Yesterday it was revealed that the NCAA infractions appeals committee would maintain all penalties and findings against USC. It means that Southern Cal will not play in a bowl game this season and will not have the opportunity to be crowned the first PAC-12 champions.
Quarterback Matt Barkley has been responding to the decision today (thanks to Scott Enyeart for providing this video). The upcoming third-year starter was asked if the decision would impact his decision on whether to declare for next year’s draft:
“It could… as of now I don’t think it does. That’s far ahead for me, we have enough on our plate as it is. When that time comes, it could be… but I don’t know.”
Barkley already has two very successful years starting at Southern Cal, including a baptism of fire as a true-freshman starter. By the end of the 2011 season he’ll have had three year of starting experience, usually the point when most successful quarterbacks turn pro. The decision not to lift sanctions on USC will present a difficult situation for Barkley at the end of the year if things continue to go well on the field. Does he return for a fourth year as a senior, with the possibility of winning the PAC-12 and possibly a BCS bowl game? Or does he leave for the NFL as a high draft pick?
As he admits in the interview, it’s something for the distant future and not an immediate concern. However, the inability to play in a bowl game this year could impact the decisions of several star players at USC, including offensive lineman Matt Kalil. Both Barkley and Kalil were listed among my top fifty prospects to watch in 2011.
Yesterday we started a discussion about possible uniform changes for the Seahawks in 2012 when Nike take over the supply contract for the NFL. I linked to a website created by Tim E. O’Brien, who has taken the template for Nike’s ‘Pro Combat’ uniforms used by college teams like Florida, Alabama and West Virginia and created similar designs for all 32 NFL teams. Noticing a trending desire from Seahawks fans debating the issue on this blog, Tim very kindly put together three further designs which you can see below:
Today I’d like to introduce the new Seahawks Draft Blog logo. I’m sure you’ll all agree that my web designer David Leng at Starry Sky has done a fantastic job not only with the logo, but also with the new interchangeable banner. If you haven’t noticed already, keep your eyes fixed on the top of the page and wait ten seconds. You’ll notice the quirky new idea and this is something we can maybe play around with in the future, potentially having a top-10 mock draft included in the banner down the line.
A bit like the draft, it’s a subject that some people love to discuss while others try their hardest to avoid. I’ll confess that I enjoy talk about uniform changes, but only because I’m only ‘satisfied’ with the current design. I’m sure others will disagree, but I think they look a bit dated and the constant mixing around of combinations (not to mention the hideous lime green number) is something that ultimately you’d prefer to avoid. I like the idea of a timeless look, one that can span generations. Green Bay, Dallas and Pittsburgh have managed to find rather simple designs that never age. I’d like to think Seattle can find something similar.
The Vancouver Canucks ice-hockey team had a similar identity crisis, switching between many different designs before settling on a classic look during a league-wide overhaul of uniforms. For me, they have one of the best designs in the NHL. Perhaps it’s coincidence that their color scheme is one very similar to the Seahawks, but I don’t see any reason why Seattle can’t follow Vancouver’s lead.
The design below has appeared on a number of web sites over the last couple of years and I don’t know the artist to give the appropriate credit, but for me this would be a great way to try and find that iconic look.
McLoughlin mentioned in his interview that Pete Carroll had taken part in meetings the team had conducted with Nike about possible changes. Carroll had a significant role in a lot of the decisions USC made, possibly also in the team’s image. USC switched from this classic jersey used for many years and went for this look during the 80’s and 90’s. During Carroll’s era at Southern Cal, they went back to a more traditional design and also avoided the kind of gimmicks used by Nike for a lot of the other big schools. Could he add his voice to any claims for a similar change in Seattle?
Of course one of the more recent gimmicks by Nike is the introduction of ‘Pro Combat’ uni’s for some select schools such as Florida, Alabama and West Virginia. Tim O’Brien took the template for those uniforms and translated it over to the NFL teams. You can see his home and road ideas for Seattle below, as well as a further design from an anonymous artist.
Whether you are for or against changes to the uniform it’s a topic that always generates a discussion. In the current climate of litigation, it’s one of the few topics left open. So what do you think?
“We don’t plan to trade Carson. He’s important to us. He’s a very fine player, and we do want him to come back. If he chooses not to, he’d retire. And we would go with Andy Dalton, the younger player we drafted, who’s a good prospect. Ideally, we’d have both of them. That’d be the best way to go forward. If we don’t have Carson, we’ll go with Andy.”
The NFL lockout is still a long way from being resolved and there’s very little light at the end of that particular tunnel. Until a new CBA is signed or at least the new league season opened under 2010 rules, no trades or free agent movement can take place. What benefit would Brown get from discussing a Carson Palmer trade today? He has used the ‘no deal’ approach from day one, stating in January that a trade wouldn’t take place. While I appreciate that may eventually prove to be the case, it makes no sense to change tact and open up a can of worms while the league is still mired in litigation.
Does he really want the media circus that would come with revealing a huge piece of news today, particularly considering non-litigation news is at a major premium in the NFL right now?
We’ve previously reported that a 5th round pick and a conditional third would be the price range for such a trade. If Brown has any hope of perhaps improving that bounty, does adjusting his determined stance achieve anything but weakened leverage?
The Bengals have well and truly moved on and their now former starting quarterback will move to the Pacific North West as a Seahawk or as a retired NFL veteran, so the talk of Palmer returning that we see today means very little. The drafting of Andy Dalton afforded the Bengals to commit to a new direction. While many think Brown will be stubborn enough to see this one through, as I mentioned last week this may not be a ‘battle lines drawn’ situation like some think even if it comes across that way in the media.
Mike Brown has made this statement several times and it makes little sense to say anything else until the league is finally open for business. Some people will believe today’s comments to be the absolute truth, but don’t rule out the very distinct possibility that this was nothing more than a colorful ‘no comment’ or ‘nothing to see here’.
I’m going to be away for most of Saturday but wanted to get this on the blog before I left. Here’s tape of Landry Jones’ performance against Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game from 2010. I discussed Jones in more detail during this interview with Field Gulls’ Dan Kelly earlier in the week.
North Carolina entered the 2010 college football season a hot tip for success with a roster rich in NFL talent. Most of those stars never played a snap after a NCAA investigation into improper conduct with agents, benefits and academic misconduct led to a series of suspensions. The likes of Robert Quinn, Marvin Austin and Greg Little wouldn’t play another down of college ball.
“Photographs of Coples with Austin and Quinn that appeared on Facebook and the web site EliteDCMag.com prompted the inquiry. The party is labeled as taking place at “Ultrabar” nightclub. Also seen in photos with players is at least one alleged runner the NCAA has investigated. Before the NFL draft, the NCAA warned some prospective draft choices not to allow any former teammates to accept extra benefits or preferential treatment from anyone such as an agent or a runner. The letter read in part: ‘Please do not jeopardize the NCAA eligibility of your friends or former teammates.’ The NCAA wants to know how Coples paid for his travel to the party, who paid for his admission and his hotel, and if he accepted any free food or drink.”
In total, thirteen North Carolina players missed the season opener and some missed the entire year. While we hope not to be robbed of watching Coples play next season as he prepares for a career in the NFL, it has to be asked – why is this happening again at North Carolina?
To see what we could be missing, here’s Aaron Aloysius’ tape on Coples when UNC faced Tennessee, Florida State and NC State:
One of the journalists sceptical of a potential trade is Joe Reedy from the Cincinnati Enquirer. He reported this week that Palmer had successfully sold his house in Ohio. We’ve been reporting for some time now that regardless of whether a trade was eventually completed, Palmer would be moving to the Pacific North West. Two sources have confirmed that information, with Palmer’s decision believed to be family orientated.
“Carson Palmer’s twin children seen with their nanny in Issaquah, WA a few miles from the Seahawks training facility. Any news on this?”
The validity of this source is unknown and comes with a degree of scepticism as the Dolphin Blog account only has sixty tweets to it’s name and doesn’t list a URL. While the information may prove to be true, it doesn’t really do anything to confirm what we’ve been reporting on a potential trade. I’ll stress again that Palmer is making the move to the North West regardless of whether he is traded to Seattle or not. Essentially, he will be a Seahawk in 2011 or retired, he is not willing to consider a trade to any other team for geographical purposes. Although many would fairly assume that would further increase the unlikelihood of any potential deal, I understand Cincinnati have ‘played ball’, are willing to avoid any further issues when the lockout ends and want to move on.
“Carson Palmer is moving to the pacific north west for family reasons whatever happens. He’s already initiating that move and will do so as a Seattle Seahawk or as a retired Cincinnati Bengal. Palmer has made it quite clear he will only accept a trade to the Seahawksbecause of this situation. Before the CBA expired both teams held talks and put the framework for a deal in place, but it could not be completed because the trade deadline never re-opened and the lockout began. The player is willing to re-negotiate his huge contract because money is of little relevance at this stage in his career. He’s willing to take less than Hasselbeck’s team were demanding before the lockout.”
Palmer’s threats to retire were real, but also made in reaction to Cincinnati’s decision to announce publicly that he’d requested a trade – something he didn’t expect. The quarterback felt a move was best for both parties and wanted it to be an amicable split initiated behind the scenes. The Bengals have since moved on by drafting Andy Dalton who should start as a rookie if the 2011 season ever begins. Although reports elsewhere tout battle lines being drawn, I think both parties are less entrenched than some think and there’s a very real sense that a deal is possible. That’s not to say that things can’t change because while the NFL is mired in litigation, nothing can officially be completed. However, two sources used the words ‘done deal’ to describe Palmer’s potential move to the Seahawks.
#1 Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford)
#2 Quinton Coples (DE, North Carolina)
#3 Matt Kalil (OT, USC)
#4 Alshon Jeffery (WR, South Carolina)
#5 Matt Barkley (QB, USC)
#6 Jonathan Martin (OT, Stanford)
#7 Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State)
#8 Jerel Worthy (DT, Michigan State)
#9 Dre Kirkpatrick (CB, Alabama)
#10 Landry Jones (QB, Oklahoma)
You can see my own top-50 prospect to watch for 2012 by clicking here. I have the same offensive lineman and quarterbacks graded early, although I truly believe there’s very little between Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley and that should give the USC quarterback an edge over guys like Quinton Coples and Alshon Jeffery. Justin Blackmon is a little high in my opinion but has production to back up his claims of a place in the top ten. The same can’t be said for Jerel Worthy and Dre Kirkpatrick who are surely this high on potential only as neither had a major impact last season.
Landry Jones is at #10 on Kiper’s board, while I had him at #13. Certainly I agree with Kiper’s order for the quarterbacks and while Jones does have the potential to take the next step and warrant a high grade, he also need to make improvements with his decision making and consistency this year, as well as finding a way to shine through the ultra-productive Oklahoma system.
One quarterback who may have been graded highly in some places (particularly after an excellent display against Texas late in 2009) is former Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson. He was benched as a senior after inconsistent play, leading to a heartbreaking end to what was actually a solid college career. Although he lacked some of the basic traits needed to progress to the next level, it was difficult to watch Senior night for the Aggies when Johnson was introduced to the crowd fighting back tears.
After going undrafted last month he was then named the #1 overall pick in the UFL draft, taken by the Hartford Colonials. He spoke to ESPN about his hopes for the future including a possible route into the NFL:
We’ve become accustomed to seeing highly talented defensive tackles drafted early. This year Marcell Dareus went 3rd overall and the year before, Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy were early picks at #2 and #3. Indeed 2011 in particular had good depth at the position with the likes of Nick Fairley, Phil Taylor and Corey Liuget ensuring numbers went alongside high quality.
As we preview the players to watch during the 2011 college season, it looks like the 2012 class may break the trend and could be a down year at defensive tackle.
The top ranked DT I had on my 2012 board last week was Fresno State’s Logan Harrell, a senior not many people talk about but someone I believe has the opportunity to significantly raise his stock. He had 10.5 sacks last season and returns to Fresno State hopefully having added an extra 10-15lbs, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs with extra weight. So far he’s relied on quick feet and great hand placement to get away from blockers and into the backfield. Can he maintain that agility? He’s also lost prolific edge rusher Chris Carter to the NFL, which could lead to more double teams inside. However, he’s the defensive tackle I’m looking forward to watching the most in 2011.
Jerel Worthy looks every bit the NFL prospect at 6-3, 303lbs. When I watched Michigan State’s win over Penn State last season, he caught the eye with five tackles and a sack. However, it was in contrast to non-factor performances against Alabama and Wisconsin – tape of which you can find below. In both games he offered very little threat as a pass rusher and that’s what’ll get him drafted early. He’s got the frame to hold up against the run, but occasionally you see him driven back and that has to be a concern. Worthy has big-time potential if he can take the next step as a junior by contributing 6-8 sacks and continuing to improve against the run. Even so, my position of 20th on the big board may equally look generous in 12 months time.
Jared Crick of Nebraska is equally brilliant and frustrating. Despite losing Ndamukong Suh as his partner in crime for 2010, he actually managed to maintain his sack totals and has 18.5 in total for the last two seasons. You can’t argue with that kind of production. However, in the first half of 2010 he barely registered as he struggled to impact games. He was surprisingly quiet in the blowout over Washington and only seemed to burst into life after the upset defeat to Texas. Maybe a light switched on somewhere, but this is a player capable of explosive pass rushing ability and also a player capable of being easily blocked out of a game entirely. He’s at around 286lbs and his future may like at the five technique in the NFL. Crick should maintain his production in 2011, but probably also the inconsistency and that’s why I have him at #33 on the board.
The final prospect I’m going to mention didn’t make the top-50 but Marcus Forston is another name to watch out for at Miami. He missed the 2009 season through injury but returned to play 13-games for the Hurricanes last year, recording three sacks. He’s athletic for the position and certainly moves well on his feet, but too often he’s driven back by mediocre interior lineman and he could be a liability in the run game. Teams looking for a three-technique to play alongside a productive one-technique could show interest in Forston in the middle rounds but given his obvious benefit comes as a pass rusher, three sacks in 2010 isn’t enough to make up for the average run stopping ability. He needs to show more.
