Author: Rob Staton (Page 243 of 424)

So far the Seahawks running game has mostly stalled — but there are a number of reasons for that. Injuries, Russell Wilson’s current immobility, poor blocking.

Yet this quote from Mike Sando’s latest piece featuring the Seahawks raises an interesting point:

“What you see missing with that group is the imposing running game,” a personnel evaluator from another team said. “When we played those guys, people would talk about Russell Wilson or Doug Baldwin, but Marshawn Lynch really stirred the cup for that team, got it going physically and brought a degree of toughness. I do not think Rawls and those other guys can bring that. There is not the same fear of the running game, but they will be in games, and they will be in the conversation at the end of the year.”

Will the Seahawks offense ever function as effectively without that fear factor in the run game? Can Thomas Rawls prove this evaluator wrong and become the man? Do the Seahawks need to be looking for a Marshawn Lynch replacement or can they progress with a committee?

It’s too early to judge this situation, particularly with the injury nightmare on offense. Having Wilson hobbled would be bad enough — but look at the extensive list of issues right now:

Russell Wilson (ankle)
Thomas Rawls (shin)
C.J. Prosise (wrist)
Doug Baldwin (banged up vs Rams)
Tyler Lockett (knee)
Germain Ifedi (ankle)
J’Marcus Webb (questionable vs Rams but played)
Nick Vannett (ankle)
Jimmy Graham (still recovering from his knee injury)

Am I missing anyone?

To make any definitive statements on the performance of the offense so far would be a big mistake. It’d certainly be premature. After all — the Seahawks didn’t look particularly explosive in weeks 1 & 2 in 2013 when they were completely healthy. They scored 12 points vs Carolina and had just five vs San Francisco in week two before a late tear thanks mainly to Colin Kaepernick turnovers.

Last year is another example. The offense was an abject mess behind a faltering O-line before ending the year on a record setting pace.

Running the ball well is especially important right now, however, with Wilson suffering the first really serious injury of his pro career (at least one that seriously impacts his ability to function). The blocking of the O-line will be judged to the Nth degree. The running backs will also, eventually, come under the microscope. This will be a good test of where the Seahawks are at with their running game.

Overall there aren’t many elite backs in the NFL these days and teams have moved so far away from the run in some cases it’s become an afterthought. The feeling is you can find production late in the draft and it’s almost cool to be passive about the position.

And despite all of that — there’s nothing quite like watching an elite runner in full flow. It’s one of the true glorious sights in sport. Seahawks fans know that better than anyone and we’ll likely find out how badly Seattle needs a ‘great’ in the next few weeks.

The Seahawks ranked Todd Gurley as the #1 prospect in the 2015 draft per ESPN reports. It’d have to be a special player to take a RB in round one and I don’t think they’d sell the family silver to get at a running back — but I’ve still felt obliged to focus on the position in college football this year, just in case.

It’s a deep class with only one guy who gets you out of your seat — LSU’s Leonard Fournette. He is a complete player and should be considered a possibility for the #1 overall pick. He will almost certainly go in the top five.

The rest of the class have so far been largely underwhelming. Dalvin Cook is a home-run hitter but needs open space to be at his best. He has looked average in 2016 so far. Christian McCaffrey is an exciting dual threat runner/receiver but is probably better suited for the offenses in New Orleans, Detroit or San Diego.

Samaje Perine just hasn’t got going at Oklahoma while team mate Joe Mixon has incredible potential but also major character flags that need to be investigated. Royce Freeman is fast for his size but doesn’t play with any real intensity. He’s a big finesse back.

Kalen Ballage, Matt Dayes, Nick Chubb… all have their qualities. In fact those three might be better than the Cook’s and Freeman’s out there getting more publicity. Nobody comes close to Fournette though…

If a team is willing to spend the house on Jared Goff — I don’t see why teams won’t similarly covet Fournette. Good teams should consider it. Would the Seahawks? Like I said, I think it’s highly doubtful. But he looks like a special talent.

Can Rees Odhiambo offer a solution at left tackle from 2017?

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t develop the so-called best O-line in the NFL overnight.

It took three first round picks spread over three years to put their band together.

Despite that investment, here are two things people don’t seem to mention all that often:

1. Tony Romo has suffered two long term injuries in the last two years playing behind this line

2. Football Outsiders graded Dallas’ line as #19 overall for pass protection last season and #6 in the run game (the Seahawks were #30 and #4)

In tonight’s Monday Night Football, Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler was under constant duress and left the game with a hand injury after a sack/fumble. His line consisted of highly rated Josh Sitton, second rounder Cody Whitehair and first round pick Kyle Long.

So in other words, the Seahawks aren’t alone when it comes to O-line issues and perceived quality additions aren’t the only answer. The four offensive tackles starting in Super Bowl 50 were Michael Oher, Mike Remmers, Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield. Neither Denver nor Carolina fielded a vaunted O-line.

The Seahawks are essentially going through a reboot this year.

Moving on from Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy, plus the predictable switch again at center, meant three positions were changing at least. For all we know the Seahawks are planning to ‘do a Dallas’ and focus a lot of upcoming draft stock on the O-line (they have precedent here, more on that in a moment). Yet like Dallas, it might take 2-3 years to achieve a respectable group.

People will cringe about that — but it is what it is. Every team in the NFL is having to deal with the fact they don’t have a flawless roster.

Two of their early picks this year were spent on the line (Germain Ifedi, Rees Odhiambo) while a third was spent on a blocking TE. There’s not really much more they could’ve done in the 2016 draft.

Ifedi, before his injury, looked like a lynchpin for years to come. Odhiambo is admittedly taking longer to get up to speed. He did suffer with injury issues in college and that possibly hampered him during his first training camp and OTA’s.

The plan for Odhiambo appears to be eventually to let him compete at left tackle and left guard. While not available to start immediately in 2016 — his selection could prove to be crucial for the long haul if he becomes even a league average starter. Especially given the decidedly weak OT options set for the 2017 draft.

If Odhiambo and Ifedi nail down the LT and RG positions (and yes, it’s a big ‘if’ for now) then really the only question mark is right tackle. I think most people would accept Mark Glowinski deserves long term consideration at left guard — while Justin Britt is comfortable and performing well at center.

With George Fant also going through a redshirt year — he too could also provide some competition next season. All of a sudden the future doesn’t look too bleak.

There is a lot of handwringing about the O-line right now. Ifedi being injured hasn’t helped and the performance of the two tackles has been hit and miss (although not quite as bad as some will have you believe). Yet there is a lot of youth within this group and they’ve shown a willingness to pump resources into the O-line:

2010: first round pick on Russell Okung
2011: first round pick on James Carpenter
2011: third round pick on John Moffitt
2014: second round pick on Justin Britt
2015: fourth round picks on Terry Poole and Mark Glowinski
2016: first round pick on Germain Ifedi
2016: third round pick on Rees Odhiambo

There’s nothing to suggest this won’t be a position they continue to focus on. This front office has already spent as many first round picks on their O-line as Dallas between 2010-2016. They haven’t dodged this position group.

The issue they’ll have is the seemingly desperate lack of good left tackles in college right now — and that could increase the pressure on Odhiambo and Fant to potentially provide a solution from 2017.

Alabama’s Cam Robinson looks the part and is clearly very athletic. Yet his body control leaves a lot to be desired, his balance and set can be an issue and he gets into awkward positions. He has the potential to be a league leading left tackle but technique wise he’s a long way off. On Saturday he was doing a good job blocking 225lbs Marquis Haynes — but on two occasions Haynes actually threw him to the turf at the end of the block. How? Robinson has nearly a 100lbs weight advantage.

I’m struggling to identify another first round tackle. Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey does not look like a first rounder to me and his performance against Michigan State was not all that impressive — but you can make your own mind up:

Who knows who’ll emerge between now and the Spring — but right now this isn’t looking like a great LT draft class.

In the short term the key is getting Ifedi healthy and just finding a rhythm. The pass protection has been better than reported. It’s the run game where they’re having issues. With Ifedi lining up next to Britt and Glowinski — they’ll have a better chance to work the interior. That’s an explosive trio. The two tackles need to provide similar punch on the outside — while Vannett’s imminent return should also help.

"I'm real surprised about that. Never anticipated that would happen" Pete on 15 points in 2 games

— Dave Softy Mahler (@Softykjr) September 18, 2016

The Seahawks have a problem at the moment and it’s called ‘offense’.

In eight quarters they’ve managed one desperation touchdown drive to avoid a second consecutive 0-2 start. While the defense is playing brilliantly (19 points conceded in two games) the offense can’t even muster up an average supporting act.

Injuries are an obvious issue.

Russell Wilson put in a reasonable performance considering he’s nursing a sprained ankle. Yet it’s clearly impacting his ability to move around, make plays with his legs and extend plays/drives.

Thomas Rawls, Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett left the game at various points due to injury. Germain Ifedi remains out and his replacement J’Marcus Webb was questionable but played. C.J. Prosise missed the game with a wrist injury and Nick Vannett is still out.

Jimmy Graham is also still feeling his way back into football after recovering surprisingly quickly from a serious knee injury.

None of this is helping an offense which is capable of brilliance when there’s a rhythm (weeks 11-17, 2015). Unfortunately when things aren’t working — this is the result.

When other teams have an off day they usually end up on the wrong end of a hammering. It’s to Seattle’s credit that this ugly 9-3 battle is about as bad as they can possibly play and yet they were driving with an opportunity to win at the end.

They need to get healthier and find some production if they want to avoid 2-2 or worse with the battling 49ers and the impressive Jets ahead of a week five bye.

The surprising thing is the running game. In back-to-back weeks it’s never really been established. Christine Michael went 10-60 and Thomas Rawls, before the injury, had -7 yards on seven carries. It’s putting a lot of strain on Wilson to be the offense at the one time in his career when he’s most in need of help. The Seahawks are struggling to set the tone and are being forced into situations (3rd and long) that are not kind for an injured quarterback.

There were also a lot of basic errors in this game. The Cassius Marsh facemask at the end took time off the board and almost ended the contest just when the Seahawks were about to get the ball back. There were a lot of ticky-tacky penalties too but also some costly, avoidable ones. Christine Michael’s fumble was the finishing touch to a disjointed performance.

People will talk about the O-line performance. This was never going to be a kind match-up against an elite front four — even if they had a top-10 pick playing instead of Bradley Sowell. More concerning than the pass-pro is the teams inability to consistently run the ball.

Seattle ended 4/13 on third downs and actually had more net yards than the Rams (306 vs 283). Yet L.A. managed to find the chunk plays to get into scoring position.

There were some positives. Jimmy Graham looked sharp and will be needed as an outlet for Wilson until he’s healthy. Tyler Lockett looked explosive and almost led the comeback with the 53-yard grab downfield late on.

Frank Clark had two more sacks, Marsh should’ve had one but for the penalty and Michael Bennett had one too. For some reason this pressure isn’t leading to even a sniff of a turnover. It’s puzzling why, in two games against bad offenses, the Seahawks have barely looked like taking the ball away.

The key next week has to be to establish some offense in particular the running game. For years the Seahawks could lean on Marshawn Lynch and the run to set the tone. They have to ensure that’s still the case with Wilson injured.

We've #TBvAZ commentary from 7:30pm on #5liveNFL with @CharlesDagnall, @gbradyradio & @robstaton @NFLUK pic.twitter.com/444y6nKAZG

— BBC 5 live Sport (@5liveSport) September 18, 2016

I’ll have some thoughts on the game at some point on Sunday. Here’s an open thread in the meantime.

If you’re in the UK I’ll be on national radio from 7:30pm (see tweet above) so check it out.

— Louisville absolutely destroyed Florida State 63-20 but at least DeMarcus Walker enhanced his stock (somehow). He was the only FSU defender who got close to Lamar Jackson. His patience at the LOS, hand use, explosive closing speed and combination of size/athleticism makes him a very attractive DE/DT hybrid. You want to see him play with a bit more snap-to-snap intensity (he’s a bit passive on snaps where he doesn’t have an impact) but there’s a lot of potential here.

— Yes, Lamar Jackson is fast becoming the biggest star in college football. He’s a bit one-paced as a thrower (100mph or nothing) and he still needs to work on his accuracy (his intercepted pass to the inside on a corner fade was a basic error) but as an athlete he’s clearly sensational. Even if the NFL eventually doesn’t see a future at QB — there’s a role for someone like this at the next level.

— Tim Williams is a stud. Against Ole Miss he ran outside of the tackle before instantly dipping to the inside drawing a hold. It was a brilliant play — setting up the OT before destroying him in one fluid motion. He hit the QB’s arm on a sack to force a pick-six for Jonathan Allen (a 75-yarder no less). The NFL loves players like Williams. He’s destined for a big time draft grade and could easily go top ten. Speed, hands, length.

— Marquis Haynes is fun to watch. He could be a Bruce Irvin type DE/LB. He’s a lighter player and won’t be a full time defensive end. There were a couple of times where he was easily blocked out of the play by the Alabama RT and Bo Scarborough coasted through a downfield block on Haynes at the second level to secure a first down (he really needed to do a better job disengaging). He did have one huge, crunching sack/fumble against Alabama that was recovered and returned for a touchdown. He drew a big holding call on O.J. Howard on a running play. Haynes has major production as a pass rusher in college and could be a sleeper in the middle rounds.

— Damore’ea Stringfellow was superb today. He’s a big bodied receiver who won a contested catch downfield vs Marlon Humphrey (who had water-tight coverage). It was ideal body control and positioning by Stringfellow. He made another key grab at the goal line vs Humphrey to set up a first and goal and scored a consolation red zone touchdown with three minutes to go.

— I maybe underestimated Eddie Jackson’s athletic potential. The Alabama safety had a long punt return for a touchdown. He ran away from a lot of people.

— It’s surprising to see continued talk about Chad Kelly in the first round. It’s a bit like the ‘Dalvin Cook is superior to Leonard Fournette’ stuff. And is there a team that has flattered to deceive more than Ole Miss over the last three seasons?

— Speaking of Fournette…

— Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers is a special talent. He’s a former big-time 5-star recruit who will play in the NFL in the en vogue LB/S hybrid position. He scored on a +50 yard punt return vs Colorado today.

— Oregon running back Royce Freeman was injured during a 35-32 loss to Oregon. It’s unclear what the issue is but his lower right leg was iced and heavily wrapped on the sidelines.

— Tennessee cornerback Cam Sutton will also miss several weeks with an ankle injury. It’s a real shame for Sutton. Hopefully he recovers well in advance of the combine — he’s a potential top-15 pick.

— Joe Mixon (RB, Oklahoma) has some severe character flags that need to be investigated thoroughly but he’s a 5-star recruit with major upside. He had a big kick return for a TD vs Ohio State. His ceiling is extremely high — but the flags are a real concern.

— Time for the DeShone Kizer #1 overall hot takes to settle down. Why did this ever become a thing?

— Florida linebacker Alex Anzalone is one to seriously monitor for the 2017 draft. His performance vs Kentucky on Saturday was intense — including 1.5 sacks and five solo tackles. His closing speed, play recognition and versatility to play coverage and rush the passer makes him an intriguing prospect. See for yourself:

LB Alex Anzalone shows his quickness and instinct on this delayed blitz sack pic.twitter.com/cnUBfx89Ok

— Swamp Music (@Swamp_Music2) September 12, 2016

Anzalone is a redshirt junior so declaring for the draft is likely if he maintains this level of performance. He’s eerily similar to Clay Matthews Jr — the same hair, 6-3/241lbs frame and intensity. For the Seahawks he could be an option in the Bruce Irvin role. Watch this guy if you get a chance.

— Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson is an interesting case. You’ll see a lot of mocks projecting him in the top-10. He has the ideal frame but at the moment just doesn’t play like a top-10 prospect. Robinson has heavy feet despite his athleticism and he doesn’t play with the kind of control we saw from Laremy Tunsil a year ago. There were a couple of times vs Western Kentucky where he didn’t really seem sure who he was supposed to block. The potential is there and the league demand for athletic tackles has never been greater. That could keep him in the top tier for 2017. At the moment he’s not entirely living up to the hype. That said, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Seahawks if a tackle with upside and potential suffers a bit of a fall and maybe comes into range.

— Adam Schefter predicted today that Notre Dame’s Deshone Kizer would be the #1 pick in next years draft. I found that surprising given he started the year swapping drives with Malik Zaire. I watched Kizer vs Nevada and Texas and there’s certainly a lot to like. He’s big but not immobile, he has a decent arm and he made some nice throws against the Longhorns. Yet on Saturday there were also some issues:

On one pick he horribly undersold a deep ball when the WR had gained perfect downfield separation. He misfired a couple of other times downfield and as a runner he’s more ‘elusive’ than a threat to break off gains. Does he really look like a future #1 pick in the video above? He also has limited starting experience and although DeShaun Watson has had a middling start to the season — it’s staggering to think Kizer has jumped ahead of him based on this evidence. With the likes of Watson, Myles Garrett and Leonard Fournette eligible next year — it’s hard to imagine Kizer being the top pick.

— It’s rare that the top recruits end up becoming the top draft prospects but that could be the case with this years draft. Here’s a list of players who were all part of the same recruiting class and given 5-star ratings:

DeShaun Watson
Malik McDowell
Calvin Cook
Cam Robinson
Bo Scarborough
Malachi Dupre
Jalen Tabor
Marlon Humphrey
Joe Mixon
Adoree’ Jackson
Leonard Fournette
Jabrill Peppers
Myles Garrett
Da’Shawn Hand

It’s strange to think Hand was ahead of the others and yet plays, so far, basically a spell-role for the Alabama defense. Garrett, Peppers and Fournette are top-tier prospects for next years draft while Humphrey, Dupre, Tabor, Robinson, Cook and Watson are all slated for round one.

Malik McDowell is really boom or bust. Against Furman he had one really good play shedding a block and pursuing the running back for a big loss. He was also dumped on his backside by a tight end at one point and drifted out of the game against a major underdog opponent. When he uses his length he’s adept at disengaging and working into the backfield. Too often though his technique drops and he becomes ineffective. I’m not sold on his ability to go as early as some are predicting.

Adoree’ Jackson is an incredible athlete but what is his role at the next level? Can he become a bona fide corner? Joe Mixon has a high ceiling but major character concerns that need to be checked out. As a talent he has a NFL future but nobody will touch him without doing major background checks on his legal case.

Bo Scarborough has the potential to be the next great running back at Alabama but so far has been used in a committee. We’ll see if his role develops over the course of the season.

— This should be a much better draft for tight ends. If Eric Ebron can go #10 overall than O.J. Howard is an absolute shoe-in for the top-15. Howard has Ebron’s occasional lapses in concentration but he’s an even better athlete with major upside as a pass-catcher. Jake Butt is Mr. Dependable — a Greg Olsen type who does everything well. Evan Engram is a better blocker than his 6-3, 227lbs frame suggests but he’s a really dynamic pass-catcher.

If you missed this weeks podcast — don’t forget to check it out here.

This is the color rush jersey to be worn by the Seahawks when they host Los Angeles in week 15.

NFL_Leaks (twitter here) has the scoop. The NFL introduced monochrome uniforms for Thursday night games last year, with mixed results. Some of the combinations this year look good (see: Cincinnati, San Diego, Oakland and a few others). I’ll leave you to make your own mind up on Seattle’s entry.

‘Action green’ as it’s described by Nike is a unique accent to the home and road jersey’s and, like it or loathe it, is part of the teams identity. Picturing the Seahawks in an entirely ‘action green’ uniform is a different matter. Especially when you consider the Rams will be wearing golden yellow.

It’ll be like two different varieties of mucus, meeting to finally determine which is tougher to cough up.

Week 15: The Mucus Bowl

If you’re so inclined, the Seahawks will have the largest variety of player name/number options to purchase. They’ll also be introducing the following:

Some of these look very good. The Bengals ‘white tiger’ uniform particularly stands out. Seattle’s will be an acquired taste. Kudos to NFL_Leaks for the info.

Tonight we’re doing a podcast where we’ll discuss some of the college football/draft topics from the weekend. No doubt we’ll also get into the Miami game and Russell Wilson’s ankle.

The power of believing and hanging tough!!!

Thank you #12s! You were on fire today!!

— Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) September 11, 2016

Where do you start?

I suppose it has to be the game winning drive, manufactured miraculously against the odds. Russell Wilson’s injured ankle basically shut down the offense. And without an experienced game-manager backup he was forced to stay in the game.

A 75-yard scoring drive in the final four minutes was improbable. Yet there was Wilson, virtually on one leg, leading the team down the field. Two converted fourth downs. One perfect fade for the touchdown.

A franchise quarterback performance.

Yet the game MVP goes to someone else. Cassius Marsh had three incredible plays on special teams including a (now crucial) blocked field goal. His sack/fumble at the end all but capped the win.

This had a bit of the 2013 Rams game about it. On that occasion the Seahawks couldn’t block a tackle dummy, couldn’t move the ball on offense and needed a dramatic stop as time expired to win the game.

The scenario’s are different here — but the inability to move the ball and the desperation late win against an underdog opponent are similar.

That game ended up being an anomaly. The hope has to be that this is the same. An off day due to Wilson’s injury and some ring-rust.

Yet there are legitimate concerns over the following:

— Seattle’s O-line struggled in pass pro, in particular Bradley Sowell who picked up multiple holding penalties. He did have a key run block on the 4th and inches play during the final drive.

— How serious is Wilson’s ankle injury? If you take away his mobility, it harms the offense to a great extent. He appeared to be moving more freely during the game winning drive. More on this in a moment.

— Why did the Seahawks throw the ball 26 times in the first half versus 11 runs? Are they needing to set up the run these days? Was it just a one-off game plan to try and set up the deep ball and test a rookie cornerback and Byron Maxwell?

— What on earth was Earl Thomas doing today?

— Too many bad long snaps. Again.

— What happened on the blown coverage that led to Kenny Still’s big drop and Arian Foster’s easy 50-yard catch-and-run?

The most important factor is Wilson. If he’s healthy that will do for now. It looked like a serious ankle sprain. The type that might not force him to miss any time but it could:

a.) easily be injured again in another game considering how often Wilson is hit

b.) linger enough to prevent him ever playing at his absolute best in 2016

Do they need to bring in an experienced backup this week just in case? Someone who can get them in and out of plays, handle the huddle and lead a conservative offense?

For now let’s enjoy the relief of a win and a 1-0 start.