#Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters Malik McDowell could miss the season after his accident. The hope is he's back in town soon.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2017
If you were hoping the first day of training camp would pass by with relative insignificance, think again.
Malik McDowell hurt himself in a reported ATV accident two weeks ago. The suitably vague statement issued by the team adds a layer of intrigue and concern. What exactly happened here? Why are there no details about the severity or location of the injury? Why is there language like ‘we consider this a long term relationship’ included?
Pete Carroll couldn’t answer whether he’ll play this season. This report adds a little more detail:
Seahawks DL Malik McDowell was injured in an ATV accident, suffered a concussion and facial injuries, sources tell me and @JamesPalmerTV.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 30, 2017
A concussion and ‘facial injuries’ doesn’t seem to be anything too out of the ordinary and yet the talk has been suitably vague so far to hint at a very serious problem.
McDowell tweeted this a fortnight ago, presumably after the accident:
Just wanna thank the lord that I'm still here 🙏
— Malik McDowell (@MSU_LEEK4) July 17, 2017
If McDowell can’t play in 2017 it’ll be a blow for the injury-hit Seahawks. They had more players on injured reserve than any other team last year and they start camp with this setback. They haven’t had a dynamic interior rusher for quite some time. That might be the case again this year.
That said, Seattle’s 2017 season was never going to be defined by a rookie. This is about a healthy Russell Wilson, a re-established running game, improvements on the O-line and finding a competent starter across from Richard Sherman.
It also hasn’t been confirmed that he will definitely miss the season. The vagueness surrounding the issue merely indicates that is a likely scenario. He hasn’t been placed on injured reserve yet, only the reserve/did not report list. That might be a good thing. We’ll see.
The news today is a disappointment but hardly cause for any hysteria.
UPDATE — this is from McDowell’s twitter account:
— Malik McDowell (@MSU_LEEK4) July 30, 2017
On the plus side Carroll was very positive about a new contract for Kam Chancellor, saying there were only a few things to conclude before a deal would be finalised. If Seahawks fans need a lift after the McDowell news, this should provide it. As we touched on in the week, Chancellor is Seattle’s answer to Ray Lewis. A contract extension would be welcomed by fans and teammates alike.
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Bummer man, ATV’s aren’t the safest hobby to be participating in not a good idea but hey he’s just a kid and probably wanted one for a long while and now he’s got money. Very strange we didn’t hear about this before today and the vagueness of the details. I’m just thankful it wasn’t Russell Wilson, positive thinking y’all!
Thanks for coming back to us Robbie we missed your writing and insight, you’re the Best there is M8!
Go Hawks
Thanks man
It sounds to me that the seahawks just found out about it too. Hopefully they fine him every day he doesn’t show and recoup some money.
Russell wouldn’t be stupid enough to be doing it in the first place. Or if he did, he’d wrap himself in bubble wrap and go 5 mph.
whoops, replied to wrong person. Forums look a little different to me for some reason.
Was glad to see Quinton Jefferson practicing today. If McDowell is out all year we’ll need all of the interior help we can get, and I really liked what we saw out of Jefferson last year before he got hurt.
The first thought I had when I saw the ticker was that there this might open the door a bit for for Q Jeff if he stays healthy.
Was just coming on to talk about how happy I was about the season starting.
Hopefully at the very least he’s scared straight as it were
Kenny hey there Hawk Hommie! Man I could never get on the comments during the draft there was so much traffic I was always an hour and a half behind which was weird? Anyway I’m excited for Football again, it’s feels like it’s been forever. How is life for you this Hot and dry Summer in Seattle?
Glad to hear from you Craig!
How’s the weather mate
I live in Seattle I thought you did also, Hot and almost record breaking dry. Hasn’t rained for damn near 40 days. Don’t move to Seattle everyone it always rains! Smiley Face
Love the rain!
Wasn’t aware.
Yeah I’ve been waiting for the rain to come but spectacularly dry no doubt
>That said, Seattle’s 2017 season was never going to be defined by a rookie.
I don’t really agree. It’s fairly easy to say…how impactful could he even be? It’s possible he woulda been a two sack defensive tackle his rookie year. But on the flip side he could have been very impactful, maybe just two sacks but so disruptive in pushing the interior of the pocket that he doesn’t allow QB’s to step up into a clean pocket to avoid our DE’s. All of a sudden Cliff and Clark (and even Bennett) are eating more than they ever have.
That would also be critical in helping our secondary. We’ve had a huge problem with allowing QB’s to step up into their pockets to avoid our DE’s which gives them a bit more time, and asks our secondary to cover just a bit more. We’ve paid the price for that. And now we have question marks at CB2 and NCB. What if Lane is average/poor again? What if no one (Thorpe, Desir, Elliot, Griffin, etc) are starting quality CB2’s? All of a sudden the lack of interior push and an easy weakness for QB’s to attack is killing us.
Yes, other things are more important. We could be fine in the secondary and other 3T’s (QJeff, Garrison, Jordan, etc) could give us some disruption and production, more than we’ve had the past few years. If that was the case then we’ll likely be okay. But I don’t think it is such a non problem as you make it out to be.
Also, what I hate most is the huge disruption to his development. Now we likely just lost one year out of four cheap club controlled years of his deal. And when he does show up in 2018 ready to play, he’ll have no NFL experience. So we’ll get 2.5 years out of the 4 years he signed on his rookie deal out of him. Assuming he is healthy in ’19 and ’20. Then even if he is just good, he will get PAID, cause all good pass rushing DT’s do. This stunts his development and rips us off from 1.5 years of cheap club control.
Lastly, I wouldn’t rip the guy for being on an ATV. Stupid decision? Sure. But he’s young and Pete is pretty “do you” about it all. But what I would rip him for (and there’s no reason yet to assume he didn’t) is if he wasn’t wearing a helmet. If he was on an ATV, I can live with that, but if he didn’t have a helmet on, then he was being a moron and I honestly wish there was an NFL procedure that allowed us to recoup that first rookie deal year from him so he plays under his rookie deal all the way through 2021.
It definitely sounds like he didn’t have a helmet on.
I’ve seen first hand, while helmets save lives, they certainly don’t prevent injury
It’s not so much that he would or wouldn’t have had an impact. It’s more a case of — the Seahawks will either be strong contenders or not in 2017 depending on Russell Wilson’s health, the running game and finding a corner to play across from Sherman. Without those factors addressed, and the OL, it really doesn’t matter how well someone like McDowell plays. A healthy McDowell can be a big boost to Seattle. But their season being more 2013/14 than 2015/16 will come down to other factors.
Okay, that I completely agree with.
Mostly sucks for his development if he misses substantial time.
Hopefully he has some gnarly scars and puts his head down
Carroll did praise how advanced his hand use was at Mich St and that he was showing to be a quick learner during mini camp. Those are words of optimism I kinda find myself hanging onto, given the news.
First 4/5ths, totally agree. McDowell has every quality needed to be a difference maker, and provided a unique skill set at a point of need. The real question was about his mentality. I guess we got a glimpse into that, and this is where I depart from your comment’s final paragraph.
Riding an ATV is an absolute dumb-ass move by someone who’s primary job in the offseason is to be in impeccable physical condition to stave off injuries down the line.
When I first saw “accident” I had nothing but pity and sorrow for the guy. As soon as I saw ATV, that all went away. Doesn’t matter if he’s young, most rookies don’t make that kind of mistake, and it opens up that whole motivation level question again. Do guys who are working to be the best recreate like that before their first snap?
+1
Disappointing for sure, but let’s hope he gets better. It’s sad to hear so many fans tag on him for riding ATVs this close to the season and not wearing a helmet. At this point let’s pray for his recovery and be happy it wasn’t worst.
Q Jeff back and healthy is important, and playing Bennett and Clark more inside could help cover this loss. Let’s see how the preseason plays out on the D line before we get too worried.
McDowell just tweeted a statement, saying that “I am doing well and expect to rejoin my teammates in Seattle in the next few days.”
https://twitter.com/msu_leek4/status/891755272481505280
I just don’t really understand the Hawks comms though which seem to suggest he could miss serious time. What are the advantages to taking this approach of making people fear worst?
The warning they got for Sherman. They can’t under report injuries, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they over report and err on the pessimistic side.
Confused tbh. Seems like conflicting reports, lack of communication between both parties I would assume. Hopefully he is ok and can contribute this season. Would be nice to have some clarity.
Sounds like he didnt tell the hawks anything til he didnt show up to camp.
Davis Hsu’s tweets are offering some clarity.
Hsu says the incident is a possible contract violation and the injury a possible broken orbital. That would likely keep him out for the season. And by putting him on the list instead of IR he won’t accrue a season, so his contract will essentially start in 2018. If they’re working this out, that could be why everything is so vague.
Great info rob, something tells me it will be weeks before its cleared up.
Saw Jason OTC advising EvanonHB, if he’s on the NFI list, contract runs on another year which is of some small mercy.
Don’t get the ATV love personally, just seem stupid & dangerous. Was it Ozzy Osbourne who nearly died on one, Rik Mayall too
“Hey Malik, Seahawk fans are worried about your maturity, how does that make you feel?”
McDowell – “Hold my beer”
This is so disappointing. Hopefully we can find that role player to provide some interior pass rush. Time to jump on the Jefferson and Jones hype train 🙂
It’s my fault. My oldest child was excited for training camp to start, my response was to keep his fingers crossed for no injuries.
What’s with this “Hold my Beer”? If anything you should chug your beer and give some disrespectful bloke your glass to hold onto! Please explain?
Go Hawks!
Its a meme more along the lines of “watch me do something stupid”.
ATV’s are dangerous, helmet or not.
Seems Malik made a doughnut move.
Just when I thought nobody did something stupid or misguided during the break before camp, and now this happens. Luckily the season doesn’t hinge on a rookie, nor should it ever. Good thing we got Jefferson who is that type of player in a sense. If he is placed on IR it’ll be a bummer, but not an irreplaceable loss. The only truly irreplaceable losses are Russ and Earl.
And Bobby! Those are the big 3 followed by Sherm
Glad you’re back!
Regarding McDowell; it’s a huge bummer but shouldn’t derail our season by any means. Also, what an embarrassing, dipsh*t move by a kid who already allegedly has maturity issues. This is the type of stuff that makes me cringe. He already knew the cloud around him, and he just proved a lot of people right who were disappointed in the selection (I was happy we picked him).
I was really hoping this kid was gonna go Frank Clark and prove a lot of people wrong from the early going. Instead, it sounds like a 2018 debut for a team that could desperately use him on the interior.
In summation – what a bummer. It’s sad that some of these blessed specimens have very little going on in their head nor seem to surround themselves with friends/family who might step in and say, “dude…this isn’t a wise move.”
Big disappointment to start training camp. Poor decision making for McDowell. Hopefully he did not hurt his back because he may not recover from that. Broken legs and arms can get 100% better. Did not say anything about surgery though.
It should be noted PC said that item about his season availability because he was questioned and not something he volunteered. Seeing he got a concussion, you’d always have to give that wiggle room as he couldn’t practice/play until cleared. If nothing is broken, and there hasn’t been any indication he broke bones, it doesn’t seem like something that would sideline him into the season… I hope.
If its an orbital bone then it could be, but ur right.
As someone who watched a very talented PG in Jay Williams ruin his career in a motorcycle accident, I’m just glad he’s ok and can come back from this.
Davis Hsu speculated about a broken orbital, which would be potentially season ending. I think it seems like McDowell didn’t inform the team until late in the day and maybe they’re without the full facts at the moment. But that’s just me judging the lay of the land based on the limited information presented yesterday.
+1
Seems like we should focus on the fact that he’s healthy and then on then to the football part, but as fans how dare a guy that plays in spandex and run into human brick walls for a living make a bad choice
am I right?
And for the backlash and hate this guy got when he was selected, ‘he’s a bust’ or ‘why didn’t they take my favorite player instead’ those same fans sure are thinking this is a loss. Which it is. Funny how that works.
Funny indeed, Vol12. Glad to be discussing football with you once again!
Shades of Ben Rothlesburger’s motorcycle accident. Didn’t that sideline him for a season?
Honestly glad he’s sitting. He’s so young and raw and immature. He needed a wake up call like this.
He’s never been a bad kid but he’s never been mistaken for a pro.
Hopefully he pulls his head out and ‘Leek wears a scar on that babyface
100% true Volume12. I hope he’s alright and suits up. Let’s see what he’s got!
The football Gods didn’t like how good Seattle and New England were gonna be so they took McDowell and Ninkovich.. it’s the only logical explanation
Disappointing…bad judgement.. terrible, bonehead start to his career…
The NFI designation to me is just a standard move on the club’s part. Kind of like starting a rehabbing player on PUP. If he indeed comes back soon and is able to play, I don’t expect there to be any ramifications from the incident. If it lingers, then the club is positioned to sit him and delay his second contract a full year.
He’s a 20 year old prospect with judgement issues. Can’t say we should be all that surprised to see this right out of the gate. Just as it was risky for him to pursue this activity, the club is equally guilty of risky behavior by drafting him instead of taking other equally talented players at other positions in May. Probably will take some time for him to appreciate the opportunity he has in front of him.
Quinton Jefferson 6′ 4″ 290 pounds. Malik McDowell 6′ 6″ 300 pounds.
I’m actually happy to see Quinton get a shot on the DL with out everyone watching Malik. I thought Quinton “flashed some” last year before injury and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do.
Next man up?
I thought Jefferson flashed through the preseason last year. if he can stay healthy and determined, this Malik injury could open up the doors for him, for sure.
6 sacks is all we need. I’m gonna watch him again soon but from what I remember he should be able to produce a few sacks or a solid handful of pressures
I’ve got high hopes for Nazair Jones still, he has a solid skill set and I think he’ll be a productive player it’s just a matter of how soon to me
Rob,
Thank you for gracing us with your presence! I hope you and the little one are well rested (I’ve got 3 and 1 more on the way in November)!
McDowell is a complex situation. The questions of maturity are definitely up in the air with the current situation and the only way to truly see what effort he is going to give is with him suiting up and playing reps. We seem to red-shirt rookies one way or the other…
Glad to hear positive news on the Bam Bam front. Let’s get him extended and its one less thing to worry about.
So good to see all your guys’ names
+1
Ditto friend.
McDowell should be in camp tomorrow…
https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/892197785289711616
+1
sweatingguymeme.jpg
Welcome back Rob
Saw this earlier, hopefully a good sign
@ProFootballDoc
David J. Chao, MD
if main injury is facial/orbital fracture as rumored, given the helmet/facemask protection, should be ready to practice soon for @Seahawks
Good to see you back Rob!!!! 🙂
great to see you back Rob. I am sure there were a few like me also checking the site to see if anything new was posted for the past while. Hope you rested and enjoyed “the time off”.
With regards to Malik, he can probably practice (maybe limited), but depending in the extent of the damage to the orbital, he may not be able to play until it has healed. Let’s just hope this situation is similar to the Hawks being projected to losing a 2nd round draft choice this spring and it turns out like that one did.
can’t wait for football to start!
BREAKING NEWS!!! Bam Bam extended for 3 years!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/seahawks-kam-chancellor-reach-year-extension/story?id=48967634&yptr=yahoo
New post up now reflecting on this awesome news