Don’t ignore Mike Florio’s report on Russell Wilson’s future

This was brought to my attention yesterday but I decided to let things rest for 24 hours. Russell Wilson’s relationship with the Seahawks is a delicate topic.

Fans don’t want to contemplate any possibility that he isn’t completely and wholly satisfied with the team.

So when Mike Florio announced on Sunday Night Football that Wilson had told the Seahawks — ‘let me cook or we’re going to have a problem’ — the reaction was quite predictable.

There were several mentions of the no-trade clause in his contract. Others suggested Florio wasn’t a reliable source of information (to put it politely).

However, this is something we’ve touched on a bit this year — with good reason.

Let’s start with a quick recap of the situation.

Ten days ago I wrote about the subject in my review of the off-season:

This has been a different off-season for Wilson. He’s been more outspoken for sure. He called on the team to sign superstars at the Pro-Bowl. He liked tweets about big name skill players in the draft. He had a very public workout with Antonio Brown.

People he’s very close with in the media have been very critical of the Seahawks. Colin Cowherd, a confidant of Wilson’s, casually compared his situation to Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs QB has the offense tailored to him, he has input in their draft picks and they’ve supported him with weapons galore, pass protection and a complementary defense.

Wilson wants to win so badly he named his newborn son after the word. Yet in the last five years the Seahawks have only won their division once. Forget Super Bowls. They can’t even win the NFC West.

He’s seen the ‘Let Russ Cook’ stuff because he’s a social media addict. He’ll know as well as anyone the strong and weak areas of the roster.

Would anyone blame him for feeling like he’s taken for granted? He doesn’t have Mahomes’ weapons, offensive freedom and too often he needs to drag the team back from a massive deficit because they’ve started slowly or they’re ill-equipped to deal with an opponent from the first whistle.

I’m not for a second implying that Wilson is on the brink of demanding a trade or doesn’t see his future in Seattle. I do think, however, that this time will come unless the Seahawks match the ambitions of their star player.

To me it was a simple reading of the tea leaves. Wilson constantly talks about wanting to be known as the greatest ‘winner’ in the history of the NFL. That won’t happen if he ends his career with the same number of Super Bowl rings as Nick Foles, Joe Flacco and Trent Dilfer. He has one fewer ring than Eli Manning currently.

It’s clear that he wants to be a Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Lebron James type figure. A multi-year champion. One of the all-time greats.

Not only is he not achieving success in terms of titles, he’s not even getting any MVP votes.

He turns 32 in November and he’s very much in the peak years of his career. Even if he plays for another 10 seasons, he won’t possess this combination of athleticism and knowledge for much longer. He’s in a rush to succeed and if the Seahawks cannot take him to where he wants to go — it’s not improbable to imagine a Cleveland/Lebron type situation emerging.

The Seahawks have been treading water for far too long. It’s six years since their last Super Bowl run. Since then, they haven’t come close to returning to the big game. Yet both the Rams and Niners have elevated to that level, despite previously being perennial losers.

I don’t believe Wilson is planning his departure. I think his ideal situation is to play for the Seahawks for the rest of his career and win Championships.

I do think, however, he’s applying a bit of pressure to a franchise that needed a kick up the arse. Especially after a strange off-season where they failed to do much of anything in free agency and only really improved by trading the house for Jamal Adams right before training camp.

Fans should probably be grateful. Would you rather Wilson be fat and happy about his massive contract and 10-11 wins a year? Or would you rather the star player be setting a high bar for the team?

He wants more control of the offense. He knows they can’t rely on the trench play to win so it’s time to take the game to opponents.

And the good news is based on the win in Atlanta, the Seahawks are listening.

But that doesn’t mean Wilson’s concerns don’t exist or that what Florio said is untrue.

Let’s go back to the two counters fans are making for his report.

Firstly, the no-trade clause. I think we’ve all watched enough sports to know what these are all about. This isn’t a handcuff for the player to prevent him going anywhere else. This is a handcuff for the team to prevent them trading him somewhere he doesn’t want to go.

If Wilson said to Seattle, ‘I want out’, the no-trade clause wouldn’t be a factor in the slightest. The Seahawks could reject that request. They could try to build bridges. They could offer him more money. They could also determine that the relationship had broken and that it’d be best for both parties to move on.

The no-trade clause prevents them sending him somewhere like Jacksonville or Cleveland. The team would have to work with the player to find a reasonable new home in order to waive the clause.

The two parties are not locked together in the slightest.

Secondly there’s the credibility of the person breaking the news.

I’ve been a journalist for a long time. Regardless of what you think about Florio, you never say the following unless you are absolutely certain:

“I know for a fact that that conversation was had in a very poignant fashion with the team in a not quite flat-out ultimatum but the message is clear — let Russ cook or, I was told by a source close to Russell Wilson, you’re going to be baking the farewell cake.”

He states it as a fact that the conversation was had and then cites a source close to Wilson. You don’t make that up. If you’re not entirely sure about something, you might say you ‘understand’ something to be true. You might say you’ve ‘heard’ a few whispers.

When you state something is a fact and refer to a source close to the player, you’re speaking with 100% confidence. He didn’t hedge his bets in the slightest.

It might be convenient for Seahawks fans to assume he has made it up and that all is hunky dory. Florio’s language, if you’re willing to be open-minded about his report, is convincing.

And nobody else has disputed what he’s reported.

So who is Florio’s source?

You only have to cast your mind back to the contract negotiations in 2015 and 2019. Florio was a regular reporter from the perspective of the Wilson camp. Mark Rodgers, Wilson’s agent, has appeared on PFT and has been interviewed by Florio.

This is merely speculation on my behalf, of course. Yet if you’re wondering what kind of relationship Florio has with the Wilson camp, or who the source might be, you don’t have to be Poirot to work it out.

Again — this doesn’t mean Wilson’s time in Seattle is coming to an end. It simply means it’s time for the Seahawks to match the ambitions of their star player and do what it takes to contend.

Based on the Atlanta game, the early signs are positive.

You can now support Seahawks Draft Blog via Patreon by clicking the tab below.

Become a Patron!

177 Comments

  1. Sam

    Interesting read Rob, hopefully the Seahawks show Wilson how invested they are in him and in winning. What are your thoughts on having brooks spy Cam next week? It was something he was pretty good at in college and could help hide any early struggles in coverage he might have.

    • Rob Staton

      I don’t think they need to worry about spying Cam too much. Just take the game to that defense, get ahead, make him chase.

      • GerryG

        From Pete Carroll’s 710 interview “so it just turned into a throwing game … If that’s the way you’ve got to get (a win), that’s no problem.”

        There will never, and shouldnt abandon the run, but I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone that they both CAN, and NEED to come out flying and score a lot of points.

        • GerryG

          *they

  2. Uncle Bob

    Lot’s of us are in the camp that has wanted the team to, at least, attempt to be aggressive in the early portions of the game/season. For one game we’re seeing hope, let’s see if it persists. I haven’t seen it reported/commented on elsewhere, though I imagine it has been, about Schotty moving from the field to the skybox this season. That seems significant to me and can’t help but wonder if he functions better as a play caller with that visibility as opposed to the relay system they’ve done in the past. At a minimum it should help with getting out of the huddle and ready to snap the ball faster than in the past hopefully avoiding some of those wasted time outs.

    Russ has to be, to a degree, in a prickly position regarding decisions around contemplating/threatening/planning/wishing to move to another team for success. Despite Pete’s apparent drive and visual health he’s still nearing the age when those things can change quickly and unexpectedly. Ownership of the team, while not obviously tenuous, still has some level of uncertainty. JS has been the GM for a decade which in general terms is getting to be a long time. All those are things that Russ can’t control, but certainly would have to react to. Those things favor the “get it done now” argument for winning the big one, even though the apparent moves (non-moves?), particularly regarding the D line, and to my mind, some of the coaches/coordinators, don’t support “going all in to win”. They’re doing enough to be respectable, but short of enough to be a legitimate SB contender. We’ll see, Newton might have a record day running against the D line that we have currently.

    • Danny P

      Nice connection between Schotty in the box and the noticeably quicker times in breaking the huddle. I also read that all of Wilson’s 35 passes were NOT thrown into a tight window. Breaking the previous record of 30 passes.

      Absurd accuracy to go along with throwing exclusively to open targets? Could have a lot to do with him being up in the sky box?

      Only one game, but we might look back at the Greg Olsen signing as a much bigger deal than we currently do.

      Carson might catch 50 passes, too if they’re serious about this. With the obviously team wide proficiency in switching to a grinding, clock eating style with ease as necessary, they might be a pretty tough out for def coords…

  3. Big Mike

    And you didn’t even mention Cowherd’s comments (several times) throughout the offseason. It is speculative that they come from Russ directly no question. However, they fall right in kine with what Floriio said and add to what is becoming a pile of evidence that all of what’s been reported is true.

    You said:
    “I do think, however, he’s applying a bit of pressure to a franchise that needed a kick up the arse.”

    Couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly. This franchise and Russ should, without a doubt already have 2 championships but sadly that’s not the case.Time is getting shorter………….

  4. cha

    And yet, not a single question on it from the Seattle media yesterday.

    Don’t want to upset Pete.

  5. bdawg17

    Thank you Rob for telling it like it is… along with all of the other work you do. LONG time reader, first time poster.

    So, Russell wants to be remembered as one of the all-time great winners. What are your thoughts on him eventually taking pay cuts a la the GOAT, Tom Brady.

    Both have similar financial with wives who bring home millions annually. Obviously, Russell was only the highest paid QB for a fleeting period of time with the Mahomes, Watson, and other other QB I think I’m forgetting resetting the market.

    In a year, we should effectively be getting a “deal” for our Tier 1 QB. That said, it will be interesting to see how the collateral wave of COVID impacts the cap and QB salaries.
    Will they stay flat? Will the highest paid get less $?

    Now, if Russell is given the keys to the castle all season long and we make a Super Bowl, let alone win, then my question of Russell giving the team a more cap friendly deal is sort of moot. I hope Russ earns this contract and takes us to the promise land and we can figure (cough… the D line… cough) everything out from there! 🙂

    • Rob Staton

      “So, Russell wants to be remembered as one of the all-time great winners. What are your thoughts on him eventually taking pay cuts a la the GOAT, Tom Brady.”

      I think it’s unrealistic on all parts. I think it’s well know that the Patriots were, shall we say, creative with Brady in order for him to make some extra money. Plus he’s not the bread winner in his household. He’s married to one of the wealthiest people in the world. Brady was a unique situation.

      • Gohawks5151

        Russ’ wife also famous and rich. That might knock a million of the sticker price!

        • GerryG

          Admittedly I dont follow pop stars or super models, but pretty sure Russ’ wife has a solid career and makes some coin, and Tom’s wife is one the biggest most successful super models in history.

          • Jeremy Brewer

            looks like 18 million to 400 million.

        • Rob Staton

          Possibly but Giselle is next level wealth!

          • jujus

            To give you an idea on “ciaras” net worth…

            She had to sell tickets to the puyallup fair concert on Groupon

            Hilary clinton had tickets on groupon.

            Groupon is the bargain bin area for “acts”

            • Rob Staton

              I can honestly say I didn’t know who Ciara was until she started dating Wilson.

              She’s virtually unknown over here.

              • GerryG

                Same here, and I live in the US. Still have never a heard a single song.

                I am also oblivious to pop music.

                • Cortez Kennedy

                  Same, though I am quite familiar with Future and 50 Cent

      • Big Mike

        “The Patriots were, shall we say creative with Brady…”.
        No, say it isn’t so Rob! That franchise has never been proven to bend or break any rules.

    • Scot04

      Why would Wilson take less money. They had 60M going into this offseason and failed to address their own self admitted priorities. Front offseason might think they can read the market and players. Still it comes just comes down to paying top teir players top money, Not giving backups starter money. I don’t know all the reasons for the failure to address the passrush; but they did fail, and with 60M shouldn’t have.

      • Scot04

        front office not frontoffseason

    • Tim

      This has also occurred to me.

      On the one hand, I do not think that Russ will agree to take pay cuts in order to win, nor do I think asking him to do so is justified. Nor do I think that the Seahawks did an especially good job in assembling their roster in a year that they started with so much cap space. Nor do I think it necessary that he do so, and I think it reasonable that the team pursue different gameplans.

      But I honestly have to wonder if there’s any possible way that he’s unable to see the simple relationship between lower quarterback salaries and the potential for winning.
      1. Russell himself won while on a rookie contract.
      2. Patrick Mahomes just won, while on a rookie contract
      3. Lamar Jackson is threatening again, while on a rookie contract
      4. Three other teams entered last year’s playoffs w/rookie contract QBs. (note: I counted manually)


      Rob, I do not buy your ‘breadwinner’ argument. A person earning $20 million per year is every bit as set for life as a person earning $30 million per year, assuming good financial management.

      I DO buy the argument that it’s unrealistic to expect Russ to do different, especially after he expressed the desire to be the highest paid QB in 2019. And I dare not argue that he hasn’t earned his money. He’s a joy to watch.

      • Rob Staton

        “Rob, I do not buy your ‘breadwinner’ argument. A person earning $20 million per year is every bit as set for life as a person earning $30 million per year, assuming good financial management.”

        My point was, simply, that Gisele is on a completely different level of wealth even to Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. I didn’t say Ciara isn’t wealthy. But Gisele is reportedly worth about $400m. Brady is worth around $180m. Ciara is said to be worth $20m. That’s not a minor difference.

  6. Danny P

    Of all the seasons to do some major change. If that’s what’s actually happening, wow. Dont have much to add other than as usual, another excellent reading of the tea leaves from Rob. Glad your wisdom is directed at my fav team.

    • Rob Staton

      Thank you

  7. Gohawks5151

    This was unavoidable really. It is just the next evolution in the relationship between RW, PC and JS. Russ was the ultimate “company man” in contrast to a wild bunch in the LOB days. A lot of time the people that quietly keep their heads down and work are overlooked despite their performance. Now they built the team around him and things are different. He has damn near equal equal sway to PCJS. Russ is deserving of having his voice heard. I think we know he is not a domineering guy. I don’t think he wants to run the draft (though people keep bringing up Mahommes “selecting” CEH) or anything like that. He just wants to be heard and know that if he is going to continue to bear the load, then PCJS better be doing their best to make sure he is in the best position to do so. Not a bad thing at all.

    Also i think that the other two top 3 QBs and their coaches probably played a part. Andy Reid has always been good but he has definitely had a creative renaissance the past few years that Mahommes is definitely contributing to. Jon Harbaugh built a time machine and built an option heavy scheme around Jackson. Both long time coaches, both teams kind of stuck in the early playoff exit routine, both make major changes to put their QBs in the best position, both become the 2 best teams with top 3 QBs. Its PC and Russ turn.

  8. Wade

    Love that this comes out right after the strategy achieved big success (not saying the success won’t continue–but might be a little harder once a team prepares for the pass heaviness). “I told you so.” Rodgers looking out for his client.

  9. Wade

    Also…how crazy is it that Pete/JS clearly had a plan of how they wanted to build a team, stuck to that plan for years, and yet after nearly ten years couldn’t shore up the position groups that they need to play that way — despite heavy draft resources spent on those groups? I’m not saying they *lucked* into RW, but I can’t imagine he’s the type of QB they assumed they’d have at this point. They probably figured they’d build a winner that looked more like SF, except for probably a defense weighted more towards the secondary than the D line.

    Great work, as always, Rob. Best football blog on the internet.

    • Rob Staton

      Thanks Wade

    • AlaskaHawk

      Things that were lucky but not really when you consider the effort. Drafting Sherman and Chancellor, and Wilson and Baldwin in later rounds. Signing Marshawn Lynch, Bennet and Avril to low cost contracts.

      That makes a pretty decent team. I’m sure there is some players I am forgetting.

  10. Mark

    @Rob, what are your thoughts? So in light of this news does the off-season make more sense now? If they knew about Wilson’s desire to cook. Then obtaining OL that can pass protect becomes more vital? Maybe that’s the reason they threw so much money and resources at the OL to try find guys who are cheap and provide better pass blocking and let Pete’s always compete Philosophy happen? Also explains the change in course from PEte .When he was saying that they wanted to maintain continuity on the OL, if Pete said those things prior to Russ informing the team he wants to cook. Then keeping Fluker and Ifedi who are no longer required as they were more proficient for their run blocking.

    • cha

      Very interesting question. Also probably had a lot to do with tendering Hollister and Moore.

      I also don’t think the offseason was completely mapped out in regards to the DL. It seems obvious they completely scrambled after Clowney didn’t sign immediately, then talked themselves into everything is set up to complement Clowney since they got Mayowa and Irvin and the 2 DEs in the draft, then realized Clowney wasn’t coming, traded the house for Adams, then got to camp and realized Taylor was hurt, Green and Collier hadn’t progressed as hoped and got back into the Clowney sweepstakes but somehow/someway got outbid, and here we are with our DL.

    • Rob Staton

      No, none of this makes the off-season clearer.

  11. Hoggs41

    Its an ibtetesting topic for sure. I have no problem with him pushing the franchise to go for it. Im just not sure that him going elsewhere would help him. Where could he go that would improve his situation? I dont think he really would want to go elsewhere, he is just using it for leverage which is OK.

    • Simo

      I think there’s definitely places he could go and be very successful. Brees is almost done in NO, what if you put Russ on that team. They have great weapons to work with and a very good defense. If SF could figure out how to dump Jimmy G and bring in Russ, that’s a scary thought. That’s just two possible options, and I’m sure there’s others.

      • Mark

        Russ with the weapons in Cleveland would be scary.

      • cha

        I could see Indy, Dallas or even Washington in the mix too.

      • Big Mike

        I’ve said New Orleans would be his top choice if he wanted to leave. Brees retiring after this season and you know Sean Payton would love to have RW and he’d have no worries about Payton utilizing him to the fullest or if you prefer, letting him cook. Plus they’re already constructed for a shorter QB (good up the middle on the o-line).

        • Rob Staton

          It’s not about a trade really.

          It’s about spurring Seattle into action.

    • Rob Staton

      I think there are some places that would have appeal. Big market teams. Or teams that have had success and are moving on from QB’s.

      But admittedly the grass isn’t always greener.

  12. Fern

    Great piece, Rob. I couldn’t agree with you more that the team needed a kick in the arse. While they have been stuck in the mud for years, I think it was because of a foundering sense of direction. They wanted to play Pete ball for far too long, truly wasting the talents of RW. Also, they got too cute every year in the draft, savoring the surprise of being unpredictable and idiosyncratic which led them to ignore obvious, consensus talents and instead make value plays or draft unknowns. Occasionally that worked out, but more often it didn’t. Maybe it’s better they sent all of their draft picks to New York, since JS doesn’t have much of a touch for the first or second rounds anymore.

    Is there any timetable on Josh Gordon?

    • Rob Staton

      No timetable on Gordon yet but surely it’s not much longer now

      • Logan Lynch

        I wonder who they cut to make room for Gordon. Dorsett’s contract is already guaranteed, but he doesn’t make a ton of money. Moore showed he still has value. They already picked Swain over Ursua, and I have a feeling he’s going to be good. I guess Penny Hart is probably the odd man out.

        There are some intriguing guys coming back off the PUP/NFI. Could be a good shot in the arm with Penny, Parkinson, Taylor.

  13. TomLPDX

    Well done, Rob.

    People might not like Florio but the man is smart and on top of his own game. I happen to like the man and when I see that he has something to report he reports it and it is normally spot on. I also agree about the no-trade clause…it is to Russ’s benefit, not the FO. Gives him the veto power and control he needs to keep bad moves from happening.

  14. hawkfanforetenity

    I think you’ve got a pretty clear grasp on what’s happening Rob. As usual. I see this as a good thing for us fans. Russ holding the leadership to account is a good thing. Certainly neither ownership or the local media is going to. This isn’t Russ pouting, or about stats it’s about wanting them to put a legendary team around him.

    Also, it seems to me that Russ seems a lot more intense on the sideline, less raw-raw and more “I want to go out and destroy”.

    • Rob Staton

      I like this version of Russ.

      • Big Mike

        Likewise

  15. cha

    [joking]You know maybe we can get sacks with a better d backfield. At least vs SF [/joking]

    https://twitter.com/Brickwallblitz/status/1305357938052259841

    Reminds me of those old time tabletop magnetic games

  16. Steve Nelsen

    “It is time for the Seahawks to match the ambitions of their star player.”

    That is perfectly stated.

  17. cha

    Feels like with the COVID protocols, today/tomorrow morning would be the earliest we could make any roster additions to get them through and at least one practice with the team if the Hawks intend to have them play even a minimum of snaps this weekend.

    • Rob Staton

      Can only imagine the price is an issue for players like Matthews, Wake and the DT’s.

      Because the PFF grades (posted below) were scary.

  18. Rob Staton

    PFF grades on defense:

    Wagner — 87.3
    Adams — 85.8
    Wright — 71.2
    Damontre Moore — 70.1 (on 20 or so snaps)
    Brooks — 69.5 (again barely any snaps)
    Hill — 65.8
    Bruce — 63.4
    Rasheem Green — 62.3
    Jarran Reed 60.6
    Poona — 58.7
    Mayowa — 56.3
    Collier — 55.7
    Diggs — 53.8
    Griffin — 52.1
    Blair — 44.9
    Dunbar — 40.6

    So basically this confirms EVERYTHING about the D-line. They were not good. And it’s also damning for the two cornerbacks and Diggs.

    They’re going to rely a LOT on Bobby & Jamal.

    • cha

      Gregg Bell
      @gbellseattle
      Pete Carroll on #Seahawks
      bench talking intently with CBs Quinton Dunbar, Shaquill Griffin after defense gave up a couple passes for sizable gains that first series. ATL 3-0 early
      10:11 AM · Sep 13, 2020

      • Rob Staton

        It was a poor defensive performance —- masked by the brilliance of Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner.

        • cha

          I think it was masked more by Atlanta’s miscues and RW’s brilliance but we can agree it was masked.

      • lil’stink

        Ciara is a c-level celeb who makes pennies on the dollar compared to Gisele. But, I do agree to a certain extent.

        I understand why Wilson would want to be the highest paid player in the NFL. But at some point you aren’t going to be able to have your cake and eat it, too. It’s incredibly hard to build a SB winning team when you have one player eating up your cap space. The only true NFL dynasty the last 20 years is the team where the QB took a large discount over the years.

        Brady has set such an absurd standard with 6 rings that you aren’t going to come close to being in that ballpark if you don’t take the same steps he did to get there.

        • lil’stink

          Totally wrong comment to reply to. Apologies

    • Simo

      Why such poor grades for Diggs and Blair? Did they miss a bunch of assignments? I just didn’t notice poor play by these two, as opposed to Griffin and Dunbar.

      • GerryG

        Its not that surprising imo.
        1) New system for Dunbar
        2) New position for Blair
        3) No pre season for any of them; first time playing as a unit, even Griff/Diggs only played 5 games together last year.

        I have confidence in the DBs improving with some time. I have zero confidence with the DL, aside from some moderate growth from Collier and Reed playing at his career avg

    • James C

      Do you know if PFF factors in pass rush when referring to DB’s? Obviously the better the pass rush, the easier it is on the DB’s. We simply have to find another DT and DE pronto even if they are crappy, at the very least to give our average players a rest.

      • Rob Staton

        I don’t know but it stands to reason that a vastly improved pass rush will help those players perform better.

    • CaptainJack

      Hate to be optimistic here, but I would be pretty surprised if we don’t see Blair, Dunbar and even Griffin improve significantly as the season went on. Blair is playing a brand new position, Dunbar is coming off a terrible terrible offseason for him, and Griffin just needs to regain his footing and play like he did most of last year again.

      As for the dline, I don’t share the same optimism. Seeing Damontre Moore get good grades on his limited snaps is encouraging though, keep him around and see what he can do with some more playing time… if it gets Mayowa and Collier off the field. I know most people here don’t think Walker will amount to much but I don’t see what we have to lose in letting him rotate in at LEO as well. And of course, play Robinson.

      It was fairly heartbreaking for me to watch the titans broncos game last time, as I zeroed in on Clowney whenever the titans were on the field. He looked a lot quicker and played with a higher motor than I remember him playing with in any of his games with seattle, besides san francisco on the road. I take this to mean he’s at a better place health and fitness wise than he was a year ago, and it was hard to watch.

      Consistently, consistently disruptive. The denver offense had a heck of a time dealing with him the entire night and Drew Lock was constantly thrown off his “spot”. It actually wouldn’t have been a close game at all if now for the titan’s kicking woes.

      • Rob Staton

        I would expect better from Dunbar (with time) and Griffin & Diggs are not as bad as the performance or grade showed on Sunday.

        But I do think Shaquill Griffin is overrated and should be allowed to test the market next year.

        • Duceyq

          The dropped gimme INT by Dunbar might’ve improved his stat line. But he was in good position and made a play on the ball. I expect to see more of that from him moving forward.

          First game in a new defense, with no preseason, I’ll give him and the secondary some slack for it’s performance. Conditioning probably didn’t play in the defenses favor in that 4th qt too.

  19. cha

    You want good defense you say? Kyle Lewis is modeling it for you right here.

    https://twitter.com/JoeDoyleMiLB/status/1305664234286538753

    That’s a 4 run swing in a 1 run M’s win right there.

    • Gohawks5151

      Kid is for real. I like the hops at the end. Doing the bull dance, feeling the flow, working it

      • AlaskaSouth

        +1 Great reference

        • Gohawks5151

          Got to rep the classics!

      • Big Mike

        Yep he’s for REAL.
        .
        .
        .
        .
        So then how long til he bails on the Mariners and signs as a FA with the Yankees?

    • hawkdawg

      Pretty sure it was a 4 run save in a game the M’s went on to lose 9-0. The first game of the doubleheader was an M’s win….

  20. Pran

    They have to let Russ cook, what other options do they have. Defense is bottom 5. Run game wont be alone enough to keep up with score. Hawks need to be ahead in score right from get go to stand a chance with better teams.

    Seahawks is a version of Saints from few years ago.. Bree cooks Defense sucks and nothing to show for!

    • TomLPDX

      Good analogy. What the saints and Loomis did was to beef up that D and for the most part have been successful while still maintaining a strong offense. The Saints are the NFC team to beat this year

    • Mike

      I hate the “let russ cook“ analogy. He is undoubtedly the best player, and in our past years we became predictably static. Pretending we could bludgeon opposing teams into submission i think was a wildly overstated strategy. The league is full of professional tough guys. It offered a slight edge in the marshawn years, not a major one. Back then, part of what was critical was that we had good wide receivers to throw to spread the threat of our offense wide, with both russ and marshawn + oline that were able to run too. It was favoring the run, but balanced by a dangerous WR core to compliment it and a mobile quarterback to make a 3 pronged threat.

      Recent history, was that we acted with the same gameplan, with a team not really geared to provide a balanced threat. Naturally teams cued up on stopping the run, and when it got stopped, the oline/wr core couldn’t compensate.

      Now? Well our WR core is a strength. There are threats. But our RB situation is better than its been in years too. So now the entire field needs to be accounted for and defenses have to be geared to stop both kinds of ball on every down. Its actually balanced. So let him throw. Or run it. Either way, the group projects A variety of threats across the entire field. You can’t focus your attention and defensive personnel towards just one style of play.

      And obviously the entire league has shifted towards offense. The rules have changed towards it. The successful teams favor strong offenses. Its been trending that way for years. Focusing your resources on offense first, then adding a flawed but opportunistic d to get stops and turnovers is the plan used by most of the league now. Bulletproof defenses like in the LOB era are unfeasible now. The rules prevent it.

      Successful defenses now are about getting picks and making red zone stops. That’s really about it. Forcing teams to go 3 and out and backing them up by their endzone to get safeties, or punting to keep em in field position.. that’s archaic football from a different time with different rules.

  21. Ukhawk

    Agree of course RW wants to progress, evolve, compete and lead his team.

    I think it makes sense and IMO he I is being supported by the team.

    And why not, he is now elite and able to win games by elevating the team.

    Remember when the OL was a porous joke? WR group pedestrian? RW has evolved to lead a dominant offense with a good not great supporting cast. Hallelujah!

    I also believe what he wants most is to win, and he must know they need a balanced offensive and team to do so.

    Lots of QBs including Rothlisberger, Montana, Elway, Manning and evening Brady had to go through rebuilds. This is no different. Let’s Go

  22. James Z

    It wouldn’t be critical at all for me and others to say the SH management has made some head-scratching decisions on their draft board, FA signings, trades, and personnel usages. RW is not a fool when it comes to these things. He’s smart and ambitious in a good way. I’ve happy to see he’s using his well-earned power to try and get himself and his team better.

    We’ll see what transpires when the Hawks meet NE on Sunday, but if the SH’s don’t shore up the middle of the DL (and the edges) somehow by then Belichick might literally run them over.

  23. Frank

    I wonder how effective this new game plan of taking what the defense offers you is going to be when teams know it’s coming? Just poking a little fun at PC for being a little inflexible when it comes to change. I thought the point was spot on, about lacking the ability to play full circle complimentary football with the rooster as it is. I absolutely hate that player contracts and free agency makes you lose so many talented players, or choose what parts of your complete circle you can’t live without. The fact is, when they choose to pay Russel, they made the decision not to be able to play full circle football, so why wouldn’t you hand you fate to him on the field if you’ve already handled it to him in the contract. I’d still personally have invested a bit more qualified in the oline, if I was going to try to win shoot outs every week.

    • cha

      when they choose to pay Russel, they made the decision not to be able to play full circle football

      No. They had the money to spend to be able play full circle football this offseason and made some choices that did not line up with that goal.

      • Rob Staton

        Which is probably a key reason why RW has spoken out. There’s no way he watched what they did in FA and thought… ‘this is a championship off-season’.

        • cha

          Forget getting Rob a press pass. Rob for GM!

          • Mike

            Can you imagine? A team with long term strategic thinking. That retains hard to acquire talent at critical hard to draft positions like DE and OT. That signs deals that are for longer than one year, so they dont repeat contract negotiations over and over at increasing prices. That doesn’t trade all their draft picks without securing the top tier player for a time period worth losing the picks for. That doesn’t pretend “good vibes” will determine where an elite player will choose to sign.

      • Big Mike

        Plus they let Frank walk and their drafting along the d-line has been utter shit outside of Frank. Keep Frank and hit on 2 picks and you’re full circle.

        • Frank

          Trust me, I was all about keeping Clark but it was make room for Russell’s contract or keep Clark. It seems there was a focus on depth more than anything this year, and as a team that’s been on the cusp of another Super Bowl for years, but continually hamstrung bye injuries going into the post season it’s not ridiculous to ask if theirs some wisdom to that. Every year there are 5-6 teams with a legit chance to make it to the Super Bowl, and in my opinion team health is the deciding factor most years. I’m simply saying you can’t have it all, and choose one part of the rooster you think is too good, and sacrifice some of that quality to an area of need. I don’t think any of us love how they spent their money this year, total bargain bit depth fillers but that’s been the problem every year lately and the cap is protected in the future to protect core players.

          • Rob Staton

            You mean protect core players like Frank ‘he’s not going anywhere, he’s a Seahawk’ Clark and Jadeveon ‘priority’ Clowney?

            Or maybe that should be Frank ‘we are willing to pay you 17m but not 20m, presumably so we can spend 3-4m on a backup guard in 2020’ Clark?

            Or maybe this is all so they have the flexibility to protect players like Branden Jackson, Joey Hunt and David Moore using RFA at a cost of $6.3m —- only to determine months later that they’re all far too expensive?

            • Frank

              Now your sponging what I’m spilling ;). I don’t know if anyone was more vocal than me in my displeasure they didn’t retain Clark, but yeah Carson, Metcalf, Adams, Griffin all take money set aside for the future even if it means filling your depth chart out with middling veterans than can be cut like Jackson, Hunt, Moore, as replacements are found, or money is needed. They signed a lot of deals they can escape shortly, and a lot of it probably had to due with showing Clowney his market value was diminishing bye the day, unfortunately his pride got in the way so now he’s a Titan for 12 million a year. Good call Clown man. Adams certainly is proving in a hurry that he’s a 20m a year player, and if they don’t find a way to tie him up long term I’d expect a total revolt from fans. I don’t get upset when the Hawks don’t follow my personal beliefs on how to build the ultimate team, as long as I see a plan that makes sense and as much as it’s unpopular on this site Adams is superior to Clowney in every way and was the better call to make. I’m not just blowing sunshine where it doesn’t belong, or being a contrarian for good measure. I saw a plan this year and last that made more sense that what I’d seen the last few years before that. Sure it’s frustrating to read all of the negativity, when it seems like they finally are doing things that make sense, but only time will tell. Finding a way to add a DT is still a massive priority, but this team could cause problems in the post season, as they could have last year if Penny, and Carson hadn’t both gone down. I personally am not a fan of an echo chamber, and love a good conversation that looks at things from multiple perspectives.

  24. CaptainJack

    I completely agree with everything in this article.

    The one thing I wonder about is, what nfl team is just a Russell Wilson away from annually competing for titles?

    The New York giants sure didn’t look like that team last night, and they didn’t most of last season.

    Not saying there would be no fit. When Big Ben retires I could see the Steelers as one potential suitor, but what’s the last time that team was really close to a Super Bowl? The titans right now also seem like a very talented team with a stop gap at quarterback. You also have to wonder if the patriots would be a fit if Newton retires soon or continues to struggle with injuries.

    It’s just a hypothetical and might not be that important, but it’s interesting to think where Russ would look to go if the Seahawks continued to dip out of the post season.

    • Pran

      9ers, Rams

      • CaptainJack

        Man, 9ers almost make too much sense if Russ begins to want out. Pretty much elite at most spots on defense, and then an offensive genius running things on the other side of the ball, just held back but a fairly middle of the road qb. Makes me sick to think about, really.

        I think Goff is a ram for a long time so I have difficulty seeing them as a suitor.

        • Rob Staton

          There’s no way they’d trade him to a rival in a future scenario where the relationship breaks down.

          • BobbyK

            Yep. Just like the Packers refused to trade Favre to the Vikings. When they traded him to the Jets – they even had a clause in there that they couldn’t trade him to the Vikings.

    • Gohawks5151

      Pats always a threat as long as BB is there. Anyone else hear him absolutely gush about him today?

    • McZ

      The Chargers with their beautifuly new stadium.

  25. cha

    https://twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1305914276872298499

    Hi Res Game Poster is Amazing!

    Not crazy about the

    SEA
    TTLE

    But the color combo, the artistry and the fierceness is off the charts.

  26. cha

    Trollin trollin trollin

    Keep on pass rush trollin

    Field Yates
    @FieldYates
    Some notable workouts/visits early this week:
    Jets: LB Paul Worrilow
    Seahawks: DE Breeland Speaks
    Vikings: S George Iloka
    Chargers: RB Bilal Powell
    Texans: LB James Burgess, WR Dwayne Harris
    1:59 PM · Sep 15, 2020

    • cha

      Bob Condotta
      @bcondotta
      No moves for Seahawks today on official NFL transactions list.
      2:14 PM · Sep 15, 2020

    • Logan Lynch

      Was a VMAC visitor in 2018. Below is Rob’s writeup on him. https://seahawksdraftblog.com/notes-on-seattles-vmac-workout-prospects

      Breeland Speaks (DE, Ole Miss)

      Watching a Speaks highlight video feels like you’re watching a first rounder. His mobility and quickness working the edge at 6-3 and 287lbs is impressive. He rushes like a pure EDGE at times. Sadly the full game tape shows inconsistent play to go with the occasional flash. Even so, he ran a 1.65 10-yard split at his size and that can’t be ignored. Another possible Michael Bennett replacement.

      Lance Zierlein: “He can be chippy and emotional on the field and needs to mature, but he has the talent and ability to continue getting better.”

      Likely range: Middle rounds — but the type that could end up turning into a valued starter.

      • Scot04

        Speaks makes alot of sense, especially since it seems they don’t want to spend any money

    • cha

      Demarcus Christmas “visited” too

      https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1305982117575372800

      • Rob Staton

        How reassuring that a guy seemed not good enough for even the practise squad is now looking like an attractive proposition.

        • TomLPDX

          At least he knows the system and being a PS player holding a spot until someone better comes along.

          • Rob Staton

            Knowing the system didn’t prevent him from being cut despite a horrible DT situation and not even making the PS though.

            • TomLPDX

              I was grasping for straws, what can I say…

      • Elmer

        Why? They waived him in favor of …who?

    • CaptainJack

      Not sure on what meaning of trolling you intended

      However, at this stage, I’d rather bring in a cheap, high-upside and hungry young guy to try to develop than an old has-been demanding over 3 million.

      Speaks would be preferable to me over Matthews. The appealing at face value options are all off the table now. Time to turn over rocks.

      • Mike

        Hey, if that rock was big enough, and hard enough to move, it may be a decent fit at the gaping DT hole in the roster.

        At this point, we may want to look at any sumo wrestlers that need a job.

  27. BobbyK

    Our offense deserves to be given an opportunities to win games at all times, not simply when they’ve dug themselves a hole and need Russ to bail them out. It was the same with John Elway when he played for Dan Reeves. Reeves would try to play Martyball and run the ball through 3 1/2 quarters (and they didn’t have a truly great run game until Reeves left) and then depend on Elway to perform some magic. Sure, it worked well – but Elway would have been much better if he and Russ should (have been) be given the reigns to win games early and win games by attacking defenses late (I trust Russ to make a play than I do our defense to stop anyone). It seems easy. Or easier than playing Martyball without a good overall team.

    If I had been Russ – I don’t think I would have signed the contract last year. I would have done the Kirk Cousins. Even if he tore and ACL – does anyone in their right mind think some team wouldn’t have properly compensated him to get his future services? Look at what the Brooklyn Nets did for KD. They paid him max to do absolutely nothing for one season with the assurances they’d get him beyond. You know Russ would have gotten paid unless he broke his neck and how many QBs can you list that have had that happen? The odds aren’t high, lets just say that. I wouldn’t have signed that extension until knowing they were ready to commit to a system that allows him to make more plays than run, run, punt when teams know what’s coming. Through one week this year, it has been refreshing. Not every week is going to yield 38 points, but there’s no reason think this offense can lead them to a 14-2 or 15-1 type record. Now, when you add our DL into the mix – the average of means this offense can still lead this team to a 12-4 or 11-5 type record. If they’re allowed to. The Martyball offense would mean these Seahawks are 10-6 or 9-7 and only that good because of Russell Wilson magic.

  28. Trenchtown

    From 2012 to 2015, the Seahawks had a point differential of 140 points or better. Since that time, they’ve gone 62, 34, 81, and 7. When I looked at other perennial contenders, I saw much the same thing or worse. Green Bay, New Orleans and Pittsburgh each have negative point differential seasons at some point in that time frame and only New Orleans has been able to put up back to back 100 point plus PDs. The only exception is the Patriots who have put up plus 100 point differentials for each season back to 2006.

    I feel like the Seahawks have tried to go out and get stars. They went out and got Harvin, Jimmy Graham, Duane Brown, and Clowney. It’s just for the most part, they haven’t panned out. I think the answer is that if you want to be the GOAT in today’s NFL, you have to be part of the the Brady/Belichick combo.

  29. Sea Mode

    Tryouts:

    DE John Daka
    DB Michael Jacquet (wasn’t he on the PS before…? Name rings a bell.)
    G Andrew Jones

    Visits:

    DT Demarcus Christmas
    DE Breeland Speeks (mentioned in the comments above)

    https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1305982117575372800/photo/1

  30. cha

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    The #49ers visit with free agent pass-rusher Ziggy Ansah is over, source said. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract. Ansah will continue to wait for the right opportunity.
    3:06 PM · Sep 15, 2020

    • Big Mike

      There’s our guy!

      (searching in vain for the sarcasm font)

  31. Michael P Matherne

    “It’s clear that he wants to be a Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Lebron James type figure.”

    Crazy that only one of those guys stayed in one spot his whole career.

  32. RWIII

    If Rob’s speculation is true(and I have no reason not to believe it is true). It IS time for Russ to Cook. He certainly has EARNED it. Now that Brady is gone I believe that the combo coach/qb of Carrol/Wilson is the second longest reign in the NFL. The only longer one I can think of is Payton/Brees down in New Orleans. So Russell Wilson knows his playbook as well as any QB in the NFL. It sounds like Russell wants to throw the football more often. He wants to throw for more yardage and more TDs. Who can blame him. I don’t. I have been saying for years that the Hawks need to open up the playbook. They did last Sunday. They were throwing screen passes. Running misdirection plays. Throwing more intermediate passes(higher percentage). More slants/crossing patterns. And throwing the occasion deep pass. Another point. The Seahawks have a BOAT LOAD of weapons. The Seahawks actually have more weapons that the Chiefs(if everyone stays healthy). Russell Wilson went 31-35 and they did have NOT have Josh Gordon, Philip Dorsett, Rashard Penny, Colby Parkinson available. Also. Chris Carson looked really really good. He looked as good as any back in the NFL.

    Now. Yes Russell Wilson did have a fantastic game. But the Falcons pass defense is one of the worst in the NFL. New England has one the best secondarys in the NFL. The Patroits do have some REALLY GOOD cornerbacks(besides Stephon Gilmore.) Let see what happens in this game. Everyone knows that Belichick is a master mind when it comes to strategy. Belichick likes to take away the opponents best player. The problem who is the Hawks best weapon(besides Russell Wilson). Russell Wilson vs. Bill Belichick. This is a can’t miss.

    • Mike

      I mean, as good as their corners are, DK is a physical mismatch even to them. And nothing says we can’t gash them with olsen/dissly or carson/hyde when our wr core runs deep. There’s too many threats and options on offense right now. The fact he is an mvp candidate is just the icing on the cake.

      Besides, cam and the pats seem to be very running game reliant right now. Who on the WR scares our secondary? No one. Our secondary can cover them fine with minimal help. So jamal, and our LBs just need to cue into cam newton breaking out runs. That seems very doable. Id rather face him than kyler murray, who we know pete has been planning for all offseason.

      • Elmer

        We need speed on the field against Cam. Brooks, Barton, BBK?

  33. SonGoku

    Rob, do you think there are any trade options to possibly add to the D-Line? Someone like McKinley maybe?

    • Rob Staton

      None spring to mind.

      • All I see is 12s

        Any thoughts on Leonard Williams?

        • Rob Staton

          How can they trade for him though? He’s on a franchise tag for a start so you’d need to create major cap space and you’d have him on a rental because he can’t negotiate a new deal.

      • Dan Riggs

        No one wants to hear this but it makes sense. We need to pull Michael Bennett out of retirement. He can help us.

        • Rob Staton

          No we don’t.

          I don’t understand this obsession with Bennett.

          He’s old, disruptive in the locker room and the Seahawks paid him handsomely to go away in 2018. Then several other teams had him and also told him to go away.

          Time to move on.

          • Dan Riggs

            Well, he’s younger than Cameron Wake! He might be disruptive in the locker room but he’s also disruptive in the game. Not ideal but we don’t have a ton of options. Go with the player who will help the most.

            • Rob Staton

              And Josh Rosen is younger than Drew Brees.

              Age isn’t the point.

              It’s the complete package.

              I’ve no idea why Seahawks fans are so obsessed with bringing Bennett back. They got rid of him. They paid him to go away.

              • Dan Riggs

                “Age is not the point”

                You listed age as one of your reasons for why we shouldn’t get Bennett. Your said “he’s old” and i said, “he’s younger than Cameron Wake”.

                Regardless of his personality, he’s a talented player. He just is. We need talent on the line. If he’s cheap, it doesn’t hurt. I don’t understand why you are so dead set against it when you’ve been correctly noting that the DL needs some help. I’ll take Bennett over Suggs or Wake.

                • Rob Staton

                  Because he’s old! And retired!

                  But you can’t just say another player is also old so it’s ok!

                  Move on for crying out loud.

      • SonGoku

        Jonathan Allen (DT) to add pressure from the interior? Don’t know what compension WAS would want for him but probably too much with our limited amount of picks…

        • Rob Staton

          There’s no way Washington would trade him for what Seattle has left in terms of trade stock.

  34. cha

    See new Tweets
    Conversation

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    The #49ers are signing WR Mohamed Sanu, per
    @MikeMcCartney7
    . A no-brainer, given his familiarity with Kyle Shanahan.
    3:39 PM · Sep 15, 2020·

  35. charlietheunicorn

    Seahawks: DE Breeland Speaks

    Why did this guy fall off a cliff? What kind of upside could possibly have that they don’t have on the roster right now. A cheap temporary fix to bolster depth at DE.

    • Scot04

      injuries got him. He basically missed his whole 2nd year

      • charlietheunicorn

        Scouting reports prior to draft said he was a power rushing DE.
        Good straight line speed, but not as good with change of direction.

  36. Nathan_12thMan

    You’re welcome everyone for posting this vid on twitter. 😀 lol

    Yeah, I am with you Rob. You along with anyone else paying attention saw a different Russell this off-season. It lines right up with everything else we have seen and heard that he’d finally start to apply some pressure in order to be more involved in the offense.

    Personally I have been saying for YEARS that I am so in favor of Russ throwing his weight around in this manner that I would support him forcing a trade in order to be used to the full extent of his potential. I am a Seahawks fan but I am also a Russ fan who wants to see him play like he did against the Falcons (basically like Mahomes would) every week. Obviously he’s going to struggle playing better pass defenses and he will have off days, and yes I want the run game to be better than it was vs ATL, but the idea of him playing out his career like we’ve seen him used would be so disappointing to me.

    So this is a win-win and honestly I genuinely thought we wouldn’t see it happen under Pete Carroll. Hell, I didn’t think Schotty had it in him either. I thought they’d be who they are until the day they retired. Russ threw some weight around and as a result we got the best case scenario, a fantastic win, every issue I had with how the offense operated is fixed and Russ is getting SO much national love you’d think they were engraving his MVP trophy right now.

    It should be remembered at the end of the season if we have a great record, a NFCCG or even Superbowl appearance and Russ with MVP votes (or a win) that it seems Russ spurred this on. Like you said, this is a QB who isn’t laid back, enjoying his money, fine with going 11-5 with playoff births every year.

    • DC

      Kudos to Pete and company for recognizing that Russ IS the Seahawks & their job security and adapting as required.

  37. charlietheunicorn

    Nate Ulrich
    @ByNateUlrich
    · 13h
    #Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr.: I care about one thing and that’s winning and producing

    that would be 2 things OBJ…. oh well 😂

    • jopa726

      From Bob Condotta’s Twitter: “Seattle’s pass-heavy attack Sunday turned start running back Chris Carson into more of a receiver. But coach Pete Carroll says he’ll get more carries going forward. (via @bcondotta)”

      “First time out it went fine,’’ Carroll said of the way the running backs were used. “Seven and six carries wasn’t enough for our guys and we need to get more. We were at 20 (runs). We want to get more than that in general. But when Russ was completing every pass we weren’t discouraged about moving the football. But we love running the ball, we always have, and those guys will get more carries as we move down through the schedule.’’
      Source, Seattle Times, Seahawks’ Chris Carson had just six carries vs. the Falcons. Pete Carroll promises he’ll get more soon, Bob Condotta, 15 September 2020

      Note to Bill Belichick, the first play of Sunday’s game, when the Seahawks’ Offensive has the ball is “Hey Diddle Diddle, Carson up the middle”.

  38. matty

    if Wilson desire is to stay putt for another ten years and with how comfortable he feels within the organization and no current input/ear to bend from the owner, he’s probably feeling/understand that he needs to give PC & JS a strong nudge to push the team his way. you always read a organization needs to build around an elite QB.

    • Rob Staton

      I think he’s anxious to win.

      He wants titles.

      He knows they haven’t been close for years. Good not great.

      And I suspect he was as frustrated as anyone with their off-season.

      Fans should be happy he’s applied some pressure and is holding the team to account.

  39. cha

    Mike Garafolo
    @MikeGarafolo
    The #49ers are placing CB Richard Sherman on IR today, sources say. He’ll be sidelined at least three weeks. Exact injury unclear but am told it’s a leg issue.
    8:27 AM · Sep 16, 2020

    • Rob Staton

      Will be interesting to hear what the exact issue is.

      • pdway

        Hot take – – Are the Niners set up for a post-SB loss down year?

        I wouldn’t have thought it going into the season, and w the clinical off-season they had. But they have a lot of early injuries. And Jimmy G looked like Jimmy G in the first game.

        thoughts . . .

        • Rob Staton

          “Hot take – – Are the Niners set up for a post-SB loss down year?”

          Possibly. They might emulate the Rams last year. But I think Kyle Shanahan is too savvy for a collapse.

        • cha

          I think the NIners’ depth and Shanahan’s craftiness will keep them afloat. They might not be the juggernaut they were last year but sometimes a wounded animal is more dangerous due to overestimating them. Jimmy G will have to show more than he did Week One though.

          I’d also like to hijack the thread just a bit and say, sometimes teams have an “injury year” and how you deal with it really shows your depth and the way the system principles work. 2019 was such a year for the Hawks and they still went deep into the playoffs.

          Seahawks who missed 4 or more games to due injury (deep breath):

          Haynes
          Dickson
          Britt
          Dissly
          Pocic
          Penny
          Carson
          Naz Jones
          Kendricks
          Simmons
          Thorpe
          Ziggy
          Duane Brown
          TT
          Lano Hill
          Luke Willson

          And Clowney missed 3 games and played hurt.
          And Collier and Moore played but coulda/shoulda went on IR.

          Holy smokes is that a ton of guys. Here’s hoping 2020 is better.

        • CaptainJack

          They won’t win 13 games again…

          But they’ll be in the post season mix for sure

      • TomLPDX

        Sherm’s injury is being reported as a calf strain and should be back in a few weeks.

  40. Hoggs41

    Looking at Alvin Kamaras 5 year $75m contract. The last year is worth $25m which he will never get. Basically looks like a 4 year $50m contract on par with what Mixon and Cook just got.

  41. JW

    I don’t think RW would leave on bad terms, he cares too much for his image and standing with the 12’s to let that happen. i do think thought the organization needed a kick in the pants and a line drawn by Russell to stop holding him back when everyone knows how great he can be if they allow him to have more impact on the games, Sunday was the prime example of that.

    Brock Huard brought up a great point about elite QB’s on the road this year without having to deal with crowd noise are going to put up ridiculous numbers, could be not necessarily will be, the reason they lean more on the offense this year. its hard to watch a defense allow that many yards but when you have big hitters coming their way every play I’m OK with it. the real test is if they get behind in game and need a stop by the defense that’s going to make us all lose our S***

    in a weird season and no off-season, i think this is the only direction to possibly go, giving your best player the reigns of the team and live and die by it. if by some miracle we can get even decent to average production by our D-line and get a critical stop or two a game, i think we have a shot, not a good one, but a shot.

  42. cha

    https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1177013/seahawks-ethan-pocic-most-improved-from-last-season/

    I like Brock’s reasoned logic in this cast

    1-RW/Florio report. ‘constant innovation’ ‘healthy friction’

    2-Encouraged by Pocic – Schlereth relayed comments to Brock. Perfect? No. OL problems solved? No. RW asking to be sacked? At times yes. Gonna have to be better to hold on vs LA/SF/AZ DLs

    3-DL/Clowney? Flashed but looked like a guy who has been playing FB for 5 days. New team and environment

    • Scot04

      I’d love to have an out of shape Clowney added to this group. It’s difficult to see any realistic way to uograde this D-line. Anyone we bring in will likely have the same problem ( not in game shape ); Unfortunately without the game changing ability. Still they need to do something.
      however it sure feels like they’re comfortable rolling with what they have, even if they know it’s not good enough.

    • Rob Staton

      Healthy friction is a nice way of putting it.

      The key is to keep it healthy.

    • New Guy

      I sure miss Brock & Salk.

      Never thought I’d say that…

      .

      • Rob Staton

        Brock & Salk were awesome (and still are).

  43. MyChestIsBeastMode

    This has been RW’s team more or less since day one, at least in that we fly or fall based on his performance. Yet, he never officially got to take the reins from the coaching staff, except for many magical 4th quarters due to necessity of his unique talents in staging improbable comebacks. Now, I applaud him for stepping up and demanding (via back-channels) that he take point and officially become the face of this franchise.

    It’s going to be a different year. After a decade of defensive mentality, we are going to be offense focused and Russ is one of two or three QBs I trust wholeheartedly to successfully spearhead transition like this.

    #ChefBoyarrDoubleU

  44. L80

    At this point with all the negativity in the world, I am just going to enjoy what we have for now. We have Wilson signed for a few more years, and especially in the USA, we’re blasted with so much negativity it is numbing.

    I for one, thoroughly enjoyed that delicious win on the road. It was a great way to begin.

    • Rob Staton

      We all enjoyed the win, L80. I sympathise with you that you feel blasted with negativity at the moment. However, I will continue on here to talk about relevant topics and for me — this was a relevant topic to discuss.

  45. Darnell

    On the re-watch, Mayowa was really good. Not Wagner/Adams level, but really encouraging.

    Small sample size caveat of course, but Damontre was the league leader in pass rush win rate for last week.

    • Volume12

      Thought he had himself a good game too.

      • Lewis

        He certainly made some big plays in key moments, which is a start. A sack, a pass defended, a tfl, a qb hit…add another sack and people might be talking about this as a dominant performance.

        The obvious concern is generating pressure with 4, but is that really as big of a concern as it would have been in the past? I think we will see less base defense this year, with more big nickel (Blair) and letting Adams do his thing.

        Having said that, any upgrades on the DL could have a huge impact. Some Christmas was in town rather than Harrison or Dareus, maybe that’s the way they go (depth, if not an upgrade). The Speaks visit is interesting, though. You wonder why KC gave up on him. The injury? The drug infraction? Attitude issues?

    • Rob Staton

      And Moore also had about 20 snaps for perspective.

      Mayowa… PFF didn’t agree. More later today (podcast & article).

      • GerryG

        Mayowa to me looked like the guy I expected. I havent seen a ton of him since was a Seahawk rookie, but from the games I saw and remember that’s him. Makes some plays, plays hard (effort), solid athleticism. I think we would be really happy he was on our team as a rotational guy, that can start if you need for a game or two.

        • cha

          That’s the problem (as I’m sure Rob will illuminate).

          Mayowa played 71 snaps.

          1-That’s not sustainable.

          2-The 71 snaps on the whole did not grade out well by PFF

          • Hoggs41

            I agree, he cat keep playing 90% of the snaps. We have to get that number closer to 60-65 you would think. Same for Reed and Irvin at 85%. Way to high of numbers.

          • Rob Staton

            Mayowa’s a perfectly acceptable third wheel.

            The Seahawks are using him as their premier rusher.

  46. Volume12

    Where’s OBJ end up?

    • cha

      Miami

  47. Denver Hawker

    Don’t want to jinx anything, but I’m floored with the relative health of the roster.

    Have to assume the limited contact days and lack of preseason played a role. We’d previously had concerns about the strength and conditioning program also.

    • Rob Staton

      Don’t tempt fate…

      • BobbyK

        No doubt. Imagine if Reed got hurt. He’s not a stud, but he certainly is our only quality DT. I can’t imagine the DL in that scenario.

  48. cha

    Doug Kyed
    @DougKyed
    Pete Carroll on who will be done coaching first, him or Bill Belichick: “I dunno. Ask him. I’m on a five-year plan. In five years, I’ll reassess.”
    11:49 AM · Sep 16, 2020

    • TomLPDX

      Love our coach!

    • Big Mike

      Didn’t Marv Levy and maybe Bud Grant coach into their mid-70s?

      • TomLPDX

        This Q sent me to google. Marv was 72 when he stopped. George Halas was also 72 when he stopped.

  49. Mark Dickinson

    Honestly I pegged this 1st game with Atlanta I thought it would be 31 to 28 Seattle. I was thinking this would be 2012 playoff game. The difference would be Russel Wilson, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, and Bruce Irving experience would win out. Atlanta’s CB’s were there weakness and so you got to see more of Russel to start. When they decided to let him cook on 4th and 5yds. On that play , Russel didn’t just cook. He caught fire! Instead of waiting toward the end of the game, they took a chance.
    Seattle did go out and get that superstar player Russel Wilson wanted. It happen to be a defensive player that Pete Carol had to have. I wasn’t McDonald would have stayed healthy for the year and watching Adams this week I think Pete found his Ronnie Lott. This is a guy that other teams have extra meetings about. It may not be what Russel Wilson expect but for him I have always believed it’s always been about winning.
    Because our scheduled i had us going 12-4 an I got to that by comparing Russel Wilsen to the opponent Quarter back. I don’t Russel cook against the Patriots. This game is going to be more physical with Seattle running more against the LBs of the Patriots. I have Seattle 28-24. The score will look close but there is no way Russel Wilson loses to Cam.
    The RB’s will get more time this next game and they look great. Carlos Hyde addition is a major plus.
    The TE’s will also get more use against the Patriots. They just may have the next 2 TDs from Wilson in the next game.
    The WR you all have great skill sets and to be quite honest Wilson had no problem spreading the ball around.
    The OL on Chris Carson’s 2 td catch, which was one of the best screen play I think Seattle has ever done. It was perfect! There was a struggle in the 2nd quarter and part of the 3rd but I was alright with how Lewis and Shell did.
    The DL manage to get the pressure When it was necessary. I think you could possibly see more Alton Robinsin going forward with Green nicked up.
    The LB It a pleasure to see the boy’s all back together. This has to be the best LB room I have ever seen.
    The Secondary Has in many ways looks like the LOB2. I say its absolutely better than the Patriots secondary not they aren’t good we just have more positions filled, but depth.
    The coordinators Brian Schottenheimer and Ken Norton Jr. are on there 3rd year and they know what they have and what they want to do.
    I am more confidant that Seattle will go 12-4 this year after seeing what’s happened to San Fran. I am however more scared of Arizona Cardinal’s and the L.A. Rams this year. Division are always the sneaky guys you have to watch.

    • TomLPDX

      Totally agree with you about Carson’s 2nd TD catch. That was perfectly executed and I can hear Schotty telling the offense that it was awesome and execution was spot on.

      I also agree that we will be back to a more balanced offense against the Pats and will prevail in a close game. I think Pete will play each opponent differently and maximize our capabilities. He has confidence in Russ and Schotty this year as a solid team and I’ll bet he shuts up a bit in Schotty’s ear while on the sideline with Schotty in the booth and let Russ do his thing.

  50. CaptainJack

    From a logical view point, I am predicting a Patriots’s victory on sunday.

    This is how I see it playing out: Our dline can’t contain cam newton’s running threat and michel also runs all over us. They control the time of possession. Pat’s secondary neutralizes our passing attack. Pats pull out a victory with a last minute field goal.

    • TomLPDX

      Don’t underestimate our LB’ers.

  51. Josh Emmett

    Jon Clayton addressed this with Danny and Paul this morning and said Florio is full of it.

    • Rob Staton

      Did John call him Mitch Flororio?

    • TomLPDX

      When I read this post I thought to my self…I don’t really care what Clayton has to say anymore.

    • Denver Hawker

      Why would Clayton go out of his way to dispute this? I don’t understand how it’s even an issue. Public perception wants Russ to cook. Staff did just that week 1.

      Clayton needs to hang it up.

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑