Sunday notes

The Seahawks also met with Cullen Jenkins and John Abraham. They signed neither. Winfield’s visit is no guarantee of a deal. It’s likely a meeting was proposed when he was initially cut by the Vikings. “See what your market is and if you want to come for a meeting after that, we’d be happy to entertain you for a meeting.”

It’s worth remembering how much success this team has had drafting young corners (or in Brandon Browner’s case, plucking them out of the CFL). Winfield has a great reputation but there’s a reason he’s still a free agent. The Seahawks might return to this situation after the draft when they can take stock of where they’re at.

Personally, I’d be surprised if this meeting led to a contract unless he was prepared to take a miniature salary to play for a competitor.

Let the quarterback competition begin.

It seems likely one of these guys will be signed, but that doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily be the backup. I would expect some form of training camp competition involving one of these four, Josh Portis (re-signed last week) and a rookie (drafted or undrafted). Then it’s a case of who wins the job.

That’ll make the pre-season games slightly more interesting than they otherwise would be.

In terms of possible late round or UDFA quarterback prospects, I still like Sean Renfree (Duke), Colby Cameron (Louisiana Tech) and B.J. Daniels (USF).

Yesterday I posted a piece discussing the possibility of Seattle looking at Quinton Patton. It included quotes that made it seem like he was the second coming of Chad Johnson. And I’m not talking about on the field.

I think the interview above puts things into perspective. He’s sparky on game-day, he likes to talk. But he’s also articulate and not a clown. I can see why the Seahawks would show a lot of interest here. Having watched four Louisiana Tech Games this weekend to focus on Patton, he’s also a little more talented than I initially thought. He has a knack of making one bad play for every three good plays. But there’s something there.

He’s an interesting player and one to keep an eye on for sure. He’s an option if he’s there during day two.

Being British myself I’ve followed this story closely, but I feel obliged to tap the breaks a little bit too.

Lawrence Okoye competed in the discuss at London 2012 for Team GB. Essentially, British athletics were desperate to put on a strong performance as the home nation. Armed with fistfuls of cash, they spread their net far and wide to find potential Olympic athletes who could win medals for Team GB.

Okoye was a rugby player who fit the criteria and took on the discus. He didn’t do particularly well (in truth, he struggled). So after trying his hand at rugby and discus, he’s now having a go at the NFL.

Gil Brandt’s article suggests he turned down a place at Cambridge University to try for the NFL. This isn’t strictly true. He put on hold the opportunity to read Law at Oxford for the Olmypics. Whether he’s continuing to delay that decision now, I’m not sure. I don’t know how long Oxford waits for you. After the Olympics he did say he was going to stick with the discus and he’s since stated he’ll return to athletics if the football doesn’t work out.

Okoye has the look of a NFL player. However, several other British athletes also looked the part and found themselves to be out of their depth with the Gridiron. For example, if you put Marshawn Lynch on a rugby field he’d be less ‘Beast Mode’ and more ‘what am I supposed to be doing here?’

Physically you can be a match made in heaven, but you just can’t start playing a sport and excel. Okoye has never, ever played American Football. Think about that for a second.

Dwain Chambers was another British Olympian and still competes in the 100m today. He tried out for NFL Europe as a receiver and couldn’t pick it up.

I’m rooting for Okoye, but I fear the hype factor is set to go into overdrive, particularly with the NFL seemingly desperate to branch out internationally. Don’t expect him to be drafted as suggested in the NFL.com article. He’ll have to do it the hard way. We’ll wish him luck in his latest venture.

62 Comments

  1. Sam Jaffe

    Of all those veteran qb’s that are coming in, I like Brady Quinn the best. He was awful last year in KC because the team had given up by the time he started. He was a little bit good a couple of years ago as a backup in Denver. He’s the only one that has the skills to be a competent point guard qb. Take away the pressure of shouldering the whole team and only allow him to make precise, low-error-rate throws (and once or twice a game air the ball out) and he will succeed. Kind of like Tarvaris Jackson with a little more tools and skill. He doesn’t have much mobility, but I think that’s overrated in a backup to RW. The problem with Thigpen, Leinert and Wallace is that their football IQ just isn’t there. They will perform in a similar manner to Tarvaris, but without the arm strength. I would choose Quinn every time over the others.

    • CiaranH

      The problem with the likes of Quinn and Leinart is that they’ve never shown the ability to throw the ball deep. Watching the way defenses align against them reminds me of the way teams set up against Hasselbeck in his last couple of seasons as our starter. Eight in the box, shallow zones, and constant blitzing. I’d rather have Thigpen, he’s the only one that’s ever shown any consistency of the three

      • Michael (CLT)

        I would go with Portis, for the camouflage factor. At least teams won’t know much about him. I suspect Leinart, Thigpen, and Quinn will be during the season. Or at least one of them will. Sean Renfree is just as talented. Maybe he can play with some confidence and stretch the field too?

        Everyone in the NFL knows what Leinart, Quinn, and Thigpen bring to the game. And that is not a positive.

        • Michael (CLT)

          * will be available during the season…

    • Chris F

      “Kind of like Tarvaris Jackson with a little more tools and skill.”

      I wouldn’t mind if we somhow ended up with the real T-Jack. The thinking is that if the Bills draft a QB, Kolb and Jackson would both be competing for the same position on their depth chart. Given the contract that they just gave Kolb, it’s obvious who they value more and it may be possible to snake Jackson away from them for a low round draft pick. Buffalo would need to eat $500K in dead money and Seattle would have to assume his $1.75M contract, but this might be a more desirable outcome for them than having to cut him outright.

      I only bring up this possibility because of the familiarity he has with Seattle. While I have never thought of Jackson as a true starting quarterback, I think he would be a more than competent backup. Of course the Seahawks would have to decide that he was their best possible option.

      • Jon

        seattle will not give up a draft pick for a QB unless it is a rookie. Especially not one that was on the roster in 2012, and they traded away for a 7th round pick.

        • Michael (CLT)

          TJ may be cut during or following pre-season. I would gladly take him back if no one claims him. In fact, for 1.5M, Seattle would wisely claim him.

          I suspect this is a real possibility that Seattle is hedging.

    • MarkinSeattle

      While I like Quinn in theory, my biggest concern with him is his accuracy (followed by his reads). He has good feet and can escape, but he has never been all that great with accuracy, especially in the short zones. Ironically, I think he is more accurate in the medium to long ranges, but I recall too many times where his short passes go awry. As far as his arm strength, it is fine for the NFL.

      As for Leinart, he has a fairly weak arm and the guy wasn’t able to cut it in Arizona.

      I would be up for bringing back TJack as a reliable backup. But we definitely need to start looking for a more talented backup. If Portis is the guy, I am fine with that. But if not, they should look for someone they can groom and hopefully turn into a future high draft pick in the Green Bay Packers mold.

  2. Colin

    Thigpen has some track record, and has stayed in the league since 2007. That is def. worth something, and I’d be pretty happy to have him as backup.

  3. mjkleko

    re: okoye’s struggles at the games, typically a discus thrower’s most successful years don’t come until they are in their late 20’s. So while Okoye placed below his expectations (10th or 12th I believe), simply being at that level as a 20 y/o is impressive on its own.

    The point is, I wouldn’t take his lackluster finish as proof that he may be an all tools, no technique type athlete. What’s more, if I had to bet on an inexperienced athlete making the grade at an NFL position, defensive end would be the spot. There have been success stories of players with brief backgrounds in the sport making rosters at DE, Hunt and Ansah being two upcoming tests for this plot. I for one would have loved to see see Okoye get the chance to show his football chops at one of the senior bowl or all star games before teams are forced to spend capital to bring him into camp.

    Frankly, the idea that teams are going to be blown away by any drills at the Super Regional is fairly ridiculous- we are all well aware he’s a phenomenal athlete, that was never in question. Its also fairly obvious he has the drive and acumen to make a quality go at this. All reports I’ve seen say Hayden Smith has performed well with the Jets do far; here’s hoping Okoye gets a fair trial.

  4. Kip Earlywine

    Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn, Seneca Wallace, Tyler Thigpen. I think it’s interesting that Vince Young wasn’t invited. What a weak group- not only are they all bad quarterbacks, but not one of them has almost any potential to provide future trade value.

    Of those 4, the best option is 32 year old Seneca Wallace. How much more valuable would Tarvaris Jackson be over Wallace? I’d say a significant amount. I have to think that if Tarvaris Jackson gets released this August he’ll be on a plane to Seattle within the hour.

    It might even be worth “refunding” that 7th round pick before that point to get him some preseason reps with the team. His salary this season is only $1.75 million (assuming he plays less than 50% of the regular season snaps). The Seahawks did explore a Tebow trade. Why not explore a T-Jack trade. T-Jack is better, costs less, and knows our offense. We aren’t going to have all four of our 7th rounders making the team, either.

    • Sam Jaffe

      Kip,
      I didn’t hear that they explored a Tebow trade. I heard that they took him off their list of contenders. I interpret that as meaning that they won’t look at him even if he’s released. I agree that Tarvaris is the best possible choice, but I wouldn’t want his $2 million salary. I would rather pay Wallace or Quinn $1 million and save some money and a draft pick. If Tarvaris is cut, he’s definitely worth pursuing, however.

      • Jon

        I would rather not pay anyone and spend a seventh round pick on BJ Daniels.

        • williambryan

          This is also my preferred outcome!

          • Michael (CLT)

            BJ will be available as a UFA. I love all the hype, but the guy is not the second coming of Wilson. He never established himself as a complete QB while at South Florida.

            I love Kips analysis, and would gladly root for BJ. But the truth is, he is not much of a QB.

            I hope I’m wrong. I would not be surprised if BJ did not even get a UFA invitation.

            • Jon

              using a 7th round pick on a guy is hardly calling him the second coming of anyone worthy of discussion. If you use one of 4 7th round picks on the guy you are garanteed to get him in the backup qb competition. Waiting for UDFA and you still have to give him a better reason to come than the other 31 teams.

            • Leonard

              You seem to have more information than everyone else. Most people shy away of declarative statements like “he WILL be an undrafted FA”. Where does your expertise come from? I’m not trying to be a jerk but you sound so confident so I was wondering where you get your info and/or scouting background.
              And when has anyone claimed BJ was the second coming of RW? I have only heard talk of him being a developmental back up.

              • Michael (CLT)

                Good point. I will tone my comments down. My comments are simply opinion, from having seen BJ Daniels play occassionally. He had four years to make a name for himself at USF, and while he came away as a great individual, I was never impressed with his game.

                I will work on my active tone. Habit formed from the real job I have. Thanks for your patience.

      • williambryan

        I wish Tarvaris all the best… In Buffalo. I sincerely hope the team (Front office, anyways) is over that. He provided close to zero hope that he could do something to win the game. His best trait is his lack of poor decisions and even then he had 14 picks. I would personally like to see Wallace signed, and Thigpen would be my second choice. Also, I would imagine that Wallace or Thigpen (perhaps Leinart and Quinn too) will come on veteran minimum contracts where as Jackson is making around 2 million…

        • Colin

          Having Tarvaris as your backup is superior to having seneca or thigpen as a backup….

          • Miles

            I think T-Jack would be our best option. That said, I wouldn’t pay him the $1.75 million. I would much rather wait for him to be cut, but by that time we may have a competition going. I think that would be a deterrent, because a competition is binding in that A) You’ve guaranteed one of two guys will have a roster spot and therefore can’t really recant that offer and B) a player in camp may grow on PC.

            I think the most realistic option is the Hawks will sign Seneca Wallace. I think statistically, he’s the best option out of the four. He’s also the fastest (albeit the oldest), and so in theory is more apt to run the read option. Intriguingly, he’s also been used sparingly as a receiver for the Browns the past couple years (and in Seattle, obviously). He would be a nice decoy in our offense, and we could even throw to him from time to time.

            I know Brady Quinn played on a bad team last year, but he had a TD-INT ratio of 2-8. That is horrendous. There’s small pluses such as he’s got solid mobility, and can throw short passes, but the negatives are overwhelming. I once read that he suffers great difficulty in making reads, sometimes even the most basic ones. Out of the four though he’s probably the best leader, but I can’t say for sure.

            Thigpen is the second-best option out of the four. He’s got good mobility and ran a pistol-offense in college, which is nice. He’s got a good arm as far as I know. It throws me off a lot that he’s only been on teams that were just train wrecks at the QB position. It seems like just now that he’s getting inquiries from teams who need a solid backup and not an emergency starter. The inquiries are quite subtle though.

            Leinart… I don’t even know what to say to that.

    • Jake

      I hadn’t heard of the “Tebow trade” talks. When did the Seahawks explore a trade? I personally think it would be a good move if it was conditional on making the team or a 7th rounder. He has the skillset this FO values (minus accuracy, which hopefully can be coached to some extent or mitigated by playcalling). I’m significantly more intrigued by Tebow than I am Brady Quinn or Tyler Thigpen. They will never have any trade value. If Pete can work a reclamation project with Tebow, he’s young enough to net a future draft pick at least. If Tebow (still only 25) was in this draft I’d be happy to pick him in the 7th round over the likes of Daniels, Cameron, etc. Bring him in, have him compete with Portis and let the best man win.

      Because both of those guys are far from a sure thing, maybe bring in Wallace as well to stabilize the QB room some and have at least one veteran. He throws a pretty deep ball at least

  5. Elijah

    I like the idea of Jordan Rodgers as a back-up to RW. He’s nowhere near the class of his brother, but I would compare him to a mobile Matt Flynn. He has that sneaky mobility like Aaron Rodgers, and in a video I watched of the two working out, he seems very dedicated to what he’s doing and seems like he has a great personality.

    But obviously theres more to it than just personality to survive in the NFL

  6. Bob Dole

    Rob,
    With news that Russell Shepard (LSU) is visiting Seattle this week do you think it will be as a WR or as a DB?… Or Maybe even a Jameson Konz type and see where he fits when he gets here?

    • Rob Staton

      Could be any of those options, Bob. Wouldn’t surprise me either way. They love a project like this. I’m intrigued by him switching to corner.

      • Bob Dole

        That was my thought too especially since he has as much size as every cornerback on the roster currently not named Sherman or Browner. Pete seems to like the idea of his cb’s having run routes and having a general understanding of what they are going against based on playing the position in the past.

  7. Miles

    If the Seahawks are definitely going to get a QB in free agency to compete for the job, let me suggest JaMarcus Russell. There are a series of videos on youtube about his return to the NFL; if you get a chance to watch it (all of you), do it. It’s pretty awesome. I know a lot of the time this kind of talk is cliche and useless, but I think JaMarcus has changed from his lethargic self. He’s lost 27 pounds and is working out on the daily to get better. He’s practicing every day to become a quarterback, and he looks good throwing the football.

    As far as talent goes, there is NO better option out there for the Seahawks right now. JaMarcus can be a great quarterback with that talent. The only thing ever missing from his career was work ethic. Now, it seems, he has it, and with this coaching staff I think JaMarcus can flourish and become the QB he was drafted to be. This is a low-risk high reward move the Hawks seem apt to make.

    One guy I wouldn’t want the Seahawks to even think about is Vince Young. The guy is talented but unlike JaMarcus, he has yet to see the light. He’s not ready to be an NFL quarterback because he wants to go out and blame everyone but himself. And when he talks about why he’s not getting a chance, he points out how other guys are getting chances and he isn’t. He assumes that other teams should give him a chance, seeming to imply that if they don’t it’s because they have something against him. Here was the quote that made me feel this way:

    “And that’s what kills me when I’m out here working extremely hard every summertime and don’t get the opportunity to shine LIKE MOST GUYS HAVE HAD … I’ve made my mistakes. But I just really feel like people can get past that and let me finish my career like I want it to be and be a great asset for a football team.”

    Ugh… It’s really sad that this guy still has growing up to do.

    • Leonard

      Thanks for the suggestion Miles. Russell seems like the longest of shots but I’m going to check out the YouTube videos. On the other hand, between coaching, going to games, watching every televised game and every clip I can find online my wife thinks I have a football problem.

      • Miles

        There’s no such thing as a football “problem.” Unless the Seahawks are losing. That’s a serious football problem. (knock on wood)

    • Rob Staton

      I’m always fearful of players motivated by a sudden lack of income. JaMarcus Russell and Vince Young fall into that category.

      • williambryan

        Yes but perhaps that desperation could be enough to change? Jamarcus Russell wasn’t that bad of a player with the raiders as they were pretty competitive and won games with him. It was everything else that seemed to be the problem. I’ve been a fan of Vince Young for awhile and am pretty surprised he wasn’t invited to try out. But Obviously JS and PC know what they’re doing.

        • Colin

          7-18 over 3 seasons is not competitive.

          • williambryan

            Compared to Leinart, Quinn and Thigpen it is. I’m not a fan of Jamarcus Russell and I’m not a fan of having him as the backup, but, I don’t think he was as bad as common perception makes him out to be.

            • Colin

              Um…. he was pretty bad. There’s a reason no one picked him up after he left Oakland.

  8. Leonard

    Nice find Rob. It’s really great that you and Kip give us new guys to look into. This point of the year can be dangerous for over analyzing prospects that we have been looking at for months. You can find faults with anyone and it’s easy to get too focussed on what guys can’t do. That’s not the Seahawks way.
    Is there any word on what positions teams are looking at for Okoye?

    • Rob Staton

      Apparently they see him as a defensive end.

    • Chris

      He definitely looks the part. 6’6″ 304lbs. Like most rugby players, his legs are tree trunks and looks like he has no body fat. 4.78 40 time. He’s an athletic freak for sure. I’d be totally okay with taking him in the 6th or 7th round or undrafted depending on what his stock is like. Let him work with Quinn (or Cable? does he have the build of an O-lineman?)

      • Nathan

        He was really disappointing at the Olympics, would be very interesting if he had some success in the NFL and it would be cool to have more British players in the NFL being British myself.

        • bobk3333

          Okoye was disappointing in the Olympics, but he was #5 in the world in the discus last year.

          Can you imagine the discus-thrower powerful spin moves he’ll put on when he’s rushing the passer?

          Okoye, and anyone else who has never hit and been hit will have a lot of trouble adjusting to football, especially when they are starting out at the highest level. Unless the spins moves are a miracle, odds are he will not be a significant player in the NFL. I hope Carroll learned his lesson with Konz.

          As I mentioned in a post a couple days ago, there was another non-american Okoye who did not play football growing up and who had success in the NFL. Christian Okoye was a dominant fullback for the Kansas City chiefs (in the late 80s?), but he had played some college ball at Azusa Pacific.

  9. woofu

    I am interested in Renfree and Tyler Wlson if they can work them in the 2nd or third day as well. RW will no doubt be part of the 4-Qb interviews one would think. As Brock Huard et al have pointed out MF was not all in with RW in the film room and now that so many have noted that, I am glad he was traded. I stand corrected on that issue.

    Whomever they choose to be the #2-3 should be in-sync with RW’s work ethic and be playable AND tradeable.

    Winny is to old for my tastes and likely will get matched by the Vikes should the Hawks try to squeeze him in. It might just come down to being with a “cool club” that makes up his mind. That, and his bones might be hurting about now in that late season ice-box lifestyle.

    As to the discus guy, considering a guy like that is not out of the question earlier than some might think when so many believe as I do that this is a stacked team. High-upside risk in positions of flux in the next year or two makes sense. Day two I would reserve for targeting some high upside guys where next year we might have to let some FA’s find new homes.

    • rrrhawkout

      I think you’re right that the QB intelligence/film room acumen is key for the backup, even moreso than how close to RW’s level does he get on the field. Who is going to compliment RW’s tenacity for pushing forward on a daily basis?

      That’s why I kind of like the idea of bringing in these 4 guys for a competition, rather than just picking someone. Get to see their reaction to being thrown into fire. I suspect that a late-round or undrafted rookie QB will probably push any of these 4 out of the building, though, if PCJS can pluck another gem out of obscurity like they do.

      • Jake

        Sounds like Tebow to me… I know, we “ruled him out” officially. If we were interested enough to explore a trade, I have a hard time believing we now have no interest though. I don’t “love” Tebow, but I am not blind to the fact he shares many intangible traits to Russ, had success in the option scheme (with our shiny new WR), and is young enough to have hope. I would give Tebow a better chance at winning 2 out of 3 games with this roster than any vet available right now based on what he brings to the field. His teammates would rally around him at least. If he flails in pre-season or camp, cut your losses – but I feel like he’s worth a flier, which is all a 7th round pick is anyway (despite the success JS has had in the round). Remember that if this FO thinks Tebow is worth a 7th rounder, then he must have shown them something YOU haven’t seen.

        • Sam Jaffe

          Don’t forget that Tebow is playing on a first round salary right now. Seattle would be obligated to pay that if they traded for him. That’s more important than a 7th rounder. It wouldn’t make any sense to trade away Flynn in order to unload his salary and then pay a similar amount for a worse backup qb.

          • Jake

            I’m sure a renogiation is part of the deal (like with Flynn/Raiders).

          • SunPathPaul

            Here is the thing with Tebow. I simply want him to be cut, and for his waste of time talking timeline to evaporate. Justr like I got tired of hearing about Matt Flynn, so it is with Tebow. Just retire and go be the preacher type fellow you wish to be. Leave the NFL alone, he had his 15 minutes of fame, and then crashed and burned… bye bye Tebow… go away……..

            Don’t come back any other day… Let’s talk about actual football players who get to play!!

            • Leonard

              Wow, you seem to have something personal against Tebow. If every QB with his level of success should leave the NFL then no team will have a back up QB.

              • bobk3333

                The Tebow haters are ignorant bigots.

                I am not religious, but I’m tired of the bigots who are against Tebow just because he knelt on one knee to thank God. So what? If he is an inspiration to a lot of people, whether it’s because of his religion or something else, it is a good thing.

                Yes, it’s okay to criticize him for being a weak passer, but these morons are going beyond that.

                • Rob Staton

                  And you are calling people morons for sharing an opinion.

                  Which makes you just as bad.

              • Colin

                Tebow cannot even complete 50% of his passes on consistent basis. Sorry. His time as QB in the NFL is limited.

          • Leonard

            This would be the sticking point with me for Tebow too. I think he would be one of the better back up QB’s in the league. I don’t see his style of play working for extended periods but he would be great in spot duty with a Seattle/Washington/SF type of team.
            For that to work he has to except that he is a number 2. The only way I see that happening is him getting cut and not getting any offers for even a shot at competing to start. Or better yet, actually getting another shot somewhere else and finding out for sure. If any of that happens then I’d be glad to have a back up that has proven he can lead a team with a good D and running game to a playoff win. And no the Broncos didn’t win in spite of him. They sucked untill he took over and they were all of the sudden one of the best in the league.

            • bobk3333

              I agree completely.

              Tebow has to agree that he will accept the backup role – but only to an extent.

              Pete Carroll wants everyone to compete. “Always Compete” is the basis of his philosophy and he means it.

              Pete Carroll is not looking for a clipboard holder who will make Russell Wilson secure with his starting role. Ideally, Carroll want someone who can – or eventually can – challenge Wilson for the starting role, or who will at least gain trade value while trying. Chances are they will not be able to find such a person, but they will come up with the best player with the best chance of developing. So far, no one, including Portis, fit that bill.

              .

            • Robert

              I totally disagree. Tebow cannot beat anybody with his arm. Defenses are free to collapse 8 in the box and dare him to throw. Josh Portis, on the other hand, has a strong arm and accurate arm. He is a threat to deliver an accurate football anywhere on the field, including over the top. He is a threat to run. So the opposition must defend the Read-Option. He can buy time with his feet and throw accurately on the run. Additionally, he has been in our system for 2 years. Tebow isn’t much more than a fullback with great character. Our starting FB, Robinson used to be a QB. I would be willing to bet he could shake off the rust quickly and look better than Tebow in passing drills.

              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvWZajk2hXE

              • Leonard

                Why do you care how Tebow and whatever team he plays for win games? With his arm, with his legs or with his will power doesn’t matter. Facts are facts and the fact is Tebow has won big games as a starting QB in the NFL. He probably doesn’t have a future as a starter but to compare him to a FB is crazy. He turned a losing team into a team that beat the Steelers in the playoffs. An ugly win is still a win. I get the feeling some people wouldn’t even like the dude if he lead their team to a Superbowl win.
                I really hope Portis is the answer. He has the tools to be the perfect back up in Seattle. He has never come close to playing at the level Tebow has but with some experience reading defenses and improved accuracy he could easily end up with a better career.

          • bobk3333

            First round salaries are usually less than what many backups make.

            Tim Tebow: $2 million/year
            Tyler Thigpen: $2.5 million/year
            Seneca Wallace: $3 million/year
            Matt Leinhart: $3 million/year

            Seneca Wallace is the only decent quarterback out of the five (including Tebow) but it would be totally out of character for Carroll and Schneider to pick up someone that old (Wallace will be 33 at the start of the season.) If Trufant, Clemons and Leroy Hill are not on the roster at the start of the season, Michael Robinson (30) will be the only player in his 30’s. Both Wallace and Antoine Winfield would be out of character. They are looking at Winfield, only to accomodate Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin, who went out of their way to highly recommend him.

            Thigpen, Leinhart and Quinn are complete garbage. They are terrible, terrible, terrible NFL passers. We really don’t want any of them. We might as well just go with Portis as any of them.

            Tebow, as weak a passer as he is, actually has a higher passer rating than Thigpen, Leinart and Quinn. He is an equivalent or better runner than Thigpen.

            What I like about Tebow is his competitiveness and his work ethic. With Wilson and Tebow, the Seahawks would have the two hardest workers in football.

            Will Tebow bring a circus to Seattle? We are not New York, so there won’t be the same automatic media circus – unless he accomplishes the same kinds of amazing comebacks he did he Denver.

  10. drewdawg11

    Tim tebow is a distraction, whether he plays or not. He’s a polarizing figure, and I don’t see how bringing him to Seattle does anything but being focus on things that have zero to do with the game. He’s a public figure. He’s not a quarterback.

    • Attyla the Hawk

      This.

      I think the constant distraction is actually more ruinous to a team than if he actually is allowed to play. And the distraction pretty much originates from fans that really don’t know or care anything about the game. Their interest in him playing is purely for selfish/personal reasons. I don’t want to introduce an added stress level, or to introduce a time sink that is talking no stop about a guy who can’t play to a team that needs 100% focus on opponents that will be geared up to play us this year.

      That kind of circus is detrimental to maintaining focus. The season is a long marathon. It saps the ability for a team to endure the adversity they are guaranteed to have to face during the year.

      Under no circumstances do I want him here. At all.

    • Leonard

      He is only a distraction on a crappy team with a problem at QB. No one would ever think he would start over Wilson. And why would anyone care about his personal life in such an open minded city like Seattle? What position did he play for Denver in that playoff win over Pittsburg? He might not be a traditional QB but to say he is not a QB at all makes no sense.
      You know what, never mind. He is obviously such a bad guy that he should just be banned from the league. Winning games doesn’t matter. Sherman might get jealous if ESPN interviews him.

      • Miles

        Look, I think Tebow is definitely worth considering. He may be a polarizing figure but that hasn’t stopped Carroll from exercising interest in the past, and even signing a guy like Terrell Owens who for about a week was America’s sweetheart again. But I believe in this team’s ability to block out distractions. They have faced plenty of them in the past couple of years and have played through them. Although they are young, PC/JS draft players with strong wills.

        Tim Tebow, like him or not, would work well in the QB room with Russell Wilson. Tebow is one of those guys people say “Is the first to arrive and last to leave.” He works very hard. If he were in town, it would be interesting to see who would be at the VMAC first in the morning. 😛 The two of them would work well together and Tebow would have the offense down pat with Wilson there. They’re also both highly religious, so it’s definitely not a challenge to envision them working well together.

        My only concern is that Tebow’s throwing motion is so weird and I wouldn’t want him throwing the ball very much if he came in the game. Rather, he would be a primarily zone read option QB who would be running first and throwing second. Still, quarterback scrambles are not in the designs of the majority of our plays. The fact he can’t throw very well is concerning.

        He’s not my favorite quarterback option out there. Let me clarify. Not by a longshot. I just think given his similarities to Russell Wilson as a person and the success he’s had with Denver running the ball, it’s pretty short-sighted not to at least consider him. I wouldn’t give up any more than a 7th-rounder for him, though.

        • Leonard

          I’m right with you. At least we aren’t having this discussion about who the starting QB is anymore. I feel like I’ve been championing a guy but really I’d rather have three or four different rookies or T-Jack if he gets cut. I just don’t agree with dismissing someone with Tebows track record. Implying that he would somehow distract any of the Seahawks is kind of an insult to the players. This isn’t the Jets who had much worse problems than a popular back up QB.

        • Jake

          Nicely said – my sentiments exactly. The only difference is that I actually think if the cost was a 7th rounder (and a renogitiated contract) he’d be the best option for the right to compete with Josh Portis for the #2 job.

          He throws funny, but I’m sure he can improve the motion – if he doesn’t, or if he does but remains innaccurate – you move on and cut him. There is so little risk here that the froth seems out of place. We’re not bringing him in to replace Russ, not even guaranteeing him the #2 job… I know he’s a media darling and controversial at no fault of his own. But who gives a crap, honestly? At the end of the day he’s a good guy, hard worker, and has a chip firmly in place on his shoulder, and would be competing for a roster spot… How do we lose in this scenario?

          • Miles

            Yeah. Plus Seattle is not part of the corporate mainstream sports media. Of course he got a lot of attention in New York. That’s where everything’s happening, where ESPN loves to be. If he came here he’d get some attention locally, but media of such New York magnitude would never ever hit Seattle. If he comes here, in fact, I’d give it 6 games before he became largely irrelevant to the national sports scene. Barring a start. Knock on wood.

  11. bobk3333

    The best move is to trade a 6th or 7th rounder to Philadelphia for: NICK FOLES!

    Foles does not fit into Chip Kelly’s plans. He is not a runner, but he has a bright future as a passer in the NFL. He is someone who could some trade value in a couple of years.

    Most of the names being mentioned as draft picks would not be adequate backups their first year.

    For some reason, quarterbacks tend to get hurt when you are gambling with a totally inadequate backup and you are hoping and praying against injury.

    With Nick Foles, the Seahawks could continue winning if Russell Wilson was out for a significant amount of time. Foles is better than Wallace, who is the only QB mentioned who would not be a complete disaster, but again Schneider and Carroll don’t like to sign people in their 30s.

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