The day after the night before thread — MOVING FORWARD

I know you’re hurting. I am too. After watching the Super Bowl I went straight to work. As I type it’s 9:14pm and I still haven’t been to bed. I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. The Seahawks were a yard away from immortality. An off-season of dynasty talk, debate as to whether they can make it three in a row. Their place in history secured forever.

Instead the Patriots are getting the glory and the celebration and all anyone wants to talk about is one play. One play. One questionable play call, one superb break on the ball by Malcolm Butler. You know what? It was never about just one play. That will not define this team, these coaches, this FRANCHISE. The Seahawks aren’t going anywhere. The NFC West? Weaker. The NFC challengers? Who scares you?

Russell Wilson. Earl Thomas. Richard Sherman. Michael Bennett. Beast mode? Why not? They’ll be ready. You’re going to let one play break this bond? You’re going to dedicate all of your energy to one play — however crucial?

Look through the game and you’ll find it was more than just a solitary slant to the inside. It was four consecutive scoreless offensive drives to end the game. It was giving up 14 fourth quarter points when you were in total control at 24-14. It’s about dropped passes when you’re driving to extend your lead. It’s about a first quarter where your quarterback doesn’t complete a pass and your receivers can’t get open. It’s about injuries — lots of them. Those who could make the field were banged up. It’s about a lack of pass rush outside of the sensational Bennett. It’s about leaving K.J. Wright to cover Rob Gronkowski on an island twice, once for a big touchdown. It’s about 3rd and 14 conversions and off-side penalties. It’s about deciding the world stage is your opportunity to simulate taking a dump to “prove a point” and pick up a dumb penalty.

That play? Decisive. Clinching. But not the only reason for defeat. Over time I think perspective will combat anger and prove victorious.

This was a messy game by the Seahawks across the board and they almost found a way to win anyway. That’s so Seahawks. They should’ve won it. But they didn’t. Not this time.

What’s next?

That was the battle cry from Red Bryant when they won a Super Bowl. It needs to be shouted louder than ever today.

The Seahawks played a messy game against a legendary coach and quarterback combo and still should’ve won a Super Bowl. Can you imagine being offered that scenario at the start of 2010? With one title already secured. Yes it hurts. Sure it does. Would you rather be debating Mariota or Winston this week? Or whether you should give Sam Bradford one last chance? Or whether a coaching team led by Jim Tomsula, Eric Mangini and Geep Chryst is really actually seriously going to take over from Jim Harbaugh?

Week one. Century Link Field. On it.

The disappointment will never go away but it is what it is. This is a great team. A young team. And they have to find a way to channel this anguish into a positive. They need to have the best off-season of their lives — AGAIN. And they need to get back to the big game and make it count this time.

Healthier, cleaner and ready to execute.

And now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s look at the big talking points going forward:

Receiver has to be a priority

It’s a debate we’ve had many times, but never has it been more obvious that the Seahawks need extra talent at receiver. For all the protestation of Doug Baldwin, he and Jermaine Kearse are not capable of leading this group alone. They need help — and so does Russell Wilson. It’s blindingly obvious.

Chris Matthews’ performance simply highlights the absolute need for a dynamic big target. Wilson is accurate enough with the deep ball to give his receiver a shot. Matthews obliged to the tune of 100 yards with sheer positioning, control, size and catching technique. Wilson is capable of so much more as a passer but his development is being held back because he’s being forced to work with a weaker group of receivers every year. This team has lost Sidney Rice, Golden Tate and Percy Harvin and one of the replacements — Paul Richardson — might be set for a Navarro Bowman ‘off year’ as he recovers from a serious knee injury. This is need numero uno. It was painful to watch Wilson get 8-10 seconds to end the first quarter and nobody could get open. It was up to Matthews — a guy plucked off the practice squad — to open the passing game up. And on the biggest play of the night they go to Ricardo Lockette.

How can that be right? Where’s your go-to receiver for that type of situation?

Maybe Matthews will prove to be part of the solution? They still need to get another. And it MUST be a player with the capability of making the kind of plays we saw yesterday. Downfield, size and reach advantage, high pointing the football, boxing off defenders and making plays in the red zone. Badwin is a savvy, sometimes explosive receiver and a key part of the team. But he’s not a #1.

But how do you find that in this draft? And can you seriously even begin to contemplate bringing in a veteran (trade or free agency) if you intend to give Marshawn Lynch a pay rise? This is where you’ll end up with a headache. If you were ever going to move up the board to go and get a receiver — last year was the year to do it. Not this year. And the likely options at #31 are not going to be great. They won’t be any better at #63. I just feel there will be some form of ‘splash’ here. High pick, key acquisition, trade. Something.

I just don’t know what it is.

Let’s tone down the Bevell hate

Curse him all you want, but let’s have some perspective here. The St. Louis Rams cannot find an offensive coordinator. The Cleveland Browns couldn’t find one. The San Francisco 49ers had to settle on Geep Chryst because they couldn’t find one.

There is not a deep talent pool of offensive coordinators out there. That doesn’t excuse or validate Darrell Bevell, but there’s a genuine tendency among Seahawks fans to shut off any positives and heap so much damning criticism and blame on his shoulders. There’s a reason why so many defensive minded coordinators received Head Coaching positions at the end of the season. There’s a real dearth of quality play callers/designers. I don’t really fancy lounging around in no-man’s land like the Rams or simply appointing Tom Cable to the position and asking him to devise a superior passing game.

Whether you want to accept it or not, overall Bevell has had a positive impact on the Seahawks. He helped develop Wilson from a rookie to an established NFL quarterback over three years. Seattle’s offense has ranked #7 in 2013 and #5 in 2014 according to Football Outsiders. He’s not ultra conservative, he’s willing to consider the creative. He has flaws — no question. But your thirst for blood is unnecessary. He messed up. The Seahawks messed up. But why would a team that has made back-to-back Super Bowls and fielded a top-10 offense in both seasons make major unforced changes to its staff? I mean, honestly.

What’s more I trust Pete Carroll — and so should you.

Cornerback might be a bigger need than we thought

Unless Byron Maxwell receives an unexpected frosty market next month, he’s likely a gonna. The position is too important — and too weak in the draft — to not expect Maxwell to get paid (Jacksonville anyone?). Seattle’s vaunted production line has been able to produce so many cheap, talented corners. But now they’re in somewhat of a bind. Tharold Simon just doesn’t look good enough to start every week. Jeremy Lane is going to have to battle to start the season. This is a need.

Maybe they will find the next Maxwell, Browner or even Sherman in the draft? It’s one position they’ve had a lot of success with. But it’s hard to imagine this positional group not receiving some attention in the off-season — and it might be a bit more than a mere later round pick. But they’d need a reason to draft a corner early — and that might be an issue too. Who’s out there? The final day of the combine will be fascinating viewing.

What happens with Marshawn Lynch?

Ian Rapoport reported before the Super Bowl that Seattle would offer Lynch a big new contract extension. The thing is — if the report is accurate — there’s no guarantee Lynch will sign it.

How much does he want to continue? How much longer does he want to wage war on the media and the league? Will $10m in 2015 be seen as adequate compensation and enough respect? Will he ever be able to trust a coaching staff that put the game on Ricardo Lockette at the one yard line instead of their best offensive player?

I have a hard time imagining Lynch quitting the game. But I also have a hard time imaging a harmonious atmosphere between Lynch and his superiors. He’s a players player, not a coaches favorite. Will he have the motivation and desire to go and get hit several times repeatedly when he can set up a temporary store in Arizona and make $200,000 during Super Bowl week?

This is a situation that needs a conclusion ASAP. All the other domino’s won’t fall until the Seahawks know what’s happening with Lynch. Are they going to have $7.5m in cap space to play with (and a gigantic hole to fill) or will they lose some money against the cap and the opportunity to upgrade other positions in free agency?

I’ll probably do a mock draft tomorrow, or at least go through someone else’s and see what was available for Seattle. It’s draft time.

152 Comments

  1. CA

    Any chance the Seahawks used this news of paying Marshawn Lynch as the 2nd highest back behind AP as a tool to jack the price up on Demarco Murray? it smells like a ploy to damage Dallas’ cap status- is that too farfetched to think?

    WR, TE, DL, CB, OT first 5 picks in no particular order. Pass rush needs to improve. Need weapons on the outside.

    Amazing season, horrific ending. Thankfully this SB didn’t happen BEFORE our first ring.

    • Rob Staton

      I think it’s very unlikely it’ll be anything more than an act to try and keep Lynch happy in Seattle.

    • Mark

      I doubt what happens in Dallas is of concern to anyone within the Seahawks organization.

      • hawkdawg

        Salaries paid by other clubs are ALWAYS “of concern” to any club seeking to sign a player.

    • CA

      I only offer it as a possibility because we all know how this organization emphasizes the confidentiality of deals like this, as with any other franchise. I also believe in latent benefits to news “leaks” and how this organization understands how their players effect the market.

  2. CC

    I agree with you Rob – the future is bright. but just like every year choices will have to be made. While I love our WRs, losing Tate, Rice and even Percy hurt us playing against teams with good DBs who could man up on them. PRich is likely out for most of next year and may not ever be back to his speed – second ACL tear.

    I like what Matthews did in this game – and we do need a tall guy to go up and get the ball. Lockette is a good special teams guy, but counting on him to make THE play in a game is asking for a bit much.

    I’m concerned over the CB position with all the injuries.

    The Seahawks are still a very good team – but I’m not sure we’ll be the #1 seed next year.

    • Rob Staton

      I think there’s no reason why they can’t be the #1 seed. The NFC West looks weaker overall. Green Bay and Dallas still the main challengers I think.

      • Kelly Orr

        The Rams and Cardinals are both no joke. If and its a big IF. Sam Bradford comes back and stays healthy I expect the Rams to be an extremely dangerous teams. As well as Arizona if Carson Palmer as streaky as he is comes back fully healthy. I wouldn’t count the 49ers out either. Every team in this division is extremely talented. We take care of the division next year and we have a great shot. I am at the point with this WR corps that I would have no issues with DGB being our first pick if he is there. We need a receiver that scares defenses. Watching Russell sit there in the pocket for 10 secs and no one being able to uncover was just shocking to me. Hopefully with Cassius Marsh and Hill coming back they can be difference makers in the defensive line rotation. WR, pass rushing DT, and slot corner are our biggest needs. Not sure how free agency will go down for us. Kevin Williams, Mebane, Carpenter, Maxwell, will all more than likely be gone. Love these Hawks no matter what. Just wish they could have made history but I believe they will. Still many years of great football ahead of this young team.

    • Mark

      I think everyone has forgotten that the Patriots ‘Dynasty’ began with 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, including not even appearing in the year after their first win. There’s not much more to enjoy than a Super Bowl 50 win in Santa Clara! No team has been to 3 straight Super Bowls since the Bills lost 4 straight.

      • JeffC

        Seattle will undoubtedly contend for the next few years with a young qb rather than getting an old Peyton Manning type.

        However, this will be hard to shake off and I probably never will. The patriots are a rare team whose success is spanning a second decade. These are almost impossible to emulate. If you become one of those teams, you probably do so by not modeling after them, but by surprising the NFL in your own way.

        To reach the super bowl, so many things have to go your way it’s mind boggling. I wanted this super bowl so bad because I honestly thought our luck was catching up with us. The injuries kept piling up at the end of the season and playoffs, the lack of depth was getting exposed. Russell wasn’t playing his best football at the end and he needs to improve there. Despite Kearse’s OT catch and sb catch, his performance was not good enough for an NFL starter. Russell could be helped with more weapons, which I why I hope they can lure someone in free agency who can start immediately.

        In the end, it’s back to the drawing board for next season.

        • neil

          The question is ” is RW worth 100 million ” ? I guess so, since Dalton got it. But lets face it RW is not going to be a 15 year qb in the league. As I see it he has a “shelf life” of about 6-7 more years. He is basicly a running back that throws the ball. Let’s face it we all know what happens to running backs when they reach 32. They lose the speed the quickness and drive in their legs and become shadows of their former selves. Take away RW’s legs and what do you have? DRew breese in his late years. He let a chance of a life time get away in the super bowl. His throw wasn”t that great, and if you look closly at Cossell”s frame by frame analysis you can see the defensive end on the right side looking back at Lockette while Lockette was about one third into his route. He seemed to know what was comming. RW should have seen Butler with Lockette, The end looking away and Keaarse in Browner’s way, pulled the ball down and scrambled to his right into the end zone. I know that is easier said than done in real time, but it appears to be there.

  3. Cysco

    Here’s a crazy question. At this point, would anyone be willing to not extend Wagner in favor of giving that money to Maxwell? Let Maxwell play out his rookie deal and hope there’s the cap space next year to give him a new deal?

    Man, life without Maxwell looks scary.

    • Cysco

      err that should read “let Wagner play out his rookie deal.”

    • Rob Staton

      I’d rather have Wagner personally. And I’m a big Maxwell fan. I just think Wagner’s impact has been so obvious since the KC game. And he showed what a playmaker he can be in the Super Bowl.

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      I think Wags is harder to replace than Maxie. Mikes with his speed and quickness are extremely rare.

    • Alex

      Keep Wag. He’s a better player even after considering the premium placed on the cornerback position.

    • CC

      Wagz over Maxie.

      What did everyone think of Maxie and Earl yesterday? Earl usually flies around and it seems he wasn’t involved as much as usual, but maybe I was too busy freaking out.

      • Alex

        Maxie did really well. The outside WRs were mostly locked down in 1 on 1 coverage. When the outside receivers did have success it was because there were three blockers ahead.

        Earl did mostly fine. His job is to cover the deep zones. There wasn’t anything given up deep except for the Gronk play in which KJ was 100% responsible. Our issue was not having Kam over the middle and shallow routes.

    • John_s

      You keep Wagner. You saw what happened when KJ was in the middle for Wagner. It just wasn’t the same. Wagner is one of the top 3 mlb in the game, the general who makes the calls on defense. You can replace what he gives you both physically and mentally.

      I would love to have Maxwell but he’s going to get a fat contract. It would be hard to pay your starting secondary all over 6 mil a year.

      • Ho Lee Chit

        Sadly, we cannot afford to keep Maxie. On the other hand, New England cannot afford to keep Revis and McCourty. They are in much worse shape than we are with the salary cap.

    • EranUngar

      The question is valid. We could still extend Wags during the year (see k.j. and Avril) at a bit more then it would cost right now but without a major cap effect on 2015.

      With Lane, Thomas, Kam, Sherman going into surgery, Sherman will not be available before mid November at best, Lane probably later then that, we have no secondary to start the year.

      We can lose the whole year right there and then. We may have to be creative to keep Maxi at a future cost on the Wags deal.

      Or, structuring the Wags, Lynch and RW contracts in a way that will reduce the cap it in 2015 to enable adding Maxi at the cost of having to let someone else go in 2016 when hopefully less players are injured into the season.

      This whole situation may have some immediate effects on the coming draft and we’ll have to target players at positions we do not need today just to have them ready to replace high paid players before the 2016 season.

      Injuries played havoc this year and effect the future too.

      • Volume 12

        Tommy John surgery is not the same thing for a football player as it is a starting pitcher Eran. Sherm may be out a month, if he misses any time at all.

  4. kevin mullen

    You can’t fault Bevell too much, was it the correct play? Probably not, but if you watch the tape again, it was a favorable match up for the Hawks. It was a 1 on 1, man coverage. No safety help and no LB buzzing to the flat. Browner had Kearse on the outside while Butler (5-10, 195lbs) vs Lockette (6-2, 212lbs). Butler was an undrafted rookie too by the way. Lockette screwed the play with his technique: gave no indication that he’d go on an out route, just stared at RW the entire time, even showed his feet setting up a slant route. Rookie made the gamble and won.

    But boy was Chris Matthews fun to watch, nice to see a 6-5 target for Wilson.

    • Rugby Lock

      Pretty much the same analysis Hugh Millen did on Hardcore Football except he said that RL’s feet were good but his head turned too soon.

      • Austin

        It was a terrible matchup. You were banking on Kearse beating Browner at the line of scrimmage. Kearse isn’t physical at the point of contact and Browner might be the best in the league at the line of scrimmage. Then you were relying on Lockette to run a tight route. Neither happened. Running the slant from bunch formation is never a good idea at the 1. Millen might disagree but I have see dozens of great football minds say the opposite and were absolutely baffled at the call. Most don’t have a problem calling a pass, it was just the pass that was called.

        • TimF

          This.

          Wasn’t the play call very similar to the successful 2pt conversion in the 2012 Wild-card game (Washington) though? Don’t remember if that was a bunch formation, but for sure no Browner to jack the front receiver and Zach Miller is a way better short yardage route-runner/contested catcher than Lockette.

  5. AlaskaHawk

    I’ve been beating the drum for the Seahawks to add a pass designing coach. I am not going to hate on Bevell anymore then I would normally – ha ha. He is okay, average offensive coach who happens to be better at designing running plays then passing plays. Why not bring someone in as an assistant who knows how to design passing plays?

    There is a wide gap in how the good passing teams design the plays and how the Seahawks design theirs. The good teams have many pass combos to try, and when they find an opponents weakness they pick at it over and over. They know how to attack defenses. Witness Simon entering the game, next ball goes toward him.

    Another issue with our passing scheme, how many times did we pass to the tight ends last game? There use seems to flucuate from critical to not at all. I would just like to see a coach who knows how to design passing plays.

    • Ed

      Exactly. His passing scheme and route design is horrible. The TD pass to Baldwin was inventive and took advantage of the D. That doesn’t happen that often. It should have been the call again if they wanted to pass.

    • John_s

      For the most part you can’t run conventional routes with these WR’s and Russell. The WR’s have a hard time winning consistently at the LOS without some sore of play design and deception also with Russ I love him but his height does affect how he as able to read the middle of the field.

      Pete has said that he wants this team to be the best broken play team in the NFL that means that Russ is going to have to run around and the recievers have to break off their routes and run to spots. If you have a disciplined team like the Pats they will shut down and negate those broken plays.

      IMO during the times Russell had 4,5,6 seconds to run around he needed pull the ball down and get some yards.

    • Alaska Norm

      Funny you should say he’s okay at designing running plays when it’s Cable who implements the running game plan. Maybe they should hire a pass play specialist too. Not hating on Bevell, just saying. You make very good points.

    • David M2

      Alaska Hawk,

      I wouldn’t be opposed to bringing in John Kitna to proverbially kick the tires.

      Why wouldn’t Kitna be able to make a difference in Seattle?

      Currently he just accepted a head coaching job in Dallas for one of their 5A High School football programs. In 3 years he turned Lincoln High School in WA state into a state title winning program. He has a better QB resume than Bevell ever did.

      IMHO Kitna has the pedigree to be a great offensive coordinator in the NFL. Maybe, he’s locked in by contract in Dallas, or would morally stay there to not leave the school he agreed to coach hanging out to dry, but all said I think it would be at least be interesting to bring him in to see if he was open to an assistant OC or Co-OC roll.

      It would certainly be a Seahawky move to think outside of the box and bring in a guy that has only coached HS Football so far, but with Kitna’s resume I also think it could be successful.

      Rob your thoughts too?

  6. Ho Lee Chit

    Brady was 27 of 50 for 74% passing. You don’t win many games when your marquee LOB secondary gives up those kind of numbers. Why did it happen?

    First, on game day a team is limited to only 46 active players not 53. With ET and Sherm hurting prior to the game, the coaches elected to activate Tharold Simon rather than Burley. Simon is 6-3, 205. Burley is your classic slot corner at 5-10, 190. When Lane went down with a broken arm only Simon was available to play the slot against Vareen, Amendola and Edelman are all under 6 feet tall. It was no contest. Simon got toasted all day.

    Second, we can only activate five WR’s again due to the 46 man limit. Kearse and Baldwin are no brainers. Lockette and Walters are essential to special teams. The only choice is between Matthews and Norwood. They went with the size of Matthews which proved to be wise. But what about Walters? What did he contribute? New England punted four times. Walters fair caught two and returned two for a total of six yards. He had one target in the passing game for zero yards. It has been this way since Harvin and Tate left. With only 46 players you need more than this out of the fifth WR spot and the return game.

    Whomever they draft has to replace Walters. Another year with no return game is not going to cut it. That is why the first WR chosen will be a small, fast return guy. As we have seen, Matthews is fine as the big WR. We just have to have a spot to get him on the field. He might replace Kearse or Lockette … probably Lockette But we have no one that can return kicks and that must be addressed with the fifth WR roster spot open for grabs. Another big WR target does us no good in the return game and only crowds an already crowded WR group. Is the drug addled DBG, who hasn’t played in a year, going to replace Chris Matthews? Not from what I saw last night. If we had won the game CM might have been the MVP.

    As for the LOB, Maxwell is the only one that is not hurting. Even Chancellor was wearing a knee brace. Can we afford to let Maxwell go? Simon does not look ready to step in. Lane and Burley are better inside. If we let Maxwell walk or any of the others do not fully heal, an early pick on a CB seems essential. As a minimum, after the Super Bowl he just had, Simon is going to get some competition for his job next year, whether he starts or not.

    • Nathan

      I’d have to watch again sober, but it appears they were using gronk to pull chancellor down the field, so they open up those crossing routes for their receivers, that’s where they seemed to do very well.

      • Ho Lee Chit

        Gronk was 6 of 10 for 68 yards. KJ could not cover him so Kam had to. Edelman and Vareen killed us. Vareen caught 11 or 12 and Edelman was 9 of 12 for 109 yards.

        • Alex

          Yeah, I’m pretty sure most of the Gronk yards were when KJ covered him. It was a mismatch and Kam had to cover him, which he did a great job at.

          Edelman killed us because Simon couldn’t match up and he had no help since Kam was forced to cover. The few times Kam wasn’t covering Gronk, he was able to knock down Edelman immediately. As for Vareen, our LBers just struggled. Again, Kam would typically be the safety valve, but he was drawn away.

        • Rugby Lock

          Losing Lane really hurt us here. That and losing Avril gave Brady more time.

      • Alex

        There was nothing we can do. Cris Collinsworth noted that the Seahawks wanted to play more defensive backs, but because of injury and depth issues, we couldn’t. The Seahawks should be playing the dime package. SInce they can’t, they had to drop down Chancellor to cover Gronk. When Chancellor covered Gronk, Gronk couldn’t do anything. When Chancellor roamed and KJ Wright covered Gronk, we got burned. While the Patriots’ best weapon got neutralized, this also meant the underbelly of the defense was open for the slot receivers.

        Truth to be told, I would rather us give up the underbelly than be burned deep by Gronk, so I was fine with it. The real issue is depth and injuries.

        • Rob Staton

          One of the worst plays of the day was the Gronk score. Just a total gift. Tried too hard to combat the underneath stuff and got burned. Careless.

          • Drew

            And how do they not make sure he has safety help over the top? That is what surprised me more on that play, that Earl Thomas was no where around to help out Wright.

            • Rob Staton

              Stunning defensive play call. An almost gimme. Seattle out-thought there trying to cover underneath and getting beat. Classic game planning by the Pats.

              • Volume 12

                Dan Quinn was checked out. His play-calling at times left a lot to be desired.

                • JeffC

                  That’s what I thought. Wasn’t impressed with his game plan at all.

    • Alex

      I’m not as whiffed about the 74% completion percentage. Brady got the ball out REALLY fast. Seattle’s pass rush was actually really, really good in the game- much better than the Packers game. However, it was all for moot because Brady was throwing everything immediately.

      Also, most of the passes were to the RB and slot receiver. For the most part, the two outside corners did their job. The problem was the LBs trying to cover Vehreen and Simon covering the slot. Jeremy Lane being out hurt the defense more than expected.

      On the other hand, I’m not as high on Burley. From what I saw of him, he flat out stunk. He may have been more appropriate covering the inside, but that doesn’t mean he was any good.

    • kevin mullen

      I don’t recall Brady even throw it beyond five yards, outside of that td to Gronk. Brady dinked and dunked throughout the game, let Edelmen and Amendola do some YAC damage. Needless to say, they’re game plan was to use high percentage, short passes to substitute their run game, flushng the rub routes with Gronk until Brady saw the mismatch (KJ on the outside). It wasn’t some magical heroics that he’s done in the past, very similar to what Peyton was trying to do last year. It just worked better for the Pats this year.

      And we did have Thurmond and Lane on the inside too, which probably helped those cross routes.

      • Alex

        The quick passes wasn’t intended to sub the run game, it was intended to neutralize the pass rush, which it did. Bennett was a one man wrecking crew, but he could never hone in before the throw.

        The difference between this year and last year is that Kam wasn’t drawn down because our LBers could adequately cover the TE and our nickle and dime corners were better.

      • Bob Johnston

        The problem I saw was we rarely punished their smurfs when they caught a ball over the middle. Those guys are slipperly, how often did they escape a tackle and gain a few extra yards – I think that was the key to their passing game. We didn’t make them pay for that short sh#t over the middle.

    • Rob Staton

      I just can’t imagine the Seahawks drafting what is essentially a return guy early. Can’t imagine that dictates what type of receiver they draft to help Wilson and the offense.

      • Ho Lee Chit

        Tavon Austin, Tate and Harvin are all return guys that were drafted early.

        • Alex

          and none of them were worth it.

        • Rob Staton

          The Rams didn’t draft Austin thinking, “he’ll be a great return guy”. It was a mere afterthought to what he brought on the field. Ditto Harvin. Tate won the Biletnikoff at Notre Dame.

          • Ho Lee Chit

            Still, as bad as we were they have to look closely at Tyler Lockett and Ty Montgomery, two of the top college return guys, in the second round.

            • Rob Staton

              Second? A bit high for my taste.

            • peter

              My man I agree with a ton of your posts but those two in the second I’ve got to see it to believe it. Tyler Lockett I do like quite a bit but a speedy slot receiver which our scheme goes out of its way to not use doesn’t make a ton of sense un the second round and ty Montgomery a total JAG at the Wr position who’s kr/pr skills literally are not significantly better then say a player like antwan goodley, who was on the short list preseason for belitnikoff and actually had good to great wr numbers his whole Baylor career and could be had in the fourth or fifth? Seriously, I’m not trying to be outright dismissive and I do keep an open mind on all players but Montgomery? I’m not seeing it.

        • john_s

          None of those guys were drafted as primarily return guys they were all considered playmakers who can return.

          Tavon Austin, he was over drafted in the top 10, but he was drafted for his all around playmaking skills on offense.

          Golden Tate, was raw but he showed the ability in college to make plays on poorly thrown balls (Jimmy Clausen) and RAC abilities

          Percy was a beast in college who did everything well.

          If I draft a WR in the 2nd he has to be a guy who I feel comfortable using him in 3 and 4 wides and if he can return that is gravy.

      • Alaska Norm

        I think the key is, to draft a guy who is a receiving threat and a punt returner. Watters is a fair catch specialist, nothing more. He adds nothing to the team as a receiving threat.

        • Jim Q

          —-WR-Tyler Lockett, , Kansas St., 5-9.5/181, 4.46/40
          Career #’s include 29-TD’s receiving & 7-TD’s as a K.O./Punt returner = Playmaker!
          Currently ranked #98-overall at drafttek.com & #98-overall at cbssports.com
          Seahawks Round-3 pick = #95. If he’s there at #95, take him + a fast receiver like
          Dorset/Smith and/or a tall WR like Dezman Lewis, or Devante Davis in the draft.
          —-Receiving:
          2014: 106 receptions, 1515-yds, 14.29/avg, 11-TD’s
          2013: 81 receptions, 1262-yds, 15.58/avg, 11-TD’s
          2012: 44 receptions, 692-yds, 15.73/avg, 4-TD’s
          2011: 18 receptions, 246-yds, 13.67/avg, 3-TD’s
          —-Punt Returns:
          2014: 21/402, 19.14-avg., 2-TD;s,
          2013: 2/4, 2.00-avg, 0-TD
          2012: 3/44, 14.67-avg., 0-TD.
          2011: 6/38, 6.33-avg, 0-TD.
          —-K. O. Returns:
          2014: 18/362, 20.11-avg, 0-TD,
          2013: 22/583, 26.50-avg, 0-TD.1
          2012: 21-688, 32.76-avg, 2-TD’s.
          2011: 16/563, 35.19-avg., 2-TD’s.
          IMO-The Seahawks need multiple WR picks to provide weapons on offense & special teams, especially at punt returner replacing Walters spot on the roster.

    • John_s

      Simon wasn’t playing the slot, Maxwell was. Maxwell has played some slot during the season and did a pretty good job there

    • mattk

      Small, fast return guys can be had throughout the draft. The weakness in the passing game and at receiver will dictate what type of player they draft, not his ability to return kicks or not.

      If they we to go so far to look for a return specialist early, how about a pure slot corner with the speed?

  7. Nathan

    We pick off brady twice, rush for 5.8 yards a carry, eliminate the pats ground game, and have a receiver go big for 109 yards.

    AND LOSE.

    This one is gonna take a while to get over.

    • Ehurd1021

      Go look at how horrible the Patriots are when it comes to red zone defense and it will add insult to injury. Just give the ball to Marshawn two times and if he doesn’t score (highly unlikely) then sneak it with Wilson or guess what… hand the ball off the Marshawn again.

      The read option should never be called again when the Seahawks are in the red zone.

      • john_s

        I disagree about the read option, it’s worked well for the Seahawks, example is the TD by Russell Wilson vs GB before the onside kick. He took the ball at the very last second and created a crease to get in.

      • Phil

        Ehurd – Squeezing 3 running plays into the time remaining — even with one timeout — was going to be a challenge. In hindsight, with the Pats lined up in their goal line “heavy” defense, I can understand PC saying “throw the ball”. The problem I now have is the decision to go with a throw into traffic to a receiver who did not look willing/able to fight for the catch. I’d rather they go play-action, throwing in essence a jump-ball to Willson in the back of the end zone where a high throw would either be caught or be out of the end zone, stopping the clock. They could then huddle up and still have a timeout to use if they decided to run on 3rd down.

  8. TJ

    As badly as it stung last night, there is not another team in the NFL I would trade places with in regards to possibility for next year. Yes, we have some holes, which were exploited last night. But the core is in place. There is no reason to believe our defense can’t dominate just as it has for the past two years. Other than Maxwell, I don’t anticipate losing anyone significant. Injuries are my only concern as they have played a lot of football over the past three seasons. I think that we will need to add a corner, maybe with someone who doesn’t fit the typical Seahawk CB mold of having length, but with someone better suited to play nickel, with the quickness to cover shifty slot receivers.

    Offensively, we need pass catchers. A big target, a deep threat, and another TE to enter the mix. I thought our offensive line looked pretty good last night, but I also believe that teams should add to the OL in every draft.

    As for coaching, I wanted Bevell’s head last night. As I have cooled down and come to my senses, I think that he is a good OC. Sometimes coaches outsmart themselves, sometimes they are so focused on doing the unpredictable, they forget to do just do the obvious. I think that we need to look at what this team has done for the past three years, look at Wilson’s development, and give some of that credit where it is due.

    Barring a total collapse, this team is poised to make another legit run next year. If they can add a couple of pieces, there is no reason the Seahawks can’t have a decade similar to the one the Patriots have had. Along with their wins, NE has also had their share of Super Bowl losses.

    • Johnny

      Agree. I just don’t agree with the play call. You could convince me that a pass play was a good call in that situation, but not a slant into the teeth of the defense.

      You can argue that Wilson should have thrown the ball earlier and that Lockette should have made a better play on the ball. But that type of play requires too many pieces to work perfectly. Kearse got absolutely destroyed by Browner on his “pick”. I don’t get why we didn’t have Willson just run a rub route and do a shallow flag route to the corner. TD Seahawks. Back-to-back championships.

      I don’t think that Bevell should be fired, but from here on out, he needs to spend the offseason thinking about his offensive philosophy and route tree. For three years now, he has had the WR run the most basic and asinine routes. Sure, you can blame their lack of separation on their lack of ability all you want, but having a more diverse route tree can eliminate some of those doubts. It’s just painful watching Wilson having so much time to throw and having zero WR open because they can’t create an inch of separation.

      Offseason: Acquire a legit #1 or #2 receiver, either through the draft or FA. If Lynch signs a new contract, that will solve our number one concern heading into next year. For the draft, CB, WR, and DE are definite needs. I thought the OL actually played a hell of a game yesterday so I don’t necessarily think an OL is an early-round need unless we let Carpenter go. Not too worried about the salary cap because I think we have the absolute best GM in the business.

      Today doesn’t care about what you did yesterday. Remember back to 2012 to the loss against Atlanta. Last night’s loss doesn’t change our future outlook whatsoever. This team is still capable of winning multiple championships. It’s been a pleasure talking with you guys throughout the season, and I can’t wait to discuss the draft. Take a page from Carrol’s philosophy: Always compete, don’t complain, win forever. Exactly a year from now, we’ll be popping champagne bottles in Santa Clara. Cheers, boys.

  9. Nathan

    I often wonder what sort of deal it would’ve taken to keep Tate.

    Obviously hindsight is a wonderful thing, and they didn’t know that they’d have to trade Percy 5 weeks into the season.

    • peter

      From here in out let us never mention the WR known ad Golden Tate…for everyone who still wonders what it would have taken….lets see about one million more a year. I think we should all collectively agree that the FO just didn’t want him here. The day Detroit made their off they could have easily said okay, we will match plus one more year or whatever…donezo…but they didn’t.

    • Pablo Honey

      I think Tate was quoted somewhere as saying Seattle offered him “half” of what Detroit did. Since Seattle doesn’t seem to offer more than 4 year deals, I think it’s safe to assume he meant total $ and not per year. He signed for 5 years/$31 million, so I suspect Seattle offered something similar to what Baldwin eventually got (3 yr/$13m, maybe an additional year so 4 yr/$17-18m). Even if Harvin wasn’t on the team, I don’t think Seattle matches Detroit’s offer — as has been stated before, a WR is just not that valuable in Seattle low-volume passing game (OTOH, Carroll/Schneider didn’t seem to agree with that when they made the blockbuster deal for Harvin).

      • peter

        I still think there was a bit more to all of it then money and years I think they made essentially no effort to keep him which would have been possible if they had wanted to

  10. CMW116

    Great post as always. I agree that the Bevell hate has gone too far. I don’t think he’s the best OC in the league by any means, but man… I almost feat for the dude’s life at this point haha.

    First: There’s no way on earth any OC would have carte blanche to call a pass in that situation at that point in the game without sign-off from the head coach (hence them both taking credit for the call). Aside from that last play and some questionable offensive calls here and there, Hawks offense did some things against a really good defense with Revis and Browner and they did it WITHOUT their TEs even showing up in the pass game.. If you would have told me last week that the Hawks would go up against Revis and Browner and their TEs would be shut out.. I would have told you we were going to get smoked.

    Also, the “Bevell throwing Lockett under the bus thing” is bothering me a bit. If he did, then that’s messed up, but here’s the only quote that I’ve seen: “We could have done a better job staying strong on the ball.” And that was in passing, while taking full credit for blowing it. And I haven’t seen a single news article using the quote in context. I watched postgame coverage for hours last night and never saw him mention Lockett by name or say more than that one quote. If I missed it, then someone let me know. Until then, I think the “throwing Lockett under the bus” talk is absurd.

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      Not here to bash on Bevell any more but facts are facts:

      “Lockette ‘could have been stronger through the ball,’ Bevell pointed out to reporters multiple times.”

      Straight from the NFL.

      http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000467672/article/bevell-lockette-could-have-been-stronger-to-ball

      Can’t agree with his play call, but I can’t argue with his assessment of Lockette’s play.

      • CMW116

        thanks for sharing, but this is a perfect example. Notice the “Lockett” portion of that sentence is out of quotes. The real quote was “We could have done a better job staying strong on the ball.”

        Again, if anyone can point me to a quote where he calls Lockett out by name or even references a “him,” I’m happy to place blame where it belongs. But I’ve yet to see it. Just really bad journalism in my opinion. No wonder Marshawn won’t talk to them…

  11. glor

    Here’s the thing, you look at the Pats and they have a ton of dough tied up in Brady.. but they are not paying a RB anything. We are going to be paying wilson way too much (in my opinion) and beast 10m.. that means we will have 30-35 million just in the QB/RB group. hell, that isn’t even including the other 5mil we are paying all the backups in those groups.. so 40million for QB/RB.. that is probably 15million more than the pats are paying that position group. there is a reason they could afford Gronk, BB, Revis, etc.

    • Rob Staton

      I suppose you could argue Lynch is Seattle’s Gronk. SEA wants to run, NE wants to throw.

    • Ross

      Those salary numbers are not cap hits, so you’re not really painting an accurate picture. Also, Brady is severely underpaid, by his own choice, which allows them to spend money on other players. This is possible because 1) it’s not his first contract so he’s willing to take a pay cut for the benefit of the team, 2) his wife makes $30 million a year so they can afford it. It’s one reason I really respect Tom Brady – total team player. As much as I love Russell Wilson, I doubt he gives the team a discount (nor should he).

      • glor

        I totally agree with this.. I would also argue that Kaep signed a very very team friendly deal.. Wilson has shown that he isn’t going to be giving us a hometown discount and our FO seems to be ok with that.. we will see in the years to come if we are able to have the same success as the Pats, or if we are going to end up like the Lions..

  12. Ehurd1021

    Going back to Pete Carrolls days at USC he was always fateful to his assistance to a fault. His staffs then always made USC fans scratch their heads because of how mediocre they where outside of the defensive sided of the ball. Many claim this is the sole reason he didn’t win more NC instead of Rose Bowls. Only way Bevell gets canned is if he walks or he loses the locker room (Russell Wilson) which isn’t happening anytime soon. Which blows because the Seahawks could do better, you would think PC would see this especially with his philosophy of “Always Compete” Which shouldn’t just be for the players but his staff as well, I think the players would agree especially after the Super Bowl.

    I don’t know if its just talk but JS keeps saying over and over again that Maxie is a “top priority” this offseason. And with Lane going down and Sherm having tommy jones surgery is it worth the risk of letting him walk? I don’t think so. His importance was on full display yesterday. I don’t know how the Seahawks are going to do it but they have to find someway to keep Maxie, Irvin, and Bwagz.

    • Cysco

      Desire to keep him is one thing, the reality of what he’s going to get paid in the open market and what Seattle can actually afford to pay him with their cap situation is entirely different.

      It’s hard to imagine them being able to extend Wagner, extend Wilson, extend Lynch, retain Mebane, solve the receiver problem, solve the left guard hole, fill out the depth in the defensive line etc.

      something has to give.

      • Ehurd1021

        Why do the Seahawks have to extend Wilson this offseason? and I don’t know if it was just me but during the media days I remember reporters asking Carroll and Wilson if there was any possibility he would take ‘less money’ and both Pete and Wilson both didn’t act as if it hadn’t already been discussed as a real possibility.

        I think they are moving on from Bang especially with how Hill improved this season. Its a lot easier to find a 1-tech run stuffing DT than finding a replacment

        • Ehurd1021

          Accidentally hit submit…

          should have said “finding a replacement for Maxie, Wagz or Irvin.”

        • Cysco

          they have to extend Wilson because he’s earned it. That, and the last thing you’d want to do is let him test the open market next year. Could you imagine what 80% of the other teams in the league would be willing to offer him? Yikes!

          Maxwell is likely to get 7-8M a year. It would take all of Mebane’s, and Zach Miller’s money to cover that. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of those guys are going to be cap casualties to help cover our other contact extensions as it is.

          I would love for them to figure out how to keep him, but unfortunately it’s going to be tough.

    • Rob Staton

      He was pretty ruthless with Jeremy Bates.

    • Phil

      Ehurd – “Going back to Pete Carrolls days at USC he was always fateful to his assistance to a fault. His staffs then always made USC fans scratch their heads because of how mediocre they where outside of the defensive sided of the ball.”

      Mediocre and USC’s offense under PC are just 2 words that don’t belong together. Under PC and Norm Chow — his OC — 3 offensive players won Heisman trophies. At WR, they had players like Steve Smith, Mike Williams, and Dwayne Jarrett. At RB , they had Reggie Bush and Lendale White. At QB, they had Mark Sanchez, Carson Palmer, and Matt Leinhart.

      Just curious where you got the idea that USC’s offensive staffers were mediocre under PC?

      • Phil

        Just to follow up — Steve Sarkisian — now USC head coach, and Lane Kiffin — now Saban’s Offensive Coordinator at Alabama — were the other offensive coordinators over USC’s “mediocre” offense under PC.

  13. SeaTown

    Injuries…I just keep thinking this is a different game with a healthy Mebane, Hill, Miller, Richardson and LOB. Just a shame we were so banged up. Shows how good this team is that even with those key injuries they were still a yard away from B2B Bowls. 🙁

    • Cysco

      in fairness, every team has to survive through injuries. It’s part of the game. Heck without Arizona’s injuries, Seattle may not have even made the playoffs.

  14. RyanM

    What will be easier for the Seahawks to draft at #31? A quality tall WR, or a replacement RB?

    • Ehurd1021

      Defensive line or Corner back IMO.

      • Cysco

        The quality tall receiver is pretty much non existent this year so that’s off the table. (unless you take the flier on Dorial Green-Beckham)

        There are a few quality RB prospects and there’s a small chance one of them might be there at 31.

        • Ehurd1021

          I personally don’t think any RB slated to go in the first round this year fit the Seahawks style or are worth a number 1 pick to be honest. I know some are High on Gurley and Gordon but I think Gordon is soft and Gurley is too much of a chance with his knee especially with the Sehawks needs at other spots.

          The Seahawks have to improve the interior pass rush, I know Hill will be back and Marsh gives them the same ability with Bennett on the other side of the ball hopefully but Hill at this point is injury prone and Marsh hasn’t done enough yet. Not being able to get Brady and Rodgers off the spot and allowing them to step up in the pocket killed us. And I think everyone after watching the game with the injuries knows that CB is now a priority with Maxie possibly leaving, Lane breaking his arm and Sherm having surgery. The defense will not be the same without if these two position groups don’t get back to form the way they where in 2013.

          • Drew

            I completely agree. We have not had any pressure up the middle to collapse the pocket and keep the QB from stepping up which Brady did continually all night long. Curious as to see what happens with Kevin Williams and Tony McDaniel as they are our only 2 big boys in the middle with length. Since Williams is a free agent, I don’t know if he has another year left but we need another big body in the middle as well to go with another pass rush DT

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      Too soon to say replacement RB is a need. I’d bet on Lynch signing an extension.

      WR is priority #1 but the draft probably won’t fall that way at 31 so either they trade back and take a couple in R2-R3 range or they probably go DL/CB.

      • Volume 12

        A DB is Maxi leaves.

  15. Cysco

    I can’t help but think that this game is going to create a monster next season. There’s no way with how competitive this team is, that they don’t go into next season with a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. I would’t be surprised at all if they are a juggernaut next year and steamroll their way right back to the super bowl. the NFC better watch out, the seahawks have unfinished business.

    I’m calling it now. 13-3 regular season. #1 seed, Super Bowl rematch against the Pats.

    • Forrest

      12-4, @GB, @BAL, @CIN, and either DET or PITT at home will all be tough games…still #1 seed though…Also depends on when their bye is and the order of the schedule…and how many prime time games they get.

      • Volume 12

        @ Cindy doesn’t worry me at all. AJ Green is overrated IMO, and QB Andy Dalton? Against this defense? Good luck.

        • Volume 12

          Should say @Cincy

        • Forrest

          Agreed, but they are a pretty good home team which does scare me a little…

          • Volume 12

            I think @ Dallas is more worrisome than Cincinnati. Even @ St Louis worries me more than Cincinnati.

    • regnaD kciN

      From your lips to God’s ears…especially the rematch against NE. We owe them a whipping.

  16. Jarhead

    Gentlemen, look at the other sites and the other boards. Read the comments posted by every fan base reveling in our misfortune (coincidentally most Pats fans are being gracious winners). We are still on top of the heap despite our really heart breaking loss last night. The other fan bases are so quick to mock the Seahawks and what happened because they know that we are still light years ahead of their teams. They will say it is because our fanbase is so arrogant and ciritical (but anyone who has even been near a GB/Den/NE/Dal fan for any length of time will know that is just silly), but the reality is they know that the NFC still goes through Seattle and they hate that. They won’t get a chance to gloat when they come to Seahawks Stadium so they will gloat now piggybacking on NE’s truly amazing stroke of luck. 13 of our most important (either as a starter or critical depth piece) were injured and out or playing injured and we still should have won that game. We played the worst game I have seen from Seattle since 2010 against GB and dismantled them in a matter of minutes. We are going the right direction- we are exactly where we want to be. We have the personnel to get back to the Super Bowl again and win- but does anyone on this board think we won’t manage to find a way to improve? To add integral players and pieces and get guys back who will play pivotal roles next year? I think things will only get better. And if we get GB at Lambeau before mid October then I think we stomp them in their own house- ESPECIALLY if the NFL has the stones to put that game on Monday night. I am really sore over how last night played out but the idea of this team playing ANGRY with something to PROVE next year is terrifying. The last we needed was a reminder of what being on the shat end of the stick felt like- I think Seattle comes back meaner, more aggressive, and without mercy for any team they face. This loss sucks, yes- but think about this team with an entire Redwood tree worth of chip on their shoulder? Brr… Chilling

    • Volume 12

      Amen brother. An angry, passed off, hugely motivated Seahawks team is the last thing the NFC wants to see. Sometimes you learn more about yourself after a loss than you do a win.

      • Ukhawk

        Would like to get back to being more of a bully

        • Volume 12

          I thin you’ll see more of that this year. Not only is this team passed off, but so is PC. We’ve all seen what PC has done with this team, imagine what he’ll do now.

    • Hawksince77

      After spending a horrible Monday getting over the game, I am finally in the same place. As painful as the loss was, it may have been the best thing to happen to the franchise. If they won the SB, after beating GB in the fashion they did, there would be very little incentive/motivation to do the hard things necessary to compete.

      Because every year brings new challenges. It is really hard to succeed in the NFL. Complacency would have been a major issue from top to bottom.

      So what was bad for 2014/15, will be great for fans in 2015/16. Everything will be important to everyone. The combine. The draft. ML’s extension. Wilson’s contract. Every bit will be worked as hard as possible to get better, and to return next year.

      And even if they win the SB next year, I don’t think anyone gets over the pain of this loss. Such a huge opportunity so foolishly cast aside.

      Never again.

  17. Ray bones

    This team has spent exactly 20 seconds in the past two seasons in which they were realistically eliminated from superbowl contention. Think about that for a second!! Kudos to the Pats for doing enough to win a championship but I completely agree with Robs contention that they beat a Hawks team playing well below their own insanely high standards. Injuries are part of every game/ season but if I allow myself to dream a bit I can’t see a way NE wins that game with Mebane, Hill , Lane and a healthy LOB all functioning at 100%. The obvious contenders in the NFC have all got their off season challenges to deal with. “Fire hardens iron”! We will be back, bigger, faster, better off for having been thru this challenge. All I can say is Post that mock soon Rob so we can wash this bad taste out of our mouths and start dreaming of next years triumphs!!! Go Hawks!

    • Superb Owl

      Just to piggyback, only 28 seconds in the last three if you factor in the very last gasp of the divisional round against ATL.

    • Volume 12

      If we have those name you mentioned and a healthy LOB, Avail didn’t go out, and the P-Rich I jury didn’t stunt his growth/development, the SB for New England could have been ugly. Once they got down by 10, it would navel been game over.

  18. CHawk Talker Eric

    Since WR is top priority…

    Of the prospects likely to be available, Smith is worth the 31st pick. Physically, so is DGB, but he’s too much of a risk for my taste. SEA needs a game 1 contributor.

    Beyond that, Coates, Dorsett and Agholor are good R2 prospects.

    Lockett, Goodley, McBride late on Day 2/Day 3.

    Anyone else?

    • OZ

      Rollins, Smith or Thompson in round #1 for me.

      • OZ

        Starting to really warm up to Sammy Coats for what this team needs.

    • peter

      For Wr’s…id take either Dorsett or d. Smith whichever one looks to be able to continue mote consistently on broken plays.

      Later I’d go with either Goodley or Lockett.

      Any two of those 4 I realistically think would replace two current roster spots, namely Walters and lockette. All of the four have value in ST as either known gunners or return men.

      As for a weird pick I would be intrigued to see Jordan Taylor out of Rice. To me he’s an in shape big mike Williams. Not a burner, will run block, and his whole game to me is boxing out defenders with his frame and using his crazy strong hands on contested catches.

      • peter

        For the TE spot I’d love to see either Williams or walford no preference as well as perhaps nick broyle. For how much success we have when the occasion strikes to run two TE the TE situation is a mess. I have hopes that Luke Willson will pull it together next year because he flashes, he’s young, and he had what like 20 receptions total in college? But the rest of them from Miller, moeaki, McCoy, Cooper Helfelt, aren’t really doing enough to be worth keeping them around. I like Miller for me its just time to infuse some youth into that position.

    • MattK

      Jaelen Strong is my number 1 receiver who might be available at #31. He’s getting mostly late first to early 2nd rd grades from the draft community. He’s big, 6’3 215 pounds, and has a basketball and track background that shows up in his game.

      Not a burner, but he can play the deep ball well because of his ability to high point the ball and play physical.

      • Volume 12

        Take UCF WR Rannell ‘Speedy’ Hall. Great physique, total ‘chip on shoulder’ type WR, former track star, gritty, big play guy, and most important he’s a return specialist. Can easily be had in the 3rd round. Good size at 6’0, 198 lbs.

  19. UKHawkDavid

    Not sure if this was mentioned already but I really thought Luke Willson would be far more involved in our passing game on Sunday. I also thought we might have seen a bit more of Christine Michael. Given the relative depth of the RB class this year, does anyone think there’s even a possibility that CMike has a training camp battle for the number 3 spot if Lynch stays?

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      It sure would seem a waste if he doesn’t

      • Volume 12

        It takes most RBs 1.5-2 years to learn the ZBS and with C-Mike already being immature and a hothead it’s only natural that it’s taken him longer than the norm. They know what they have in this kid. Every time he touches the ball you hold your breath, because he’s a true home-run hitter.

  20. Ehurd1021

    Not sure how many of you believe this but the media is starting to ASSUME a whole lot about the last call and conspiracy theories are starting to pop up. Pretty sure its obvious but what I keep hearing on TV is that the Seahawks purposefully didn’t give Marshawn the ball because of the possibility of him scoring and winning the MVP and PC wanting Wilson to get the MVP and not Shawn. Basically because of how Marshawn is with the media and not wanting the organization to look bad. People are saying that Bevell did call a running play and PC overruled him and told him to call a passing play.

    Sucks if true, which we will probably never know. Maybe if Shawn doesn’t extend it gives a indicator of what possibly happened.

    • SunPathPaul

      It does seem feasible to me. It seems like PC and RW have had such amazing success that they got greedy!
      They thought they could ‘do whatever they wanted’. That empowerment is ego gone bad…
      Like how RW called the game winner last game against GB, it feels to me he thought he could get Ricardo Lockette a TD pass… “I got you Ricardo…” …and then that.

      We need serious weapons around RW. Chris Matthews can obviously play. We need another big TE & WR I feel.
      Let’s get some size-possesion types around RW.

      Then we need a speedy deep threat WR/PR/KR…

      I’d love us to get an offensive passing assistant for our Offense. Bevell needs to expand his route tree…

      • AlaskaHawk

        You know that if Wilson had completed the pass to Lockette there would be no question about paying him the highest amount ever. Now there is the question of how good Wilson is, what should we pay him, etc. The reality is that the Seahawks offense looked bad to average most of the year. The two best players on the squad are Marshawn Lynch and Wilson. The rest of the players are average. Not sure what I am trying to say here, other than the Seahawks tried to mix it up and didn’t play to their strength of running Lynch or Wilson, and they got burned. I don’t recall the Seahawks ever using the slant route in regular season, but hey it surprised everybody except the Patriots safety.

        So moving forward to the draft, I’ve named the two players that are really good. As far as I’m concerned the rest of the offensive positions are all up for competition. I know that sounds like a pretty broad brush, we can keep the offense intact and continue to struggle with offense through the season, or we cab try to find good backups and replacements. I’m not suggesting that the Seahawks blow up the offense, I’m simply saying that only two players on the offense are irreplaceable.

    • regnaD kciN

      I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again — if the whole point of that play was to “make RW the hero,” they wouldn’t have called a quick slant. It would have been a play-action fade where Russ could roll out and toss a pretty-looking TD pass to the corner flag, or (even better) run it in himself.

      Sorry, but these conspiracy theories really make no sense. The fact that the major promulgator of them in the first place was a “sports columnist” for the left-wing weekly The Nation (which is a good magazine on political matters, but no authority on sports), who had earlier made a big thing about how Wilson “wasn’t black enough” should say enough about the motivations of that author.

      Was there dissension in the locker room over the play-call? No doubt — I’m sure some of the players were thinking and saying the same things the vast majority of our fans were. But whether it went beyond “that was a ****ing dumb call” to “PC/the ownership/the NFL did it to make sure RW and not Marshawn got the glory” is going straight into tinfoil-hat territory.

  21. Ed

    I already don’t think he resigns. Bevell doesn’t like Lynch. Lynch despises Bevell. And SB ends like that. Just crazy. You made your point and it cost us the SB. Trade Lynch to Oakland already for a 2nd or 3rd and 5th and use the money on Wilson/Wagner/Irvin/Maxwell and the picks on:

    OL
    OL
    WR
    TE
    DL

  22. Ross

    Rob’s been talking about it for a while now but the discussion on whether the ‘hawks need a big, physical receiver really came to a head in the Super Bowl, and the answer is a resounding ‘YES’. Just look at what Chris Matthews did. He’s not particularly fast, he probably isn’t a route tree wizard, but his size and strength really showed. Wilson didn’t need to make an over the shoulder dime, Matthews could box out smaller corners and adjust in the air to catch outside his body. Whether he’s even a short term solution remains to be seen but it certainly proves that the next level for this offense should feature someone of similar physical tools.

    I think the performances of DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant last season could potentially count in the Seahawk’s favour in the hunt for a marquee receiver. Both broke Cowboys records in rushing and receiving respectively. Whilst it’s probably not historically remarkable, they’ve provided a recent example of a receiver on a run heavy team piling up the stats. That could help in luring some veteran to Seattle.

    I’m not too worried about cornerback depth right now. Tharold Simon is clearly an outside guy and really showed his inexperience at points, but he’s got plenty of time to improve on a solid first year in the league (since he was out for the whole 2013 with chronic Seattle Seahawks Rookie Broken Foot Disease). Burley and Lane are both starting nickle corners. Sherman is not an unknown quantity. A team like the Ravens and would kill for that kind of depth in the secondary, even if it is questionable compared to some years past. Bringing Walter Thurmond back on a cheap contract would be a great move. It’s not like he’s going to break the bank in free agency after getting injured yet again and missing a whole season. I’m supremely confident in this team finding the diamonds in the rough yet again, especially with double digit picks in the draft.

    If there is a defensive focus it’s got to be on pass rush. With Jordan Hill and Mebane out there was absolutely a lack of consistent pressure on the quarterback. Bennett and Avril are good enough to make timely impact plays, but they can’t be expected to carry the load on their own. They aren’t young men anymore. This is the one area, other than receiver, that I’d advocate making a splash in the draft for. Imagine Dante Fowler Jr or Eli Harold on this team.

    • Volume 12

      Yeah, of CB Maxi isn’t re-signed that becomes a big area of need, and possibly a 1st or 2nd round selection.

      As for pass rush, with Marsh & Hill coming back, it may be a smart move to take a speed rusher in the mid rounds. I mean we are talking about a depth piece right? And this class has amazing depth at DE. Watch out for Kentucky’s DE-LEO Za’Darius Smith, depending on what he runs at the combine.

      As for that interior rusher, typically those guys go in the mid to late rounds. If a real stud is sitting there, then absolutely. Keep an eye on Tusculum DL Cashaud Lyons-6’5, 295 lbs., and is a freak athlete in every sense of the word. Small school kid, can be had later on, and more than likely will be a steal for someone.

      • peter

        I’m interested in zadarius’ 3 cone, i have a feeling his forty will appear slow but his ten yard split could be fast, longs,dudes have a hard time with sprints. Its why usain bolt is a freak he’s long but quick to rip through his gears. Tangent i know. But back to smith i think his best football is in front of him and hope he peaks interest from the Seahawks. They have got to find an edge rusher

        • Volume 12

          Thanks Peter. His combine will be one that I watch closely.

          Another guy I like from a small school is Montana’s DE-LEO Zach Wagenmann. He’s a ‘lunch pail/hard hat’ type guy, but also has great length and football IQ. Want to see what his 40 and 10 yard spit at the combine will be as well.

          • peter

            When all the talk of Eli Harold picked up I feel you referenced someone else on his team…maybe a younger dude like a third year sophmore? Am I just making up edge rushers in my mind! Or did this happen and if so do you remember who it was.

            I’ve got to start sitting through olbs and edge rushers to see if someone pops out. Nothing against Avril but he’s kind dependent on Bennett to put him in that wide five wide nine position, but he’s pretty meh when he has to do his own heavy lifting. I’m not in the “cut all the bums!” Boat just some dudes should be role players and I think Avril is one of this guys

            • Volume 12

              OH, Virginia DE/OLB Max Valles. Had almost the same numbers that Eli Harold did and is rumored to be every bit the athlete. If this kid had stayed another year or two he’d be a 1st round lock. He’s interesting.

              As for DE-LEO Cliff Avail, he’s not a role player. There’s a reason they locked him up. Your right, him and Bennett go hand in hand. They really are ‘partners in crime.’ But without Marsh, they had to rush Bruce from the RDE position, and that is not his forte. I think ideally you mix and match Bruce. Rush him off the edge, with his hand in the dirt, delayed blitzes, etc.

  23. Ukhawk

    Great post, Rob. Extremely cathartic.

    Agree WR upgrade would be nice just think that is easier said then done.

  24. Volume 12

    I have to get this off my chest. Where’s the love for WR Chris Matthews? This kid kept us in this game, made perhaps the most important play, the onside kick recovery, against Green Bay that got us to this game. He’s everything Seattle has needed at the position. He already has a year under his belt in the system, RW seems to favor him, and he’ll be a big part of this off-season and a big part of RW off-season training when he takes his WRs to Hermosa Beach.

    Let me ask you guys this. What’s more impressive. A rookie WR who makes a few ‘wow or eye opening’ plays against 2nd and 3rd stringers in the pre-season? Or a monster of a WR (6’5, 220 LBS.) who showed that the game’s biggest stage wasn’t too much for him? And it was against one of the better secondaries the NFL has to offer.

    He’s the same age as some of the marquee or big name WRs out there. Hell, he’s younger than the cream of the crop in this year’s FA pool.

    Just as a reminder, but Seattle is going to draft ‘survivor’ type WRs. It’s their m.o., and I don’t see it changing. They absolutely need more weapons, but they need instant separation, a WR who can break you down in space. They don’t need a duplicate of P-Rich.

    How is a developmental rookie WR any better than WR Hardball Matthews? There’s 1 WR in this draft who rivals his size and that’s DGB. I’d rather they draft CB Marcus Peters over him. I said in another post, IDK if a star was born in the Super Bowl, but he’s going to be a big part of this WR group going forward.

    • peter

      If Matthews wants to be the big time jump ball artist in all about it. Honestly you and I both know that big WR’ this year are a lot guys stretching their maybe 6’3″ frames hoping not to be measured at 6’2″…

      Plus haven’t the saints bleeped with teams for years with a short QB and at least one or more jump ball artist? Pretty sure I know my answer.

      • Volume 12

        Yeah, your right, There just doesn’t appear to be very many WRs this year that come close go Matthew’s size. Maybe some mid or late round guys, but why should we expect one of them t0 contribute any more then Matthews? WR Marques Colton isn’t a bad comp, if that’s what you were getting at.

        I just think that this year, Chris Matthews is better than what’s out there. Sure, take a big WR later on and let him develop on the PS or stash him on IR, but adding an explosive WR and TE would set this team up well.

        • AlaskaHawk

          I’ve been lobbying for them to play Chris Matthews since week one. But we also need to get our pass routes figured out so we have plays in the red zone where he can jump for the ball. Not sure why the Seahawks didn’t throw more often to him in the second half (other then tight coverage by Browner). Is it that he is covered or just inconsistencies in the passing game that lead to using the 4th or 5th receiver in critical downs?

          • regnaD kciN

            Maybe he isn’t (yet) that good against a decent defender? Your “(other then tight coverage by Browner)” may well say it all — he might be fine against the weakest DB on the field, but get owned by a solid corner.

            • AlaskaHawk

              All their corners are solid. I’m just sad that a lot of our talent sits on the bench. Michaels anyone? By the time we play him he will be off his rookie contract.

            • Volume 12

              There’s no one else in this draft that rivals his size and potential. He got owned by Browner because Browner is a 5 year vet and this kid is a rookie fresh off the PS. There’s only so many OBJ.

      • peter

        Sorry volume 12! I meant to say “I’m all about it.” About Matthews. He’s his only limiting factor. If he balls at camp next summer I’m totally in.

    • Ho Lee Chit

      I couldn’t agree more. Our WR’s are blue collar guys any way. We would not know what to do with a first round WR. While everyone is begging for the big WR here Matthews is already on the roster. Everyone blames the line for the sacks when RW has no one to throw to. His WR’s are all 30 yards down field. Give him some smurfs that can get open quick like Brady has. Then RW will be able to get the ball out quick and avoid the sack. Our line will look like a group of All Pros. Matthews can stretch the field but they don’t all need to be doing that. You need guys that can work underneath.

      • Volume 12

        There’s some really interesting ‘smaller’ WRs that can be had in the 2nd-3rd rounds.

        The more I watch of Miami WR Phillip Dorsett, the more I like him.

        K-St WR Tyler Lockett could be the next Randall Cobb and may even be there in the 3rd round.

        I really like UCF WR Rendell ‘Speedy’ Hall as a sleeper. He just seems so ‘Seahawky.’ He’s another guy who will more than likely be there in the 3rd round.

        Really like Ohio St TE Jeff Heuermann too. Has a Gronk like personality that would fit in perfectly and is reportedly a freak athlete. Ohio St used him as a 6th O-lineman, so he has plus blocking skills.

      • peter

        Agreed, but how many times this year do they cut away on what Russell sees and its his guys not really doing anything. I’d live to see someone who can get in and out if their breaks faster and someone who can get to the first down marker and cross it before coming (I’m looking at you kearse,)

  25. Volume 12

    Rob, what do you think of Florida St CB PJ Williams? Personally I’m a big fan of his and think checks off a lot the boxes when it come to what Seattle looks for in a CB. Great length, charisma/big personality, likes to make big hits, can help out in run support, he’s not intimidated (doesn’t lack confidence). What are your thoughts on him?

    Seattle always surprised us when it come to their draft selections. Could this be the year they do a 180 and take a CB with their 1st overall selection?

  26. Ho Lee Chit

    Williams or Jalen Collins would be nice early. I am intrigued by Nick Marshall the Auburn QB/CB as a developmental guy in the later rounds. He runs a 4.4.

    • Volume 12

      Definitely intriguing. And if he doesn’t work out at CB, then maybe try to keep developing him as a QB? This offense would be a perfect fit for that type of QB.

  27. Volume 12

    Ho Lee, do you think of Miami WR Phillip Dorsett as a possible 1st overall selection for us? He’s dynamic, elusive in tight spaces, can take the top off a defense, video game speed, and as an added bonus can return kicks and punts as well.

    Seattle’s scouts were at the Miami/Nebraska game this year. Whether it was to watch this kid or someone else, there’s one play in the 4th quarter where Dorsett goes up over Nebraska CB Daniel Davies and comes down with it. That had to get their attention.

    I admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of his at first, but I’m very open minded, and after watching more and more of this kid, I’m extremely impressed.

    • Ho Lee Chit

      He can definitely take the top off the defense. If the CB gambles and he gets behind no one can catch him. He is a willing blocker. I do not see much on film on the shorter routes. I would like to see him do more than verticals. My preference would be to use our 1st pick on another position and go for a WR in R2. I think he will be available at #64. Teams are loaded with young WR’s after last year. It is again, the deepest position group in the draft.

      • Volume 12

        Interesting point about teams being loaded with young WRs after last year’s class.

        I have to agree that round 2 seems like where they may target a WR.

        • Ho Lee Chit

          Five WR’s per round is pretty standard. How many are ahead of him?

    • AlaskaHawk

      Dorsett is rated at #218 so he should be a 5-7 round pick.

      • Rob Staton

        There’s no way Dorsett lasts to the 5-7 round mark. At the very least he’s a nailed on R2-3-er, barring some kind of bizarre injury status we don’t know about. Exceptional talent.

        • Volume 12

          Yeah, Dorsett is a 2nd-3rd pick at the latest.

  28. Will

    Thanks for talking us off the cliff, we will all now turn to your site 24/7 for the next few months!

    • Rob Staton

      Go Hawks!

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