New podcast: Earl Thomas holdout

Kenny and I discuss the Earl Thomas holdout and offer some thoughts on the Seahawks offense. Check it out below.

I also want to give a special mention to Brad Linn and the whole community here. Brad set up a donation fund in his own time to help repair my laptop (broken during the draft) and sent me the money this week. Thank you to everyone who donated and especially to Brad for setting it up. You guys are incredible.

42 Comments

  1. Calgaryhawk

    Just a couple of things about the Earl Thomas holdout. First, really good players can miss practice time without affecting regular season performance as much as many other players. If anything it seems to save some wear and tear on their bodies. Walter Jones is an example that the Seahawk fans would know about. I don’t see this holdout going into the regular season as it just takes too much money from the player. Second, and I don,t see anyone mentioning this so I might be wrong, but I believe if Seattle ends up franchising Thomas next year, he still comes in at a lower cap hit than his last contract averaged. So, the Seahawk management in a way has control of him for 2 years without adjusting the perimeters of his last contract.

  2. Uncle Bob

    Fine commentary Rob, as usual. Since I’ve been saying much the same thing to my Hawk fan buddies, I dare say you’re brilliant. 🙂 The rabid Thomas fan finds it inconceivable that the team doesn’t just back up the van and dump whatever amount of $ Earl demands, or, how stupid it would be to accept any offer lower than the value of a #1 draft pick or equivalent. It’s easy to spend someone else’s money though, there’s no potential for personal pain. There are only 32 enterprises in the world that could potentially have any interest in Earl and could pay him for his skills/services. He’s under contract to one of them and presumably doesn’t like the offer that’s likely on his agents desk. One other offered a 3rd round pick, to which the loyalists wailed and moaned. The other 30 mimicked crickets as you noted. I don’t know who Earl really listens to on this matter. Is his agent not doing the proper fiduciary thing? His wife? Or is it his buddies who have nothing to lose by pumping up his ego even if it eventually hurts him?

    There are many scenarios to suppose, so here’s one I haven’t seen/heard yet. Let’s say the stalemate continues through camp, preseason, and maybe part way into the season. Earl will have to come back within the CBO terms in order to be a free agent next year. Neither he nor the Hawks relent and at season’s end he hits the market. Given the current league valuation of safeties, as you’ve noted, he’ll likely not get an offer that beats Berry, heck might not even beat whatever offer the Hawks might have on the table right now. What does he do then? Swallow his pride, play for whatever because of his love of the game? So what did he accomplish then……….not much I’d say. And it would also make the Hawk management a target for some level of ridicule for not taking the third round offer this year. Why? Because the likely contract he’ll get might only compute to a 4th round comp pick in 2020. Everybody loses because of excessive pride and miscalculation.

    Not to be argumentative, but the “he can miss camp and still perform very well” argument is flawed too. Yes, he personally would be able to do it, and given his probable personal integrity he’d perform the best he could. But he’s cheating the team by not building playing synergy with his newer team mates. The rapport he had with Chancellor and Sherm was built early and endured several seasons. They developed a subconscious sense for one another that allowed them to work so well together. He’s only gotten limited experience with Griffin and McDougald as well as the other rotational players, and holding out through camp denies him, them, and the entire team that bonding element of team play. Just sad……..

  3. new guy

    If he’s not there to play his part to integrate all the new, young players he then becomes less indispensable.

    They’ll step up and won’t need him since they never really knew what it would be like to have him back there.

    .

    • Hawktalker#1

      Strongly disagree. His abilities alone provide his value. Anything else is just gravy. Few players have any significant value associated with their “coaching” abilities or responsibilities. We are getting off topic on the Earl thing. Let it play out.

  4. Hawk Eye

    Kenny “run on sentence, rambling, repetitive” Arthur.
    I like Kenny, and I think he knows his weakness, but if he wants to run a podcast, he needs to take a course on public speaking. He rambles on too much and it is hard to follow his point.

    it is obvious that Rob has a lot of experience (not blowing smoke up your @ss Rob) and he can make a point and hold an audience

    maybe we need a gofundme for Kenny to take the course….

    • Kenny Sloth

      It takes a lot to put out something like that. Work, passion, sacrifice, bravery.

      One thing we couldn’t say is that KA doesnt care imo.

      We dont know what courses KA is taking.

      But we wouodnt have had 3000 nfl mock draft these last few years without him.

      Any criticism we could have of him, he’s the kind of person Thats told it to himself thrice already

      • FresnoHawk

        Do I need to sign up to listen to podcast? It’s been at least a year since I’ve been able to listen to podcast. Why not use YouTube?

        • Hawk Eye

          no, just click on it and it should play. I click on the soundcloud icon on the top right corner. It will open another window and you can play from there. That way I can pause and start again. Had problems doing that just by clicking on the play button to the left. If I pressed pause, it would have to restart. Might depend on the browser you are using. Maybe the technology is just over my head though………

          • FresnoHawk

            Thanks

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      Having worked in radio in a past life, it is not as easy as it sounds. If you are the on-air talent and running the boards at the same time…. it can actually be very challenging. That is essentially what a podcast is… a one person operation.

      I actually find it refreshing, because it doesn’t have the polish as it could have….. and it is a raw “take” on various topics. As for Rob, he has experience covering “football” on a professional level….. so that brings a whole set of tools to a radio / podcast that only come from experience and time perfecting your craft.

      These podcasts remind me of 2 guys sitting at the pub having a pint of ale… shooting the breeze. Refreshing.

  5. Hawktalker#1

    Points well made. Also when you ask Rob a question it really should contain only one question per run-on sentence. Love his passion though. Don’t want to discount that at all.

  6. Coleslaw

    If Earl missed games and McDougald plays FS, and nobody works out at SS, I’d love to see Shaq get a look there. I think he could play the Chancellor role, and would provide better coverage and pass rush with more speed. He could truly be a do it all player in that spot, like the Jabrill Peppers role, but I think he’d be better. Could move him around a lot and get a bunch of different looks off that alone.

    • j

      He can’t cover though. You see his speed and size and think he’d be great at it, but he isn’t.

      Maybe he could develop those skills and be a safety in a couple years but now it’d be a disaster.

  7. Coleslaw

    The offense is going to be interesting this year. While the defense undergoes massive changes, the offense really hasn’t changed all that much. If you look at our offensive losses, most are irrelevant players (Joeckel, Aboushi, Lacy, Willson, Tobin, Rawls).
    The only real subtractions on offense are Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham. For the most part there will be a lot of familiar faces. We’ve talked about Uncle Will Dissly being a better fit than Graham was, alleviating the pain from losing Graham’s production. But Tyler Lockett could be in for a breakout year, and is already familiar with Russ, he could easily replace Paul’s production, or even top it, we still dont know his ceiling.
    Then replacing Lockett’s 2017 production as the #3 receiver comes down to the massive competition we’re seeing right now. Between Brown, Marshall, Darboh, Moore and others we shouldn’t miss Richardson. And if Dissly is a better fit than Graham, we could see our offense explode with a ressurected running game and Wilson taking more steps.
    If the offense is as good as it could be, it’s scary to imagine Pete and John building a LOB 2.0… superteam. Pete would go out on par with Chuck Noll.

  8. Kenny Sloth

    ¡Vamos!

    • H

      Having ourselves quite an enjoyable world cup so far…

      • Kenny Sloth

        I thought it was just me. Been an underdog’s delight.

        • Kenny Sloth

          Wow wow wow it can’t possibly continue like this?

  9. neil

    Playing disgruntled, always hurts the player and the team. Might be better to let him sit out the whole year. If he does play and has a bad year he won’t get anywhere close to what he wants in Free Agency and we won’t get much in the way of compensatory pick.

  10. Madmark

    I read an article not long ago talking about how bad the safety market was this year. The guy mentioned a Tre Boston a FS was still a FA still on the market. Rob what do you think about signing him up for league minimum and bringing him in for more competition. It took awhile but he finally looked like he was getting things going once he got to the chargers last year with 5 interceptions. I think we should kick the tires with this guy, what do you think?

    • Rob Staton

      I think we’re stacked at safety. Even more so if Kam decides to play. Not sure it’d be worth the cash.

  11. Coleslaw

    Man I know its probably unrealistic but Shaq at SS seems so nice. How many people can line up as a safety in cover 2 then motion down to the edge and be a legit pass rushing threat?

    • Rob Staton

      His coverage ability is his greatest weakness. There were multiple examples while watching tape where he really had issues in zone, not noticing where he needed to be, floundering in space.

      I know people see the size/speed combo and think he’s a fit at safety but IMO he’s absolutely positively not a safety. It’s quite clear what he is and what he isn’t. He’s an attacking linebacker who blitzes really well, can provide some pass rush and he’s a good spy. He will have issues in the run game and he needs to improve his coverage. The Seahawks may well see if he can do more first but ultimately my expectation for him is — nickel LB and special teams demon. And if you get that out of a fifth rounder it’s not an issue.

  12. CharlieTheUnicorn

    Rob, off topic but….
    “CenturyLink Field could host 2026 FIFA World Cup matches”

    …. sounds like a grand idea to me.

    • Rob Staton

      I think it’s probable to be fair. Can imagine there will be several west coast venues.

      • CharlieTheUnicorn

        3 Sites have been mentioned on the left coast…. Clink, Rose Bowl and Levi’s…… however, curiously, no mention of the new stadium being built in Inglewood for the Rams/Chargers.

        • Kenny Sloth

          Bid commitee seemed to have been selling the voting members on an already in place infrastructure and likely didnt want to sound like they were expecting other more viable sites to be considered after construction

  13. j

    Three options, Levi’s and the Rose Bowl are the other two.

  14. Coleslaw

    According to Pete, Rashaad Penny is 230 lbs and they like it. He also said that Carson has added 10 lbs. That would make him 228. Not bad. Prosise is leaner but also 220. If they all stay healthy….. *knocking on wood*

    • Kenny Sloth

      Hopefully that spells durability in our future

  15. Troy

    Workout dates for top 3 supplemental draft prospects:

    CB Adonis Alexander: w/o 6/18 (no exact date yet), @ Va Tech

    CB Sam Beal: 6/28 @ WMU

    S Brandon Bryant, 6/29 @ MSU

    Do the Hawks draft one of these guys in this years supplemental draft?

    https://fullpresscoverage.com/2018/06/17/seahawks-could-be-players-in-the-2018-nfl-supplemental-draft/

    • Gohawks5151

      Bad timing. Its a shame these guys aren’t in the draft next year. They could all be of interest to Seattle after they see how the secondary competitions work out. They should think about Bryant if Earl is truly not going to be in their future. Rangy, fast, good tackler. Good build too. CBs is a little more shaky. Beal was a high pick projection for next year and Alexander has the measurables for Seattle. But its the unknown vs Tyson, King, Elliot and Flowers. Like i said if this was next years draft they would already know if the current roster guys were keepers. Of course JS is back to turning over the roster quickly. If any i would look at Alexander personally. He has the body, great instincts and bit of position versatility. I’m partial to guys from Bud Fosters Defense as well (They are well schooled).

  16. Hawk Eye

    since things are a little slow, I finally watched the Al Jazeera investigation into PED’s.
    WOW! I highly recommend it. Names some interesting names and based on following the topic for 35 years, also very accurate. No seahawks named, but, pretty sure we have the same % of players using as everyone else. (HIGH!)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJRPxmTuxoI

    spoiler alert. I changed my opinion of thinking Manning used HGH from 90% probability to 110%. Gave it full effort. Doubt the coaches love me for it.

    another great one from a Scottish guy called, Doping: Catch me if you can.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJRPxmTuxoI
    nice to see Canada representing in the underworld also……

  17. Gohawks5151

    Late to listen to this one. Appreciate the fairness of the discussion. Something i haven’t heard discussed yet is how appreciative and professional KJ Wright is compared to selfish Earl. Rewind a few years and Bennett was the pro and Kam was the selfish one. However current history will see Bennett as a cancer that was cut away and Kam a guaranteed seahawks ROH guy. Is Earl really that much more selfish than Kam? Burned more bridges? Both guys perform every game so what’s the difference besides just time gone by? Was it just Bennett’s off field stuff that changed his perception? Do people only like KJ beacause he is quiet? Its a interesting comparison to me. Curious to see other’s takes on it.

  18. CharlieTheUnicorn

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmrkZcPnpzs

    RW is legit

  19. Sea Mode

    ESPN article with 3 trade+extend offers for Earl. We’ve talked about pretty much the same here, but interesting to see perspective from team writers on this as well and the ways they propose to work out (and word to the media) the extension terms.

    http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23769305/best-trade-extension-offers-earl-thomas-teams-join-2018-nfl

    I definitely think we all would agree with the choice “Schneider” makes; it’s been one of the most oft proposed deals on here for a long time now.

    • Logan Lynch

      I really enjoyed that article too, but the (probably unsurprising) smugness of the Patriots beat writer irked me. Trade a future HOF safety with possibly a handful of prime years left for a RG on an expiring contract and nothing else. Then there’s the fact that he talked about 3 safety sets and how the Pats wouldn’t need Earl, but he’d essentially be a fun toy.

      Yes, Shaq Mason is very good. He’s going to get quite a bit of money in the offseason. Why would SEA want another possible one year rental? Just an asinine trade offer in my opinion.

      I would do the Chargers deal and probably strongly consider the Cowboys one too if I’m being honest.

      • Hawk Eye

        geez, even the Pats writers are annoying…
        Time for the empire to crumble

        if they get an offer like the Chargers one, they have to take it. I think Earl will want more than they are willing to pay and Pete is willing to reset everything. And I say that with the belief that Earl can probably play another 3 or 4 years at a pro bowl level and injuries can happen to anyone, but if they play a bunch of kids, I trust Pete to coach up some of them to a high level.
        Not an easy decision, can lose either way.

        just hope he does not go to the Cowboys, speaking of annoying…

  20. East Side Stevie

    Shoutout to Brad Linn! That’s awesome!

  21. Kenny Sloth

    Jameis Winston suspended 3 games.

    Also banned from Uber for life.

    Definitely one of the lowest humans to enter the league in a long time.

    Guy’s got major problems

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      Let me guess, he ordered UBER EATS crab legs and skipped out of the bill.

      • Kenny Sloth

        It was a lot more similar to his other issue…..

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