Sorry Rob, to catch you somewhat off guard with my “Who is the biggest ultra secret college player that no one has payed attention to so far?” I highly valued you input last year on college players. I also hope to continue checking out your suggestions. Thanks, Richard (aka Desert Seahawk)
Haha, no problem Richard. It made me think on my feet!
Mark
Interesting video. I watched most of it. A few observations/takeaways…
– I kind of feel sorry for Robert Turbin. His value seems to be in being sort of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none type of player. Good in pass protection, can catch the ball out of the backfield, will break off a few solid runs. He seems to have been supplanted by a superior talent in Christine Michael. Hopefully Pete Carrol’s mantra of “always compete” will rub off on him and he’ll solve some of his issues vis a vis going down too early after contact. This team’s depth at running back is ridiculous.
– Does the release of Will Blackmon mean that the Hawks are high on Tharold Simon? I guess they must be. It’s a shame we haven’t got a chance to watch Simon play.
– I drafted Zach Miller for my fantasy league as a backup TE. Kind of hoping he exceeds expectations in terms of his offensive production.
– I’m always kind of intrigued by these Anglo-American exchanges. I wonder if we can’t help foster a more diverse view of English society, with all of it’s varied dialects and subcultures. I feel like I want to learn a lot more about Yorkshire, particularly since Rob has done a good job or repping the region. I thought Ken Loach’s “Kes” was a wonderful film. “The Full Monty” was set in Sheffield, as I recall. I also enjoyed “The Damned United,” about Brian Clough’s disastrous tenure at Leeds United. Any other suggestions for books, films or TV shows set in the region from readers out there?
– On a related note, I’d love to see American-style football take off in Britain, but I think if it does it’s going to have to come from the grass roots. Having local players and local support will be far more effective in promoting the game than having the NFL drop a team wholesale into London and/or Manchester and letting it flounder. As we’ve seen with soccer in this country, the more people watch the game and become educated about it, the more they will be able to overcome their preconceptions and come to appreciate the level of athleticism and the strategic nuances of the sport. But if it does succeed, it will definitely have to be with an English accent(s).
– Kenneth has THE WORST English accent I’ve ever heard. Dick Van Dyke, you can rest easy now. The crown has been wrested from your head, (pun intended). Kenneth does great work over on Field Gulls, though. I kid because I love.
Thanks Rob, Kenneth and Jacson for doing this. I look forward to more in the future.
Colin
If Turbin doesn’t get better at running through contact, I think his days are numbered after this season. Michael is already such a superior back (minus the pass pro), I think the league is going to get a stunning look at his awesomeness- at their expense of course!
I think the team viewed Tharold Simon as a long term investment and Will Blackmon as a short one. Simon has value over many years and Blackmon is a hired gun. They could afford to let Blackmon go. With Antoine Winfield, the Legion of Boom, Walter Thurmond, Lane and Byron Maxwell ALL playing well, and the newly drafted Simon Tharold…. someone has to draw the short straw.
sdcoug
I have no idea how realistic it was, or what region it represented…but if you even have a passing interest in the real football (soccer), check out Green Street Hooligans.
Thanks for the feedback Mark. There’s a film called ‘When Saturday Comes’ starring Sean Bean that tracks the fortunes of one of the local soccer teams over here. Not the greatest film but gives you can idea about the cultures and working class nature of the area, plus the obsession with sport. I live in Sheffield so the Full Monty is my part of the world, ditto Kes which was based in Barnsley. There’s a film called Four Lions which was filmed in Yorkshire plus parts of Sheffield, it’s a dark comedy about suicide bombers. It’s got a bit of a cult following in the UK.
Mark
Rob and sdcoug, thank you for all of the suggestions. sd, I know Elijah Wood is a West Ham supporter, so my guess is GSH is set in East London. I guess I’ll find out when I watch the film.
I know things didn’t work out for him here in Seattle, but I’d always hoped that a change of scenery and a different defensive scheme would allow him to live up to his potential. He seems like a decent fellow.
A. Simmons
Good talk to listen to. Jacson picking Carolina was nuts. I don’t see them coming out of that division as the leader.
Trudy Beekman
Rob, really like the Marvin Austin suggestion. Just watched him against IND and PIT and he looked very disruptive inside.
Glor
Hey Rob, can you remind us again what inspired you to pick the Hawks as a team to root for from way over there in Yorkshire?
I spent some time living in Vancouver and although I had an interest in the NFL, never had a reason to be a fan of a specific team. I needed a reason to stick with one team in particular. On my first visit to Qwest Field (as it was known) I was hooked immediately.
Bird
My thought on the early release of Blackmon is that the Seahawks knew they wouldn’t be keeping him and tried to do right by him so that he’d have more time to catch on elsewhere. If I recall correctly, they did something similar with Leon Washington (though prior to training camp) – they likely could have traded him for a late round pick, but release him instead so that he could negotiate with any team.
Sorry Rob, to catch you somewhat off guard with my “Who is the biggest ultra secret college player that no one has payed attention to so far?” I highly valued you input last year on college players. I also hope to continue checking out your suggestions. Thanks, Richard (aka Desert Seahawk)
Haha, no problem Richard. It made me think on my feet!
Interesting video. I watched most of it. A few observations/takeaways…
– I kind of feel sorry for Robert Turbin. His value seems to be in being sort of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none type of player. Good in pass protection, can catch the ball out of the backfield, will break off a few solid runs. He seems to have been supplanted by a superior talent in Christine Michael. Hopefully Pete Carrol’s mantra of “always compete” will rub off on him and he’ll solve some of his issues vis a vis going down too early after contact. This team’s depth at running back is ridiculous.
– Does the release of Will Blackmon mean that the Hawks are high on Tharold Simon? I guess they must be. It’s a shame we haven’t got a chance to watch Simon play.
– I drafted Zach Miller for my fantasy league as a backup TE. Kind of hoping he exceeds expectations in terms of his offensive production.
– I’m always kind of intrigued by these Anglo-American exchanges. I wonder if we can’t help foster a more diverse view of English society, with all of it’s varied dialects and subcultures. I feel like I want to learn a lot more about Yorkshire, particularly since Rob has done a good job or repping the region. I thought Ken Loach’s “Kes” was a wonderful film. “The Full Monty” was set in Sheffield, as I recall. I also enjoyed “The Damned United,” about Brian Clough’s disastrous tenure at Leeds United. Any other suggestions for books, films or TV shows set in the region from readers out there?
– On a related note, I’d love to see American-style football take off in Britain, but I think if it does it’s going to have to come from the grass roots. Having local players and local support will be far more effective in promoting the game than having the NFL drop a team wholesale into London and/or Manchester and letting it flounder. As we’ve seen with soccer in this country, the more people watch the game and become educated about it, the more they will be able to overcome their preconceptions and come to appreciate the level of athleticism and the strategic nuances of the sport. But if it does succeed, it will definitely have to be with an English accent(s).
– Kenneth has THE WORST English accent I’ve ever heard. Dick Van Dyke, you can rest easy now. The crown has been wrested from your head, (pun intended). Kenneth does great work over on Field Gulls, though. I kid because I love.
Thanks Rob, Kenneth and Jacson for doing this. I look forward to more in the future.
If Turbin doesn’t get better at running through contact, I think his days are numbered after this season. Michael is already such a superior back (minus the pass pro), I think the league is going to get a stunning look at his awesomeness- at their expense of course!
I think the team viewed Tharold Simon as a long term investment and Will Blackmon as a short one. Simon has value over many years and Blackmon is a hired gun. They could afford to let Blackmon go. With Antoine Winfield, the Legion of Boom, Walter Thurmond, Lane and Byron Maxwell ALL playing well, and the newly drafted Simon Tharold…. someone has to draw the short straw.
I have no idea how realistic it was, or what region it represented…but if you even have a passing interest in the real football (soccer), check out Green Street Hooligans.
Thanks for the feedback Mark. There’s a film called ‘When Saturday Comes’ starring Sean Bean that tracks the fortunes of one of the local soccer teams over here. Not the greatest film but gives you can idea about the cultures and working class nature of the area, plus the obsession with sport. I live in Sheffield so the Full Monty is my part of the world, ditto Kes which was based in Barnsley. There’s a film called Four Lions which was filmed in Yorkshire plus parts of Sheffield, it’s a dark comedy about suicide bombers. It’s got a bit of a cult following in the UK.
Rob and sdcoug, thank you for all of the suggestions. sd, I know Elijah Wood is a West Ham supporter, so my guess is GSH is set in East London. I guess I’ll find out when I watch the film.
Yep that particular film is based in East London.
Also, Aaron Curry announced his retirement today.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/28/aaron-curry-retires/
I know things didn’t work out for him here in Seattle, but I’d always hoped that a change of scenery and a different defensive scheme would allow him to live up to his potential. He seems like a decent fellow.
Good talk to listen to. Jacson picking Carolina was nuts. I don’t see them coming out of that division as the leader.
Rob, really like the Marvin Austin suggestion. Just watched him against IND and PIT and he looked very disruptive inside.
Hey Rob, can you remind us again what inspired you to pick the Hawks as a team to root for from way over there in Yorkshire?
Thanks!
I spent some time living in Vancouver and although I had an interest in the NFL, never had a reason to be a fan of a specific team. I needed a reason to stick with one team in particular. On my first visit to Qwest Field (as it was known) I was hooked immediately.
My thought on the early release of Blackmon is that the Seahawks knew they wouldn’t be keeping him and tried to do right by him so that he’d have more time to catch on elsewhere. If I recall correctly, they did something similar with Leon Washington (though prior to training camp) – they likely could have traded him for a late round pick, but release him instead so that he could negotiate with any team.
Almost certainly true.