-yard touchdown, it was implied after the game that it was the fault of Sidney Jones.
On the broadcast, Mark Schlereth had suggested Adams should’ve carried the wheel route. Immediately after the play, I posted on Twitter (in an admittedly hyperbolic fashion) ‘worst trade ever’. My mentions blew up shortly after with countless people telling me I didn’t know anything about football. Because of course, Seahawks Twitter is home to some of the great football minds of our time.
Millen wasn’t buying the explanation and said on 950 KJR on Monday that he was 99% sure it was Adams’ fault.
To his credit, rather than pontificate from the sidelines, he attended the press conference to get some answers.
If you missed the exchange, fast forward to 13:57 in the video below (you’ll need to open it in YouTube, the Seahawks have blocked their videos from being embedded):
Carroll’s answer is unconvincing and terse. He clearly didn’t enjoy being challenged and perhaps knew about the angle Millen was going with.
The big takeaway for me, though, is that however much people think they know about the X’s and O’s of that play, none of us really know. There’s a grey area where some think Jones was at fault, some think Adams. Others thought Marquise Blair. And Carroll admitted within their scheme there are different ways of working that coverage. So really, it could’ve been the fault of different players even if it actually was Jones on this occasion.
It was also a reminder of what these press conferences should be about. They are an opportunity to quiz Carroll. Too often it’s an exercise in ‘give us a thought on player X who had a good game’, ‘how good is player Y?’ or ‘let’s have an injury update on these five different players’.
When you give up a 76-yard touchdown on a busted play, digging around to find out what went wrong is justified. As is the persistent questioning of the third down struggles. And there are many other questions that could and should be asked of a Head Coach whose team has performed the way it has after four games.
Yes — that includes a stronger line of questioning on Adams’ performance and why this team has so far struggled to get the kind of impact the cost of this trade and contract warrants.
It’s not about being difficult or awkward for the sake of it. Coaches should expect to be pushed on certain topics. Sometimes, questions are challenging and hard. That’s par for the course when you coach at the highest level.
So well done Hugh Millen for stepping up to the plate. Hopefully this wasn’t a one-off cameo appearance in the Monday press conference.
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Possible there are a number of fans who aren’t taking the trade as seriously as they should because the ROI for top picks has plummeted for at least five years. This is another area of concern that should be discussed as often: what exactly is the value for late first round picks when you are getting Ifedi, McDowell, Penny, Collier, etc? I’m not suggesting these should just be thrown away, but you could make the case Adams is a better player than any of the previous names. To be clear, I am not a fan of the trade, at all. Just trying to see the psychology of a fan base that can justify the sunk cost here.
Carroll’s rambling press conferences mean little after big losses. He spouts so many platitudes he could run for political office. I had suspected he was just waiting for the schedule to get easier before he could claim any “improvements” in both scheme and execution. The Niners shot themselves in the foot on Sunday, it was much more their loss, than our victory. Seahawks have to play much better ball.
I see this mentioned a lot and I’ll just keep saying the same thing…
The key is to draft better, not less.
How much better would this team be with TWO of
-DK Metcalf
-Darrell Taylor
-Damien Lewis
And $17.5m per year of free cash?
If people can cherry-pick the bad picks to justify the massive cost of the Adams trade, surely the opposite scenario of pointing out the benefits of retaining those picks is a valid exercise, no?
And then comes the pragmatic argument: do you need to pay a safety 17.5 mil a year when you expect a major refactoring of your roster next year, you’ll likely lose your LT and you’ll want to extend DK Metcalf for a lot of money? You don’t need a great safety (which Adams doesn’t seem to be anyways), you need a good enough guy – Ryan Neal is the prime example – and then you can invest in actual game changers.
Paying a middle linebacker, and box safety as much as they do is not a recipe for long term success on the defense. And Wagner is much beloved here in this fan base. He’s a great leader, and player every week. But the top two contracts on that side of the ball going to two positions that don’t win games is bad roster construction.
Exactly
I hear you about drafting better. For every hindsight arguments there are plenty of Clelin Farrell, Oak, at #4, (who has been inactive in most games this year), Tua at #5 pick, Reagor, WR PH at #21 pick, N’Keal Harry, Pats at #31, DeAndrea Baker, NYG at #30, Dwanye Haskins, WFT at #15, and the list goes on. Seahawks have done a poor job of drafting. But other teams are just the same because draft is a crapshoot. I used to think at least the top 5 picks are sure bets, but not so much. I hear the same about the Niners and I used to think they have done a much better job.
As for the big play, I went back and watched it again and saw both Blair and Jones converging on the curl in WR while Debo took off . So it is conceivable that Jones should’ve stayed with Debo and not Adams. If a wheel route run by a RB then the safety could stay with him but a WR should have a CB shadowing him, right? But what do I know.
I don’t like the phrase ‘the draft is a crapshoot’. It isn’t in any way shape or form a crapshoot. You can make logical and clear decisions. Sometimes those decisions still don’t work out due to injury or outside influences. But it’s not some random lottery and you never know what you’re going to get.
Yes, probably a poor choice of words. I called it that because when “logical and clear decisions” end up in “decisions still don’t work out” it would make it less of a predictable process. The examples I used don’t even include injuries, just poor decisions/selections.
Draft better, not less. Imagine if they’d done what many here on the blog wanted and drafted TJ Watt over Malik ATV and Nick Chubb over Worthless Penny. Those picks would have been gold and worth keeping. This isn’t revisionist history – it’s what we wanted before each of those picks were made. I can’t be made with the Ifedi pick because I supported getting a big upside OL like that. We’d been crying for OL help for too long before he was picked. The Collier pick is the one that really baffled me. He showed nothing aside from yelling at Tom Cable at the Senior Bowl. No traits that make you go, “Wow, he has real potential!” Nothing. He was just a guy that at least a couple NFL teams had 4th round grades on (for good reason).
I shouldn’t throw the Ifedi pick in with the rest, they tried to get a solid tackle and it didn’t work out. That happens. But you need to constantly be picking line guys high in the draft, offensive line and defensive line. More nights at the Apple gives you a better shot at landing your franchise guy. Finding solid OL talent historically falls off a cliff after the second round, and we can all see evidence of that as the Seahawks continually look for starters on the line deep in the draft. I have been been complaining about the OL for so long now my good football friends shrug at me. Damien Lewis so far has been a solid pick, and I was really happy with the selection. But now both of our starting tackles are off the books next year, the team might be hoping a sixth round pick (Forsythe) can jump in, and do not have a first round pick in 2022 to even squander on another Ifedi. I’ve said it before here, name me a starting LT that was drafted in the sixth round- or hell, a solid LT found after the third round. As it is right now, we don’t have a starting tackle on the roster. Even if we had a first round pick, and took a tackle with it, the chances of that mystery guy having a good rookie year are slim.
That should say “more bights at the apple”
Besides Damien Lewis I would say the talent evaluations for the offensive line have been really bad during the PC/JS era. Don’t know why that is, the Seahawks have actually drafted a lot of OL guys and most of them have been not great, to bad, to really bad. I get that finding talent in the line is hard to do because of the modern college game, but that reality only reinforces the idea that you need more high picks to find them. They should be drafting OL guys high every year; to protect the team’s number one asset, but also to play the kind of football Pete is always talking about. And this get’s back to the enigma of this current team- if Pete really wants to play hard, tough football, with a smash mouth defense and wear-you-down running game, why is he spending high picks on a safety and paying a LB almost $20 million a year? Pete talks a lot about being a tough football team, and yet our trenches are about as bad as they have ever been. And our main guys on both sides of the line- Duane Brown and Carlos Dunlap are closer to retirement than just about anyone else. They are also guys the team didn’t draft.
That’s one of the biggest issues I’ve got with this reset since 2018.
They seem to have contradicted their own image for this team with their use of resources and the positions they’ve invested in. So much into S, LB, TE, WR etc and nowhere near enough into the trenches.
I LOVED LJ Collier that draft season. He obliterated guys at senior bowl practices…I mean, HUMILIATED them. And he was consistent if not spectacular, had a great story in his background and had arms like anacondas. I definitely thought he was a Seahawky prospect but like most, wasn’t happy with where we drafted him. Still I expected more. It’s disappointing.
As for Adams, I also thought we gave up too much but he was an awesome player in NY. I don’t believe that was an illusion. I can only assume we don’t have the creative acumen on the defensive coaching staff to use him effectively. He won’t earn his paycheck or the capital surrendered for him until we do.
There has been no logic in the Seahawks off season recruitment and drafting since the reset in 2018. Adams is perhaps a particularly good example of this.
Why if Strong Safety is such a key position that the team will give up 2 first round picks and a 3rd for such a player,
and even if then they did overvalue Adams ability, why weren’t they targeting such a player in the early rounds of the 2020 draft. Delpit and Chinn, both still on the board in the second round, look to be players that had all the tangibles and player comps needed in the draft to have successful careers in the SS postion. Both look to be going to go on to have nice NFL careers, though perhaps a bit early to say this about Delpit, though he was fit for the draft and plays in the both Safety positions, in fact he looks a great cover safety, with size to come on a blitz when needed. Why not draft him?
The 2018 reset…that followed the 2017 reloading, stemming from the 2016 retooling, which happened after the 2015 stumbling loss against Carolina… (Which is where I mark the beginning of our offensive woes).
Can you believe we would go on to hire the same guy that cost Minnesota the wild card game…can’t make that crap up.
It all started to end the second Butler picked off Wilson. There was a lot of turning on each other and then you start the next season with your heart and soul (Kam) holding out, your other heart and soul’s Mom complaining publicly what everyone else was behind closed doors for not giving the ball to her son to win the Super Bowl, etc. They were still great, but the trend downward continued. They’ve never seriously challenged for a Super Bowl since and that’s hard to do when you have a franchise QB.
100 BobbyK
Yep, that SB 49 choke play divided the team. The knee jerk reaction that ensued was to get a great TE for the red zone. So we traded our stud center Unger for a non blocking TE in Graham and failed to use him properly until his last season with the Seahawks.
Pete was condescending and rude in response to this question and the prior about 3rd downs. And terse with at least one other answer. It seems that Pete has become thin skinned and irritable when pushed on specifics and on his approach. What used to be teaching moments have become defensive and emotional swats.
I have enjoyed listening to Pete Carroll teach and explain his approach to football and life for more than a decade. I have listened to him carefully for a long time, and I have read his book and used it to improve my own life.
This isn’t the Pete Carroll I came to know and appreciate. This is an old, tired, and grumpy Pete.
This franchise is in deep shit, and I think he knows it.
Agree.
It could be argued that Pete could have looked Hugh in the eye and say “Listen Hugh, I’m working on building a positive culture here. We made a mistake on the play, and it costs us. We’re working on correcting it in house. You as a player can easily understand that. What you need to know is we’re fully aware of the issue and I’m confident it will not happen again.”
It would be really hard to have a problem with an answer like that.
Instead we got a smirk to a colleague off-camera, a smart-aleck ‘why would you want to know that?’ and “I’m not going to answer because I don’t have to” which is a little boy’s answer.
A classic appeal to authority that didn’t satisfy anyone, nor does it instill any confidence that he actually understands the gravity of the problem.
This is not unlike his insistence that third downs weren’t an issue in Week Fifteen against Washington last year, only to have him meekly say in his year end press conference that they didn’t play well enough on third downs.
Yes- his “ I’m not answering that because I don’t have to” reeks of entitlement and disdain.
I suspect that wouldn’t fly if Paul Allen was still around.
I’m done with Pete as a coach. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him “make more with less” and I’m tired of him acting like he’s some kind of all time great X and O guru or a great detail guy when he’s clearly not.
He can build a great culture and that’s no small thing ( but it appears to be waning). And he can beat you when he has superior talent. That’s it.
I really liked Jon Gruden’s post-game comments last night.
I’ve always liked Millen and enjoyed his analysis.
It’s amazing that it needs to be specifically pointed out when a member of the media asks a good series of questions at a press conference.
Adams was supposed to carry that wheel,it is they they have played it for years. Especially with nobody behind him to pass him off to. Pete showed obvious irritation having to cover for his 17 mil. SS. Did you notice Bobby’s body language after the play? Not a good look.
THIS: We can easily watch tape ourselves Pete. We can see that Kam would often follow the wheel route up the seam, or stay home and watch for the out route (this was the classic interception of Cam Newton). The point being, Kam could play the box, and still understood his coverage duties, and often made the right choice when choosing to sit on a route, pass off to his help, or defend the run / screen.
This is basic for the SS position, and Jamal Adams does not appear to possess the decision-making or freaky athleticism (to make up ground if you make a bad decision) required to be successful here.
💯
Busting on Adams and his poor play is a form of therapy for a lot of us. And straight up just having a little humor about a massive trade and contract that doesn’t seem to be even close to paying off yet.
But if anyone out there thinks I didn’t come off my couch and pump my fists at Adams dislodging the ball in the end zone Sunday with a fantastic hit, they are nuts. It was a textbook example of the potential that Adams brings to the team.
I dare say even Adams’ most fervent critics will rejoice if he regularly turns in effective performances. Some out there make it seem like we’d be angry that Adams is playing well because we have staked out a position on Adams and our egos couldn’t handle the success.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I want the Seahawks to get to the Super Bowl this year.
I want Adams to have a huge part in getting them there.
I want Adams to make the hit-sack-interception that seals the Super Bowl win.
I will shout praise from the rooftops if that happens.
But in the meantime discussing why a massive investment is returning so little on the field, and venting a little frustration by teasing him a little is a perfectly valid response.
Absolutely spot on post for how I feel too cha. I will add that though I certainly don’t “hate” the guy, I don’t like his act. I don’t like Cam Newton for being a preening peacock though through the early part of his career anyway, he had more reason to preen.
Chancellor would shout and flex after making one of his incredible game-i
Adams celebrates and gets chippy after whiffing on an arm tackle and giving up 7 yards…
game impacting tackles*
Hugh is awesome to listen to about the X’s and O’s. He doesn’t wear rose colored glasses. If you compiled all the radio personalities from local sports radio, he stands out by far. we need more “Hugh’s” around here
I had a boss once tell me when you perform poorly, we’re going to talk about why, and when you perform greatly, we’re going to talk about why. It never felt overly negative or positive, just analysis of what’s working and what isn’t. Not sure why that’s difficult here with Carroll and media.
I’m probably biased with my favorite hawks letting the work on the field do the talking. I don’t care for Adams’ lip flaps and claps, but some people like that sort of thing. It’s okay to not like the guy and still get excited when he makes a play.
I don’t want to offend any of the Seattle journalists and I don’t know their background stories, but it also seemed to me that they don’t have the knowledge to ask the question that Hugh Millen asked. It was a question from a football specialist, not from someone who writes about football.
I don’t quite buy this statement as a general rule. Yes, it’s nice to have someone asking questions of an authority who knows the subject matter on a much more detailed level than the general public, or even other journalists. That is, of course, if such a journalist doesn’t allow their personal biases to get in the way of the questions that they choose to ask, or the answers they are willing to accept at face value.
I think you can be a very good football journalist, for instance, and ask very probing and pertinent questions without having, for instance, Hugh Millen’s deep-in-the-weeds-X’s-and-O’s expertise. It just takes a skilled and inquisitive mind that simply wants clear answers to pertinent questions about a given subject matter so that both the journalist and public can be better informed it.
I don’t think it takes a football genius to ask PC about that busted play. Obviously something went wrong. Does it take a football know-it-all to simply ask what that play would have looked like if it had been properly defended?
Anyway…just felt that I want to say.
I’m a big Hugh Millen fan and agree with the analysis.
However, they have Adams and they have given up the draft capital. The pertinent question now is how to make the best use of the personnel that you have. There are several options, what do you all think?
That’s not the only pertinent question though is it?
Challenging bad plays as Hugh did is worthy too. As is probing on why they’re failing to get more out of him.
A layman’s guess is that you need strong CB and FS play to get the most out of him. The Seahawks lack that so in that way it’s a bad fit. I hope the coaches fan figure it out. Involving Neal and Blair more seems like a step in the right direction.
You are right, it is not the only pertinent question. To me past decisions are relevant in that they might indicate a problem with future decisions. So I would want to ask why, knowing that CB is not a strong position, you traded for a safety whose strength is not pass defense.
An excellent question indeed!
My answer would be “desperation”.
Hugh Millen is an acquired or more selective taste. He’s very X’s and O’s, longer-winded, deep in the weeds analysis. I really enjoy his analysis and commentary, and have for many years. I miss him on the Husky Honks, not the same without him. I can understand how many might not enjoy his style, find him somewhat tedious or overly detailed. To each their own.
I think his sense of humor, however, is very underrated.
Do you think Pete answered the way he did because a) He didn’t want to air dirty laundry in the media, and/or b) He didn’t want to discuss play design or strategy for other teams to learn from?
That was on Sidney. And yes, you’re right. It was a bad trade and it’s hard to defend giving up 2 first round picks for any strong safety in the league.
On the meltdown coverage (anything less does not do it justice), the play ended up with three DBs converging on one 5 yard radius circle around a single 49er. Would not surprise me if more than one player was at fault.
Fantastic question, Aaron.
Now instead of sending that out into the Twitter-verse, why not, as one of the very few people who have direct access to Pete Carroll, ask him that question?
🤔
Yes, great question. Maybe the OC needs to continue growing into the job and/or maybe we are glimpsing a limitation in Russ’ skill set.
was Joe Fan the last Seattle media member to ask any meaningful question of Carroll before Millen?
No wonder he gave up and moved on.
He didn’t give up and move on. His employer doesn’t exist anymore.
Hi Rob, I’m a big fan of the blog. Did you happen to see the Cardinals vs the Rams game? I couldn’t believe it-Aaron Donald was a complete non-factor. Zero sacks and 2 tackles. The broadcast team barely mentioned him during the game. Keep in mind the Cardinals had a few injuries and were using a make shift O Line. Why does he ALWAYS play out of his mind against us? Man, I can’t wait till he retires or slows down lol.
I appreciate that an interesting question was asked and also think it is fine if Pete doesn’t want to get into the specifics of who should cover. At least it is not totally boring and predictable pablum like almost all other PC-press interactions.
As for JA, I am rooting for him and hoping he is good, though he would have to be a hall of famer to merit what we paid for him. I cheered the hit he made in the end zone and was also disappointed earlier (first half) when he went for a hit on third down when he could have just wrapped the ballcarrier….result was allowing the guy to fall forward for a first down).
So I root for him because I root for the team…but I don’t really like him much. He is just off-putting and cartoonish. Just like I don’t really like the Russel Wilson celebrity personality either, but I root for Russ because he is the team.
I will be super happy if Adams prove me (and others) wrong and become productive player for Hawks. Only his first two games with Hawks I think he played his best. But now I strongly believe Ryan Neal will be better for Hawks defense than Adams.
Jamal Adams has accomplished something I didn’t believe possible: I love my favorite all-time Seahawk, Kam, that much more.
💯
Wow that 2 min video, if we have Press conference like this for even 50% of time Pete will have to come prepare to answer some tough questions and not just putting on someone like Jones and save his pet. Pete was forced to acknowledge and say good job on doing your homework. So deep down he must have been realized people are watching and even understanding what is happening.
Kudos to Hugh Millen. By asking this question he educated many more fans.
The only argument I can construct to defend Pete’s non-answer to Millen’s question (and I don’t think it’s a particularly good one) is that saying who was supposed to go with the wheel route on that play would give away something on their defensive play-calling that could be later used against them by another team. Maybe something in the positioning of the 11 on the field that would tell a QB what the Hawks plan to do next time.
Russ often takes that approach on busted plays on offense – when asked, he won’t say what the play call was.
My supposition is (1) it was probably Jamal’s fault, and (2) for whatever reason, Pete does not want to hold Jamal publicly-accountable. If it was Sidney Jones’ fault, wouldn’t it have been easy enough to say “look, it’s his first real game as a Seahawk, still learning the system, it’s a work in progress, and we’ll clean it up, but he got a lot right out there, blah blah blah”?
Why would a safety be playing way over on the left side of the field? Possibly he thought it was a pass behind the line of scrimmage?
“If it was Sidney Jones’ fault, wouldn’t it have been easy enough to say “look, it’s his first real game as a Seahawk, still learning the system, it’s a work in progress, and we’ll clean it up, but he got a lot right out there, blah blah blah”?”
Outstanding logic which points again to Adams being the fail on the play.
He had basically said as much in the postgame presser on Sunday
Pete doesn’t want to answer questions about the third down struggles because 2 for 10 and 30th in the league speak for them selves. Those stats concern me, and I feel Wilson has a major responsibility in them and he needs to clean that up or they were going to struggle to win games.
Unless 3rd down is no longer a relevant stat that seems pretty obvious. I posted that yesterday and it looks like I stuck my finger in Rob’s eye.
Against the niners, it was specifically 3rd and long that was the problem. It was repeatedly a 3rd and long situation. If you buy that, the question becomes one of why they aren’t getting more yards on the first two downs.
Wilson is an incredible deep ball thrower, but I feel he needs to dink and dunk a bit more to open the offense up. The alternative seems to be a really reliable running game to pick up the short yards at will.
So who’s excited for this game? We’ve got a chance to pull even with the Rams into 2nd place in our division. Revenge game. We’ve got to take these guys down.
Cannot wait. My first game this year in person.
PS you’re Paul Cook right?
Yes, LOL. I reset my computer last night and when I retyped in here this morning my finger must have double-clutched on the C and I got “Paul Cock” instead. LOL I didn’t notice it till a few posts later, and, of course, couldn’t edit it.
I’ve got a dinner party and excited as well. Thank heaven we won the last game because we can at least head into this game with some optimism and hope. Hey, aren’t we bound to play a decent game on both sides of the ball if by accident if nothing else?
Is it action green Thursday night? I couldn’t find that out.
I’m so excited I’m going to Long Beach to dig razor clams with my cousin instead of watching the game. Neither she nor I have one iota of hope for at least an NFCCG appearance based on what we’ve seen this season and she’s nearly as big a fan as I am.
And do enjoy cha. Hope you bring them good fortune.
That’s the orange Lions football’s job, not mine.
😀
Not really excited
Seriously? Not for a TNF game and the Hawks playing their BRIGHT GREENs? 🙂 Now the outcome is a different story. I hope we keep it respectable.
I’m not excited either. After last season’s playoff choke, I expect more of the same. Pete needs to retire
Hey, by the way, my name isn’t Paul Cock that somehow got stuck as my handle. LOL Paul Cook that is.
There’s a strategy being employed here by PC by parrying Millen’s terrific question and it is ‘plausible deniability’ as he knew exactly which player dropped the ball (well, Deebo did catch it, but whatever…) on that play, but left it open in his answer as to which of the 3 it was. And the strategy employed in the terrible trade: ‘doubling down’ by signing him to that ridiculous contract to cover their arse for the amount they gave up to trade for him in the first place. Plausible deniability and doubling down are 2 strategies that are used primarily in post-modern politics and economics. PC/JS have sign-up.
The condescension by Pete after those questions is unnerving. Not only does he not like the questions, but I don’t think he cares much for the person asking them. By not answering, he answered. I don’t think there is any equivocation, that was a coverage mistake by Adams.
I re-watched the play. Adams, sits in the short flat, and points backward toward Samuel, thinking the corner will carry the wheel route. He sits in the short flat, where there is NO ONE THERE. There is no back leaking out of the backfield. there is a short crossing route that pulls up short, but that was obviously on Bobby Wagner, because he is carrying it across the field.
I earnestly only put part of the blame on him. This is a PC/KN issue. I think Kyle Shannahan and Mick McDaneil saw something either in tape, or earlier in the game. They knew exactly what was going to happen, and drew that play up for Trey Lance (and his bigger than JG arm). He goes play action and then stares down Samuel. That was the first and what I think was the only read. While I believe Adams was to cover Samuel, this seems to be a coaching issue to me. Just another example of how PC/KN are not coaching Adams, adjusting to errors in games, and admitting when they make mistakes.
seen the same thing, but I suppose there is something to be said to contain a running qb. maybe by not letting a receiver wide open for a td, but… OC’s will see how easy it is to expose Adams, and the secondary
In other news a fly landed on Penny’s leg, breaking it. Done for the year.
Legend.
LOL this is literally the subtitle on the NFLPA website 😂
https://nflpa.com/press/marshawn-lynch-to-become-nflpas-first-ever-chief-brand-ambassador
Whoops, it somehow got cut out:
re the Pete/Millen interaction –
I don’t know – I think he just didn’t feel like singling out a player and publicly saying “XX screwed up”. Is he maybe defensive re the Adams deal, could be, but I think more likely is that he’s doing his own internal calculation of the benefit of calling Jamal out (knowing his personality, etc.) vs the negative impact – – and which is going to be better for the team this season. I know we may want the satisfaction of knowing what happened, but if you’re Carroll, what’s the upside in calling out the player who made the mistake by name? And if your answer is, so he’ll do better next time, I’d disagree that a public shaming is the best way to get you there.
I for sure think Millen deserves credit for asking the question – and I think the sophistication level and detail caught Pete a little by surprise – but I didn’t find him as condescending as some on here. He gave Millen some props at the end of the clip.
The old phrase “praise in public”, and be “critical in private”, has served many leaders well. Hopefully that’s PC’s leadership showing up a little, if not the end may be nearer than some may contemplate IF the players feel any kind of favoring (and excusing) one player over other players exists.
Pete refusing to call out players is not an admission of guilt. This is a reach. After the game, he was asked specifically about corner play and said “we had a really bad bust back there obviously.” I don’t know how you can get any closer to an answer than that.
I don’t think it’s an admission of guilt either.
But as we also learnt from what Pete did reveal, there are lots of potential culprits from that play because they have different options within the same design. So definitively stating, as some have, whose fault it truly is — that’s a mistake IMO.
Win Thursday just got locked.
I hope it’s with the dark blue pants.
Apparently not
Seems to be the all green
I kind of liked the action green tops with the dark blue pants in an obnoxious kind of way. I feel like I have to wear sunglasses with the all action green.
I like the green over blue
Would love to hear a livestream with you and Hugh.
So would I
Not sure how to get in touch with him though, or if he’d be even remotely interested
Would be fun though
FWIW, I just emailed KJR that I would love to see it happen.
KJR has a history of being a bit… hesitant… to allow their on air talent to appear on outside broadcasts.
Even if Hugh was interested, I’m guessing the station wouldn’t allow it.
but I agree, it’d be awesome if it happened.
But he also does KIRO ESPN, no?
This is developing some parallels to the Jimmy Graham trade, of which I was a big defender (because everyone was a big defender right up until the entire team collapsed in the home stretch of 2017).
The stink was that Graham was getting undeniable raw production (ten touchdowns) – how do you piss on that? – but also had a distinct disinterest in run blocking, which was then subtracting from the offensive performance.
Graham seemed to make sense because he was a direct executor of the talents and choices of Russell Wilson. Now we see that, by that logic, Adams should be a direct executor of Bobby Wagner. Yet there are still clear downsides to how he’s used.
Additionally, as you said, Adams’ performance has taken a downturn this year, which I do NOT think was part of the criticism of the trade from last year. The critics last year were saying Adams was a financial underachiever even if his production from last year (including the sacks) were maintained. Now the goalposts seem to have shifted and people like Millen are piling on even though they probably didn’t foresee this dropoff.
The conclusion I keep coming back to is this:
Russell Wilson and Jimmy Graham needed a better offensive coordinator than Darell Bevell to maximize their talents. That’s not to say Bevell was bad. It’s to say that he was average, and Russ and Jimmy are not. The duo created ten touchdowns when Russ was clearly just grabbing the fade pass out of his huddle packages and throwing to Jimmy to get it done. Imagine what could have been with a better OC.
Same with Adams. He needs a DC closer to LeBeau or Phillips, or at least a Quinn or Bradley, to unlock his potential. Norton is not going to accomplish that. Should the Seahawks pass on studs because the coordinators aren’t there to realize them fully? I don’t know. But until Norton’s gone, the trade is a bust.
I’m not sure it’s just Norton.
Just as I don’t think it was just Bevell or just Waldron now.
I think a big issue is Pete insists on so much control and has this ideal of everything connecting and having a closed circle. That and I’m not convinced Adams fits Carroll’s system.
Sure and I’ve never been one to shy away from blaming Pete when I find it proper.
I’ll add to your point Pete’s constant need to AVOID doing the most obvious and effective thing because “they might adapt to it” – i.e. getting unnecessarily cute. That’s why Carlos Dunlap is dropping into coverage instead of rushing the passer. Pete overthinks bloody everything. He probably went home and rubbed his feet raw with sandpaper after Week 2 when he went out and ran a halftime drive with quick sideline passes, because God forbid one should go with what works.
As far as Jimmy is concerned, I think that trade signaled to the team “We couldn’t complete the throw on the goal line because we didn’t have the right target.” Trading Unger for a TE signaled a changing of the guard to the team. Rather than acknowledge the mistake and continue building around the run game as an identity for another run, the front office gave more toys to Russell. Bad situation for Jimmy to come into on a team already at odds with the favoritism displayed to Wilson by throwing the ball on the 1 yd line. “Trust me down there Bev!”
The Jamal Adams was more costly in terms of capital but the Graham trade further eroded the trust and culture of a team already questioning motives behind throwing on the goal line.
The Lynch extension shortly after seemed like a band-aid to hold together a locker room at odds following the trade and it did to some extent until completely eroding after his retirement and leading to an exodus of players and coaches.
At the very least, Jamal acquisition is consistent with the vision of a tough aggressive football team (even if he has only been able to celebrate for assisted tackles and a missed pass interference so far).
you can also say that Pete didnt value running the ball as much anymore, trading a solid o lineman for a flashy TE and taking the highest paid o line, to trying to fit with whoever was an athletic big guy to go on the oline.
In fairness, I think it’s important to remember a couple of things…
1. When the Seahawks started having to pay the entire LOB, Marshawn, Bobby, KJ, Baldwin, Avril, Bennett etc etc — then Russell needed to be paid — there had to be a saving somewhere. There wasn’t any ‘must have’s’ on the O-line they had so that’s where they tried to make their saving. They instead went with physical profiles and coaching. It didn’t work — but I’ve never criticised the team’s approach which to me, made sense. Something had to give.
2. The reports at the time of the Unger trade were that they were moving on with or without the Graham deal due to Unger’s injury issues. Again, we can debate the merits of that. But I’m seeing people saying they ‘traded Graham for Unger’ when at the time it was well discussed and noted that it was basically Graham for a first and Unger, who they were moving on from, for a fourth. And the Seahawks just dealt a fourth to Las Vegas for Gabe Jackson, who they were also moving on from. So I think that situation is comparable, years apart.
that is totally fair, and point is made. I just personally never cared for the Grahm trade that much. With all the o lineman issues over the years, this, I always figured that they outsmarted themselves again.
I didn’t really understand it either. The way I remember it, Graham disappeared every time we played NO. Doesn’t seem like a target you’d want to then collect.
yeah, I think this was another big piece how pete lost touch with some of the L.O.B. getting a soft “Jimmy G”
We could both be wrong but this is my gut feel as well. Gregg Williams went on the record agreeing with you before Adams even played a snap here. I agree with the Graham analogy in the sense that usage is everything to some players. The Seahawks love to trade for talent first then figure it out later.
I guess Hugh hasn’t been watching much tape this year because seattle has been passing off wheels to the corner all year.. Regardless of who the curl-flat defender has been. Ugo, Jamal, Brooks, etc. It’s to help play #3 to the flat after wheel runs the curl-flat defender off for clarity. Also very suspicious of those PFF grades. Not that that validates the trade.
I guess if he and PFF watched or knew as much as you Michael, they’d be peachy
That’s the thing, Hugh certainly knows more. He’s just not doing his homework this time before coming to a conclusion which is the disappointing part.
But by saying that you’re implying you know better.
Hugh is on the radio every Monday breaking down plays in great detail in a long segment specifically designed to cater to football ‘nerds’ for want of a better term.
Your assertion that he hasn’t done his work, having listened to all of his segments this season so far, simply doesn’t cut the mustard.
Actually, in saying that he hasn’t watched enough tape this year, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt given how other players have played the same combination this year up until that point. This isn’t a debate — as much as Millen and others seemingly want it to be.
But if we are to appeal to authority, why does Hugh Millen’s word carry more weight than that of the head coach’s?
I’m getting very serious ‘troll’ vibes here Michael, to be honest.
You keep saying this and it doesn’t make it true. You don’t know how much he’s watched. He’s on the radio every week for 30 minutes breaking down plays in a way hardly anyone does on the radio. Extreme detail.
So yes, he’s clearly watched the tape.
It sounds like you’re simply trying to smear him to undermine his point. ‘He hasn’t watched enough tape’.
Who’s appealing to authority? Nobody is saying ‘Millen is right about this play’. You are creating a pointless strawman, I’m sensing because you’re minded to defend a sacred cow. Nothing in this article, or the comments section, implies that Millen is right and that’s that.
But while we’re here, Carroll has not definitively said who was responsible for that play. Some people have jumped on a quote which implied some blame for one play to Jones and ran with it. The reason Millen went on that conference call, per the literal question he asked, was to try and find out more information.
When Carroll was asked, he noted that there are different variations of that coverage and blame could, technically, be apportioned to different players. He’s not confirmed who was to blame, if indeed it was only ‘one’ player.
That’s it.
I’m not smearing him–I am disagreeing with him over something that to me appears to be obvious given a broader context. My assumptions about how much tape he has watched is a tacit defense of his knowledge, because had he watched enough or paid specific attention to how seattle is defending that particular situation, he would have his answer. And pardon me for assuming you saying Hugh is right, outright. Granted, you did not say such in the article. You did cite his background, so I went off of that–just as you are assuming this is about me “defending a sacred cow.”
To me, this is about Millen jumping to conclusions to deride someone he can’t judge objectively. Jamal did some things wrong this game, that play just wasn’t it.
Then say you disagree with his assertion. Don’t claim he ‘hasn’t watched enough tape’. That’s a smear designed to undermine his view. It’s easier to say he must be ignorant than argue against his actual words.
As I said before — if only he knew as much as you, eh?
I am not assuming anything. I’m stating that is my belief in what you are doing, based on your words and arguments.
What a weird conclusion to make. He stated his belief that Adams was at fault, then entered a press conference to try and find out what went wrong.
You’re on here now saying he isn’t watching enough tape and claiming to know what ‘actually’ happened on that play.
Because, again, I guess you just know more…
I don’t believe his knowledge to be lacking. I believe it to be superior to mine. So what available conclusions does it leave someone who believes those two things to be true?
You just say you disagree
You don’t have to keep saying “he hasn’t watched the tape”
Four things:
1) Hugh Millen is now on double-secret probation.
2) I think Jamal Adams has a Rob Staton Voodoo Doll (from Louis Vitton.)
3.) Kentucky Fried Peacock.
4.) Didn’t Hugh Millen feel the same way about Aaron Curry?
Kudos to Millen and Pete should feel like a jackass for deciding to answer the question in that manner.
The Coffee Cup is what his numbers say he is – below average at safety. The numbers he was paid so handsomely for were so manufactured, so artificial, that they really held little value as reflective of his true value. He is what he is. It’s not his fault.
It’s not his fault that Pete ignored the glaring issues with his defense leading up to the panic trade with the Jets. It’s not his fault that he signed such a contract. Offer me the same deal and I’ll sign without blaming my mother for doing it. He is the constant, preening, yapping reminder of the apparent abandonment of whatever Pete once valued in building a defense and a team. That he does it on the field where Cam Chancellor once played freaking sucks.
Pete realizes that Adams was a mistake – probably more than anyone. He’s seen the guy for a year and has admitted to having no idea what to do with him. Pete is beginning a retreat to the bunker, as so many do in their final days – becoming cranky and dismissive and seemingly paranoid of being called out for obvious failures across multiple levels. This is where a proper owner would be highly valued. Unfortunately, the giraffe bone smuggler is, at best, absent. (Does anyone know what the longterm plans for ownership are?) Whatever, Pete feels like he’s done here, but the checks keep clearing.
You know who needs someone to come in and change the culture quickly?
USC.
You know who used to coach there?
I think Pete could have SC in the college playoffs long before he gets the Hawks anywhere close to another Super Bowl. Plus, paying players is no longer illegal – mostly. All is forgiven, Pete. Go wreck some shit.
But this is all pure speculation on my part.
What I really wanted to talk about was, how special is Tyler Lockett?
Loved the “giraffe bone smuggler” … very funny, let Jody be known thus forevermore (unless she miraculously steps up.) Well done, MaToast!
“The Coffee Cup” reference was excellent as well.
I don’t like KNJ…but imagine Steve Spagnuolo as a DC for the Hawks…
Chiefs has Snead, Ward, Fenton who are clearly better than Hawks CBs. They have Clark, Okafor, Jones, Nnadi, Reed a clearly better DL. Mathieu, Sorensen and Thornhill also better at S and their LBs are not awful either. And they still suck. KNJ is bad, but our roster for the defense also pretty bad…
So unless we can get a defensive coaching mastermind, I’m not sure this roster could be a top5 D#
In a surprising move, Stephon Gilmore is getting CUT. No reason to not inquire.
http://bleacherreport.com/post/nfl-rumors/9cfdf3b8-ff11-47d3-868f-e779c4441f9e
I’m guessing his ask will be huge though.
No reason not to enquire
Unfortunately also no reason for him to come here unless it’s a ridiculous contract
Let’s be right, does anyone seriously expect him to land in Seattle?
Because I don’t
Hawks have cap room to make it work. Most other contenders would need to b very creative to get it done.
I’m not sold he’s a top corner anymore. He was not good last year and is 31. I’m sure he can play better than what we have, but probably not worth the money he wants, hence being cut by Pats.
Creative to me means overpay.
He went to school at South Carolina. The Panthers just lost their top-10 pick at corner. They have $19m to spend this year and $36m next year.
I would imagine they’d be a strong contender.
The Panthers just acquired a DB in a trade. I hope the Hawks give it a shot but its going to be a team like the Panthers that suddenly have found themselves to be contenders and have the room.
They did but why not have him too? Especially after their last game
Seattle’s best shot is to work out a trade with NE so they get Gilmore for the rest of the season.
I’m just convinced he’ll be willing to play out his contract
Panthers are by far the most logical destination for cap room and presumed personal preference for playing near his home.
But if he wants a ring, the Panthers are at least a year away. That said, the Hawks are not a Gilmore away from a SB either.
I’d be surprised if the Panthers made a deep playoff run. In fact I’m going to stick my neck out and say they don’t make the playoffs (shuts the window and draws the curtains).
And… he’s going to Carolina
Nailed it, Rob! No easy fix is available for the Seahawks; the Giraffe Bone Smuggler must elect to become involved this off-season, however unlikely that seems.
I agree with you. He’s not the corner he used to be but will ask for a lot (and is coming off a major injury). No reason not to kick the tires but I doubt we’ll go after him hard or pay him the money he wants.
Very interesting move by the Pats. Not having to give up draft Capital to go get him would be nice. We saved the money for something 🤷🏻
I think they have plans for mid-season additions (after some teams go 1-5 and start cutting salary) like they have in the last few years.
Go and get Gilmore. Not sure he’s that good but definitely better than Flowers and Jones
Javonte looking a bit like Marshawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNAWVoBoIW8
Yup, there’s the guy
Jaylon Smith released by Cowboys, surprising move with a $7M dead cap hit, but lost out on playing time this year. Just 2 years after signing a $64M extension.
Wow. I haven’t paid him any attention of late. Didn’t realize he slipped so far so fast.
FWIW Bedard is saying the Packers are the favorites to land Gilmore in trade
Makes sense
And when there’s a front runner like that this early, it tends to trend that way
Will Gilmore signing with hawks will tricky one? He is 31/32 and looking for big contract but has health issue. Better to stay away as it will be high risk ?
Exactly
Double danger here. Gilmore coming off injury and wants a new contract at age 31.
You make it skinny early to fit it in your cap, and when the bulk of the contract hits he is 32/33 years old.
Right about the time you’re really feeling the Jamal Adams deal, trying to replace Duane Brown and RW is needing to be thought about.
No time to be carrying a $20m cap hit for a broken corner.
Not to mention DK.
With so much on the line this season, I just don’t want to give up any more significant draft capital or mortgage our CAP later for now. With me it’s just about adding vets at reasonable terms, or possibly trading a late pick (though I don;t even like that) to shore up a position of need. That’s about it for me.
Supposedly Tre Brown back in practice. What’s up with Eskridge? For eff’s sake, why are we never allowed to see our rookies play?
Eskridge has practiced but after has not felt good. He’s out of the protocol but now they’re just seeing how much work he can handle.
Ugh. It’s almost always much longer than sooner for us. I really was looking for this guy to be our gadget player (jet sweeps, returns, quick outs/slants…) with his speed and elusiveness. Oh well.
I wanted to see him returning punts and kicks.
Feels like time’s wasting for that to happen this year.
Yup.
PS> I have nothing against DJ, but he’s not exactly lightening in a bottle as a return threat.
Due to short week it looks difficult that Eskridge will play. I noticed Tyler was on full go in last match and Swain clearly #3 receiver doing good. After Thursday’s game some players will get time to recover and next Prime time game.
Must have a really bad concussion. Scary stuff
Gilmore to the Panthers for a 2023 sixth…
Nostradamus…
Nice call Rob
Looks like they signed Jaime Collins to occupy some of the cap room they just opened up.
How long before we have to hear that the Hawks were “in on” Gilmore?
Gilmore to Panthers for a 2023 6th
Hey Rob,
Just wanted to drop by to thank you for your content. It’s always well thought out and reasoned. I appreciate the talking points, and I think these last two weeks have me actually thinking that (especially with the friction with Russ) perhaps it is time to move on from Pete. These last 3 years have had very visible issues to work on in the off season, only to find no tangible answers while also trading away our draft picks to prevent any further development. I love Pete as a person, his attitude is great and I think he brought alot to the table.
However you can’t simply ignore that no only have we made really questionable decisions for 3 years, now this year has clearly shown that, unless the defense blossoms into something wholly unexpected, that we are in for another 1 and done playoff year at best. It’s sad. Especially when I feel like you have articulated a number of the potential fixes through draft, or trade, or simply actually recognizing the weakness of the team. It feels like for some reason that isn’t happening. Its also pretty strange to see someone who preaches “always compete” to just now try someone out besides trey flowers.
Anyway, ignore the people who don’t actually read your posts. Twitter lends itself to less informed people taking out their frustrations, and your blog is by far the most thought provoking, highest football IQ Seahawk website out there. It’s not even close. Thanks.
Thanks Dennis, really appreciate you saying that
Why does Pete always get taken aback by football questions that actually have substance to them? Just answer the question and be on with it Pete. It’s a bad look every time. Russ does the same thing too, especially with that awful presser when he had to answer questions about the offseason trade rumors. He literally laughed off a couple reporters.
When Pete is asked a question he doesn’t like, he often smirks and looks off to someone at the side off-camera — as if to say ‘can you believe this?’
It’s poor form IMO.
I think it’s two things.
1-they don’t like those kinds of questions
2-the media has conditioned him to not have to account for nearly anything. When your press conferences are basically injury updates and questions about Bud Grant and playing basketball, and then 2 times out of 50 you are hit with a challenge, it’s not going to elicit a good, thoughtful response. If they regularly probed into matters that actually needed attention, they’d build up a little more muscle and a higher tolerance for these challenges.
#2 is definitely a valid point
What are the hawks doing with this years remaining cap space? I don’t see much in way of a trade with already depleted draft capital. Do they expect good players to just be available mid-season?
Can they roll it over? If that’s the plan, why move money back on recent deals?
Jody Allen’s hero is Mike Brown. Cincinnati Seahawks, here we come! At least they have a talented up and coming team so maybe I shouldn’t make too much fun of them.
Love Hugh Millen and his nerdy football deep dives. I appreciated the answer Quandre Diggs gave to the same question. “Do I look like a snitch to you?” I can appreciate Pete wanting to keep it in house but why not just say that as someone said earlier in this thread??
I’ve heard the argument “keep it in house” before, but if you want to keep it house you don’t point fingers at Sidney Jones. The right answer would have been “our D needs to do better there”.
Panthers have me a little jealous with CJ Henderson and Stephon Gilmore. They’ve now traded their 2022 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th plus 2023 6th. Sounds like the Hawks right? But wait, they’ve also added a 2022 4th, 2022 5th, 2022 6th and 2022 7th, all while adding Darnold, Henderson, and Gilmore. Plus $14mil+ cap this year and 30 something next year. Meanwhile Hawks have added a safety that can’t play safety but apparently no longer can sack the QB either and huge contracts looming or huge blank spots to fill next year. I guess that’s what Keeping Up With the Jones’ looks like.
All I can say is that I really hope there is something wrong with Gilmore that we don’t know about. If he is even vaguely serviceable, there is no way the Hawks coulda given a 2023 5th rounder??
But Seattle has Jamal Adams so who would you rather be?
You and I have the same amount of sacks and INTs as Adams. 😂🤣
Give this man $17 Million and the summer off.