Please, Seahawks — look to the Bengals & Eagles

As Seahawks fans prepare to watch the NFC and AFC Championship games today, many will be debating what is required to reach the level of the final four.

Quite a lot of people have already decided it’s to copy the 49ers. I’m not sure it’s been established just how difficult that’ll be.

San Francisco’s defensive build began in earnest back in 2014 when they selected Jimmie Ward, still with the team, in the first round. They then used their first round pick in 2015 on Arik Armstead and their top pick in 2016 on DeForest Buckner.

They used two more first round picks in 2017 on Solomon Thomas and Rebuen Foster. In 2019 they used the #2 pick on Nick Bosa. Then, after trading Buckner to Indianapolis, they used the #14 pick they received in the deal to replace him with Javon Kinlaw.

From 2014 to 2022 they also spent numerous second and third round picks on their defense:

2014 — Chris Borland (R3)
2015 — Jaquiski Tartt (R2), Eli Harold (R3)
2016 — Will Redmond (R3)
2017 — Ahkello Witherspoon (R3)
2018 — Fred Warner (R3), Tarvarius Moore (R3)
2021 — Ambry Thomas (R3)
2022 — Drake Jackson (R2)

Over a nine draft span, they used seven first round picks and nine day-two picks on their defense. They had whiffs and hits but that’s a massive outlay.

I would argue that even with the obviously inspired decision to see the talent in someone like Fred Warner, a cornerstone player, they were also fortunate enough to be in position to draft Nick Bosa — one of the surest of things to enter the league in recent history.

On top of this, the 49ers also invested considerably in their offense — hitting and missing on a variety of players.

They used six first round picks on the following: Joshua Garnett, Mike McGlinchey, Brandon Aiyuk and Trey Lance.

Then there’s this collection of day-two picks:

2014 — Carlos Hyde (R2), Marcus Martin (R3), Brandon Thomas (OL)
2017 — C.J. Beathard (R3)
2018 — Dante Pettis (R2)
2019 — Deebo Samuel (R2), Jalen Hurd (R3)
2021 — Aaron Banks (R2), Trey Sermon (R3)
2022 — Tyrion Davis-Price (R3), Danny Gray (R3)

There’s a real mix of disappointing and ‘I can’t even remember who that is’ — with Deebo Samuel shining through as a genuine elite talent.

They hit on George Kittle in round five — the offensive equivalent of Seattle drafting Richard Sherman. It’s not often you find a generational player at his position on day three but the 49ers had the foresight to bring Kittle in.

Even then — they had to hit on two big veteran trades, while also paying big money to Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey.

The other thing to consider with San Francisco is the coaching of Kyle Shanahan. So far he might not have led the 49ers to the promised land of a Super Bowl title. However, what he has achieved in the game is still fairly remarkable.

Shanahan led Matt Ryan to become MVP in 2016, with the Falcons reaching a Super Bowl they should’ve won. Once he departed, Ryan and the Falcons collapsed.

In San Francisco he’s taken the Niners to a Super Bowl they should’ve won, a NFC Championship they should’ve won and now another NFC Championship.

This year he led the team to a 12-0 run despite losing not only his first choice quarterback but also the backup. He is thriving and succeeding, his offensive system not missing a beat, while starting Mr. Irrelevant at quarterback — a seventh round rookie afterthought.

Does any of this feel remotely plausible to try and copy?

It’s improbable. It’s fanciful.

You’re looking at taking numerous draft shots over a near 10-year period. You’ll need to pick in the top-15 five times and you might need to think about trading two additional first round picks to have another go in the top-five.

You will need to hit on star players not only in round one — but also in the middle and later rounds. You have to hit in the veteran trade market.

You will also need one of the best coaches in the league who can create offensive production however he wants — even if you give him the most desperate situation at QB.

It sometimes feels like Seahawks fans believe spending #5 and #20 will close the gap between the two NFC West rivals. The reality is, it’ll take years to mimic the 49ers. Even then, you might need a Head Coach or a coordinator who can scheme around setbacks in a way none of Seattle’s staff has shown to be capable of so far.

I’d argue trying to copy San Francisco is the last thing the Seahawks should be considering. Two of the other teams left in the final four are much better role models if you want to return to relevancy as soon as possible.

Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia and Zac Taylor in Cincinnati were effectively ‘memes’ when they started out. Sirianni embarrassed himself in his introductory press conference, appearing to be a nervous wreck. Taylor was seen as an out-of-his-depth Sean McVay protégé — only in the job because he’d spent two years with the Rams. Sirianni had an indifferent debut season. Taylor was in danger of being a one-and-done and after two years had a 6-25-1 record.

There was little faith in either coach, yet here we are. Both teams were built sufficiently and both have ended up thriving.

It’s not exactly that difficult to imagine Seattle’s staff experiencing a similar rise. You don’t need a genius offensive mind like Shanahan to make a turn.

The Eagles and Bengals both finished 4-11-1 in 2020. They could play each other in the Super Bowl in a fortnight.

They’ve done it by padding out their roster with talent and benefitting from a rookie contract at quarterback.

The Bengals’ top earners in 2022 include two big free agent additions on the defensive line — Trey Hendrickson ($14.5m) and D.J. Reader ($13.6m). They were able to keep safety Jessie Bates on the franchise tag ($12.9m) and paired him with another free agent signing in Vonn Bell ($7.5m). They gave contract extensions and increased pay to Sam Hubbard, Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd. They paid B.J. Hill a $30m, three-year contract after a successful trade from the Giants.

After watching Joe Burrow succeed despite getting hammered behind a porous offensive line in 2021, they splashed out on better protection. They added Alex Cappa (four-years, $35m), Ted Karras (three-years, $18m) and La’el Collins (three-years, $21m).

None of their success is possible, of course, without hitting on the quarterback. Burrow is flirting with becoming the player of his generation, potentially usurping even Patrick Mahomes. It also helps that they were able to add his college team-mate Ja’Marr Chase and both players immediately turned into stars.

I don’t think, however, you need a player of Burrow’s obscene quality to copy Cincinnati. The Eagles are evidence of that. Jalen Hurts is good but he’s not close to Burrow’s level. We’ll come on to Philly in a moment.

The key thing is though — the Bengals have added young, cheap talent at quarterback and have gone from league laughing stock to legit contender in no time at all because of their ability to surround Burrow with quality players, most of which are experienced and proven. The idea of the Bengals in the Super Bowl 18 months ago was ridiculous. Now, nobody will be surprised if they win a Championship or two over the coming years.

The Seahawks already have some pieces — including a talented running back, two excellent receivers and two promising young offensive tackles. If they were to also feel the benefit of cheap talent at quarterback, it’s not unrealistic to think they could also accelerate through a rebuild to become a very good team very quickly, just like Cincinnati.

The quarterback they select would still have to be a good player. Yet the pathway to glory is quicker if you try to emulate the Bengals. It’s also arguably far more realistic than trying to copy what the Niners have done dating back to 2014.

The Eagles are an even better example because they obviously don’t have Burrow but they’ve been able to use Hurts’ contract to great effect. The highest paid player on their roster this season is free agent acquisition Javon Hargrave ($17.8m). They traded for Darius Slay and A.J. Brown and are paying both players handsome contracts. They traded for C. J. Gardner-Johnson and Robert Quinn. They’ve been able to retain stalwarts like Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox on decent salaries.

Last off-season they paid Kelce $14m to stay in Philly and Derek Barnett $14m over two years. They signed free agent Haason Reddick on a three-year $45m contract. They added James Bradburry for $10m and gave Kyzir White $5m. Fletcher Cox received $14m.

Howie Roseman loves to make flashy moves, creating depth and talent across a thick roster. He won a Super Bowl doing this in 2017 with Carson Wentz on a rookie contract. Now he’s doing it again and could win another title this season.

The Seahawks were never able to do any of this when they were paying Russell Wilson a league-leading contract. They’d talk about keeping Frank Clark, only to trade him away when Demarcus Lawrence re-set the pass rusher market. They called retaining Jadeveon Clowney a ‘priority’, only to settle for Benson Mayowa and Bruce Irvin instead. They’d waste millions trying to fill out a roster with bodies, rather than being able to land difference makers complementing depth.

With the #5 pick in their back-pocket and a quarterback class which is increasingly becoming underrated thanks to the mainstream media, they’ll have an opportunity to try and copy the Bengals and Eagles. Even if you’re not as high on the 2023 quarterbacks as I am — it’s hardly a stretch to imagine the ‘big four’ being able to play at Hurts’ level. Especially given how athletic they all are.

If those two franchises can go from 4-11-1 to Super Bowl contenders within two years, why can’t the Seahawks go from 7-10 in 2021 to a legit Super Bowl threat by 2024?

It’s not even a question, for me, which plan they should be trying to copy.

Nevertheless, many fans and media are convinced a different tactic is required. Pay Geno Smith, possibly after tagging him to set his market at $32.4m per year, then just use the draft to improve the defense. The defense was the problem in 2022. Just draft some players and everything will be good to go.

Simple, eh?

Not quite, as I’ll explain.

Matt Calkins at the Seattle Times wrote an interesting article over the weekend, raising the following point:

You have to wonder if the boon of Geno’s play last season will turn out to be a burden going forward.

He goes on to explain:

Something happened over the final eight games of the schedule when Seattle went from 6-3 to 9-8. There were losses to the Bucs, Panthers and Raiders — none finished with winning records — that nearly cost the Seahawks what once seemed like an assured playoff spot.

Geno wasn’t terrible over this stretch. He produced passer ratings of at least 103 in four of the final eight games he played. But there were seven interceptions over that stint, too — two of which came on the Seahawks’ first offensive play of the game — and a glaring lack of magic that was customary in the Wilson era.

Some have argued that Smith’s regression was down to the defense collapsing, injuries on offense and a slumping offensive line.

Perhaps — but you can also counter that with the info Hugh Millen highlighted on KJR last week, as noted in an article on this blog:

Smith had the second most (turnover worthy plays) in the NFL, just behind Josh Allen. Millen also pointed out that Allen had far more ‘explosive’ passing plays and a lot more rushing yards to compensate for his erraticism.

Building on the point, he then noted that when looking at the top-10 quarterbacks — on average 80.6% of their turnover worthy plays had resulted in actual turnovers. In comparison, Geno Smith saw only 48% of his turnover worthy plays actually result in an interception.

That’s staggering.

If he’d thrown the 80.6% average like the rest of the QB’s in the top-10, he would’ve had 25 picks. Even if he’d had a still well below average 65% — he would’ve led the league in turnovers.

I’m not even sure if this accounts for stuff like the pick-six against San Francisco in Seattle which was called back for a fortuitous penalty. That play was blown dead, after all. So it could be even worse than these numbers suggest.

Regardless, Smith had incredible luck when it came to turnovers this season.

It’s fair to wonder how Smith’s environment contributed to this. It’s also fair to wonder if we were seing a return to what he’s shown in his career to date. After all, he has been a journeyman quarterback.

It’s indisputable that once Smith is paid a salary at or close to the franchise tag number, it will be a lot harder for Seattle to upgrade their roster in the veteran market. They would need to focus on the draft.

I get the sense a lot of fans are comfortable with that due to Seattle’s incredible stock due to the Wilson trade. However, the 49ers perhaps can provide a cautionary note here.

Let’s go back to their 2017 draft. They had the #3 pick and then traded back into round one to acquire the #31 pick.

The first selection was Solomon Thomas, a defensive lineman from Stanford. After an incredible final season in college where he tallied eight sacks and 15 TFL’s, he clearly established himself as a top player in the draft. He then ran a 4.69 at 273lbs, added a blistering 4.28 short shuttle, a 6.95 three-cone and jumped a 35-inch vertical.

I remember thinking he looked like a fantastic talent. Everyone did. He was considered a top prospect.

Lance Zierlein not only compared him to J.J. Watt — he said it would take a ‘miracle’ for Thomas to last outside of the top five:

Others compared him to peak Michael Bennett. PFF hailed his elite run-defending and disruptive playmaking quality.

If Thomas was in the 2023 draft, Seahawks fans would be salivating over him. We’d be talking about him constantly as a player to target.

The 49ers took him at #3.

Then they traded up to #31 to secure hard-nosed, physical linebacker Reuben Foster. Seen as a player with some character flags but ultimately a great football player with bags of potential — he was going to provide toughness and playmaking to the defense.

Again, I remember scouting Foster. If he was in the 2023 class, as with Thomas, we’d all be talking about him as a great option at #20.

Both players were epic busts.

That’s not to say players drafted by Seattle at #5 and #20 face the same fate. It’s entirely possible the Seahawks hit on a defensive lineman at #5, then get a Drew Sanders type at #20 and we end up talking about a legendary double-dip.

The point I’m making is that relying on two rookies to elevate a unit would be wishful thinking. Even the best looking picks, the surest looking players, can fail. Again, look at how many high picks San Francisco had to spend to get the small pool of fantastic players that elevate their existing group? It took years to build.

I would even suggest that if you insert one good rookie defensive lineman and one good rookie linebacker onto Seattle’s roster, it’ll make little immediate difference in 2023. It could take years of further padding and drafting if you intend to rely on the draft alone to build your team. There’s a chance you’ll never elevate in the way Cincinnati and Philadelphia were able to do by adding proven quality.

Really this is no criticism of Smith. People have, not unfairly, argued that he was the least of Seattle’s worries this season. That is most certainly true. Yet the broader objective for this team is to create a pathway to Championship glory, not just ‘do right’ by Geno Smith.

So what is the blueprint to glory?

Is Smith good enough to win you a Super Bowl? Is he less likely to be good enough if he costs you +$30m instead of $3.5m plus incentives?

It might be harsh on Smith but using the Bengals and Eagles as an example, you can easily argue that drafting a quarterback at #5 who is good enough to lead the team (and I believe there are four players in this class capable of doing that) and then surrounding them with talent thanks to the salary cap advantage is a proven way to go from also-rans to contender as quickly as possible.

The alternative — paying Smith a handsome contract and relying on the draft — looks a lot like an increasing number of failed examples. The Raiders and Derek Carr. The Titans and Ryan Tannehill. The Vikings and Kirk Cousins. It’s starting to feel like we can add the Cowboys and Dak Prescott.

‘Not bad’ quarterbacks on ‘not bad’ salaries compared to other peers. Yet those contracts, in the $30-40m range, are still astronomical compared to the top defensive players. If you paid Geno Smith an annual salary of $32.4m (the projected franchise tag amount for 2023) he’d be on $1m more than Aaron Donald per year. He’d be earning $7m more than Myles Garrett. He’d be on $12m more than Jalen Ramsey and $15m more than Arik Armstead.

The cap hits of Hendrickson ($14.5m) and ($13.6m) combined in Cincinnati would be several million dollars’ cheaper than Smith’s annual salary.

That’s why paying Smith even a ‘fair’ amount comes at a cost.

You would also be making a commitment to Smith with only a year as a starter in Seattle to assess. Even the most ardent Smith-backer has to accept that there’s a significant risk that Geno Smith is, as it happens, still Geno Smith. You could end up lumbered with a bad contract that could be a ball-and-chain around the ankle of the franchise just when it should be trying to launch into a new, exciting era.

As Calkins suggested in his Seattle Times article, by playing well enough in 2022 to make a big contract a talking point — Smith could be leading the team down a path it never intended to go down.

You don’t complete the Russell Wilson trade without a plan. The Seahawks had a plan — one that almost certainly involved being cheaper at quarterback in 2023. As we’ve mentioned a few times — they appeared to start spending their 2023 cap space last off-season, probably with a cheap QB in mind. They only have $19,349,776 in effective cap space left according to Over the Cap

If paying Geno Smith a big extension (or paying any QB for that matter) was a consideration, they’ve made it incredibly difficult. They had tens of millions to spend when they dealt Wilson. That was quickly used up as they began to sign or extend players. They now have only the eighth most effective cap space. The Bears have $82m to spend in comparison. They don’t have a lot to play with.

In order to keep Smith they’ll need to cut players who’ll then need to be replaced. Filling out their roster will be a challenge, even if they extend Smith for multiple years to lower his 2023 cap hit.

Luckily I think a solution will present itself. A cold market.

Although Seattle’s fan base and media appear convinced that all the stops need to be pulled out to keep Smith — including potentially franchising him — there’s absolutely no talk about any other team having potential interest.

No other fanbases discuss Smith on their forums. Go see for yourself.

In an article by Adam Schefter today discussing Aaron Rodgers’ future, he noted:

Rodgers tops a list of quarterbacks facing major offseason questions that includes Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Smith isn’t even getting a mention among a group that includes Carr and Garoppolo.

It’s entirely possible the rest of the league will look at Smith as a neat story for 2022 but be put-off by the nature of his journeyman career. Carr has years of starting and production while Garoppolo has at least been to one Super Bowl and another NFC Championship with the 49ers.

Other teams might show interest, especially if they miss out on the veterans above and are not in range to draft a top rookie. Are they going to offer a contract between $30-40m though? I’d say a robust market is unlikely.

As noted on the blog recently — the franchise tag deadline comes after the combine. It’s commonly known that teams and agents talk in Indianapolis. Smith’s market will be established during that period — so the Seahawks will know whether they really have to consider using the tag.

I don’t think they’ll need to. Provided Smith is accepting of a situation where his market is colder than he hopes, a compromise should be possible to get him at a price that fits Seattle’s tight cap situation. Either way, I really hope the Seahawks are prepared to make a move that will be considered bold and unexpected by media members and fans alike. They need to be ready to move on if the price is too high.

They then need to consider bringing back Drew Lock as a bridge quarterback and drafting a rookie with their top pick.

I am not against drafting a defensive lineman at #5. Far from it. I’ve done three mock drafts so far and on each occasion, I’ve paired Seattle with a defender with their first selection.

I can even imagine a situation where their hand is forced. The Panthers didn’t appoint Frank Reich, an offensive-minded coach, to sit and hope for the best at #9. I suspect they are preparing a Trey Lance-esque move into the top-three. The Raiders may also be inclined to move up. The Texans and Colts are already sitting in the top-four. It’s not too far-fetched to think a quarterback rush will occur before Seattle’s on the clock.

If that isn’t the case, the Seahawks have to seriously consider copying Cincy and Philly. Draft a cheap quarterback to gain four years of extreme financial benefit. Use your other picks at #20, #38 and #53 to improve your defense (or other areas of need). Invest in proven quality at key positions in the veteran market.

It’s not guaranteed to work but the percentage odds appear to be stacked better in your favour. It’s not just the Bengals and Eagles. The Bills, Chargers, Ravens and Jaguars have shown — or are showing — the benefit of having a rookie quarterback. The Ravens won a Super Bowl with rookie Joe Flacco. The Bills, against the odds, turned into a contender during Josh Allen’s cheap years. The Chargers have been mismanaged on the field but have built a contending roster with a cheap quarterback. The Jaguars appear to be entering a window with Trevor Lawrence.

Our own 2013 Seahawks are another example of the benefit of a cheap quarterback and a strong overall roster. Seattle had the most expensive offensive line in the league that year and was able to host a cluster of stars — not all of them on rookie contracts. The Eagles and Chiefs then won titles with a similar benefit.

Surely these are the teams to copy?

Surely you don’t instead look towards Cousins and the Vikings, Carr and the Raiders and Tannehill and the Titans?

This should be the case whatever happens today — even if Cincinnati and Philadelphia both suffer crushing defeats. They’re where you want to be — in a game you haven’t played in since the 2014 season. Nine of 15 other teams in the conference have been to the NFC Championship game since your last visit.

Is it a risk going with a rookie QB? Yes, 100%. Is it a risk hoping you can do what the Vikings, Raiders and Titans can’t? Again, yes.

It comes back to the Brock & Salk show last week when a caller called Austin rang in to say the Seahawks needed to keep their quarterback. When challenged whether Seattle can win while paying Smith $35m a year, Austin responded by delivering five seconds of telling silence.

Football is full of tough decisions. There are constantly players you’d love to keep or reward but simply cannot or should not.

Whatever Seattle’s plan was a year ago when that Wilson trade was signed-off, must be the plan again.

The Seahawks can be like the Bengals and Eagles. They can get back to the top quite quickly. But they have to learn from those two teams. They shouldn’t do something completely different and hope for similar results.

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309 Comments

  1. Rob Staton

    Vic Fangio is the new DC in Miami

    Thus ensuring Miami will be the only team successfully running Fangio’s scheme in 2023

    • Denver Hawker

      Fangio/McDaniel combo is popcorn worthy- I love sound bites from both of them- neither give a lick for any media and just make fun of them. This is like a weird buddy cop comedy now.

  2. Kerren

    Playing with the mock drafts keep running into Chicago and AZ trading down and top 4 qb’s going off the board before our pick so Rob would you
    Outbid for the #1 pick (having 5 for Chicago to take Anderson/Carter must give us an inside lane and would a future #1 be too much?)
    AZ really holds the key do they fall in love with Anderson/Carter and keep pick or trade down and would they trade with us.
    If JS falls in love with Stroud (which he may) why not just swing for fences and get the guy we want at #1 (although Indy has the pick in front of us and could complicate things Thanks Lovie) or would you prefer Anderson at 5 and build out the team with multiple high picks this year

  3. Mick

    Totally agreed Rob. And if I may, also look at how Eagles go for it on 4th and 3 at SF 35 to turn the drive into a TD.

  4. Peppapig

    Feel sorry for the Niners……no I don’t. Lol.

  5. cha

    I’d add to the coaching part the defensive coordinators.

    Philly has Jonathan Gannon and Cincy has Lou Anarumo. Those are as important as the talent acquired. Maybe Clint Hurtt can get there – Anarumo wasn’t hired two weeks ago – but you need a real defensive coach.

    The Seahawks are currently working on the fundamentals of proper tackling. Both defenses are confounding top quarterbacks with regularity and are quietly letting the offense get the headlines.

    I agree with “draft a rookie QB and build in the trenches” 100%.

    But there is a big difference in roster building and cap management between the Cincy method and the Philly method.

    The Seahawks should emulate Cincinnati.

    They absolutely 100% should not emulate the Eagles. At least not with this current administration and ownership.

    It would be disastrous.

    • McZ

      So, with PC at the helm, how could this “doing a Cincy” work?

      No top FA wants to play in Seattle. Any idea of us getting a Trey Hendrickson equivalent is wishful thinking. We pay a lot of mediocrity top dollar. This is what we do, since at least 2018.

      There is also no Joe Burrow in this draft. The guy is the best QB in football, better than Mahomes, far better than the rest of the crop. We are betting on hitting on a player who isn’t even in the draft, and we wouldn’t have the #1 pick either.

      Philly, in the meantime, inherited the Pederson mantra of strong trench play, and is still flourishing on this legacy. This culture just turned around Jacksonville this season, and allowed a young QB to bring his pro career back on track. I haven’t seen a Pederson ever trotting out lazy trench play. Even playing a B squad in a wildcard game, they fought to the knife and kept the game close. Nothing this franchise is doing is based on luck, but on proper and detailed planning.

      This is the culture we should aspire. Takes it a year or two longer? Yes! But we have time.

      • Rob Staton

        Any idea of us getting a Trey Hendrickson equivalent is wishful thinking.

        In fairness, Cincinnati is hardly a diamond destination. And when Hendrickson and Reader signed there, Burrow was coming off a huge knee injury in his rookie season.

        There is also no Joe Burrow in this draft. The guy is the best QB in football, better than Mahomes, far better than the rest of the crop. We are betting on hitting on a player who isn’t even in the draft, and we wouldn’t have the #1 pick either.

        As the article notes, you don’t need someone as truly excellent as Burrow to make this work. The Eagles are evidence of that.

        • McZ

          There are no major FA signings in the last 5 years. They traded for players forcing their way out twice. We can debate what the reason is, but not the fact.

          My point is, that cha wants to follow the Cincy way, not the Eagles way. The Cincy way is dependent on having a superstar QB, the Eagles way is built around a trench culture.

          I think, the Eagles way is a better fit for us. And it would survive any change at HC.

      • Peter

        What world or metric is burrow better than mahomes? Cindy the team has the chiefs number right now. And they get to battle mahomes with a probable ankle sprain.

        I love burrows. Mahomes first three years in the league are nearly better than burrows.

        If you look at mahomes first three years as a full time starter he blows burrows out of the water.

        Burrows has his college wr who coincidentally was a top five pick.

        • Big Mike

          It’s not only with a bad ankle but it sounds like Kelce might not play.

        • McZ

          It’s clearly opinionated, when I say, Burrow tops Mahomes.

          The KC Chiefs had one the easiest regular season schedules with .453, while Cincy had .524, not including a cancelled Bills contest. Still, Cincy came out only one game short, and the number of convincing wins was greater.

          But that’s entirely not the point. There is no Mahomes in this draft either. And we have seen, what lousy trench play did to the Bengals.

  6. Jim Green

    Rob – good stuff, love the analysis. It all gets back to whether Pete or John can pick good players and find them at a reasonable cost. We have had one decent draft last year. A lot riding on the next one.

    Their record of choosing veterans is equally spotty, the team is still feeling the cap hits on previous failures.

  7. AlaskaHawk

    Nothing motivates a defense more than watching their quarterback get injured and knowing it is all up to the defense to hang in there and stop the other team from scoring. They may even have to score a few defensive points.

    Also – how good was San Fran to get McCaffrey at mid-season. Game changer.

    • Roy Batty

      The Niners bill might, finally, be coming due.

      Bosa is either going to be tagged or extended on a truly massive contract. That tag will count 100% against the cap.

      Lance is still a total unknown.

      Purdy is a nice storyline, but will he sustain this level of play against the NFC East in 2023 and a healthy Rams with Aaron Donald back in the fold two times a year?

      They don’t pick until #99, then have a boatload of day 3 picks. Maybe they hit on a few of those picks, but the percentage of getting a really good starter goes down with every round.

      They have about $13.5 million in total cap. I don’t know if that includes their $4.6 million in 2022 carryover, but that is still not enough to even cover Bosa’s tag if they go that route. How will they fill out the roster without making big cuts?

      On top of all that, they have to stay healthy.

      • Rob Staton

        $3,550,787 in effective cap space

        • Roy Batty

          Could be worse….cough, cough, Saints.

      • Big Mike

        I think Purdy is legit. We shall see

        • Roy Batty

          The Niners SOS in 2023 will not be as laughable as 2022.

          • Elmer

            A Seahawks comparison to Purdy getting injured might be this: Geno gets injured, then Lock gets injured, they have promoted Mannion from the practice squad and then he gets injured. They had to go and find a 4th string guy someplace as injury insurance for Mannion. Just for grins, let’s call it Jacob Eason.

            This kind of illustrates the competitive disadvantage the 49ers face.

      • cha

        They’re fine.

        I wish the Seahawks had their “problems.”

        • AlaskaHawk

          Next year they can debate Garappolo or Purdy. Should be fun to watch the show.

          • Roy Batty

            Jimmy is a UFA in about 2 weeks.

  8. Hoggs41

    After hearing both of John Schneiders interviews, I dont believe the Seahawks are willing to go as high as people think. That ceiling might only be $20m or so.

  9. Graeme

    Rob, are there any later round QBs you like that could give us spending freedom and the opportunity to draft defense at 5? I know DTR was an early season favorite and you’ve had your questions about Bennet.

    • Rob Staton

      Not for me. DTR weighing just 191lbs is a big flag too

      The depth at QB has been decimated by players returning to school

      • Roy Batty

        I’m still curious to see what Young’s measurements are at the combine and what he looks like standing around with the QB group.

        For some teams it probably won’t matter. The kid has great talent, character and leadership abilities.

  10. Rob Staton

    Might do a stream after the NFCCG if people are interested

    Bit of game reflection, lot more draft/Seahawks talk and a Q&A

    • YakiMax

      Would love a stream. Fired up watching the 9ers losing and thinking about a rookie QB.

    • Scot04

      Great write up, loved the detail. Well planned & thought out.
      Great point about it not having to be a Burrow.
      Hoping Bears trade to #4 & absolutely love Carter or Anderson so we have atleast 1 QB option guaranteed.
      I’m also all in on the stream. Hope it happens, would love to hear more on this topic.

      • DC1234

        I just dont see 4 qb go in the top 4. Never happened before. 3 will prob go before seahawk’s 5th pick.

        Best case scenario is 2 qb go before seahawks pick

    • dand393

      Please do

  11. Seahawkwalt

    Any thoughts on Charlie Jones WR Purdue? Meddling attributes probably but led Nation in receiving yards iirc

    • Hebegbs

      I am so in favor of drafting QB at #5 at this point unless the top 4 we’ve discussed here are all gone. Sign Drew Lock to a 1 year deal. Let QB 5 sit and learn. Let Geno walk if the $ approaches any where near 30 mm/year. 2023 is a continuation rebuild year. With paying Geno, I just don’t see how they make progress. I like Geno but not at the expense of really rebuilding the team and that feels like the key conundrum here.

      I’m curious what people think would be the drop dead annual salary # for Geno where you let him walk? I feel like even 20 mm is too high? What is the # where if you were JS-you keep him vs let him walk?

      • Mr drucker in hooterville

        $15m for me. Flexibility/option on year 2. Or Drew Locke.

        Sign a FA or two then draft QBOF

    • Seattle Person

      The consensus on him is that he runs really good routes. He was really productive this past season.

      I’ve read reports that he has legit speed and other reports that say he has average speed. On tape and in the highlights — it didn’t look like he had burner speed.

      It’s a bummer that he either didn’t get invited to the Senior Bowl or he declined the invitation. It would have been nice to see him against other competition that will test his speed.

      All in all, he doesn’t seem like a Hawks pick in the first 4 rounds. The team would take WRs with lesser testing numbers in the later rounds though. I like him but he seems destined for the Rams …

  12. Roy Batty

    Unless Hurts morphs into Dak, I don’t see the Niners coming back from this with a gimp Purdy and Whatshisname.

    I hope the AFC game is a shootout.

    • Big Mike

      With mahomes hurt and Travis Kelce maybe not playing I don’t see it being that close frankly. Hope I’m wrong

  13. Palatypus

    Jake from State Farm is going to be at the blood bank tomorrow.

    • Elmer

      Giving or receiving?

  14. Canadian Hawk

    Rob,

    Very persuasive piece.

    If Geno isn’t resigned and we draft a QB but still want a bridge – you comfortable going with Lock or do you see a reasonably priced vet out there worth targeting?

    • Rob Staton

      Just go with Lock

    • AlaskaHawk

      I’m comfortable with Lock if you want to tank the team next year and get better draft picks. Otherwise I’m not sure he can offer much as he isn’t a mentor.

  15. 206

    Fantastic article. The flow of the words and messages is on point.

  16. Roy Batty

    John Lynch not looking as happy on the sidelines this week.

    • Roy Batty

      Trent Williams, too.

    • Palatypus

      I thought I saw an Eagles player throw a punch at the end.

    • Rob Staton

      Real shame isn’t it

      • Sea Mode

        😏

      • Roy Batty

        Oh, I am sooo enjoying this.

        The NFC East defenses are going to be a chore next year. A brutal, grind out every yard chore.

        • Elmer

          Shows how far we have to go. As Rob has said, plugging in a couple of good rookies won’t be an immediate fix.

  17. downtownjewelrybryan

    i dont wanna hear no more comparisons to the LOB…foh with that

  18. Rob Staton

    Live stream link: https://www.youtube.com/live/ILfb7VvWC5I?feature=share

  19. Mick

    I don’t mind the Niners losing but I wish it didn’t go that way, with a whole lot of injuries and no passing game.

    • 805Hawk

      I was looking forward to a good game. This has sucked. It’s just not fun watching a situation like this.

      • Roy Batty

        I was looking forward to a good game too, but watching a bitter Division rival get spanked on national TV is a nice consolation prize. If it were, say, the the Lions, I’d be genuinely sad.

        But not for the Niners. Never for the Niners.

    • Big Mike

      Likewise. It robbed us of what should have been a really good game. However the niners only have themselves to blame because the play that Purdy got hurt on they were trying to keep Reddick from getting to the quarterback with a tight end, backup at that.

    • AlaskaHawk

      Yeah really sucks when your 3rd string QB goes down. San Fran had a good run, but the game just sucked. No drama at all – except wondering who would get ejected for fighting.

  20. ShowMeYourHawk

    We’ll, I’m proper chuffed knowing I don’t have to watch the big game actively rooting against anyone. More energy spent towards drinking! 🍻

    • downtownjewelrybryan

      same…what a great feeling.

    • TatupuTime

      The risk of the Niners winning and being insufferable is high. But I can also remember absolutely loving and cheering my ass off as they melted down and lose to the Chiefs in 2019. Won’t have that feeling this year.

  21. Romeo A57

    Well the first game was disappointing, from a competitive standpoint, not that I was looking forward to seeing San Francisco wim a championship. The Eagles pass rush literally won the game in the first half by knocking out both quarterbacks. Hopefully the second game is a lot better.

  22. Trevor

    Another great writeup Rob. Some excellent points.

  23. Hoggs41

    Quick poll. Which option would you rather have.

    Option A: Geno Smith, Drew Lock, Tyree Wilson

    Option B: Drew Lock, Draft a QB at 5, Daron Payne

    • ShowMeYourHawk

      Objection, Your Honor. Leading the witness….

      • Peter

        Funny!! Nicely done

    • God of Thunder

      B. All day long.

    • Mr drucker in hooterville

      B. And you can replace Payne with others and it remains B.

  24. Kevin Mullen

    And letting Geno sign elsewhere (assuming he gets his bag), that’s gonna be a 3rd round compensatory pick for 2024. And obviously we don’t counter sign another FA.

  25. KennyBadger

    This should be required reading for the front office. And the fan base. And planet Earth.

  26. Matt

    This feels like it could get ugly. Bengals OL completely overwhelmed.

  27. Justaguy

    All it would take for a complete turn around for this franchise is drafting Levis and Mayer

    • Rob Staton

      Well, we know Carroll’s an admirer of Mayer

      • Trevor

        Has he commented in Mayer?

        • Rob Staton

          Yes, made a point of saying how he good he was unprompted when USC beat Notre Dame

          • Trevor

            Talk about the perfect 3rd target in the Hawks offense but there is zero chance he makes it to 20 IMO. Would be the ideal safety blanket to develop with a rookie QB. Not sure the Hawks will go offense with both 1st round picks but Richardson / Levis / Stroud and then Mayer could be pretty special.

  28. Matt

    Ugly…Bengals gonna lose by 24. Not terribly sure what their game plan was.

  29. Rob Staton

    Dawand Jones…

    https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1619864926717349889

    • ShowMeYourHawk

      😲 Dude is a real life blend of The Thing and Mr. Fantastic.

    • Trevor

      This years under rated RT like Abe last year and the true 1st round talent on that Ohio St OL as you have been saying for a while Rob.

      • Rob Staton

        Abe Lucas is/was a lot better — had everything you look for in a tackle

        Jones is a more interesting prospect than the left tackle at Ohio State IMO and has obscene physical traits — but I liked Lucas more than Jones

  30. Rob Staton

    Wonder what this is??

    https://twitter.com/BrockHuard/status/1619869371194814465

    • Gross MaToast

      Pete?

      • Rob Staton

        ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

        It could be anything — but it’ll be Seahawks or Mariners related to be worth a tease and 8am specifically is an organised, arranged announcement

        I’m sure us even discussing/considering it a Carroll retirement will leave us/this place open to ridicule by some but for the purpose of speculating on that theme to humour those of us who want to speculate — if it was ever going to happen, I do think this is how it would play out.

        No big build up. Just calmly decided after the season has finished in Carroll’s own time when he’s consulted who he needs to consult about it to make a final call.

        Announcing it on the flagship radio show at 8am, followed by a press conference later, having taken the time to reflect on it would be his style — at least IMO. As would protecting this information from the ‘big names’ — Schefter and co. It wouldn’t be his style for this to get out via a Schefter or Rapoport tweet. A lot of work would’ve gone in to avoiding that. Thus, doing the press conferences as he did at the end of the season like it’s business as usual, not hinting at any possibility of calling it a day, buying the time and space to consider it before announcing on his terms, in his way. That all feels very Carroll.

        So there you go, there’s me wildly speculating why it could be the thing it probably isn’t.

        It’s hard to imagine what it could be though. I don’t think Brock would do this for Sam’s UW/transfer decision. Are there any Mariners’ players or executives due an extension that could be revealed? Would those be exclusively revealed at 8am on the radio anyway? KJR is the flagship for UW and the Kraken, right?

        Are there any current players for the Seahawks or Mariners considering retirement who are close to the Brock & Salk show that would do the reveal on air?

        • Seattle Person

          I don’t think it’s anything Mariners related. No one is able to keep anything quiet in baseball. If it was an extension from a player then there would have been hints. Normally news wouldn’t be broken on sports radio. The big name outlets would have heard it first. Jeff Passan (nationally) or Ryan Divish (locally) would have reported it before radio.

          If it is Mariners related then it might have something to do with the All-Star game in Seattle? Uniform announcement? If it is baseball news then why would Huard be the liaison person?

          I’m with you though. I don’t think it is Carroll related either. But it does seem to fit the time frame and his style?

        • Gross MaToast

          “Brock and Salk are proud to announce they’re teaming up with Mike’s Hard Seltzer to give away front row seats for the Everett Silvertips – Spokane Chiefs match on Feb. 22nd. To enter, visit any Seattle area Kia dealer and test drive a new Kia Sivertip. ‘Kia – It’s A Car!’ Brought to you by Pizza Hut.”

        • Shibu

          What time was the Pete Carrol Show usually? If it’s in the same time slot could be telling. Or I’m just completely reaching.

    • ShowMeYourHawk

      A full hour with Tater, our new HC?

    • Travis

      Probably where Sam Huard is transferring to

      • Rob Staton

        Maybe but I doubt they would be teasing that info the night before for a big 8am reveal of a ‘breaking sports story’

        Especially given he’s departing UW

        I think if it was that they’d be more likely to say… ‘Sam is announcing his next team with us tomorrow at 8am’ — by not mentioning what this is, it implies something bigger

        • Palatypus

          The biggest thing I could think of would be NBA expansion. Is that still on the table?

          • Rob Staton

            I’m pretty sure the NBA would want to announce that themselves before a local radio station

        • DJ 1/2 way

          Could be Sam is returning? That might be considered good news.

          • Rob Staton

            Would you announce that the night before with a tease for 8am as breaking news 🤷‍♂️

            • Rob Staton

              Clearly you would 😂

              Ah well

    • cha

      My guess is it will be Seattle is selected to host the 2024 NHL All Star game.

      They announced Florida will host the 2023 game on Feb 4, 2022.

      • Rob Staton

        According to the Toronto Sun, it’s heading there:

        https://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2023/01/11/toronto-maple-leafs-closing-in-on-hosting-2024-nhl-all-star-game-source.html

        • cha

          Could be.

          But they’re pushing hard to promote the expansion teams. The Winter Classic is Seattle/LVGK and several legacy teams are upset they’ve been passed over. The NHL’s PR guy was interviewed and asked why those two and he specifically said to promote the expansion franchises.

          LVGK got the 2022 game and Florida got 2023 because they were supposed to get 2021 but didn’t due to the pandemic.

          FWIW.

          • cha

            And the NHL has promised the All Star game to Seattle by 2027.

            https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-promises-seattle-all-star-game-other-events/c-303731976

            • JJ

              KJR is kraken flagship. I think they would get that news

              • cha

                Yeah, you’re probably right.

          • Rob Staton

            Would they announce this news on local radio though? When KJR are the Kraken flagship?

            • schuemansky

              It’s a scary thought, but couldn’t it be the new “amazing” and discounted 4y/150mil contract for Geno?

              • Rob Staton

                I mean, maybe. Not sure why that would be broken on the radio though

                I suspect it might be something positive because it’s being ‘saved’ for 8am

                • schuemansky

                  I hope you’re right.

                  • CL

                    PC retires and Seahawks trade #5 and #20 for Sean Payton…. 😀

                • DJ 1/2 way

                  If it is Pete Retiring I call Kellen Moore as new head coach. It will not be announced at the same time. You typically have to give the retiring coach his day, but Kellen had another great year and they parted ways Sunday.

                  • DJ 1/2 way

                    Pete not retiring

    • Shane

      SeaHawks have been Sold????

    • McZ

      Jarred Kelenic dating Margot Robbie?

    • Mr drucker in hooterville

      I am already feeling like Kraken is shoved down my throat. And only Year 2.

  31. Gaux Hawks

    I BELIEVE…

    1R23 Anthony Richardson
    1R23 Keion White
    2R23 Drew Sanders
    2R23 Da’Ron Payne (trade)

    • God of Thunder

      I don’t mind it at all.

      But do you think Drew Sanders falls into Rd 2?

    • Julian L

      I don’t think Da’Ron Payne is going anywhere but for a 1st round pick, they’ll be a lot of suitors for the trade.

  32. ShowMeYourHawk

    https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35551758/georgia-qb-stetson-bennett-arrested-public-intoxication

    You’d think that Bennett would be better than this, given his advanced age. 😜 Can’t be good for his limited draft prospects, unless you’re Jim Irsay.

    • Palatypus

      I wonder if this is why he declined the late invite to the Senior Bowl.

      Still two spots left after Jordan Battle backed out.

    • Palatypus

      Oh, never mind, it happened this morning.

  33. Palatypus

    I saw two blocks in the back on that last punt return.

    • Matt

      Absolutely egregious

  34. Pran

    Hate when refs end up being the difference.

  35. Matt

    Officiating was sickening. Never seen anything like this one.

    • dand393

      I have, when Seahawks lost to the Steelers in the superbowl

      • Big Mike

        Yep. Super Bowl XL* was way worse.
        And btw, the Hawks didn’t get beat by the stealers, they got beat by the NFL’s storyline of Bettis coming home to Detroit carried out by the game officials.

        • Palatypus

          I am glad that the State Farm post-game show got to celebrate a victory for their spokesman. Looks, like Jake from State Farm, will get to keep his house after all! That is a good thing too because Aaron Rodgers needs a place to crash.

    • Palatypus

      You know, it was 6 degrees out. And those old guys need to get to bed on time.

      FWIW, most of the errors were on special teams.

  36. Akil White

    Rob a few weeks ago I was a re-sign Geno no matter what guy. But after seeing how QB friendly the McVay Shannahan systems are the last two weeks. Like you said use the $$$ to build up your roster. I say we draft two QB’s. One earlier one late. If Geno’s contract is going impede the development of your roster. I’m not a hard pass.

    • Akil White

      I mean I am a hard pass on big contract

  37. Mr Magic

    Dang Cincy, Ossai. what in gods name were you thinking. Refs shanked Cincy pretty badly. 9 penalties against 4 and a phantom free play. Wish Cincy pulled it out, cant stand KC and their mutant owner.

  38. Palatypus

    Oh one more thing…

    I’m pretty sure this “Cocaine Bear” movie is a documentary about Sam Hurd.

    • Hoggs41

      I cant believe someone actually green lighted a movie about a bear doing cocaine.

      • Palatypus

        Well, it’s based on a true story and is produced by Elizabeth Banks, so it should be funny.

        • hoggs41

          Yeah in 1985 and the bear died of an overdose and it never actually ran around. This thing should be streaming about a week after it opens.

          • Group Captain Mandrake

            I wouldn’t go see it in theaters because I don’t often go to the movies, but I’d absolutely stream it. Looks like fun. there was a storyline in Justified that used the same story as a basis.

  39. Mr Magic

    One thing I saw today is take Shanahan out of his comfort zone and he is basically busted. You have no ability to pass and you keep running it up the gut or attempting lame reverses with Philly sticking 6-8 guys in the box. Utterly absurd. YOu have to get creative down a bunch with no arm out there. THey tried one flee flicker, should have tried 10, they couldn’t move the ball an inch. Really poor form by the SF staff not getting creative.

    • UkAlex6674

      I think you are undermining the situation the 49ers were in at that point, and to say the play calling at that point was utterly absurd is very strong.

      So you think 10 flea flickers would have done the job? I think after the first 2 the Eagles may have worked uit out……

      Come on now, they had no functioning QB and were up against the best D. I don’t even think 11 flea flickers would have done the job.

      • Big Mike

        Agree Alex. Once Purdy was hurt, it was game over. The criticism I have of Shanny is designing a play that had a backup TE trying to block Reddick on the pay that got Purdy hurt.

      • geoff u

        Yeah but that 13 flea flicker would’ve scored at least two touchdowns and BAM, back in the game.

  40. CHaquesFan

    Is Bijan at 20 (if he’s there which seems unlikely) possible because of RB1 and WR3 usage? Wondering if he could be like McCaffrey or if that’s a 1 in a million talent

  41. Robert Las Vegas

    Rob I heard Lance Z said that this is the best Tight end draft in years do you agree with that? And one thing I noticed with the niners and eagles game Philly ran the ball for 4 touchdowns. A decent center makes a difference.

    • Rob Staton

      It’s a top heavy TE but you do have four really good ones, yes

  42. swisshawk

    Thanks for an amazing piece Rob!

    Do you think Pete / John mentioning SF as a modell might be influenced by the specifics of the players they are trotting out (stronger & faster)?

    Therefore, going back to their (measurement) standards and not deviate from it regarding size/speed? (Levis/Richardson, Keion White, Drew Sanders, etc.)

    • Trevor

      Would like that as the first 3 picks

      Levis / Richardson
      White / Kancey
      Sanders

  43. Sea Mode

    Delayed reaction, but… what a bonehead penalty in the most crucial of moments to cost your team a shot at OT and trip to the Super Bowl.

    • Jabroni-DC

      It was the definition of bonehead. I was rooting for the Bengals to win the SB but during their game had the feeling that the Eagles would smoke them. The Bengals pass rush seemed a bit lacking. Maybe they were spared a 2nd straight SB defeat.
      Here’s to the Eagles opening up a serious can of whoop-ass on the Chiefs.

  44. Sea Mode

    Cool recognition:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/PatrickMahomes/status/1619910178018836481

    • Big Mike

      I get the feeling he’s a good kid. Hell, he’s even gotten his dumbass brother to shut up it would seem.

  45. TwilightError

    “They’ve done it by padding out their roster with talent and benefitting from a rookie contract at quarterback.”

    By all means, this exact spot where the Seahawks now are looks to be perfect for adding a rookie quarterback. The offense is going well with young talent and veteran stars. Perfect environment for a rookie to start his career, the team will not be put on his shoulders immediately. And still they are not “one piece away” from being contenders. So there is no real pressure for the rookie immediately. I think this coaching staff and management have the pedigree to not be afraid to put their behinds on the line with a quarterback gamble. They have shown their capabilities and if they miss and get fired, so be it. I wouldn’t blame them at this point, they would not be considered failures.

    Still, fixing the defense is a problem that is even harder to solve. But that can be started now along with the QB and continued in years to come.

    Btw. It’s Promised land, not promise land 🙂

    • Peter

      No it’s “promise land.”

      As in you pinky promise to build a team that isn’t full of excuses and reasons why it’s so fully mediocre. That you promise not to move off of one expensive qb only to replace him with another who most likely won’t be as capable of covering up the team’s warts as the other guy was. As in you promise to draft great players instead of for need.

  46. Rob Staton

    There is a new mock on the Athletic today.

    The Seahawks take Will Anderson at five and here’s the blurb:

    Jackpot for Seattle. The Seahawks drafted a “traits” edge last year in Boye Mafe. If Anderson falls here, it would allow Seattle to move Poona Ford back inside for good while placing a potential franchise player next to him.

    Was Poona Ford playing the edge for us in 2022? I’m confused

    • Trevor

      Would sooner they say nothing than uninformed garbage like that.

    • Big Mike

      I’d be pleased with Anderson at 5 and c’mon guys, Poona has the prototypical Edge body dontcha know?

      • Peter

        I’m excited to find out about this other Will Anderson that Rob hasn’t scouted that fits the prototypical 3-4 DE size. So poona can move “inside.”

    • cha

      Nor that Poona is a free agent?

    • Peter

      If we’re going to do blind mocks w/o knowing about teams or maybe even positions of American football is there any OT options we should look at so we can kick Lucas or Cross inside to guard?

      Perhaps a CB falls to Seattle with their high second round pick? I mean they’ve never ever done it and sure they just drafted two starting corners but maybe shoot for yet another?

      • Hoggs41

        These mock guys kill me. No resesrch at all, just throw anything out there.

    • MountainHawker

      When I hear an edge has ideal size and length I think Poona Ford

    • Scot04

      Pete mentioned Poona was playing on the outside. Plays outside of Mone as edge.
      Seems like Pete views him as an important part of our 3-4

      “He can do a lot of things. He can play all of the spots up front,” Carroll said. “When we need to load it up in the running game, he can do it. If we need to put him on the edge, he can do it. He can play all of the spots, so he has great instincts and savvy.
      “He’s been a wonderful player for us. So he’s doing fine. He’s doing great right now.”

      After AZ game:
      “He is a better edge player than he is a two-gap player in the middle of guys,” Carroll said of Ford. “So, we were able to help him there some in the game, and that was a bit of the difference.”

      Defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, who also had one of his best games Sunday, made note of the change as well. Carroll was glad to hear that his players mentioned the benefits of playing a more aggressive style.

      After assessing it, I think our guys are better in that mode,” Carroll said. “That is the choice that we made, the decision was one part of the adjustment that we did this week.”

      So, that adjustment is here to stay then, right?

      No, we are going to go back to screwing it up,” Carroll said jokingly. “Yeah, we are going to keep growing. We are going to keep getting better. This is just a stage for us right now that we needed to adjust a bit, and we’ll look forward to continuing to grow.”

  47. cha

    Danny Kelly says “Geno may not have a strong market” but “it’s hard to see him going for less than the franchise tag” and essentially ‘you can’t prove the Seahawks can’t win a SB with Geno.’

    https://twitter.com/933KJR/status/1619089911998726145?cxt=HHwWgoDSgcvslPgsAAAA

    • Big Mike

      I think he’d be a great CFO for some business. I mean “no strong market but pay him top money anyway” is a truly economic genius.
      How do dolts loike this even keep their jobs?

      • cha

        I know he’s mentioned more than once that he’s skeptical of the QB class in the draft. Maybe he explains that more and it wasn’t caught in this clip.

        • Big Mike

          OK in that case it would make sense. I wouldn’t agree, but there’s logic if that’s indeed it.

      • Palatypus

        It worked for Milo Minderbinder in Catch-22. He bought eggs for five cents then sold them for three cents and made a profit. You see, it’s all about the syndicate.

    • Matt

      DK: “hey, eggs were $16 last week…I know they’re back down to $3, but I think I’m going to pay $16.”

    • Orcas viking

      Kelly’s mindset is that of the typical empathetic, soft hearted commies that over-populate the Seattle area. It’s more about social justice and equality (in this case, Geno deserves to be paid equal to other similar QBs even if Seattle is the only bidder) than a rationale business decision.

      • Henry Taylor

        I kean I disagree with Danny here. But this is a take.

      • Peter

        Regardless of how one perceives the citizenry of Seattle I think Danny’s take is just more in line with the much more banal Seattle approach to sports…

        This forever waiting for penny, procise, Thurmond, Shaun Alexander to return to form, mariners fans and their forever next year is our year mindset. To be just good enough to not be bad.

      • Tien

        As one of those empathetic soft hearted commies from Seattle (actually Edmonds but close enough)😉, it would be incredibly stupid to franchise or pay Geno a huge contract, especially since there isn’t a hot market for him. I’m crossing my fingers that Levis/Stroud/Richardson.
        .and maybe Young falls to us at #5. If Geno is willing to come back at the Seahawks price ($15ish million a year) then he can be the bridge QB but otherwise, you shake his hands and offer a low cost 2 year contract to Lock or another lower tier vet QB.

  48. Peter

    That’s honestly a great way to think about a whole bunch of stuff.

    If you’re the only bidder I suggest pay as much as you can.

    It’s like schroedingers cat meets the trolley experiment for team building.

    What’s the game plan here? Pay geno franchise level. Get zero free agents. And not just hit but magic up first and second team all pros with every draft pick?

    What if Zach wilson is secretly Burrows? We can’t prove he isn’t. Maybe we just give the jets a fourth and have him be our starter? At least I could prove Wilson would be cheaper.

    • Palatypus

      I prefer Schrodinger’s Elvis to Schrodinger’s cat. You’ve got to explain things to people here in the south in a way that Forrest Gump can understand them.

      • Blitzy the Clown

        So Elvis has, and hasn’t, left the building?

        • Palatypus

          Maybe.

  49. DJ 1/2 way

    The pre-announcement-Pete not retiring.

  50. CL

    The guest is indeed Sam Huard

    • Palatypus

      Sam Hurd? The Cocaine Bear!

  51. Stuart

    FANTASTIC INSIGHTS ROB!!!

  52. DJ 1/2 way

    Sam Huard announces he will be playing at Cal-Poly next year.

    • Hoggs41

      As expected, very underwhelming breaking news.

    • bv eburg

      That was the big announcement?

    • Romeo A57

      I was so hoping that Sam would have announced that he was transferring to Oregon:) (Sarcasm)

      Obviously he is transferring somewhere to have a chance to start right away. Good luck to him.

    • Blitzy the Clown

      No offense to Salk and Brock but Huard to CalPoly was reported by a Central Coast local paper last week.

      I almost said something in the comments last night but I thought there’s no way that could be it because it was, again, it was reported here last week.

      If I’m being completely accurate, the local report spoke of the decision as impending, but that hardly seems pivotal.

  53. Palatypus

    Good morning people!

    This time tomorrow I will be in Mobile at Hancock Whitney Stadium at the University of South Alabama. Here is our three-day weather outlook for Senior Bowl practice.

    Tuesday: 72 degrees and cloudy, 17% chance of rain, 81% humidity, winds Easterly 4mph.

    Wednesday:67 degrees and cloudy, 18% chance of rain, 72% humidity, winds North North-Easterly 7mph.

    Thursday: 75 degrees with rain and thundershowers, 83% chance of rain, 78% humidity, winds South South-West 11mph.

    If they don’t move Thursday’s practice indoors again, it looks like they will be working out kickers.

    • UkAlex6674

      Looking forward to your reports and updates!

    • AlaskaHawk

      I hope you can give us your thoughts on the workouts and game!

      • Palatypus

        Not going to the game this year. I want to concentrate on the practices.

    • HawkfaninMT

      It’s 9 degrees here in Spokane. Enjoy!

  54. Blitzy the Clown

    The worst part about the officials all but handing the win to KC at the end of the game last night is listening to certain Chiefs players pop off like they put the beat down on the Bengals instead of being played to a draw at home and then all but handed the game by the officials

    Imma enjoy watching the Eagles defense put some reality back in the KC locker room

    • AlaskaHawk

      More like handed the game by a stupid defensive brain fart on a late hit.

      However – I too am looking forward to the Eagles putting a beat down on them. Note that the Eagles are rated 1st in sacks and 4th in interceptions.

      • Blitzy the Clown

        Actually I was referring to the missed illegal blocks in the back on the punt return that set them up with good field position to start that final drive, as well as the blatant hold on Trey Hendrickson by Orlando Brown, all of which preceded the brain fart late hit.

        But I guess there’s just no changing the popular narrative that the Chiefs are all that

        • Peter

          I think the narrative is chiefs, bengals, bills are all that.

        • AlaskaHawk

          I thought the Cowboys were all that. They are America’s Team.

        • Roy Batty

          The Chiefs have been to 5 straight AFC Championship games. They will have now been in 3 SB’s in that time.

          So it’s reasonable to say that they are “all that”.

  55. cha

    Michael Silver
    @MikeSilver
    ·
    42m
    For what it’s worth, Vic Fangio told me late last night, “Nothing has been decided on my end.” There is a huge amount of mutual respect between Kyle Shanahan and Fangio, a highly successful Niners DC under Jim Harbaugh. And it appears the 49ers will have an opening soon.

  56. cha

    I will never not upvote a solid Arrested Development ref.

    https://twitter.com/TrainIsland/status/1619879780484259840?cxt=HHwWgIDR6f2E_PosAAAA

    • Hawk Finn

      🤣

  57. Hawk Finn

    League announced salary cap increase by more than $16M to $224.8M

    https://www.nfl.com/_amp/nfl-sets-salary-cap-at-224-8-million-per-team-in-2023

    • Big Mike

      How long til someone says “well now we can tag Geno for sure”?
      .
      .
      .
      Oh wait, I don’t do social media so it’s likely already happened and I just don’t know it yet.

      • BK26

        It hasn’t been “oh we can tag him now,” it is “now we can pay him $30 mil a year and there is our future.” Not…even…kidding…. Many times…

        This is then followed by “draft all defense and then we are a Super Bowl team.”

        Oh what a world for my mind to live in.

        • Big Mike

          Boy I’m really missing out by not being on social media aren’t I? 🙄

          • Hawk Finn

            Right there with you, Biggie. Gave it all up in 2015 when the toxicity was at its peak. Don’t miss it.

            • Group Captain Mandrake

              I don’t think social media had reached peak toxicity at that point. Hell, they are still finding new depths to sink to.

        • jed

          I agree that Geno is about as good as the $30 to $40 million veteran QBs.

          It’s just none of the teams that have those guys are happy and I don’t know why Seahawks fans want to be in that unhappy, expensive range of QBs.

          • bmseattle

            Exactly this.
            Every team that has a mid-level QB in that price range is trying to get out of the contracts, or is regretting the deal.
            Hopefully JS can see this happening and knows better than to make the same mistake.

            • Rob Staton

              And yet so many followers of the Seahawks want to jump right into that situation

            • cha

              I can just imagine the 2024 Seahawks with $100 million committed to Geno, Adams, Diggs, Tyler Lockett and PC still talking about how they’re going to get better on defense in 2025.

  58. ShowMeYourHawk

    https://twitter.com/tompelissero/status/1620117177201221635?s=46&t=WBQmA8IVsjNOkx0T6vOF4A

    Looks like the official salary cap will be $224.8 for 2023. How does this effect how we can improve via FA? Much of a disparity between what was anticipated and the official cap number?

    • Rob Staton

      Pretty much what was expected

  59. Scot04

    In PFF’s last mock. More on why Levis is a top QB according to people inside the NFL.

    Levis gets a lot of flack from draft readers who point out his lack of production — just 22 big-time throws to 24 turnover-worthy plays — over the past two seasons. But it seems the NFL is much higher on Levis than his numbers might indicate due to their belief in his physical tools and how much better he can be with some improved passing weapons (none of his wide receivers in 2022 earned a 73.0-plus receiving grade). Plus, if play under pressure is a point of emphasis for Colts general manager Chris Ballard, Levis’ 58.1 passing grade under pressure beats out Stroud’s 46.2. Levis’ 72.9% adjusted completion percentage was also significantly higher than Stroud’s 50.0%.

    Then has him going #4 to Indianapolis.
    Ofcourse we then pass on Stroud & Richardson, for Tyree Wilson.

    • Big Mike

      “Of course we then pass on Stroud & Richardson, for Tyree Wilson.”

      I just cried a little. Seriously, if John’s in charge of the draft as many of us believe, I highly doubt it.

    • cha

      PFF’s offseason pieces that require some objective analysis always come off a little odd.

      Which can be amusing to me, because PFF’s platform is so data-driven.

      They had Geno ranked as the #2 free agent this offseason in a piece. Then another piece said Geno was one of the biggest free agent risks this offseason. (Guess which article the ‘sign Geno to a massive deal’ crowd trumpeted from the rooftops and which they conveniently ignored)

      I don’t expect every writer to be perfectly aligned. But I’m just saying…anytime you read a PFF offseason piece take with a grain of salt.

    • BK26

      I watched 2 guys from PFF critique Kiper’s mock and they were literally speechless about us taking a quarterback (they had us getting Wilson in their mock). One guy said that it made no sense.

      Then they were shocked that he didn’t have Young as the first quarterback.

      • Matt

        “They are a playoff team!”

        Yea…7 seed who was gifted a spot on a crazy last weekend in the NFL behind a porous schedule. I like PFF, but those two dudes are still young and do the we know everything. Advantage of getting older is knowing that there’s a ton you can’t possibly know/understand. Hubris of youth.

        • Mr drucker in hooterville

          I guess spring interns have started …

        • BK26

          I had to turn it off. I get not being able to know the deeper situations of all 32 teams, but you can’t understand why a team might want to get a young, talented quarterback rather than sign an older, journeyman qb?

          Oh to be young and not realize that you’re usually wrong about everything again haha.

          • Matt

            The best advice I ever got for job interviews, when I was much younger was, “don’t be afraid to say you don’t know something, but you’ll work to find the right answer.”

            The simple reasoning was people who are in the know absolutely know when you’re making shit up.

            Anyways – what’s the saying? “Wisdom is wasted on the elderly.”

      • Rob Staton

        🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦

        Get ready for three months of this

  60. 509 Chris

    I’m curious about something. Maybe Cha or someone else would know. If Geno walks does signing Lock, who is a free agent, negate the potential comp pick from Geno?

    • cha

      No. Signing players on your roster the previous year does not count towards the comp pick calculation.

  61. Palatypus

    What’s all this about UW OC interviewing with Alabama? Don’t they run a completely different system?

    • Rob Staton

      They run whatever system the OC chooses

  62. Big Mike

    49er fan friend of mine (no one’s perfect) just told me Brock Purdy needs Tommy John surgery. Would mean he won’t play next year. Niners fail…….er, go with Lance?

    • Jabroni-DC

      They’ll make a play for Geno Smith after Seattle’s “laughable offer”.

      • Big Mike

        I suggested to my friend that Geno is a FA and got no response at all………….kind of like the reaction him being a FA is getting all over the football world.

        • cha

          If Geno overplays his hand and waits too long, the Niners would be a fantastic option for him.

          A guy who just does what he’s told and works the system would fit very very well in SF.

          • DC1234

            I think Geno wont get much offers from other teams. Besides the first game against the Broncos, Geno does not have any great prime time wins. Even that win against the Broncos, its more due to Hackett screwing up.

            He lost two prime time games against niners badly. Played poorly against the Chiefs. Played bad last game against the Rams.

            He cant carry a team. Every other team’s fan know Geno is not a franchise qb. Why some seahawks fan believe he is one. Idk

            • DC1234

              Im not saying you believe Geno is the answer, cha. Im saying ppl in local media and seahawks twitter

    • Matt

      If he needs Tommy John, my guess is that he could play half of next season. I had TJ in college, granted for baseball, but the strain on your elbow throwing a football is far less.
      I’d guess 9 month recovery assuming there’s no other issues.

    • Ben

      “Brock Purdy suffered a torn UCL that will sideline him six months, per source,” reports league insider Adam Schefter of ESPN.

  63. Julian L

    Is there an internet source for any of the player measureables at the Senior Bowl?

    It’ll be interesting to see if certain players get to the thresholds in size, considered desirable by the Seahawks executive?

  64. Maikakeaalii

    As always, great read through about the hawks situation. One piece I do not see a lot of people talking about comes down to Geno Smith repeating or even improving upon last year. I have no doubt that Geno is in it to win it and as Hawks fans, we all love that grittiness, but as you pointed out, along with Hugh Millen, Geno is less than 10 plays away from being a complete disaster with TOs. I do have faith in Geno, especially with a full year under his belt with Waldron, but I do fear that we are so desperate for the next Wilson, we’re blinding ourselves to the potential huge downside. We need a QB for the future. I know this may come as an odd take, but you have to believe that if we got Drew Lock in the Wilson trade, he has to have some upside. I am not on the Drew Lock train, but would it be fair to say that he can get a shot too if the price is too high to keep Geno? In all honestly, I think the better play would be to try and retain Geno, if not, plug and play Lock as the bridge. That scenario plays the best in my mind, but my only caveat is the locker room. The players love Geno and play for him. I don’t know if Lock can do that. But if we’re prepping for a Franchise QB, I doubt any Seahawk fan here would complain about having Will Levis or Young in two years time if they are the guy. The last thing I want to see is someone we should have gotten at 5 and watch them blossom in Houston or Indianapolis, its been a long time since the Seahawks drafted in the top 10, let alone 5.

    • Ben

      There’s a lot of people who think he’ll get a shot if we don’t bring back Geno. But let’s at least recall just how little value he had in the trade that included 2 first, 2 seconds, Noah Fant and Shelby Harris. Pete likes to talk up all his players and said we had 2 #1s, but Lock didn’t even sniff the first-team snaps until the last game of preseason, though he might’ve gotten them before if he didn’t have Covid.

      There are a lot of free agent QBs and Pete/JS might be eyeing another QB as a possible starter/backup, so the idea that we’re limited to Geno, Lock or a drafted QB seems possibly short-sighted.

  65. Rokas

    I know this is past a point of relevance for the Seahawks, but Cowherd came with guns blazing at Russell Wilson.
    It’s either they are not on good terms anymore, or Colin just truly spoke his mind all along. For some reason, i bet on the latter.

    https://youtu.be/K1kTT3r5I-c

    • DC1234

      In the past, there were speculation that Colin’s source for Russ news is Mark Rodgers (Russ’ agent)

      Colin has been pro Russ forever. And blames Pete’s archaic offense for seahawks failures. There was one year he had inside source that Russ might be traded to the Giants. He got that news from team 3.

      He is pro Russ this year up until Sean Payton was considered for head coach for the Broncos.

      This year with Sean Payton being on Fox and buddies with Colin, he is placing cover for Payton. Denver changed their mind on Payton for head coach. And Colin is saying Payton is passing on the Broncos job because of lack of cap space, draft picks. And most importantly, Russ being a problem. Saying Russ is cringy, has his own doctors, cant relate to teammates.

      I dont take Colin too seriously. He changes his view often.

      • Rokas

        You make some good points there!

  66. Volume12

    Good to Jammie Robinson on your big board.

    Wdy think of him Rob? I love his fearless play style and how he attacks the LOS. Thought he has some really nice explosion to his game too.

    • Rob Staton

      Interested to see how he tests. Like him up at the line. Can well imagine him ending up as a solid starter from a mid-round projection

      • Volume12

        Agreed. Have you watched Charlie Jones, WR, Purdue yet? Think he’s gonna be great value for a team on day 3

        • Rob Staton

          I haven’t

  67. Ben

    Joe Burrow was pretty much perfect his 5th year of college, but there’s not a lot of mention about how far he’d come from his 4th year:

    Completion %, Yards, Touchdowns, Interceptions, Rating
    57.8%, 2894, 16, 5, 133.2

    We’d all take Burrow despite his 4th year numbers above, but there’s a lot of concern for a player putting up similar numbers in his 3rd year:
    53.8%, 2549, 17, 9, 131.0

    I’m not saying that player would put up Burrow’s numbers, but to not expect improvement from world-class athletes from their first full year as starters in college seems possibly short-sighted.

    On the flip-side, there’s the Jake Locker comparison. A 3-year starter at UW with a 54% career completion percentage, 53 TDs , 35 interceptions and a 119.1 passer rating.

    Richardson was better in his 1st year starting than Jake Locker was his whole collegiate career. Nobody knows for sure which direction Richardson’s NFL career will go, but let’s at least attempt to create apt comparisons and not dismiss a player outright when we would’ve dismissed other franchise QBs at that point in their careers.

  68. Mick

    I could see Arizona in need for a backup if Murray isn’t back from injury at the start of the season. So we have both Cards and SF as possible options for Geno. Hopefully this doesn’t drive his price up.

    • Rokas

      They aren’t gonna pay 12 mil plus for a back up QB. And Geno will want a starting job, and will get one somewhere. He can’t go from Pro bowl back to the bench again, which he ridden for 7 years or so. Not this year at least.

      • Big Mike

        And though I agree with cha that Geno would do well in SF, they can’t afford to pay him what he wants plus the injury to Purdy sets them up on a really good place because they can turn the keys over to Lance to see what he’s capable of without the specter of Purdy. If he does well they keep Purdy as the backup, if he doesn’t they have Purdy to step in late next season or in ‘24.9

        • Big Mike

          * 24

    • Ben

      SF now has Trey Lance and Brock Purdy as QBs signed for next season. They can still have a 3rd string like Josh Johnson, but why would they pay anything for Geno when he wasn’t even as good as Purdy this season?

      • Ben

        I see Purdy won’t play next season most likely. Doesn’t change the point that Lance is their starter and I can’t imagine Geno goes anywhere there’s already a starter.

      • Palatypus

        I think Cleveland once had the combination of David Klingler, Ty Detmer (or was it Coy?), and Ken Dorsey.

        Hail Hydra !!!

  69. Scot04

    I just read an article from 2018 on QBs & how more teams will start to take them higher.
    I found it more relevant going into the 2023 offseason & draft. Heck it could have almost been written for this year, with only a few minor adjustments. Love the little part about Josh Allen.
    Definitely a good read, especially with the Geno situation.

    https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/4/24/17273200/draft-quarterback-value-top-three-picks-success-rate

  70. Palatypus

    While we patiently wait for the results of today’s Senior Bowl weigh-ins…

    This a not-so-quick follow-up to the comments by Peter and Blitzy the Clown on Schrodinger’s Elvis.

    It’s not about whether or not Elvis has or has not left the building. It is about all of the people that think that Elvis faked his death. For the Presley family, opening a box to find out if something is alive or dead is not a thought experiment. It is something that people have actually tried to do.

    Mojo Nixon wrote a song about it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy4cN2yKqVs

    And yes this was a real hotline back in the day. And I know Mojo says he is going to marry Lisa Marie in the video. I guess that is not going to happen. Rest in peace, Lisa.

    Think of it like this. When you do this scientific experiment, after your high school science teacher has spent all night digging up his grave, you expect one of four things to happen.

    1) Elvis is in the coffin and he is dead.
    2) A cadaver is in the coffin that is not Elvis.
    3) A dummy is in the coffin. (Cut to Stranger Things season one.)
    4) Nothing is in the coffin.

    But in Schrodinger’s Elvis model, none of these things happen. The first option is terrifying. The first option is that you open the coffin and the act of opening it murders the King of Rock and Roll. This would be traumatizing, and your high school graduation would probably be next door to where I went to high school in Steilacoom: Western State Mental Hospital.

    The second option is worse because the dead live. You would be so freaked out that you would take the nearest fire extinguisher and bash his brains out. Then you would hack his head off, fill his mouth with garlic, drive a stake in his heart, and burn the body. In the aftermath, you would go to prison for the murder of Elvis Presley and everyone in prison would hate you. Many of my classmates at SHS lived on McNeil Island and their families worked at the prison. You would get shanked.

    But here is the thing, on July 17, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin got their first wake-up call on the moon from mission control in Houston. And the song they played for them was “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley. I did not see it because my mother was five months pregnant with me, but my brother and sister did. Still, on the morning of November 3, 1969, that song was still #1 on the Billboard charts. It was the first music ever played on the Sea of Tranquility, by the best musician ever.

    When the Voyager spacecraft were launched, Carl Sagan included a gold phonograph entitled “The Sounds of Earth.” On it, he included a couple of old Rock and Roll tunes he enjoyed as a teenager in Brooklyn. Sagan was criticized for this (I believe by Isaak Asimov) as being adolescent. He responded to this by saying, “There are a lot of adolescents on planet earth.” It was estimated that the Voyager spacecraft would take about 100,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri. Now that is a long time to be waiting to hear some quality Rock and Roll. But they don’t have to because Elvis Presley is already there.

    When that transmission was made to the Sea of Tranquility, Elvis Presley’s voice was carried across the tranquil ocean of our galaxy, our universe, at the speed of light in perpetuity. In that way Elvis is immortal. As long as there is anything there will be Elvis. All that is, ever was, will be ever, twisting, turning through the never. Ozzy Osbourne was right. You can’t kill Rock and Roll. Elvis Presley’s music reached Proxima Centauri, roughly four light years away, before Voyager even launched. In the scheme of Carl Sagan’s cosmic calendar though, it was a photo finish.

    And here’s the thing. What if the aliens heard the transmission? Maybe they said, “Who is this curious earthling Elvis?” They wondered, “Why is his mind so suspicious?” I doubt they truly understood the message, but it had a good dance beat. And it is hard to dance with tentacles.

    And then they abducted him.

    But time and space don’t work the same for Tralfamodorians on Proxima Prime as it does for humans. Kurt Vonnegut was right. In that multi-dimensional cosmic zoo, the rules are different. But it is not Billy Pilgrim that is having flashbacks through time. It is Elvis.

    This is my story and I am sticking to it.

    • Old but Slow

      Have you considered running for office?

    • Jim Quait

      Palatypus:
      Thought I’d say hello to a former neighbor!
      I grew up on Anderson Island in the 1950’s. We didn’t have electric power in those days, it was more like living in the 1930’s. I attended the LAST class (with 4 other kids) of the one room elementary school in the middle of the island. Then, I rode the ferry daily, attended Steilacoom middle school. In those days High school kids were bussed to Clover Park. My mother was the elementary school lunch lady on McNeil Island for the guard’s kids and my stepdad, a 90% disabled WW2 veteran, was a huckleberry brush picker and avid fisherman. Those were some of the best days of my youth and a truly unique way to grow up that many at my age (79) haven’t experienced.

  71. UkAlex6674

    Rob you got any hot news re transfer deadline day over here? Specifically Shrewsbury Town 😀

    • Glasto Hawk (UK)

      He probably has a Shrew(ed) idea. That worked better when you used to be Nicknamed the Shrews, not that ridiculous “Salop”.
      I would expect an incoming of Weetabix on the 25th March when the Gas visit.
      This will be lost on anyone outside of Div1

  72. Peter

    Two morning mocks, two heading hands:

    CBS has us selecting CB kelee Ringo at #20. Okie dokie

    And another has us taking CB Joey Porter, Jr. At #20. Alrighty

    Both had qbs on the board that we’ve talked about here but of course Mr. Consistently in the back field….tyree wilson is becoming the unanimous pick.

    One site even threw in a little analysis to smarten up the pick.

    “(sic) Wilson provides great size as that mafe and nwosu are below the 50 percentile (size wise) of edge players……”

    Sounds good. Except the part where they are both OLB and both are heavier than the average for that position and Mafe is also taller than the average.

    • Big Mike

      Dontcha know they’re just ahead if the curve Peter? They going to be the first to correctly predict PCJS drafting a CB before round 3, which as we all know they’ve never done, and predict it despite it not being a huge need for this team.
      Talk about trying to prove you’re smarter than the room…
      🙄

      • Big Mike

        Seriously I get that these guys don’t take the time to do a deep dive on every team but a cursory bit of research like looking at rosters and draft history and team needs would be enough to know better than predicting CB to Seattle

      • Peter

        Pete’s a lot of things but showed once again that cb earlier than round three for him is pretty much a non starter.

        5th round corner that is stiff and has bad stats. No problem how about DROY candidate.

        How about at least Wilson and another dline. Any. Lazy but would make sense.

        • Big Mike

          Yep, a lot of things about Carroll I don’t like but his ability to teach corners is beyond elite. As I’ve said before, Griffin just didn’t want to be excellent or he would have.

        • Big Mike

          And don’t forget that slow, 5th round corner that’s very likely going to end up in the HOF and who made the most important play in franchise history.

  73. Matt

    Alabama’s Byron Young’s Senior Bowl measurables…wow!

    • Rob Staton

      So underrated

      • cha

        This year’s Abe Lucas.

        Go get him.

      • Matt

        Give me the combo of Young + Keion White over Jalen Carter, everyday of the week. High effort guys who will be dogs in the NFL.

        • hoggs41

          Great numbers for Young. Might have to get him at 53 if he is on there radar.

  74. HOUSE

    I was just reading a comment elsewhere and someone stated “Geno needs to be re-signed 4-years/$128M. I said I thought it was a horrible idea and the response was “You must be one of the SDB guys”.

    How can anyone LOGICALLY see Geno played well in 9 games, looked like ass in 9 games and think he’s worthy of a $128M contract?

    • Big Mike

      Next time someone says “you must be one of those SDB guys”: just remind them this was the first place to talk about a trade of Russ, that this place was all over Abe Lucas, etc., etc.
      Can you say “inconvenient truths”?

      • Rob Staton

        It’s not even inconvenient

        For the most part it’s just discussing things very few other places get into, that are really important

    • cha

      “I want to finish my career in Seattle,” Smith told reporters following his team’s 41-23 wild-card loss to the 49ers on Saturday. “I want to be here. The town, the city, the team, coach [Pete] Carroll, the organization, they all embraced me. I was a guy who probably could’ve been out of the league. They embraced me. And I want to repay them for that.”

      • Mick

        I mean, he made like 7-8 mil this year. He could be happy with doubling his money and leave more for solving the D problems. That would be repaying.

      • Scot04

        He should just do a gentleman’s agreement that he will give Seattle the opportunity to match any contract offer.
        Can’t see any other way; Don’t want to see us overpay for our own again. AKA Diggs.
        We need to let him test the market.
        Win/Win for both on potential offer match. If reasonable we match, otherwise move on.

    • BK26

      I can guess the page. Common sense confuses them, you made their heads hurt. “Geno good, sign Geno” as all that they want to hear. “Pete good keep Pete. Defense bad, draft defense.”

      There are A LOT of people that don’t want to apply any forward thinking or planning for a long window. Fine for them, just don’t try to make them think.

  75. Palatypus

    Mission control the Seahawk has landed.

  76. Palatypus

    Heavy representation of Chicago press.

  77. Trevor

    Rob have you looked at Minnesota CB Terell Smith? Has the arm length and size the Hawks seem to like. Curious about him as another day #3 CB project.

  78. cha

    Albert Breer
    @AlbertBreer
    The NFL informed teams of the 2023 franchise tag numbers today. And here they are …

    QB: $32,416,000
    RB: $10,091,000
    WR: $19,743,000
    TE: $11,345,000
    OL: $18,244,000
    DE: $19,727,000
    DT: $18,937,000
    LB: $20,926,000
    CB: $18,140,000
    S: $14,460,000
    K/P: $5,393,000
    3:22 PM · Jan 30, 2023

    • Jabroni-DC

      Pretty cool that we have 2 safeties each making $3.5M over the FT number. Not to mention their on field contributions coming up a tad short.

  79. Matt

    Oof…Ivan Pace Jr with a horrific weigh in at the Senior Bowl. Love the player but those measurables could make him a UDFA if he doesn’t run some blistering times at the combine.

    • Matt

      Senior Bowl measurables are miserable for a lot of guys…

      Keion White with a very solid day, though. Good length, but only 280. I think I’d like to see him at 290 and be an outside/in guy. DE on early downs, swing inside on 3rd down. Think he can be a monster in that role.

      • Ben

        Just for my clarity, you’re talking about DE in 3-4 base switching to DT in Nickel (4-2-5)?

    • Matt

      Seriously – outside of a few guys; these SB measurables are going to kill some draft stock. DBs in particular are really lacking length and weight.

      • Matt

        Couple DBs just checked in with 32”+ – good to see after the first wave.

        • hoggs41

          Agree on White. 290 seems like the range you would want for a 3-4 DE. Thats what concerns me about Murphy or Wilson is at 275 it feels like a tweener for our defense.

          • Matt

            Completely agree.

            I have no doubt they want a Karlaftis-type in that 260-270 range, but that 270-280 is just an awkward range to be in.

            I can see them liking Van Ness as well. But yes – Tyree is going to have to test insanely well at 275 for it to make sense. Otherwise it’s like the worst of both worlds. Sluggish edge, undersized but not explosive 3T.

            Murphy…no interest, at all. Complete pass on him.

  80. hoggs41

    I talked to some fellow Seahawks fans yesterday and in there minds there wasnt even a thought that we would take a QB at 5.

    • Rob Staton

      Then they’re listening to the wrong people

      • hoggs41

        Yes they are.

  81. Palatypus

    Titans AV crew bugged out of the south end zone due to a hornets nest.

    Caught an Eagles scout dancing in the end zone.

  82. Palatypus

    Keion White is an imposing figrure up close.

    • Matt

      He’s a “must get” IMO. That’s a rare piece of clay and he has high effort.

  83. Matt

    Benton and Henley with some nice measurables.

    Benton is VERY intriguing. He plays like how people hope Carter plays. Obviously not the same athlete, but not a bad one either, by any stretch.

    • Matt

      Henley looks like a SF style LBer. 230 with 33” arms.

      Really intriguing late 2nd-3rd option.

  84. Palatypus

    Benton showed nice punch in bag drills. Video coming.

  85. Trevor

    Darnell Wright is another monster.

    6’5″
    340
    34″ arms
    82 wingspan
    surprisingly small hands 8 1/2″

  86. Trevor

    From the clips I have seen from practice today Dewand Jones is flat out dominating. Pancakes Foskey here.

    https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1620500373357350913

    The rag dolls Andre Carter here.

    https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1620489756542107649

    He looks like a man amongst boys.

    • Rob Staton

      Brilliant player

      • Ben

        If he slips, at what pick do the Seahawks say they have to take him and figure out who slides inside? I keep seeing him in the 80’s in drafts I do and pick him because he’s BPA according to your horizontal board. But given our needs, it seems more logical to pick more for need…

        Thoughts?

        • Ben

          To be clear, I don’t think he lasts until the 80’s, but do we consider him with a 2nd round pick if other guys we want are off the board?

        • Rob Staton

          The people putting him in the 80’s are just wrong, unfortunately, and haven’t done their homework

          A terrific player

          I don’t know how to answer the question of when you would consider him because the scheme has been able to plug in guards in LA and thrive — this would be a bit of a luxury

          It’d depend on who’d they already taken

          • Ben

            To clarify further, he’s available in the 80’s on the PFF draft simulator.

  87. hoggs41

    Holy crap on O’Cyrus Torrance hand size. 11 1/4. Those are some big ass mits.

  88. Trevor

    Demand Jones looks like a man amongst boys out there. I know it is almost a shame to move him inside but can you imagine the right side of the hawks OL for the next 5yrs with Jones and Lucas. I think I would be awful tempted to take Jones at 20.

  89. HOUSE

    Sean Payton heading to DEN. Interesting to see what happens if Sean/Russ don’t mesh right away.
    https://bleacherreport.com/post/nfl-rumors/1ca9f478-ec1b-418b-89c4-bff275557d5f

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