Check out this weeks podcast where we discuss the Bills game in depth and reflect on the trade deadline and whether the Seahawks should consider adding Vic Beasley…
Month: November 2020 (Page 3 of 3)
D.K. Metcalf has reached new heights this season
The trade deadline has passed
No further deals were struck by the Seahawks, meaning their only move was to add Carlos Dunlap last week.
I’m not convinced Ryan Anderson or Takk McKinley, two linked names, would’ve made a big difference. Unfortunately, I’m not convinced Dunlap will either.
That’s not to say I don’t think it was a good trade. It’s an A+ in terms of value and they needed to do something. I’m just not sure an ageing veteran, added mid-season, is going to salvage Seattle’s awful pass rush.
There’s hope after a better performance against the Niners that the defense can improve. They’re also banking on the likes of Jamal Adams and Snacks Harrison having an impact.
Yet Adams was still part of the defense that had no answer against Cam Newton and the Patriots. They still rely on the blitz for pressure and can’t play their natural scheme which relies on rushing with four. Nobody should expect Dunlap to provide a miracle cure in that regard.
We also saw the defense revert back to type once Jimmy Garoppolo left the field.
It’s going to come down to Russell Wilson and the offense to prop up the unit. He’s capable of doing it — but as we saw against the Cardinals, it can also be a burden for Seattle’s star player.
It appears teams were simply being unrealistic about value. Mike Garafolo reports that the Falcons wanted a fourth round pick for McKinley. He’s out of contract in a few weeks and hasn’t played particularly well for the Falcons. Plus he’s been injured.
Frankly, they were never going to get an offer like that and if that was the state of play ahead of the deadline today, no wonder it ended up being a dud.
None of the names rumoured to be available moved on. None of the teams in serious cap hell next year parted with players to try and solve the problem.
And it’s clear the move to cut Luke Willson today was indicative of Seattle not getting a good offer for Jacob Hollister. One of the many questionable moves during the off-season was to spend well over $10m on Hollister and Greg Olsen. So far, they haven’t got value for money.
The Seahawks stole a top-five pick
The draft is often about capitalising on an opportunity.
The Seahawks have been big beneficiaries of that. Russell Wilson had no business falling to round three. If he was cloned and playing college football today — people would be talking about him in the top-five.
He’s been a trailblazer for shorter QB’s and it simply isn’t such a big deal any more.
Seattle took the chance to take him and acquired one of the best players of the current NFL era.
The same thing is happening with D.K. Metcalf. There are legit reasons why he lasted in the draft that extend well beyond a poor three cone. That’s an overused narrative.
The main reason he fell is likely due to the fact he suffered a career threatening neck injury during his final season at Ole Miss. It was even reported he was considering retirement due to the serious nature of the injury. However, after receiving reassuring information from medical experts, he turned pro.
I’m not sure how teams felt about the injury but there’s no way a player with his profile should’ve lasted to the final pick in round two.
As with Wilson, the Seahawks have once again benefited. They saw an opportunity and took it — with a glorious reward for doing so.
Metcalf is far from the finished article but he’s shown encouraging progress in year two. His second touchdown on Sunday was a classic example of using his size to box-out against defenders in the red zone. He’s using his size and not just his speed to his advantage. He’s also grown more confident and more comfortable within the offense and in certain games he’s developed an ‘unstoppable’ nature.
From a physical skill stand point he’s a top-five pick. While the Seahawks haven’t been able to select as high as that since 2010, they’ve found someone in Metcalf who can genuinely go on to achieve legendary status within the league.
He has superstar potential.
The Seahawks haven’t always used an opportunity to their advantage of course. They’ve passed on highly talented players with extreme physical profiles too. Yet in Wilson and Metcalf, they’ve found the holy grail for their offense.
It’s an example of why it’s wise to draft for upside
Prior to the 2017 draft I wrote about Malik McDowell being pretty much a dream prospect for the Seahawks based on physical profile. I still suggested that they should resist drafting him as his personality and attitude felt like the antithesis of a Carroll Seahawk.
They took him and he didn’t play a down in the NFL.
I haven’t been as critical of the team for making that move as others though. I think the thought process was sound. They saw a player with top-10 physical skills available in the early second round. Their biggest position of need at the time was a dynamic interior defensive lineman. They’d also had a lot of success developing talented players with character issues.
If he’d never had any desire to get on an ATV, who knows where he’d be now? It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that we’d be talking about him in the same terms as D.K. Metcalf — wondering how a player of his talent lasted as long as he did.
Of course the pick gets even more scrutiny now because players such as T.J. Watt and Budda Baker were also available. Seattle took a chance on the wrong player ultimately — but it’s never irked me that much.
I think it’s a good idea to keep taking chances on upside.
They’ve had a few whiffs. Christine Michael is one of the best athletes to enter the NFL in our lifetimes. It didn’t work. Percy Harvin, who they traded for, is a special athlete. It didn’t work.
When it does come off, however, you strike gold.
Metcalf is the most recent example but there are others.
We’re all well aware why Frank Clark lasted until round two and I don’t really want to talk about that today. The Seahawks took a chance on him because he showed at the combine that he had the best combination of explosive athleticism and agility we might ever see from a pass rusher.
Bobby Wagner was a special athlete available in round two. Russell Wilson, by all accounts, had every special quality you want in a quarterback except height.
The upside potential of taking someone with a world class physical profile is pretty clear. It gives you a better shot to discover greatness.
Look at the Chiefs. For the last 4-5 years they’ve drafted for physical profile with each of their picks in the top two rounds. They always go for upside.
They’ve taken:
Chris Jones
Patrick Mahomes
Tanoh Kpassagnon
Breeland Speaks
Mecole Hardman
Juan Thornhill
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Willie Gay Jr
Can you imagine their offense if they’d taken D.K. Metcalf? They passed on him for Mecole Hardman.
There are a couple of iffy picks there but the rest? It’s the foundation of their Super Bowl team along with the freaks of nature already on the roster (Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce) and the one they traded for (Clark).
Aiming high is always the way to go. It’s another reason why I’ve been loathe to criticise Seattle’s approach to the offensive line. Looking for the most explosive players up front isn’t a bad plan and the players they drafted, such as Germain Ifedi, had the potential for greatness. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
Yet that same plan is probably how they came across Damien Lewis — one of the most explosive testers at the combine this year.
If you draft the most unique, physically special players in the top two rounds four years in a row, the chances are of the eight players you take you’ll find someone outstanding.
It seems pretty clear that is the approach taken by Kansas City.
I think the Seahawks should try and stick to this too. There’s evidence that they’re conscious of it. Yet as noted in this article I wrote back in July, I think they too often get fixated on certain positions.
In 2019 they’d traded Clark, saw a good looking D-line class and clearly felt they needed a safety (since that draft they added Marquise Blair, Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams — so there’s enough evidence to assert that with confidence).
Yet by being so committed to two positions, they ended up drafting a thoroughly average physical talent with limited upside in L.J. Collier. Nobody can question his effort this year but we can all see he has minimal upside.
We’ve not seen enough of Blair to judge but given they added Diggs and Adams after selecting him, that’s not the best review of their confidence in his starting potential.
Sometimes you have to address needs in the draft — but you can make a strong case for avoiding that situation at all costs and trying to find the players with the highest upside in order to claim the players who can define your roster.
It’s hard to judge Seattle’s 2020 draft in that regard. Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor were both praised for their athletic profiles once selected but the reality is Brooks only ran a forty at the combine (a decent time of 4.54) and Taylor didn’t do anything.
Help Russell Wilson break records
Wilson has 26 touchdowns in seven games. At his current pace, he will beat the NFL record for passing scores in a season. If he manages that, there’s no doubt he’ll be the MVP and the Seahawks will win a lot of games.
Yes it’s a team sport and Seattle’s success will depend on a lot more than making sure Wilson is statistically successful. Yet I think there’s something to be said for the personal success of your own star player.
You also need to strike while the iron is hot. There has been eight different NFL MVP’s since Wilson entered the league. Nobody has won it twice. Some haven’t even come close.
This could be Wilson’s best shot to not only claim the award but also set records, confirming his place among the all-time greats. Winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate prize but only one team gets to do that. Personal success stories are important too and I suspect the Seahawks are conscious of that. They might never admit it publicly but I think they will be working to help Wilson achieve certain landmarks this year — and rightly so.
It’s time to root for the Niners
They might be banged up and they might be drifting towards another gift of a high draft pick. However, their next three games are against the Packers, Saints and Rams.
Kyle Shanahan dragged his team off the canvas after they were hammered by Miami to inflict two comfortable wins over LA and New England.
For the sake of their draft position (it’s a top-heavy class) and Seattle’s chances to outlast certain other NFC contenders — it’s time to hope Shanahan has a bit more magic up his sleeve despite the unbelievable list of casualties in San Francisco.
Thoughts on Chris Carson & Shaquill Griffin’s contract status’
Carson has always had injuries — throughout his college and NFL career. The problem is, Seattle needs him. Badly.
He is the perfect compliment to the dynamic passing game. His physical style is the ideal fit for this offense. It also helps he can catch the ball too.
The Seahawks are completely defined by their quarterback these days. It’s vital that you keep his best weapons around him and add wherever possible. Metcalf, Carson and Tyler Lockett are all extremely talented and it’s important to avoid the kind of situation we saw in New England for Tom Brady and Green Bay for Aaron Rodgers where skill players departed and were never replaced.
Simply put, Seattle is a different team without Carson.
It’s going to be really interesting to see how they handle his contract situation. They can’t afford to pay him in the same bracket as Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon and Alvin Kamara. Yet they equally can’t afford to go into next season needing to fill the massive hole he will leave.
Look how difficult it was to replace Marshawn Lynch. They don’t want to go into next year with another Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise type combo. And I’m not sure Rashaad Penny has done enough to warrant faith to be the lead back, even despite costing a high pick.
Somehow they need to find a way to keep him — he just might have to establish his market in free agency first to keep the cost down.
As for Griffin — he’s really struggled at times this season. Until recently, having missed time, he was leading the league in targets and yardage conceded.
It’s extremely difficult to justify paying him big money and the Seahawks should be willing to risk letting him walk.
That in itself would create a problem with Quinton Dunbar also a free agent. They might need to add two starting cornerbacks. That’s simply the situation they’re in unfortunately. Who knows? Maybe there’s a chance for Richard Sherman and the franchise to come together and make things right.
Draft targets so far
Here’s a reminder of the players who have caught my eye so far who might be available in round two:
Alim McNeill (DT, NC State)
Patrick Jones (EDGE, Pittsburgh)
Aaron Banks (G, Notre Dame)
Dayo Odeyingbo (DE, Vanderbilt)
Paris Ford (S, Pittsburgh)
Josh Myers (C, Ohio State)
Seth Williams (WR, Auburn)
Jake Ferguson (TE, Wisconsin)
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I voiced concern on Friday ahead of this game and to be honest, when I saw the inactive list that concern grew.
The Seahawks were suddenly decimated. One fully healthy running back. Penny Hart, a receiver, in reserve. They had a tight end rushing the passer off the edge. They were missing numerous defensive starters.
Meanwhile the 49ers were rolling despite their own injury crisis — having destroyed the Rams and Patriots in the previous two weeks.
Halloween was last night but this had all the makings of a terrifying afternoon.
Yet in the biggest game of the season so far, the Seahawks delivered their best performance.
Russell Wilson and the offense recovered from a difficult start by feeding D.K. Metcalf who was practically unstoppable. The passing game moved the ball just enough to help set up some balance later on. Wilson was at his creative best as he re-gathered momentum behind his MVP campaign.
Bobby Wagner had the performance he needed to have. He was everywhere. He was intense. He blitzed expertly and led this unit like he needs to. This was a statement performance from Wagner who has been under par in recent weeks. He finished with 11 tackles, two sacks, three TFL’s and four QB hits. He was outstanding.
He was well supported by a rag-tag cast of characters with backups filling in. Collectively the group did enough to help the offense establish a lead good enough to defend.
It was seriously impressive how they dealt with the Niners run game. Nobody is better than Kyle Shanahan at designing run plays to beat you with backup runners. He got nothing today — 52 yards on 22 carries. That was the key to the game. The Seahawks were ready for them.
Special teams also played its part as usual — with a good all-round performance including a turnover forced by Nick Bellore. The only blip was a missed extra point by Jason Myers.
I’m happy to admit that I was wrong about this game. Seattle’s coaches came up with answers when they were needed and in what was close to a must-win situation, while suffering genuine adversity, they avoided dropping to 0-2 in the division.
They got one they had to have.
Of course with this being the 2020 Seahawks, they couldn’t deliver a complete performance. The edge was taken somewhat off the defensive effort once Jimmy Garoppolo limped out and backup Nick Mullens delivered 20 points, 238 yards and two touchdown passes in one quarter.
It does make you wonder if San Francisco’s wretched offensive performance was more on the clearly injured Garoppolo than Seattle’s defense. Frankly, it’s ridiculous that we should even have to waste time contemplating that. There’s no way this defense should’ve blotted their copybook with that final quarter. At 30-7 it should’ve been game over with bells on.
Such is the current season though. Perhaps it’s for the best? The trade deadline is on Tuesday and they’ve still got work to do.
Nevertheless, this was a game they could’ve easily dropped with all the injuries. They didn’t and on a day when the Rams and Packers were beaten it’s even sweeter.
They needed this win. They got the win. They deserve immense credit for that.
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Ryan Anderson continues to be linked to the Seahawks
With the Seahawks seemingly still interested in making some moves, here’s the latest ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
— Multiple journalists, including Adam Schefter, are reporting that Jacob Hollister is available via trade.
This isn’t a surprise. The Seahawks were overly cautious at the position this year, after losing Will Dissly the last two seasons and having issues with Ed Dickson’s health. They invested over $10m in Greg Olsen and Hollister alone, re-signed Luke Willson then drafted Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan
So far they haven’t featured their tight ends in the passing game much at all. They go into Sunday’s game against the Niners bizarrely carrying five players at the position on the 53-man roster. They can afford to move Hollister to raise some cap space and possibly acquire a day three pick.
It’s the only serious move they can make to create funds for a pass rusher. They won’t save much, mind, so it’s best to be realistic about who they can acquire.
— Schefter is also reporting that Ryan Kerrigan has requested a trade but Washington intends to keep him. It’s a bit surprising that they won’t grant him his wish, after such a long, successful career with the team. However, they are probably more interested in moving Ryan Anderson and retaining Kerrigan for depth/rotation purposes.
The Seahawks would struggle to fit Kerrigan’s salary into the cap without help. This is something fans need to keep at the forefront of their expectations. After acquiring Carlos Dunlap, it is much more likely they will now try to add a younger player on an expiring rookie contract. That, along with a Hollister trade, is doable.
— Ian Rapoport is the second person following Jason La Canfora to connect Ryan Anderson to Seattle. He also believes Takk McKinley could be a target.
These are the two players to focus on I think. Both are on cheap contracts that the Seahawks can afford. They could come in and offer something a bit different to what Seattle already has on the roster. Although both have underwhelmed in their NFL careers so far, they could be highly motivated to reach free agency on the front foot.
McKinley has the length and speed Seattle craves while Anderson doesn’t have the athletic profile but showed a knack for rushing the edge at Alabama and delivering impact plays at key moments.
Neither is likely to cost much in terms of compensation. Given the links to Seattle, this feels like the place to look.
— La Canfora also expects the Texans to be sellers before the deadline and once again he mentions Whitney Mercilus as a possible departure.
It would be a strong addition similar to Dunlap’s arrival. Yet the cost of the trade and salary, plus the burden Houston would take on for moving him less than 12 months after he signed a whopping extension, makes this one less likely than McKinley or Anderson.
— The one thing to also consider is how badly the defense performs today. It’s possible you’re about to watch converted WR/TE Stephen Sullivan rushing the passer. If the Seahawks lose off the back of a horror show from the pass rush again, don’t be surprised if they’re more aggressive by Tuesday.
They are still very limited in terms of what they can do — but this is their last chance to make a deal. After Tuesday, they’re stuck with what they’ve got.
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